JULY 26 - Jesus One on One: Nicodemus

On Sunday, July 26 we looked at Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus in John 3:1-17.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on the character Nathanael.

RAY STEDMAN. Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger, an emptiness. Here was a man who was doing his level best to obey what he thought God wanted, yet he had an empty and unsatisfied heart that led him to seek out Jesus by night, at the risk of the displeasure of his peers, to talk with him about the kingdom of God. Sensing this our Lord immediately puts him on the right track, saying to him, in effect, "You are wasting your time if you think you can enter the kingdom of God the way you are. You cannot do it. You must be born again." John Wesley's favorite text, which he preached all through England, Wales and Scotland, was this, "You must be born again." Someone said to him once, "Why do you preach so often on 'you must be born again'?" Wesley's answer was, "Because -- you must be born again." That is what Jesus is saying.

JOHN WESLEY. How must a man be born again? What is the nature of the new birth?....Not that we are to expect any minute, philosophical account of the manner how this is done. Our Lord sufficiently guards us against any such expectation, by the words immediately following the text; wherein he reminds Nicodemus of as indisputable a fact as any in the whole compass of nature, which, notwithstanding, the wisest man under the sun is not able fully to explain. "The wind bloweth where it listeth...but thou canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth;" -- the precise manner how it begins and ends, rises and falls, no man can tell. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit:" -- Thou mayest be as absolutely assured of the fact, as of the blowing of the wind; but the precise manner how it is done, how the Holy Spirit works this in the soul, neither thou nor the wisest of the children of men is able to explain.

JOHN WESLEY. The expression, "being born again," was not first used by our Lord in his conversation with Nicodemus: It was well known before that time, and was in common use among the Jews when our Saviour appeared among them. When an adult Heathen was convinced that the Jewish religion was of God, and desired to join therein, it was the custom to baptize him first, before he was admitted to circumcision. And when he was baptized, he was said to be born again; by which they meant, that he who was before a child of the devil was now adopted into the family of God, and accounted one of his children. This expression, therefore, which Nicodemus, being "a Teacher in Israel," ought to have understood well, our Lord uses in conversing with him; only in a stronger sense than he was accustomed to. And this might be the reason of his asking, "How can these things be?" They cannot be literally: -- A man cannot "enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born:" -- But they may spiritually: A man may be born from above, born of God, born of the Spirit, in a manner which bears a very near analogy to the natural birth.

RAY STEDMAN. It is amazing that [Nicodemus] would come to Jesus at all, because the Pharisees regarded themselves as superior to other men in spiritual status before God due to their total dedication to obeying the law of God....John tells us that he began his word with a courteous introduction, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him...." This is a rather amazing statement....Nicodemus regarded Jesus as a successful teacher, because God put his seal of approval on him by doing miracles through him....Nicodemus came with a great deal of respect for Jesus, regarding him as a superior teacher, able to instruct in the meaning of the Law.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. It was by night that Nicodemus came to Jesus....It may have been a sign of caution. Nicodemus quite frankly may not have wished to commit himself by coming to Jesus by day. We must not condemn him. The wonder is that with his background he came to Jesus at all. It was infinitely better to come at night than not at all. It is a miracle of grace that Nicodemus overcame his prejudices and his upbringing and his whole view of life enough to come to Jesus....Nicodemus was a puzzled man, a man with many honors and yet with something lacking in his life. He came to Jesus for a talk so that somehow in the darkness of the night he might find light.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. When Jesus said that a man must be born anew, Nicodemus misunderstood him....How can anyone, he said, enter again into his mother's womb and be born a second time when he is already an old man? But there is more to Nicodemus's answer than that. In his heart therew as a great unsatisfied longing. It is as if he said with infinite, wistful yearning: "You talk about being born anew; you talk about this radical, fundamental change which is so necessary. I know that it is necessary; but in my experience it is impossible. There is nothing I would like more..." It is not the desirability of this change that Nicodemus questioned; that he knew only too well; it is the possibility. Nicodemus is up against the eternal problem, the problem of the man who wants to be changed and who cannot change himself.

CHRYSOSTOM (4th century). Even now [Nicodemus] was disposed toward Christ, but not as he should have been, nor did he yet have a proper regard for Jesus....This is why he came by night, because he feared to do so by day. Yet our merciful God did not reject or rebuke him for this, or deprive him of his instruction. Rather, with much kindness Jesus talked with him....Nicodemus shows he wants to learn....And so what Christ says to him is something like this: If you are not born again...everything you think about me will be from a human point of view, not a spiritual one....It is impossible, Christ says, for someone who is not born in this way to see the kingdom of God.

AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD). [Nicodemus] knew only one birth from Adam and Eve. He did not yet know [the birth] from God and the church....Although there are two births, he only knew one. One is from earth, the other from heaven. One is from the flesh, the other from the Spirit. One is from mortality, the other from eternity. One is from male and female, the other from God and the church.

AUGUSTINE. Do you think that the Lord meant to insult this master of the Jews? The Lord knew what he was doing. He wanted the man to be born of the Spirit....The man was puffed up with his mastery, and it appeared of some importance to him that he was a teacher of the Jews. Jesus pulled down his pride so that he might be born of the Spirit.

JULY 19 - Jesus One on One: Nathanael

On Sunday, July 19 we looked at Jesus' encounter with Nathanael in John 1:43-51.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on the character Nathanael.

JOHN WESLEY. [Nathanael] appears to have been a man of an excellent spirit; not hasty of belief, and yet open to conviction, and willing to receive the truth, from whencesoever it came....What is implied in our Lord's character of him? "In whom is no guile." It may include all that is contained in that advice, -- "Still let thy heart be true to God, thy words to it, thy actions to them both."

RAY STEDMAN. Jesus could read people instantly and accurately in a way no one else could. And when he saw Nathanael coming to him, he read the character of Nathanael like a book: "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." There was no deceitfulness in Nathanael, no tendency to hide or be devious. Nathanael's immediate response was, "How do you know me?" Clearly, Nathanael felt that Jesus had hit the nail on the head. He was a man who worked diligently at building both a reputation and the consistent inner reality of integrity and honesty.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. It was not so much that Jesus had seen him under the fig tree that surprised Nathanael; it was the fact that Jesus had read the thoughts of his inmost heart....Nathanael stands for the Israelite whose heart was cleansed of pride and prejudice and who saw in Jesus the one who satisfied the longing of his waiting, seeking heart.

AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD). Nathanael, remembering he had been under the fig tree where the Lord had not been, recognized the divinity in him and answered, "You are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel." Though he was under the fig tree, he did not become a withered fig tree; he acknowledged Christ.

JULY 12 - STEPS

To listen this message, go to this link:
BUMC AUDIO MESSAGES

Here is a little more information about each of the "four steps" we looked at on Sunday, July 12...

1 - EXPLORING CHRISTIANITY
I believe in God, but I'm not sure about Christ.
My faith is not a significant part of my life.
I do not tend to involved God in my daily life.
I may view the Bible as irrelevant.
I need others to help me interpret spiritual issues.
I may seek God's guidance only in times of need.
I do not serve in the church.

2 - GROWING IN CHRIST
I believe in Jesus.
I'm discovering faith, and working on what it means to get to know him.
I may willingly participate in small groups.
I may begin serving in the church.
I may sometimes read the Bible or Christian books.

3 - CLOSE TO CHRIST
I feel really close to Christ.
I depend on him daily for guidance.
The Bible provides direction for my life.
Prayer is central to my life.
I have not yet surrendered everything to Christ.
Spiritual friends may become more important than small groups for my growth.
I serve the Lord regularly.

4 - CHRIST-CENTERED
God is all I need in my life; I love him more than anything; he is enough.
Everything I do is a reflection of Christ.
For me, prayer is constant conversation with God.
I am helping to mentor others.
Service to others is a way of life.

Something we did not have time to discuss on Sunday - is the fact that a certain portion of folks at "step 3" and "step 4" report some struggles.

It is not uncommon for folks at step 3 (Close to Christ) to describe themselves as "stalled," and wrestling with "lost momentum." ("I believe in Christ, but I haven't grown much lately."

It is not uncommon for folks at step 4 (Christ-Centered) to describe themselves as "dissatisfied," demonstrating all the outward signs of full devotion but still somewhat unhappy. ("My faith is central to my life and I'm trying to grow, but my church is letting me down.")

For more information about the REVEAL studies - to the REVEAL WEB SITE.

You can also attend the "Summer Short" course on "Reveal" - on Sunday, July 19 at 5 p.m.