Classic Christianity – Book of John Part 11 (04-23-19)
Bob resumes the study of the gospel of John. He is currently teaching from John 3 where Nicodemus meets Jesus at night and Jesus explains to him what it means to be born again of the Spirit of God. This is one of the most important chapters because it teaches us how to enter a brand new relationship with Christ Jesus. We not only come to him to be our Lord and Savior but also to be our teacher.
Bob shares again how man is already dead in sin, born in the nature of Adam. Man cannot give spiritual life to man because he does not have spiritual life in himself. But a man was sent from heaven to explain heavenly things to man. God sent Jesus to redeem man from the consequences of sin, which is death. Satan deceived man and man chose to believe the lie. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy but God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, not to condemn the world, but to save man through him. Man was condemned already. Man is dead and in need of life.
God provided for man what he could never do for himself. Jesus took away all the sins of the world when he died on the cross. His death was a necessary part of salvation, to take away the cause of death, which is sin. If sin was not taken away then the next time man sinned he would die again. So Jesus death took away the sins of the entire world. He took away the sins of Saddam Hussein, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. But not everybody appropriated what God did to receive life.
Salvation is giving life to man through the resurrected life of God. The only way we can receive life is through the life that is given by God in Christ Jesus. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he now lives forevermore. Jesus Christ never sinned, lived a holy life and is the only man who could voluntarily lay down his life for man, and he did, and was raised up to life. Since he had no sin of his own, sin has no hold on him. Now he lives forever to intercede for man to those who put their trust in him. He offers eternal life as a gift to be received. He who receives the Son has the life and he who does not receive the Son does not have life. Come to Jesus Christ for eternal life.
Now that you are born again of the Spirit, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, you have now become a member of the family of God with your citizenship in heaven and are being trained and equipped with truth that sets you free, giving glory to God. For you now live by being led by the Spirit of God who lives in you and through you. You are the branch and Jesus is the vine. Apart from him you can do nothing. Jesus produces the fruit of the Spirit and you just abide in him, allowing him to do the work. You have been given a new assignment as an ambassador for Christ. You proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ has reconciled the world to himself and you are now competent as a minister of the New Covenant, imploring others on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. Let Christ Jesus live in you and through you. The Holy Spirit is your trainer, counselor, best friend and indeed your very life.
Bob finishes up talking about ceremonial washing. Bob’s wife, Amy talked about a relative in Russia. Before he read the bible he got cleaned up, brushed his teeth, combed his hair and then read the bible. That is ceremonial washing. Did ceremonial washing save anybody? No, that is a cleansing process.
John 3:25
An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.
So an argument developed over ceremonial washing. Baptism is a form of ceremonial washing. That is something people did before approaching God.
John 3:26
They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan — the one you testified about — look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
They called John the Baptist, “Rabbi.” To be a Rabbi you must have gone through some kind of training to be one. It is Bob’s understanding, and maybe false, but not according to Jewish tradition. To be called a Rabbi you had to be a Rabbi. To be a Rabbi you had to go to rabbinical school. That is what is told. Certainly do not have too many people called Rabbi in the scriptures. Jesus was called Rabbi. Bob believes Jesus went to rabbinical school in Seporos. It is known that Mary’s father was head of a rabbinical school in Seporos. To be a Rabbi, you had to be taught to be a teacher and you were taught in rabbinical schools. Historical research and archaeology tells us that there was one in Jerusalem and one in Seporos, in Galilee, across the valley from Nazareth. It was a booming city, a metropolis. There was a lot of construction in Seporos. There was also rabbinical school headed by Eli, Mary’s father. Being a metropolitan area for that time period, with a population over 100,000 people, terrific amount of construction took place and provided lot of work for carpentry. Joseph, we know worked as a carpenter. Jesus, in the silent years, where nothing is recorded down in scripture about him when he was between 12 and 30 years old, other records or findings indicate he was in a rabbinical school. He would have been in rabbinical school with his grandfather as the head of it. We do not know these things from scripture. But we do know Eli was Mary’s father and we do know Jesus was called Rabbi. So, without being recorded in scripture, certain amount of speculation but more archaeological findings are providing information.
So during those silent years, quite possible Jesus was preparing himself in rabbinical school. We don’t know but they called him teacher.
John 3:26
They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan — the one you testified about — look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
John 3:27-29
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
A man can receive only what is given from heaven. John was testifying what Jesus was testifying in verse 13.
John 3:13
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.
John he Baptist has been waiting for him and listening for him. He is now full of joy when he met him when the Spirit told him that the one who lights on him like a dove is the one, the promised Messiah.
Luke 3:21-22
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
John 1:33
And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
John the Baptist heard the voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus must now become greater. John the Baptist was the most important preacher on the earth.
John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.”
Matthew 11:11
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
That is quite a statement by Jesus concerning John the Baptist! John the Baptist knew he was from the earth and Jesus came from heaven. Therefore, he said: “He must become greater; I must become less.” Unlike the Pharisees, John the Baptist knew his role on earth, as he testified from Isaiah the prophet concerning himself. “I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.” He did not see Jesus as a threat to job security.
John 3:31
The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
This ties into the preexistence of Jesus. Not the body of Jesus but the preexistence of Christ. God is Spirit. The preexistence of Christ Jesus is that he is before all things, all things created by him and for him.
Colossians 1:15-17
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
What is the real you? Is it the body you see or is it something under the skin? It is the thing not there when you see a corpse. All parts there but you are gone. If you have ever been to a funeral, then you have seen a corpse. You see the bod yin the coffin but the person is not there. The eyes just roll back into the head. Bob said that he would have on his tombstone: “Go home. I am not there.” Body is there but you are not.
John 3:32
32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Tying into the preexistence of Jesus. John the Baptist knew Jesus is God. God is Spirit. The spiritual Jesus who came to earth and took upon our earth suit.
Philippians 2:7-9
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name
Jesus was God in a man’s suit. We are a man or woman indwelt by God. He was God en-clothed in an earth suit. He took upon our humanity. That was God taken up in humanity. He was teaching us how to live as a man in total submission to his Father. Everything Jesus did or said was not of his own initiative. He only did what he saw His Father doing. He listened to the voice of His Father and submitted to it. He said he does not speak on his own but speaks exactly as His Father tells him.
John 5:19
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 5:30
By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 12:49
For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.
Jesus taught us how to live as a branch. Jesus spoke a message from heaven to explain to man how man was created to live. To his disciples, he explained everything. One parable that Jesus explained to his disciples was the parable of the vine and the branches in John 15. This parable was taught to explain to man how to live in total submission to the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself was living as a perfect man, having made himself nothing, in order to show us what depending on the Holy Spirit looks like.
John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
What is the role of a branch? Abide in the vine. If you abide on the vine, you bear fruit. If you do not then you do not bear fruit. Is that hard to understand? We do not tell the branch to go and sick em for Jesus. We do not tell the branch, “Go and try to produce this stuff. Be holy.” What is the work of a branch? What would you say to a branch? Abide in the vine. Is there anything else for me to do? No. Abide in the vine and you will produce work? No. Branches do not produce. So you say, “But I want to produce.” God’s response is like saying: “You can put wax apples on a branch and hope nobody takes a bite of it.” God says, “I want you to abide. Trust me to produce in and through you.”
What is this fruit God produces? Look at Galatians 5:22.
Galatians 5:22
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Only God can produce that fruit. We never had any of that in ourselves, being born dead spiritually. Only the Spirit can produce fruit of the Spirit. Notice all those qualities is one fruit. The source is God.
Learn to abide in Christ Jesus.
John the Baptist says you would not hear that lesson from us. We are of the earth and speak of earthly things. But he is from heaven and speaks of things from heaven. You will not hear any human being say that message. The message of the world is this: “We are going to tell you to join our group to be saved.” That message from Jesus was from above.
John 3:31-32
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
Jesus testifies of what he has seen and heard from who? God!
John the Baptist is testifying that Jesus is from God. This is the testimony of God concerning his Son.
1 John 5:11-13
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
If you do not have the Son of God it means you are dead. It means the wrath of God remains on you.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
That is the testimony of God. You did not hear that from man. How could any man tell a story like that? That message had to come from heaven.
John 3:33-36
33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Listen to these words from God. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. You will remain dead. For God’s wrath does not come upon you. God’s wrath remains on you. God came to save you from the wrath to come for you were already born dead. You must be born again!
