Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): This is the Power Walk Ministries broadcast with Reverend Paul Cannings. We're so glad that you've joined us today. Our current series brought to you by Pastor Cannings is titled What Does it Mean to Be Born Again? This teaching is based on John Chapter 3 and Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus.

We may view Nicodemus as unsaved, and yet many of us may be in a similar position, encouraging us today to consider that having a knowledge of Christ is not the same as knowing him. Here is Pastor Cannings with the lesson Seeing is Not Believing.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Jesus Christ is dealing with a guy named Nicodemus. Who's Nicodemus? Nicodemus is a guy who's over the Sanhedrin. You'll learn how powerful they are when you look at the fact that they could get Jesus Christ before Pilate to be crucified. They had so much power they basically were a Supreme Court that ran the country.

Because the Romans came in place, they couldn't decide death. That's why they had to go to get permission for Christ to be crucified. But that's the only thing they could not decide is death. And this person is a ruler over them, and he is the teacher. Jesus Christ didn't say he's a teacher. Jesus Christ said he is the teacher. So he's the primary teacher, which means Pharisee. They're spending just about all day studying the scriptures.

Nicodemus, he said he came at night and everybody thinks he's being secretive, but I don't necessarily agree. It just said he came at night. At night they would go to the top roof of a house. That's where they would be cool, the wind is blowing. That's why he could talk about where the wind is blowing as the Holy Spirit, because they're actually in the wind that is blowing.

Nicodemus came at night because he wanted that private time at night. Technically, when you read this text, it never said Nicodemus left, which most likely means this conversation went on for a long time. We have a summary of a conversation that went on for a while.

The context of this is that Jesus Christ in John Chapter 1 said he came to his own but his own did not receive him. Who's his own? A bunch of folks going to the temple every day. But the chief person who is teaching them physically sees Jesus but doesn't know it's Jesus.

Nicodemus is struggling with information in his head compared to what he's seeing and there's a conflict and he can't solve that conflict because he can't see that Jesus is the Christ. Peter couldn't see Jesus as the Christ either. He's walking with him, on the road with him, sitting in a boat with him, being lifted out of the water with him, but it was God who had to say, Peter, Jesus is the Christ.

While people are blind, they can't see. While people are seeing, they are blind, whereas people who could see end up looking at the world blind. I want you to see that. How do we look at this man named Nicodemus and see how seeing he was blind? Many Christians are like that. We have nothing to do with the earth spinning. We just get up and walk on it.

How many times have we got up and said, I was unconscious and I'm here, and I'm in a day I never created? Even though we see that, how often do we see God in it? Now, here's verse 1, he says, now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. A ruler of the Jews, but he is the teacher.

Don't forget, watch this carefully. He is a ruler in verse 1, but in verse 9, he is the teacher because Christ says, are you the teacher of Israel? He never said no to that. Even though he's a ruler, he's the key ruler because he's the teacher. In verse 2 he says, this man came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, here's the first problem.

He came to Jesus and he said, Rabbi. He didn't say, you are the Christ. No, he says, you are a Rabbi. Watch this carefully. Rabbi, we know. In other words, Nicodemus is saying, I don't see you as the Christ. I see you as definitely a Rabbi. I accept that you are a phenomenal teacher and I respect the fact since I'm the teacher, I'm listening to you teach, you are a phenomenal teacher.

He's not at the point where he sees Jesus as the Christ. But he says something. He says, we know. In other words, Nicodemus is saying all the leaders know something about you. We've had a discussion. What is it that they know but can't accept that Jesus is the Christ?

He said you are a teacher. You're not the teacher, I'm the teacher, so you're a teacher. For us, we look at Jesus Christ after the fact. We don't look at Jesus Christ in the fact. If Jesus Christ was to come out of Acres Home, poor family, in Acres Home they're going to be cows maybe around or horses or some chickens, and this man comes out not in fancy clothes and says, I'm the Messiah.

How many of us would believe? We could go to people like Nicodemus and we could say, what's wrong with you, Nicodemus? But for just a minute, put yourself in his context. He is talking to a person who's a descendant of a poor carpenter, mother's a widow, got four brothers. He's walking around teaching and people are going, there's something special about how he teaches.

How he interprets the law to reality and living is unique. We need to pay attention to this person. The more they pay attention to this person, the larger the crowds came because this is the context of people in church all the time. It's not like he's coming to the Romans who got their own pagan temples. He's coming to people who went to the temple on a regular basis.

He's talking to church people who had a consciousness of the scriptures because they went to rabbinical school at the age of 12. The mom raised them to 12. At 12 years of age they went to rabbinical school where they're learning the laws and they had their own Jewish schools. Therefore they're coming from that to listen to this teacher and going, I've been to all this schooling, this one is different. But that's about it. There's a problem with Nicodemus.

He says, we know something is different about you. Look at how much they knew. In Chapter 5 of verse 39 he says, you teach the scriptures because, he's talking to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, we search the scriptures because we think that in them we have eternal life and in these that testify about me, and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.

In other words, you know that I line up where Micah said I line up. Micah says I will be born and I was born exactly in the same place so you can't touch it. You could go to Zechariah and he talks about John the Baptist. John the Baptist did come and John the Baptist did forerun and there was John the Baptist and you see him do what John the Baptist was supposed to do.

You see that John the Baptist came to me and says, the Messiah. You see all of that. There's nothing in the scriptures that say you're not the Messiah. Everything in the scriptures says you are the Messiah. We know. We know that everything says you're the Christ, but we still call you a teacher.

We understand that the scriptures line up that you are the Christ, but we're going to kill you. You say, those crazy people. No, it's the same way we are. How many times do we come to the Bible, hear what the Bible teaches, but when it comes time to do it and to actually believe that when I line up with what Christ tells me to do, that Christ has the power to guide and direct me and that's how I come to know him? Or do I just know the scriptures by itself and that's it?

When the Bible says to me, love your wife and she isn't acting right, and the Bible is saying the only way you can love somebody is if you do what I tell you to do. If you don't do what I tell you to do you don't love me, so you can't love that person. What do I do then when all I do is take the information and I don't go and use it? The Bible is saying I am like them. I know what the scriptures say, but he's just a teacher.

In 1 Corinthians Chapter 8 he says we could be just like the Pharisees. What were they? Arrogant, proud. Thinking they know more than Jesus. Some of us are the same way. No different. Because we use the Bible to establish a position. We don't use the Bible to experience a person. That's what Christ is going after. You say you know about me, but you don't know me. You're coming to me asking me who I am.

We use the scriptures many times as education. The Bible says the scriptures is about a person for us to become. I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live. That's the point. The point is that the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus Christ is the word. If I am doing the word, the person I should be like the more and more I do it is him.

He didn't come for us to know the Bible. He came for us to become it. In 1 Corinthians Chapter 8, this is what you see a lot of preachers become. But he says the one who loves, the one who keeps my commandments in the worst scenarios, that's the one who the spirit of God edifies and builds up. Edify means to build up and build others around him.

That is why he says this in verse 2: If anyone supposes that he knows anything and has not yet known as he ought to know, but if anyone loves God, he is known by him.

Guest (Male): That's true, Pastor Cannings. Scripture says that many of us may be deceiving ourselves. Thank you for that challenge to not be content with our good works or knowing a lot about the Bible, but knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives.

How about you? Do you have questions about what it means to have Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life? If you do, call us and let's talk about it. Our phone number is 281-260-7402. Again, that's 281-260-7402. You'll find us online at powerwalkministries.org.

Dr. Paul Cannings: We do need you to partner with us, folks. You could do that in several ways. Yes, please pray for us. We travel, we train pastors and their wives and do much in ministry. Pray for us. God keeps our health and strength and continue to bless this ministry by providing us his wisdom and knowledge and opportunities to serve him.

Pray for us. We also can become involved in the ministry by participating on our website by buying books. It's a secure place, don't have to worry about anything being stolen from you, and I pray that you would participate that way. Another way you could just become one of our partners, our supporters, and join with others who partner with us to see this ministry be what God wants it to be and desires it to be and has blessed it to be in the few years that God has allowed us to serve you.

Guest (Male): That's powerwalkministries.org. And when you reach out to us, consider becoming a Power Walk Partner. You'll see that Pastor Cannings's goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage and strengthen the faith of believers worldwide. Your one-time or ongoing monthly contribution helps make that possible.

Again, our web address is powerwalkministries.org or write us at Power Walk Ministries, PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas 77092. We thank you for your support. And now as we close, let's remember to have an eternal perspective and focus on growing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.