Ken Boa Reflections Ministries

Dr. Ken Boa: Here we are studying John. We are up to Chapter 3. You know where you are going to be every week for the next several weeks because there are 21 chapters in John. We are going to be distilling all this material into a short session together, then processing it and trying to internalize it.

I start here with the seven "I Am" statements that we meditated on together when we were processing it earlier. Seven is a huge number in John and in this book, as well as in the Revelation. There are seven miracles as well: water to wine and so forth. We saw one of those, and we're going to be looking at the healing of the nobleman’s son next week. Seven miracles, and each are signs that point beyond themselves to something true about Christ and about spiritual truth. They are more than just miracles; they are pointers to Him.

In John Chapter 1, we saw that there were seven images of Jesus as the Word, the Light, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the Son of Man. These are different ways of looking at Him and exploring His beauty, His goodness, and His character. In John Chapter 2, we saw images of Christ as the Lamb of God, as the temple, the image of the serpent that would be lifted up, the Shepherd, and the Seed. All of these are profound metaphors and images.

Today we're going to be looking at four images from John Chapter 3. We're going to start off with the new birth. Let's take a look at this extraordinary statement because here we deal with one of the main themes in John. He will be speaking about a spiritual theme, and they will be interpreting it on a physical level. It goes back and forth; it's a constant motif here. He is speaking about things spiritually, and they are trying to take it literally. It is a profound gospel.

It starts off in this chapter with a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He may have been part of the Sanhedrin, so he was a key figure. We know that at first he was not a full believer, but he was intrigued by Jesus. Later on, ultimately, he did become a believer. Not all the Pharisees were opposed to Him, even though Matthew 23 says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites."

Nicodemus came to Him by night. Whether it was because he didn't want to be seen publicly with Him or whether he wanted to just have a private audience with Him, regardless of that, he wanted to see Him. He wanted to encounter Him one-on-one because he was intrigued by these signs that He was doing and realized that no one can do these signs unless God is with him. That was very clear. He saw that.

Jesus immediately says to him something out of left field. He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." It's not exactly what he was expecting to hear. Let's stop and think about it. This is the first time that image of "born again" is used. What does that mean to people? Have you been born again? Most people don't have a very clear answer as to what that is like.

We talked about the two births. One is the physical birth, which is birth into bios, biological life. The other birth is the spiritual birth into a different kind of life. The word is zoe, and that's spiritual life. We need both births because all of us are born once, but not all are born twice. Those who are born once die twice. Those who are born twice die but once. We definitely need the spiritual birth because the whole point of this life is to receive that life of Christ in us.

He's talking about being born again, and he cannot otherwise see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus immediately takes it literally. How can you go back into your mother's womb and be born? It's a deep mystery, this whole idea of what it means to be born again. There are really two parents in this spiritual birth. One of those parents in the spiritual birth is the Spirit of God, and the other is the Word of God. It's the Spirit of God who uses the Word of God, and it brings it alive. You have to combine that reception of hearing that word with faith.

He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he? Jesus then answers him and says, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit." Those are the two births. You see the birth of the water is an image of the physical birth, and then the other is of the Spirit. Sometimes people relate this to water baptism, which is really not what He's talking about, but the idea of water baptism is important. It's an outward sign of an inward and invisible grace.

A sacrament like that is a way that we obey God, but it's not by means of salvation. In fact, in all ages, the basis of salvation in all ages has always been and always will be one alone. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It's the death of Christ. But in all ages, the means of salvation has not been some work that we do, but it's grace through faith. Once we have that faith, then the baptism would be an outward sign of that inward reality.

The object of faith in all ages would be God, and God has not left Himself without witness. The content of faith, though, will vary according to how much special revelation that you've received. But the fact is that the basis of salvation has always been one and the same; it is the death of Christ.

Going back to our text with the new birth, what is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed I said you must be born again. That talks about this whole issue of the birth. When we're born, we become partakers of the divine nature in Second Peter 1:4. Nature determines appetite. When you have a new nature, one thing you're going to have is a new appetite. We have this desire for spiritual receptivity. We have now been born again, born from above, and as a result, we are born again to a living hope.

We've been adopted into the family of God. The idea of being born again is so dramatic, so radical, that it involves a new past. To be born again is to get a new life, a new past that you didn't have before. I just recently saw Ben-Hur, the 1959 version, where he becomes an adopted son. Then I recently saw for the first time the 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur. It is very different, but it's still an adoption and the same basic story.

The idea of Roman adoption is so dramatic and radical. You would have a totally new past, a new dignity in the present tense because you now are this person of position, and you formerly were one thing, but now you are this in the family. You have a new future as well. We are partakers of the divine nature, having been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Not only is there the metaphor of the new birth, but now Jesus uses wind as an image in Chapter 3, verses 8 to 13. In verse 8, He says, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things? This is actually in your scriptures."

Ezekiel 37 talks about this. The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of God. Ruach is the Hebrew word, and Pneuma is the Greek word. Both mean wind. You see the image of the wind blowing, and the Spirit of God set me down and fills these bones with His life. Prophesy and hear the word, and I'll cause breath, that Ruach, that breath of God to enter into their lives. The flesh will go back. What you have is a strange image of decay in reverse. The bones add on material and then they come alive. But it's the Spirit of God, this rattling of the bones and sinews.

Prophesy to the breath, and thus says the Lord, "Come from the four winds and breathe on these slain." The breath came into their life, and they stood on their feet and they were an exceedingly great army. There is this image here of how the wind is associated with the Spirit of God in this concept. He speaks then of the idea of the Spirit. If I told you earthly things and you did not believe, how would it be if I spoke to you of heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven.

You have this whole concept of this birth, and it's a profound mystery when you think about it. The more we process what that birth is like, it's a profound mystery. I think about this conception, the birth imagery here. We're able now to see this mystery of how the cell divides, and the fertilized ovum divides a few hours after fusion and divides anew every 12 to 15 hours. Then the early embryo, the yolk sac feeds the baby.

Twenty-five days later, a heart chamber is developing, and then 32 days, arms and hands are developing. It's an astonishing thing that we're able to see this. God does His magnum opus, His great work, which is making us in total darkness in the womb, in the hidden part of the earth. Three weeks after is the period of the most rapid development of the fetus. If the fetus continued to grow at this speed for the entire nine months, you'd be 1.5 tons at birth. It's a pretty rapid growth process here.

By 45 days, the embryo's heart is beating twice as fast as the mother's. It normally has a different blood type, so it has to constantly change and transfuse from one blood type to another as it goes in and transfuse back. We can't do that. It's filled with mystery and wonder. The more we learn about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The developing retina and the continual movement in the womb is necessary. You see eight months and then the actual birth, this delivery, the expulsion stage.

It's just an amazing thing. It's a terrific video, "Conception to Birth," and it's found on YouTube. I strongly urge you to look it up. It's well worth a view because it is a glory. It's fascinating He uses Vivaldi's "Gloria" as the music for the background because ordinary music wouldn't do. It's a holy event. He's dealing with a great mystery, the mystery of the new birth, the mystery of the wind, and then the next mystery is the serpent on the pole.

As Moses lifted up the serpent, Jesus continues to multiply His metaphors and images. There's a richness, and I just imagine what it would be like to be with Him. Karen and I listen a lot to scripture, and at night I put scripture on for her as she goes to sleep on her iPad next to her head. She's becoming so familiar with it that she wishes there were more because she's heard this again and again.

Imagine, we've only heard a little tiny bit. What are the stories we're going to hear that we don't know about yet that are not in the Gospels? When you see Him face to face, you're going to be able to ask Him questions. The story of each one of you is a story of a great adventure of a person who was chosen before the foundation of the world. You are a person of destiny. He knew your hours and your years and the number of days you'd have, and He determined your purpose. You're not an accident; you're a miracle, a wonder, a marvel, a unique person.

No two of us will ever actually be the same. Each of us will have a spirit signature that's unique to us so that we will reflect and refract the glory of Christ in a way that no one else ever can or ever will again. It's an amazing thought. Wait till we see each other then. I imagine you as a resurrected beauty, a beauty and a wonder in a resurrected cosmos.

The next image is that of being lifted up as a serpent in the wilderness. To be lifted up meant two things: it meant to be crucified, but it also meant to be glorified. He needed for this to be the case. The cross was not the end of the glory; it was the means of His glory. We see in looking at that, the very thing that condemned them, the idea of the serpent in the wilderness, He put it up there and they were to fix their eyes on it. The very thing that caused them pain, they look and behold it. By doing that in obedience, they combine what God's command is with the word of obedience and they're delivered.

Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is the serpent on the pole in verses 14 to 18. Then we have God so loved the world. It is the most famous verse probably in scripture. You just put that together and you marvel at the economy, the brilliance, the combination of this. We get to listen in on this conversation that He's having with this Pharisee, and we get to listen in to those words. It was clear that the Spirit of God brought the words to remembrance to their mind because they weren't there with Him when He was speaking with him.

Somehow the Spirit of God put it in, and they were able to know these truths. Look at this word, that He loved the world and He gave. Agape love is the steady intention of your will toward another person's highest good. It's a love of the will, so it's not a love of feeling, but it's a choice. Imagine being in a world where everybody you encounter always has your best interest at heart. It's a lovely thought, isn't it? It will be so one day. No duplicity; everyone will want what's best for us.

God's love is not a theoretical love; it's a practical love. It's a love that gives. He loved us and He gave His only Son. This ultimate gift that He has, whoever believes in Him—and John's use of the word believe, as many as received Him, to them He gave believe, so that to receive and to believe are really one and the same. It's a transfer of trust from your works to His works, to His life. It's not a matter of intellectual reception; belief is a personal reception of a gift.

It's something that you must receive. He's not going to impose it upon you. He's offering it, but you must receive it. He didn't send the Son into the world, so this eternal life is a new quality of life. It's not just endless life, but it's a new life. It's the zoe of Christ in us so that you now have the eternal life of Christ in you. When He transplants His life in you, you now have the life of Christ in you. He's in you and you are in Him, which means you have a life that has no beginning and you have a life that has no end.

The only one who has a life that has no beginning and no end is God Himself. You now have His life in your life. It's a new quality of life, not just endless duration, but the zoe of God where you might have that life in Him. He didn't send the Son into the world to judge the world. That was not the purpose of the first advent. The purpose was for Him to come and to die.

That's why we know Second Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Look at me and I look at my thoughts, words, and deeds, and they fall short of the glory of God. It's called sin. Some preachers have "see-in" and some people do it in three syllables. I've seen "see-in-na." They bring it down and back up again. That's a good description of our condition before God. We fall short of the glory of God.

If we look at Christ's thoughts, words, and deeds, they add up to righteousness. They perfectly conform to His perfect standards. God cannot compromise Himself. The righteousness that God requires is that righteousness which His righteousness requires him to require. He can't grade on a curve; it has to be perfect. The only way He can't forgive sin is because, ultimately, it's a moral universe. Somebody has to pay. But if He underwrites the cost Himself, what love that is. What is it in us that causes Him to actually shed His blood, to become incarnate with us, to take on humanity, and then to come not to judge but to actually make it possible for us to have life?

He made Him who knew no sin. He takes our account and puts it on His, and He gives us on the cross. He bears our sin, and we receive His righteousness. It's the best deal you're ever going to get, I can guarantee you that. When you look at this incredible thought, look at the serpent on the pole, we then look at the light and darkness motif in John 3:19 to 21. He loved the world, and He made it possible that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

It's not typically intellectual problems that are the real issue; it's a moral issue. It's going to be a moral and spiritual blindness that will keep people away. Very rarely do people just do a logical thing and go through it and get the answers and say, "Oh, that's the answer; now I'll come to faith in Christ." Very often, atheists, in fact as well, it's not going to be so much of an intellectual argument; it's going to be a personal encounter with God. He's going to reveal Himself in varying ways like that.

Sometimes arguments are used. C.S. Lewis is an unusual example where he gradually did process that and went from one level to another. But typically, it's going to be a moral issue. That's really what the issue is here because he says the light's come into the world and they love the darkness because their deeds were evil. They want to cover it up, and everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn't come because for fear that his deed will be exposed.

It's like you go into a kitchen. I remember I spent the night with some friends in Manhattan when I was going to NYU and they had a roach problem. In the middle of the night you turn on the light and they're all over the place. So I bought a roach motel. Remember those roach motels? The ad was, "Roaches check in, but they don't check out." I tell you in the morning, it had a little red thing saying "no vacancy."

It was heavy with roaches, but it didn't do a thing because there's thousands of other places where they'll come from. It's a gruesome image that you want to hide your darkness. You don't want to be exposed because the light exposes. But everyone who practices the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. You have this tremendous picture then of the beauty of the light. We become children of the light as we respond to it.

John's last testimony: after these things, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea and He was spending time with them and baptizing. There arose a discussion with purification, and a very common thing that would take place is He's baptizing and they're coming to Him. John says, "It's not for me to increase, but for me to decrease. I am simply the best man." The best man doesn't call attention to himself at the wedding; it's about the groom.

He must increase and I must decrease. That becomes a very profound thought. There is a story about Hudson Taylor. Apparently they were trying to give these superlative statements in the introduction to him. He said, "Don't listen to that. I am the little servant of an illustrious Master." That's exactly what we are. He must increase. I'm not the Christ; I've been sent ahead of Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice, so has this joy of mine been made full.

John 3:30 is a metaphor for our lives: "He must increase, but we must decrease." But when you lose your life, you find His life. Jesus never calls us to do anything that will not actually be accompanied by a better good. He never invites us to sacrifice something without giving us something better in return. You and I have been wired for gain, for profit. It's just that the wise person will treat things according to their true value and realize what is truly valuable is what God declares to be valuable. I need to receive that and embrace that. As I lose my life, then I find His life in replacement of that.

There's something that I was looking at Warren Wiersbe on this and he came up with these three musts, and this is a good little sermon outline. There's the must of the sinner, the must of the savior, and the must of the servant. What's the must of the sinner? It's verse 7: "You must be born again." Then the must of the savior is verse 14: "So must the Son of Man be lifted up." And the third must is this: "He must increase and I must decrease."

We have this understanding that you must be born again. In our lives, we must decrease and He must grow in our lives. The Father has authorized Him as we go to the end of this material, John's last testimony. I'm just giving you highlights of certain things that come to my mind that are pretty important for us to keep in mind.

John 3:31: "He who comes from above is above all." He comes from heaven. He's not just called from heaven; He's empowered by heaven. We also see that everything comes from Him and through Him. He who has received His testimony says that it's true, for He whom God has sent speaks the word of God. He gives the Spirit without measure. We see as well that He has authorized His Son in verse 34 to 35. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, and He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and gives all things into His hands.

The final thing that He says is that we might escape the wrath of God. The Father loves Him, and He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. You must realize that there can be no neutrality. People suppose that by not making a decision they'll be okay. They can just not make a decision about whether to accept Him or reject Him. That's not an option for you because we know that if He offered His life for us, to receive Him is our proper response.

If you do not receive Him, then ultimately you're rejecting Him. A choice must be made; there's no neutral thing. This everlasting life is a choice that's involved in this. It's the grace of God that makes it even possible for us to make the choice. But the mystery is that He gives us that grace, but He's not going to go against our will. He will not violate the picket fence of our own unwillingness.

It's a deep mystery how God is sovereign yet we also are responsible. It's a matter of choosing ultimately which it's going to be. I tell a person who's not a follower of Jesus, you owe it to yourself at least to make an informed decision as to whether you're going to receive or reject Him. Those are the only options. To ignore Him is tantamount to rejecting Him. Have you come to the point where you have invited Him, transferred your trust from yourself to Him? It's a matter of receiving: "Lord Jesus, I invite You to come into my life and make me the person You want me to be. I receive Your gift of salvation."

That's a prayer that I would invite you to pray if you're not sure if you've ever done it. It's always good to do that and to make sure someone knows about it. At the end of the day, the real issue that we have to deal with is the reception of this new birth from Him, listening to the Spirit of God and being energized and empowered and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith who was lifted up, and ultimately to recognize that we are in a context in which we choose the light and walk in the light and not in the darkness.

One of you pointed out this bookmarker that he has, and it's a little bookmarker that says "Day by Day." It has the "Day by Day, O Dear Lord, these three things I pray." You've heard this before, but it was by Saint Richard of Chichester: "Day by day, what do you seek? That I may know You more clearly. Who do you say that I am? Love You more dearly. Do you love Me more than these? Follow You more nearly." Remember that?

Make that a part of your thinking here. It's a great summary of our lives with Christ. Trust the Father, abide in the Son, walk by the Spirit. Trust the Father, may I know You more clearly. Abide in the Son, love You more dearly. Walk by the Spirit, follow You more nearly. It works well. What insight, what grand insight that you have on this text that you can share with our group?

While you're doing that, I want to show you one thing too. This light and darkness motif, they didn't want the light because the light would expose their deeds. It's Romans 1 as a great connection with that. It starts with spiritual darkness. Even though God revealed Himself to them, they didn't honor Him as God or give thanks; they became futile in their speculation. It started not with intellectual blindness but with spiritual blindness. That's what Jesus is talking about here as well, that they love the darkness because the light would expose their deeds.

Spiritual darkness led to an intellectual distortion in Romans 1:21 to 23. It distorted their understanding so that the spiritual malice distorts the mind. That's manifested third in the moral decadence that you can see. Romans 1 becomes more and more a description of our age in many ways, now vastly amplified by technologies of every description. What these technologies are doing now is actually providing opportunities and empowering resources that have never been existing before that only amplify and provide more opportunities in an unprecedented way.

The warfare is therefore bumping up and increasing because you're putting more and more power in the hands of people who have less and less moral capacity. That's a very volatile combination.

Guest (Male): We talked about new birth. The analogy that was given was if I am in the Arctic Circle and it's sub-zero there, I need a big fur coat to be able to exist, to get around and live in that environment. However, laden with my fur coat, I get on an airplane and I fly to Miami Beach where it's 80 plus degrees there. I don't really give up that fur coat; I just drop it in the sand because I don't need it anymore. The needs that I have for myself have changed dramatically. That's the way the new birth is.

Dr. Ken Boa: It's a change in that totally different culture and connection and environment. It's a very dramatic concept and how radical it must have been. It makes me long to hear more stories about Jesus' dialogues with people that we have not got recorded in this Gospels. I'm going to be very interested to know more about stories and talks and insights that He's had because you can imagine the treasures that have not been recorded.

As you remember, John's Gospel mentions this very clearly because at the end of John's Gospel, there are many other signs that Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life. That's the clearest purpose statement in all of scripture for a book of the scriptures.

John doesn't mean intellectual; he means personal reception. To believe is to receive, not just to acknowledge it, but then by believing you may have zoe, His life in His name. Life, light, and love are major motifs in this book. 92% of John is unique to John. Imagine how impoverished we'd be if we only were limited to the synoptic Gospels. It gives me a longing for more stories.

That's a longing for home; it's a longing for heaven. It's a longing for being with Him and seeing Him face to face and looking into His face for the first time. No one can see Him and live without the resurrection, but we will be resurrected and we will see Him face to face in that resurrected glory. That's going to be an astonishing thought.

Guest (Male): We're always overwhelmed with all the information and the knowledge of this. The thing that hits me here, here's Nicodemus, who's a Pharisee, he knows everything, but he knows nothing. It reminds me in Paul's first letter to Corinth that I would not have you stray away from the simplicity of devotion to Christ. We need to come to this kind of stuff as a child and put aside everything that we think we know until the Lord tells us we know nothing and then the Spirit of God reveals these things to us personally. That's just so powerful.

Dr. Ken Boa: That is so powerful, coming to Him as a child. The simplicity of an implicit trust. Not to be distracted but to have the purity and simplicity of devotion to Christ. It comes down to a childlike faith and trust implicitly, even though I don't understand Him, I will do what He calls me to do. I'll never understand Him, and that's one of the most important things for me these days, is stop trying to understand. You'll never understand Him, but to trust in Him is the key.

Guest (Male): I just wanted to share a little speculation we had. Jesus mentioning the story about the serpent being lifted up by Moses and, of course, Jesus Himself was about to be lifted up. Wouldn't it be just like Jesus if Nicodemus had actually just read that passage that day or been pondering that the morning of, and that Jesus was referencing something that was fresh in Nicodemus's mind?

Dr. Ken Boa: I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. That's a fascinating thing because it makes me think also of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. He ran up to the chariot, and he was reading Isaiah 53, and if he hadn't run up he would have been too late. It was the perfect timing there. He ran up to the chariot just at the point—"Who was he speaking of, himself or someone else?"—just at the right moment. God's timing, I wouldn't be at all surprised that he encountered that very text of scripture and it would be a very illuminating thing.

We're out of time. I enjoyed being with you. Next week, study the Gospel of John, Chapter 4.