SUBJECT

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1 TITLc.E- - ~A~ R=E=L=I =G=I =O=US"°-'I,,.,Nc.:..:T,.,,Ee.c:cL:c:cL:=Ec::cCcT..,_--"'Uc..cAL::::.__ _____ _

SCRIPTURE READING, __ J_ o_h_n_ 3_:_l_-_l _7__:_(_3_: _1-_3~) ____ _

DELIVERIES: Date Hour Place

FBC 10/4/81 AM San Angelo, Tx.

ff!,C S"/!"/18 A'm S°""1 ,AJ,re/f / 7"X

~:fj e-J.--13 A1'i1 w~M

BIBLIOGRAPHY _ _________ _

E.F. SR CLASSIFICATION:

- - EXPOSITORY ____£_BIOGRAPHICAL --TEXTUAL --TOPICAL ---DEVOTIONAL

Results and Comments:

(XXX+++ ) 1 ad. bapt.;3 l etter;

(XX: 'f-+++) ' ,I

1 rd.

Christ Encounters .

A RELIGIOUS INTELLECTUAL

SCRIPTURE : J ohn 3 :1-17

I NTRO: OD DOES NOT ASK THAT WE PLACE OUR ffRA rNs A DEEP FREEZE THE MOMENT WE ACCEPT CHRIST AS SAVIOU NOR IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, "THOU SHALT NOT THIN ."

TOO OFTEN WE CANNONIZE BELIEVER WHO'l REFUSE TO THINK J\S "GREAT SAINTS." AND AT THE SAME TIME WE

-i-,.........,_..,......_ BELIEVERS WHO STILL HAVE SOME THINGS TO THINK THROUGH AS "TERRI BLE SINNERS" OR AT BEST AS "DOUBTING THOMASES " IT R .C-1'..IQ- ~....__,, NWISE.

CHRIST NEVER PUT DOWN AN HONEST INQUIRER. HE NEVER REFUSED TO ANSWER AN HONEST QUESTION. AND E NEVER FEARED INVESTIGATION. WHETHER IT BE THOMAS WHO ASKED FOR THE SAME EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION THE OTHER DISCIPLES EAD A WEEK EARLIER , OR NICODEMUS WHO NEEDED THE CONCEPT OF THE "NEW B R'J;.Ii.¥, ~MW).J IED ;) CHRIST AL­WAYS WELCOMES THE INTELLECTt.fA':t:;1 JUST AS R'EADILY AS HE Does THE CHILD WITH HIS SIMPLE FAITH .

SO IF YOU ARE HERE TODAY WITH SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRIST, OR YOUR NEED TO BE SAVED, OR CHRIST' S ABILITY TO SAVE, YOU HAVE q:io BEASO~ TO FEAR CHRIST. HE ~ts_qm~ YOU JUST AS HE WELCOMED NICODEMUS.

AND AS YOU COME TO HIM WITH YOUR QUESTIONING MIND YOU WILL MAKE THE SAME DISCOVERY NICODiE?-1US DID .

'"Born a ain. "

YOU AS YOU ARE .

you as you are. He accepts

been "a ma J ews" but in the eyes pe rson nee de d t o b e

He was not onl y a man of education and Blameless character , but of such marked ability that h e had been chosen a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest civ il and eccle siastical c ourt of the land.7 He was a scholar with a passion f o r the trut h.

--ILLUS: I t would be a real difficulty in the way of acce pting Christianity if it did not attr act the be st men o f e ve ry time . But it does! It had

a Pau ~ and an Orige and an Athanasius ~"ine in the e ar , y fl.fl-Mi+ it h;.;a~s? h~~,;,::(..::.;:;.::,;..::,?­

a Kepler and a Fa~ day and a ...;~c.n.....,--=~ ew:i in our days . n

· st e ir Mas pro-cess ion of the gifted and the lear ned who own

-;( Christ as Lord is this great teacher of Israel who c ame t o J e sus b y night .

> ut ever~ one of them, e, C e Christ accepts us a ll _a_s ___ ~ sinned and c ome s hort of the glory of God." must fac e the fact , "Except a man be born again he cannot see (let a lone enter) the Kingdom of God."

- -NOTE: v s . 2 "The same came to Jesus by n i ght. " ~o much has been made of Nicodemus ' s not having the ne r ve t o contact Christ in bro a d day light . .Jlf. ~ ourse , no man cares to have it widely known that he can't find the ~ himself. No one likes to have everybody see anot~er person help him to his f ee t . B; 1t t hat is not why Nicodemus came J ate..,a t

..ni-g.ht. ;> The wonder is not that Nicodemus came b ni ht ,

but that he Nicodemus probably could not have paid that call by day and lived to tell about it. Jesus had just cleaned out the temple ir the previ o u s para grap h. He put some pretty impor,­tant people-Pharisees - out of business there, and into the bus iness o f kill i ng him. tl icodemus was o ne of t heir chief off i cers . Jesus had enjoyed a bad n ame with the people in power for a long time. He had barely escaped stoning sev eral times. The n i ght Nicodemus met Christ , the final plan for Christ ' s execution was afoot. Anyone seen with hin would be suspect . Nicodemus r a n quite a risk that n ight .

What broug ht Nicodemus out on a night like that? He came as an honest searching individua'L , looking f or the t ruth, knowing he had not found his needs me t in me re "rel igion . " ·• ·

) - - NOTE : ':;:Nicodemus ' s distinguishing and domin::i: characte ristic is not his caution , but his ~ d o µ;al In all his class he was the one glorious exception. Tne rest of the rulers and Pharisees condemned Chris t s traight off , without even t aking the trou-

- 2.-

ble to inquire into His claims. They knew He from Nazareth, and that was enough for them. The dismissed Him and His mighty works with the com­ment that He had a devil. But Nicodemus was a glorious exceptio;;.JIV ,

7 e was a man of~honest ~ -~-...,= he formed a 'ud ent he insisted on

the old Rabbi went t."

.., •

- - APPLY : - -~-- . I ~ Pre'udice is fatal to If we want to

understand science and of this gr eat uni-verse, ~ t come to its study with an honest mind. ~ never reveals her secrets to the mn n with a prejudice. · . --- ' - .

- -- ---· • "l:flessed are e pure in heart, 11

said Jesus , II for they shal 1 se God. II > ".!ll!iil;~1fre ~ --the people of the · mind-- they

are the p~ople who se~ + l\•i The soul orj 1 ter arrives a the trutn.

hrist accepted Nicodemus as b e was and he ac­c epts you as you are--with all of your questions

,.. and with a11 of y'our needs. ••zru.s, '4S I.A/'1, 1 ·'' • .,

~ ~~ 04 Q.~.,-~ ..-.-a.~w./...J;;P.ou,M-"" II. CHRIS'L,_~DDRESSES THE PR BLEM AT HAND. --John 3(3.-8 --NOTE ~ -"r'he real problem, the problem at hand was

not whe3::e ~ comes from, €i?any intellectual problems .(Micodema o/ might have had concerning > Christ's being t essiah. he problem at hand was Nicodemus' -==- condition and thus his need to be ~ ~o~r~~~ !!,,.W--

But when Christ directly addressed thLS problem Nicodemus expressed bewilderment. He sai a i n

-3-

2:ffect, 11 I can not comprehend how this can be. 11

(i. e. vs •. 4) ~he Christ replies -- vss. 5-6 (EXEGETE •.. )

V

ed in your 1 es resume . ..,.....Y=o=u=r------=-=-=--=---==-=c--. ....... --­pretty stepping stones. _Y~o~u~r"-'r~e= -=.::=-==:.-..:=-=--== ,.a:;.::~ your life is a museum piece,

THE Gu.e.S7.:Z:O/\I Isl .., is ting you? \ ..... ..i.o...,.-=-'--""- ¥...OU. getting it? are you do i

mus ou've r, oue is a birthday. n s ou to celebrate. You'll worship not because you had better, but because yol can't stop. e me del · Do not marvel

I said to you, 'You must be born anew. ' 11

And then Christ illustrates the new birth--

7 Three truths about the work of the Holy Spirit in the Birth are illustrated:

_;::, (1) reedo of the wind--'the wind bloweth where ii In 1terature the wind is a symbol of

tell its direction wheth vie5'1"·

-4-

)L ~~~T Aoo"i£ss4$' TffE: foROBUA AT /1'1,,VIJ

:1- lves .

--rT.e wind bloweth whe r e i t l i s teth, 7 The S irit reveals as · action in His dealing s with men.

. - . . . . . . - . - , . ~

•' \,Ve ~H-cA.v,, Bec4.-u.., 1/e... ~ , , o taKes tne rirst ste

in human sa'~l~v'.':a:":t~i~· o="n:""-. ~~ .. ;!'.Y~ ~ a~v~e? ~no.t chosen e.,_,

out I nave chosen you ," is Chr i ,i,.t ' s own wit-7 ness t o this fundamental t rut h ./' Paul neve r

that mee ting upon the Damascus road . ~ ~~~e~m~!!'- never p lanned to become a follower , - .._._r .;:i~s t--b ut he d i d . •••

(2) of the Wind- -"Thou hearest the sound · ,.- ~0{1'1'1115 J..; '>e A-_m~r -r~+..z.-v

is Wls~5 1~ - Still ~ see its e f fects.

Moore, Oklahoma Tornado 1'4+Y ~o f"Y!,1 -210 MPH winds , Ki lling 24 people ~ 'f ~ Cost 2 Billion $

~ ~ Destroyed Moore Med. Center ~ ' 'ith the move ent or this Lire - ivin

~,- .....,....,_._. ...... ~!!:;:~ ....,....,.,,_... He is discernible to the Herson in whom He isworking Such per -sons are able to sa with reat co ence,

I know that, whe reas I was blind, now I see . " II'hey are certain that they are different men from what once they were , and that the change has not been produ ced by

--5 -

( 3 ) ster of the Wind- -"Thou canst not t e ll w ence it comet and wh i the r it goe th."

hen we ee nd r e t he chan~ t only being born again can bring , we face the mystery of all mysteries and are comp e l led to abandon o u r inte l lectual ursui t s that would e xp l a in such change,v /:}_cl.eA«,eCltJWt:R CAM Co~

ft.vr,clt" f'A"tl+IJ-el{ II I. CHRIST OFFERS TO MEET YOUR NEED.

- - J ohn 3:14-1 7 (READ ) - -NOTE: I n these words Christ offers to meet Nico-

demus' s need and your need . --ILL.US: "And as Moses l .ift d the serpent in t he

wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up . . . (John 3:14, RSV ). In the wilderness when the I § ­raelites went through a place infested' with poison ous snakes, God had Moses erect a brass serpen~. I ~ anyone was bitten he was to look at the brass s e rpent and be saved. , All of us have been hjtten ,

;:,, eithe r by weakne ss ~ by strength . ;iJ' ~ il.w;e can bite , as well as €ucc&;~:s) Life infects us u nless we look up to Him, belie ve in Him, and are born again.

Our snakebi t_e may not seem fatal at first.

Not even Nicodemus e s c ape d. All have been bitten .

'l

GO_ tne world that lle gave n is oni y son, that whoever b e lieve s in him should not perish but have e t e r nal life " (Jo h n 3 : 16, . RSV).

/"- - APPLY: > And Christ offers to mee,_t,.__.. ,o""""u_,,r-;.=-==--=""-"'~­now.: Will ou let' him meet your need? "How can I ? . .. "

CON :

man Like

the kins who had brou ht m rrh to the th the star, he carried a hundred pounds of myrr h. It was Nicodemus. In order to risk this tri , Nicode­mus broke the Sabbath, which began at sundown. He would have had trouble finding a porter. Did Nico­demus carry one hundred pounds himself? He was the only one mentioned who hel ed oseph of Arimathea let Christ down from the cro ss and into the grave i n t he garden. > f a this magnificent c ourag.e_, like the other disciples he got it from his Master.

"How can a man be born when he i old?" he asked despairingly of Christ. How can a man make a fresh start? Nicodemus did nots ee how such a miracle could ever be! But if he was ever timid , then he h;.;;ms e'1.f wa s an example of that mir aculous t ran sforma­tion. He was an old man when he came to Chr · But he was born again, though he was old. He was de­livered from all his doubts and enabled bravel to confess Christ in the day of Christ's rejection and

ame.

SOURCES:

Hastings, Edward ; The Speaker's Bible, Baker Book House, Grand Rap i ds, Michigan, 1971.

Redding, David A., Lives He Touched, Harper & Row, Publishers, San Francisco, 1972.

7-

"".J ' ,I, )

A RELIGIOUS INTELLECTUAL

Sardis Baptist Church

Sunday Morning Sermon Notes

A RELIGIOUS INTELLECTUAL John 3:1-17

God does not ask that we place our brains in a deep freeze the moment we accept Christ as Saviour. · ·

As you come to Christ with your questioning mind, you will make the same discovery Nicodemus did.

I. CHRIST ACCEPTS YOU AS YOU ARE. -John 3:1-3 -¢-The mightiest minds find in Christ their Master. But every one of them,

intellectual as they were, came to Christ just like any ~ cr"'-lol..~""'----

-¢- he wonder is not that Nicodemus came by night, but that he Ca me a..t a.LL .

-¢-Nicodemus's distinguishing and dominant characteristic is not his caution, but his .............................. _ . Before he formed a judgment, he insisted on v-examining the +' 9 c t .s .

-¢-Prejudice is fatal to -i=--:.......,,,,,_,........,....... . ''The pure in heart"-the peoplev of the ...lr.Ml,.s..:...£,1.:1.£,1- mind- they are the people who see.

II. CHRIST ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM AT HAND. -John3:3-8

-¢-The problem at hand was Nicodemus's ________ condition and thus his need to be" bp o ~~::I..L..;:..L...- "

Three truths about the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth are illustrated:

(1) _,__.i.....:..~~~ of the wind-'1he wind bloweth where it wills." ~ The spirit reveals a sovereign r ~ n1 of action in His

dealings with men. Paul never n /q n n e ~ that meeting upon V' I

the Damascus road.

(2) -EV; e.n of the Wind-''Thou hearest the sound thereof." ~It is discernible to the ear. ~It is discernible in its effects to the eye. ~So it is with the movement of this life-giving spirit in ..................... """"""'---

__._.. ........ ______ . He is discernible to the person in whom He is working.

(3) . ............ .....__ .......... __ of the Wind-''Thou canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth."

Ill. CHRIST OFFERS TO MEET YOUR NEED. -John 3:14-17 ~"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of

man be lifted up ... " (John 3:14, RSV) ~Failure can bite, as well as s u c..c.es,s . ~Not even Nicodemus escaped. All have been bitten. ~"For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever

believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." {John 3:16, RSV)

.,.----------------- --------- .------- ----- /, --- .--- -- l And Christ offers to meet your need right now/ Willj you let him meet your need? , . . ·

' ·. • y.,._;,;._"!~ -- -------- ----------- --------------------- --- -