THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S to love and serve God.) (Our lesson next week will be about a wedding to which Jesus and His dis ciples were Invited.) Memory Verse: “And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” (v. 37.)
84 he should see some day? (v. 51.) P er haps Nathanael was reading from Gene sis 28:10-12. (If you have time, tell quickly the story of Jacob and how God loved him; how wicked he was, and yet God loved him, and how Jacob afterw ards came
ate ate JANUARY 21, 1923 THE NEW BIRTH—John 3
Golden Text: “V erily^ verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see th e kingdom of God.” (John 3:3.) Time: F east of Passover. Place: Jerusalem . Persons: Jesus and Nicodemus. Outline of Chapter: (1) The New B'irth, vs. 1-21. (2 ) The Testimony to Jesus, vs. 22- 30. (3) F u rth e r Testimony, vs. 31-36. We have in th is lesson th e first re corded interview between Jesus and an inquirer. (Always pain t th e picture as you teach, if possible.) Jesus may have been resting upon the house top afte r a day of toil. He may have been looking at th e worlds th a t He had created. A man cam e' up th e stairs, on th e outside and w ithout introduction came into His presence and commenced his commen dation of th e Master. In a passage of but twenty-one verses we are to study one of the most im po rtan t lessons in th e whole Bible.. (1) THE NEW BIRTH, vs. 1-21, “Ye m ust be born again.” The introduction to th e interview is abrupt. Nicodemus was a ru ler, a j member of th e Sanhedrin. He, n o l doubt, loved the tru th , bu t feared men.B (John 7:13.) “H o w b e it n o m a n sp a k e o p en ly o f h im B fo r f e a r o f th e J e w s.”
He commenced by paying a compli m ent to Jesus as a teacher and miracle worker. The" compliment Jesus disre gards and immediately introduces the them e of the “New B irth .” The reason for our Lord’s failu re to pay atten tion to his compliment is found in John 2:25. . “A n d n eed ed n o t t h a t a n y sh o u ld te s tif y o f m a n ; fo r h e k n e w w h a t w a s in m an .” (a) The Necessity of th e New B irth. “Verily, verily, (truly, tru ly ,) except a man be born again.” This is an absolute statem ent. There can be no life w ith God w ithout a n a tu re like God’s . ' W ithout a new nature, he could not stand in His presep.ce. (Acts 9:3-4; Rev. 1:17.) - The law of God is “Like begets like.” “Every seed afte r its kind.” No* off spring is of ,a higher Species th a n its parentage. Fish a re \ not tempted to live on land. Men are not tempted to live under water. In heaven a n atu ral man would be like a fish out of water. Man m u st have a new nature. The old n atu re cannot be changed. “That which is born of th e flesh is flesh.” “ The old n atu re cannot be eradicated. (Rom : 8:5.) id “F o r th e y t h a t a re a f te r th e flesh do Mm ind th e th in g s o f th e flesh ; b u t th e y n t h a t a re a f te r th e S p irit, th e th in g s of m th e ¿Spirit.” H Also (1 John 2:16; Rom. 7:18.) II No life is b etter th a n the life out of ■which it issues. (Matt. 15:19.)
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