December 1931
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
561
many people would want to be His friends. We shall find out later whether He found some friends or not. Golden T ext Illustration Near the top of the tower of a noted church in Norway is the carved figure of a lamb. Inquiring the reason for this strange figure, one is told that a workman fell from a high scaffold while the church was being built. His fellow workmen hastened down, expecting to see him dashed to
death, but they found him almost unhurt ; for a flock of sheep was passing the church at the time of his fall, and, as they were crowded together, he fell among them, lighting on a lamb. The man was saved, although the lamb was crushed to death. The workmen carved the figure upon the church tower in memory of the rescue. There is another Lamb, the Lamb of God, whose life was crushed mit to save the falling sinner. What memorial shall we lift on high to express our gratitude to Him?
trary condition but a natural law, just as it might be said that a blind man cannot see the glory of the sunset, or that a deaf man cannot hear the harmony of a symphony orchestra. Next, Jesus gives him a word of enlightenment: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Flesh is flesh whether it be vulgar or cultured, and no amount of education or reformation can change it. A piece of brass may be molded and hammered and burnished until it be comes an object of art that only the weal thy may own, but it is still brass. So the flesh, however cultured it may be, is still flesh. Finally, Jesus gives him a word of encouragement: “The wind bloweth where it listeth , . . so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” The wind always blows toward a vacuum, and it cannot be con trolled ; but it may be made to work for man if man will put himself in the proper attitude toward it. This truth, applied in a spiritual sense, was intended to give Nico demus encouragement, in spite of his car nality. 3. Because of his legality (9-13). Nicodemus thinks h t can do something, and hence, he thinks he must do something. But the new birth does not come by efforts of nature. A man can secure another na ture only by birth. We do not become the children of God by any natural means ; re generation. comes by faith, not by the flesh. But of this Nicodemus-is .unaware, because his legal spirit insists upon some thing being done by the one who would find peace of heart. Therefore he con tinues to ask, “How can these things be?” In.the answer of Jesus (vs. 10-13), there is, first, a rebuke of the ignorance; (v. 10). This man, being, what he was, should have , known the spiritual character of the new birth. He should have been familiar enough, with his own Scriptures to have known these things; as-Ezekiel and others had spoken of them. Second, there is eter nal certainty in the reply of Jesus, “We speak that we do: know.” By the use of these words, He places Himself with Eze kiel and others, Old Testament writers, and therefore, as far as, Nicodemus was concerned, with God Himself because Nic odemus recognized that the prophets spake God’s ttiith. Third, He reveals the reason for. Nicodemus’ difficulty (vs. 12, 13). He Wanted to understand by means of reason before he would accept by faith. He is like many today. III. T he C ure for D iscontent (14-16), First, he is told the source of the new birth—grace. Just as, when the children of Israel were bitten by the serpents in the wilderness, the people had nothing to do but look and live, so the sinner, coming to the Lord Jesus for salvation, must look to Him in simple faith and accept the rem edy that He has provided. In Moses’ day, the necessity for “looking” was found in the people's need, and the “how” of the healing belonged to God alone. Their res toration was all of grace. Second, he is told the channel for the new birth—faith in Christ alone. Just as the people in the wil derness looked away from every other means of help and riveted their gaze upon the brazen serpent, so the one who would be born again must look wholly to the Lord Jesus Christ and say from the heart: “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.” Third, he is told the result of the new birth—life.
JANUARY 17, 1932 JESUS AND NICODEMUS John 3 :1-21
Lesson Text: John 3:1-16. GoldeH Text: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should hot perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). ' ; T ravel by Night I n A m e r ic a , the land of brightly lighted highways afid speeding automobiles, one . cafinot Conceive of a country in which people db not'travel by night. Yet Palestine of old Was just such a country. Even to this da^ 'there is very little movement upon the streets or highways after dark. One; of the most impressive experiences •which one may have • is to' walk through the . streets of Jerusalem : within the walls is a •streets, .twisting their way. between weather beaten stone build- streets are so narrow that one can almost reach the walls of the houses on both sides at the same time. These narrow, winding ways are paved with cobblestones, worn smooth With the passing of thousands of feet in the course of the centuries. In many places, the build ings join above the street, leaving a tunnel beneath, gloomy by day, and stygian black by night.. There are very few lights any where, but here and there,, through, the cracks in the bolted shutters can be seen the dim lights within the houses. In order to find one’s way about, a modern flash light is indispensible. ' We can picture in our minds that well dressed; cultured-looking figure of Nico demus, furtively stealing along the gloomy cobblestone streets of Jerusalem on his way to interview the “teacher come from God.” He traveled by night because he was bent upon a mission of vital import ance. He disregarded the custom of the land and was brought into vital contact with the Son of God. O utline and Exposition I. T he C onfession of D iscontent ( 1 , 2 ). Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and as such he was what would be known as a reli gious and upright man, since the Pharisees were above the average in goodness and correctness of living. He was also a ruler among the Jews, and as such he would hold
à high and honorable position in the na tion. Tradition tells tis that he was one of the three richest men in Jerusalem, a city that held many Wealthy people. As seen outwardly, Nicodemus had everything to make him content ; and yet he was discon tented, joyless, and restless in his soul. II. T he C ause of D iscontent Because of his ignorance\ (3), , Nicodemus had the proof presented by the miracles of Jesus, but these merely Showed that He had authority to speak as a prophet; they did hot prove His deity. It is faith in the words of Jesus, rather than faith in the works of -Jesus, that brings contentment, His'wqrds are spirit and life. Nicodemus’,-ignorance was revealed in dis satisfaction, Unconscious^ perhaps, but. nevertheless vèiy real, He was “ever learn ing, and never able to come to the knowl edge Of the truth” (2.Tim. 3:7) ; hence he was constantly groping in the dark. More over, his ignorance was shown in a dis- . trust of what he had; that is, there was unbelief in the religion that he professed. This also may have been unconscious with hitti, but it resulted in constant unrest of soul. Furthermore,, he manifested fear o f disaster; the future was all uncertain and the present all unsatisfactory. There Wàs no peace or rest .of heart, but a certain nameless dread lest what he had should at last prove to be insufficient. All this was in dicated in his approach tp the compara tively Unknown-. Rabbi, JesUs of Nazareth, to enquire the truth front Him. The an swer he received is that which Jesus Christ would give to every man : “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The new birth, by which one is given a new nature and is transported into another sphere of living, is necessary to clear away the ignoranCe of the natural man. 2. Because of. his carnality (4-8). When Nicodemus heard that he must be born again, he at once began to reason about it. How can a man be born when he is old? He attempted to lower the truth of God to the natural plane and to apply ,it materially. But truth, being from God, is spiritual, and therefore must be spiritually discerned before it can be mentally grasp ed. It would have been better for Nico demus to have prefaced his question with “who” rather than “how.” In Jesus’ answer (5-8), He gives to Nic odemus and to every man a word of in struction: “Except a man be born again, he cannot enter [or see] the kingdom of God.” This is not the stating of an arbi-
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs