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Coney Hill Baptist Church

Demonstrating God’s Love Together

Nicodemus Disciple in the Dark

John 3:1-11

 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

 3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

 10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

 

John 7:45-52

45Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"

 46"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.

 47"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. 48"Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."

 50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51"Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"

 52They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."

 

John 19:38-40

38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

 

Intro.

John’s record of a series of meetings, Jesus no mere preacher, or even a teacher, but an encounterer of people,  to show us what it means to be a disciple… Nicodemus:

 

Who Was He…

                        Influential, looked up to…

                        Learned, wise…

                        Mature, set in ways/opinion

 

What was His Problem…

                        Fear…

                        Awareness of His Limitation…

                        Embarrassment, Pride….

                        What if He was wrong, on the wrong

                        side…

 

What Did He Do…

                        Listen…

                        Take sides, even if unpopular…

                        Step Out…into the Light

 

Conc.

Born Again – A Whole Life challenge/change…

Office Address:

Coney Hill Road 

West Wickham 

Kent 

BR4 9BU