John 3:7-13

The Bible says in John chapter 3 verses 7 and 8, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again, The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell when it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus said to marvel not. In other words do not be surprised. When a mind has sat in darkness all of its life, when a soul has wandered the broad and destructive path of sin, when a human being has sought peace and satisfaction through empty pleasures and the vanity that is found in living life without God, it will very well be a shock to discover that all is vain and empty without faith in Jesus Christ.

Physically speaking, when the eyes of a man have been in the dark for a long period of time, it is a great shock and it takes the pupils time to adjust when given light. In the same sense, spiritually, the truth is more brilliant and glorious than you could have ever imagined. But Jesus said marvel not. When you realize the truth about your own sinfulness and the great eternal forgiveness that God freely offers in His Son, do not waste time marveling at your own ignorance and foolishness, but repent of your sins to God and start believing in Him. Time is short. Life will pass you by very fast. Today is the day of your salvation. Stop marveling and start believing the Word of God. Truth is sweet and simple.

Verse 8 is a great teaching that Jesus has given us to help us to understand how the Holy Spirit works, and the power the Spirit has. It is a power which gives us freedom. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”

Man cannot control the wind. Man cannot predict where the wind comes from nor where it goes. Even in today’s society of technological advancement man still only understands very little about nature and the weather. The Spirit of God is like air. Air is everywhere on this earth. It is necessary to sustain physical life. And in the spiritual sense, the Spirit of God moves across this earth like the wind, touching the heart and mind of man, and convicting us of our sins. If you have ever felt guilty for doing something that is wrong, it is because the Holy Spirit has convicted you. The world and the philosophies of the world are completely opposite of how The Spirit of God operates. The will of man, your will and my will, is completely contrary to the will of the Spirit. It’s the will of God that man seeks truth and thirsts after righteousness. It is the will of God that you repent of your sins.

There is a great freedom and power in the wind. Violent storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes have caused great destruction to mankind. And in the same sense there is a great freedom and power in the Spirit. The Spirit of God works to destroy sin. Often when we think of the word power we think of government, and dominion and the rule of people and organizations over our lives. When the word power is used to refer to the Spirit of God, closely connected with it is the idea of freedom. Jesus said in John chapter 8 verses 34-36, “Verily verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin, and the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”

The power of sin enslaves the lives of man. It controls their desires, their thoughts and their actions. It is a complete bondage of corruption whose end result is a vain and worthless life in this world and then eternal damnation and judgment by God in the lake of fire, where the worm dieth not. But there is forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ. Jesus conquered sin, death and Satan, when He died on the cross and was punished for all of your sins and mine. He who learns to understand and believe the spiritual truth taught in John chapter 2 and verse 8; will experience the wonderful power of the Spirit, and will find that through the Holy Spirit a man becomes free as the wind. Free from sin, death, judgment, and free to live, and to love and to step beyond the physical world. Instead of the eternal wrath of God, whosoever puts his faith in Jesus Christ, will find that when he steps through the doorway of death into the next life the pearly gates of heaven will open wider than the horizon, and the nail pierced hand of Jesus will be there to take your hand and walk with you eternally through the golden city of God.

The Bible says in John chapter 3 and verse 9, “Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” Another word for master is teacher. We already learned in the previous verses of John chapter 3 the mistakes and the obvious ignorance that Nicodemus had concerning the basic and most important spiritual truths God has given us in His Word. Are you someone who has degrees and titles? Are you someone who is considered intelligent and well educated? It is very important to remember that God is all knowing and infinite in His knowledge and wisdom and all men know very little. All knowledge and wisdom is a blessing that comes from God only. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have learned all there is to learn. The Bible says in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 10, “increasing in the knowledge of God.” Learning is a daily process. First make sure you are increasing in the knowledge of God. If you are not learning the things that God is trying to teach you each day, then you have not really learned anything at all, and years down the road you will find yourself in the same spiritual state as Nicodemus. Open your spiritual eyes of faith. If you could only see the great and precious jewel of salvation and the wonderful riches of God’s grace then you will realize that all this physical life has to offer is as dung compared to an eternal friendship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus goes on to say in verses 11-12, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness, If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, If I tell you of heavenly things?” Jesus said “that we speak that we do know” We know that all truth comes from God. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. What is it that Jesus knows? Jesus knows all things, for Jesus is the Son of God. What was Jesus telling Nicodemus here in verses 10 and 11? It’s very simple. Nicodemus realized Jesus was a teacher of the truth. Jesus was telling Nicodemus that if someone is a teacher of the truth, then the very first and most important thing that a teacher of the truth should understand and teach is salvation by faith through Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus just taught in the first several verses of John chapter 3. Nicodemus was in the eyes of other men a teacher of the truth and a religious leader but he understood absolutely nothing about salvation. If someone claims to teach the truth but does not teach what Jesus taught concerning salvation, then they are not teaching the most basic and important truth that there is to learn in life.

Because Jesus is the Author of salvation it is very easy for Him to testify of salvation to those with whom He spoke. Wherever there is a soul that cries out to God, Jesus is there to answer that cry. So certainly Jesus could say, “We testify that we have seen.” We have the witness of Jesus Christ, His teachings and His miracles, His death on the cross, and especially His resurrection from the dead. The Bible says in I John chapter 4 and verse 14, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

There were hundreds and thousands of people who heard the teachings of Christ, who saw His miracles and were healed by Him, and there were several hundred who saw Jesus after He had risen from the dead, including the 12 apostles. All of these accurate and verifiable records are recorded in The Word of God. There is evidence galore that points to Jesus as the way, the truth, and the light. It is simply a question of do you desire the truth or not?

Jesus said in verse 12, “If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?” What are the earthly things that Jesus told Nicodemus? Looking in the previous verses of chapter 3, we find that Jesus was teaching some of the spiritual truths behind the physical creation. God is a Spirit and the physical creation of God was created in such a way to teach us spiritual truths. Romans chapter 1 verse 20 says, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” In other words, if you do not believe God from the simple truths that are evident in the creation and cycle of life that surrounds us and from His Word, you certainly will not be able to understand the greater and deeper mysteries of God. John chapter 3 and verse 13 says, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.”

There is only one bridge between the dark abysmal gulf of sinful man and eternal peace with God, the cross of Calvary. You may be a follower of Muhammad, or Budda, or you may be a follower of the scientific philosophies of the world, but there is no teaching and there is no man that can forgive you of your sins and save your soul from Hell. Only Jesus Christ can do this. Only the power of God can open the gates of heaven and close the gates of hell. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Do you desire to do what is right? Do you desire to do good? Do you want to work the works of God? Jesus said this is the work of God; that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. If you say that you desire to do what is right, but you do not want to admit your own sin and ungodliness, then you’re a liar. Trust in Jesus today, and you will become righteous through the blood of the Lamb.

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