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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
THE POWER OF HIS WORD
"The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." John 3:2
Jesus’ disciples believed upon Jesus through the manifestation of His glory at the beginning of miracles. It was at the beginning of miracles when Nicodemus was allured. He came to Jesus. Also, I just pointed out to you in JOH 19 how the men came back after they had heard what Jesus had said, though they had been sent to take Him. "Nicodemus…(he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them)." (JOH 7:50) What this is teaching us is that he was one of them, but came back saying, "Never man spake like this man." He was one of them that had been sent to take him, but he came back and said that we don’t judge a man until we have seen what he’s doing.
Nicodemus had seen the manifestation of His glory. He had seen the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the authority of the Word. Nicodemus had learned to see the authority with which He spoke. Nicodemus "came to Jesus by night," as we see from JOH 3:2, "and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God [Nicodemus saw the distinction between Jesus’ teaching and that of the Sanhedrin.]: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." (JOH 3:2)
Nicodemus began to realize that Jesus was doing a miracle, and that there was a miracle taking place in his own heart that he did not understand. He could see that something was taking place in his attitude, in his whole understanding, and he didn’t understand what it was. He saw the authority in the Word that Christ was speaking. This manifestation of Christ’s glory is in the power of His word. At the beginning of miracles in JOH 2:11, it says, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory." How does our Lord manifest His glory to you and me if it isn’t in the power of His Word? This is what the disciples saw at the beginning of miracles. They saw that in merely telling the people to fill the pots with water, carry them out, and bear the liquid unto the governor, that the water was transformed into wine. They saw the power of His word.
This is what Nicodemus was seeing. He was seeing that no man could do these things "that thou doest, except God be with him." He saw the glory, the manifestation of Christ’s glory, in the power of His Word. Jesus revealed the need of something more than the letter of the law. In the Sanhedrin, all Nicodemus understood was the letter of the law, but the power of the Word of God was getting him to start to understand the need of the spirit of the law – the change of mind, the change of attitude, which is repentance. He’s starting to see that repentance is an essential element, and he doesn’t understand what it’s all about. All he sees is that there is a miracle taking place in the preaching of Jesus, and he doesn’t understand what it is. He said that "no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." (JOH 3:2)
This manifestation of Christ’s glory in the power of His Word revealed the need of something more than the letter of the law to Nicodemus, and it brought him to Jesus seeking to be taught. This is one of the best evidences that the Spirit of God has begun working grace in our hearts: we have a desire to understand what the will of God is. We have a desire to know what it is that the Lord has to say to us. You’ll see the rebellion that there is in today’s religion, how they want to put away the authority of God’s Word, and how even mainline churches are starting to worship female gods. I saw a piece in the Washington Times, and it said how the Greek concept of wisdom, "Sophia", is bringing such a terrible storm in the churches because it’s being viewed as a female god. The mainline churches – the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, the Methodists, and many of the Protestant groups - are starting to worship Sophia, calling her their creator! This isn’t being done in some dark age; this is being done today, and the mainline churches are doing it. They’re beginning to worship female gods. Who’s doing it? Twenty-five hundred female preachers came together to have this festival for Sophia.
Do you see what Nicodemus began to understand? It is a desire to know the truth, a desire to understand the spirit of the law, that the heart might be drawn out to the Lord. It’s becoming a heart religion, not a letter-of-the-law religion; not a legalistic religion, but a desire to know and do the will of God. Here we see that Nicodemus is brought to Jesus, seeking to be taught. Then we see that the Lord Jesus begins to teach him in JOH 3:3 , "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
What the Lord Jesus is doing now is opening his understanding to what this is that’s within him that he cannot understand. That new understanding is now being enlightened. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The Lord Jesus is telling him where the center of the matter lies: the need for a new birth, the need for a new attitude, the need for repentance, the need for a work of regeneration, the need for the power of the Word being applied to the heart. This word see comes from the Greek word eidon, which means to know or become acquainted with. When He says that you cannot see the kingdom of God, he says that you cannot know it, or you cannot become acquainted with it, unless you are born again. You cannot know what the kingdom of God is. You cannot understand what it is to serve the Lord unless you have the new birth. You cannot become acquainted with it, and you cannot become a part of it unless you have been born again. Amen
Jesus draws the chosen race
By his sweet resistless grace;
Causing them to hear his call,
And before his power to fall.
From the blissful realms above,
Swift as lightning flies his love;
Draws them to his tender breast;
There they find the gospel rest.
Then how eagerly they move
In the happy paths of love!
How they glory in the Lord,
Pleased with Jesus’ sacred word!
When the Lord appears in view,
Old things cease, and all is new;
Love divine o’erflows the soul;
Love does every sin control.
Author: Burnham
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.