Title Page
Lesson Two
John 3:3-6
John 3:3-6
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.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be
born when he is old? can he enter the second
time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:7-8
John 3:7-8
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be
born again.
8 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
every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 4:7-9
John 4:7-9
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw
water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city
to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,
How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of
me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews
have no dealings with the Samaritans.
John 4:10-12
John 4:10-12
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith
to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have
asked of him, and he would have given thee
living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from
whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which
gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and
his children, and his cattle?
John 4:13-14
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
Focus Verse
John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her,
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who
it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he
would have given thee living water.
Focus Thought
When we receive God’s gift, the Holy
Spirit, we receive the nature and Spirit
of Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Introduction
It is a simple yet amazing truth that God is a giver!
Inherent in His nature is God’s love for us and His
desire to bless our lives. “According as his divine
power hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (II
Peter 1:3). This aspect of God is the very
foundation for our relationship with Him.
Introduction
Among the most beloved words of Scripture are
these: “For God so loved the world, that he gave”
(John 3:16). His love for us became the impetus for
the openhanded nature from which we benefit so
greatly. God is a giver!
Introduction
We who have tasted God’s grace know by
experience His readiness to give. He gives joy,
peace, and salvation. He gives healing, deliverance,
and direction. The list is virtually endless. But
among the gifts that God lavishes on His children
is one that stands alone in its significance. The
greatest gift of God is the baptism with the Holy
Spirit.
Introduction
In today’s lesson, we will examine God’s giving
nature by viewing His interaction with two needy
people. We will examine what was promised to
each of them, and by extension to us, as well as the
nature of our responsibility when His gift comes.
As we are blessed of God with the infilling of His
Spirit, we become accountable to be governed by
that Spirit.
Introduction
Further, Jesus calls us to be worshipers, and He
clearly specifies how that is to be done. As we give
ourselves to worship, we show proper gratitude for
the gift of His Spirit in our lives. However, we do
not worship God as payment for His marvelous
gift, for then it would be a purchase. God is not a
merchant; He is a giver!
The
Giver
Meets
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
an(A)
Unborn Man
The concept of an “unborn man” seems like an
impossible description. How could a grown person
never have been born? His very existence speaks to
the fact that he can point to the day of his birth. Still,
one of the most important dialogues in which Jesus
ever engaged was with just such a man—one who
had yet to be born in the most important sense.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
The man’s name was Nicodemus, and he was a
(A)
significant man
in first-century Jerusalem. As a
member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council,
Nicodemus enjoyed wealth, influence, and notoriety
rarely seen among the Jewish people of his day. His
high rank afforded him privileges and status among
the people, but it also placed certain social and
religious pressures on him when it came to dealing
with Jesus Christ.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Accordingly, Nicodemus came by night to this new
teacher from (A)
Galilee called Jesus, apparently to
avoid public attention. His approach was respectful,
for even he could recognize that there was
something special about Jesus. His respect was
evident in His first words to the Lord (John 3:2).
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
As a member of the ruling class, Nicodemus
(A)Jesus to reciprocate with a
probably expected
similar measure of respect. Surely this young
teacher from Nazareth would recognize the
importance of a visit from a member of the
Sanhedrin. Jesus was not disrespectful at all, but
neither did He refrain from boldly and bluntly
communicating to Nicodemus his spiritual deficit.
Jesus did not see a man who was the envy of Jewish
society, but a man who had yet to be born again.
I.
A. The Need for a New Birth
The Giver
Meets
. . . Man
of Water
and Spirit
(A)
As one studies the interactions of the Lord with
people whom He encountered during His earthly
ministry, it is striking how often He cut right to the
heart of the matter with few or no preliminary
comments. The eternal significance of His words
rendered small talk rather meaningless and seemed
to compel Him to drive right for the heart of a
person.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus was no
exception. He responded to Nicodemus’s opening
compliment: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God” (John 3:3). Here was the crux of the matter!
Nicodemus was missing the most important
element of His life—he was unborn in the fashion
that really mattered. He had never been born again!
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
We should note that this remains the central issue in
the lives of men and women today. Many pursuits
that people follow seem important at the moment,
only to fade into insignificance over time.
Accomplishments, accolades, and awards might be
enjoyable for a season, but they provide no eternal
value. The only question that really matters is, have
we been born again?
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
Nicodemus reacted with understandable confusion
to Jesus’ admonition to be “born again.” This is a
common phrase in our culture, but it was unheard
of in his. He questioned, “How can a man be born
when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4).
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
Jesus did not leave him in confusion but clearly
explained: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born
of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born again” (John 3:5-7).
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
Jesus’ words clearly convey the imperative nature
of the new birth. For one who has never
experienced the new birth, there is no entry into the
kingdom of God—not even a glimpse of it. There is
no other option if one is to be redeemed.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
(A)
The miraculous new-birth experience involves
repentance of sins, being baptized in water in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
receiving the Holy Ghost. This is the work of our
generous God. He gives remission of sins, and He
gives the Holy Spirit. He gives new birth to the
spiritually unborn!
B. The Analogy of the Wind
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
The Lord often
(B)reached into the common
experiences of life for analogies from which He
could teach spiritual truths. In this instance, Jesus
offered a word picture to help Nicodemus grasp the
concept of the new birth. He likened the work of
the Spirit to the blowing of the wind.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
“The(B)
wind bloweth where it
listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth: so is every
one that is born of the Spirit”
(John 3:8).
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Jesus first explained
(B) that man does not control the
wind; it blows where it will. In that way, it is like
the work of the Holy Spirit of God. We do not
order or control the moving of God’s Spirit, but we
are the recipients of God’s gracious giving. God is
sovereign, and His Spirit “blows” wherever He
wills.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Jesus further explained that while we do not
control the moving
(B) of His Spirit, we can recognize
the signs of His moving. A person can hear the
sound of the wind moving through the trees, and
we can see the effects of God’s Spirit as it moves
upon individuals and their circumstances.
Evidences of the moving Spirit of God are
manifold, but the most notable one is the initial
proof of a person’s receiving the Holy Ghost—
speaking with other tongues as God’s Spirit
provides the utterance.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Speaking with other tongues is the consistent proof
of the infilling
of the Holy Ghost throughout the
(B)
Book of Acts. It is clearly described as the
evidence of God’s Spirit in Acts 10. As Peter was
preaching to the first Gentile congregation gathered
at Cornelius’s house, the Holy Ghost fell on all
those who heard him. In spite of religious or
societal prejudices, the “wind blew” where it
desired. The Jewish believers who came with Peter
were amazed because they saw the evidence of the
Spirit’s work.
Acts 10:45-46
“And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as
came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift
of the Holy Ghost. For they heard
them speak with tongues, and magnify
God” (Acts 10:45-46).
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Finally, Jesus explained that there always will be
some aspects
of the ways of the Spirit that we will
(B)
not understand. He told Nicodemus that he could
not tell from where the wind came or where it
went.
I. The Giver Meets . . . Man
Likewise, we are to trust God even when we may
not understand
all His ways. Jesus desires to give
(B)
the Holy Ghost to every person, but He does not
require us to understand every nuance of His Spirit
before He will grant us this precious gift. He only
asks us to believe that He is a giver of good gifts,
which is all He asked of Nicodemus.
The Giver Meets
II. The Giver Meets . . .
a Needy Woman
Woman(A)
Broken lives are not the product of simply one age
or one society. Sin has ruined lives since the fall of
man in Eden. The mores of society certainly have
deteriorated, and the prominence of sin in our
contemporary culture is more visible than ever, but
the brokenness caused by sin is nothing new. It
always has been true that sin decimates the lives of
the unsaved.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Jesus clearly stated, “The thief cometh not, but for
Woman(A)
to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10).
In every era and in every society, the enemy of
mankind has sought to steal hope, to kill faith, and
to destroy lives. Gratefully, the ongoing work of
our giving God continues as well, for Jesus further
stated in John 10:10, “I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.”
II. The Giver Meets . . .
John 4 chronicles the intersection of a broken life
Woman(A)
with the giving God at a well in Samaria, a land
inhabited by people of mixed Jewish and Gentile
ancestry. This region was despised by the Jewish
people because of its interracial inhabitants, but
Jesus was determined to keep a date with destiny in
Samaria.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
“He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
Woman(A)
And he must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:34). He did not need to go through Samaria because
it provided the shortest route, for it was common
for the religious Jews of that day to avoid the area
entirely in their journeys. Rather, our Lord felt the
need to pass that way because of a broken life
awaiting His life-changing gift.
A. The Physically
II. The
GiverMaster
Meets .
Thirsty
..
Woman(A)
Jesus arrived in the city of Sychar and stopped at
the well of Jacob. The modern location of this well
is reasonably certain, and the current well is nearly
one hundred feet deep. Such wells were usually
carved out from solid limestone, with a small curb
remaining to guard against someone accidentally
falling in. It was probably on a similar ledge that
Jesus sat down to rest.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Woman(A)
It was the sixth hour, which is noon, so we can
surmise that Jesus had been walking for possibly as
many as six hours. Obviously, He was weary, and
He stopped at the well to rest. Jesus allowed the
disciples to go into the city to purchase something
to eat, and in their absence He encountered a
woman soiled by years of unclean living.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Woman(A)
Jesus sought the opportunity to give something
special to this woman of Samaria. He defied all
societal taboos by speaking to her since she was
both a Samaritan and a sinful woman.
John 4:7
“There cometh a woman of Samaria
to draw water: Jesus saith unto her,
Give me to drink” (John 4:7).
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Woman(A)
This woman was shocked at Jesus’ request, for she
knew that a devout Jew would have nothing to do
with her. Possibly she thought that He must be very
thirsty to risk censure by receiving a drink of water
from her. Instead, Jesus was looking for an
opportunity to give living water to her.
B. The Spiritually
II. The
GiverWoman
Meets .
Thirsty
Woman(B)
..
Jesus quickly addressed the real reason for His
conversation with the woman of Samaria by
pointing to her need instead of His own (John
4:10). The long journey had left Jesus thirsty for
water from the well, but He also knew that life’s
journey had produced an even greater need in this
woman.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Her character was anything but sterling. When
JesusWoman(B)
asked her to call her husband, she attempted
to hide her past by saying that she had no husband.
The Lord forced her to confront her past by telling
her that He was aware she had five husbands
previously, and that the man with whom she was
living presently was not her husband. Her shame
and tarnished reputation haunted her every step!
II. The Giver Meets . . .
The very fact that she came for water in the heat of
Woman(B)
the day
testified to her desire to avoid human
interaction. Others came in the cool morning hours
or after the heat had broken in the evening, but this
lady was willing to endure physical hardship to
shun the public scrutiny of her neighbors. She had
a very real need—not for physical water but for
something to quench the thirsting of her eternal
soul.
C. The Analogy of Water
II. The Giver Meets . . .
Thirst
is a powerful and consuming need. When a
Woman(C)
person lacks proper hydration, his or her every
thought often is centered around that thirst. People
have been known to hallucinate because of their
consuming need for water. Jesus drew on that
physical reality in order to reach out to this woman.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered and said unto her,
Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again: but whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into
everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).
II. The Giver Meets . . .
WhatWoman(C)
a promise of a wonderful gift! Jesus assured
this broken woman that He could provide her not
just with a drink but with a supply of spiritual
satisfaction. It would be not only a cup of water but
a well that would emanate from her soul.
II. The Giver Meets . . .
We are
not left to wonder as to the meaning of this
Woman(C)
analogy of “living water,” for Jesus explained it
clearly elsewhere in the Scriptures. “In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me,
and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. (But this spake he of the Spirit . . .)” (John
7:37-39).
II. The Giver Meets . . .
The great
Giver, Jesus Christ, offers a remedy for
Woman(C)
spiritual thirst: the baptism with the Holy Ghost.
Those who have tasted of the Holy Spirit well
understand His promise that a person need never
thirst again. Each morning the indwelling Spirit of
God springs up with fresh, new, and everlasting
life. What a gift!
The
Giver
Desires
III. The Giver Desires . . .
True
Worship
(A)
A. The Giver Is a Spirit
Several important truths are revealed in the
dialogue at the well of Sychar, not the least of
which is that “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24). This is
an important point to understand for several
reasons.
III. The Giver Desires . . .
First, it is vital to our grasp of the oneness of God.
(A)
Only when we recognize that God’s essence is
spiritual can we begin to comprehend the wonder of
the Incarnation. By understanding the incorporeal
nature of God, we recognize that the Holy Spirit is
not a separate person in a non-biblical trinity but is
a description of God Himself. He is holy, and He is
a Spirit.
III. The Giver Desires . . .
Second, to comprehend that God is a Spirit helps a
(A)
person understand that when he receives the Holy
Ghost, he is receiving the very Spirit of God. This
reinforces the promise of our resurrection, for Paul
explained that the Spirit of God that indwells us
will provide for the quickening of our bodies one
day (Romans 8:11).
III. The Giver Desires . . .
Finally, grasping the spiritual nature of God reveals
(A)
to us that we can commune with Him only by
spiritual means. God is not moved by sacrifices of
animals or mechanisms of structured religiosity.
God is moved by the spiritual act of worship, for
God is a Spirit!
III.
B. The Giver Desires Worship
in
Spirit
The Giver Desires . . . (B)
As Jesus’ discussion with the woman at the well
continued, the Lord expressed His desire to receive
heartfelt, sincere worship. It may seem strange to
think that God in all His transcendent greatness
could desire anything, but Jesus made it clear that
“the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John
4:23).
III. The Giver Desires . . . (B)
Not only is a relationship with God the object of
our searching and desire, but a worshipful
relationship with us also is the object of His
searching and desire. Jesus further described the
type of worship for which He longs.
John 4:23
“But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him” (John 4:23).
III. The Giver Desires . . . (B)
Herein is the first requirement of one who would
give worship to the great Giver of all good things.
He must do so in Spirit.
III. The Giver Desires . . . (B)
There are two possible applications for His use of
the word Spirit, and both are meaningful to this
discussion. Certainly, the Lord wants us to be
influenced by His Spirit when we worship. In the
fullest sense, one cannot properly worship without
the work of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. “No
man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost” (I Corinthians 12:3).
III. The Giver Desires . . . (B)
However, we would do an injustice to place all the
burden for our worship on the Lord Jesus.
Obviously, Jesus also was saying that our spirits
must be involved in true worship. What we bring to
God in worship must come from deeper within us
than only our bodies or emotions. We must offer up
to Him a flow of worship that comes from our inner
person, our spirit!
III.
C. The Giver Desires Worship
in
Truth
The Giver Desires . . . (C)
Only worshiping God from within is inadequate as
well. Jesus further described the worship He desires
as being based “in truth” (John 4:23). Truth is the
other fountain from which our worship must flow;
our worship must be in Spirit and in truth.
III. The Giver Desires . . . (C)
Again there is a twofold meaning to this
commandment. Clearly, God calls us to worship
from the foundation of biblical truth. There is
something special about worship that flows from
New Testament apostolics.
III. The Giver Desires . . . (C)
However, God also calls us to worship from a life
void of false ways and pretense. As the psalmist
said, “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward
parts” (Psalm 51:6). When our inner man is true in
character and in conduct, then we have the proper
basis from which to give the Giver the type of
worship He desires.
D. The Giver Is the Comforter
III. The Giver Desires . . .
Jesus has not
left us to flounder in our search for
(D)
this truth within ourselves, and He has not forced
us to attempt to produce such truth on our own.
Instead, He has promised to give us the Spirit of
truth, which will live within us—the promise of
the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17).
III. The Giver Desires . . .
The Comforter
(D)is none other than the Spirit of
Jesus Christ within—the Spirit of God. This
generous Giver gives Himself into our lives, and
with that blessing comes the influence of the One
who said He is “the way, the truth, and the life”
(John 14:6). The Holy Ghost assists us in meeting
both of God’s expectations for worship—the
requirement to worship in Spirit and in truth. The
Giver gives us what we need in order to be able to
give back to Him properly.
The Giver Sends
IV. The Giver
Sends . . . (A)
the Comforter
Perhaps one of the most wonderful traits of our God
is that He is as good as His Word. Anything He ever
promises He will perform! “God is not a man, that
he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath
he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
(Numbers 23:19). Jesus promised to send the
Comforter, and indeed He has done so.
IV. The
The
Giver
Sends
. His
. (A)
record
of the first
fulfillment. of
promise is
found in the Book of Acts. (See Acts 2:1-4.) Since
that day, the ongoing promise of the Father has
been poured out on millions of people worldwide in
every era of time.
IV. On
The
Giver
Sends
. . . the
(A)
the Day
of Pentecost,
Peter quoted
words of
Joel when he said, “And it shall come to pass in the
last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and
on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour
out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18). The Giver is still giving
the Comforter, and He does many wonderful things
for us.
A. The Spirit—Our Teacher
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
.
(A)
Among the many great blessings that accompany
the baptism with the Holy Ghost is a promise
found in John’s Gospel: “But the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in
my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you” (John 14:26). The Spirit of the Lord
is a teacher in our lives.
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
.
(A)
This gift is vital to us because the ways and things
of the Spirit are not readily comprehended by the
natural man. (See I Corinthians 2:14.) Only by the
illumination of the Spirit does the Word of God
unfold its many layers and facets to us. Left to our
own devices, we will fail to understand and
properly apply His precepts to our lives. But when
the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, then He teaches us
all things necessary for victorious living!
B. The Spirit—Our Peace
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
.
(B)
The Spirit of Jesus produces fruit in our lives. That
fruit is multifaceted, but peace is one of its
characteristics. (See Galatians 5:22-23.) Jesus
specifically addressed this result of the indwelling
of His Spirit when He said, “Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
In a world
filled with
chaos and.confusion
when
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
(B)
men’s hearts fail them for fear, the blessing of
peace is an invaluable gift. Man’s best efforts to
achieve peace fail, and sometimes he even resorts
to narcotics, alcohol, and medications in his
attempt to find peace. However, Jesus said His
peace is different from what the world can give.
His gift of peace is abiding and unshakable. The
Holy Ghost is a gift of the Spirit of Peace through
the abiding presence of the Prince of Peace.
C. The Spirit—Our Guide
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
.
(C)
When the Spirit resides in a life, He provides
direction. This, too, is a promise of the Lord (John
16:13). The Giver of all good things desires not
only to give us salvation but also to direct our
steps and lead us to further spiritual blessings.
God delights in seeing us walk in ways that He
can bless.
IV. The
Giver
Sends
.
.
.
(C)
The Word of God is truly a light for our path, but
the Spirit of the Lord also guides and directs our
steps on a moment-by-moment basis. These two
wonderful influences harmonize in steering an
honest-hearted individual on the quest to become
more like Christ. As we do so, we abound more
and more in spiritual favor and blessing. The
Giver guides us so that He may keep on giving
into our lives!
Reflections
It is a striking act of grace that God chooses to give
good gifts to His children. In no fashion could we
possibly expect or merit such treatment, but the
goodness of God is manifest in His willingness to
bless His people. This desire to give prompted the
very work of Calvary as He laid down His life for
us through the Incarnation.
Reflections
Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus Christ
sought opportunities to give to people. When
Nicodemus came to Him by night, Jesus gave him
the wonderful truth of the new-birth experience
including divine insights into the nature of the
Spirit. When a woman with a checkered past
encountered Him at the well of Sychar, He gave
her hope and the offer of living water that would
quench the ongoing spiritual thirst in her life.
Reflections
The Lord’s request in return is that all who drink of
the fountain of living water give themselves to
ongoing worship. Such worship should emanate
from deep within the spirit of a person under the
influence of the Spirit of God. Moreover, such
worship should flow from a foundation of both
apostolic truth and true character within the
believer. In order to facilitate such worship, God
gives believers the greatest gift of all—the Holy
Ghost.
Reflections
The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of truth. He is the
Spirit of peace, our teacher, and our guide. He is
Jesus Christ! As we learn to yield our lives in
greater and greater fashion to His Spirit, we
position ourselves to receive further blessings from
the wonderful Giver of gifts.