THE IMPASSIBLE WALL
LESSON 5
Another boulder in the IMPASSIBLE WALL which had to be removed so that man could have fellowship with God was our human birth.
Man is born a sinner! Adam passed the sin nature down to every one of us! Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, by one man, the sin (sin nature) entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned". Spiritual death is meant here. When Adam sinned he died spiritually but he lived many more years on the earth before he died physically.
In the third chapter of the gospel of John, we see how Jesus told a very religious man that he needed to have a new birth in order to be acceptable to God.
Nicodemus was a religious leader. He was not only a theologian, but he was also a Pharisee who prayed seven times a day in the temple, and he probably had memorized much of the books of Moses and of the prophets of the Old Testament.
Nicodemus had been observing Jesus for awhile, and he had some questions to ask. He didn't want his friends to know of his visit to Jesus, so he came to Jesus at night, privately.
He said, "Teacher, we know that God must have sent you, because no one can do the miracles we've been witnessing here in Jerusalem unless God is with him."
Jesus replied by saying, "Nicodemus, here's a point of doctrine for you to think about. Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God! That which is flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Nicodemus was shocked at Jesus' words, and he must have sat there with his mouth open in amazement.
Jesus noticed Nicodemus' surprise, so He continued and said, "Don't be so amazed when I tell you that you must be born again! The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear the sound of it, but you aren't able to tell from where it comes or where it is going. That's the way it is when a person is born spiritually."
In exasperation, Nicodemus questioned, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered him, ""You are a theologian and a ruler of the Jews, and you don't understand my words? Here's another point of doctrine, Nicodemus: the Father and the Holy Spirit bear w.witness to the things I do, and you have not believed them. If I tell you about earthly things and you don't believe them, how can you understand and believe what I tell you about heavenly things?"
Nicodemus is still puzzled, but he considers His words. Then he hears something which he can understand.
Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Nicodemus understood that Moses was told to fashion a brass serpent and put it on a pole and hold it up where all of the people could see it. The people had committed sin that caused God to send poisonous snakes among them to bite them. Moses told the people to look and live, and when they who were bitten looked at the brass serpent, they understood that an innocent substitute had to die for their sins. Putting faith in God's Word kept them from dying!
We know that Nicodemus became a believer during this meeting with Jesus or somewhere between this session or after Jesus was crucified. Nicodemus and his friend Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus so they could give it a decent burial. No Pharisee would have broken the Law by touching a dead body.
When a person believes that Jesus Christ paid the penalty his sins, he is born again. God the Holy Spirit activates the human spirit, and that person can understand spiritual things and have fellowship with God.
STUDENT QUIZ for LESSON 5
UNDERLINE THE CORRECT ANSWERS IN THE FOLLOWING MULTIPLE CHOICE STATEMENTS:
1 MAN IS BORN ~
a.) a human spirit b.) a sin nature c.) ability to understand
God's Word
2. WHAT DID NICODEMUS UNDERSTAND?
a.) the new birth b.) the brass serpent incident c.) the miracles which Jesus performed
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
3. What does it mean to be born again?____________________________________
4. Why are we born with a sin nature? ____________________________________
LINKS TO LESSONS
http://biblelesson1.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson2.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson3.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson4.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson5.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson6.blogspot.com/
Written by Lois Delnay
01/20/07
loisdelnay@hotmail.com
Links to Lois Delnay Children Bible Study Sites
http://gettoknowyourbible.org/
http://loisdelnay.bravehost.com/index.html
Books for sale by Lois Delnay
http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Schoolhouse-Studies-Children-Teens/dp/1438212003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212694777&sr=8-1
Link to Lois Delnay's Writings on Helium
site design by Doris Miller
LESSON 5
Another boulder in the IMPASSIBLE WALL which had to be removed so that man could have fellowship with God was our human birth.
Man is born a sinner! Adam passed the sin nature down to every one of us! Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, by one man, the sin (sin nature) entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned". Spiritual death is meant here. When Adam sinned he died spiritually but he lived many more years on the earth before he died physically.
In the third chapter of the gospel of John, we see how Jesus told a very religious man that he needed to have a new birth in order to be acceptable to God.
Nicodemus was a religious leader. He was not only a theologian, but he was also a Pharisee who prayed seven times a day in the temple, and he probably had memorized much of the books of Moses and of the prophets of the Old Testament.
Nicodemus had been observing Jesus for awhile, and he had some questions to ask. He didn't want his friends to know of his visit to Jesus, so he came to Jesus at night, privately.
He said, "Teacher, we know that God must have sent you, because no one can do the miracles we've been witnessing here in Jerusalem unless God is with him."
Jesus replied by saying, "Nicodemus, here's a point of doctrine for you to think about. Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God! That which is flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Nicodemus was shocked at Jesus' words, and he must have sat there with his mouth open in amazement.
Jesus noticed Nicodemus' surprise, so He continued and said, "Don't be so amazed when I tell you that you must be born again! The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear the sound of it, but you aren't able to tell from where it comes or where it is going. That's the way it is when a person is born spiritually."
In exasperation, Nicodemus questioned, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered him, ""You are a theologian and a ruler of the Jews, and you don't understand my words? Here's another point of doctrine, Nicodemus: the Father and the Holy Spirit bear w.witness to the things I do, and you have not believed them. If I tell you about earthly things and you don't believe them, how can you understand and believe what I tell you about heavenly things?"
Nicodemus is still puzzled, but he considers His words. Then he hears something which he can understand.
Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Nicodemus understood that Moses was told to fashion a brass serpent and put it on a pole and hold it up where all of the people could see it. The people had committed sin that caused God to send poisonous snakes among them to bite them. Moses told the people to look and live, and when they who were bitten looked at the brass serpent, they understood that an innocent substitute had to die for their sins. Putting faith in God's Word kept them from dying!
We know that Nicodemus became a believer during this meeting with Jesus or somewhere between this session or after Jesus was crucified. Nicodemus and his friend Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus so they could give it a decent burial. No Pharisee would have broken the Law by touching a dead body.
When a person believes that Jesus Christ paid the penalty his sins, he is born again. God the Holy Spirit activates the human spirit, and that person can understand spiritual things and have fellowship with God.
STUDENT QUIZ for LESSON 5
UNDERLINE THE CORRECT ANSWERS IN THE FOLLOWING MULTIPLE CHOICE STATEMENTS:
1 MAN IS BORN ~
a.) a human spirit b.) a sin nature c.) ability to understand
God's Word
2. WHAT DID NICODEMUS UNDERSTAND?
a.) the new birth b.) the brass serpent incident c.) the miracles which Jesus performed
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
3. What does it mean to be born again?____________________________________
4. Why are we born with a sin nature? ____________________________________
LINKS TO LESSONS
http://biblelesson1.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson2.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson3.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson4.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson5.blogspot.com/
http://biblelesson6.blogspot.com/
Written by Lois Delnay
01/20/07
loisdelnay@hotmail.com
Links to Lois Delnay Children Bible Study Sites
http://gettoknowyourbible.org/
http://loisdelnay.bravehost.com/index.html
Books for sale by Lois Delnay
http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Schoolhouse-Studies-Children-Teens/dp/1438212003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212694777&sr=8-1
Link to Lois Delnay's Writings on Helium
site design by Doris Miller
