The Condition of Experiencing Dominion of God

John 3:1-8 

We read in John 3 that Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night with a crucial question. Probably Nicodemus asked Jesus how one could see the Kingdom of God. Jesus gives an answer that we all know, but maybe it is one we still struggle to understand. We need to know a little about Nicodemus before we can start to study Jesus’ answer to his question.

We know from the Bible that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler. He was also a teacher of the law. 

Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 

John 3:10 ESV 

The Pharisees were holders of the law. The Bible tells us that the Pharisees were given the responsibility to keep the law. They committed themselves to keeping God's law. God gave 10 commandments, but the Pharisees expanded this to 613 commandments. The Mishnah was 840 pages long and detailed the laws. Not all rabbis were teachers of the law. Rabbis had to study and master these laws before they could be become teachers of the law. They were very much respected and were people who did things openly.

It seems a bit odd that Nicodemus went a night and not during the day: however, we do know that at this time the Pharisees had not accepted Jesus. This is probably why Nicodemus came at night, so that it would not be publicly seen. He and some other Pharisees could see that there was something special about Jesus. Nicodemus addresses Jesus as a Rabbi or a teacher from God (John 3:2). This verse tell us that Nicodemus along with others observed Jesus as someone from God. We know in John 2 after Jesus clears the temple, Jesus does many great things and wonders.  

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 

John 2:23 ESV 

Nicodemus saw something different in Jesus and wanted to ask Jesus questions, especially concerning the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells Nicodemus that to see the Kingdom of Heaven you need to be born again. This answer is not what Nicodemus had expected and goes against the Pharisees' beliefs about following the law.  

The Lord tells Nicodemus that one must be born anew to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The language used means to enter the sphere of God's reign and the dominion of God's ruling. Jesus explains that one needs to get help from above. In fact, in John 1, we read about Jesus' purpose on Earth. 

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

John 1:11-13 ESV 

Jesus tells Nicodemus that it is not our actions to bring us into Heaven, but rather our willingness to be born anew from Heaven. Nicodemus could not accept this, but many of us have. However, even those who accept rebirth still ask how we can enter heaven. By accepting the rebirth we allow God to control of our lives. We have to let go of our old lives, traditions and beliefs. Often times we rejoice that God has forgiven our sins and accepted us, but we refuse to allow His dominion over our lives. We do not know Him as our Lord. We have to sacrifice our self all the time and allow God full control. 

Those of us who are reborn also need to be led and moved by the Spirit. The Spirit is like the wind which moves objects, but no one knows where it comes from or where it goes. We do not know what our future holds, but we can trust the Spirit of God will move us in  

Jesus warns us that we cannot earn our salvation. Paul tells us the same in Romans. 

as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 

Romans 3:10-12 ESV 

We need to learn to live and be governed by the Holy Spirit. The sooner we submit to God and surrender to the fact that we always fall short, the sooner God can use us. We need to stop striving to enter Heaven on our own. Let Jesus' spirit shape us to develop a Kingdom culture. 

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 ESV 

Although we have been born from heaven, we still need to allow the spirit of God to move us.