With our worldly minds, we read that and ask, "How could Jesus say that? That sounds so worldly." This is a parable of contrast. You will find those in Luke. This is opposed to a parable of comparison which reads nice, smooth, and easy. This kind of parable contrast worldly thinking with spiritual thinking. This is white vs. black, up vs. down, cold vs. hot, etc. It is a contrast. This parable is basically talking about worldliness. The whole parable is about the world. There’s a worldly master who has a worldly manager. He uses worldly wisdom to execute worldly deals with worldly people. If you read the parable, that’s all you get out of it. But Jesus told this parable to say, "Look at how you consider riches." Jesus concluded…

You are "the people of the light." He’s saying, "Contrast you, the way you handle what God has given you, and how you view material wealth versus the way this worldly manager handled his situation." If you go back and read the parable, you know the manager did that so that he would have favor with others. He wouldn’t have favor with his boss but because of his dealings with others, he knew he’d have a job later. Jesus is saying that we, as children of light, should be using our possessions or material wealth the same way. He goes on to say…

That doesn’t sound right. It sounds like, "You should buy friends." Is that what you read? "Go out, spread some money around, and buy some friends. People will like you." No. What is God saying there? Jesus is saying, "Use what God has given you to reach people while you’re here so that when it’s time for you to go, you have nothing left." Nothing. You don’t just sit on it. You don’t hoard it or invest it all. That’s the point of the parable.

There it is again. The whole idea behind why we’re studying the New Testament is for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you just how worldly you are and how spiritual you need to be. The Holy Spirit will tell you, "Here’s how you obtain more spiritual understanding." That’s why we study the New Testament: so that your lives and attitudes are changed, you become more like Christ, and grow in the image of Christ. We’ve been through this for several Sundays, but that should be your goal. "God, every day make me more like Jesus." That should be your only goal in life. While your focus is on Jesus, go to work, take care of the family and kids, do this, that, and the other. But your goal, target, and life should be geared toward the Spirit. We want to be growing in the image of Christ all the time and not flat-lined Christians.

That’s Luke for now. We’re not through with Luke. We’ll have a few more lessons during the "40 Days of Purpose." We’ll be going back into Mark and Luke so I’m not short-changing you on any of the Gospels.

The pastor made an excellent observation about the Book of John this morning. Most of the other apostles and disciples had died by the time John wrote his gospel. In other words, we’ve had a generation or two pass by. John is alone and writing his gospel. So John has seen and experienced a lot.

John is different from the other Gospels in that it is not "synoptic." What does that mean? "Seeing the same." "Synonym" means "same word," and "optic" relates to the eye. Matthew, Mark, and Luke looked at things the same way. They were telling about the life of Christ. John is not synoptic. You will find it’s different—he approaches his gospel in an entirely different way.

A lot of people are interested in the chronology of events. There is a chronology to John but he’s really more after describing who Jesus is. Matthew, Mark, and Luke said basically, "He was born. His ministry started here. He preached there. He went to Jerusalem." You can follow the events of Jesus’ life. That happens in John but it’s not the main theme. You’ll see that.

John was written between AD 80-100. The other Gospels were written between AD 45-65. Christ was crucified around AD 30 so it was 60-70 years before John’s Gospel. The other Gospels were much closer to the events. There are a lot of reasons this happened. John was compelled by the Holy Spirit to write this book later. If you read it, you’ll see this.

I go back and forth on this: I am not settled on whether a new Christian can read John or not. I’m not settled that someone who’s seeking Christ can read John or not. Right now, I say, "Yes. Everybody should read John." That’s exactly where I am right now because if you read and study it, John has it all. John describes the "Spirit vs. World" concept so well. I want to show you that with some of the verses we’ll read.

A problem has occurred in the 60-70 years since Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. There was a movement that became very prevalent in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries AD called "Gnosticism," meaning "knowledge." Some people said, "What’s really important is that you know this stuff. If you’re really super-knowledgeable, you’ve got it." They became an upper crust, the elite. They felt like they knew everything. When you get to this point, you begin interpreting things and doing things to fit your lifestyle. The Jeffersonian Bible is a result of the Gnostics removing things they didn’t think fit. I’ve told you about the Jesus Seminar in California. They said, "We know more than anybody else," so they removed a lot of the teachings of Jesus. Based on some reasoning they have, they said, "We know Jesus didn’t say this and He didn’t do that." This is what was going on around the time John wrote his gospel.

After AD 30, the Church had been growing. We’ll study this in Acts. During this time, people started interpreting things, choosing unwisely, and going off in different directions. The Gnostics became a strong element of the Church. Around AD 90-110, John wrote his gospel to correct people’s understanding of Jesus Christ. When you read John, he is talking to people who think they know everything. He’s saying, "But here’s what’s really going on."

The other interesting thing about John is that he uses simple words. There are no complex words in John. He uses basic words like "Word," "Light," "Life," etc.—simple 4-5 letter words. But they are exceedingly powerful. I want you to see that this morning.

We’re going to have to skip a lot of John but the points I want to get across about John are the simple vocabulary, the complex concepts he presents using his simple words, and the contrast between Spirit and World. If you don’t see this in John, you won’t see it anywhere.

I think Paul relied heavily on observations of and discussions with John. You will see that a lot of things Paul says align with what John says. Paul and John wrote about similar concepts.

This is our third "beginning." We had the Creation in Genesis, the beginning of the gospel in Mark, and now John’s "In the beginning was the Word." Of the three, which refers to the earliest point in time? John. This is the earliest "beginning." It predates even Genesis. In other words, John is going back to a point (philosophically) well before Creation in eternity past. Who was there? God, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. The world was created later (Genesis) and Mark’s gospel later than that.

If you ever talk to Jehovah’s Witnesses, take a look at their Bibles and discuss this verse with them. Their Bible says that the Word was "a" god. They do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They’ll show you this verse from their Bibles to say that Jesus was "a" god and say, "See what it says there."

These are some deep things here. You have to think about them. If you go back to the beginning, Jesus (the Word, "Logos") was with God. At the Creation (in Genesis), God made everything through Jesus Christ. All things consist by Him (Colossians 1:17).

Those of you who’ve been through the Old Testament know that we saw Jesus. I think everybody is convinced Jesus worked throughout the Old Testament. You can’t miss Him. To miss Him, you’d have to shut your eyes and ears and say, "I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it." John is saying He’s not just in the Old Testament. It is through Jesus, the Son of God, that everything was made. That may throw you for a loop. You probably always had a picture of God, sitting there with a grandfatherly beard saying, "Let there be an Earth." What does John say? He says that it was all made through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was there.

John goes on to say that not only was everything created through Him, but the reason we have life and light is because of Jesus Christ. Does everybody see that? There is a huge emphasis here on explaining why everything is the way it is.

What’s the "darkness?" The world. It says that God allowed Jesus Christ to be illumined, His light shown to the world, His revelation. The world has not understood Him and has rejected Him. Do you get the picture here? God says, "I let the light, the revelation of me go out to everybody, everywhere, since the dawn of Creation." The world did not understand it.

Do you see John’s use of simple words now? Look at the awesomeness of what he’s written so far. Think about all he’s described. What words has he used? Is he a physicist or philosopher using fancy words? Do you need a dictionary and thesaurus? No. He used "life," "light," "world," "darkness," etc. He used very simple terms to describe something unbelievable. Again, the only way you will understand this is to be spiritually-minded. Your worldly mind cannot comprehend this. Your worldly mind will try to figure it out but it’s all about faith.

Who is John referring to there? The Jews.

In other words, if you believe in Him, you are now a child of God. You have that right.

What is this called? Being "born again." Hasn’t that phrase been torn apart and thrown asunder? What is he saying there? In the world, you have a natural birth by human will. That’s you, sitting there today. He’s saying, "But as a Christian, you are also born of God." Do you understand that? When you become a Christian, your Spirit comes alive. You are a new creation. This is what Paul talks a lot about too. Hold onto that. You will need that before we can move on.

He’s talking about Jesus’ coming as man.

He’s talking about John the Baptist here, not John, the disciple.

Do you hear that? Stop. Read it again.

God, the one and only, has made Him known. Jesus revealed who God is. He says, "If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father."

These are simple words with deep meanings. Here’s the bottom line about John: He says, "You should think, act, live, hope, love, and exist in the Spirit." That’s all he’ll be talking about. What you’ll read in John is a contrast between what Jesus does spiritually versus what man is thinking. We’ve seen it in the other Gospels but John is really, really good at expressing it. John says, "This is it! This is all you need to know: the Spiritual, not the things of the World."

To show you this, go over to chapter 3. This is a story about Nicodemus. Most of you have heard this but we need to look at it in a little more detail in light of what we’ve just studied from chapter 1.

Does everybody know what a Pharisee is now? A Pharisee was a religious nut, a fanatic. He believed in the Law totally and exclusively. That’s a Pharisee. Nicodemus is not only a Pharisee, he’s a member of the Jewish ruling council. He’s up there pretty high in the Jewish social, religious strata.

Some people say that he came at night because he didn’t want to be seen. That may be. If you were seen with Jesus, people started talking about you, "Look at him. He’s a Jesus-freak. He’s over there talking to Jesus again." Do you see what I mean?

Notice that Nicodemus says "we." There may have been other people with him. It’s not recorded in the Bible. What do you think is really going on there? I think Nicodemus, the Pharisees, and the ruling council held a meeting and said, "Somebody has to go talk to Jesus and figure out what’s going on and what He’s talking about." I believe that’s why Nicodemus used the word "we": he was representing the whole group.

They had discussed this among themselves but Nicodemus is the one who said, "I’ll go talk to Him." There may have been others there but Nicodemus is the only one recorded as being there.

As we get toward the end of Jesus’ life, what were the Pharisees and Sadducees doing? Trying to get rid of Him, to kill Him. We’re going to get to the miracle of the blind man and we’ll see the Pharisees interacting with themselves over this healing.

How would you characterize what Nicodemus said to Jesus? Small talk. Complimentary. It’s nothing inflammatory. It’s sort of like, "I want you on my side. We know you’re good at this and that." That’s what Nicodemus said. Did he ask any questions?

This is where you should have tripped. If you’ve read this before, you should draw a big line between verses 2 and 3. Something is missing. If I had been Nicodemus, I would have said, "Huh? Wait a minute. I was talking about your miraculous signs." Do you see that? It’s like something’s missing in there. Maybe it wasn’t recorded by John but I don’t think that’s the case. I think Jesus was saying, "Nicodemus, cut the small talk. Let’s get on with why you really came here." So think about what’s going on in Nicodemus’ brain right now.

Why would a Pharisee care about the kingdom of God? That’s what Jesus says, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." This will help you with the background here. Why would a Pharisee care about the kingdom of God? They are looking for Messiah, a king, to take control on earth. They’ve lost their kingdom to Rome. Jews expected to become independent again as a nation. There is a kingdom of God in the Old Testament. The Pharisees, followers of the Law, know that. They want to see that kingdom of God in their own way.

This ruling council met and discussed Jesus’ teachings and miracles but had to know, "What does He say about the kingdom of God?" So they sent Nicodemus to ask Him.

Let me tell you one other thing about that "born again." If you look up the Greek word for "again," it really means "from above." On Earth, when we hear "born again," what do we think? Born a second time. In chapter 1, John said, "You’re not born of natural descent but born of God." Jesus is saying the same thing, "To see the kingdom of God, you must be born from above, of God." Do you see the relationship there? That’s what He told Nicodemus, "born from above." Do you see the point? Jesus is saying, "You cannot see the spiritual unless you have this second birth, from above." The word used is "anothen," which sounds like "another," but means "born again from above."

This dialogue is classic Spirit (Jesus) vs. World (Nicodemus). You’ll see that over and over. This will help you understand Jesus’ replies.

Where’s he thinking? The world.

He says again, "There’s a birth through your mother and then there’s a birth through the Spirit." What is the Spirit? Born of God. Born from above. Born of the Spirit. Does everybody see that? It is a new birth. It is a new creation. It is a new way of looking at things.

That is very important to you as a Christian. It tells you a lot about your old, sin nature. You were born with a sin nature, the Adam nature, in you. You were a sinner. What does "born from above, born of God" mean? Can you see the difference there? God now has a creation that he can make Christlike. That’s what the New Testament is all about. You have to understand this difference: old vs. new. When you accept Christ, WHAM, you’re born of the Spirit. You’re born from above and born of God. You are a new creation before God. That’s how God sees you.

If we looked outside and saw the trees moving, we would deduce there was wind. We wouldn’t feel it or smell it. We would see the results of the wind and the impact of the wind. The impact of your life, being a new creation, is what we see. We see the results of your being born again, born from above.

This is where Nicodemus starts "seeking." I think he’s thrown away his ruling council list of things to ask Jesus. I think he’s making it personal here. I think it’s a genuine question, "How!? How can this happen?" And that’s what lost people ask today. They’re in the "World" with worldly minds and don’t have any idea what’s going on. They’ll say, "That sounds weird. That sounds unusual, unworldly. I don’t get it."

Jesus really puts Nicodemus on the defensive. Nicodemus has just responded, "Hey, I want to understand this. How can this be?" Jesus says, "Now wait a minute, Nicodemus. You are one of Israel’s teachers. You know the Law inside and out. You know the Old Testament backwards and forwards. You know all the prophecies. But you don’t understand!?"

Do you see how many times Jesus says, "I tell you the truth"?

Who is the "we" speaking and testifying? God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. He says, "We have been showing revelations forever and ever and people are not accepting it."

In other words, Jesus is saying, "If you can’t understand the World, how can I even start to talk to you about the Spirit?"

He’s talking about Himself now.

What’s He talking about there? He’s talking about the three days coming for His death, burial, and resurrection. He will be lifted up on the cross. The bronze snake is a reference to an event in the Old Testament when they lifted up a bronze snake on a staff. When people looked at it, they were healed. Jesus is saying, "I must be just like that."

Does everybody know John 3:16? You can watch football games and know about John 3:16.

Remember that we talked about everyone being guilty until proven innocent? That’s what this is saying. Everyone is already condemned. They are already guilty. It is the belief in Christ and the new birth that Jesus gives you that allows you to stand innocent before God. Do you see that?

People rejected Christ, not because of who Christ was, but because they said, "I want to be who I want to be. I like what I’m doing. I’ll reject Him because otherwise I’ll have to change my lifestyle. I’ll have to change what I think about and what I do."

Does that sound familiar? Parents don’t like to say that their children sin. "What? My son sinned? No. He made a little mistake. But he doesn’t sin." How easy is it for your children to admit when they’ve done something wrong? I don’t care how old they are. Do they just run up to you and say, "Mommy, Daddy, I just wrote all over the walls in my room!"? No. What usually happens is that you find the writing all over the walls and ask, "Who did this?" Your children respond, "I don’t know. Not me." Right? That’s what this verse is talking about. We do not like to see our deeds exposed. I was picking on children but we’re the same way. We want to hide our sins but we need to agree with God and go on.

There is a mountain of truth. What you do, you’re going to do through God.