The Gospel According To John

by Richard St.James

Invisible Things … Heavenly Things

John 3:9 “Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”

How Can These Things Be?”

The most discomfiting thing to a man is the invisible things around him. If we can not see something with our eyes, or hear something with our ears, or in some way reason it out, then we are most perplexed, and often paralyzed to a standstill. We are like the deer [FROZEN] by the bright light shining in our eyes in the blackest dark of the night. Amen! So it is with Nicodemus in verse nine: “How can these things be?” Here he is! Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a doctor of the law, a ruler of the Jews, and he can not figure it out. Why can he not?

It is because the flesh can not comprehend it. Why? Because the flesh is dead!!! Amen. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” [1 Corinthians 2:9-10] Jesus Christ [Jehovah] gives it this way to Nicodemus. “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” Ouch! That really hurts the pride of a man … to no end. Brethren, do you remember Job? Let’s turn to Job chapter thirty-eight, verse one.

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Well, where were we for that matter? Let me tell you something. Every one of us needs to get to the end of ourselves, in order to be in the right place [HUMBLE … MEEK] to receive something [ETERNAL LIFE] from GOD.

The Scripture has it this way in 1 Peter chapter five. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Nicodemus is standing there, before GOD … Jesus Christ, [clothed with humility] and he is ready to receive the revelation of invisible things from the ONE WHO created all things. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” [Colossians 1:16].

The Trinity … In The Big “WE”

Here is a self observation [A PROFOUND OBSERVATION] of Rick St.James. I don’t know how many times in the last thirty-three years I have gone through this Bible, [reading it cover to cover], yet I have never gone through this Bible without seeing something new each time. [A PROFOUND OBSERVATION] The Book is infinite! The BOOK is alive!

The BOOK knows my very thoughts! “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” [Hebrews 4:12] Listen, what I mean here, is that [the something new] has always been there, [in the BIBLE] but my little pea brain had not picked up on it in the earlier readings. Now here [in John 3:11] is the something new to me, yet it has been there all along right under my very nose.

Brethren, this is nothing but the work of the Holy Spirit working in the heart of the believer … by revealing to him invisible things from infinite BOOK. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” [John 16:13] Now let’s go back to our text in John chapter three, and see the thing that that has jumped right out at me, Amen.
Ready?

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen.” Do you see it? “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen.”

There it is!!! It is the “We”!!! Three Times! Jesus Christ points with the plural “WE”, instead of saying “I”, thus showing to Nicodemus, and to all down through the thousands of years who would read the Scripture HERE [in John 3:11], and BELIEVE the Scripture HERE [in John 3:11], that Jesus Christ is GOD come in the flesh … The Trinity [A Triune GOD … three persons … ONE GOD] is revealed with the plural “WE” … Amen.

“Ye receive not our witness.” This is the witness of more than one. It is “our” witness. [PLURAL] This is the witness of the Father, and of the Son, with that of the Holy Ghost. This is a TRIUNE witness that can not be broken down in any court of law in the land, or in any court of law in the whole universe.

The Devil himself can not take it down with a LYING WITNESS. His GOOSE is cooked my friend and any Arian’s goose is cooked too! Amen! “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.”

The Answer

Now we come to verse twelve … to Jesus’ question: “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” The answer is profound. Simply BELIEVE what he says, as like a child! Believe as a child BELIEVES! Simply believe what HE says to you in the BOOK … The Bible. “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” [Mark 10:15]

How shall ye believe? Believe as a child does! We need child-like faith. Then … if you have this kind of faith, you will believe the witness of the BOOK … concerning heavenly things. Amen!

Paradise Lost?

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The Gospel According To John

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

John 3:2 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 3:3 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.

John 3:4 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?

John 3:5 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.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

John 3:8 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 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

John 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

John 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barestwitness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

John 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

John 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.