The third chapter of John's Gospel introduces us into an inquiry room, and we have a wonderful scene before us. where we have the Lord Jesus having a private interview with a man called Nicodemus, whose conversion is one of the Bible's most touching accounts. And in the story we see that Jesus Christ himself was a great personal worker. Jesus Christ was a great soul winner. And he sets an example unto us as the people of God, an example we would do well to follow. And may we be like Christ. I think that would be our desire tonight as we think about the topic and the subject of our meetings this weekend, a soul winners convention. Now the conversion of this man Nicodemus as evidence of the great transforming power of Christ. And the Lord did something for Nicodemus that Nicodemus could never have accomplished for himself. The Lord changed his life completely. He was radically changed by the power of God. Now, this man appears three times in the Bible, and each time it's in the Gospel of John. in John 3, John 7, and John 19. And he will forever be known as the man who came to Jesus by night. It was a happy night for him when he sought and found the Savior. His experience was radically changed because of that interview that he had with Jesus Christ. He came in the dark, but spiritually he left in the light. The burden was rolled away. He was a part of the family of God now, all because of that tremendous interview that he had with a man who was there seeking his well-being, seeking for his soul's salvation. And that night, Christ saved him by as much as grace. And tonight, if you're with us and yet unconverted, it would prove to be a happy night for you if you trust that Christ alone for salvation and for a saving grace. The three times over, John reminds us that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. And I think that is very significant, for it clearly reflects the spiritual condition of his heart when he first came to Christ, the one who declared, I am the light of the world. Now we don't know how long this interview lasted. But we do know that Nicodemus was never the same again after that meeting with the Savior. And from these three passages in John, we see God's grace manifest in different ways in this man's spiritual experience, the spiritual experience of the man who came to Jesus by night. We see at first in his seeking after truth, Now we're told here in verse 2 of chapter 3, the same came to Jesus. And if you want to be in heaven, then you must come to Jesus. That's something that is very simple. It's very straightforward. It's brought to attention here in the Word of God. He came to Jesus. And if you want to be in heaven, you've got to come to Jesus by faith. And you need to put your trust in him. Why did they come to Jesus? I believe that he came searching or seeking after truth. He approached the Lord Jesus Christ very reverently, and he honored Christ. He showed great respect for him, and they called him rabbi, which simply means teacher. That's why I'm saying he was a man who was seeking after truth, because he was coming out of a sense of need to the teacher. He wanted to know more about Christ. He had questions. And maybe tonight you have questions in your mind about these things pertaining to the kingdom of God. You'll notice something, some repeated words in this third chapter. In verse two, for example, we read Nicodemus said, And in the next verse, verse three, Jesus answered. In verse four, Nicodemus saith. In verse five, Jesus answered. Then again in verse nine, Nicodemus said. And in verse 10, Jesus answered. Now, although Nicodemus had not asked any question in verse two, you can see that for yourself. He didn't really ask a question here. We read that Jesus answered him. Now, I don't know if you've given any consideration to that or spent any time with it. The Lord can hear the unasked question that Nicodemus had in his heart. The unasked question that they had in his mind, how can I be right with God? The Lord knew that. And the Lord knows your heart. And he knows your thoughts. And he knows what you think about when you're alone. When you stand there at the grace side of a loved one, when someone that you love and care for is going through a major surgery or operation, these thoughts come to your mind. You don't share those things with anybody else, but the Lord knows. And maybe there's someone here tonight, and that is what you've been thinking about in recent times. Well, he knows all about your questions, and he wants to answer you tonight from this word that is laid upon my heart. He knows your thoughts. Now, I do believe that Nicodemus believed that Jesus was a good man. A lot of people believe that Jesus is a good man, that he's a great prophet, a great miracle worker. But I don't believe that he was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. However, Jesus answered the unasked question by teaching Nicodemus the truth, that he really wanted to hear how he could be right with God. Now, I don't believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was really impressed with the depth of Nicodemus' belief as a Pharisee or understanding. And you will note the word how found twice in verse 4 and in verse 9. For example, Nicodemus said unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? There's no concept of the teaching of Christ about the new birth. There's no real concept of what it's all about. And then again in verse 9, Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? He was an educated man, he was a religious man, but he didn't know anything about the truth, the saving truth of the grace of God. And there's so many people in this country like Nicodemus. They may be smart, they may be bright, they may know many things. but they have no idea how to have peace with God, how to be reconciled to God. How can these things be, they say? Am I not good enough? So in these two verses, he did ask questions. How? And the Lord Jesus Christ gave him an answer every time. And the point I wish to emphasize is this. You can bring your questions to your minister. He might not be able to answer those questions. You can bring them to me or any pastor. We may be able to help in some ways, but we haven't got answers to all of your questions. But if you've got questions tonight, bring your questions to Jesus. And I can assure you, you'll find all the answers you want in the Word from the lips of Christ. Now John sets each of these narratives, these three narratives that we've read about tonight in these three different chapters, he sets them in the context of Jewish feasts, seven Jewish feasts brought to attention in Leviticus chapter 23. And these feasts center in Christ, by the way. And the first is set in the context of the Passover. you go back to chapter 2 and verse 23, now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day, and then we go on to chapter 3 and we read of this interview that Jesus had with Nicodemus. So this first narrative, this first part of the story is set in the context of the Passover. That's interesting, I think, in a way. because God began his calendar with the shedding of blood. The paschal lamb was slaughtered at the Passover season. The calendar begins with the shedding of the blood. Did you know that the Hebrew alphabet that was taught to the boys and girls began with the thought of sacrifice. How do I know that? Well, the first letter is Aleph. That's the word for ox. The ox was one of the animals used in sacrifice. So God was teaching the children when they sat down to do the alphabet. You can't even get down to the alphabet without the sacrifice, without the shedding of the blood. There's a bulldog here. And God began his book with the death of an innocent victim. Genesis chapter 321. The only way to approach God is by the shed blood of Christ. And the Passover was the first of these seven feasts. It was the memorial, of course, of the release from Egyptian bondage of the people of Israel, it typifies redemption, and Paul writes about Christ, who is our Passover. Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. So we have this wonderful thought. It's redemption typified. It pictures the shedding of the blood of Christ And the ancient people of God being set free from their bondage in Egypt by the shedding of the blood, by the sacrifice of the lamb, it points us to Christ, God's perfect lamb. Egypt, of course, is a picture of the world. And Israel in Egypt is a type of a condemned sinner in the bondage of this world. And the only way to be released is by the shedding of blood. At the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, and he pictured the shedding of the blood in the cup. The broken bread speaks of the broken body of Christ, and the poured out wine speaks of the poured out blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So there's no coincidence that this religious man sought Jesus at this time. And the point I want to emphasize is simple, it's clear. The seeking sinner can only find acceptance with God upon the ground of the shed blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins. Now the dialogue opened by Nicodemus who acknowledged Christ as a teacher come from God. And that shows me that the Spirit of God was at work in this man's heart. The Spirit of God was striving with him. And Jesus replied to this man, and he said to him, except a man be born again. Well, that word, I'm sure Mr. McClung has gone over this many a time with you. That word, again, is interesting. It's the word anothen. And its meaning is, except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The new birth originates with God. It comes down from heaven. It's not something that we can work up or we can contribute to. It comes from above. to be born again is to undergo such a radical change that it is like a new birth. It is something that happens to the soul, which can only be described as being born all over again. That's what it means to be born of the Spirit, made a new creation by the grace of God. Let me ask you the question now, is this your experience? Have you experienced this great supernatural work of the Spirit of God? Have you been regenerated? Have you been justified before God? Have you been saved by grace and washed in precious blood? Are you a child of God and there of God in joint heir with Jesus Christ? Have you undergone this radical change? If not, then let me say to you, and I say it to you in love, you'll never see heaven. You'll never be there. You'll be damned to all eternity, but there's mercy with God. We've got a great Savior who has sent his Holy Spirit to strive with men to bring them into that right relationship with God. It comes from above. Are you born from above? Like Nicodemus, we need to be led to the only place where the sinner can find rest for his or her soul. And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ was doing with Nicodemus in that interview. First of all, the Lord brought or led Nicodemus to the love of the Father. The best known verse in the Bible probably is John 3 and 16, for God so loved the world, and these words were spoken to Nicodemus. So Christ is the teacher come from God. Here's a man with questions. Here's a man who has shown great ignorance, but the Lord is gently leading him. He's leading him to confidence in the Word, to a place of faith and trust. And he brings them, first of all, to the love of the Father. And then in this conversation, he brings him to the death of Christ for lost souls. In verse 14, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. What's the lifting up referring to? Christ being lifted up on the cross. So he's speaking to this man. He's leading him gently to that place of faith and trust. and he speaks about the love of a father, and then he speaks about the death of the son, and then he says, except the man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He brings him to the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the triune God in salvation. So the Lord is moving by a spirit. convicting this man and convincing this man of his need of Christ and showing to him his great need to put his faith and trust in the dear Son of God. So he's seeking out for truth. He's come to the right source. He's had his questions. He's presented these questions. Christ is illuminating him by the Spirit, the love of the Father, the work of the Son, the ministry of the Spirit. And as the Spirit moved and drew him, he responded in the positive way. How do I know that? Because it says he came to Jesus. And three times over, in these chapters that we've read from tonight, we're told that he came to Jesus. Now, this is a wonderful thought. The Lord is patiently dealing with this man. He's beginning to come out of the darkness. The Spirit is wooing him, drawing him irresistibly. He's receiving light. He's receiving illumination to his mind and to his heart. Yes, he's been drawn by the power of the Spirit. Remember Peter? When he went out fishing, he caught 153 fish in that net. That was some feat to draw that net to the shore. But that's what the Bible says. That's what he did. He drew that net full of fishes to the shore. There was strength employed there in drawing that net. And we can apply this to the gospel net and the fish in the net too. Sinners caught by the Spirit of God. and Peter is drawing him to the shore, and the Spirit of God is drawing Nicodemus to the foot of the cross. And there he's broken. He's come to an end of himself. He's come face to face with Christ. the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. This is the only place where truth can be found. For Jesus says, I am the truth. The burden rolled away in that moment of time. Oh, happy night when Jesus washed my black heart white. He was a man, and he proves the reality of God's grace in his life because we see him seeking after truth. But then we must move on. And in the second place, God's grace is manifested in his life in the speaking for truth. Now Nicodemus. quickly fades from the scene in John chapter 3, but he's not forgotten. But that's the big hit before you tonight. He was not forgotten. He appears again in chapter 7, where the scene is the Feast of the Tabernacles, chapter 7 and verse 2. That feast celebrated the memorial of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. It commemorated the time When Israel dwelt in booze in the wilderness, and when God dwelt in the midst of his believing people in the cloudy pillar, it reminded them of the time when they literally walked with God. Oh, to be walking with God. The joy of walking with God. You know where that walk ends? One day we'll go sweeping through the gates of the new Jerusalem, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah! We're going home, child of God. And one day we will go through those golden gates into the presence of Christ, our great Redeemer. That's where the walk with God ends. It ends in a better place. No virus there. No isolation there. No hurdles there. No bubbles there. We'll be with Christ and in that perfect environment forever. And after the Lord's remarkable sermon preached on the last day of the feast, he cried, what a tremendous message he brought. If any man thirst, let him come on to me and drink, verse 37. Thus he speak of the spirit which they that believe in him would receive, verse 39. And we need the power of the spirit to be able to stand for truth. And this was something that Nicodemus needed at this particular juncture in his life, in his ministry, in his development. He had been saved by the grace of God and now he needed to learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit to give him grace to stand for Christ. And the teaching of Christ and the preaching of Christ caused much discussion and division. We often read about there was a division among the people because of him. So the message that he preached caused this discussion and division. The Sanhedrin decided to move quickly. Something had to be done. So they sent officers to take him by force. And they went to arrest the Savior, and they heard him preaching. And they came back to those who had sent them, and they said, never man spake like this man. The Sanhedrin said, where is he? Did you not bring him? He says, we were just amazed at the teaching of this man. We can't lay hands upon this man. They were greatly enraged by this. There was great tension in the air at that particular point of time. The tension in the air was so thick it could be felt. The council was not going to give Jesus a fair and honest trial. They're not going to give him a fair hearing. They had already made up their mind. They were going to pass judgment upon him. They were trying to arrest him before he had been given a fair trial, a lawful trial. Nicodemus could stick it no longer. because he was a member of that council. So they're plotting and scheming against Christ. Nicodemus hears about this and knows about this. And you can see him being irritated. You can see him there fidgeting. He's wondering what he should do. Have you ever been in that situation? It's not always easy to take a courageous stand at times. Sure it's not. Now you can sympathize with this man surrounded by all these enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. At that particular moment, Nicodemus spoke up. You see, he's standing up, he's speaking up for truth now. And he says in verse 50, does our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth? It is to his eternal credit that he tried to defend Christ. It would have been easy for him to have remained silent. We've all been in situations like this. Sadly, we failed. I've got to put my hand up. and I think there'll be many more in the meeting would have to raise their hand as well. And one author said that he made a moderate statement Another said, and I quote, it was a timid reaction for he did not defend Jesus directly. He only dared to quote certain legal maxims which were relevant. But I want to tell you something, it took courage to do what he did. That has to be said in his defense. The law laid down that every man had a right to receive justice, a fair trial. Exodus 23 and then Deuteronomy 1. The Pharisees proposed to break the law and he challenged them. He must have fair play at least. However, they were no mood to listen to him. They turned to him to scorn him, verse 52. That's what we're told here. They rejected his defense of Christ. The challenge they could name was to search the scriptures to see if he could find any statement that a prophet would come out of Galilee. Now his heart told him to defend Jesus, but his head told him not to risk it. Now remember something. He's only a young believer. He's only been saved for about 18 months because that was the length of time between chapter three and chapter seven. He's only a young convert. And he's doing pretty well in my estimation. I didn't do as well as that in my early times. He's a young believer. And Pink made the comment, and I quote again, Nicodemus came out into the light, but slowly, yet grace overcoming. Let us not be too harsh on this man. It's easy to be harsh on these Bible characters, but what would you have done? What would I have done in the same circumstances? We applaud him for what he did. With his knowledge of the law, he might have offered a more spirited defense. It's easy to say that now, but at least he said something. But he lost, in some ways, a golden opportunity to refute the statement that they made for, according to 2 Kings 14.25, Jonah came from Galilee. You know what Jesus said about him? Jesus said that Jonah was a picture of himself and his death and burial and resurrection. Now Jonah was a strange character. You know the story of Jonah only too well. But the Lord Jesus Christ points to Jonah, and he says, listen, Jonah, in his death and burial and resurrection, points men to Christ. It must have cost Nicodemus a lot that day to make even this moderate statement on the Lord's behalf. And it shows that the interview in chapter three had not been in vain. Yes, it may have been a timid stand for the truth, but it took courage to speak up for the truth on that occasion. And because of what he did, the council broke up And every man went back to his own home. So because of what he did, it broke up the council meeting and brought to an end this plan at that point of time to arrest Christ and have him put to death. So, here's what a young believer can do. You may be a young believer, and you may think to yourself, there's not a big lot that I can do. Little is much when God's in it. And we have this example of this man. I don't know how old he was. He must have been the right age. but he's only a babe in Christ, and he speaks up for the truth. And that brings me then to the final point. God's grace is manifested in his service of the truth. We come now to the last reference to Nicodemus, chapter 19 of John's gospel. And in verse 39, he makes his final appearance when along with Joseph of Arimathea, he removed the Lord's body from the cross in preparation for his burial. Now the Passover was on the 14th day of the first month. It was followed by seven days of feasting, the Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was the third feast. teaching us that there's a close relationship between redemption and cleansing. This feast continued for a week. The Jewish people not only shed the blood of the lamb, they applied the blood to the doorposts, but they also feasted on the lamb. That's a tremendous thought. The blood was shed, and when the death angel moved over, that's the Passover, because the angel passed over all the homes where the blood was applied. That's the shedding of the blood. That's being saved by grace. But they had the roasted lamb to feed upon because they were setting out on a journey. So they're redeemed by blood, and then they're redeemed by blood that they might feed upon the lamb that was roasted. We need to feed upon Christ. We're saved by his blood, and we feed upon the loving bread to nourish our souls, to strengthen those inner faiths. The New Testament, the Apostle Paul contrasts milk, the milk of the Word, and the meat of the Word in Corinthians and Hebrews. And he says that the milk is for babes, and he says the meat is for adults. The milk is for those who are babes in Christ, and then the meat is for those who are growing by the grace of God into maturity. And that's the way it is surely in life. A baby's born, you don't give a baby in the cot there a five ounce or six ounce steak. You give them a bottle of milk. And then a little bit later on, with the passing of the years, they come to that point where they can go on to solids and enjoy a good steak later on. That's the way it is in the Christian faith, Christian life. You defeat upon Christ. The people gathered around the lamb. and then they removed the leaven from their homes, and that leaven speaks of sin, and we need to put away sin from our lives in order to be found useful in the service of God. On this occasion, he comes with Joseph to ask Pilate for the body of Christ. It seems that he was the only one in all of Jerusalem Well, where's Peter? Where's John? Where's the rest of them? Can't be found. They're all scattered. It seems that he was only one who dared to help Joseph in this business. What he can do, he will do. Will you say that tonight? What I can do, I'll do. For Jesus, now his love for Christ is made public. He steps out into the gaze of men. and an act of selfless devotion to Christ. In chapter 3, he's a secret inquirer. In chapter 7, he is a timid advocate. And in chapter 19, he's a willing volunteer. In chapter 3, he's in the darkness. In chapter 7, he's in the dawn. And in chapter 19, he's in the daylight. What he sought, what he said, and what he showed. Now, there is a tradition that he was one of the three richest men in Jerusalem. He lavished his wealth on the body of Jesus. He intended to give Jesus the burial of a king. He brought a hundred pounds of costly spikenard and linen cloths, verse 39, to embalm the Lord's body. That was some giving. Nicodemus brought this as proof of his love for Christ and the value of his gifts testified to the greatness of his love. Now we remember what Mary did. Remember she brought one pound of ointment and she anointed the Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 12. Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of ointment. The pound of ointment was worth 300 pence, according to Judas. Why was this not sold for 300 pence and the money given to the poor? Not that he cared for the poor. 300 pence was a lot of money. Nicodemus brought 100 pounds. He brought myrrh. Myrrh is associated with the birth of Christ. How do I know that? Well, the wise men brought it. And here was a wealthy man bringing it now to embalm the Lord's body at his burial. I'm reminded, and I'm coming to a close, I'm reminded of Psalm 45 verse 8. It seems to find literal fulfillment. All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia. Now Mary brought The appropriate amount for the head and the feet. Nicodemus brought the appropriate amount for the whole body. Do what you can. That's all the Lord expects you to do. Do what you can, give what you can. If you can give 300 pence, give it. If you can give 100 times that amount, give it. If you can't, well, you can't give it. Do what you can for the glory of God. There's a reference here in verse 41 to a garden. It was in the garden that the first Adam sowed the seed which issued an eternal death. It was in the garden that the last Adam sowed the seed that issued an eternal life. A new sepulcher is also mentioned in verse 41. This is the fulfillment, I do believe, of Numbers 19, verse 9, where the red heifer's ashes were laid in a clean place outside the camp. Way back hundreds of years before this, in the story of the red heifer, the Lord was preaching the gospel to his ancient people, pointing forward to a time when the Lord Jesus Christ will be put into a new sepulchre. Buried outside the camp, he was born in a virgin womb and was buried in a virgin tomb. The Lord entrusted Nicodemus and Joseph with the responsibility of embalming and entombing his body. What has he asked you to do? Could I put it a slightly different way? What are you doing? This is biblical Christianity. This is not something new. This is old as the gospel. We all have something to do for him. It may be big. It may be small. It may cost little. It may cost much. But this is why we're on the earth. This is why we're kept alive. We can make excuses. We can say times are different. Things have changed. No, they haven't. History repeats itself. There were people in the Lord's day who try to evade the cross. There were others who stood by the cross. Things just never changed. At this point, chapter 19, the physical body of Christ had a need, and it was Nicodemus who responded. The spiritual body of Jesus Christ has a need today. The church has a real need. It needs soul winners. It needs people to pray. It needs people to knock on people's doors when the opportunity does arrive in safe circumstances. The Lord needs Sunday school teachers and prayer warriors. Here was this man, there was a need with the physical body of Christ. Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus by night, he's standing up for trust now. He's seeking after truth. He's speaking up for the truth. And now he's standing up for the truth. He's standing firm on fourth square. We often leave our tribute until people are dead. One flower in life is worth all the wreaths in the world and death. And the service he rendered to Christ has never been forgotten. It's written down in the book, you see. and it never will be. May all who love the truth give themselves willingly in the service of truth. Simple story. You've heard it many times before, but please keep this in mind, and we will be held accountable for tonight. The more you hear, the more responsibility is given to you the more accountability. The man who came to Jesus by night, oh, happy night! The grace of God has manifested in this man seeking the truth, in this man speaking for the truth, in this man standing for the truth. Nicodemus, we hope to see you in heaven. We might be able to sit down and have a chat with you there about how you felt and how blessed you were, because that night you came to Jesus and the Lord saved you.