3:16

A Studyfor

Small Groups

M ax Lucado

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© 2007 by Max Lucado

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,scanning, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark ofThomas Nelson, Inc.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEWINTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International BibleSociety. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked NKJV are taken from The New King James Version®. © 1982by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copy-right (c) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPressPublishing Group. All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1-4185-2923-0ISBN-13: 978-1-4185-2923-9

Printed in the United States of America07 08 09 10 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Contents

Chapter 1 THE MOST FAMOUS CONVERSATION

IN THE BIBLE 1

Chapter 2 NO ONE LIKE HIM 9

Chapter 3 HOPE FOR THE HARD HEART 17

Chapter 4 WHEN YOU GET BOOTED OUT 25

Chapter 5 THE ONLY ONE AND ONLY 32

Chapter 6 THE HEART HE OFFERS 39

Chapter 7 HEAVEN’S “WHOEVER” POLICY 46

Chapter 8 BELIEVE AND RECEIVE 53

Chapter 9 GOD’S GRACIOUS GRIP 60

Chapter 10 HELL’S SUPREME SURPRISE 67

Chapter 11 WHAT MAKES HEAVEN HEAVENLY 75

Chapter 12 THE LAST WORD ON LIFE 82

Leader’s Guide 89

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1

The Most FamousConversation

in the Bible

Scripture Focus:

John 3:1–12

Lesson Objective:

To discover that real life can only be found in a faith relationship

with Jesus Christ and to commit to living within that relationship.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him

shall not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16).

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Rewind

Nicodemus had to visit Jesus in secret. After all, he was a promi-nent Jewish leader, a member of the Pharisees. This was thegroup that had investigated John the Baptist and was nowbuilding a case against Jesus. Nicodemus, however, abandonedhis role as a prosecutor in order to seek personal answers.Nicodemus knew enough to make him wonder if Jesus really wasthe fulfillment of the prophecy that was central to the Jewishfaith. His colleagues weren’t convinced, but Nicodemus wasintrigued.

Even though he was curious, Nicodemus reserved judgment.He misunderstood Jesus’s words about the new birth. He couldn’tseem to grasp the idea that life change is a God-thing; he believedthat God could be found in keeping the law and doing the rightthings. Heaven—for Nicodemus, the Pharisees, and traditional-ists—was something to be earned. Jesus offered what Nicodemuswas seeking; Nicodemus just wasn’t so sure about Jesus’s plan.

Rethink

Your doubts about a faith-based relationship might not be thesame as those Nicodemus had. Maybe you wonder if God reallycares for you as much as the Bible says he does. Maybe you ques-tion God’s willingness and desire to intervene in the problemsyou are facing. For you, salvation might be nothing more thaninsurance against spending an eternity in hell; it has no presentvalue. Nicodemus tried religion and found it empty. You mightbe in the same situation.

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What, other than faith, have you tried in order to makesense out of life? (Check all that apply.)____ religion____ relationships ____ the pursuit of prosperity____ possessions____ popularity____ philosophy____ power____ other:

Describe how you discovered your solution(s) wasn’tworking.

Complete Nicodemus’s statement from your ownperspective. “Jesus, I’ve heard about your works and______________________________________________________________________________________________.”

Nicodemus had religious credentials that he thought wereenough. He worked for a religious organization, spoke the reli-gious language, and participated in religious activities. He mightnot have been the best person in the world, but he certainly wasn’tthe worst. He was in good standing with God . . . or was he?

Jesus told Nicodemus that being good wasn’t good enough.Even being religious wouldn’t make it possible for Nicodemus to

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3 : 1 6 S t u d y G u i d e f o r S m a l l G r o u p s


understand what Jesus was talking about. Even though Nicodemusthought he had the spiritual life under control, he was missing themain ingredient—he had never been born again.

Describe the time when you were “born again.” Wherewere you? Who was there? What was the experience like?

What does it mean if you don’t remember being born again?It means you might be suffering from Nicodemusitis—the mis-conception that a person can earn eternal life. You don’t earn it.You can’t purchase it. You don’t get into heaven as part of thefamily plan. This way of thinking might be new to you; it was newto Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a professional questioner. He took every-thing literally. When Jesus said that a person must be born again,Nicodemus was quick to jump on the literal impossibility of suchan idea. The Pharisees were good at that.

Some of us would make good Pharisees because we tend tooverlook the spiritual significance of biblical instructions, choos-ing instead to nitpick the minutia. Like defense attorneys, webadger the prosecution’s witness, hoping to poke holes in the tes-timony. If we can just find one loophole, then that instructionwon’t apply to us.

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What do you think pops into the minds of non-spiritualpeople when they hear the words “born again”?____ physical rebirth____ spiritual rebirth____ religious nonsense____ total confusion

If someone asked you to explain what it means to be “bornagain” in everyday words, what would you say?

Reflect

When Jesus suggested that Nicodemus needed to be born again,he implied something specific—Nicodemus needed to be bornfrom above. Nicodemus was powerless; he had to allow God todo something in his life.

Why is it so hard for some people to allow God to work intheir lives?

What has prevented you from allowing God to work inyour life?

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This conversation with Nicodemus leads to what many believeis the most important verse in the entire Bible. People who havehardly read a word of Scripture even know the words in this verse.

Fill in the blanks:

For __________ so loved the _____________that he gavehis one and only _________, that whoever believes in himshall not ___________ but have _______________ life.

It is interesting to look at two contrasts in this verse: God—world; eternal—perish. This is the contrast that resonatesthroughout Scripture. The world’s ways cause us to perish; God’sways lead us to eternal life. There is no other way to obtain eter-nal life. This single verse of Scripture offers several unbelievabletruths—truths that we often find hard to grasp.

In the space beside each phrase, write what that phrasemeans to your spiritual life.

1. God so loved -

2. that He gave His one and only Son -

3. shall not perish but have eternal life -

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Maybe this is the first time you’ve thought about it in this way.Many of us read through that verse without thinking much aboutits meaning to our lives. Yet this verse sums up the very core ofour faith. Without a thorough understanding of the truths in thisverse, our faith will be built on a weak foundation.

React

Read John 19:38–42. Nicodemus was a changed man. He ini-tially encountered Jesus secretly, but he later took a bold stand forJesus in a society that was hostile toward Jesus and his followers.The disciples were in hiding when Joseph of Arimathea andNicodemus claimed Jesus’s body and prepared it for burial.

How has your faith changed you? In what ways are youtaking a stand for Jesus?

What are some of the situations in which you, like thedisciples, hide your relationship with God?

How do you think God feels when those who claim to lovehim hide their faith? (Mark all that apply.)____ He is thrilled.____ He understands.____ He is heart-broken.____ People of faith never hide their faith.

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Later, Nicodemus would be able to explain what it means tobe born again. Not because he studied it, but because he experi-enced it. When it comes to your faith, are you studying it or areyou experiencing it?

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3:16

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