going on to perfection;

 -4-

 Children,

Have you Any meat?

Let’s circle back to where we started these meetings; the sincere milk of The Word & our growth into maturity. We cannot look at this issue without considering the words of The Lord Jesus; He is our chief example. Messiah took His disciples from ‘Follow me’ through to ‘Go into all the world & make disciples, teaching them to observe all I commanded you’. If The Apostles were tasked with this, then it follows that we too will have to move through the same process from milk to meat in all that we encounter in The Kingdom. In this, The Lord has faithfully given us a masterclass as both The Author & The Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). I love it when The Lord does things like this, because He’s The Lord & only He can do these things.

³¹ In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. ³² But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. ³³ Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? ³⁴ Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:31-34).

¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 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. 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 3:1-3).

Let me say this before I go any further. I am not accusing Nicodemus or others in his position of idiocy, inconsequentiality or a wilful blindness. I’m not. I am pointing out the fact that this discourse between The Lord & the leading teacher & Pharisee of the day, bears the same hallmarks as the principal things we’ve discussed previously; the necessity of beginning with milk, but not staying there. Nicodemus is introduced to us as a Pharisee, ruler of the Jews & was probably a Rabbi, given The Lord’s acknowledgement of his position in Israel.

I know that these verses are often used in evangelism. I use them myself. However, we will see that Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, ‘You cannot truly recognise me unless it was given to you from above’ (Matthew 16:15-17). This is where we all begin. Peter says this, as we saw in our first meeting. Drink some tea. Don’t let it go cold.

²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. ²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. ¹Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, ²As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ³If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1^st Peter 1:23-2:1-3).

In order for us to see The Kingdom, we first have to come to know The King.

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? 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. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:4-6).

Nicodemus asks a natural question. However, new birth was not a new concept. The Conversion of a Gentile to Judaism was a new birth. Conferred kingship was a new birth. Bar Mitzvah brought new birth. Marriage was a new birth. Ordination to Rabbinic status was a new birth.

All of these particular paradigms have an all too common denominator;  continuance, development, growth.

Having eliminated all other possible meanings, he asks The Lord the obvious remaining question. Jesus answers with another statement concerning water & The Spirit. Nicodemus would have been no stranger to this. The motif of ritual purification with water ran throughout his theology (Numbers 19, Psalms 51, Ezekiel 36), just as it does under The New Covenant. Water & The Spirit go hand in hand. (1^st Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:25-26; Titus 3:5 & Hebrews 10:22). Water & The Spirit. These truths are highlighted throughout Scripture, beginning in Genesis 1. The Lord makes this plain as day to him. When The Messiah opens your eyes, pay attention. Jesus continues; ‘Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 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 3:7-8).

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘I don’t quite know where you’re coming from’? This is the thrust of the lord’s statement here. Remember the words of The Apostle Paul. Remember what he said to the Corinthians & to us by extension. Let’s circle back & look again.

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. ¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ. ¹And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. ² I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. ³ For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (1^st Corinthians 2:9 & 3:1-3).

In order for us to enter The Kingdom, The King & His Kingdom have to first enter us.

Jesus contrasts the natural man to the spiritual man. The man who is born again. The man who knows The King & sees The Kingdom. The man who has entered The Kingdom & in whom The Kingdom dwells. Paul expands on this by pointing out that ‘the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned’ & ‘he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man’. The Lord demonstrated this quite clearly; ‘Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man’ (John 2:23-25). Pay careful attention to Messiah.

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? (John 3:9-12).

Doctrinally speaking, if we cannot seriously deal with milk, how in the world are we going to handle anything more substantial? Nicodemus is thinking as a natural man does. ‘Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?’ I fear that this was a rhetorical question that has echoed down to us through two centuries.

In order for us to grow in The kingdom, we first have to have The King & His Kingdom growing within us.

We come to The King & to The Kingdom as children (Luke 12:32, 18:17 & Galatians 4:19). Every single one of us begin in the same place; as babes. Although we will always be God’s children, we do not stay there. We grow, we mature, we go on to perfection. Nicodemus is only part of the way there in his understanding, but Jesus isn’t talking about rebirth; He is speaking of new birth. Paul said, ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new’ (2^nd Corinthians 5:14-17).

Again, we return to the words of Paul, who expands on what Jesus has said; ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1^st Corinthians 13:11-12). There has to be  continuance, There has to be  development, There has to be  growth.

Fast forward to the present day & take a good hard look at The Church at large. Of course, this includes examining ourselves. Believe me, it isn’t comfortable when we realise that The Lord has an expectancy of our progress & maturity; ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’. (Matthew 5:48). That’s a tall order, even for the most dedicated amongst us. Read the whole chapter, of which this is the last verse. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;’ (Ephesians 5:11). We will all progress to this place, ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6). He has done His part. He is doing His part. He will do His part. What about us? What have we done? What are we doing? What will we do? I say again, as I have said previously, I am not questioning anyone’s salvation. I am asking where you are.

Still carnal? Still fleshly? Still a natural man? Still drinking milk? Nicodemus was the man; the teacher in Israel & yet when faced with the Rabbi of all Rabbis, he struggled to believe when told of earthly things. Lord we like the parables. Lord we love the miracles. Lord it’s great when you’re lambasting hypocrites. But please don’t give us anything too hard. We don’t want any responsibilities. Just allow us  to wallow in the lukewarm.

¹² For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³ For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14).

¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; ¹⁶ As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. ¹⁷ Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. ¹⁸ But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen (2^nd Peter 3:15-18).

⁵ Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No (John 21:5).

Brethren, I am tired. I cannot possibly exhort or implore you any more than I have. I hope that you enjoyed your pot of tea.

 

 

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