Sermon Notes:
1. The Gospels are our main source of information about Jesus.
Why Four Gospels?
2. God has given us four different angles of Jesus.
3. How do the writers portray Jesus?
a. Matthew – Jesus as King – a prophetic outlook
b. Mark – Jesus as Servant – a practical outlook.
c. Luke – Jesus as Son of Man – a historical outlook
d. John – Jesus the Son of God – a spiritual outlook.
4. The Gospel message is best found in John 3?
5. The new birth is not religion, rules, or rituals.
6. The new birth is:
a. A mystery and a reality.
b. A complete work of God.
c. The transformation of a life.
7. The Gospel is a gift wrapped in love?
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
Digging Deeper:
1. In Luke 24:13-27, Jesus showed His disciples that the Old Testament predicts the coming of a Savior. As we studied last Sunday, the New Testament reveals this Savior in the person of Jesus in the four Gospels. Why do you think God, in His sovereignty, had four Gospels written about His Son and not just one?
2. If you were to pick one of the four Gospels as your favorite, which one would you pick and why?
3. Early in John’s Gospel is recorded a powerful discussion that Jesus has with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. What do you learn about Nicodemus in John 3:1-2?
4. As you read John 3:3-12, what deep spiritual truths do you think Jesus was trying to teach Nicodemus?
5. How would you define “born again” in your own words? How would you say you have experienced this in your life?
6. Read John 3:13-16. What does Jesus claim about Himself?
7. What does John 3:16-18 reveal to you about God the Father, about what He wants to do, and about how a person is condemned and not condemned in His sight?
8. How you think Nicodemus felt as he left Jesus that night? When you read this section what goes through your mind?
9. Why do you think John 3:16 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible?
Taking it Home:
What is one thing you can apply to your life from this message and how can this group remember you in prayer this week?
Extra credit:
Read Ezekiel 1:10. Can you find the symbolic significance of Jesus reflected in the Four Gospels? Discuss what you make of the four faces. What is their identification? For further exploration and a unique representation of John 3, check out the mini-series “The Chosen”: Jesus and Nicodemus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1AyMDZNy9k