DRAW NEAR

Week 3: Encounter

John 3:1–16 (CSB)

Introduction

As we continue our journey through the temple, we have now moved beyond the Outer Court and the Inner Courts. Last week we ascended the fifteen steps that led worshipers closer to the sanctuary. Today we arrive at one of the most sacred places in the temple—the Holy Place.

Unlike the courts, the Holy Place was not open to everyone. Only priests who had been consecrated for service could enter. Each day they entered to carry out sacred responsibilities before the Lord. Inside were three important furnishings:

• The Golden Lampstand, representing God’s light and guidance.
• The Table of the Bread of the Presence, reminding Israel of God’s continual provision and fellowship.
• The Altar of Incense, where incense rose continually before God, symbolizing the prayers and worship of His people.

The Holy Place was not designed for spectators. It was a place of ministry, communion, and daily fellowship with God. Every priest who entered did so with purpose. They did not simply perform religious duties; they ministered in God’s presence.

TAKEAWAY 1

There Is More Than Religion
(the emptiness every heart tries to fill)

Scripture John 3:1-2

1 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”
John 3:1–2

Bible Notes

Are we simply practicing religion, or are we truly encountering God?

Many people faithfully attend church, know the songs, participate in traditions, and perform religious activities. Yet it is possible to practice ritual without ever experiencing a genuine encounter with Jesus.

That is exactly where we meet Nicodemus.

He knew religion.

He knew Scripture.

He knew ritual.

But something inside him knew there had to be more.

Nicodemus appeared to have everything a religious person could want. He was a Pharisee, a respected teacher of Scripture, and a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council. Jesus even referred to him as “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10), indicating his prominence and influence. If anyone should have felt spiritually fulfilled, it was Nicodemus. Yet despite his knowledge, position, and reputation, something inside him remained unsettled. He knew there was more. That emptiness led him to seek out Jesus. His journey reminds us that religion alone cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Only a personal encounter with Christ can fill what knowledge and ritual never could.

Application

Many people spend their lives trying to fill the emptiness within. Some pursue success, others chase wealth, relationships, accomplishments, or even religion. They hope that one more achievement, one more experience, or one more accomplishment will finally satisfy the longing inside. Yet God has placed within every heart a desire that only He can fulfill. Like Nicodemus, we may possess everything the world admires and still sense that something is missing. That longing is not a weakness; it is God’s invitation to seek Him. The greatest need in our lives is not another accomplishment—it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.

TAKEAWAY 2

Encountering Jesus Means Encountering Truth
(our questions lead us to Christ, who is Truth)

Scripture John 3:3-13

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again.
8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied.
11 “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

Bible Notes

Throughout this conversation, Nicodemus repeatedly asked questions. His questions were not hostile; they revealed a sincere desire to understand the truth. First, he acknowledged that Jesus had come from God. Then he struggled to understand what Jesus meant by being born again. Finally, he asked, “How can these things be?” Each question moved him deeper into the conversation. Jesus never rebuked Nicodemus for sincerely seeking the truth. Instead, He patiently revealed that the answers Nicodemus longed for were not found in greater religious knowledge but in a new birth that only God could provide. Genuine encounters with Jesus always move us toward truth because Jesus Himself is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Application

God is not intimidated by honest questions. Many believers have experienced seasons where they struggled to understand His will, His Word, or His work in their lives. The danger is not asking questions; the danger is refusing to seek the answers Jesus provides. Every sincere question becomes an opportunity to know Christ more deeply. An encounter with Jesus does not eliminate every mystery, but it does reveal the One who is Truth itself.

TAKEAWAY 3

Every Encounter with Jesus Is Holy Ground
(when we stand before Jesus, we stand in God’s presence)

Scripture John 3:14-16

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Bible Notes

When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he believed he was meeting a remarkable teacher. By the end of the conversation, Jesus revealed something far greater. He was not merely explaining a new doctrine or introducing another religious practice. He was revealing God’s plan of salvation through Himself. Standing before Jesus, Nicodemus was standing before the very presence of God. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s presence made ordinary places holy. In the New Testament, Jesus is the fullness of God’s presence among humanity. Every encounter with Christ is holy because we are standing before the Son of God.

Application

Holy ground is not defined by a location but by the presence of Jesus. Every time we open God’s Word, bow our heads in prayer, worship with God’s people, or surrender ourselves to His leading, we have the opportunity to encounter the living Christ. Church should never become another routine on our weekly calendar. Every worship service is an invitation to stand before Jesus with reverence, humility, and expectation. When we truly encounter Him, we cannot remain the same.

Closing Challenge

The Holy Place was never intended to be a room filled with empty rituals. It was where God’s servants ministered daily in His presence. Every lamp they tended, every loaf of bread they replaced, and every offering of incense reminded them that worship was about fellowship with God, not simply fulfilling religious duties.

John 3:16 is more than a verse we memorize. It is the climax of Nicodemus’ encounter. The man who came searching discovered that God was not simply calling him to become a better religious leader. God was inviting him into eternal life through His Son.

The same invitation is extended to us today.

Don’t settle for religion when Jesus offers relationship.

Don’t settle for information when Jesus offers transformation.

Don’t settle for ritual when Jesus offers an encounter.

Because one genuine encounter with Jesus changes everything.