John- Believe in Jesus and live!! Part 2---“For God so Loved”
John chapter 3:1-21
I know that I am not alone when I say that I have been places where I really hoped no one saw me.
I cringe at the thought of my fireman or cowboy buddies seeing me at stein mart
Yes
I have been there and yes I know I am telling on myself
‘But none of you saw me there
I kind of slipped out of the car- looked both ways then rushed inside
Hoping that no one I knew would see me go in
Once inside I relaxed a bit
I figure if you saw me there—inside the store
That means you were there also –
So
You don’t hurt me and I won’t hurt you kind of goes into effect
I am sure you all have similar stories
I can tell you
That
Shopping in one of those” secret places” in the mall
You know the ones I’m talking about
Always make me very self conscious
With all those people looking at me
I can’t help but believe they are thinking all sorts of bad things about my character
I always end Wishing I was somewhere else
Of at least that no one will see me
You get it
Girls
I am not one of you so I can’t really say I know what places cause you these feeling
But
Even though I don’t understand women—even a little bit
I know enough about ya’ll to know that ya’ll have issues being seen in certain places
Just like we men do
So I think ya’ll will get this also
Today I want to introduce you to a well known figure in the bible
I like to call him Nick
But his real name is Nicodemus
We read about Nick in the bible in John chapters 3- 7 and 19
And through the bible we see Nick change
Let me tell you a bit about him
He is a Pharisee
This means that he has the right credentials
To be a jewfish leader
He has the right family heritage
Only Jews with verifiable 100% Jewish lineage could be considered for such a prestigious and important position
But lineage and ancestory was not enough
In addition to the right family
He had to have the right education
This means that he had spent years in the study of God’s word
He knew scripture
He knew the law
He had been taught and instructed
Mentored by powerful men in the Jewish religious system
And Nick passed the tests with flying colors
You see in addition to being a Pharisee
His wisdom-knowledge
His understanding of scripture
His ability to read and interpret the law
Caused him to be elevated in the Jewish system
Promoted, if you want to think of it in that way
Because he had all the right requirements he became a member of the highest
Jewish ruling authority
The Sanhedrin
The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel,
It was made up of 70 men
Pharisees and Sadducees
And the high priest.
They were the only ones who could try the king or extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put.
In common terms they had the final say on matters of Jewish law
Being a member of the Sanhedrin was a big deal
And
Its members were respected
Loved in some cases
Feared in others
Someone holding such a position as this would be very aware of where they went and where they were seen
This is where we come to this morning
Please open your bibles to John chapter 3
We are going to continue with our study of John and his purpose for writing
And
We are going to take prayerfully a different and better look at the most well know verse in all of scripture
John 3:1-21
3 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[e] has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[f]
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
Let’s look at this passage of scripture in more a verse by verse way this morning
Look with me at verse 1 and 2
3 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus.
Old Nick did not want to take a chance of being seen
I think this would have been way worse that my buddies seeing me in a girly underwear store
Being seen going to Jesus could very well mean the loss of everything that he had worked so hard to accomplish
But he went anyway
I tend to see him in my mind looking around to make sure no one was following or watching
Maybe pulling his hat down low and his collar up
Staying in the shadows
But still he went
You see
Nick had heard about Jesus
And what he had heard intrigued him
He heard how John the famous preacher had thrown his support to Jesus
He had undoubtedly heard about people dropping what they were doing and following this man
Leaving their jobs and old lives behind
He I have no doubt had heard of the water to wine miracle
One of the most troubling things he heard was about Jesus clearing the temple
I have no doubt that Nick knew some of what was going on at the temple was wrong
This is one reason he was coming to see Jesus
I don’t think he was involved in the corruption on a personal level
But he sure went along with it
Kind of like what Gus told Jake just before they hung him
Jake said he was just riding with the bad guys to get through the territory without getting killed
And
That he was planning to leave them as soon as he could
And Gus told him
“Any man that goes along with 5 killing is taking his leaving a little slow”
Nick had gone along with a lot of wrong doing by the Jewish religious system and I think it bothered him a bit
But more than that
He heard how Jesus taught in the temple with authority
This means – he explained God’s word so people could understand it
This baffled the Jewish leader
How did this simple – nobody
Teach with this knowledge
So Nick
Concluded that Jesus must be sent by God as a teacher- a prophet
I have no doubt he was not ready for what Jesus was fixing to tell
Nick called Jesus Rabbi a sign of respect and honor
He complimented Jesus on his miracles
He praised him for his teachings
He honored him
I bet it set Old Nick back a bit when Jesus did not return the compliments
When he did not return the respect
Don’t get me wrong here
I don’t believe Jesus was rude or disrespectful
He simply cut to the chase
You see he knew what Nick wanted to ask, even though Nick himself wasn’t even sure why he was there
So in verse 3 Jesus told him the answer to a question that he had not asked yet
Verse 3
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
This set Nick Back a couple of more steps
He did not or could not understand what Jesus meant
Being born again is a common term in today’s world but
This was not something he could grasp
He thought he understood the kingdom
He knew it would be set back up on earth and that it would be ruled by God
But
\He also thought that only the Jews- God’s chosen people would be included in it
Jesus is telling him that being born a Jew has no bearing what so ever on being a part of the kingdom
That heaven depended on acceptance of God’s one and only son
The Messiah
Who was standing there talking to him
So he asked
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Nick could not get the picture in his mind about rebirth
He did not understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual birth not physical birth
So Jesus lays it out for him
Verses 5-8
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
I discussed false or wrong teachings just a bit last week
Sometimes well meaning but misinformed people will use this verse to promote the idea of baptism as a requirement for salvation
So you may ask
If “being born of water and the Spirit” is not referring to baptism, then what does it mean?
Traditionally, there have been two interpretations of this phrase.
The first idea is that being “born of water” is being used by Jesus to refer to natural birth (with water referring to the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb)
And
That being born of the “Spirit” indicates spiritual birth.
While that is certainly a possible interpretation of the term “born of water” and would seem to fit the context of Nicodemus’ question about how a man could be born “when he is old,” it is not the best interpretation given the context of this passage.
After all, Jesus was not talking about the difference between natural birth and spiritual birth. What He was doing was explaining to Nicodemus his need to be “born from above” or “born again.”
The second common interpretation of this passage and the one that best fits the overall context, not only of this passage but of the Bible as a whole
Is the one that sees the phrase “Born of water and the Spirit” as both describing different aspects of the same spiritual birth, or of what it means to be “born again” or “born from above.
” So, when Jesus told Nicodemus that he must “be born of water and the Spirit,”
He was not referring to literal water (i.e. baptism or the amniotic fluid in the womb), but was referring to the need for spiritual cleansing or renewal.
That is available though the “Living water” Jesus Christ to all who ask
And birth by the Sprit – that is the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Sport by all believers
Rebirth
Not physical
But a spiritual rebirth
Listen
We never need to minimize the importance of baptism
It is important
Important enough that believers of that day could not imagine someone being saved and not showing their new faith by being baptized
I have a problem sometimes understanding that scenario my self
A new believer should want to please Jesus
And baptism pleases Jesus
But it is not condition of salvation
But an act of obedience
Back to Nick
He can’t wrap his brain around this
I am sure his head was swimming
Everything he had been taught is being turned over
So in verse 9
He asks
“ 9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
I don’t get it Jesus
How can this even be possible?
This is not what I’ve been taught
Remember
Jesus did not return the compliments and praise in our opening verses when Nick fluffed him a bit
But
He was not rude of disrespectful either
But in his next reply to Nick
I can hear a bit of sharpness in Jesus’ words in my mind
“ 10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Man, you are supposed to be the smartest of the smart
The religious elite
Well educated
Well read
Nick!
How can you not see?
How can you not understand?
Have you not studied the prophesies
How you expect to understand the spiritual things I tell you when you do even get the worldly ones?
Open your eyes Nick
Open your heart!
Jesus is hard on him just a bit here
But he goes on to explain
13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[e] has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus right here
Hey !
I am the one that the prophesies were written about
I am the Messiah
I am the Promised One
I AM
And then Jesus explain to Nick
Just what this means
In doing so he gives us the most well know
Most loved
Most quoted verse in the entire bible
In these words
‘Jesus makes it simple
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life
God loved
God gave
We believe
We live
It really is that simple
Believe in Jesus and live
Man has done such a great job of taking a easy to understand message and mucking it up with rules and rituals
God loved
God gave
We believe
We live!!!
But then he continues with a just important but less known part of this passage
Verse 17
17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
God’s law
The Mosaic Law
And especially with all of man’s add on was designed to condemn
Thou shall not
Or thou wilt----------
Jesus says I came to give mercy and love – not to condemn
Jesus fulfilled the law
Completed the law
He came to deliver us from ourselves and from our sin’ he came to deliver us from the penalty of the law
Verse 18 first half
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.
What this means in simple terms is that when you believe in Jesus
When you accept him
You are found guiltless in God’s eyes
We know we are not guiltless
We all sin
But
We no longer need to fear the punishment that we deserve
If you are a believer in Jesus here this morning
This verse should give you great comfort
Verse 18 second half
“But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”
If you are a non believer here this morning
This verse should scare the britches off of you
What Jesus tells us is
There is
1 choice
You hear me?
1 choice
Not 2 choices
Not many choices as some want you to believe
Choose Jesus and live
Choose anything else-----anyone else and die
‘Not physical death
We will all die unless Jesus returns first
But spiritual death
Separation for eternity from God, that my friends is Hell
We all do deserve judgment but only those who make the wrong choice will receive it
Verse 19
19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
Nicodemus came at night
He tried to hide
But he did see the light
Scripture does not give us details about his conversion
But
I believe he heard Jesus ‘words and left Jesus that night changed
These words that have reached so many like Nick though the years
We know from reading about him later
That he defended Jesus against the guys he once hoped would not see him go to Jesus
And
That after Jesus’ crucifixion
He came in the full view of the light
He came in the sunlight for the Son
In full view
I think Nick got what Jesus meant when he said
All who believe?
And I think he understood that included him
I think he got that eternal life was available to him
In spite of his mistakes
I think Nick saw the light
Have you seen the light?
Have you made the right choice?
Have you been reborn?
Have you met with Jesus?
And have you been changed?
Close from the heart
Pray
