“A Church Member Gets Saved”
John 3:1-21
INTRODUCTION: I’m not known as a “Hell-Fire & Brimstone” preacher. If that’s what you want, I can recommend several churches in the area. In some churches, that’s what you’ll get … every Sunday. It gets old after awhile.
Every now & then, someone will write me a note on my “Vote Of Confidence”, and say that they want more sermons on salvation. I don’t have a problem with that. I know one church where the Pastor preaches salvation every Sunday. I suppose that when everybody gets saved, he’ll move on to something else. In the meantime, all the Christians in the church are suffering because they aren’t being fed (or so they have told me). ALTHOUGH, I do agree with this preacher … that a lot of Church members need to get saved. That’s what our Bible study is on this morning.
THIS MORNING, we continue in our series on great events in the life of Jesus. LAST SUNDAY MORNING we saw Jesus perform His first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. LAST SUNDAY NIGHT we saw Jesus in Jerusalem, as He drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple. THIS MORNING, Jesus is still in Jerusalem, where He meets up with a man named Nicodemus.
3:1 – Nicodemus was a religious Jew … a Pharisee. There wasn’t anybody more religious than the Pharisees. AND … Nicodemus was a “ruler” of the Jews, which means that he was one of their chief teachers of religion.
The Pharisees believed in all the right things. They were moral men … who obeyed the Old Testament Law to the nth degree. They believed in the inspiration of the Scriptures … in the coming of the Messiah … in miracles … in the resurrection of the dead.
3:2 – “we know” – they even believed in Jesus … mentally. See 2:23-25. They couldn’t deny the miracles.
NOTICE 2 things that Nicodemus says that they believed about Jesus:
o “come from God” – that God must have sent Him to teach the Jews.
o “God be with him” – that God was working through Him.
A lot of people believe this about Jesus … but it doesn’t mean that they are saved. Listen to how Luke describes what the demons said when Jesus was about to cast them out of a demon-possessed man – Luke 4:34 – ribbon.
They were IMPRESSED with Jesus … BUT … Jesus wasn’t impressed with them. Jesus knew their hearts – 2:24.
LESSON: You can BELIEVE all the right things … DO all the right things … SAY all the right things … and still spend eternity in the Lake of fire … BECAUSE … your heart isn’t right toward Jesus.
You can attend Church every time the doors are open … been baptized 10 times … joined every church in the county … teach a Sunday School class … sing in the choir … read your Bible and pray every day … AND STILL … have never trusted Jesus to save you from your sins. Nicodemus was convinced in his mind that Jesus was a “man of God” … BUT … it never got into his heart. He wasn’t convinced that he WAS God.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus “by night”. There’s been a lot of speculation about this. Maybe he came at night because he was scared to be seen talking to him in the daytime. I don’t think so. I think he came to Jesus at night because he wanted time alone with Jesus to talk theology … about the “Kingdom of God”.
3:3 – The Pharisees believed that God was going to establish His kingdom on this earth … and that THEY were going to rule in His kingdom. Jesus is going to set Nicodemus straight – 3:3b.
Jesus says: “Nicodemus, you’re never even going to SEE the kingdom of God … until you are born-again.”
You see, Nicodemus is interested in an EARTHLY kingdom. Jesus is interested in a HEAVENLY kingdom. If you want to enter into an EARTHLY kingdom, you have to be born PHYSICALLY. If you want to enter into a HEAVENLY kingdom, you have to be born SPIRITUALLY. You have to be “born again”.
This “born again” stuff has Nicodemus stumped.
3:4 – Ouch! Childbirth is bad enough … ONCE. AMEN, ladies? Nicodemus asks a reasonable question … if you look at birth solely from a physical perception. Jesus isn’t talking about PHYSICAL birth.
3:5 – Jesus tells Nicodemus that there are TWO births required to get into the Kingdom of God:
o “water” = physical birth … temporary.
o “spirit” = spiritual birth … eternal.
Jesus explains this in 3:6.
3:6 – There are 2 types of “births” … physical and spiritual. When you are born PHYSICALLY, you are born in sin … as a sinner. If that is the only “birth” you have, you will die … a sinner.
3:7 - BUT … we are also SPIRITUAL in nature (we have a “soul”). There is a part of us that will live ETERNALLY. Jesus is asking Nicodemus about his “soul”. Where will you spend ETERNITY? “Nicodemus, you MUST have a SPIRITUAL birth, or you will never see Heaven.”
Nicodemus still didn’t get it. He only believed what he could SEE. He could SEE the PHYSICAL birth thing (a living body) … but the SPIRITUAL birth thing was a mystery to him.
Jesus gives him an illustration to help him out.
3:8 – You can’t see “air” … but you know it exists … RIGHT?
WHY? Because you can FEEL it … you can HEAR it … you can see the EFFECTS of it, as it blows the moss in the trees.
“Nicodemus, air is REAL … even though you have never SEEN it with your eyes. The same is true about being born SPIRITUALLY. It’s REAL, Nicodemus. You can IGNORE it (like the wind) … but it won’t go away just because you can’t SEE it.”
o If you IGNORE your BODY … that which is PHYSICAL … you will die PHYSICALLY.
o If you IGNORE your SPIRIT … that which is SPIRITUAL … you will die SPIRITUALLY.
“Nicodemus, it’s that simple!” BUT … Nicodemus still doesn’t get it – 3:9
3:10 – Jesus says: “Nicodemus, you’re supposed to know these things … you’re supposed to be a great teacher of Religion … you have a PhD.”
If Nicodemus had studied and understood Ezekiel 36:26-28, he would have seen it – ribbon.
Nicodemus has been looking at the wrong teachers. He’s been studying with the mind of MAN, not with the mind of God.
3:11 – NOTICE: “we”, “our”. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that He knows what He is talking about … BECAUSE … Jesus has been taught by God Himself. “Nicodemus, this comes from GOD!” – 3:12
3:12 – Jesus told Nicodemus about the WIND … “earthly things” … and Nicodemus didn’t understand what He was talking about. How was he going to understand “heavenly things”?
3:13 – When a person died in Old Testament times, they went to “Abraham’s Bosom”, or “Paradise”. When Jesus was here on earth, nobody had gone into Heaven yet … not until after His resurrection.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus: “I was in Heaven before I came down here to earth … someday I’m going back up … aren’t I qualified to talk to you about Spiritual things?”
Jesus now gives Nicodemus an illustration from the Old Testament. After all, Nicodemus has a PhD in Old Testament history.
3:14 - Jesus gives Nicodemus ANOTHER illustration from the Old Testament. Nicodemus has a PhD in Old Testament Theology, so he should get this one.
Numbers Chapter 21 – The people murmured against Moses … which meant that they were complaining against GOD. God sent fiery serpents … when they bit the complainers, they died. God told Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole. If bitten, when they looked at it, they would live.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that, just like the brass serpent, if you look upon HIM, you shall live – 3:14-15
JESUS: “Nicodemus, I am the Savior … the Son of God (not just a teacher like you) … I will be put on a cross & lifted up for all to see … trust in Me, and you will have the SPIRITUAL life that I’ve been talking about.”
Jesus is not talking about an EARTHLY kingdom here … He’s talking about a SPIRITUAL kingdom … “everlasting life” – 3:16
JESUS: “Nicodemus, you’re going to have to spend eternity SOMEWHERE. You can perish in the Lake of Fire … BUT … listen to Me, Nicodemus … 3:17.”
3:18 – If not for the love of God, EVERYBODY would go to Hell. WHY? BECAUSE … we are born with a sin nature … a deadly disease. That’s why Jesus came to SAVE the world.
I can’t do anything about people going to Hell. Sin is already in their genes … they have the disease (sin) that will send them to Hell. They inherited it from their father … they were BORN with it. “condemned already” – 3:18
All I can do is invite people who have been “bitten” (like those in Moses’ day) to look on the brass serpent on the pole (Jesus/Cross) … and live. People don’t go to Hell just because they have a sin nature (the DISEASE). They go to Hell because they haven’t taken the CURE (Jesus) – 3:19
They refuse to look at the pole … they refuse to look at the cure … they refuse to look to Jesus … they refuse to look to the light. Light reveals dirt (that’s why they have a light on vacuum cleaners!?!?!) If I took a flash light & looked under your couch/bed, I’ll bet I would find DIRT. Dirt isn’t pretty.
o We don’t like seeing that we are Spiritually dead … it’s not pretty.
o We don’t like believing in a literal Hell … it’s not pretty.
o We don’t like thinking that our sin is a crime against God that must be punished … it’s not pretty.
SO … what do we do? We turn off the light … and hope it will all go away. When you turn your lights off at night, does the dirt just “go away” from under your couch/bed?
3:20 – When you turn the light on, you can see the dirt. You can do 1 of 2 things. Keep the lights off … or clean away the dirt. What do we need to do?
3:21 – We need to turn on the light … so we can see the dirt … so we can vacuum it up. Light is good … it shows us the dirt.
Jesus is good … He shows us, by His perfect life … that our life isn’t perfect .. that we’re sinners. You’ve got a choice. Live in darkness … do nothing about the dirt (sin) … and die SPIRITUALLY dirty. THEN … you will spend the rest of eternity in spiritual darkness in the Lake of Fire.
OR … you can:
A – Admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior.
B – Believe in Jesus, who died to save you from the penalty of your sin.
C – Confess Jesus as your personal Savior, by repenting of your sins, and trusting Him to save you.
CONCLUSION:
This ends the story of Nicodemus. It doesn’t tell us what happened … you would expect more to the story … it ends very abruptly. Did Nicodemus trust Jesus as his Savior? OR … did he never understand what Jesus was talking about?
When Jesus was crucified, His friends came to prepare His body for burial. John 19:39 – ribbon.
Nicodemus finally got it. He was religious … but LOST. He was a Bible teacher … but LOST. He was moral … but LOST. He was a church-goer … but LOST. UNTIL … He PERSONALLY trusted in Jesus to save him from his sins.
Can you IDENTIFY with Nicodemus, this AM? Maybe you have been coming to church all your life … BUT … you have never trusted Jesus as your personal Savior. You are good, moral, and maybe even religious. BUT … you have never repented of your sins … and trusted Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and save your soul.
TITLE: “A Church Member Gets Saved”. Nicodemus would have made a fantastic church member. BUT .. he was lost. UNTIL … he trusted Jesus to save him. Don’t leave here this AM a church member … LOST. If you aren’t certain where you will be 5 seconds after you close your eyes in death … come to Jesus today.
STAND – PRAY
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“A Church Member Gets Saved”
John 3:1-21
INTRODUCTION: Jesus talks to a lost “church member”.
3:1 – Nicodemus was a religious teacher who believed all the right things.
3:2 – The Pharisees believed in Jesus … mentally – 2:23-25
- Even the demons said this about Jesus – Luke 4:34.
- They knew Jesus was a MAN of God … not the SON of God.
3:3 – Nicodemus wanted to see the EARTHLY Kingdom.
- Jesus wanted Nicodemus to see the HEAVENLY Kingdom.
3:4 – Jesus isn’t talking about a PHYSICAL birth.
3:5 – You have to be born PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY.
3:6 – If you are only born PHYSICALLY, you will die a sinner.
3:7 – To see Heaven, you must have a SPIRITUAL birth.
3:8 – There is more to life than what you can SEE … the wind.
- You can ignore what you can’t see, but it won’t go away.
3:9 – Nicodemus still doesn’t get it!
3:10 – Ezekiel 36:26-28 speaks of the SPIRITUAL.
- Nicodemus had studied with the mind of the flesh.
3:11 – Jesus was taught by God Himself.
3:12 – Nicodemus couldn’t understand earthly things, so how was he going to understand spiritual things?
3:13 – Jesus is qualified to talk about spiritual things.
3:14 – Jesus gives Nicodemus an illustration from Numbers Chapter 21 … Nicodemus should know this.
3:14-15 – Jesus is like the brass serpent … if you look to Him, you shall live.
3:16 – Jesus is talking about “everlasting life”.
3:17 – You will have to spend eternity SOMEWHERE.
3:18 – We are born with the deadly disease of sin.
- Jesus came to save the world of this deadly disease.
3:19 – Don’t look to Jesus as the cure, & you will die spiritually.
- If you turn off the light, the dirt won’t just go away.
3:20 – You can keep the lights off … OR … clean the dirt.
3:21 – You can die spiritually dirty … OR … trust Jesus to cleanse you from your sins.
CONCLUSION:
o Nicodemus eventually trusted Jesus – John 19:39
o Nicodemus, a lost religious “church member”, got saved.
o Are you certain where you will be 5 seconds after you die?
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
