INTRO: Several years ago one of the astronauts who walked on the moon was interviewed and asked, "What did you think about as you stood on the moon and looked back at the earth?" The astronaut replied, "I remembered how the spacecraft was built by the lowest bidder."
We as Christians can rejoice that the work of salvation did not go to the "lowest bidder" but was performed by an infinite God. There will never be a deficiency in his work. Our salvation is as sure as the architect of that salvation, Almighty God.
We’ve been going through a series on the kingdom of heaven. Let me review for those who’ve missed.
: Kingdom is like a mustard seed; principle: it starts small but grows big.
: Kingdom is like yeast; principle: it changes what it’s put into.
: Kingdom is advancing and desperate people lay hold of it.
: Kingdom is as near as a Christian, we should be like rivers of living water to a thirsty world. : Kingdom people are like little children. Jesus instructs us that we need to become as little children in order to see the kingdom of heaven.
This far we’ve looked at: what is the kingdom of heaven, where is the kingdom of heaven, who are the kingdom people?
Today we’ll look at: how do I enter into the kingdom of heaven?
TITLE: The Kingdom of Heaven – Part 4
TEXT: John 3:1-8
I. Background. Nicodemus was a Pharisee as well as a member of the Jewish ruling council.
A. He came to Jesus by night. I’ve heard it preached it was because he was scared, he didn’t want to be seen with Jesus.
1. William Barclay: The rabbis declared the best time to study the law was at night when a man was undisturbed.
-Throughout the day Jesus was surrounded by crowds of people. Nicodemus came by night because he wanted undisturbed time with Jesus.
2. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, which meant he lived by the strictest possible religious rules. Not all the Pharisees were hypocrites.
-Nicodemus was deeply sincere in his quest for truth. He was a man of high moral character, deep religious hunger, and yet profound spiritual blindness.
B. Nicodemus is drawn to the Lord because of the miracles that were taking place.
1. He deduced that Jesus must be from God because of the miraculous.
2. Jesus then cuts right to the heart of the matter.
-He knows this man and what his most desperate need is and that is entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
II. The Lord tells us how.
A. You must be born again. "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
1. The word translated again also means from above. Jesus was describing a spiritual birth while Nicodemus thought about a physical birth.
B. The Lord goes on to say, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
1. To be born of water is to be born physically.
-What happens when a baby is going to be born? The mother’s water breaks, the embryonic membrane gives way.
2. Many think what Jesus is referring to here is water baptism. Jesus was not teaching that new birth comes through water baptism.
-In the New Testament baptism is connected with death, not birth; and no amount of physical water can effect a spiritual change in a person.
Point: The Lord’s basically telling us you first must be physically born and spiritually born in order to see the kingdom of heaven.
Thought: If some are struggling a bit here realize water baptism is certainly a part of our obedience to Christ and our witness for Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:41)
-But it must not be made an essential for salvation; otherwise, none of the Old Testament saints were ever saved, nor was the thief on the cross.
3. Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast."
-Sadly many use water baptism as a way to work your way to heaven.
TS: You might be sitting there thinking, OK, I’ve been physically born, how do I get spiritually born?
C. Gospel of John. John gives us some further insight a few chapters back.
1. John 1:12-13, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
a. John points out a couple important points. We must receive him.
-In order to receive something I must first recognize there is a need!
: For example today there are many in Owatonna who have not received Jesus as their Savior because they don’t believe they are lost.
i. Man’s condition is that he is a sinner separated from God with eternal damnation awaiting him.
-Listen to some scriptures about our condition: : Romans 6 informs us we were slaves to sin. : Romans 5 tells us we were enemies of God.
: Isaiah 64:6 says all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags (the best we have to offer).
: Jeremiah 17:9 mentions the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
: 1 John 3 mentions we are either a child of God or a child of the devil.
: Ezekiel 11 instructs our hearts are like stones.
In summary of our condition: Without Christ my dad’s the devil, in fact I’m an enemy of God. My heart is deceitful above all things, it’s as hard as a rock. I’m a slave to sin, in fact my most righteous acts are like filthy rags in God’s sight.
Point: I’m in need of a savior.
ii. Sadly today many folks think they will make it on their own effort. Their thinking goes like this: I’m not that bad of a person, my good outweighs my bad, when God sees me he knows my heart, I haven’t done that much wrong.
-When I think like this, I don’t receive Christ because I believe I can get there on my own. Therefore when it comes to Christianity, it is more of a duty than it is a love.
Today if you feel that you need to be born again as Jesus describes, at the end of service there will be time given to come and receive Christ and there will be others who will pray for you, but most importantly Christ will be here.
TS: The second thing John points out is that we need to believe, we not only have to receive (reach out and act), but to believe.
b. We must believe. We need to understand when we use the term believe it is a lot different from the Bible’s term of believe.
For example, I might believe that the Denver Broncos are going to win the Super Bowl but this is nothing more than an intellectual belief. A biblical belief is a wholehearted conviction accompanied by obedient action (you do something).
i. In the book of James the author is trying to get this point across to his readers because he’s dealing with people who think they are Christians but their actions are saying something different.
-They respond, we believe in God; and James responds and says, even the demons in Hell believe in God but yet they even shudder.
Point: The demons’ belief in God is greater than yours and they’re in Hell. James is saying your faith, your belief that you hang everything on, is no value because it’s simply an intellectual belief.
ii. A biblical belief is a wholehearted conviction accompanied by obedience.
-If I truly believe in God I’ll want to spend time with him, coming to his house worshipping him. I’ll want to spend time getting to know him. I’ll tell others about him, I’ll take on the characteristics of him, I’ll love others and seek to help them. He will take priority over other things.
iii. I like what the prophet Habakkuk said, this gives us a picture of biblical belief.
Habakkuk 3:17-18, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
-Habakkuk’s view of God is not like a galactic sugar daddy. He will serve him in the good times as well as bad.
Point: If I truly have a biblical belief with God, I will entrust him with my life because he knows best.
In Conclusion:
When I receive him in my heart and believe in him he gives me the right to become a child of God. -It is called being born again.
I’ll finish with this story. In the years 1829, a Philadelphia man named George Wilson robbed the U.S. mails, killing someone in the process. Wilson was arrested, brought to trial, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged. Some friends intervened in his behalf and were finally able to obtain a pardon for him from President Andrew Jackson. But, when he was informed of this, George Wilson refused to accept the pardon!
The sheriff was unwilling to enact the sentence—for how could he hang a pardoned man? An appeal was sent to President Jackson. The perplexed President turned to the United States Supreme Court to decide the case. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that a pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends on its acceptance by the person implicated. It is hardly to be supposed that a person under the sentence of death would refuse to accept a pardon, but if it is refused, it is then not a pardon. George Wilson must be hanged. So George Wilson was executed, although his pardon lay on the sheriff’s desk.
So, too, do some of us reject the gift of salvation by refusing the pardon thereby offered.
-Today don’t reject your pardon.
