John - So That You May Believe, The Gospel of John Part 14, John 3:22-36, "I Must Become Less"

 December 15^th, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 14 - I Must Become Less

The Gospel of John John 3:22-36

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

This morning, we are resuming our study of the Gospel of John. Chronologically, this account occurs between Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and John the Baptist's imprisonment. The other three gospel writers are silent about this period in their accounts.

In the Bible studies that I lead, I always encourage the attendees to read the parallel accounts of whatever passage they are studying in the other gospels. There is a great deal of overlap in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). By doing this, you will discover additional details that that particular author felt important enough to emphasize.

If you have a good study Bible, you will often see the parallel accounts listed in parenthesis after the subtitle of the passage you are about to read. Some Bibles will list a harmony of the Gospels in them. Another option is to Google the phrase “Harmony of the Gospels” and you should come across a free PDF document on the Blue Letter Bible website. There are also a few copies on the back table under the map.

I encourage you to refer to this document when you read through the Gospels as it can reveal some interesting details. Critics of the Bible refer to these as contradictions within the Bible, but this accusation just reveals their ignorance of the true nature of the Bible. The Bible is not one book, but rather a collection of 66 books or letters written by men as they were carried along by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In other words, there are the names of the human authors given to some books, but God was the primary author of the Bible. If God is the coauthor, we do not have to worry about contradictions in the Bible, we must rather find the explanations for the differences, which is most often our failure to understand the context of what the authors were writing about, or to whom they were writing.

You will often see listed in a Harmony of the Gospels that numerous passages of John’s  Gospel stand alone. This is most likely because John’s Gospel was written last and he may have been filling in areas that the others had missed. This morning’s passage is one of those stand-alone passages.

This particular passage marks a unique transition in the Gospel of John, we will see a shift from the Old Covenant to the emphasis on the New Covenant and John does this through the comparison of the baptisms of John the Baptiser and the followers of Jesus. This transition points us towards the big idea in this passage as best described by John the Baptiser, “He must become greater, I must become less”.

The big idea here is “The greatness of Christ must eclipse our ambitions. By doing this, Jesus is inviting us to live lives that elevate His name and purpose over our own.”

Let’s read this morning’s passage and we will examine what this concept means for us in our lives today. Please open your Bibles or turn on your devices to John chapter 3.

READ JOHN 3:22-36

“²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

PRAY

This passage begins with the phrase, “After this” which is John’s way of indicating that we are moving on from the encounter that Nicodemus had with Jesus of Nazareth. This morning’s passage highlights one of the biggest stumbling blocks for Nicodemus in his acceptance of the teachings of Jesus. The attitude of John the Baptiser was a direct contrast to the attitude of Nicodemus. When a few came running to John the Baptiser, he said to his followers, “He must become greater; I must become less”. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and despite wishing to learn more about Jesus in a sincere way, despite coming at night to learn from Jesus, Nicodemus was curious enough to at least come to Jesus. But it appeared that Nicodemus hit a bump in the road to his learning when Jesus told him that he knew lots but understood little.

I’m sure that came as quite a hit to the ego of Nicodemus. The New Testament presents Pharisees as pride-filled and combative. They were the “Karens” of the Near Middle East in the days of Jesus concerning themselves with the “proper” interpretation and understanding the the Law as presented to Moses by  Yahweh. The problem was, that they got it wrong.

One commentary writer put it this way, “For centuries the children of Israel lived under the burdensome covenant God made with their fathers at Mount Sinai. As well as being God’s absolute law of righteousness, reflecting His holy nature, it also contained the unique marks of their national identity as God’s chosen people”[1]

God even told them this very thing in Deuteronomy 7:6, “⁶ For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” Here’s the problem, their pride got in the way and instead of remaining humble and dependent on the mercy of God, they determined that salvation could be earned from God through the strict observance of the Law.

An observance that was so strict, that the Pharisees added to the burden of the people of Israel by misapplying the Law and misunderstanding the intent behind the original use of the Law. God presented three main categories of laws each it its intended purposes.

First, there was the Moral law. These were laws that reflected God's character and design for the world. Examples include the Ten Commandments, which prohibit murder, adultery, theft, and other sins. These were foundational laws needed for a just society. A society that reflected the character of a just God. These guidelines have become corrupted today in our society as evidenced by some of the soft-on-crime sentencing that is happening in the court system. We see in the crime statistics that relatively few repeat offenders are often responsible for the majority of crimes such as theft in a given area.

Second, they were given the Ceremonial law. These were a set of laws for the nation of Israel as a theocracy, a country that looked to God as their leader rather than a human King. These laws covered topics such as how to perform sacrifices, cleanliness, dietary laws, and festivals. These were the set of laws that were intended the most to separate the nation of Israel and her people from the surrounding pagan cultures the most. These were the laws intended to sanctify God’s chosen people. Do you remember what the definition of sanctified was that we used while studying the Old Testament texts? Sanctified means an item, person, or group of people set apart by God, for use by God. Jesus is the one who sanctifies through His mercy. The ceremonial laws were intended to reinforce the idea of God’s people being set apart from the surrounding cultures.

The same principle applies to Christians today. We are called to emulate Jesus, not follow the ways of the World and its culture. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross freed us from the dietary laws. We are free to eat whatever we desire, but we are not free to act like the rest of the world. The same principle applies to the concept of multi-culturalism. It is fine to understand and appreciate other cultures. We can experience their foods but we are not to accept their understanding of God or their cultural practices of worship. For some time now, in the name of multiculturalism, we have accepted various concepts such as karma into our mindsets. Another thing that has become widely accepted in the West without fully understanding it is yoga.

Yoga is one of the six schools of philosophy in Hinduism and is also a major part of Buddhism. Indian deities are an intrinsic part of yoga and can be encountered in many ways, such as in the name or symbol of a yoga studio, an image on the wall, or a mantra chanted in class. Some yoga poses are based on the worship poses of Hindu gods:

Hanumanasana: Also known as "the splits", this pose represents the monkey god Hanuman, who represents devotion, selfless service, dedication, and power.

Natarajasana: This pose represents the cosmic dancing form of Shiva, which represents the dance of the universe and the rhythm and cycles of nature. These concepts are antithetical to Christianity and they fly directly in the face of what the Bible reveals about who God is and the nature of all of Creation.

The final component of Yahweh’s revealed laws was the Civil law. The civil laws were intended to help deal with disputes between citizens and enforce morals. Many civil laws for Israel dealt with how to punish or make restitution for breaking God's moral laws.

The mistake that the people of Isreal made in the observance of these laws was the assumption that they were a means of salvation. This was never the intent of God. God’s purpose for these laws was to confront sinners with a reflection of God’s absolute holiness, demand that they keep the law perfectly, and leave them facing their inability to keep it. This realization of their inability was intended to drive them to God to seek His mercy.

Paul put it succinctly in Galatians 3:24-25 when he wrote, “²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” Some translations use the word tutor instead of guardian. The Law was our tutor until Christ came. Some people make the mistake of thinking that now that we have accepted Jesus, we are no longer under the tutoring or guardianship of the Law.

This is not wholly accurate. While it is true that we now enjoy some freedoms under Christ, freedoms that release us from the ceremonial food restrictions against pork or shellfish, and laws such as the mixing of fibres in the making of fabric for clothing. These laws are no longer binding on us, this is true. But that does not mean that we should completely forget the leading of a good guardian or the teachings of a good tutor. In our freedom, we should have the wisdom to know which laws apply to us and which have been fulfilled in the work of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the law is our guardrail to keep us out of the ditches that are on either side of this narrow road that we are called to travel.

The old covenant was unable to justify anyone. However, it pointed to the coming Saviour, through whom sinners could be reconciled to God. This was not just a concept that was taught at the time of Jesus or just after His death, burial, and resurrection. Approximately 600 years before the Saviour came, Gold told His people about the new covenant through the prophet Jeremiah.

Keep your finger here in John, and turn with me to the book of Jeremiah. Look at Jeremiah 31 starting at verse 31. You will find Jeremiah 31:31 on page 644 of the Pew Bible.

“³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.

³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

That was written more than 600 years before the time of Jesus so the concept of God no longer remembering their sins would have been unthinkable to the Jewish people. Yet, as a species, we have this unique talent to inflate our sense of value and our ability to rescue ourselves.

Turn back with me to this morning’s passage. Look at verse 27, John the Baptiser explains to one of his followers, “²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.” This is one of the fundamental truths that we continue to forget or willfully misunderstand, that faith and salvation are the work of God alone. It is our human pride that insists that we have a significant role to play in this salvific story.

It was God who created the earth and all that it contains. It is God who permits the reproduction of all living things on the earth. Scripture tells us that one man plants the seed and another water,  but it is God who delivers the growth. This is not just a metaphor for spiritual growth, it is also a recognition of what God is doing in our lives.

It is God in the form of the entire Trinity who formed the perfect plan to bring rebellious mankind back into a reconciled relationship with their Creator. A plan that was so perfect that man plays no significant role in our own salvation.

It was the unique divine person of Jesus Christ who agreed to step into His own creation and to add humanity to His already complete and perfect divine form and become the fully unique, fully human, fully God being known as Jesus the Christ.

Once fully human and fully divine, Jesus agreed to restrict, for a period of time, some of His divine attributes and to live a perfect and sinless life, despite being faced with all the same temptations that we fall to in our lives. Only Jesus could be the suitable sacrifice to pay our sin debt to the Father in such a way as to allow the Father to no longer see our sins, but only see the righteousness of the Son.

When we attempt to stand before a Holy and Just God clothed in our righteousness, the Father sees our works as filthy rags, yet when we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and accept the gift of Grace that Jesus extends to us, we become clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We can then stand in the presence of God today through our prayer life, and one day in the future, when we go on to Glory and spend eternity with the follower.

It is important that we follow the example of John the Baptiser which he sets here for us in this passage. As a son of the priest Zacharias, John would have been familiar with the role of the coming Messiah, and John would have recognized his own role as simply the herald, the one going before the king announcing His arrival.

This is our greatest task as well, to remain humble in the receiving of this gift of Grace and to be willing to be used by God to spread this message to others. We are to remain obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit after we receive the indwelling of the Spirit when we come to Jesus. We should be magnifying Jesus and emphasizing the supremacy of Jesus as the Messiah and source of eternal life.

It is the work of Jesus that we should be amplifying so as to further the Kingdom of God from a sense of appreciation for what we have already been given, rather than seeking some sort of reward from the Heavenly Father for our poor attempts to bring about our salvation.

This is the mystery of the Bible revealed: the overarching message of the entire collection of the 66 books of the Bible is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ bringing us back into the right relationship with the Father. The New Covenant is Jesus Christ. It’s not a contract it is the creator. It is not a method it is a man. It is not a process it is a person. The New Covenant is the one-of-a-kind fully divine, fully human Jesus Christ. He is not just a man, He is the means to get back to the Father. It does not depend on what we can do, it depends on what He has done. As Jesus proclaimed from the cross, “It is finished”.

Look with me at verses 31-36. “³¹ The one who comes from above is above all;” who is John referring to here? Jesus the Messiah. “The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.” This refers to those who do not have the Holy Spirit and are still in rebellion against the Father and the Son. “The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” No one accepts His testimony without the assistance of the Son and the Holy Spirit. We cannot grasp and understand all that Jesus has accomplished without the assistance of God. “³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” By accepting this gift of Grace we prove that the plan is heavenly sent. I have said many times in the past, that this plan of Salvation determined by the members of the Trinity, goes against our natural inclinations that we must have some contribution to this rescue.

Immediately before I was saved, I was studying Buddhism which was the latest in a string of attempts to look for God. I was experiencing what Pascal wrote about.  Blaise Pascal was a mathematician and physicist in the 1700s. He is credited with the quote "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ". The created things that I was trying to fill this hole with were man-made religions. The fact that Christianity taught that there was nothing that I could do to earn favour with God was the very thing that proved the truthfulness of Christianity for me. All other false religions, have a basis of works to them to earn favour and salvation from God, or an improvement in your lot in your next life.

“³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” Whose hands? Identify the pronoun here, in whose hands has the Father placed everything? In Jesus’ hands. Everything, not just some and some in man’s hands. All has been placed in the hands of Jesus. What greater way could the Father show the love and appreciation for what the Son has accomplished?  “³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Woe to those who still face the wrath of the Father. We saw this last week that salvation is not universal. Universal Salvation flies in the face of the Holiness and Justness attributes of the character of God. It is only through the Mercy of the Father that not all are condemned for eternity.

Notice the contrast that John the Baptiser is emphasizing here. There is a distinction between Earthly things and Heavenly things. A difference between false earthly teachings and truthful heavenly teachings. A difference between earthly wisdom and the gift of heavenly wisdom. A difference between earthly pride and heavenly humility.

Throughout history, mankind has attempted to elevate themselves to an equal status with God. We have done this by inflating our own abilities and knowledge or denigrating the uniqueness and specific commands of God. We either elevate mankind or attempt to tear down Jesus to our level.

What a disgrace and what a dishonouring of what Jesus has accomplished for us.

Look at verse 30, “³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.” John knew what the mission was. He could have allowed himself an inflated sense of self-worth. Here He was a messenger, one sent by God to proclaim the coming arrival of the Messiah, a heaven-sent King. John was amassing followers and he was baptizing them, preparing a group for the King who was to come.

John would have heard the prophecy proclaimed by his father, speaking of the one from the Tribe of Judah, the House of David, the fulfillment of many prophecies, and Yahweh chose John the Baptiser to be the one to tell the Israelites of the Christ’s pending arrival. Did he allow it to go to his head? Did John allow this honour to puff himself up? No, we read a few weeks back what he asked by the Jewish leaders, John denied being the Messiah or even a prophet, instead, he humbly proclaimed, “²⁷ He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

What a wonderful example for all Christians to emulate. If we wish to be used by God, if we wish to be sanctified, “Set apart by God, for God” then we must first increase Jesus Christ and make Him evident in our lives for others to see and then decrease ourselves so that we may used as servants in the expansion of the Kingdom of God and His work.

                The Navigators are well known for their emphasis on having a servant attitude. A businessman once asked Lome Sanny, president of the Navigators, how he could know when he had a servant attitude. The reply: “By how you act when you are treated like one.”^[2]

CONCLUSION

Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments on the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of that was for him?”

She continued, “If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory, I give him all the praise and all the honour.”^[3]

I often say that if the Lord can use Balaam’s donkey, then perhaps he can use me as well.

Doxology:

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.

Pastor Paul’s Points:

1) The Old Covenant pointed forward.

2) The New Covenant is Jesus.

3) We must become less in our own eyes.

 

Questions to meditate on this week:

A.     Do you have a servant’s heart?

B.      Are you a Christian to “get” or to “give”?

 

---

[1] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: John 1-11, pg 122.

^[2] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 200.

^[3] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 199.

John-So That You May Believe, The Gospel of John Part 13, John 3:16-21, "Fof God So Loved The World"

 December 8^th, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 13 For God So Loved The World

The Gospel of John John 3:16-21

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

This morning, we will begin with the most famous Bible verse John 3:16. You see it written on cardboard signs at sporting events. Christians love to quote it because it is brief and easy to remember. Atheists even quote it because it is non-threatening. That’s probably why a lot of Christians quote it as well, the non-threatening nature of it. A lot of people only quote or know the first half of 3:16. The second half contains that conditional clause “that whoever believes in Him”. A lot of people don’t like that clause in the Salvation Agreement.

What? I have to believe in the Son, in order to receive the Father’s love! The amazing thing that so many miss, both in and outside the church, is that God’s love is wide enough to include the most terrible of sinners but narrow enough to exclude all who reject Jesus. Too many false teachers are peddling the narrative that Jesus loves everybody and will accept you in your sin (which is true by the way) but then they falsely proclaim that you do not have to change, and you can continue to wallow in your sin because Jesus loves you and paid your debt so you have a get-out-of-hell-free card.

We change when we are adopted into God’s Family because we love and appreciate what Jesus has done, so we change to honour His work. We are now adopted children of a King, we should act like it!

So this passage this morning is one of the most quoted passages in all the Bible but it is probably one of the most misapplied passages of all the Bible. Let’s dig in and see what God wishes to teach us this morning.

If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. John Chapter 3, starting at verse 16 will be found on page 862 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…

READ JOHN 3:16-21

“¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

PRAY

There is some discussion in the world of biblical interpretation as to whether these are the words of Jesus, or are they a commentary inserted by the author. I tend to think that Jesus is not speaking here. I see that John has added some commentary to what has just taken place between Nicodemus and Jesus. John is adding some clarifying thoughts to the conversation that he has shared with his readers.

That does not make these words any less inspired than the red letters. Some Christians make this mistake, thinking that only the words spoken by Jesus are inspired.

2 Peter 1:21 says, "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." This thought does not apply only to prophecy, but we can apply this thought to all of the Bible. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, co-authored by the Holy Spirit, therefore every word is trustworthy. The challenge for us modern-day readers lies in determining what the authors were saying to the original audience in their historical and cultural context. Discovering their truth and bringing it forward to today, for truth is universal and timeless. Truth is truth. We do not get to pick and choose what we will follow or believe, or what books we will obey and which books or passages we can ignore.

So, John is making a comment here and offering an explanation of what Jesus was trying to teach and what Nicodemus was having difficulty grasping. “For God so loved the world…” God loves the world. It is His creation. He created it perfectly! Man messed it up! We were the ones who brought the curse upon creation. God created it perfectly and in a harmonious state with all its creatures. And Jesus was there.

Do you remember the first five verses of this book? “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5. We are going to come back to this concept of light and darkness near the end of the message.

Jesus loves the World. Jesus created the world. Jesus holds the entire creation together. Jesus loves the world so much that He provides for the world. All of creation works together. From the lowest bacteria to the Apex predators of the wild, the entire created order is interconnected and held together by Jesus. Jesus provides for all.

But the love of God cannot override the Holiness of God and His sense of Justice. Unlike earthly judges who are constantly bending or breaking the law and things like sentencing guidelines in the name of mercy and justice. True justice is served perfectly by the Father. Justice cannot ignore the disobedience of mankind. That is not love.

When a child errs, a loving parent corrects the child. Failing to correct a child who is making mistakes is not the loving thing to do. It is the opposite actually. You are failing to love the child by not correcting their behaviour. This “gentle parenting” fad that is happening right now is not loving or helpful. I have seen adults who have been coddled and protected in their childhood grow up and be confused and anxious when they are faced with the realities of life. Especially, when they get out in the workforce and their employers refuse to coddle them any longer. Some of them can’t cope and they collapse on the floor or ground screaming like a two-year-old.

I mention that only to show the contrast between a perfect father, God, and the imperfect parents that we humans are. “For God so loved the world…” that He not only created it, He not only sustains all of it, He not only holds it all together, He corrects the bad behaviour of those who exist in His creation.

The Father also loves the world enough, “that He gave His one and only Son…” The King James reads, “he gave his only begotten Son,…”. Begotten here means unique, or one of a kind. Jesus is exactly that, “unique and one of a kind!” The Father loves the world so much that “He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What does that mean?

I was just speaking about the love of the Father and the Justness of the Father and how despite how strong the Love of the Father is, it cannot override the justness of the Father. So what is a loving Father to do? That is where another attribute of the Father comes to the forefront to rescue us. The Mercy of the Father becomes evident in the work of the Son.

Look at verse 17, “¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” “¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world…”, Jesus does not condemn the world. It is already condemned and mankind did the condemning when our forefathers disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Many bad theologians have tried to disconnect modern man from the original sin of Adam. These are the false teachers who claim that we are all basically good and just a few of us make bad choices, so a loving God would not just give a blanket condemnation to all mankind!

The Bible tells us otherwise!  In his great theological textbook, the Apostle Paul wrote this in Romans 3:23-24, “²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We need a rescuer, we need a saviour. We cannot earn God’s mercy and we do not deserve God’s mercy because of our rebellion against God. I want to point out something here, look very carefully at verse 24, “²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Pay attention to every word in this verse. It is not saying that “All are forgiven by Jesus”. That is a doctrine known as Universalism and it is not taught in the Bible. It says, “All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”. We need to define grace here to understand who the “all” is referring to. Grace is the mercy of God as applied by God to those whom He has chosen.

Romans 9:14-16 makes this clear, “¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,

and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”

We must catch ourselves when we start to question God on this matter. The Father is not obligated to save any! He extends mercy to those whom He has chosen.

Scripture makes it clear that it is God who does the choosing, and He does not choose everyone. If everyone received the same sentence then there would be no mercy! It would not be mercy it would be universal salvation which is not found in the Bible. The only universal principle found in the Bible is the universal condemnation that man brought upon himself through the disobedience of our forefathers. Is this starting to make sense to you?

Paul repeats this doctrine in Romans 5:19, “¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Notice Paul is saying the many will be made righteous” not the “all”. But even those whom God extends His mercy on, those who will experience Grace, is a powerful example of the love that He has for us and the world. In order to be able to accept the mercy of God through the actions of Jesus, we must also be willing to accept the condemnation due us through the actions of Adam. You don’t get Jesus without first accepting Adam.

Those who think or claim that this is not fair, fail to appreciate the Holiness of the character of God. God’s not one of us. Jesus isn’t our pal. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are perfect and holy beings who have chosen to extend mercy to those whom they have chosen.

It is in keeping with this doctrine that there is the conditional clause in John 3:16, “¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So many gloss over that condition, because it means submission for them. Submission to the authority of Jesus Christ is placed on their lives. All of this still reveals God’s immense love for humanity.

We have the Biblical examples of the flood and of the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of when God withdrew His love and mercy from mankind. We also have examples of the invasion and conquering of the Babylonians and the Assyrians when He passed judgment on God’s chosen people. Too many Christians fail to appreciate and fear the Holiness of God.

There should exist in the walk of every Christian an appreciation of the tension between God’s unconditional love which He extends to people, and the Holiness and Justness of His character. I was sharing the other night at the Men’s group how amazed I am at the depth of the Love that God has for us. The countless examples we read about in the Bible and add to that, the countless examples of His love and mercy that each one of us can think of or speak to that we or family and friends have experienced is boundless.

The depth of God’s love cannot be exhausted, that is why it is critical to share this love with everyone you meet. We are not to try and determine who God has selected for salvation. That is not the task that we have been given. We have been told to share “the Good News” with everyone we meet. If you have a friend or family member who still stands condemned because of their rebellion against God, don’t you think the loving thing to do is to share the gospel with them?

God said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” We do not know who those people are. That is why we should be sharing the gospel with everyone we know, or at the very least, be praying for those who do not yet know Jesus in a personal way. Our understanding of this love that God has for us, should be all the motivation we need to share it with others.

Back to this morning’s passage. Look with me at verse 18, “¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Do you see the pivotal role of belief in Jesus? The distinction between condemnation and salvation is based on faith. Encourage listeners to examine their faith and consider how trusting in Jesus alters their lives. This point should inspire us believers to reflect on our journey and the assurance that comes from a saving relationship with Christ.

Paul gives us this same reassurance in Romans 8:1, “¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” By being in Christ Jesus we have avoided the condemnation that was due us. Let’s be clear about one thing here as well, and let’s be honest if not with each other, let’s at least be honest with ourselves. We didn’t need Adam’s sin to be condemned. Am I right? If you are familiar with the teachings of Jesus you will know that our condemnation does not lie in our actions, but our condemnations begin in our thoughts.

Jesus told the Pharisees that they believed committing adultery was a sin, but Jesus told them that even by looking at a woman with lust, they were committing adultery in their hearts. He challenged them that murder was a sin, but also hating your neighbour was committing murder in their hearts. So, if we are honest with ourselves, we do not need Adam to condemn us, our actions and thoughts are enough to condemn us.

Let’s wrap up by looking at the final verses from this morning. “¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

I mentioned earlier the concept of light and darkness presented at the beginning of this Gospel. Here we see the concept being developed further.

Genesis 1:3 is not only the first recorded words of God, but it is also the first time we see light mentioned In the Bible. “³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Did you ever ask yourself what was there for light before God created the sun and stars? Was it only darkness or could there have been light from another source?

Isaiah 60:19 gives us an idea, “¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” Revelation 21:23 confirms this concept,  “²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” I think we can draw from scripture the idea that the glory of God was providing light before the sun and stars were created.

But we read in this passage from John that God is the light. Specifically. Jesus Christ is the light which has come into the world. In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate this event known as Christmas. The human birth of Jesus Christ, when He took on human form and added it to His divine Nature.

Look with me back at John 3:19, “but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” Not only is the condemnation there in the verse but the reason for the condemnation. We love the darkness because our deeds are evil. The light exposes our evil. The enemy lives in the shadows. That is where his deceptive work can be most effective.

But, God’s love, His very existence is light. God’s perfect character and Glory emits light. A light that is so powerful that no man can stand in His presence. We will only be able to handle it in eternity because of the glorified bodies that each of us will inhabit in heaven. The stronger and more intense the light of God is shows the purity of His character.

In our fallen state, we are attracted to the darkness. We don't want our evilness to be exposed. But God’s Word pierces us to our very hearts and exposes the corruption that is found there in our hearts. Amazingly, God chooses to extend His mercy to us anyway. Do you recognize this amazing act of God’s love in your life?

I mentioned eternity and heaven a few moments ago, and it reminded me of a short clip I watched of Paul Washer this week. Washer pointed out that a lot of Christians concentrate on heaven and the rewards that are waiting for us there, Lord willing, and that isn’t a bad thing. But, Washer went on to ask, “Shouldn’t what Jesus did for us on the cross be reward enough for us?”

What an interesting thought. If you were not to receive anything further from Jesus Christ, would what you have received so far be enough? Would you still maintain your love and respect for Jesus? Would the sacrifice He made for you and the reconciled relationship that you currently enjoy with the Father be enough to satisfy you and still allow you to maintain your love for Jesus?

Just to wrap up this portion of the message before we sing our final song, I want to circle back to John 3:16 and the explanation that Nicodemus required. Frankly, it is tied back to the statements found in 3:11 and 12. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”

Isn’t this the same trouble that most of the world has? Those who continue to reject Jesus because they simply refuse to accept the testimony of Jesus Christ. Both His testimony about Himself and the testimony of those who surrounded Jesus and wrote about His life and deeds. Their lack of faith becomes their downfall. Their need to fully comprehend all that Jesus said and taught before they submit to His Lordship.

They are willing to accept Jesus as Saviour, but they reject Him as Lord. Opting instead to keep Jesus at arms-length to limit His influence in their lives. What a foolish notion. You might as well try and hold back a hurricane.

Our faith is not a blind faith. We are not required to believe without the existence of any evidence, nor are we required to go against the evidence that is presented to us. We are required to submit obediently to what God has chosen to reveal to us. Obediently and completely.

CONCLUSION

During the Korean War, the U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans and the eighty-two surviving crew members were thrown into brutal captivity. In one particular instance, thirteen of the men were required to sit in a rigid manner around a table for hours. After several hours the door was violently flung open and a North Korean guard brutally beat the man in the first chair with the butt of his rifle.

The next day, as each man sat at his assigned place, again the door was thrown open and the man in the first chair was brutally beaten. On the third day, it happened again to the same man. On the fourth day knowing the man could not survive, another young sailor took his place.

When the door was flung open the guard automatically beat the new victim senseless. For weeks, each day a new man stepped forward to sit in that horrible chair, knowing full well what would happen. At last, the guards gave up in exasperation. They were unable to beat that kind of sacrificial love.^[1]

That is an illustration of the love that Jesus had for each one of us and the substitutionary work that Jesus did with the Father on our behalf. Jesus took our punishment so that we could be reconciled with the Father. Our sin has been covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. What are you willing to do to show your appreciation for this sacrifice?

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.

---

^[1] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 226–227.

John-So That You May Believe, Part 12, The Gospel of John, John 3:1-15, Jesus Teaches The Teacher

 December 1^st, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 12 Jesus Teaches The Teacher

The Gospel of John John 3:1-15

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

Good morning. Today, as we continue in our study of the Gospel of John, we come to a very familiar account. This appears to have taken place during the same week that Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.

We saw that after Jesus cleared the Temple from the money changers and the sacrifice replacement sellers, He remained in Jerusalem as an observant Jew. He did not go to the Temple just to cause chaos and run away, leaving a mess in His wake.

We read how Jesus remained and even performed some miracles (what John refers to as signs). So many signs that people even began to believe in Jesus, whatever that would mean for them. That statement does raise more questions for me. What did it mean that they “believed in Jesus?” 

The same questions are raised in my mind today when someone says to me that they believe in Jesus. What exactly do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe that He was a good teacher? A moral man? A nice guy who helped people? Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God who took on human form to pay the sin debt owed by you?

So, it seems that people always have questions about Jesus. This morning we will read about a very fortunate individual who had a chance to pose his questions directly to Jesus. We will be introduced to a man named Nicodemus. You may have heard that name before if you have read your Bible at all, or if you have been in church for some time. Nicodemus is only mentioned by name in John’s Gospel and he is mentioned on three different accounts. Working from last to first, we see Nicodemus claiming the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, Nicodemus was also present defending the right of Jesus to a proper trial when a group of Pharisees challenged the teaching that Jesus was doing in Jerusalem at about the mid-point of His earthly ministry, and then here at their first meeting which we will look at this morning.

Please join me in opening your Bibles or turning on your devices to the third chapter of the Gospel of John. We will begin with verse one.

If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. John chapter 3 will be found on page 862 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…

READ JOHN 3:1-15

“¹Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Here, we are first introduced to Nicodemus. John informs us that this was not an ordinary man, Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council, a group known collectively as the Sanhedrin. The origin for the Sanhedrin comes directly from Number 11:16-30 when God instructed Moses to choose 70 elders to assist him with making decisions on how best to rule over the people of Isreal following God’s Law as a guide.

The Sanhedrin which was located in Jerusalem had authority over every Israelite no matter where they resided. Serious disputes which could not be resolved at the local synagogue level could be brought before the Sanhedrin for resolution.

According to one Jewish website, the following were the requirements of the men to be chosen for the Sanhedrin:

“Every judge was required to have the following seven attributes: wisdom, humility, awe of heaven, a loathing for money (even his own), a love for truth, the love of the people at large, and a good reputation.

In addition, to be appointed to the greater or lesser sanhedrin, one had to have achieved distinction in Torah knowledge and possess some knowledge of intellectual disciplines such as medicine, mathematics, calendar, astronomy, astrology and the teachings of idolatry, so that he would know how to judge cases concerning those fields. He could not be too old or childless when appointed, since someone with a family is more likely to be sympathetic and merciful.[1]”

We can deduce from the previous description that Nicodemus was a learned man and he was also sincere in his search for further knowledge and wisdom. Nicodemus was a truth-seeker and he must have heard something in the limited teachings that Jesus had been doing while He was performing the signs that the Gospel writer told us about in the preceding verses.

There is much speculation about why Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night, but Scripture is unclear about the reason, so there is little to be gained from discussing it. Nicodemus may have been fearful about reprisals from other members of the Sanhedrin for speaking with Jesus, or perhaps they were both busy men, and the evening was the only time they could spend uninterrupted and have a meaningful conversation. Evenings were used for personal and family time for there were no televisions and radios that seem to absorb so much of time today. People actually ate meals together and talked or studied Scripture together when it was too dark outside to work anymore.

So, Nicodemus comes at night and he addresses Jesus with a title of respect by calling Him “Rabbi” or “teacher”. Look at verse 2, “² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Right out of the gate, Nicodemus sets the tone of the meeting by giving Jesus respect and using the title of “Rabbi”. But Nicodemus goes further and acknowledges that Jesus has come with authority and power by recognizing that Jesus would not have been able to perform the signs if God was not with Him. Nicodemus recognizes that Jesus is doing the work that He is doing with the blessings and empowerment of Yahweh. Nicodemus has seen something in Jesus that causes Nicodemus to desire a deeper understanding of what was happening and perhaps determine if Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.

Nicodemus is demonstrating a willingness to learn from a new authority. But notice that he does not do so from a naïve perspective. He has come to Jesus to probe and understand what the message and purpose of Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem was. Nicodemus is using his discernment to determine if Jesus is the “real deal” or if He is just another imposter.

What is important to recognize is that Nicodemus was willing to learn. To not rest on his own knowledge, but he was willing to learn from another teacher, a teacher with recognizable authority. So Nicodemus seeks after Jesus, but simply seeking after Jesus does not guarantee salvation.

In Luke 18:18-27 we read the account of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus in one sense seeking salvation, he asked the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” But really the young ruler was looking for validation from Jesus that what the ruler was presently doing was adequate to enter heaven. Jesus being able to see into the hearts of people, jumps right to the thing that is most dear to the man and tells him to go home and sell all that he has and to give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. This leaves the man very sad and it appears from the parable that the man fails to do this at that time because then it begins a discussion about the rich entering into heaven.

 

Then Jesus reminds the disciples who is responsible for salvation with this statement, “²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

With Nicodemus, Jesus lays out the requirement for salvation. Look at verse 3, ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” For you see, seeking after God is not enough to ensure that you are saved. You must undergo spiritual renewal, a heart replacement, a rebirth, and a radical change in your life. This assertion from Jesus challenges Nicodemus’ understanding. We can see the struggle from the question he poses back to Jesus which is tied to a physical rebirth.

Look with me at verse 4, ⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” The question shows that Nicodemus’ traditions and worldview were preventing him from thinking about salvation from this new perspective. Remember that Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of The Law of God. One whose worldview would have been tied to works and the need to please Yahweh by observing all of the Laws and traditions of Jewish life.

As a matter of fact, the Pharisees were such experts in the Laws of God they added to the existing 613 laws that were to be found in the Torah. The Pharisees built up the Old Testament prescriptions from Leviticus 11 to 15 into a complicated system of rituals of absolution and atonement with God. This was one of the major areas of conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus throughout the ministry of Christ. The Gospels record numerous times when Jesus called out the Pharisees for the extra burdens which they placed on God’s people and the hypocrisy in their strict observance of the letter of the Law, all while missing the intent and the purpose of the law.

What poor Nicodemus doesn’t understand yet is that this spiritual moving can be mysterious. We are not to rely on our ability to understand all of the mysteries of God before we place our trust in Him. I remember when I was in Bible college, there was a student who was younger than I was, actually, all of the college students were younger, but this particular young man was getting frustrated because the professors were not explaining to Him all the mysteries of God. This young student felt that there should be a logical explanation for all of God’s actions and that we should be able to fully understand the reasons why God behaves the way He does sometimes.

I explained that I was comfortable allowing God to remain somewhat mysterious to me. I reasoned that if I was able to understand all of God’s actions and all of God’s reasons for His actions, then that would make me just as intelligent and powerful as God. I told the young student, that I desired to worship a God more powerful and more wonderful than me. I wanted a God who was still mysterious to me, yet at the same time, working diligently to understand everything that God does reveal about Himself to us.

It was at this point in the discussion that the professor quoted Deuteronomy 29:29, ”²⁹ The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” That was when I realized that if I had a question about life, I should turn first to the Bible to seek my answer.

We see Jesus trying to do just this very thing to Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to explain to him that no earthly status or knowledge is enough to gain entry into God’s Kingdom. No amount of works or following of the Law will save you. Only a rebirth brought by faith in Jesus Christ does. Jesus is setting the stage for understanding the transformation work that occurs only through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Nicodemus is failing to understand because he can only envision a physical rebirth. Look at verse 5, “⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Now this passage does present some interpretive challenges. It is natural for us from our Christian perspective to think of baptism when Jesus gives this analogy of “water and Spirit”.

But was that what Jesus was referring to? If so, why didn’t Jesus just say “born of baptism and Spirit”? Well, Jesus often spoke in parables so that only those “with eyes to see and ears to hear” would understand. Only those with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be able to grasp the true meaning of Jesus’ words. Now, I’m not saying that it doesn’t refer to baptism, for it could, but what I am saying is that it doesn’t only refer to baptism.

Water has many different associations with it in the Bible. In Jeremiah 2:13 God refers to Himself as a Spring of Living Water, “¹³ “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of Living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” We will see in the new year when we examine the encounter that Jesus has with the woman at the well, that He refers to Himself as Living Water there as well.

One commentator presented a different point of view in regard to this encounter with Nicodemus. James Montgomery Boice in his book “Foundations of the Christian Faith” presents this viewpoint.

“Water is also used in the Bible to refer to the Word of God. Ephesians 5:26 says that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,”.

Boice continues, “In 1 John 5:8, the same author who composed the fourth Gospel writes of “three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood.” Since he then goes on to speak of God’s written witness to the fact that salvation is in Christ, the Spirit must refer to God’s witness within the individual, the blood to the historical witness of Christ’s death and water to the Scriptures”. In other words, water is also used to refer to the scriptures themselves. John 15:3 also refers to washing through the Word of God, “³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Spoken by Jesus but recorded for us in written form.

I agree with Boice that Jesus may very well have been referring to the Word of God when He used water as a metaphor here. Isn’t that what holds true for us today? We often are cleansed through the reading of God’s Word. Cleansed and convicted by the Spirit when we begin to fully understand what the Bible is speaking to us today.

Look at the next few verses in this passage. Jesus comes back to Nicodemus’ illustration of returning to the womb for this second birth, “⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” Jesus returns to what Nicodemus said, but Jesus then goes on to illustrate the difference between what He is saying and what Nicodemus is saying. It is the Spiritual rebirth that Nicodemus and by extension us today, should be seeking. We should be desiring the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not just to give us rebirth, but also to guide us into an obedient life that Jesus desires for all of His followers.

Just like your physical birth was the beginning of your growth and maturity, so it is also with your spiritual rebirth in Jesus Christ. New growth and lifelong maturing should be the hallmark of a dedicated follower of Jesus.

In verse 8 Jesus comes back to the mystery involved in Salvation, “⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” The same Greek word is used here for both wind and Spirit which reinforces the analogy that Jesus is using here. One important thing to keep in mind is that the entire process of Salvation is not a mystery. The mechanics and the selection process of who God and the Spirit choose to bestow His mercy upon is the mystery.

       Scripture is clear, Romans 10:9 states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Notice it says, “Believe in your heart” not understand in your mind! Belief and faith are heart issues, not brain issues. The heart can believe while still maintaining space for the mystery of God to be at work in the exact mechanics of how and why God achieves His work in the manner in which He chooses to do it.

One of the mysteries is where exactly does faith come from. Is it of our own doing? Is it based on our knowledge and understanding of events? Exactly what level of Biblical competency must we reach before we can graduate into a state of salvation in Jesus?

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us the answer: Faith is a gift from God. Are you beginning to see how perfect this plan of Salvation is from God? The work is all completed by God, all of God! The entire Trinity is involved in the process of your salvation. The Trinity conceived the plan before the foundations of the universe were laid. The Son would bear the penalty and pay the sacrifice, the Father would accept the payment and be willing to be reconciled back to the adopted children of His, and the Spirit would move upon those whom the Father has given His mercy through the Gift of Grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. No one can tell where it comes from or where it is going, only those born of the Spirit are aware of its presence in their lives and the lives of others.

Let me ask you this, Are you willing to allow the mystery of God’s Grace to work in your life and submit your will to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be more than a Saviour for you? Will you permit Jesus to be Lord over your life and submit to his teachings in every area of your life? Will you give Jesus your obedience through submission rather than just paying lip service by calling yourself a Christian? The work of the Holy Spirit should be deeply impactful on your life. It should result in a radical change in your heart.

Christ was crucified for this change. On the surface, it may appear that Jesus was crucified for defying the ruling religious elites of the day and disrupting the carefully laid plans of these men to maintain the sacrificial system which God had instituted with Moses and Aaron. A system which was “Improved upon” (in scare quotes) by the system enacted by the Pharisees and the priests. A system in which God intended to highlight the seriousness of sin against God committed by mankind. A system which was a pointing forward to the work of Jesus in the future.

Look at verses 10-12, “¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” See how Nicodemus is still struggling to understand what Jesus is trying to teach him. Jesus is challenging Nicodemus with the statement “You are Israel’s teacher,” This is a condemning statement by Jesus. This man was responsible for faithfully teaching scripture to God’s people but He was failing to grasp what the ultimate teacher was presenting to him.

Jesus is even trying to give Nicodemus a hint as to the authenticity of His words by using terms like “testify” and “testimony”. Hints that what Jesus is saying is true. Terms that a judge would be familiar with. A language that a judge should recognize as indicating the truth from the witness standing before him. Isn’t that just like Jesus to use different techniques and approaches that reach us exactly where we are? Nicodemus’ struggles are our struggles. Faith doesn’t always come easily or quickly.

Faith is a gift from God, and this is true, but faith also must be nourished and grown throughout our walk with Jesus. We are not to have the same measure of faith that we started with when we see Jesus face to face. We should be able to point back at our lives and show our Saviour how our faith was tested yet grew when we faced trials and tribulations in our lives.

As a Christian, hardship should be expected. Don’t listen to those prosperity teachers who assure you that all will be a bed of roses once you come to Jesus. The very words of Jesus tell us the opposite will be true. But these trials are a way for us to grow in our faith in the Lord.

Look with me at the final two verses of this morning’s passage. “¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Jesus is using a familiar passage of the Old Testament with Nicodemus and pointing out that this account with Moses, was a foreshadowing of Jesus and His yet-to-be-completed work on the Cross.

These words must have rung true to Nicodemus after he saw Jesus hanging on that Roman Cross three short years later. This conversation here could very well have been the motivating factor which caused Nicodemus to go to Pilate to claim the body of Jesus of Nazareth.

But why would Jesus refer to an account from the Book of Numbers to this Pharisee? Well, Nicodemus would have known that this account with Moses and the Israelites was also a lesson in faith. If you remember, the Israelites were in the wilderness at this time because they had refused to trust the LORD when He had brought them to the edge of the Promised Land. They refused to trust God and instead trusted in the reports of giants in the land and they feared entry. God sent them back into the wilderness until that generation responsible for the unbelief died off.

Sometime later, the people had forgotten that they were being punished for their sins of unbelief and they tried to blame Moses for their troubles. God brought poisonous snakes into the encampment to punish them and people began to die. They came to Moses and confessed their sins and they asked Moses to pray to Yahweh for their rescue. God then instructed Moses to forge a bronze snake and raise it on a pole in the center of the encampment.

God was teaching the people something about faith. It is totally illogical to think that looking at a bronze image could heal anyone from snakebite, but that is exactly what God told them to do. It took an act of faith in God’s plan for anyone to be healed, and the serpent on the stick was a reminder of their sin which brought about their suffering.

Just as it takes an act of faith that Jesus hanging on a Roman Cross is all that is required for a rebellious people to be reconciled with the Father. But that is exactly what God’s plan demanded. It is believing in Christ’s sacrifice that is the basis for rebirth and entry into eternal life. This should encourage trust in Him alone for true renewal.

CONCLUSION

We saw in this passage how Jesus has a profound conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel. Jesus revealed the necessity of being born again to enter the kingdom of God, teaching profound truths about spiritual rebirth and the nature of faith.

I hope I was able to help you as Christians to understand the importance of spiritual rebirth, realizing that faith in Jesus is not merely intellectual but transformative. It encourages us as believers to reflect on our own spiritual journey and to share this transformative message with others who may be seeking truth.

The concept of being 'born again' is essential for anyone desiring to see the kingdom of God. This passage helps address any misconceptions about faith we may have and emphasizes the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and personal faith in Jesus.

Christ is the source of new life. In the larger context of Scripture, being born again symbolizes the new covenant's fulfillment in Christ, emphasizing that He is the bridge between humanity and spiritual rebirth through His death and resurrection. True spiritual transformation begins with being born again through faith in Jesus Christ, enabling us to live in the fullness of God's kingdom.

Let me close with this final illustration: When a father picks up his little daughter and tosses her all around in the air, she laughs and enjoys it, for she trusts—has faith in—her father. Even though she finds herself in unusual situations, like being upside down four feet above the floor with nothing supporting her (normally an uncomfortable circumstance), she does not fear, for she trusts her father. That is the sort of faith we should have toward our heavenly Father, too.^[2]

Doxology:

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.

 

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[1] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4100306/jewish/The-Sanhedrin

^[2] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 133.