This is the manuscript of the fourth sermon in the Centrality Of The Cross series. In all the Gospels, no conversation is as carefully recorded in regard to content and detail as the one, in John Chapter 3 , between our Lord and Nicodemus. The reason for this thoroughness is obvious: Jesus was relating to Nicodemus the very essence of the good news, which is the coming of the Kingdom of God.
For an audio recording click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript
Psalms 118:24 NKJV This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
It's going to be like this for the foreseeable future but we will continue to worship together and figure out how to reach out and include everyone. Today we are on the phone but there are other ways we can worship together. We can do it through social media and at the same time do what we are doing today. We will, with the help and direction of the Holy Spirit figure out a way that everybody who wants to hear the word of God can hear it everybody. Don't worry about not being technology savy we will figure out a way.
We will keep you informed.
Scripture Reading:
John 3:1-21 NLT There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. ”
This is the fourth in our series “The Centrality of the Cross”. As I said at the beginning the Cross is the most important thing in Christianity. Without it Christianity is just another religion. Throughout the more than two thousand years of Christian history, the cross has been the focal point of our faith. Every other aspect of Christianity is given validity and power because of the cross and what it stands for.
Because of the Cross our outlook during this time can be different. Because of the Cross we can know that we are in the family of God
John 1:12 NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
Isaiah 41:10-13 NLT Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. “See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing. You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you. Those who attack you will come to nothing. For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
In all the Gospels, no conversation is as carefully recorded in regard to content and detail as the one, we just read, between our Lord and Nicodemus in John 3. The reason for this thoroughness is obvious: Jesus was relating to Nicodemus the very essence of the good news, which is the coming of the Kingdom of God.
John 3:3 NLT Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ words were so explicit that everyone who has read them in the generations since Nicodemus have found them to be clear signs marking the way to eternal life. Nowhere else in Scripture is there a more concise, easily understood presentation of the new birth. And, as with practically everything Jesus did, in this conversation with Nicodemus, there was a shadow of the cross. Which brings us to our text for today;
John 3:14-15 NLT And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
The visitor
A. First, let’s take a look at the guy who came calling on Jesus, in the middle of the night.
Most of the time in the Gospels, we find Jesus surrounded by ordinary people—the peasants. They did not have to be careful and worry if certain people saw them in the company of such a controversial person like Jesus.
But Nicodemus wasn’t just one of the ordinary people. He was associated with the aristocracy of Jerusalem. He was a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders.
Along with Nicodemus’ social rank, the timing of his visit was also surprising. He visited Jesus after Passover week. If you remember from last Sunday it was during Passover week that Jesus cleansed the Temple.
John 2:14-16 NLT In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
After cleaning the Temple, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem for a while teaching and healing the people.
John 2:23 NLT Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.
His name had spread far and wide, and multitudes followed to hear him, bringing their in sick and afflicted for healing. The religious rulers were I’m sure full of anger and hostility toward Jesus by now, because of what He did at the Temple and the way He responded to their question about His authority to do what He did.
John 2:18-19 NLT But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
But because of his popularity with the people, their hands were tied, at least for the moment. It was in this setting that Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the Supreme Court for the Jews, came to Jesus.
B. We know certain other things about Nicodemus from this incident and two others involving him that are recorded in the Bible.
John 7:50-51 NLT Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
John 19:39 NLT With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.
Obviously, he was wealthy. When Jesus died, John said that Nicodemus brought some very costly things for Jesus' body.
Only a wealthy person could have afforded that much. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and the Pharisees were considered by the Jews to be the best people in the country. There were never more than six thousand of them, and they had become Pharisees by taking a pledge before three witnesses that they would spend all of their lives observing every detail of the scribal law. That was the Mosaic law plus all the regulations that had been added to them. So for Nicodemus to be a member of such an august brotherhood, and still wish to talk with Jesus at all, was strange.
C. John records that Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews.
As I said before Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews, which had only seventy members. Though its powers had been limited under Roman rule, it still played an important role in the government and lives of the people. Specifically, the Sanhedrin had religious jurisdiction over every Jew in the world, not just in Palestine. One of its duties was to examine and deal with anyone suspected of being a blasphemer, a false prophet, or a heretic. So it was remarkable that Nicodemus, being a member of this high ruling body, would dare to visit Jesus.
A. John records that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.
We do not know for certain why Nicodemus chose to come at night. It may have been a cautious move on Nicodemus’s part, and he should not be condemned for this. He was a religious leader to whom many looked for spiritual guidance. Since he was an honest and straightforward man, he likely wanted to investigate Jesus in his role as a religious leader. He could not afford to enthusiastically endorse every prophet who came along without first investigating carefully.
B. There may have been another reason for this nighttime visit.
Since Jesus was usually surrounded by great crowds of people during the day, Nicodemus may have come at night so they could be undisturbed. We can sense from the course of the conversation that Nicodemus was troubled or confused. Even though he was an expert in the law of Moses, he was not satisfied with his religion. Something was missing, and something about the authority and manner of Jesus attracted him.
C. Nicodemus’s opening statement to Jesus revealed his honesty.
John 3:2 NLT After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
No flattery was intended here; it was simply a positive statement expressing a conclusion that he had reached, based on what he and others had seen.
D. Jesus did not rebuke Nicodemus as a Pharisee, nor did he soften the requirements of the new birth for this respected and venerable leader of the Jews.
Jesus laid down the same requirements for Nicodemus that he would have for the most openly recognizable sinner! He didn't sugar coat His response for Nicodemus. He did not say, “Now, Nicodemus, you are already a good man. You are sincere in what you believe and in what you are trying to do. God will honor these good works you have performed. Just keep on doing them, and God will bless you for it!”
If Jesus had said that, Nicodemus would have left with the same dissatisfaction and longing in his heart that he had when he came, because his good works obviously did not bring contentment otherwise he would not have come to Jesus with his questions. No Jesus didn’t suger coat it for Nicodemus.
Plainly and to the point, Jesus said,
“If you are not born again, Nicodemus, you will never see the kingdom of God!”
E. A lesser man than Nicodemus would have been offended by Jesus’ words.
That statement would have offended others and who would have considered them an insult to their intelligence. Instead, Nicodemus pressed on by asking. “How can a man be born when he is old?”
In His explanation, Jesus talked to him about two births, a physical birth and a spiritual birth.
John 3:5-7 NLT Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Obviously, to exist, one must be “born of the flesh.” But anything that is “flesh” gets sick, grows old and dies. To be “born of the Spirit,” that is, of God, is to have a new kind of life existing simultaneously with the physical life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Then Jesus shifted the analogy to the wind, you can’t see it but you can see the evidence it leaves. You can see leaves moving, or paper flying around, or in a tornado or hurricane and the damage the wind does.
John 3:8 NLT The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
The revelation
A. Nicodemus had listened to what Jesus said about the necessity of a new birth and about the Spirit, and he was caught up in the wonder and glory of it.
John 3:9 NLT “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Jesus turned to the Old Testament Scriptures so familiar to Nicodemus. remember he is a religious leader and very familiar with what we know today as the Old Testament.
John 3:14-15 NLT And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
He reminded him of something that happened when the Israelites were in the wilderness.
Poisonous serpents invaded the camp and bit the people. God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole in the middle of the camp. He was instructed to tell those who had been bitten to look at it, and they would be healed.
Numbers 21:4-9 NLT Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
B. Now keep in mind the serpent was a despicable thing.
Satan appeared in the form of a snake to Eve in the garden of Eden. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that He would be lifted up on an instrument of shame, and He would be considered an accursed thing because of the cross.
Galatians 3:13 NLT But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NLT “If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree, the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.
But because Jesus was willing to submit to that shame, millions of people would be able to come to God! The key to God and eternal life could not be achieved by good works or by keeping rules and abiding by regulations; it would be achieved by a hated and shameful cross on which Jesus would become a sacrifice for sin for the whole human race.
C. In effect, Jesus said, “Nicodemus, if you will believe in me and believe that I have taken your sins on myself, you will not perish.
You will be saved and have eternal life. You will be assured of living forever with God.”
John 3:13-16 NLT No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Conclusion
You can’t see the wind or understand the wind. You don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going but just as you can feel the wind so you can experience the transforming presence of God in your life. You can be born again and enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’