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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: You probably can’t count the number of times you have heard phrase: “experts
say.” I Googled phrase - Tens of 1000’s of articles on government, religion, law,
health, science, etc. Christian books use phrase “experts say.”
What makes someone an expert? An expert is one who lives more than 50 miles away... If
called Doctor and has a bunch of letters behind name: PhD, MD, LTD, RSVP, RIP, XYZ. If I
were called Dr. Phil, you will listen to me! My favorite definition: “ex” =
former; “spert” a small amount of pressured water - or “a former drip
under pressure.” You name the issue and you will find many experts, many
contradicting each other. An expert is not necessarily an expert, or an authority. Be
careful of the experts you listen to, whose advice you take.
Nicodemus would be considered a religious “expert” - he was a Pharisee, a member
of the Sanhedrin Council, and a teacher of the Israel. But in the conversation with Jesus, he
sounded confused, and ignorant of spiritual things.
Spending a few weeks in John 3. THEME OF JOHN: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the
very living Word of God, who brings us light, love and life.”
In the two previous messages of John 3 we are seeking to understand Jesus’ call “You
must be born again.” We begin the Christian life by being “born again.”
To be “born again” is to desire to turn from the broad way leads to hell
and turning to the narrow road that leads to heaven.
To be “born again” is to have new desires for God, a new change of habits -
sinful behavior loses its appeal, holy behavior begins with gladness.
To be “born again” is to have new eyes to see Biblical truth, new ears to
hear God’s word, new taste for spiritual things, new heart with love for God.
To be “born again” changes us from of pleasing self to pleasing God.
To be “born again” is illustrated by physical birth, born physically to
have earthly life, need to be born spiritually to have eternal life. Also illustrated by the
wind - can’t see it, but can see the results of a changed life.
The conservation keeps going in today’s text JOHN 3:9-15.
1. The Searching Questions. 3: 9-13
- vs. 9 Nicodemus first asks: “How can I do this?” “How is
this possible?”
- vs. 10 Jesus’ response: “You are a religious teacher and you
don’t know?” He is a spiritual teacher and doesn’t understand
spiritual things.
- Not uncommon. The flesh doesn’t understand the things of the spirit. All
“religion” is of the flesh, even much under the name
“Christianity.”
ILLUS: Liberal theologians, experts who deny. Today the thing to do in liberal
churches is to quote just the first half of John 14:6 - because the second half is
too exclusive in our world that wants to believe there are many equal ways to God.
That is denying the very Word of God. Ignorance.
- Note of sadness on Jesus part in v. 10. Nic knew the Word of God in words of Moses,
the books of poetry, the prophets, John’s baptism, Jesus’ teachings.
Salvation was always by faith “believed God and counted as righteousness”
yet having a hard time putting the puzzle pieces together.
- vs. 11, 12 - 1 Cor. 2:14
- v. 13 Man can’t figure this out by ourself. We can’t go into
heaven to grab a hold of truth, heaven goes to earth to reveal truth to us on our level.
- The Son of Man has done that for us. John 8:42; Heb. 1:2
QUOTE: “He has come to live as a man among men, to reveal to them in a
language spoken by human lips and in actions wrought by human hands what they
could never have discovered either by human intuition or by human striving.”
(Tasker, 68)
- Nicodemus was trying, searching for answers, needed divine revelation.
- But we can’t be ignorant. Jesus’ words are 2000 years old, evidenced by
countless followers and many martyrs, written down in the Bible, Holy Spirit at work,
Bible believing churches. “You must be born again.” This message
is preached from pulpits, Christian media, missions. You have heard it. Are you born
again? Do you get it?
ILLUS: Years ago bumper sticker: “I Found It” Maybe a new: “I
Got it!”
2. The Serpent on a Pole. 3:14-15
- History - Numbers 21:4-9 Israel had sinned. God sent fiery serpents to bite the people
so that many died. They needed rescue. God commanded Moses to make a brass serpent and
lift it up on a pole, and if anyone would just look at the lifted up brass serpent,
they would be healed. Look and live. A story of God’s grace, and a story of the
people’s faith.
- To be crucified, means to be “lifted up” on a tree, a pole, a
wooden cross. John 12:32-34. Jesus is revealing the basis of the call to be
“born again” - like the serpent on a pole stop the plague against
sin of the people, the death of Christ for the sins of the world forgives us.
- The serpent on a pole brought physical life to dying Jews if they just looked in
faith, Jesus lifted up on cross gives eternal life to dying sinners if we just look in
faith to Him.
- “must” = Christ’s death was absolutely necessary God’s
plan salvation, only way for sinners to be saved from hell given heaven. 1 John
4:9-10
Old song: “Look and live and my Savior lives, Look to Jesus now and live”
- Isaiah 45:22 KJV “Look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth!”
ILLUS: Spurgeon’s salvation story, in 1850 at a Primitive Methodist Church
during a snow storm, a fill in lay man preached that text from Isaiah. Charles
Spurgeon looked to Jesus and was saved that day. (Wiersbe, 296)
- v. 15 Jesus gives His simple HOW step to being born again: “believe,
believes, believed” - verb 98 times in John, 7 times already in John. (All 3
forms in 3:18). “Believe” - accept Him as truth that must be in
your life. The facts about Jesus are to change you.
- “eternal life” first of 15 references in John.
- In three weeks we will begin John 3:16 more on believing and eternal life. It
is the Bible in miniature. The Gospel is a capsule. The key verse of the entire Bible,
richest treasure.
CONCLUSION
Are you born again? You have no excuse. You don’t have to wait for the messages from John
3:16 - the truth of the gospel is right here - v. 15. You have heard it here and
in our ministries many times. You heard it again today. Simply make a decision to follow
Christ as your Savior and Lord.
Are you born again?
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