WHAT QULIFICATINS ARE NEEDED TO GAIN ENTRENCE TO HEAVEN?

-Every man and woman will stand before the God of heaven to be judged; some will be sent to hell a place of eternal tourment and some will be sent to heaven a place of eternal joy.

So what credentials is God looking for what qualification is needed to gain entrance into heaven?

-Lets look at the story of Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3;3-8 to help answer the question that we are asking tonight

SET THE CONTEXT FIRST BEFOR READING

-I want you to come with me in this story and imagine the setting of the story you were there with Jesus at Passover celebrating with Jesus

This prominent famous pharasees a the teachet of isreal came seeking out Jesus at night time

John the writer all throughout the gospel contrasts day night light and dark Nicodemus came in the darkness because he was in darkness.

just like many of us are in darkness

This story is about bringing Nicodemus from darkness to to light all of humanity from darkness to light ( BUT I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW AND SAY HE REPRESENTS A LOT OF RELGIOUSE PEOLE IN THE CHURCH THAT’S IN DARKNESS TOO)

It’s a story that highlights the fact that religious qualifications are not enough religious dutys are not enough and religious doings are not enough.

LETS READ THE STORY

3 Now 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.” ( WE RECEGNISE THAT THAT HE ADRESSES JESUS AS A TEACFHER FROM GOD BUT NOT THE SON OF GOD)

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?

-NICODIMUS is serious about religion

--NICODIMUS LIST OF NICODIMUSES QULIFICATIONS

-Pharisee

-Israel’s teacher,” Nicodemus

-member of the Jewish ruling council

-we know that you are a teacher ( REPRESENTING OTHER PHARASESS)

From the outset it seems like he as all the qualifications needed AND HE WOULD HAVE THOGHT THAT WAS ENOUGH.

He is probably one of the heist pharisees around

This man was the pope of the day

He was relighues

He would have done good works

He would have obeyed the law of the OT almost perfectly

He would have known the OT inside and outside better than any one

-He thought his obedience to ----the law was enough for entry into the kingdom.

-The bible say he was a pharisee: the main thing to understand about pharisees is there passion and zeal to obey God’s law

They were passionate about obeying every command God laid out in the OT

Judaism teaches that the OT has 613 commandments:;; 248 dos and 365 don’t

When you become a pharisee you pledge in front of 3000 witnesses to uphold every detail

They were so committed to obeying the law that they created additional laws to help the keep the original one that God gave

One example is the bible says to keep the sabath day holy but they spent time figuring things out like can you tie a knot on the sabbath day can you draw water from a well on the sabbath day

-NICODIMUS IS SERIOUS ABOUT RELIGION AS A RESULT OF HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MORALLY UPRIGHT STANDING MAN; HIS CLOSET IS FREE FROM SKELATONS

You can believe what he say he wont bere fuls witness

- NICODEMUS IS A POWERFUL LEADER: MEMBER OF THE JEWISH RULING COUNCIL

IS AN EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE MAN A TEACHER OF ISRAEL VS 10 SAYS

IN THE ORIGINAL IT WOULD SAY -THE TEACHER OF ISRAEL

-You don’t become the most religiose teacher in Israel without having an unbelievable grasp of the OT

This man is an expert in the law

BUT WHAT WE SEE IN JOHN 3 VS 3 IS RELIGIOUS CRENTENNIALS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE

But it was not enough the entre the kingdom of GOD!!!!

Only an encounter with Jesus would gain him access to the kingdom and his response to that encounter.

Only the new birth would give him accsess to the KOG

IT WOULD ALL COME DOWN TO HIS RSESPONS TO BELEIVE

We will see It’s not about doing but it’s about believing

-WHAT JESUS IS SAYING TO NICODIMUS IS YOUR RELGIOSE QULIFICATIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO GET YOU INTO HEAVEN YOU ONLY GET THERE BY SPIRITUELL REBIRTH: JOHN 3:3

Imagen the look on Nicodemus’s face the shock the amzment

N -what do you mean with all I have done in my life sure i can enter the kingdom I was born a jew!!!

N -I’m automatically ok to enter the kingdom!!

-Jesus is swinging a sledge hammer at the foundation this man as stood on

-Nicodemus has spent his life thinking his religious qulifications are enogh but jesus is saying your wrong!

THE NEW BIRTH IS THE ONLY QULIFICATION NEEDED TO GAIN ACCSESS TO HEAVEN :JOHN 3:4-13

I don’t know about you but I am the worst in the world for misunderstanding what people are trying to say some times

IN THIS STORY NICODIMUS MISSED THE MARK and misunderstood what Jesus was saying

He thought his normal birth his first birth was enough

HE thought being re birthed literally was enough

But it wasn’t

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!”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?

-Nicodemus is clearly confused but should not have been

BECAUSE THE GREEK WORD ANOTHEN AS A DOUBLE MEANING BORN FROM ABOVE OR BORN AGAIN

What does Jesus mean by the phrase “born from above” and how does Nicodemus interpret it?

When Jesus says to Nicodemus you must be born again to see the kingdom of God he was using a word that can mean born from above, born again or both.

Nicodemus does not interpret anōthen as born from above and missed what Jesus was saying, indicated by ‘how can a person be born a second time’?

JOHN Was taking the reader back to the START of John and reminding the readers that its “those born not of blood lines, nor of fleshly desire, nor a husband’s desire,” but “born of God” (1:13)

JESUS EVEN GAVE NICODIMUS A SENCOND CHANCE BY SPEAKING IN TERMS HE SHOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD FROM THE OLD TESAMENT BY SAYING “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

BEING BORN OF WATER AND SPIRIT WAS PROHISIED Joel 2:28; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; Ezekiel 11:19–20; 36:25–27, 36:25–27 especially that God would take a heart of stone and give a heart of flesh and sprinkle water on them and pour out his spirit on them.

EZE 36:25

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

-THIS MAN NICODIMUS HAD EVERYTHING BUT HE KNEW HE NEVER HAD IT ALL

-NICODIMUS MISSED IT ALL HE WAS SO FOCUSED ON CLEANING THE OUTSIDE AND KEEPING THE LAWS THAT THAT HE MISSED THE IDEA THAT ITS ABOUT THE INSIDE THAT NEEDED CLEANING BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT A WASHING AND CLEANSING BY GID INTERNALY

We think God is after a clean outside like you need a hair cut or I need to go to church or avoid sin and God will be pleased with me God is not interested in your cleaning project

-The qualifications that he needed was Jesus

A cleansing of the holy spirit

APPILICATION

I got thinking about who Nicodemus is in this story?

THIS MAN IN THIS STORY IS ME !!!

THIS MAN IN THIS STORY IS YOU!!!

JUST LIKE THIS RELIGUIS MAN NEEDED A SAVIURE

We too need a savior

THEY MIGHT BE SOME RELIGUIS PEOLE HERE TONIGHT THAT NEED THE SAVIOURE THAT THINK THERE SAVED BECUSEW OF SOME RELIGHIUSE CREDENTIALS

-just like Nicodemus needed to encounter Jesus so do you !!!

-I want to say tonight that because your religious like Nicodemus

-you have all the qualifications

-you have authority

-you do a lot of good works

-because you turn up at church every week

its not enough.

-You could be in darkness like Nicodemus

-you need Jesus !!!

Jesus is the only qualification you need to go to heaven the regeneration of the holy spirit working in you

-No amount of good works!!

-No amount of how much you go to church!!

-No amount of religiosity

-No amount of knowledge you have of the bible will get you into heaven.

-Don’t matter how many bible studies a week you

-Don’t matter how many paul washer quotes you post on facbook

its not enogh only the new birth will qulify you for the kingdom

- Nicodemus knew the OT better than all of us in here and he was still searching.

- it don’t matter how much you serve

- how much you feed the homeless

- how much you give to charity’s

and I encourage you to do that.

-but if your doing it to get into heaven it wont work

-It don’t matter how many religious quotes you post on facebook its not getting you into heaven

it dose not qualify you

ONLY BEING SOVRAGLY CLEANSED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

PURIFIED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT QULOIFIES US TO ENTRE THE KOG

WELL THIS RAISES THE QESTION HOW DO YOU GET THIS NEW HART GIVEN BY GOD THIS QUILIFICATION ?

JOHN GIVES US A CLUE A FEW VS’S UP

…. 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.”

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.

-There is a lot in the passage about believing in Jesus

-but don’t get confused here we cannot apricate the kind of belief the bible is talking about

-The devil and demons also believe in Jesus

This kind of belief is trust faith and belief trusting in Jesus his life death resurrection who he is for the salvation of your sole

-from that belief in him will come obedience to him

ALTER CALL

-Our mistaskes

and failures

the evil we have been involved with don’t have to separate us from God anymore

WE DON’T HAVE TO STAND CONDEMED NO MORE IF WE JUST BELIEVE IN JESUS

-We have all broke God’s law and Jesus paid the fine that we should have been ours to pay

-Jesus has gone to the cross in our place and paid for them al!!

-He took the crown of thorns on his head that should have been on our heads,

He took the nails should have in our writs

-he took the spear for us he took shame for us naked cross n front of everyone being spat on. His heart was broken for us

-And he took the curse that should have been laid on us

-He took utter separation from God something we all will experience for eternity if we don’t believe in Jesus today.

- He died so we don’t have too die

-And he was raised to life so we can be raised to life for eternity

So we can live an unimaginable life in heaven for eternity with him

-He took the punishment that we all deserved so that nothing in this world could separate us from the Love of God

-I would not be doing my job today if I never gave people the opportunity to ask Jesus into there lives to have faith in him and his work.

-You might be far from God

-you might have never known God

-you might be religious but that wont save -only knowing jesus can save you.

-maybe you might be thinking I was confirmed as a child or followed Jesus for a while and things got in the way,

-well now is the perfect opportunity to invite Jesus into your life

-PRAY ALTER CALL

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