Sermon Tone Analysis

Main idea The only credential that guarantees entrance to heaven is the new birth

- A long time ago like many of you here I got myself a drivers licence

--what did that licence qualify me to do?

- many people get degrees and get qualified to go somewhere or do something

------ the same is true to entre the kingdom of God------

You need to be qualified to enter

-SO THIS RAISES THE QESTION?

WHAT IS THE QLIFICATIONS THAT WE NEED TO GO 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!”

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?

-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.