Good morning, CHURCH!

(Church joke of the day)

I heard a story about a little boy last December, who went upstairs to his bedroom to write a letter to God about what he wanted for Christmas.

He started it with, “Dear God, “I’ve been very good these last twelve months. Please send me a bicycle.”

Then he thought about it and figured that wasn’t quite truthful, so he balled it up and started again.

“Dear God, I’ve been very good these last few months.

Please send me a bicycle.”

But then he thought, ‘No, I can’t even say that’.

So, he balled it up again and paced up and down thinking what to write because he really wanted a bicycle!

Finally, he had an idea. He went downstairs to the living room where the Christmas tree was, and beside it, a model of the nativity scene, complete with figures and animals.

He picked up the Virgin Mary and went back upstairs to his bedroom, took a fresh piece of paper, sat down again at his desk and wrote:

Dear Jesus if you ever want to see your mother again…!”

Are you ready to be equipped today?

Let me see your Bibles.

Let’s go to the book of John 14:6 NLT for this week’s wisdom Vaccination.

This Week’s Wisdom Vaccination

John 14:6 NLT

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus was answering a question/comment from Thomas one of the twelve.

Thomas was like, “We don’t even know where you are going, so how can we know the way.”

When Jesus said I am the way, he meant that if you follow his ways and his path and believe he is the son of God, you will spend eternity with the father.

If you’re here today and you’re looking for the way, it is through him.

Question!

What were they looking for the way too?

They were looking for the way to salvation.

They were looking for the Messiah.

Jesus said, “I am he.”

Let’s get into the message.

We’re starting a new series this week.

Jesus said!

In this series we’re going to be talking red letters.

I’ll be pointing out passages of scripture that Jesus was quoted as saying to the people in his day and looking to see what it means for us in our day.

Point #1

Jesus must be lifted up

This first passage of scripture is from a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus who was Pharisee and a Jewish religious leader.

These were men that followed oral traditions passed down and these traditions often superseded the scriptures for them.

In this conversation, Jesus was telling him that you must be born again. (Born of the Spirit.)

Nicodemus couldn’t seem to comprehend it.

John 3:10-15 NLT

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you; we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 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? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

This brings up a point I want to make that I’m sure you theologians know very well but I want to make sure everyone is aware of it.

When Jesus or any of the New Testament authors make a reference to an Old Testament scripture, there is an expectation that you not only know that reference is from the O.T. but that you also know all about the passage and the context of which it was used in the O.T.

So, when Jesus made the quote about Moses lifting up the snake on a pole, he expects us to know the story he referenced in Numbers 21.

The Israelites had grew impatient and complained against Moses and God because of how long the wilderness journey was taking.

Because of their complaining, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them and many of them were bitten and died.

Then the people admitted they had sinned and asked for the snakes to be removed.

And Moses prayed.

And Moses asked God for forgiveness and to save them from the snakes.

What’s interesting is that God didn’t even remove the problem. He didn’t remove the snakes.

But because they repented, he made away for them to survive the problem.

God told Moses to make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole and if anyone is bitten they could look at the snake lifted up and be healed.

So, when reading the N.T., you need to know these references and if not, you need to pause and go back and read them.

Jesus goes on to say:

John 3:16-17 NLT

16 “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.

John 3:16, one of the most famous verses of scripture in the whole Bible.

Question, is Jesus still talking to Nicodemus about being born again?

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus didn’t come to judge the world and sentence them to hell.

He didn’t come to do an Oprah Winfrey giveaway.

“You go to hell.” “You go to hell.” “You go to hell.”

“Everybody go to hell.”

He was telling Nicodemus and everyone else who would ever read this, I’m here to save you.

He continued:

John 3:18-21 NLT

18 “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.

19 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.

Ask yourself.

Self, “Do I love the darkness that this world offers me, more than the light that God sent me?”

20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

v.20 Before you say, “I don’t hate the light even though I love the world,” hate in the Greek simply means to love less.

Ask yourself.

Self, “Do I love the light less than I love the world?”

21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

v.21 Jesus was saying to Nicodemus and he is saying to us, when you come to the light your life becomes a witness for others to see.

I don’t know if Nicodemus ever got it, but you surely need to get it.

You must be born of the Spirit of God.

You must turn from sin and darkness and run to the light.

Jesus loves you, died for you and by rejecting him you’re only condemning yourself.

Point #2

All you have to do is ask.

Luke 11:9-12 NLT

“And so, I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this used as an illustration to nag God in prayer until he just gives in and does whatever you’re asking.

Classic example of taking scripture out of context which leads to either disappointment if it doesn’t happen for you or leads to a dangerous dogma of scripture or movement that people jump all over.

But now look what happens when you put the scripture in the context of which it was written.

Luke 11:5-8 NLT

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

So, we see that this passage is talking about prayer and persistence in prayer.

But this is how he ended the passage for more concrete context.

Luke 11:11-13 NLT

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

You mean that this scripture is not about nagging God for whatever I want until he gives in.

However, if you’re going to keep nagging God in prayer about something, it’s clear that you can keep on asking for the Holy Spirit.

And this just in, in case you grew up in an over the top pentecostal church, the Holy Spirit is not weird or strange.

He doesn’t take over your body and force you start jerking or slithering like a snake or something.

He is a comforter.

He points you to Jesus.

He knows things that you don’t. And he will tell you.

He is the ultimate helper.

He’ll bring the word back to your mind when you need it.

Point #3

You’re safe in him.

In John chapter 10 Jesus was asked a question. “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

He told them, “I’ve already told you, but you didn’t believe me.

So, he told them another way.

John 10:27-30 NLT

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

Jesus began to tell how you would know that someone was a follower of him.

My sheep:

A. Listen to my voice.

B. They follow me.

C. They will never perish.

Here is one of many tests you can give yourself to see if you are listening and following Jesus.

The Bible says Jesus is the word.

And the word says in:

Malachi 3:8 NLT “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.

If you’re watching online or here in the building, I have a very important question to ask you.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?