For God So Loved

Can you join me in giving our praise team and our kids a hand leading us in worship today? Aren’t they awesome? We’re such a blessed church. The kids sang in the first service and were so well received. So, parents, thank you for getting here early and letting them participate in big church now. They left because we don’t serve snacks in here. I wish we did. So anyway, I'm sure they’re having a good time over there right now.

But we are glad to open God’s Word to the Gospel of John chapter three. We decided that since it’s 3/16, March 16, we're going to preach on John 3:16. But I want to give you the context of John 3:16. So today, I want to bring a message entitled, “For God So Loved.”

And we’re going to be in John 3:1-18. And I hope today you'll better understand the context of that most familiar and beloved scripture verse, John 3:16.

As you’re turning there, let me ask you a question. Have you ever played the game, that mental game, if I had my life to do over again? If you’re under 40, you’ve probably never played that game because you still think I have time to turn this around.

But around the age of 40 and later, you start wondering, if I had my life to do over again, what would I do differently? I talked to a man not long ago, and we talked about that question, and he said if I had my life to do over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. On the other hand, his wife had several suggestions of things he could do differently.

I know that if I could do my life over, there are many things I would not change. But there are many other things I would change. There are some decisions I would not have made if I had my life to do over again. Sometimes, I wouldn’t have been so timid or insecure if I had my life to do over again. If I could go back, I would have paid more attention to math class early in my educational career. If I could only go back, I might have learned to play an instrument and could be up on stage with you guys playing. I’m jealous. I repent of envy every Sunday, especially the drummer.

And so anyway, if I could do my life over again, there are times I look back and think I would like a second chance. Maybe you’ve done the same thing. There are some decisions, there are some regrets, and there are some missed opportunities that you wish you could go back and change. We all know this is merely a mental game we play because it is impossible to reverse our time.

We can’t go back in time. We can’t rewind the tape and do it over again. As much as we would long for a do-over day, we can’t, it is impossible. But Jesus Christ said emphatically that if you want to be right with God, if you want to see or enter into the kingdom of God, if you want to be included in the family of God, you absolutely must start over. You do not just need a second chance; you need a second birth.

That’s what we're going to talk about today in our time together. We’re going to look at a man named Nicodemus. And we’re going to step into the story of Nicodemus' life and how he was a religious person, wondering, am I right with God? Am I doing this right? Have I got it figured out?

And Jesus reveals to him that he didn’t come into the world to improve Nicodemus's life. He came into the world to make Nicodemus' life new. And that’s what he wants to do for you. He wants to give you a new life that is alive to God, and apart from Jesus, it is impossible to experience this new life.

There’s somebody here this morning who’s religious, and you’re a good person, and Jesus would not argue with that. But he would say to you, religion can’t save you. He would say to you being a good person is not enough. You need not just a second chance; you need a second birth. And only Jesus can give that to you. I don't want you to take my word for any of this. I want you to see with your own eyes this encounter of Jesus with a man named Nicodemus. In John 3, beginning with verse one, I will read from the English Standard Version. Why don’t you follow along in your Bible?

READ SCRIPTURE PASSAGE

John 3:1-18

May God bless the reading of his holy word. If you're taking notes, I want you to see first, the priority of the new birth.

I. The priority of the new birth.

Jesus talks about being born again. I remember the first time I was conscious of that phrase “born again.” I was a little boy and our governor, Jimmy Carter, was running for President of the United States. He declared himself to be a born-again Christian. And I remember even then, as a kid, hearing the debate among people who had never heard that phrase or it sounded a little kooky or fanatical to them. Some people speculated that Jimmy Carter used the words born again Christian to get the Southern Baptist vote. Maybe that’s true; perhaps it's not. Other people said, no, no, no, no, this is not a PR stunt. That’s in the Bible, to be born again. You would even hear some people say, well, I’m a Christian, just not the born-again type, whatever that meant. But Jesus tells Nicodemus there is no other kind of Christian than a born-again Christian. There is no other way to see the kingdom of God, much less enter the kingdom of God, except you be born again.

Jesus says the necessity of the new birth should be the priority of your life. And Jesus is saying this to someone so good and religious in the eyes of the world that you would think Jesus would say, everyone must be born again except you, Nicodemus. But he makes no exceptions, not even for Nicodemus. Did you notice back in verse one that there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus who was a ruler of the Jews?

So, Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was a part of that religious sect in Israel committed to learning the Ten Commandments and the 613 commandments of the Old Testament and living by them every moment of every day. Their lives were regulated to the minute detail in seeking to live good, upstanding, moral lives. And the Pharisees were teachers of the law. They sought to live by the Old Testament law of God to be right with God and taught other people how to do it. Now, by the time Jesus comes on the scene, this group of Pharisees has become very legalistic, and they find themselves in opposition to the popularity of Jesus. “Who does this new upstart think he is to come and gather such popularity in teaching the word of God? We’re the ones that the people of Israel ought to look to.” So Nicodemus is a part of that group, and we give them a bad rap. But if you were a Jew in the first century, a Pharisee is the kind of guy you want living next door to you. A Pharisee is the kind of guy you want doing your taxes. A Pharisee is the kind of guy typically you would want your daughter to marry. They were known for their morality.

He’s also a member of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin, so he’s a part of the Jewish Supreme Court. This guy is weighing in on the weighty matters that face the nation of Israel and the people of Israel. And he comes to Jesus, according to verse two, by night. Let's title the sermon Nick at night! Some of you will get that on the way home.

So Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night and says, rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs. That’s a key word in the Gospel of John. No one can do these signs or miracles that have a message to them unless they come from God. Jesus has been preaching the message of the Kingdom of God, calling people to repent and to believe in him. But he has also been performing miracles that backed up his message. And Nicodemus says no one can do these miracles except he came from God. So we know you’re a teacher, come from God, and God is with you. God’s power is upon you. God’s favor is upon you.

So Nick comes to Jesus at night because he’s worried that his colleagues will look down on him. They hate Jesus. Their hostility will only grow from this point. But Nicodemus is curious about Jesus, and he says, I know you come from God, so maybe you can answer the deepest longings of my heart. Now, Nicodemus doesn’t express those before he even gets to the point of expressing his heart’s desire, his longings, and the questions that keep him up at night; Jesus just jumps in and answers them right for him.

Evidently, Nicodemus is wondering, after all this religious stuff I’m doing, am I right with God? Am I going to be a part of the kingdom of God when it comes to earth? Can I know that my sins are forgiven? Because even though I’m religious, I’m not perfect.

And Jesus blurts out in verse three before Nick can even say any of that, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus, even you, in your exalted position in Israel, with your religious pedigree, with all of your religious righteous deeds, you need to know that unless you are born from above, literally in the Greek, born again means to be born from above, you will not even see the kingdom of God. Little does Nick know, at this moment, he is standing in front of the embodiment of the kingdom of God, and he can’t see Jesus for who he is. He’s not just a teacher. He’s not just a miracle worker. He is the Messiah, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords. But he does not need just a second chance. He needs a second birth. He needs to be born again to be right with God.

Why would Nick need to be born again? Why would anybody need to be born again? Nick’s not sure what Jesus refers to, but I can tell you this. If Jesus would say to a man like Nicodemus, you must be born again, he certainly would say it to me and you. We know that even on our best days, we are flawed human beings. Even on our best days, we are still sinners. That’s why we need to be born again because our sin has cut us off from a relationship with the giver of life, God himself. And God warned back in the Garden of Eden the soul that sins shall die. And we are all sinners therefore, we are spiritually dead. And to be right with God, we need a new birth. We’ve had a physical birth, but we need a spiritual birth. If you’re confused about that, welcome to the club. Nicodemus was confused.

So, after talking about the priority of the new birth, let’s move on to the power of the new birth. If you’re taking notes, point number two is the power of the new birth.

II. The Power of the New Birth

It was poet Tennyson who wrote, “Ah for a man to arise in me, that the man I am may cease to be.” Have you ever longed for that? Have you ever longed to become a new person? Have you ever struggled with your flaws? Have you ever struggled with your sin? Have you ever struggled with guilt and shame, wondering what’s wrong with me? The things I know I ought to do, I don’t always do, but I do the things I know I shouldn’t do? What’s wrong with me? "Ah, for a man to arise in me, that the man I am may cease to be."

And that, my friend, is precisely what Jesus is promising. He is offering to give you a new life, a new you. Jesus did not come into the world just to make your life better. He came into the world to make you new.

Nicodemus is struggling. In verse four, Nicodemus asks how a man can be born when he is old. Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Now? Nicodemus is old and smart enough to know the ABCs, birds, and bees.

He knows this is not how babies are made. And he knows a second birth is impossible. He’s arguing with Jesus. He is pushing back on Jesus, talking about this new birth concept. You know, what are you talking about?

And so, in verse 5, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, Amen. Amen in the in Aramaic. So verily, verily, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

As a Jew, Nicodemus knew all about the ceremonial cleansings and washings with water. But Jesus is saying, capital S. Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. Unless the power of the Holy Spirit cleanses you, you will not only not see the kingdom, you can’t enter into the kingdom of God. Your sin defiles you. And you need the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse you. Nicodemus, you can’t do this by your own works or good deeds. What you can’t do for yourself, the Spirit of God can do for you.

Jesus says in verse six that which is born of the flesh is flesh. He says, I’m not talking about that, but that which is born of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God is spirit. This is not a fleshly religious deed that you can do. Jesus is not asking us to become Baptists, to become Methodists, to become Catholics. He’s not asking us to become more religious, turn over a new leaf, or try harder. No, he’s saying, you can’t do this. You can’t accomplish this new birth, but the Spirit of God can. And when you are born again, it’s born from above, born by the power of God, you receive spiritual life.

Verse 7. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again.

It’s Jesus’ way of saying that what’s impossible with men is possible with God. Don’t be surprised at what God can do.

I once shared the Gospel of Jesus with a man struggling with his past. He indeed had done some vile things and could not believe God could ever forgive someone like him. And I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere with him in sharing the Gospel. I finally wanted to keep the door open for more conversations. And I said, well, listen. I know you’ve got more questions, and you need to go but listen; God loves you. I invite you to our church. We talk about these kind of things every Sunday.

And when I invited him to church, he scoffed. He said, yeah if I walked into your church, the roof would cave in. And I said, listen, hundreds of sinners gather every Sunday, and the roof is still there. It can hold one more. Why don’t you come? And he said, it’s no use, Pastor. I’m irredeemable. I’m a lost cause. And I asked this man, basically out of desperation, what would it take for you to open your heart to Jesus Christ? And he said it would take a miracle. And I said, well, I’ve got good news for you! That’s precisely what Jesus offers. What you cannot do for yourself, through his power, he can do for you, if you trust in Him.

Jesus says the same thing to Nicodemus in verse 8. He says the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear it sound. You know, you can’t control the wind. You can’t control what it does, but you hear its sound. And Jesus says, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who was born of the Spirit of God. You say, Pastor, you’ve got to explain all of this in detail and answer every objection and every question I have before I become a Christian. That is an impossible task. It is a miracle of God. To be forgiven of your sin, to be brought into the family of God, to know that your sins are forgiven and heaven is your home, is not something the human mind can comprehend. It is a miracle of God, not of your flesh, religion, good works, or a second chance. But it is a work of God. I can share my testimony to all who believe in Jesus and the rest of us who know Jesus as our Savior, but I will never plumb the depths of God’s grace and how he saved me. The Holy Spirit does what the Holy Spirit does.

So Jesus says to Nicodemus, salvation from sin, being right with God, being a part of the kingdom of God, is not about your performance. It’s about God’s power. It is not about your merit. It is about God’s mercy. It is not about your goodness. It is about God’s amazing grace; we can’t figure it out. And, friend, if Jesus told a man like Nicodemus he must be born again, I say to you, you must be born again.

We’ve seen the priority and the power of the new birth. Let me give you a third thought here. And that is the person of the new birth.

III. The Person of the New Birth

Who is it who accomplishes this new birth? In our passage in verse nine, Nicodemus asked him how these things could be. And Jesus answered, are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

You see, at this point, Israel had forgotten that the law of Moses that God gave was never intended to save them. It was intended to be a school teacher, to show them even on your best day, you can’t love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and you don’t love your neighbor as yourself. And in desperation, you should throw up your hands and say, God, I can’t! Help me! And God says we’re in business because you’ve learned the lesson that you can only be saved by grace through faith.

So Jesus talks to Nicodemus and says in verse 11, Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we've seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

In other words, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Nicodemus, verse 12. If I’ve told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he, who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

Jesus is saying, stop leaning on what other people have told you. Stop leaning on your understanding and look to me, the Son of Man. You’ve already confessed, Nick, that I have come from God, and God is with me because you’ve seen the miracles I performed. Well, why don’t you listen to me and believe me when I tell you about these heavenly things?

To anyone here this morning who is a skeptic of the claims of Christianity, look past a bunch of Christians and look to Jesus. Investigate his claims. Read the Gospels. Watch him on the pages of the New Testament. Watch him as he lives a perfect life. Watch him as he loves the unlovely. Watch him as he bleeds and dies for sinners. Watch him as he dies and comes out of that grave alive on the third day astounding even his followers. Look to him. He’s the only one who came down from heaven and, by the way, went back. Listen to him about spiritual things.

So Jesus decides to teach this teacher a lesson from the Old Testament. Verse 14. He says As Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted.

It’s a story from the Book of Numbers where the people of Israel, in their wanderings, had rebelled against God, and God judged them with serpents, and anyone who was bitten would die. But God also told Moses to do something strange. Take this bronze serpent, and put it on a pole, and you lift it for all the camp of Israel to see. And anyone who will look will live. But if they refuse the command to look and live, they will die.

And so Jesus uses that example from the Old Testament to say, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Even here, Jesus is foreshadowing his being lifted on the cross of Calvary, dying for sinners who the poison of their sin has touched. And yet God says, if you’ll look you will live, but if you won’t look to my Son and believe in him, you will die.

And that is where we get our favorite verse of Scripture, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Jesus says I’m the Person of the new birth. You can’t save yourself, but I can save you. Look to me. Trust in me. You have a sin problem, Nicodemus, but I’m your Savior.

Here in John 3:16, we see God’s love.

For God so loved the world. In Greek, it’s God who loved the world in this way. It not only speaks of the intensity of God’s love, it speaks of the demonstration of God’s love. God loved the world in this way: He gave his only begotten son. And what does it mean that God gave his son? It doesn’t just mean that God gave his son in a cradle at Christmas. It means that God gave his son at Calvary on the cross. He offered him up for sinners, taking the punishment for their sins, drinking the poison of their sins, and taking the penalty for their sins.

The Bible says God made Jesus to become sin for us, even though he knew no sin. That doesn’t mean Jesus became a sinner. It means he became a sin-bearer for each one of us. Think of the most ugly, heinous sin you’ve ever committed. And Jesus represented it. And God crushed it in Jesus. God paid the price for your sin in Jesus. God punished it on the cross in Jesus. For God so loved the world. In John’s Gospel, when he refers to the world, he’s not just talking about this globe. He’s talking about all the people in it who rebelled against God. “God, I don’t want you to be my God. I want to be the God of my life. I don’t want to do what you want me to do. I want to do what I want to do. I don’t want to love you. I want to love myself. I want. I don’t always want to treat other people like myself. I sometimes want to use people, abuse people, look down on people.” That’s the world that God still loves. The world has rebelled against him. And how do we know God loves us? Because Jesus demonstrates it. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Do you remember the movie The Last Emperor? It was a film based on the last emperor of China. A little boy becomes the last emperor. The film portrays his life in the Forbidden Palace and everyone serving him. But the palace became like a prison. He’s not able to leave the Forbidden Palace in China. One day, his brother comes to see him. His brother is amazed at all the luxury that his little brother lives in and all the thousands of eunuchs who serve him. His brother asks the emperor what happens when he does something wrong. The emperor said my servant is punished when I do wrong. And to illustrate, he smashes a priceless vase, and then a servant is taken out. You hear him being beaten for what the emperor did.

Friend, can I tell you that in the kingdom of God, Jesus reverses the roles? In his kingdom, we, his subjects, have done wrong, but in his kingdom, the King takes our punishment for us on the cross of Calvary.

For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. And what is God’s invitation to you and me? For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God invites you to look and live. Believe in Jesus and have eternal life. Put your trust in him, and you will be forgiven for your sin. Otherwise, you are going to perish in your sin.

You are going to die and go out into eternity unforgiven, not because God hates you, but in spite of the fact that God loves you and offers you his salvation.

Let me share my favorite illustrations of "belief in," rather than "belief about." There's a difference. You do know that, don’t you? It’s a different equation to believe in someone and just about someone. My favorite illustration is that of the Great Blondin. In the late 1800s, he was a tightrope walker. He was known for his infamous deeds over Niagara Falls. He would cross the tightrope, take a stool out and sit on it and balance, push a wheelbarrow over the falls, or sit down and eat his breakfast over the falls. He even carried his manager, Henry Colcord, on his back over the tightrope of Niagara Falls. And the crowds cheered him from both sides. They were amazed at what he could do. And they called him the Great Blondin. One day, he crossed that with Henry Colcord, and people were cheering him on. He said as he got to the other side, “Who believes I can carry any man across these falls?” And people cheer, “We believe. We believe!” The Great Blondin then pointed to a man and said, “Sir, get on my back.” “No, no,”: the man cried. No one in the crowd would climb on his back.

The crowds believed about the great Blondin. Only Henry Colcord believed in the great Blondin. Many of you have heard about Jesus, and you believe in Jesus, but you’ve never believed in him. Literally, in Greek, you must believe on Jesus, stake your eternal destiny on him, climb up as an act of faith on Jesus, and say “You’re the only one who can span the chasm from hell to heaven. And I’m going to trust you with my eternal destiny. I believe in you, Jesus.”

Nicodemus is called to believe in John 3:16. But he was on that side of the cross. How much more should we believe in Jesus on this side of the cross and the empty tomb? Believe not just in Jesus, but believe on him so that you will not perish but have a life that lasts forever. This is the good life Jesus promised, the abundant life Jesus promised, the forgiven life Jesus promised, the life that will never end.

Just yesterday, I visited someone who’s received some terrible news. They’re not members of our church.

And as I sat in the hospital's parking lot, I prayed. I said, “Lord, you gotta help me. As I walk into this hospital room, I want to be an encouragement, but this man and his wife and their family are hurting, and I want to be a blessing. And I don’t know what to expect. I know that they’ve received some terrible news.”

So the Lord, I thought, put a verse of Scripture on my heart. Hebrews 13:5-6. “The Lord has said, I’ll never leave you nor forsake you. Therefore, I have nothing to fear. What will man do to me?”

And I got myself ready to go into that hospital room, braced to share a word of encouragement and prayer. But as I walked into this room with people who had just received devastating news, the first thing they said to me was, “Oh, Pastor, aren’t you grateful that Jesus gives us eternal life? This will not be the end.” And I realized then they didn’t need me. They had Jesus and the promise of His Word that He gives you eternal life. A life spiritually that will never end with God. A relationship with God that will never end.

We usually stop at John 3:16. But look at verses 17 and 18.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved.

You remember when Jesus was born, the angel said, you will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Do you know the name Yeshua? Jesus means God saves. If you go to the office or school tomorrow, you’re likely to hear people use his name, and often not in a good way. They’ll use his name as a curse word. They’ll use his name when they’re mad or exasperated. But in that moment, whenever you hear the name Jesus, whether in a good context or bad, think to yourself, He died to save me. That’s what his name means. He died for me to save me. Because God didn’t send him to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved from the penalty of their sin.

If you’re taking notes, the fourth and final point is the prerequisite of the new birth. It is believing in Jesus.

IV. The Prerequisite Of The New Birth

Verse 18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed. In the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Do you know why Jesus didn’t come to condemn us? Because we’ve done a good job ourselves. We’ve condemned ourselves to be banished from God’s presence, who is holy and righteous because we are so sinful.

But God still loves us and sent his son on a rescue mission for us. God will not force this on anyone. We do not tolerate people pushing themselves on others in our society. God’s not gonna do it either. God loves you enough to say that I won’t force myself on you if you don't want me.

But if you don’t want me, you’re under condemnation to be separated from me forever. But I want you. And I’ve done everything necessary to bring you back. You must receive, trust, believe, and put your confidence in my son. And if a person is condemned, it is not because God did it. It’s because they did it by refusing to believe in the name of the unique Son of God.

Conclusion

In the seventh chapter of John's Gospel, we see Nicodemus, who came to Jesus in timidity at night in chapter three, now stands up for Jesus before the whole group of Pharisees, saying we must treat this man fairly. It’s a glimpse that he is beginning to believe in Jesus. And then we find something amazing. After the crucifixion of Jesus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, who gave his tomb for the body of Jesus, we find Nicodemus bringing 75 pounds of aloes and spices to embalm the body of Jesus. I believe I will see Nicodemus in heaven one day because he believed in the Son of God. At a moment unknown to us, he placed his faith in Jesus as truly the Son of God. Nicodemus discovered the new life that Jesus provides. Nicodemus became a new creation.

Jesus did not come to make your life better, He came to make you new.

Will you trust Him to do that today? You must be born again. God loves you and sent His Son Jesus to saved you if you believe in Him.

When I do weddings, I’ll get to the point of the vows. Some people want more modern vows, but I still like the traditional vows. Not the ones that say obey. I’ve never used those. Donna forbids me from using those. Lol.

I’m talking about that point in the ceremony where you look a man in the eye, standing there with his bride, and ask him with all solemnity, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, leaving all others and cleaving only to her, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, till death do you part? Do you so promise?

And then he says for everyone to hear, I do.

And this morning, God asks each of us, do you take my son to be your Savior? We each must respond. You cannot be neutral. My prayer is your response will be, I do.

Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for your encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus stepped into the story of Jesus, but more significant than that, Jesus stepped into his story and changed his life for eternity.

Lord, I can’t write the end of Nicodemus’ story. It’s done. But each of us can write the end of our story, and I pray that it will be said of each of us: he believed in Jesus, she believed in Jesus. Amen.

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