Believe

Manuscript Template

Title:  Believe

Focus Statement:  There is nothing we can do to earn salvation from our sins; we can only accept the free gift of forgiveness that God offers, and believe in Jesus (God’s son) who paid the price for the consequences of our sin on our behalf.

Function Statement:  Make a decision; believe or don’t believe

Tweetable Phrase:  Salvation is received, not achieved.

Main Text:  John 3:1-21

Supporting Text:  Numbers 21:4-9, John 7:50-52, John 19:38-42

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  John 10:10

Benediction:  Romans 3:20-26

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

What a day of worship!!!

JT sent me his song a few weeks ago, and as I have been thinking about today’s message, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

The second step of discipleship is belief, and the reality is that there are a lot of people that JTs song describes.

They want a relationship with God.

They want to believe that Jesus came from Heaven, became fully human, yet remained fully God, lived a sinless life, allowed himself to be sacrificed to take the consequences of our sin upon himself, forgiving us of our sin, making us righteous in God’s eyes, and coming back from the dead three days later giving us hope in an eternal future with God in heaven.

Yet, because of their past, they feel stuck, 18 inches away from being able to put their trust in Jesus

They feel that they need to defeat every temptation, remove all sin from their lives, and DO enough good so they can “EARN / DESERVE” God’s forgiveness

I personally didn’t have a moment that I can identify when I put my faith in God. I grew up in the church and always believed in Jesus. I think bringing me to church every week was a huge gift that my parents gave me.

But, even though I always mentally agreed with the teaching of the Bible (mostly because that’s all I knew), the thoughts of needing to EARN my salvation was still present.

And that’s natural, we live in a very transactional society. Far too often, people only care about us because of what they can get from us.

Friendships can easily become transactional; “I’m only your friend if...”.

Companies a built around “pay for performance”

How many times have you heard someone say, “what’s in it for me”

Rarely do people do things without expecting something in return.

It is far too easy to take our experience with human relationships and apply those experiences to God.

People only want me around if they get something out of it...So, God must only want a relationship with me if I’m producing fruit for Him

People will bail on me if I don’t meet every one of their expectations...So, God will abandon on me if I fail to keep the laws in the bible, or fall back into an old addiction

To be part of the group I have to pay my dues...So, I have to earn forgiveness from God and be good enough before I can accepted within the Church

These are obviously lies...but...

I have been guilty of this, and it’s a mental struggle I still battle with from time to time.

WE - Tension

Have any of you gotten trapped in this line of thinking?

Have you ever felt like you are stuck 18 inches away from Jesus, unable to fully commit your life to serving Him as your Lord and savior?

Have you bought into the lie that you have to earn forgiveness from your sins and acceptance into God’s family?

Over the last week, multiple people have come to talk to me with questions about discipleship.

That is awesome, and I’m so glad that you’re engaging with this series and seeking to deepen your relationship with God.

One of the main questions people have asked is, “How do I fully surrender my life to God?”

I appreciate the question and admire the desire to jump right into the deep end, but discipleship is a process.

Discipleship is the process of slowly giving over pieces of your life to God, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape and mold you into a person with a Christ-Like character.

It takes time.

That’s why I used footprints on the graphic for this discipleship series.

Discipleship is the act of taking the next step the Holy Spirit calls you to take closer to Jesus.

We’ve laid it out as six steps.

Attend - learn facts about who Jesus was and what Jesus did (discipleship starts in the HEAD)

Believe - put faith in Jesus as your LORD and savior based on what you know (discipleship moves to the HEART)

Grow - start living out your faith, applying what you learned

Serve - allow God to work through you to serve those hurting around you (discipleship is lived out through your HANDS)

Give - support others doing Kingdom work by giving back to God what He gave you to steward

Invite - offer the life change you’ve experienced to others by inviting them into the community

We are all on the path of discipleship.

We all have things to learn.

We all have parts of us that still need to grow.

We all need to listen to and discern the voice of the Holy Spirit; serving, giving, and inviting as the Holy Spirit convicts us to do.

My prayer for this series, is that each and every one of us hears from the Holy Spirit at least once and chooses to take that next best step toward Christ.

This week, we’re going to talk about STEP 2: BELIEVE

I’m going to jump ahead to the final point now.

My prayer for today is that the Gospel (good news) of Jesus can be clearly communicated and each and every one of us leaves here with a clear understanding of what Jesus has done for us and the gift that Jesus offers us.

I pray that if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus that today you make that decision and start your life long journey down the path of discipleship to be everything that God created you to be.

I pray that if you have already put your faith in Jesus, that today you are reminded of what Jesus has done for you, what Jesus has saved you from, and the life Jesus has saved you for. That any remaining false beliefs or lies from the Devil will be confronted and eliminated from your life.

To do that, we’re going to look at an interaction that Jesus had with a man who was literally 18 inches away from Jesus (physically and spiritually), seeking to understand and believe who Jesus was.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Acts 3] as we look at the interactions Jesus has with Nicodemus.

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text

John 3:1 NIV

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.

When we meet Nicodemus he is introduced as a Pharisee.

And not just any Pharisee, part of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin, the 70 people who made up Israel’s supreme court. He was a very important, powerful, educated individual.

For context, the word Pharisee means “separated”

Pharisees were a group of Jewish elite that were on the look out for the messiah.

They were looking for the Messiah with the goal of separating themselves by being so holy that when the messiah came they would be the first people God revealed himself to.

To do this they tripled the 613 laws of God and became hyper legalistic in the way they followed the Old Testament laws

Their view was that if they DO enough, they will be accepted by God.

They didn’t think they needed a savior, because they could be “GOOD ENOUGH” by their own efforts.

Many times we look down on the Pharisees in the bible because they regularly clashed with Jesus, but if we’re honest, there is a lot of Pharisee in us all.

I bet each one of us struggles at least a little with feeling like we need to be “good enough” to earn God’s love

The good news is, the Pharisees were wrong, and the voice in our heads telling us we need to earn God’s love is wrong.

We can do nothing to earn God’s love, He gives it freely, we just need to humble ourselves and accept it.

Knowing who Nicodemus was, let’s continue.

John 3:2 NIV

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.”

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.

We aren’t told why, but we can assume that part of his reasoning was to avoid other Pharisees from seeing him talking with Jesus.

But… darkness in the bible is also the metaphor for being spiritually far from God

Darkness is the realm of Satan and evil… it’s where doubt and unbelief live

Nicodemus, had doubts about who Jesus was, how he could do the miracles he was doing, and if the Pharisees were right in persecuting Him.

Yet...God meets us where we are

No matter where you are at, what doubts you have, what sins you’ve committed...God is ready, with arms wide open, to meet with you as well.

Even in your darkness.

Continuing on, Jesus gets right to the point.

John 3:3 NIV

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Jesus takes Nicodemus’ doubts, unbelief, and thoughts that in some way he has to earn forgiveness, and in one line puts all that incorrect thinking to bed.

The concept of being “born again” may seem strange, but Jesus is using the common example of childbirth as an example for salvation.

When a baby is born, the baby doesn’t do any work. The mom does everything.

The same is true when we come to God to be forgiven.

We don’t (and can’t) do anything, there is nothing for us to do, God has already done the work on our behalf.

God sent His son Jesus to earth, to pay our debt for us.

When we get saved, the only thing that we bring to the table is the sin that needs to be forgiven

But...Nicodemus doesn’t get it.

John 3:4 NIV

“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!”

Nicodemus is still thinking about having to EARN salvation, to DO something to have his sins forgiven.

Please hear me on this...

Salvation is received, not achieved

So...Jesus give Nicodemus some examples to help him understand.

John 3:5–8 NIV

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 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.”

Jesus is playing some games with His words.

The word for Wind and Spirit are the same.

Pneuma (Greek) / Ruach (Hebrew)

Jesus is telling Nicodemus that just because you can’t see the Spirit of God doesn’t mean you can’t see what He does

You can see the trees blow in the wind even though you can’t directly see the wind

You can feel the cold breeze hit your skin even though you can’t see the wind

You can sense the inner conviction to do what’s right and obey God’s laws that comes from God’s Spirit

You can feel a power beyond yourself to resist temptation and do what’s right

You can feel a peace that surpasses understanding, when your world is falling apart, that can only come from God

Even if you can’t see the Spirit of God, you can know that He exists by seeing and feeling the effect that the Spirit has on you and on others

But again, Nicodemus doesn’t get it.

John 3:9 NIV

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

But Nicodemus still didn’t get it...and I appreciate that...because

We don’t have to have it all figured out to become a disciple, we just need a desire to follow God and become more Christ-like.

And even with Nicodemus’ lack of understanding, Jesus doesn’t give up on him.

And he doesn’t give up on us

Jesus continues to teach, continues to guide, and continues to help Nicodemus correct his thinking

John 3:10–13 NIV

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

It is here that Jesus stops talking in metaphor.

Jesus is very clear who He is - The SON OF MAN

The term SON OF MAN is used over 70x in the Old Testament to describe the coming messiah

Jesus is directly calling himself the messiah - the savior of the world

And Jesus doesn’t stop there, by saying, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from Heaven”, Jesus directly challenges the view that Nicodemus (and the Pharisees) can get to heaven by BEING GOOD ENOUGH, or by DOING enough good things.

Nicodemus thought the messiah would be the GREAT RULE KEEPER

Jesus came as the great PROMISE KEEPER

The gospel message (the good news) is that Jesus came to earth on a RESCUE MISSION rooted in RELATIONSHIP

Salvation is not rooted in behavior, it is rooted in belief

Every other religion teaches that we need to DO enough to earn our way to Heaven, Christianity is unique in acknowledging that we can never be good enough to earn salvation, we can only be saved by a loving God who pays the debt we owe because of our sin for us

To further strengthen the point, Jesus uses some common Jewish teaching methods to drive the point home for Nicodemus.

John 3:14–15 NIV

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

This is a REMEZ (a method Jewish teachers would use to reference a story in the Old Testament without reteaching the whole story)

The snake lifted in the wilderness in from Numbers 21:4-9.

It is a story when the Israelites sinned while wondering in the desert after God rescued them from slavery in Egypt.

The consequence of their sin was that God released poisonous snakes into the camp.

Many Israelites were bitten and died.

They pleaded for help, for a savior.

God told Moses to make a snake and put it up on a pole, anyone who is bitten and looks up to the snake won’t die.

Jesus is comparing Moses’ bronze snake to himself.

Just as the Israelites had poison circulating in their veins, we have sin coursing within us

Just as the Israelites couldn’t save themselves, but needed to look up to be saved, we need to look up and believe in Jesus to be cleansed of our sin and receive eternal life.

It is here that Jesus give it to Nicodemus as plainly as he can.

This is probably the most known verse in the bible.

John 3:16 NIV

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.

The “FOR” in John 3:16 tells us WHY God sent Jesus to earth. God sent His son Jesus because he LOVES us.

God loves you

And God doesn’t just love you, the “SO” is used because it was used as a multiplier similar to how we use the word REALLY.

God doesn’t just love you, He amplifies that love.

If love was a light rain, God’s love is the pelting rain for a hurricane.

[Picture: hurricane weather person]

Like the weather people who stand on the beach and get blown away by the wind and rain of a hurricane, God’s love for us is lavish and overwhelming.

In fact God’s love is so great, that he sent his “ONE AND ONLY” son. Some translations translate this as BEGOTTEN.

The original language is MONO GENUS which means of the same essence as the Father

Jesus also uses this as another Jewish teaching method to help Nicodemus understand

This is a PROTOLOGOS (or the rule of 1st occurrence). When Jesus says, “your only son” he is referencing Genesis 22:2, the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Genesis 22:2 NIV

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

If you’re not familiar with the story, Abram (which means exalted father) was promised by God that he would become the father of many nations

After years of waiting, he was given that promised child, Isaac.

In a test of faith, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham believed God could do anything, even resurrect Isaac if he followed through with the sacrifice.

Keep in mind, Isaac older (18+), this was also a test of how much Isaac trusted Abraham because Abraham was 118.

At the last-minute God gives a substitute (ram caught in the thicket)

Through the ram, the Angel is symbolically telling Abraham “don’t use your son, one day God is going to use his”

But...right after John 3:16, the verse we all point to use to show God’s love and invite people to put their faith in Jesus...

John 3:17-18 stand as a warning of the judgement those will face who choose not to put their believe in Jesus.

John 3:17–18 NIV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 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.

The reality is that without the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, we are beyond saving.

Because of our sin, we are eternally separated from God, and nothing we can do, can change that.

God sent Jesus to earth for one reason, to be the atoning sacrifice that we needed to repair the damage we caused to our relationship with God through our sin.

Now the term ATONING SACRIFICE is a very CHURCHY term, but it simply means that on the cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself, taking the consequences of that sin upon himself. And at the same time because Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, Jesus’ righteousness was transferred to us, freeing us of an eternity separated from God.

Jesus offers us the gift of forgiveness, a restored relationship with God, and an eternal life with God in heaven.

Jesus already did all the work, we just need to accept the gift that Jesus offers.

Jesus ends with a call to action.

John 3:19–21 NIV

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Jesus calls us to leave the darkness.

Leave the lives of doubt and unbelief that we currently live.

Stop thinking that we can be “good enough” to earn our way to heaven.

But...humble ourselves and accept that we need a SAVIOR, we need a relationship with JESUS, we need to accept the GIFT OF SLAVATION THAT JESUS OFFERS.

YOU - Takeaway

We don’t get a clear answer if Nicodemus put his faith in Jesus that night.

But we do get some inclination that he did later on in the book of John.

John 7:50–52 NIV

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

At personal risk to himself, Nicodemus stood up for Jesus to the Sanhedrin.

And later, after Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus was there.

John 19:38–42 NIV

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Nicodemus prepared Jesus body for burial, something we wouldn’t assume one would do if they didn’t believe Jesus was who he was.

No matter what choice Nicodemus made, the truth is that we all have a choice to make.

CS Lewis (Mere Christianity), “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse”

The truth that the Bible teach is that we were created by God for God

God created us to be in relationship with Himself, but when Adam and Eve sinned - the door opened for sin to enter the world and we are currently suffering the consequences of living in a fallen world

Sin separated us from God

Yet, there is nothing we can do to clean ourselves up for God.

The Old Testament laws were a lesson to us all that no matter how hard we try we can never be “good enough” to earn our way back into relationship with God

Since we can’t do anything, God did it for us by sending Jesus who

fulfilled every OT prophesy

was tempted in every way

lived a perfect life

and every time chose the will of God over the will of the world

He was falsely accused, tried, and convicted. 

Dying on the cross, Jesus chose to forgive those killing him because he came to save not condemn 

When he said “it is finished” the final payment for our sin was paid at the at moment

We received the right to be children of God

We can be “born again”, as long as we believe

What do we do?

We can do nothing but receive the forgiveness Jesus offers.

It’s as simple as the ABCDEs

A - Admit you’re a sinner and need forgiveness

B - Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, that He died on the cross for your sins, and that He rose from the dead

C - Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and commit your life to follow Him.

D - Demonstrate your faith through baptism and daily obedience

E - Evangelize by sharing your faith with others

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

Jesus didn’t come to give you a bunch of rules, make your life boring, and give you a bunch of To-Dos.

In His own words...

John 10:10 NIV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

That’s what God wants for you.

God wants to free you from the guilt and shame of your past

God wants you to know that you are already forgiven

You are already made righteous in the sight of God.

All you have to do is choose to put your faith in Jesus as your LORD and savior, and accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers you.

A gift of a new life, free of your past, open to a future living the life you were created to live, always knowing that you are fully loved, fully accepted, and your debt has been fully paid.

If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR, I pray that today is the day.

During the last song, come up and fill out a response card, and I’d love to walk with you as you start the journey.

If you have put your faith in Jesus, but you’ve wandered, making other things a higher priority than your relationship with Jesus, I pray that you hear God calling you back.

I pray that today is your day to recommit your life to making your relationship with Christ the highest priority in your life.

During the last, come up and fill out a response card, and I’d love to be praying for you.

And if you’re currently walking with Jesus and your relationship with Him is stronger than ever, I pray that today was a great reminder of the love that God has for you, what Jesus has done for you, and the life Jesus saved you for.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

Response Cards

White Bucket

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Romans 3:20–26 NIV

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

This week...

Let’s stop or commit to never believe that we have to earn God’s love

Let’s stop or commit to never believe that being “good enough” will save us

Let’s instead believe in who Jesus is

Son of God

Fully Human

Fully God

Born of a virgin

Let’s believe in what Jesus did

Lived a sinless life

Allowed himself to be crucified for crimes He did not commit, taking the consequences of our sin upon Himself on the cross, reconciling us to God

Rose to life on the 3rd day, giving us hope of spending eternity with God in Heaven

Let’s believe in what Jesus invites us into

A life of free of guilt and shame

A life full of love, grace, and mercy

Not just eternal life in Heaven after we die, but a life guided by the Holy Spirit now

This week, let’s decide for ourselves exactly what we believe and start living out that belief now

Quick reminder...

1:30 - Painting 2nd Floor

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6 PM - Programming for all ages

If you’re new, please stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How does understanding that Jesus loves you unconditionally change the way you view your mistakes?

In what areas of your life do you struggle to believe that you are already accepted by God?

How can you support your friends who feel like they need to earn their place in God’s family?

What does it mean for you to accept the gift of salvation instead of trying to earn it?

What steps can you take this week to deepen your belief in Jesus and move closer to Him?