What on Earth? | John 3:12-15
Notes
Transcript
Find the “BIG IDEA” >> a. What is the author talking about? b. What is he saying about what he is talking about?
a.
b.
Find the FCF >>
1. What does the text say?
2. What spiritual concern(s) did the text address (in its context)?
3. What spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was written?
[Kids Time!]
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
How did Israel disobey or dishonor God?
What was the bad consequence for Israel’s sin?
What did the people do when they got their bad consequence?
How did God respond to them?
What did God tell the people to do to be saved?
Jesus says this story is like God sending His son to be lifted up on a cross… How are these stories alike?
[Pray]
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[Introduction]
>> Open to John chapter 3
>> Set the Scene:
>> Nicodemus, Ruler of the Jews, meeting with Jesus
>> It’s Night Time…
>> Jesus has ignored the Pharisee’s flattery… And cut straight to the heart of the issue...
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
They’re going back and forth on this topic, Nicodemus grasping for clarity and Jesus unpacking more and more depth that Nicodemus can’t seem to keep up with…
Our last weeks points were,
3 Sections:
Born again to see the Kingdom of God (v. 1-3)
Born of water and Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God (v. 4-8)
Heavenly understanding comes from the Son of Man (v. 9-13)
Confession…
Blamed Jett for deleting notes… was a sync issue with my software, not his fault, clear his name!
Offer some more clarity:
On this first point…
When Born again, see the Kingdom and ourselves (Read prayer):
“O Lord, as long as I am apart from you, I am self-satisfied, because I have no standard by which to measure my low stature. But when I come near to you, there for the first time I see myself. In your light I behold my darkness. In your purity, I behold my corruption. My very confession of sin is the fruit of holiness. Oh! Divine Man, let me gaze on you more and more until, in the vision of your brightness, I loathe the sight of my impurity; until, in the blaze of that glory which human eye has not seen, I fall prostrate, blinded, broken, to rise again a new man in you. Amen.” - George Matheson
>> We see ourselves clearly when we are Born again...
On this second point, we talked about this experience of being born again…
Another point, concerning the experience of being Born Again...
>> Is it a flash of strong emotion?
>> How can we trust our feelings...
“You move us to delight in praising you; for you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” - Saint Augustine
>> I love this quote… The LORD is the one who moves us to delight in praising Him…
>> We find rest in the LORD when we are in His kingdom, when we are Born Again…
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[Introduce Text]
Today, we are cont. in John with what we will call an OT “type” of Christ…
[Read Text]
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
This is the very Word of God!
[Prayer]
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Important for us to remember:
>>Who is Nicodemus? Jewish Ruler, expert on the scriptures…
His final recorded question to Jesus is,
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
>> after Jesus “rebukes” Nicodemus and establishes his Authority as the Son of Man…
>> Starts to answer this question… How Can These Things Be?
Jesus points Nicodemus back to a story he’d recognize, from Numbers 21
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
>> Backstory on Numbers 21:
>> Israel is in the desert, and become “impatient” (v. 4)
>> People speak against God and Moses (v. 5)
>> The LORD sends venomous serpents as JUDGEMENT against the people (v. 6)
>> The people confess and repent, Moses prays for the people (v. 7)
>> The Lord provides salvation, salvation is lifted up and delivers the people (v. 8-9)
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Why bring up this story?
[Quick “story”...]
I cannot speak to people without using illustrations… it’s just the way my brain works.
>> My challenge is… Illustrations can be helpful, or, they can take away from the point of what I’m trying to say
>> Emily does not think in Illustrations, typically… she gets to the point and says it.
Jesus is a Master of both. And John 3:16 and on is the potent, gut punch of clarity (There I go, making more illustrations…)
John 3:3-14 are the “Earthly things”…
John 3:15, and on, are the “Heavenly things”
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What do these “Earthly things” point us to?
We are the Israelites… And so is Nicodemus
Sinners with venom in our veins
Needing the serpent in the wilderness, lifted up salvation from the consequences of our disobedience and sin
We are Nicodemus...
In the dark
Stuck on earthly things
Needing belief in the Son of Man, lifted up for him
Jesus identifies the the Bronze Serpent as a “type” of the Son of Man...
>> BOTH lifted up… One on a pole, the other on a cross
>> BOTH were salvation for the people… One to life from death, the other eternal life from eternal condemnation
>> BOTH require belief… One to set your gaze on the metal sculpture, the other to “believe in him”...
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>> We’ve been speaking of “Earthly things”… Jesus takes us to the “Heavenly” things
Jesus gives us the first of our belief statements in this interaction with Nicodemus,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Belief is a Heavenly thing
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
>> A GIFT
We see a clear example of this in Matthew 16,
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
>> and catch this, a few verses later...
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
>> Jesus knows the hearts of men…
>> Jesus knows His hour has not come… The hour of His crucifixion, death, and ascension
>> Jesus knows belief is a gift from above, a revelation of GOD, the wisdom of God
Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians,
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
and
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
We boast in Jesus… to boast of ourselves is to return to the folly of the world
It’s not my effort, my wisdom, my ability
[Illustration]
As a pastor, I’m tasked with defending sound doctrine and the preaching of the Word of God
When I get feedback or criticism on my preaching, it’s nearly always about me… My style, my exposition, my pace…
The BEST encouragement I get is when someone remarks of how the Word delivered worked in their mind and heart
THATS THE WIN
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>> What does this heavenly gift of belief deliver us to?
Eternal Life is a Heavenly thing
Again we read,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
[Welcome Worship Team Up]
Next week, we will see the most popular text in the Bible...John 3:16
By God’s grace, we will really “see” it.
Do you have the gift of faith?
Do you rely on your wisdom to discern heavenly things?
>> If your belief is not in lifting your eyes to Jesus… it’s folly
>> If your belief is solely attributed to your wisdom and ability… it’s folly
>> If your belief is marked by desperation at your sinful state, wonder at God’s ability to save, and praise that God has saved you… it is the very gift of God
[Pray]
[Communion]
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
“23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Intro:
Jett DIDN’T delete my notes! But here are two things I want to call to mind from last week’s time:
Born again see the Kingdom… including ourselves: George M quote
Our being Born again is a rebirth, it is an emotional and powerful experience… but it’s marked by God’s moving us, not our emotional experience: Aug. Quote
Nicodemus’ final question had been what?… “How can these things be?”
Jesus begins by rebuking the teacher…
Establishes the credibility of His words as the words of the Son of Man
v. 14, Jesus begins answering Nicodemus’ question… “How can these things be?”
Read Text...
The Bronze Serpent, a type of Christ…
Draws Nicodemus’ attention to the parallels between this story and the ‘how” God has sent His salvation, through the Son, to be accomplished by His being lifted up. And, subsequently, the belief in Him for our salvation to all peoples.
Abraham sacrificing Isaac as a sign/type: Genesis 22
John writes the reason for Jesus’ coming… In John 3:16-17
One of the most famous verses in all of sacred scripture… Commonly misused or misunderstood
MUST be read in the context of v. 14-15…
Important implications of the Why:
What is the text saying?
God Loves His people
God sent His only Son to propitiate their sins
Whoever believes in His son is a recipient of this gift, eternal life and NOT destruction
Why the Incarnation? Why send the Son?
The venom of sin courses through the people… death is among them
A cure is needed… God loves those afflicted enough to do something about it
A proper cure is needed… The Son is one of a kind… sufficient for paying the cost…
God’s love is His motivation…
God’s
The cure is 100% affective…
Why any action from God at all?
Why the cross?
Why belief in Him?
***Do I want to tackle all this with John 3:16...?***
What is the text saying?
God Loves His people
God sent His only Son to propitiate their sins
Whoever believes in His son is a recipient of this gift, eternal life and NOT destruction
John 3:16 gives answers to Nicodemus’ question, and so much more
Being Born Again is the “Result”… The Son of Man is the “How”
John 3:16 is the BIG and important WHY…
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16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We’ll be touching on 3 Major points on this text… which we likely wont get through in this time together…
(1) God Loves His people
(2) God gave His only Son for them
(3) Whoever believes in His only Son has eternal life and NOT destruction
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(1) God Loves His people
