3 31-36 Getting Ready For Super Tuesday
liberty bible church 1/27/08 a.M.
By Tom Zobrist
“getting ready for super tuesday”
John 3:31-36
introduction
Illus. of To our shame, many of us know much more about Super Bowl Sunday and have prepared for it, than we know about Super Tuesday or what we should do to prepare for it. Some of you may not even know what Super Tuesday is or when it is and what you can do to prepare. In the United States, Super Tuesday commonly refers to the Tuesday in early February or March of a presidential election year when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to select delegates to national conventions. More delegates can be won on Super Tuesday than on any other single day of the primary calendar, and accordingly, candidates seeking the presidency traditionally must do well on this day to secure their party's nomination. To increase importance of their votes, many states have moved up their elections to February 5, 2008. This new, earlier cohort of primaries and caucuses has thus come to be referred to as "Super Tuesday." (By way of denoting its political magnitude, some pundits have variously dubbed it "Giga Tuesday," "Mega Giga Tuesday," "Tsunami Tuesday" or even "Super Duper Tuesday." We’re just a little more than a week away and we want to see what we can do to prepare for Super Tuesday.
OPEN to passage.
Prop. In this passage, we identify someone that would be the perfect leader for any Christian.
Open in PRAYER.
PREVIEW the passage. John the Baptist has just settled a dispute between two of his disciples and is in the process of exalting Jesus Christ. Jesus is the promised Messiah; He is the King that would eventually rule the world. Cf. 3:22-30 Why is it that John is so pro-Jesus? Why is he willing to let his ministry go for Jesus’ sake? What makes Jesus such a good candidate? First…
i. Jesus is a good candidate because he is from our home area vs. 31-32
Illus. of Barak Obama is from Illinois and so Illinois moved its primary up to Super Tuesday, hoping that it would give him an advantage. The thought being that if the President is from your state, you will have an advantage. This may or may not be true for US politics. But it is true when it comes to Jesus. He’s from a believer’s real home and that gives us an advantage in this world.
a. Who is on the platform with Jesus?
Illus. of Oprah supporting Barak, Chuck Norris supports Mike Huckabee, and Chelsea supports her mom. Who is speaking out here for the supremacy of Jesus? There are 3 choices: Bear in mind that the quotation marks are not inspired. In my Bible they are at the end of verse 36. But, they could also be placed after verse 30, where we left off last week.
1. Jesus, as quoted by John the evangelist. Although the style fits with verses 16-21, there is no indication that John is quoting Jesus here as he was in vs. 9-10. These may have been teachings of Jesus that John the evangelist had heard, but these are not direct quotes in this section.
2. John the Baptist- the phraseology here matches that of verses 16-21 better than that of John the Baptist in verses 22-30. The exposition about the Father and the Son fit better with Christian theology than the teachings of John the Baptist. John’s the Baptist’s quote probably ends after verse 30.
3. The only other choice is that these are the words of John the evangelist, as inspired by the HS of course. He had just written about the John’s testimony of the supremacy of Jesus and His ministry. These last seven verses are John the evangelists comments on what he had just written about John the Baptist and his comments about Jesus. But, whether these are the Words of John the Baptist or John the evangelist, it does not nullify their importance or impact on the world. Both Johns supported fully the ministry of Jesus.
b. Jesus has supreme authority
V 31a 1. Jesus, what He says, teaches, and does is far superior because He is from above. Illus. of spotting Big Foot on Mars. Jesus is far above everything in this universe.
V 31b 2. Earthly teachers are bound by the restrictions of a sinful existence on this earth. He can speak only what he knows here and is limited with his knowledge and experience. But, Jesus is different. Illus. of how candidates disparage one another for not having enough experience. You can’t say that about Jesus.
V 31c 3. Jesus is from Heaven. That’s our real home. His knowledge goes outside this world. He is preeminent above all. Cf. Col. 1:18 That is why He can be trusted. But, not everyone likes Him.
c. Jesus is not leading in the polls
V 32a 1. Jesus’ experience is out of this world, literally. Cf. 1:1, 14 Jesus had been with the Father and had communed with Him. He was part of creation and was eternal from the past. He is an eyewitness to everything. Yet for all this…
V 32b 2. Many will reject His testimony. He is supreme. He is the best candidate. But, even His own people rejected Him. Cf. 1:11
Trans. JESUS IS A GOOD CANDIDATE BECAUSE HE IS FROM OUR HOME AREA, but then again, not everyone’s home is in Heaven. Second…
ii. Jeus is a good candidate because he can be trusted vs. 33-34
Illus. of the unprecedented bipartisanship in Washington this past week trying to structure a plan to help the economy; to get money in the hands of the people who will spend it. Someone said this week is relation to the plan, “When everyone in Washington gets along, it makes me nervous because we’re all going to have to pay.” I’m not going to comment on the plan, but on the fact that many cynics do not trust politicians. But, I’m here to tell you that Jesus can His Word can be trusted. Why?
a. jesus is truth
V 33a 1. These are the opposite of those in verse 32. Although the world as a whole rejects the words of Jesus, millions of individuals have received Him as their Savior and Lord. GOSPEL Many say they believe. How do we know they are true?
V 33b 2. Our certification is the way we live. We are identified as those that practice the Truth. When we obey the truth, we confirm that God is true. Cf. vs. 21 To reject the words of Jesus and to fail to believe is to call God a liar. Cf. 1 John 5:10
b. jesus speaks truth
V 34a 1. Another argument for these being the words of John the Evangelist is this phrase, “He Whom God has sent.” John in this Gospel refers to Jesus being sent from God 39 times. This confirms His deity and fact that He came from Heaven.
2. When Jesus speaks, His words are the words of God. Jesus had the full measure of the Spirit, as we do today. John the evangelist had experienced this on the Day of Pentecost. OT prophets only had the Spirit on a limited basis; for specific ministries. Jesus didn’t sometimes speak for God and sometimes for Himself. He was God and spoke the true words of God all the time. Jesus is Truth and Jesus speaks the truth.
Trans. JESUS CAN BE TRUSTED. He’s also FROM OUR HOME AREA. Last…
iii. jesus is a good candidate because he has life giving and life taking authority vs. 35-36
Illus. of believers are upset with the fact that the courts have authorized abortion. Others are upset that the some courts allow capital punishment. Neither groups feel that the courts have authority to take life. But, Jesus has authority over life. Who authorized this?
A. God the Father has given Jesus authority over life and death
V 35a 1. This is based on the Sons intimate, loving relationship with the Father.
V 35b 2. The Father has full confidence that the Son can accomplish His will. Cf. Cf. John 5:22; Matt. 28:18 Illus. of when children grow they are given more and more authority. Jesus is given that authority from the Father.
b. how you vote matters
V 36a 1. We have one of two choices. Believe and have life. Not just life that goes on forever, but life that is of the highest quality.
V 36b 2. Not believing means that this quality of life will not be seen. You will still live forever, time-wise, but your quality of life will be death.
V 36c 3. “abides” means “remains on.” As sinners, we are destined for wrath. When we are saved, we are removed from this destiny and now given life. This punishment is eternal. Cf. Matt. 25:46; 1 Thess. 5:9
conclusion
Jesus is the perfect candidate. HE IS FROM OUR HOME AREA, HE CAN BE TRUSTED, and finally HE HAS LIFE GIVING AND LIFE TAKING AUTHORITY. Will you choose Him? Receive Him and live forever. Reject Him and die the second death. So how does this help me on Super Tuesday? It doesn’t really, but I do encourage you to vote. Be part of the process. Know what the candidates stand for? I encourage you to see what the Bible says about issues and follow God’s Word. What’s more important is, are you ready to stand before God and give an account?
1. Are you trusting in Jesus for salvation? GOSPEL
2. Are you trusting in His Word for guidance?
3. Are you a citizen that prays for your leaders? Cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-2
Illus. of “Friend For Sale”
Although I would never advise choosing a President in this way, I would encourage you to consider the blessings of not only knowing Jesus as Savior, but walking with Him as Lord. He is fully qualified to guide us through every issue of life that we may encounter. He knows what it’s like to be us; to be tempted and tried, to feel abandoned and lonely; to bear the guilt of sin, for He bore it already. Allow Him to be your candidate for life and you will be ready for Super Tuesday.
pRAY
“getting ready for super tuesday”
John 3:31-36
introduction
In this passage, we identify someone that would be the perfect leader for any Christian.
i. he is from vs. 31-32
a. Who is on the platform with Jesus?
b. Jesus has ________________ ____________________
Cf. Col. 1:18
c. Jesus is not…
ii. he can be vs. 33-34
a. jesus _________ Truth
Cf. 1 John 5:10
b. jesus ______________________ Truth
iii. he has life and life authority vs. 35-36
A. God the Father has given Jesus…
Cf. John 5:22; Matt. 28:18
b. how you vote matters
Cf. Matt. 25:46; 1 Thess. 5:9
conclusion
Jesus is the ________________ _______________________.
1.
2.
3.
Cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-2