Struggling In The Decision

Recognizing There Is A Difference

John 3:1–3 NKJV

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus hid in the darkness out of fear of what others may think.

Fear can skew the reality of truth.

While wanting to know more, Nicodemus struggled to release his traditions and strongholds.

Nicodemus could not deny what he had seen with his own eyes.

Transformation of others is hard to explain away.

If you are born again and you understand what I mean, If you are not, then just open your eyes and don’t allow the fear inside of you to dictate what you are witness in the transformation of others.

Struggling To Understand

John 3:4–9 NKJV

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

When your mind is tells you one thing but your heart wants to believe another.

Nicodemus was wrestling with the message that Jesus was preaching.

Before anyone can ever be born again they first must understand their depravity.

There is no way around this new birth if we want to go to heaven.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Regeneration Not Reformation)

The message of salvation is regeneration—not reformation. Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). The new birth is not an overhaul of the “old wreck,” or a new paint job. The old Adamic nature is so incorrigibly corrupt that even God will not attempt to fix it up.

He insists on completely rejecting the old man and making a new man. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again’“ (John 3:6, 7).

The old nature received at birth is hopeless, and dressing it up with education and culture only makes it more dangerous than before. The more we work on the “old man,” the more deceptive it becomes.

Do you know why the sinner must be born anew? Because he was born all wrong the first time. He doesn’t have to be taught to go his own way—it comes naturally to him. But by the new birth he is turned around and headed in the right direction

A Wrong Understanding Of Salvation

John 3:10–14 NKJV

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

When the message of acceptance by God is twisted people have a skewed view of salvation.

The Pharisees were teaching a works salvation, but Christ was teaching a Grace salvation by faith.

It is not what you do that saves you, but who you put your trust in that does.

It is a reprogramming of the mind courtesy of the Holy Ghost.

When the Holy Ghost begins to change the heart and mind of a person He will refocus his own the finished work of the Cross instead of what can I do to please God.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Survey

Survey

• 53% contend that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things for other people, they will earn their way into Heaven.

• One-third of all born again Christians (34%) accept this notion.

Barna Research Group, Ltd., Oxnard, CA

The Plan Of God

John 3:15–18 NKJV

15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus made the message of the gospel so simple that even a child could understand it.

It is those who overcomplicate what Christ spoke of in these verses, that have the greatest struggle in accepting the free gift of God.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations The Heart of the Gospel

The Heart of the Gospel

Luther called John 3:16 “the heart of the Bible—the Gospel in miniature.” It’s so simple a child can understand it; yet it condenses the deep and marvelous truths of redemption into these few pungent words:

• “God”...The greatest Lover

• “So loved”...The greatest degree

• “The world”...The greatest number

• “That He gave”..The greatest act

• “His only begotten Son”.The greatest gift

• “That whosoever”..The greatest invitation

• “Believeth”...The greatest simplicity

• “In Him”...The greatest Person

• “Should not perish”..The greatest deliverance

• “But”....The greatest difference

• “Have”....The greatest certainty

• “Everlasting Life”..The greatest possession

Source unknow

2. The rejection of His salvation plan has dire consequences.

Why reject the greatest gift of love that has ever been demonstrated to humanity?

The is condemnation to those who reject Christ.

An eternal judgment.

When The Light Comes On

John 3:19–21 NKJV

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

The struggle to release the inner darkness does not go unnoticed by God.

God knows our fallen state desires darkness, that’s why he gave us the light of the world that we may walk out of that darkness.

Funny story:

Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lantern when he went to call on his best girl. “Why,” he exclaimed, “when I went a-courtin’ I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired man said” and look what you got!”

While that’s a funny story, it has a real-life applications.

2. In life have you ever thought , “if I would’ve made better decisions maybe my life would look the way it does.”

Turn to the light of God and step out of the darkness.

My friends, he has made a way through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.

Step into the light of God and out of the darkness of this world!

Conclusion:

Where do you stand today?

Are you struggling to understand the message of the gospel? if so, turn loose of what’s holding you back and let Christ show you a much better way to live.

This one thing I promise you is, you will never regret it.

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.