Encountering Jesus Part 2
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Nicodemus
Nicodemus
John 3:1-21
Two week ago we talked about Jesus encountering his disciples.
How Peter and the others with him were faced with a choice— do they go back to normal living or do they leave everything and follow Jesus?
Main Idea: Encountering Jesus will cause us to Wrestle with our doubts.
Me:
Many times in my life I must confess that I have asked God to show Himself to me.
I have asked God to knock over a cup of water in front of me to prove to me that He was real.
God if you just knock over this water cup— give me a sign!!
I have begged for a sign— any sign— a real sign or just something that I know would get my attention.
Something that would move me from my doubts that I have about God to rock solid belief— I would never doubt again.
Because it is so much better to know that you are real then to have to live another day with doubting if you are real or if you care.
I already doubt if I am ever enough for those that I care so much for.
We:
I think that we all have doubt within us.
Everyone of you today probably came into this building with doubts of some sort.
It could be doubts like:
I’ve made to many mistakes in my life— I doubt anybody would want me.
I doubt nobody wants to hear my ideas.
I doubt that I have the right experience to get into the college I really want.
I doubt I have the right skills to get the job I dream about.
Not only do you doubt yourself but others doubt you as well.
People tell you what you can and can’t do.
And doubt just beings to build.
And those are just some basic doubts, we haven’t even talked about the doubts we carry around when it comes to God and our faith.
Is God real or not?
Did Jesus real come to earth and die for everyone’s sin?
Did God really create the earth and everything in it?
Did the flood happen?
Did God split the sea for Moses?
I know we wrestle with these questions and then some.
I know we have these doubts— because you know what doubt causes us to do?
it causes us to live in fear.
Because look if you were all in on the Gospel— you would live differently then you currently do.
You would be sharing and being a light to the community.
You would be telling your friends about Christ.
They would be joining you here.
We hesitate because we are deep down unsure.
We think God is real and we want to believe that Jesus lived, and died for us— but we hesitate leaning 100% in.
Because we have this doubt inside of us.
and We think— all I need is a sign.
We all want a sign— and when we don’t get one and we see war, unrest, and little children dying we move from pleading with God for a sign to God I don’t think you are real.
And we hesitate.
We doubt— and we wonder.
But heres the deal for today, I believe that Encountering Jesus will cause us to wrestle with our doubts.
It’s like when our doubts are stacked up against Christ them seem to just resolve.
Or they seem to be just too small.
They get thrown out the window.
They just seem like nothing once we encounter Christ.
And look we all wrestle with our faith.
I read a quote this week that said: “Faith that does not doubt is a dead faith.”
which is way more helpful then Ben Franklin when he talks about doubt.
Here is his quote: “When you doubt, don’t.”
Thanks Ben— go fly a kite or something— because you are a terrible encourager.
You see God doesn’t want you to doubt, but he welcomes your doubt.
He want to hear your doubts and he is not afraid of them.
I know when people come to me and start talking to me about doubts they have in their faith, I sometimes feel overwhelmed.
Like I don’t know all the answers and because I don’t know all the answers I doubt my ability to help others.
Doubt seems to always be there for many of us.
And we are going to be looking at an encounter that Jesus had with a guy names Nicodemus.
So if you have your Bibles flip open to John 3.
God:
We will eventually get to verse 16, you know John 3:16.
But you know that there are 15 verses prior to that and also 6 verses after that?
They are pretty important as well.
so let start diving into this.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Pretty straight forward.
Nicodemus was a pharisee.
The pharisees were not huge fans of Jesus— they kinda were the ones leading the chant of crucify him at the end of Jesus’ life.
So overall they were not huge fans of Jesus— so read on.
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.”
Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night.
Dark is significant— The fact that Nicodemus would approach Jesus at night.
It could mean he was afraid of what others might say.
I mean you do know that most crime and illegal activities are done at night right?
It is possible that this is why John who is writing this book is telling us.
But there is another reason he might have said this.
John could be using night as a symbol.
John has already used light and darkness language at the beginning of this book.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
So what if John was using night as a symbol in contrast to Jesus.
What if night is a picture of a man who was in an uneasy state of unbelief or doubt.
And he finds himself coming to Jesus because he knew as well as the other Pharisees that something was different and significant about Jesus.
Look at how Nicodemus addresses Jesus.
Nicodemus calling Jesus Rabbi is also worth noting as Rabbi coming from Nicodemus would treat Jesus as a colleague.
Nicodemus understands that Jesus is speaking with the power of God but is not acknowledging that He is God.
Rather a good teacher with the power of God, like he was with Moses and Jeremiah
He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”
But here is where Nicodemus missed what was really happening with Jesus.
Jesus was not powered by God but he was God.
He is God.
And Jesus was doing signs.
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
Jesus is doing signs and miracles but Jesus did not entrust himself to them.
He knew that they only believed or listened to him because of the signs he was performing.
and so when Nicodemus comes up to him and says look we you know are a teacher from God, no one can do these things without God.
Nicodemus was relying on signs as belief however it is not sufficient.
Jesus understood the nature of genuine believing and knowing, and he recognized a facade or pseudoknowledge when we encountered it.
This is what Nicodemus had it was a shallow belief in Jesus.
But he was still curious and from this text I think that he was doubt and he was wrestling with his doubt.
Let’s see how Jesus responds.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus was one to say some pretty strange things.
It always stuck me strangely that Jesus would respond to Nicodemus this way.
Because Nicodemus is not asking about being reborn.
He is not mentioning it at all.
Jesus knew what Nicodemus was really asking.
He knew what Nicodemus was coming to him for wisdom.
He wanted to know who Jesus was and what Jesus was truly teaching.
Jesus wanted him to believe in him without all the signs.
and Jesus is wants them to have eternal life.
And Nicodemus ask the questions all of us are dying to ask, because we also are confused as well.
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?”
The answer is no— and just that would not be pleasant for anyone.
You see Nicodemus did not understand what was being said to him.
Let’s read a bit more this time.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
To be born again.
That is what Jesus want Nicodemus to understand.
And we tend to use that phrase born again pretty loosely.
To be reborn means that you have new life.
You once were this way but when you believe and give your life over to Jesus— you are a new person.
That stuff you did before you knew Jesus that is dead and gone.
The New Bible Commentary 3:1–21 The New Birth
Flesh is here pointing to human nature, which can reproduce only humankind not the children of God. Being born of the spirit requires a radical change, a new beginning. The gist of Jesus’ statement is that the character of those born is determined by the source that gives them birth.
When you were born of your mother you were given a sinful nature.
It’s a fact.
You were born a sinner.
But when you enter into a relationship with Christ and he is your Lord and savior then you are a new creation.
Your past life is no more.
But here’s the deal we get promised this new life and we are told we are a new creation yet we want to hold on to our old selves.
We cling to our old self and we don’t fully embrace our new self.
Then Nicodemus is all sorts of confused.
Verse 9:
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
I’m lost Jesus help me understand what you just said to me.
And Jesus kinda of rebukes him a bit.
Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have 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. And 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.
Like Jesus is floored that this man who has spent his whole life understanding the OT, the Law and all things religious would not understand what Jesus was saying.
And Jesus knows that Nicodemus is not listening to the stories of redemption for all Nicodemus wanted for signs.
Jesus calls him out by saying you don’t listen to our stories— you only want the flashy miracles but it is the life change— the transformation that makes the difference.
It is about being reborn.
But you can’t just be reborn into nothing you have to be reborn into something that can save you.
And when we get to verse 16 this is the gospel in a nut shell.
It is the passage I learned as early has I could talk.
It is some foundational that everyone should now it and learn it and memorize it.
“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 have the love of God
The sacrifice he was willing to pay— the death of his son.
For the freedom of the world.
And it continues 3:17-18
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 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 Son of God.
Jesus did not come to judge you or condemn you.
He came to save the world.
Which would have been really hard for a jewish leader to hear.
They thought they were God’s people, and while they are— God’s love includes all the people, the whole world.
And the last three verses of this section come back to this light vs darkness again.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Jesus is the light and he came to a dark and broken world to restore it and to save it.
He came to expose the darkness.
He came to vanquish doubts and fears.
To give trust, hope and life to everyone who receives it.
We have no idea how the story turned out for Nicodemus.
I wish we did.
But this message, this encounter with Jesus could mean something for you.
You:
Here is the truth today— you seeing more signs or more miracles is not going to cause you to believe in God more.
It is not going too.
Jesus did miracle after miracle and people were amazing by them— but it lead many to think that God was just with Him.
Not that He was God.
They kept showing up to see Jesus do the miracles not to tell them to repent.
And if tomorrow God answered your prayer and gave you a sign what would that do to your faith?
Would you talk about it more?
Would it bring truth to it more?
Would it finally make it real?
Because I seriously doubt that.
Because I know how I reason with myself and even if God gave me a sign— I would explain it away.
I would figure out some way to prove that it was just an accident.
And it will still find me hesitant and doubting.
Maybe that is what would work for you.
But what if there was something better I could offer you?
And it really isn’t me offering it to you but it is Jesus offering it to you.
What he offers is eternal life.
A gift that cost you nothing.
A rebirth from the past.
A new life.
You can have doubts but you have to go and figure them out.
So often you get scared of what that answer may mean for you.
It might mean that you have to get uncomfortable.
It might mean that you have to share your story.
It might mean that you have to be a light for the Gospel.
Or that you have to share the gospel.
I was at a leadership conference last weekend and one of the speaker said something that just stuck me to my core.
It was in reference to Mark 8:33
But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter had his mind on earthly things and Jesus has a wider but understanding.
and this is what the speaker said about this passage.
“If you are not for the advancement of the Gospel then you are from the pits of hell.”
Let me repeat that:
“If you are not for the advancement of the Gospel then you are from the pits of hell.”
If you said yes to Jesus and you expect to sit on the sidelines then you are from the pits of hell.
If you think that your faith is not meant to be lived out as a light to the darkness— you are from the pits of hell.
That is your sole goal in life is the advancement of the Gospel.
And what is the Gospel?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Here is what I want you to walk away with tonight:
Risk it all with Jesus.
Go all in.
Trust Him.
And tell everyone about him.
Great Theologian Charles Spurgeon said:
“To risk it all with Jesus is to end all risk.”
If you don’t know him and you still have doubts, come and talk to me or to your leaders.
If you have said yes to Jesus how are you living out your faith?
Are you living out your faith?
And if you are living out your faith keep up the good fight, it is worth it.
We:
What if we fell in love with the journey we are on?
Like when we get hit with doubt, we understand that it is just a part of our journey with Christ.
I challenge you to fall in love with journey.
So often we want to reach our destination, we want to reach our goals so much that we want to skip the journey.
The journey is what impacts people the most.
Movies and tv shows don’t focus on the goal being achieved or the end the journey.
No- they focus on the journey.
Lord of the Rings would have been really boring if we see Frodo get the ring and then show up a min later bloody, broken, and a finger missing throwing the ring into mount doom.
That would be a huge flop.
Why?
Because we may cheer for the ending but that is because we endured the journey.
It’s all about the journey!
So if it is all about the journey that mean we have things to do here on earth.
And it starts with the Gospel.
If we took seriously the gospel and the impact it can have on people’s lives, I think we would tell everyone about it.
I don’t think we would shut up about it.
But we get fearful and we worry about what others might think of us.
I’m not asking you to ruin your witness to others.
I am just asking you to actually witness to them.
You can keep playing the slow game— I just want to be light on my team or to my friends.
And while that is awesome and I believe that you should, if we never bring up the gospel then we are not being a light.
We are hiding in the darkness.
Can we be bold this week?
Can we be for the advancement of the Gospel this week?
Can we think of one friend whose life would be radically changed if we just told them about Jesus this week?
and can we go out and do it?
Nicodemus was curious about Jesus and I know for a fact others are as well.
Don’t let them keep guessing about Jesus— show them the light, and the light will overcome all darkness.
Let’s pray