What Born Again People Do

It's great to to see all of you here. I always look forward to Sunday and then actually showing up and seeing you in the flesh. It's just It's a taste of heaven. It really is.

You are a foretaste of, of heaven and what a, what a thrill to be able to gather together, join our hearts and worshiping God, and then to open up His word and allow him to speak to us. We're gonna let him speak to us in a, in a few moments. Before we do so, I want to just a couple things, give you an update on our BYOC plus by your own chair plus, we assigned a value of $70 per chair. and encourage you to, help us with our move to Bourne's by donating $70 per chair, a chair for yourself, plus one other, at least one other person that God will bring to Cornerstone in the days to come.

There were a total of 707 chairs that we wanted to be able to donate towards. And through Friday of last week, this is where we're at. So, so, what are we, like 13 chairs to go. So get your chair before, before it's too late.

but, also, it's not the end of the world if we go over. OK. Jonathan will be saying some things about this in our annual meeting tonight, but there's a wish list that is growing, things that maybe we won't be able to do initially, but, but as things unfold down the road in a phase 2 or a phase 3, so you'll be hearing a little more about that tonight. but it would be really, really cool if we were to meet our goal by the annual meeting tonight.

So continue to give to this campaign. All of this goes towards not just purchasing chairs, but other furnishings and equipment that will enrich the experience of those seated in those chairs, and all of that is all about expanding our capacity to show the hospitality of Christ to a greater number of people than we are presently able to here on this campus. also, having said that, Let's see, tonight, we, we're having our annual, meeting, and, that's at 6 o'clock right here in this room.

There is childcare and there are also refreshments, afterwards.

so, but if you want the refreshments afterwards, you need to show up for the meeting. don't just show up at 8. we'll know, we'll know who you are. but this is a really important time for us to come together, worship God, just like we've done, this morning, but, but then to just celebrate what God has been doing at Cornerstone, God's been doing so much, lives are being touched and impacted.

People are getting saved. I, I, I can't think of anywhere on the planet where I'd rather be than right here, where God's hand is so evident. so we just want to celebrate what God has been doing and give you an idea of the vision for 2014, give you an update on how things are going in terms of our transition. to borns and just how we as a team, as a congregation can come together and reaching more people, and, and serving the Lord together and seeing his hand continue to be so evident in our midst as we journey together from brokenness to wholeness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Well, let me invite you to turn to John 3. John chapter 3 for our time of study in God's word, this morning. If you want to give a title to the message, it would be What Born Again People Do. What born again people do.

We've been looking at 2 weeks ago, John chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, where a guy named Nicodemus, a man of great accomplishment and spiritual attainment, this guy, lived a life of separation from the world. He was a spiritual man. He was a highly esteemed teacher in Israel, teaching the people of Israel all things spiritual and all things religious. And this man even had a high view of Jesus, viewing Jesus as having come from God and that God was with Jesus, and that The miracles Jesus was doing were genuine miracles wrought of God that validated the fact that God was with Jesus.

He thought so highly of Jesus that he sought Jesus out and begins the conversation by saying, let me give you my confession of faith as it stands right now. Here are some great things I believe about you, Jesus, with all of this life of spiritual attainment that he brought with him to Jesus. Jesus, In an utterly stunning move, looks at Nicodemus. And basically says, you need to start all over again.

You must be born again. You must be born again. That is the theme of this section of John, Jesus uses various expressions to convey this idea born again, born of water, and the Spirit, born of the Spirit, born again, born of the Spirit. Basically, what he's talking about is that moment where miraculously, the Spirit of God gives life to a sinner.

And there is a cleansing that that is accompanied by where we are cleansed of our sins and the filth of our defilement, and we are made a new creature, and we are able now to see and to respond to God and to believe in Jesus as. a result of this regeneration or new birth that the Spirit has wrought in us. And Jesus, in verses 1 through 7 basically makes 4 declarations to Nicodemus, technically, he makes 3. But we're going to break the third one up into 2.

So 4 total. And that is declaration number 1, without being born again, A person cannot see the kingdom of God, as it ought to be seen. He cannot see Christ the King, as he ought to be seen. He cannot see Christ's kingly rule as the beautiful and lovely and desirable thing that it is.

and then the second Declaration is without being born again, a person cannot enter the kingdom of God. You can't even get into the kingdom, and into the blessings of the kingdom, the blessings of forgiveness and righteousness, and love and freedom and power and relationship and healing that is found in the kingdom of God. You got to be born again to see it. And you got to be born again to get into these kingdom blessings.

Jesus, Makes a third declaration where he basically looks at Nicodemus, and says, you yourself must be born again. There's something you lack, Nicodemus. Well, what is that? Because whatever I'm lacking, I'll add that to all of my attainments.

What you're lacking is a total rebirth where you start all over again. That's what you're lacking. You need to be born again. You must.

There's no alternative here. This is not a nice thought for you to ponder. It's absolutely essential. If you're not born again, you're not going to be able to see the kingdom, and you can't get into the kingdom.

Nicodemus, you are right now, outside of the kingdom, and blind to the realities of the kingdom, and you must be born again if you want to get into the kingdom of God. And the 4th thing he says is, don't be so shocked that I'm saying this to you. Wipe that surprised look off your face, Nicodemus. Don't be so amazed, and so surprised that I would say to you, That you must be born again.

Obviously, being born again is very important. But as we continue in the verses that follow, we're left with the question, who are these born again people? Who are the born again people? Did that in a research study that was done a number of years ago by the Barna Research Group that they found that 45% of Americans claim to be born again.

So almost half our country, isn't that good news? claims to be, born again. There's a lot of people who don't even, they even found that people who don't even believe anything about Jesus still say that they have been born again. one of our favorite theologians, Deepak Chopra, was asked not too long ago, I'm kidding about being our favorite, He was asked, like, how would you explain the idea of being born again, in light of your own understanding of God?

And, and he would say, I've been born again. He would say that about himself. Here's how he defines being born again. Born again simply means relinquishing the past and stepping into a fresh experience of life.

Somebody who is born again is expressing the eternal cycle of life within an accelerated time frame. The one who is born again has a new interpretation and a new cognitive and perceptual experience of reality. Is that clear? if you asked him, have you been born again, he would say, Yes, I have, I have expressed the eternal cycle of life within an accelerated time frame.

So yes, I have been born again. By the way, you'll notice in his definition, that it's still all about what we do. Born again simply means relinquishing. You relinquish the past, you step into a fresh experience, you express the eternal cycle.

When what we have learned is that being born again really has nothing to do with what we do. It's something that happens to us. We're utterly helpless. In making ourselves born again, it's an act of God whereby we are begotten.

Into new life by his sovereign choice and sovereign power. So evidently there's a lot of people in our culture today who claim to be born again, but are they? Well, Jesus is going to help us. To assess those claims to be born again.

He'll help us to know whether we ourselves have been born again. Verses 8 through 15 provide for us what really amounts to a powerful diagnostic tool to help us to gauge whether or not this miracle of rebirth. has happened in our lives. What we'll look at, this is how we'll frame things this morning, 5 things that born again people do.

5 things that born again people do. I don't know why, but there are some people in our culture who are curious as to whether or not they might be a redneck. And so Jeff Foxworthy will help them with that. I saw recently, there's like 300 diagnostic questions to ask, if you want to know whether or not you are a redneck.

If you want to know more importantly, if you've been born again, Jesus will help you with that. And he provides immense help in verses 8, Through 15 of John chapter 3. Now, just to set us up for verses 8 and following, understand the shocking statement that Jesus has just made. In fact, it's Jesus responding to Nicodemus's shock when he says, don't be surprised, don't be so shocked and offended.

that I say to you, you must be born again. What follows is Jesus trying to explain to Nicodemus why it is that he would say such a thing to him. Just a silly example, if I, but this will help us to understand the flow of thought. If, if I came up to you this morning after the service, and I sought you out, and I approached you, and I said, listen, you really need to take a bath.

how would you respond to that? And maybe I even say, did, did you, have you bathed or showered today? And you're like, well, yes, I, yes, I have. And you really need to bathe again as your pastor, I'm telling you, you have to bathe again.

You, you would, and if I said, and don't be so shocked. Wipe that surprised look off your face that I would tell you that you need to be bathed again. You would expect me to follow that up by explaining to you why I am saying that to you, right? That's exactly what Jesus does in verses 8 and following.

Nicodemus, by the time Jesus gets to verse 15, will be in no doubt. As to why it is. In fact, I just see Nicodemus nodding his head by the end of verse 15, saying, You're right, I, if this is what born again people do and believe, I'm not there. I'm not there.

5 things that born again people do. The first thing they do is born again people hear the Spirit of God, born again people hear the Spirit of God, one of the, most significant characteristics of a born again person is what they hear. OK, look at this. Jesus says, and again, he's explaining to Nicodemus, Here's why I'm telling you that you must be born again.

And why I'm telling you not to be surprised that I'm saying this to you. Verse 8, the wind, and this is the Greek word pneuma. Which is the same Greek word that is translated spirit so far in this passage. And so clearly he's using the wind as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

He says, just thinking in the natural human realm, the wind, Nicodemus blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it. You might want to underline the word here. That's the key word, but you don't know where it comes from and where it is going. And so basically what he's saying is, and so it is with everyone who is born of the pneuma.

Of the spirit of God. The wind blows. You can't control the wind. It blows where it wants to blow.

You hear the sound of it. You can't see the wind. It's invisible. You can see things being blown by the wind, but you can't see the wind.

But you do hear the wind, even though because it's invisible you don't know where it's coming from or where it's going. And Jesus' point is it's the same way with the Spirit of God. the Spirit moves and blows however he wants, he breathes, however, and upon whomever he wants. And you cannot see the Holy Spirit of God.

But those who are born of the Spirit can hear the Spirit. You have a group of people that are not born of the Spirit over here, people who are born of the Spirit over here. And neither group can anyone see the Spirit of God. He's invisible.

But this group over here, the people that are born of the Spirit, they can hear the Spirit. Whereas the people in this other group, who are not born in the Spirit, they cannot hear the Spirit. Jesus' point is those who are born of the Spirit here. The spirit They have the capacity to hear the spirit.

There's a ringtone that some teenagers have that has a high pitched sound. That people over 30, most people over 30 can't even hear. You heard about that? And so they can have that ringtone, and they got their phone with them in class where they're not supposed to be on their cell phone, and that noise will come about and they know they got a text, but the teacher who's over 30 will never know.

So it's, it's similar when it comes to those that are born of the Spirit of God, that when the Spirit speaks, those who are not born of the Spirit, they, they don't hear anything. But those who are born of the Spirit, they hear, they hear, they have that capacity to hear the Spirit. They cannot see the Spirit, but they can hear Him. They have that capacity.

They can hear the Spirit even though others cannot. They can recognize the voice. of the Spirit, they can distinguish the voice of the Spirit from other voices that might even claim to be from God or from the Spirit. And those who are born of the Spirit of God, they, they hear, they listen to.

and recognize The voice of the Spirit. So we know from this verse alone, that we can add this to the list. Jesus says, you got to be born again in order to see the kingdom of God, you got to be born again to enter the kingdom of God. And now we can infer you got to be born again to even hear the Spirit of God.

But that someone is born again, if they are hearing the Spirit of God. Well, Nicodemus, in verse 9 says, how can these things be? What he's saying is, how can it be that someone hears the Spirit? And even more specifically, he's like, how can you say this to me?

How can you imply, as you are implying, that I'm not hearing the Spirit? If you say to me, Nicodemus, you must be born again, because born again people hear the Spirit, what you're clearly saying is I can't hear the Spirit. How can this be? How can these things be and how can it be that someone does hear the voice of the Spirit?

Where is the Spirit speaking? What is he saying? Verse 10, Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things? Jesus then launches into his answer.

And in the process provides for us, yet a second thing that born again people do. And that is born again people embrace the teaching of Jesus. Born again people embrace the teaching of Jesus. Look what he says, truly, truly, I say to you, verse 11, we speak of what we know, and we testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.

we don't have a lot of time to spend on this, but you'll notice, like on the screen, there are 5 times that you see the first person plural pronoun. Jesus says, we speak of what we know, and we testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. And that raises the question that commentators try to grapple with, and that is who is inside of this we. We know, obviously, that Jesus is included in the we, right?

But who else? Some say that it's Jesus and John the Baptist. When Jesus says we, he's talking about himself and John the Baptist, who's already been referred to in the Gospel of John up to this point. That's possible.

I don't even think I would want to argue with that. some say that it's Jesus, referring to himself and his disciples. I and my disciples have been giving testimony, and you've not been listening to us. and so some would suggest that, and I don't even think that's necessarily wrong.

But just think carefully with me. Jesus has just said in the preceding verse, That those that are born of the Spirit hear the Spirit. And he's now saying we definitely including himself. In one who is testifying and speaking.

And let me just ask you, based on the nearest antecedent, OK, just sticking to the context alone, when Jesus says we and our, he's speaking of his testimony and the testimony of whom else? The spirit. The spirit So it's Jesus and the Spirit who are delivering testimony. Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, the Spirit and I speak in unison.

We speak in concert with one another. If you hear me, you are de facto hearing the Spirit. If you're really listening to the Spirit and in to his voice, you will recognize his voice in me, and you will receive what I'm saying. Nobody who's listening to the Spirit will ever reject what I'm saying, because the Spirit and I speak in unison with one another.

Whenever I speak, Jesus is saying, it is always we who are talking. It's always the Spirit and I who are talking. And so Nicodemus, you need to be born again. Why is that Jesus?

Well, because born again people hear the Spirit. Well, how is the Spirit speaking that I'm not listening? Jesus says, we're talking to you. We're testifying, and you're not receiving what I am the Spirit are saying to you.

So that's how born again people, they hear the Spirit, namely they hear the Spirit as he speaks through the testimony and the teaching of Jesus. You can tell whether or not a person is born again or not based on how they respond to the words of Jesus. How do you respond to the words of Jesus? Do you value what he says?

Do you take him as the ultimate authority when he teaches you things about himself? Do you say, I believe it? When he teaches you things about the Father, do you say, I believe it? When he teaches you things about heaven and how to get to heaven, do you believe it?

When he teaches you things about yourself, even if it's not really what you especially wanted to hear, do you receive it? If you are receiving and hearing Jesus, and accepting and believing what he says, then you are hearing the Spirit. And yet Jesus has to level some criticisms at Nicodemus. He says, I say to you, we, the Spirit and I speak of what we, the Spirit, and I know, and we, the Spirit and I testify of what we have seen.

And you're not accepting our testimony. You're not receiving, you're not letting our testimony in. And if I told you earthly things, and you are not believing, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? a mysterious expression, but at the very least, Jesus would say everything I've told you up to this point of the conversation are earthly things.

I'm telling you what needs to happen to you right now, here on earth in order to get into the kingdom. I've used the analogy of birth to help make this clear to you. I've used the analogy of the wind, earthly things to make this clear and understandable to you, and yet I see, I perceive that you're still resistant to what I'm saying. You're not accepting what I'm saying presently.

You're not believing what I'm saying. And if you're not receiving what I'm saying to you up to this point, there's a lot more I could say to you, but how could you possibly believe anything else I say? If you reject and disbelieve what I'm saying to you right now about your need to be born again. Jesus is saying, that's why I can look at you and say, you need to be born again.

This is why I know you haven't been born again. Here's why you're not listening to the Spirit. You're not listening to the Spirit and I as we speak. I know you haven't been born again, because you're rejecting what I'm saying.

You're not accepting and you're not believing. See you guys, that's how, whether someone has been born again or not. How do they respond? To the ministry of the Holy Spirit as it is delivered and expressed through the teachings.

Of Jesus. That's the standard. Jesus uses a similar. He's trying to convey the same thing but uses a different metaphor when he says in John 10:27, My sheep here.

My voice, and I know them and they follow me. This is how who's my sheep and who's not. My sheep hear my voice. In John 3, it's like this is, whether someone's been born again or not.

They hear the voice of the Spirit through me. They receive and believe the things that I say. Those who are born again, hear the Spirit, they embrace the teaching of Jesus. The third thing that born again people do, and that is born again people know that Jesus is the only man who can ascend to heaven.

Jesus is the only man who can ascend to heaven. In verse 13, he says, no one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. Now at first blush, You read this and it's like, what does this have to do with anything? But this is sheer genius and poetry.

And it's exactly what Nicodemus and what all of us need to hear. First of all, here's, here's what we need to be struck by. he says, no one has ascended into heaven, and I'll explain that in just a second. But he who descended from heaven, let's just ponder for a moment.

This truth that Jesus came from heaven, he descended from heaven. One of the characteristics of people that are born again is they believe that Jesus was not just a good man, a good teacher, did some great and amazing things, but that Jesus actually came out of heaven, he actually descended from heaven, born again, people believe this, that Jesus came from heaven. And you might say, well, what's the big deal about that? We all know that.

It's a big deal to Jesus. And he's telling Nicodemus, if you're really born again, you're going to receive my testimony. And I, I just want to bring out the fact that no one ascends to heaven, except Me, who has descended from heaven, the fact that I came from heaven is significant, and it should be significant to you. And you should be able to reason from that fact and arrive at very powerful conclusions.

The fact that Jesus lived on earth, but he came, he descended from heaven, ought to make us riveted by anything that he has to say. Amen. any, anything he has to say, we ought to know that he speaks with absolute authority. If he speaks about heavenly things, well, he ought to know he came from heaven, we should be enthralled and captivated that in all of human history, there is one human, one man who actually came to earth from heaven.

And so we're riveted, we should be. What does he have to say? About heaven and about earth and about how to get to heaven. What does he say about me and what advice, counsel, direction does he give to me?

I point this out because we, over the last few years, there's a genre of literature that's coming out. That's selling by the millions, and it's, it's, it's these people who have died and gone to heaven and have come back. And nowadays, all you got to do is go to heaven for 90 minutes and come back and write a book and you got a bestseller. Seriously, or have a kid who's gone to heaven and come back and told you what he saw and just write a book about it.

It'll sell multi-millions. Of copies. it seems like if someone's been in heaven for 90 minutes or so, well, that gives them a credibility. We're fascinated.

We're curious. What did you see? What was your experience? What direction and counsel would you give for how to live our lives?

And, and, and we find whatever they might have to say very compelling. We're captivated by whatever they might want to write, and we'll buy their books. Because we're so riveted. And yet, Guys, we have a Savior, Jesus, who was in heaven longer than 90 minutes.

He was in heaven from all of eternity past before the world was even created. He wasn't just in heaven, but heaven is his. he owns heaven and he knows everything there is to know about heaven. He sat on the throne of heaven.

He is the darling of heaven and he is the second member of the actual Godhead. Who 2000 years ago, came into this world and took on human flesh and was born as a baby and grew up in time, space, human history, and lived and walked amongst us and put his feet under our tables. And he taught us and he lived his life and did multiple miracles, and he died and was raised, but goodness, we ought to be riveted. By anything that this one has to say.

And this is the one that we come to the world with. Hey, I would like to talk to you about somebody who actually a human being who came from heaven and he was there longer than 90 minutes. And so knowing that we ought to look at Jesus and say that anything he wants to say, anything he speaks about, he speaks with absolute total authority. That belongs to somebody who has descended from heaven.

Now look at this point. Jesus is saying no one ascends to heaven, except The one who has descended from heaven, and that's me, the Son of Man. When he says no one can ascend to heaven, he's not saying necessarily no one has ever gone to heaven yet. The word ascend is more of an active type of word.

It means to go up. It can even be used to speak of climbing stairs. It's something you do. What he's saying essentially is nobody ascends to heaven.

No one goes up to heaven on his own authority. Except the one who has descended from heaven. He's saying, I'm the only one. I'm the only one who can just go to heaven on my own authority, who can just go up there by my own choice, by my own initiative.

You might say, well, a lot of people even before Jesus went to heaven, yeah, they got taken to heaven. even Elijah, a chariot came and took him to heaven. Even us guys, we don't, we don't so much go to heaven or climb our way to heaven. We are taken to heaven.

Jesus says, I go and prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you. We get taken to heaven, we get caught up in the air. And thus we are with the Lord. We don't climb our way to heaven.

We don't ascend ourselves to heaven. Only Jesus can do that. And born again people know that in all of human history, there's only one person who can ascend himself to heaven by his own authority, and that's Jesus. And so born again people think, I'd like to go to heaven myself.

And so who in human history, is, has authority to go there by his own initiative, by his own authority. It's Jesus. So therefore, I would like to attach myself to him who has this authority. And I will get to heaven inside of him.

In him That's why Jesus says, I'm the way. I am the way. I'm the way. I don't just show you the way.

I am the way I ascend into heaven. You get into heaven inside of me. You get to heaven through me, through my authority. Born again people know that they can't just by their own authority ascend themselves into heaven.

They know they can't climb their way into heaven. Only Jesus can. And the only way they're going to get into heaven is inside of and through Him. Born again people hear the Spirit, born again people embrace the teaching of Jesus.

Number 3, born again people know that Jesus is the only man, the only human that can ascend himself into heaven because he is the only one who has actually descended from heaven. In the incarnation. That leads to a 4th. The thing that born again people do, and that is born again people accept that Jesus had to die for their deliverance from God's judgment.

They accept that Jesus had to die for their deliverance from God's judgment. Jesus said in John 3:14, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man. be lifted up. So I'll unpack the story in just a second, but he's saying back in Numbers 21, there was a story of Moses lifting up a serpent in the wilderness, and people who looked at that serpent were delivered from God's judgment.

And he says, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Nicodemus, one of the signs of someone who's truly born again as they embrace the testimony, the teaching of Jesus. So let me testify and see how you respond to this. No one ascends to heaven.

Except the one who descended from heaven, that's me. I'm the only way to heaven. And in terms of how I provide a way for people to get to heaven inside of and through me, here's the deal. I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up.

I must be lifted up in death. So that people can look to me and be saved. Those who are truly born again embrace this testimony of Jesus, and they know that they are under the judgment of God and that their deliverance from God's judgment can only happen through this dying Messiah. There are people who even claim to be Christians who actually deny the validity of the atonement.

They, they don't think Jesus dying is necessary for the salvation of sinners. One such professing Christian, Virginia Malanott, says, I don't think we need a theory of atonement at all. I don't think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff like that. People can get to heaven.

We don't need notice that word need twice. We don't need a theory of atonement. We don't need people hanging on crosses and shedding blood for us to be saved. This is clearly someone who's not embracing the testimony of Jesus.

When he says no, the Son of Man must be lifted up. Again, Jesus is referring to an incident that happened in Numbers 21 5 through 9, where the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they began complaining against the Lord, rebelling against him. God judged them by sending them fiery snakes. that would bite them, and people who were bitten by these snakes would end up dying.

Well, the people of Israel rebel against God. They're complaining, and then these snakes come out of the woodwork. People are being bitten. They're dying.

They come running to Moses and say, We were wrong. We're sorry. Can you go to Jehovah and intercede with him on our behalf? Moses says, OK, I'll do that.

He goes to Jehovah God and prays to Him and intercedes on behalf of the people of Israel. And God basically responds by saying, here's the deal. Here's how this is going to go down. I'm not going to take away the snakes.

The snakes are going to stay, but Moses, I want you to build a serpent, a fiery serpent, and I want you to put that serpent on a standard or upon a pole and put that in a place that is visible for the people of Israel, and it'll come about that in the days to come that when someone is bitten by one of these deadly snakes, if they simply look To that serpent that is upon a standard or a pole, they will live. They will live. So Moses built a bronze. Serpent Which in itself was a symbol of judgment, was the serpent on that standard, a symbol of God's very judgment.

And he set that serpent. On a pole, put that in a visible place. And the text of Numbers 21 tells us that after that, when someone got bitten by a snake, if they, if they looked to that serpent upon a pole, that lifeless. serpent, that bronze serpent upon a pole, they lived.

They lived, but their only hope was a means of salvation that God provided. Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, who fully knows this. He had this story memorized, and he's saying just like Moses lifted up. The serpent in the wilderness for the people of Israel to look at and thereby be delivered from the judgment they deserve for their sins.

Even so, must I, the Son of Man, be lifted up so that people can look to me and experience deliverance from the judgment of God that they are under. Born again people hear that and say, Jesus said he must die. Therefore, I believe he must die. I agree with him.

Jesus says that he must die, that we might experience deliverance from God's judgment. I will embrace that and accept that and believe that, and I will look to Him. I will look. To him Now, it's interesting that Jesus says, lift it up.

And you might read that and go, man, was he really talking about his death or his exaltation? And what would Nicodemus have understood? It's possible that Nicodemus didn't really understand the full scope of what Jesus was saying here about him being lifted up. but we also don't want to underestimate the degree to which Nicodemus would have understood.

Numbers 21. A lifeless serpent is lifted up. And Jesus is saying, I'm going to be lifted up. There's probably enough to go on for Nicodemus to understand Jesus to be saying, I think he's saying he's going to die somehow.

And what helps us with this is in John 12, Jesus is speaking to a group of people, and he says something very similar. He uses the same language. He says, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself. What was he talking about when he talked about being lifted up?

But he was saying this to indicate the death by which he was to die. So he's clearly talking about his death when he talks about being lifted up. But what's intriguing is it seems like people understood him to be talking about dying, says the multitude, therefore answered him, We have heard out of the law that the Christ is to remain or to abide or to live forever. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up?

They, it seems like they understood him to be speaking of an end, to be speaking of dying. And they're confused by that. And so no doubt this is shrouded in a lot of mystery, but there may have been enough for Nicodemus to go on to know that clearly, Jesus is saying that we're under God's judgment, all of us, and that he must die. He can get into heaven by his own authority.

But before he does that, he's going to die. So that people can look to him and experience deliverance from the judgment of God that they are under. If he didn't see all of that at this point, he would have had a lot to think about, and probably realized it in the months and even years that followed, as he meditated upon this born again people finally believe in Jesus and in him have eternal life. They listen to the Spirit, they embrace the teaching, and the testimony of Jesus, born again people know that Jesus is the only one who can ascend himself to heaven.

Born again people accept the fact that Jesus, the Messiah had to die for them to be saved. Yes, that's incredibly humbling to realize. He had to die for me to be saved. He had to take my judgment so that I can be delivered from God's judgment.

I need a dying savior. That's what Jesus says I need, so I trust Jesus. That's what born again people do. And then born again people happily look to this dying Messiah, believe in Him, and find eternal life by believing in this dying Messiah.

Jesus says, so that whoever believes You could translate this so that whoever believes in Him. will have eternal life. Born again people, look to Jesus, this dying Messiah. And they set their faith in Him.

They believe in Him. And here's the paradox believing in this dying Messiah. They find life for themselves. eternal life.

eternal life We don't know what all Nicodemus thought. He falls silent as this conversation unfolds and just yields the floor to Jesus. In fact, in all likelihood, the rest of John 3 is just Jesus talking and Nicodemus listening. We do know that Nicodemus shows up on 2 occasions later in John's Gospel.

It's interesting. The two occasions he shows up in John chapter 7 when the religious leadership, they're, they're wanting to get rid of Jesus, they hate him. They're, they're trying to arrive at some judgment against him, and Nicodemus is there, and he speaks up and look at what Nicodemus says to those who are wanting to arrive at a judgment against Jesus. He says, Our law does not judge a man.

Unless it first hears from him, and knows what he is doing, does it? Notice that word here. Jesus has already told them those that are born of the Spirit of God, they hear the Spirit, and they hear the Spirit as the Spirit speaks through me. And here's Nicodemus speaking to these people.

And by the way, this piece of counsel didn't go over well. All right. But he's willing to go public with it and to urge these people to hear. He's like, we, we need to hear him thoroughly.

So it's evident that God is working. Maybe he's already been born again at this point, he's encouraging others to hear Jesus, We're not sure where he's at in the journey, but this is a good sign that he's wanting to hear and encouraging others to do the same. And then near the end of John's Gospel, Jesus is crucified. And what he told Nicodemus what happened actually came to pass that Jesus was lifted up upon a cross, and he died.

He died to deliver men and women from the judgment of God for their sins. And Interestingly enough, Nicodemus immediately shows up in the narrative. Jesus dies. Look at this, John 1938.

And after these things, after he dies, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate granted permission. He, Joseph came therefore, and took away his body, and Nicodemus came also. Nicodemus came also. And it seems like Nicodemus came prepared, who had first come to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pounds weight.

And so they took, they received literally the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. That was the custom of the Jews. Interestingly enough, normally only women did this. This was a task reserved for women, and yet Joseph and Nicodemus were willing to surrender themselves to this special task.

Nicodemus clearly is willing to go public at this point to identify himself with this dying Messiah. It almost seems like he was ready for it. And head, the myrrh and the aloes, 100 pounds worth ready. He shows up and he's got what he needs to prepare the body of Jesus.

And so I, I don't know when Nicodemus became born again and began to see all these things, but just imagine, I'm sure he saw how things were going in the Sanhedrin and how they wanted to kill Jesus. And from a human standpoint, he knew, man, something ugly is going to go down here. But and so things seem out of control and things look bad for Jesus. And yet, he told me long ago, he was going to be lifted up that he was gonna die.

This all seems to be a part of the cosmic plan here. And then here is Jesus dying on a cross and Nicodemus is like, that's it. This is it. This is what he said must happen.

For me and for all who look to him to be delivered from the judgment of God. And Nicodemus probably didn't even understand what was going to happen 3 days later, probably had a heart full of questions, but he knows somehow, some way in this dying Son of Man, my salvation is found. And I'm willing to identify myself. If the only thing I can identify myself with right now is his corpse, that's what I'm going to do, and I'm going to love him and treat his body with dignity and prepare it for burial with the spices that it almost seems like Nicodemus had in reserve ready.

For this occasion. There's every indication that Nicodemus had become born again. I look forward to seeing him in heaven, saying, tell me the story, how, how this conversation with Jesus ended, what you were thinking, and I can just hear him saying, man, I was offended by what Jesus said. I was mad.

I was shocked. I was stunned at the gall that this young rabbi had to say what he said to me. It was the hardest thing that I've ever heard from anybody in my life. But what, he was absolutely right.

And the day came when I was born again. And I saw I saw And I was brought into the kingdom and into all of these kingdom blessings. I ask you this morning, have you been born again? Have you been born again?

Do these five things describe you? Do they? For those of you that are believers as you minister to others, Use this as a tool to enrich your ministry to them and assessing and helping them to assess whether they are in the kingdom or whether they are truly born again. Let's pray.

Together, if you're here today, and you've never maybe seen these things and seeing that you are under the judgment of God. And here's Jesus, this one who came from heaven. He's got so much authority with every word he speaks, and he's telling you, I must die for you to be saved. And you must look to me and believe in me.

I'm the only one who can get to heaven. And if you're gonna get there, you gotta come to heaven inside of me and let me take you there. I am the way, I am the truth. I am the life, and you will never get to the Father except through me.

And I say that with the authority of one who has descended from heaven. Will you receive the testimony Of Jesus If you've never received This testimony of this heaven sent one who loved you enough to be willing to die so that you might be able to look to Him and live and be delivered and have eternal life. I pray that God would touch your heart and move you to believe in Him today, even right where you're seated to just cry out to Him and believe in Him as your Lord and Savior.

Run to him.

He will not cast you aside or turn you away. Lord, you are a great savior. You didn't just die, but you give us this incredible teaching from your word that is so full of wisdom and insight that That in some ways shatters us. It stuns us.

It offends us. But Lord, we're blessed to have a God. who offends us We need to be offended. We don't want a God who always says what we want to hear.

What God is that? We rejoice in a God who can criticize us and tell us the hard things and tell us that we're under judgment and that we cannot save ourselves and it must be through you, Jesus, and then we see this amazing love, how you provided that. Lord, open our hearts to your glory, to your love. Save souls even in this room right now, and help us as believers as we are recommissioned today as believers, we come together to feed off your word and get instruction.

And in just a few moments, we're going to go forth out into our mission fields to spread this message of this heaven-sent one who speaks with such authority and who laid down his life and amazing love, so that sinners might be saved. enrich our ministry to others, Lord, and help us to thereby glorify you. Thank you for this opportunity to give of our offerings to you, Lord. Receive these funds, do much with them.

The money that's given to the general offering and, and to the BYOC campaign, money that's given to the Agape Fund for the San Bernardino Pregnancy Center, Lord, just bless every penny that is given. For the spread of this salvation, this gospel message of grace and healing through Jesus. We give ourselves to you, Lord, in the name of Jesus, and all God's people said, Amen.