We continue in our studies of John's Gospel, and Sam is going to be preaching this morning,
but before he does, we're going to read the section of Scripture that we're going to be
looking at, which is John chapter 3, starting at verse 1 through to verse 21.
John's Gospel, chapter 3, and we'll start at verse 1.
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.
Jesus replied, Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked.
Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born.
Jesus answered, Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit.
You shouldn't be surprised at my saying, You must be born again.
The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
How can this be? Nicodemus asked.
You are Israel's teacher, said Jesus, and do you not understand these things?
Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know.
We testify to what we have seen.
But still you people do not accept our testimony.
I have spoken to you of earthly things, and you do not believe.
How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,
so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned.
But whoever does not believe stands condemned already,
because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
This is the verdict.
Light has come into the world,
but people love darkness instead of light,
because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,
so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done
has been done in the sight of God.
Thank you.
Thank you, Johnny.
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning.
Let's begin by praying and asking God for his help.
Our Father, we thank you for giving us your word this day.
We thank you for the life that is in us.
Holy Spirit, help us to see wonderful things in your word this day.
Amen.
Who will enter God's eternal life?
That's the question that Jesus answers in today's text.
And this is the most important question that we could ever ask.
There is more writing on this question than on any other.
Who will enter God's eternal life?
For some of us, this is a question that we find really hard to think about.
The gravity of this subject is just too much to face,
so we just push it away.
In essence, we're scared to hear what Jesus has to say about this.
Then for others of us, we think we know the right answer,
and we're pretty smug about it.
But in reality, we're dead wrong, and Jesus knows it.
That description matches Nicodemus, the man that Jesus meets in today's text.
Everything that Nicodemus believed about who would enter God's eternal kingdom
got thrown upside down by Jesus.
Now, if you look in verse 1, John, the writer of this gospel,
tells us that Nicodemus is a member of the Jewish ruling council.
So this is a man with power and influence in his community.
But we also learn that he's a Pharisee.
These were very religious Jews who strove to keep God's laws,
although unfortunately, they believed that they had earned entrance
into God's eternal kingdom because they kept the rules
much better than the others around them.
And Jesus warns people throughout Israel at this time.
He's warning them not to listen to this teaching of the Pharisees,
which in turn led the Pharisees to hate him and see to his death in the end.
So this probably explains why, in verse 1,
when does Nicodemus come to Jesus?
At night.
Nicodemus, he risks his reputation
by seeking out this conversation with Jesus.
So why does he come?
What has brought him here?
Well, look what he says in verse 2.
Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one could perform the signs that you are doing if God were not with him.
Now, while he's making a statement there,
it's also like he's trying to draw Jesus out a bit, isn't it?
It's kind of like, I know you're important, Jesus, but why are you so important?
Why are you doing what you are doing?
But Jesus knows what's really going on in Nicodemus' heart.
In fact, the last verse of chapter 2,
it says that Jesus did not need any testimony about mankind,
for he knew what was in each person.
Jesus knows what Nicodemus is really thinking.
He diverts the conversation completely,
and this is his shocking reply to Nicodemus in verse 3.
Very truly I tell you,
no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
Jesus dives straight into the heart problem that he sees in Nicodemus,
and this is a problem that we all share.
The problem is that we inherently think
that we can earn our way into God's kingdom
by something that we do for him.
God's kingdom is where God is ruling
and reigning over the hearts
of those who want him to be their king.
It's another way to describe heaven
or eternal life with God.
And Nicodemus, he thinks he's in.
He thinks he's got God's eternal life in the bag
because he's a good person.
He tries to keep God's rules.
He's a Bible expert.
He prays multiple times a day.
He gives money to church.
I mean, what more could God possibly ask?
But in the course of this conversation,
Jesus shatters all of our assumptions
about who will enter God's eternal life.
Jesus confronts this toughest question
and gives us his answer, the truth.
And are we ready to hear it?
Because it's not those who do enough good for God
who will enter into his eternal life.
No, in this text, we find that it's whoever is born again
of his spirit.
It's whoever simply believes in Jesus.
And it's whoever daily walks in his light.
Firstly, whoever is born again of the spirit.
Now, you notice in verse 4, Nicodemus is shocked
whenever Jesus tells him he must be born again.
And we're also confused because we don't have any categories
to understand how one could be physically reborn
when they are old.
But Jesus isn't talking about anything physical here, is he?
And in verse 5, he clarifies, he develops his thoughts.
Read with me in verse 5.
Very truly, I tell you,
no one can enter the kingdom of God
unless they are born of water and the spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh,
but the spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying,
you must be born again.
Jesus is saying that you don't get to share
in his eternal kingdom by the good things that you do.
Not by living an outwardly religious lifestyle.
Not by trying to be a really good person
to those in your community.
No.
You need a totally new spiritual life.
You need to be born again of water and spirit.
Now, what does that mean?
What does it mean when he says born of water and spirit?
Well, we need to understand a prophecy
from the book of Ezekiel 600 years before Jesus came.
And in this prophecy,
God speaks of a time to come
when he would intervene
in the lives of sinful, stubborn-hearted people,
like you and me,
to enable us to follow him.
So, as we read this,
I want you to listen out
for references to water and spirit.
You can follow on the screen.
First part.
God says,
I will sprinkle clean water on you.
And you will be clean.
I will cleanse you from all your impurities
and from all your idols.
So, that's what it means
to be born again of water.
It's God cleansing us from our sin
and all the other things
that we look to for life
instead of God.
And here's the second part.
God says,
I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit in you.
I will remove from you
your heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit in you
and move you
to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws.
That's what it means
to be born again of the spirit.
It's God giving us a new heart,
a transformed heart,
and a new spirit
that actually wants to love him
and obey him.
This is a completely new
spiritual life
with new desires
and affections for God
that we never had before.
And Jesus is saying to us all today,
you must be born again
or you will not enter
my eternal kingdom.
If you don't get this new spiritual life,
you'll never see me
as what you most desperately need.
You'll never want to trust me as God.
But here's the question.
How do you get this new spiritual life?
How do you get born again?
We all want this,
but how do we get it?
Is there a special prayer
that you can pray?
Is there a book
that you can read?
Jesus
tells us
to our shock
that we have
nothing
to do with it
whatsoever.
And that grates on us.
Because in our pride,
we want to have
something to do with it.
Look at what it says
in verse 6.
Flesh
gives birth
to flesh,
but the spirit
gives birth
to spirit.
Now think about this.
You didn't ask your parents
to give you physical life.
You did not initiate
that process
and the physical life
that you and I
have here today.
That's a gift
that we received from them.
We had nothing to do
with getting that gift.
And so it is
with our spiritual life.
We cannot initiate
our own spiritual rebirth.
We cannot give ourselves
a new heart
that wants God.
We simply
receive
this new life
as a gift
from the spirit.
Look at what it says
in verse 8.
The wind blows
wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound,
but you cannot tell
where it comes from
or where it is going.
So it is
with everyone
born
of the spirit.
Jesus is telling us
something really clear.
God gives
the gift
of spiritual life
to whomever
he chooses.
And just like
we cannot
control
or predict
the direction
of the wind,
so also
we don't control
or predict
who God
is going to give
the gift
of spiritual life to.
If we have been
born again,
it's only because
we have been
born again
of the spirit.
And two effects
I think that that has
on us
day to day.
Number one,
it should humble us
in amazed
gratitude
when we realize
that if it were
left up to us,
we never would
have chosen God.
Unless
the spirit
had intervened.
That's the first
thing.
Gratitude.
Here's the second
thing.
What
greater
motivation
do we need
in our lives
to pray?
Think of
the friends,
the family
that you have
who don't
yet
understand
or see
that they
need Jesus.
What are we
to do?
we are to
pray
that God
by his
spirit
would give
them the
gift
of spiritual
life because
guess what?
They cannot
give it to
themselves.
This is our
call
to pray.
so Jesus'
first part
in answering
the question
of who
can enter
God's
eternal
life is
to say
whoever is
born again
of the
spirit.
But some
of you might
be wondering
at this
point,
how do I
know if I
have been
born again?
And it's
right that you
should ask
that question
given everything
that's writing
on this.
But Jesus
doesn't want
us
to spend
our lives
in anxious
wondering.
He tells
us plainly
in the next
few verses
how you
can know
if you
have been
born again
and this
is it.
Those
who are
born again
will
believe
in Jesus.
That's how
you know.
If you've
been given
new spiritual
life,
you will
believe
that Jesus
is God.
You will
believe
that he
died and
rose again
for you.
You will
believe that
he is your
king and
he has
rights to
your
complete
devotion.
That kind
of belief,
Jesus says,
is only
possible if
you are
born again
into new
spiritual life,
if you are
granted to
believe it.
And Jesus
is clear
that whoever
believes in
him will
enter his
eternal life.
Let's now
unpack what
it means
to believe
in Jesus.
I mean,
anyone can
say,
oh yeah,
I believe
in Jesus.
I believe
he died.
I believe
he rose
again.
I believe
he's God.
The
apostle James
makes a good
point in his
letter later
in the Bible.
He says,
even the
demons
believe.
But they
are obviously
not in God's
kingdom,
are they?
So what
type of
belief is
Jesus getting
at here?
It couldn't
be mere
intellectual
assent to
some truth
about God.
Jesus
says,
believing
means looking
to Jesus
in faith
for forgiveness.
That's the
belief he's
getting at
here.
And he
explains this
in verse
14 by
referring to
the
Israelites.
This
happened
when they
were on
their
journey
from
slavery
in Egypt
to their
home in
the New
Promised Land.
And along
the way,
they grew
bitter and
disobedient
towards God,
even though he
just rescued
them from
slavery.
And in
judgment,
God sent
snakes upon
them.
And the
snakes bit
the people.
And what
it did was
it caused
the people
to realize
their sin
and to
repent.
And God,
in his
mercy,
even though
the people
don't deserve
it,
in his
mercy,
he told
Moses to
put this
bronze snake
up on a
pole and
to raise
it up in
the middle
of the
camp.
And anyone
who looked
at that
snake was
healed of
their poisonous
bites.
And Jesus,
he draws the
analogy to
himself.
Read it in
verse 14.
Just as
Moses lifted
up the snake
in the
wilderness,
so the
Son of
Man,
that is
Jesus,
must be
lifted up,
that everyone
who believes
may have
eternal
life in
him.
The people
in the
desert
looked up
to the
snake
and were
healed of
the poisonous
bites.
We look
up in
faith to
Jesus
on the
cross and
we find
forgiveness
for our
sin.
We believe
that he,
the sinless
Son of
God,
was the
only
one who
ever
qualified
to take
the just
punishment
we deserved
for our
rebellion.
We believe
that he
took every
sin,
past,
present,
future,
on himself.
And John
tells us
the astonishing
consequence
of that
belief.
we are
no longer
condemned
by God.
We deserve
to be
condemned.
Sin is
our
rebellion
against
God's
loving
rule
over our
lives.
And God's
just
punishment
for sin
is to be
separated
from him
forever.
Rather than
eternal life
with God,
we deserve
condemnation
to eternal
death
in hell.
But listen
to how
John says
it in
verse 16.
Some feel
this is the
key
sentence in
his whole
gospel account,
what he is
trying to get
across.
Verse 16,
for God
so loved
the world
that he
gave his
one and
only son
that whoever
believes in
him
shall not
perish
but have
eternal
life.
If we
believe in
Jesus,
we will
not perish
in hell
for eternity.
Instead,
we will
share in
God's
eternal
life.
That is
not a
maybe.
It's not
a hopefully.
It's a
certainty.
And John
continues in
verse 17.
Read it
with me.
For God
did not
send his
son into
the world
to condemn
the world
but to
save the
world
through him.
Whoever
believes
in him
is not
condemned.
but whoever
does not
believe
stands
condemned
already
because
they have
not
believed
in the
name of
God's
one and
only
son.
Jesus
couldn't
be any
clearer.
Before
believing in
Jesus,
our record
of sin
was laid
open
before God
and it
condemned
us.
But Jesus
took our
sentence.
He bore
our hell
and he
rose from
the grave
so that
you and I
could share
in his
eternal
life instead.
Through
believing in
Jesus,
all our
sin,
past,
present,
future,
is paid
for and
can no
longer be
held
against
us.
We are
no
longer
condemned.
But what
if you
believe in
Jesus and
you struggle
with doubt?
do you
ever wonder
in your
times of
doubt if
you really
still believe?
Because let's
face it,
we all go
through times
of doubt
in our
lives.
And maybe
you're sitting
here saying,
yeah,
I remember
the time
in my
life when
I first
saw my
need of
Jesus.
I
remember
that I
believed
in him.
I
looked to
what he
did in
the cross
and believed
he did
that for
me.
And I
repented
of my
sin.
And I
knew
his
spirit's
work
in my
life.
But now
I'm just
plagued
with doubt.
I struggle
to believe.
It's the
sin that
I've
struggled
with.
It's the
suffering
that I've
been through
in my
life.
And
sometimes
I just
wonder,
do I
believe
anymore?
I doubt
that Christ
really has
forgiven
me.
And if
you have
doubts
just like
that,
you're not
on your
own.
sin.
But what
would Jesus
say about
that?
Well,
listen to
verse 16.
Whoever
believes
will not
perish,
but will
have eternal
life.
And verse
18,
whoever
believes
is not
condemned.
These are
statements of
fact.
they are
not
changed
by our
fluctuating
feelings as
we go
through life.
The moment
that you
placed your
faith in
Jesus,
you were
no longer
condemned
by God,
and you
will never
be condemned
by God
again.
The work
is
finished.
Your
faith could
be as
tiny as
a mustard
seed.
What
matters is
not the
size of
your faith,
but who
you have
believed
in.
Jesus
is great.
Jesus
is strong.
And he
promises
to save
the sinful,
the doubting,
and the
weak.
praise God.
It is
not about
how strong
my faith
is.
It's about
how strong
my Savior
is.
So when
you doubt
if you're
still in
God's
kingdom,
ask yourself
this question.
am I
believing
my own
feelings?
Or am I
believing
what Jesus
has said
to be
true
about
me?
Rest
in what
he has
declared
about
you.
But here's
the other
implication of
this verse.
And this
is the
negative
one.
these verses
are clear
that if you
have not
believed
in Jesus,
then your
sin
condemns
you this
day before
God.
And you
have no
excuse.
You
will not
see eternal
life,
but you
will be
condemned
to eternal
death.
This is
no joke.
Do not
miss the
gravity
of these
words and
their
consequence
for
eternity.
This is
the most
serious
thing we
could ever
speak of.
Because there
is no
other way
to be
forgiven
and welcomed
into God's
eternal
kingdom than
through
Jesus.
So if
there is
anyone in
this room
who has
not yet
put your
trust in
Jesus,
maybe you've
heard about
him many
times before.
And you've
never really
put your
faith in
him.
You've been
on the
fence.
Maybe you
believe that
it's something
you can do
that will
make you
right before
God,
that will
make you
part of
his
kingdom.
Maybe
today for
the first
time,
you can
see Jesus
as the
only God
and Savior.
Today
is the
day to
put your
faith and
trust in
Jesus alone.
Don't
wait.
You don't
even know
if you
have tomorrow.
Say sorry
for your
sin.
trust in
what Jesus
did on
the cross
to forgive
you.
Thank him
for giving
you new
life.
And this
day you
will no
longer be
condemned.
You will
enter into
God's
eternal
life.
And this
leads us
very briefly
to the
last part
of the
answer to
the question
of who
will
enter
God's
eternal
life.
And it's
whoever walks
in the
light.
And what
does it
mean to
walk in
the light?
Well,
walking in
the light
is one of
the fruits
of being
a born
again
believer
in Jesus.
It shows
that you
are sharing
in God's
eternal
life.
So let's
think about
what that
actually means.
Read from
verse 19.
This is
the verdict.
Light has
come into
the world,
but people
loved
darkness
instead of
light because
their deeds
were evil.
Everyone
who does
evil hates
the light
and will
not come
into the
light for
fear that
their deeds
will be
exposed.
But whoever
lives by
the truth
comes
into
the light
so that
it may
be seen
plainly
that what
they have
done
has been
done
in the
sight
of God.
When we
walk in
darkness,
we don't
want our
sin to
be exposed.
We don't
want God
or others
to see it
because we
fear being
condemned.
That's our
spiritual condition
before being
born again.
Jesus,
he is the
light who
has come
into this
world.
That's what
he called
himself.
Walking in
the light
means that
you walk
each day
in him.
It's not
that we
don't sin
anymore.
No.
On the
contrary,
we willingly
bring our
sin into
the light
of Jesus.
We don't
have to
hide it
anymore.
it can
no longer
condemn us.
We can
freely
bring our
sin before
God in
daily repentance
knowing that
every sin is
paid for
and God
will
forgive us.
And here's
another benefit
of walking
in the light.
Rather than
hiding our
sin and not
dealing with
it,
when we
bring it
into the
light,
we access
the Spirit's
help to
fight against
it.
Those who
walk in
the light
become more
and more
like Jesus
because they
are daily
bringing their
sin to
him,
asking for
his forgiveness
and his
help.
So to those
of you who
are born
again believers,
practice walking
in the light.
You don't have to
hide anymore.
Bring your sin
before him
without fear.
And if you
are here and
you don't yet
believe in
Jesus,
hear his
words to you
today.
You don't have
to walk in
the darkness
of guilt,
shame,
and condemnation
anymore.
Jesus has
won your
freedom.
if you
would only
believe in
him,
come out
of the
darkness
and walk
in his
light.
To finish,
remember at the
start we said
that there's no
more important
question to
ask than who
will enter
God's eternal
life.
And Jesus
has answered
that for us
today.
But what
about Nicodemus?
It's almost
like John
drops him
off halfway
through the
passage.
We don't
get to hear
the rest of
the conversation.
John chose
not to
include that.
We don't
know how
it ended.
Do we
know if
Nicodemus
was born
again of
the Spirit?
Do we
know if
he did
go on to
believe in
Jesus and
walk in
the light?
Well, John
actually records
two more
instances in
the gospel
where Nicodemus
was present.
In chapter
seven, we
read that
Nicodemus
stood up for
Jesus in
the middle
of the
Jewish court,
the Sinedrine,
and defended
him before
his fellow
Pharisees.
And in
chapter 19,
get this,
once Jesus
has been
crucified,
two men
come to
take his
body down
from the
cross and
carry it to
the tomb
and prepare
it for
burial.
The first
man,
Joseph of
Arimathea,
the second
man,
Nicodemus,
the Pharisee.
I think
there's enough
evidence to
suggest that
he did
believe.
He came
to Jesus
thinking that
Jesus was
just another
teacher.
He left
with a new
heart to
believe in
Jesus as
God and
Savior.
He came
thinking he
could earn
his way into
God's kingdom.
him.
He left
having found
eternal life
through simple
faith in
Jesus.
He came
under the
blanket of
spiritual
darkness
and left
walking in
the light.
what's your
response to
this Jesus?
Are you
thankful for
the gift of
new spiritual
life when
you were born
again?
Are you
thankful that
you're no longer
condemned and
that you don't
need to walk
in the darkness
anymore?
Or maybe
your response
is to trust
in Jesus for
the first
time today.
whatever your
response is,
let's respond
to him now
in the
quietness
for just a
few moments.
Amen.
Father, we
thank you for
your love and
sending your
one and only
son.
Jesus, we
thank you for
taking our
sin and
bearing the
wrath of God
for us on
the cross.
Holy Spirit,
thank you for
giving us the
gift of
spiritual life
to see our
need of
Jesus.
We plead with
you to give
that gift to
those who
desperately need
it this day.
For your
glory and
their good,
we pray.
Amen.
We're going to
sing a song