John 3:1-21
“Guaranteed
to win!” here is the story…Exodus 17:10-16
Joshua fought
the Amalekites as Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as
Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered
his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took
a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up
— one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till
sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Moses built an
altar and called it The
Lord is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the
throne of the Lord.
Remember that story and this next one
as we reflect on today’s sermon title: “Guaranteed to win!”
Numbers 21:4-9
Even though God had given the Israelies
military victory as they wandered toward the Promised Land (heaven=eternal
life), they grew impatient and spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the
desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we hate this miserable food!" Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among
them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. (YEA GOD!)
7 The people
came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we
spoke against the God and you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away
from us." So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is
bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and
put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the
bronze snake, he lived.
Obviously medicine adopted the healing symbol of the
snake on a pole. Did you know a snake is also a symbol for rebirth? As the
snake sheds its skin it is as if it is reborn - it has gotten rid of the old
and starts life anew. (…a snake
lifted up on a pole represents healing and rebirth)
You have those stories? Moses hands up…a
guaranteed victory. Snake lifted up on a pole, guaranteed healing representing
rebirth.
Now the story you have been waiting for…
John 3:1-21
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said,
(QUESTION 1) "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.
For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not
with him." (What’s the question? Who are you?) In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God
unless he is born again." (In other words - you can’t know the
king without being born into the kingdom)
(QUESTION 2) Nicodemus
asked, "How can a man be born when he is old?
Surely he cannot enter a second time into his
mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God
unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (Two part birth - born
into this temporary place AND born into the eternal place) 6 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.' 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."
(QUESTION 3) Nicodemus
asked, "How can this be?" Jesus
said, "You are Israel's teacher, and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth,
we speak of what we know, and 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.
Are you with me? vs 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in
the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in
him may have eternal life. John 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up
the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be]” John 12:32-33 “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to myself." He
said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
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 (Guaranteed Win!). 17 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 he has not believed in the name of God's one
and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men
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 his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the
truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has
done has been done through God."
Was Nicodemus born
again?
John 7:45-52
Finally the
temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them,
"Why
didn't you bring him in?" "No one
ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared. "You mean he has
deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. "Has any of the
rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing
of the law — there is a curse on them." Nicodemus, who had gone to
Jesus earlier and who was one of the Pharisees, asked, "Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to
find out what he is doing?" They replied, "Are you from
Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out
of Galilee."
John 19:38-42
Later, Joseph
of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he
came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man
who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh
and aloes, about seventy-five pounds (normal 5 lbs - Imagine 15 5lb bags of sugar - for royalty - Nicodemus
publically standing up for Jesus-missed a lot during Christ’s life by being a
secret disciple). Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped
it, with the spices, in strips of linen and laid Jesus in a new garden tomb.
How
are we guaranteed to win?
Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned.
Eternal life.
How do we know we have won?
When we see Jesus high and lifted up giving his life for the world -
John 3:16
Let’s share that good news with others as we lift him up.
http://youtu.be/crk8WZ8t7GM taking away John 3:16 sign
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