WEBVTT 00:00:00.810 --> 00:00:04.429 Our God and Father, we come before you this Lord's 00:00:04.429 --> 00:00:07.370 Day and this Lenten season to thank you for how 00:00:07.370 --> 00:00:10.789 you have always provided for us. So we ask you 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:14.470 now to grant us ears that truly hear, minds that 00:00:14.470 --> 00:00:17.730 truly understand, and hearts that joyfully obey 00:00:17.730 --> 00:00:21.269 you. And so in keeping, let the words of my mouth 00:00:21.269 --> 00:00:24.410 and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable 00:00:24.410 --> 00:00:26.870 in your sight for the sake of our dear Savior 00:00:26.870 --> 00:00:34.799 Jesus Christ. Amen. We're going through our Lectionary 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:37.700 readings and preaching through our gospel readings 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:40.340 today. We are with John chapter 3. Let us hear 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:43.960 God's word There was a man of the Pharisees named 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.700 Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews This man came to 00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:51.500 Jesus by night and said to him Rabbi we know 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:54.840 that you are a teacher from God For no one can 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:58.100 do these signs that you do unless God is with 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:02.640 it Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:06.299 I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:10.659 see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:14.420 How can a man be born when he is old? Can he 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:17.180 enter a second time into his mother's womb and 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:21.680 be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly I say 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.280 to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:28.269 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which 00:01:28.269 --> 00:01:31.650 is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:35.469 is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel 00:01:35.469 --> 00:01:39.030 that I said to you, you must be born again. The 00:01:39.030 --> 00:01:41.629 wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the 00:01:41.629 --> 00:01:45.890 sound of it, but it cannot tell where it comes 00:01:45.890 --> 00:01:49.010 from or where it goes. So is everyone who is 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:54.049 born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said 00:01:54.049 --> 00:01:58.239 to him, How can these things be? answered and 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:01.000 said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.260 do not know these things? Most assuredly I say 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:07.819 to you, we speak what we do not know and we testify 00:02:07.819 --> 00:02:11.599 what we have seen and you do not receive our 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:15.379 witness. If I have told you earthly things and 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:17.719 you do not believe, how will you believe if I 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:21.620 tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:24.479 to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.180 that is the Son of Man, who is in heaven. And 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:31.719 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:35.860 and even so the Son of Man be lifted up, that 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:38.419 whoever believes in Him should not perish, but 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:41.819 have eternal life. For God so loved the world, 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.520 that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:48.919 believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:51.800 life. For God did not send His Son into the world 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.840 to condemn the world, but that the world through 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.860 Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is 00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:01.580 not condemned, but he who does not believe is 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:04.439 condemned already, because he has not believed 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:06.680 in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:09.699 And this is the condemnation that the light has 00:03:09.699 --> 00:03:12.659 come into the world, and men love darkness rather 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:16.039 than light, because their deeds were evil. For 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:19.419 everyone practicing evil hates the light and 00:03:19.419 --> 00:03:22.199 does not come to the light, lest his deeds be 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:25.759 exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:29.139 light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:33.580 they have been done in God." These are the words 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:36.340 of Almighty God. Receive them in your hearts. 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:39.319 There's three things that I want you to think 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:43.800 about as we go through the passage today. First 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:48.060 of all, God is the God of new beginnings. And 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:50.840 everybody in here said, praise God. Am I right? 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:57.699 God is the God of new beginnings. Second, we 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:02.879 must be born from above. We must be born from 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:09.060 above. And finally, Jesus departed heaven that 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:13.259 we might be saved. Jesus departed heaven that 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:16.860 we might be saved. I would like to remind everyone 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.459 here today that when you hear all the readings 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:23.250 that we do on a Sunday, They are all linked together. 00:04:24.410 --> 00:04:28.629 Centuries ago, people in the church saw the ability 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:33.050 to put together a set of readings called lectionary 00:04:33.050 --> 00:04:35.629 readings. And they're all linked. And I'll be 00:04:35.629 --> 00:04:38.550 honest. Sometimes when I read them, I go on because 00:04:38.550 --> 00:04:41.129 I read them each day of the week in preparation 00:04:41.129 --> 00:04:43.750 for Sunday. And I'll start reading them. And 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:45.629 sometimes I'm like, oh, yeah, I see how it all 00:04:45.629 --> 00:04:48.370 fits together. Other times I look at it and I 00:04:48.370 --> 00:04:50.769 go. Well, I don't know what it was they were 00:04:50.769 --> 00:04:54.709 thinking But you keep studying and you keep looking 00:04:54.709 --> 00:04:58.829 and reading and you begin to see The great wisdom 00:04:58.829 --> 00:05:02.910 that God has provided for us in his church You 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:06.689 know in our lives we often live within our experiences 00:05:06.689 --> 00:05:11.089 and instincts When we find ourselves in new situations, 00:05:11.089 --> 00:05:15.269 we make assumptions about many things It's like 00:05:15.269 --> 00:05:17.730 a small boy who was walking on the beach with 00:05:17.730 --> 00:05:21.689 his dad The boy runs ahead and falls into a pool 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:25.290 of water and the boy begins to panic because 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:27.930 his father is not right there to pull him up 00:05:27.930 --> 00:05:32.810 out of the water. He begins to flail around and 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:35.850 the boy desperately reaches out for his father, 00:05:36.769 --> 00:05:40.790 splashing about. He's so noisy that he could 00:05:40.790 --> 00:05:49.500 not hear the voice of his father. Or maybe if 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:51.699 you remember the old Charlie Brown story, wah, 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.019 wah, wah, wah, right? He can't hear, though, 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:57.319 because he is so busy doing his instinctive thing. 00:05:57.420 --> 00:05:59.339 I've got to preserve myself. I've got to reach 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:04.519 for my father. Finally, the boy does manage to 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:09.500 hear his father's voice. Stand up. The boy continues 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:14.519 to thrash about. And the father declares, stand 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:21.339 up. The boy then attempts to stand up, and he 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.699 finds that he stands up with ease, and that he 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:27.839 is standing in water that is only to his knees. 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:34.139 You know, many people love the universality of 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:38.800 John 3 .16. That is, God so loved the world, 00:06:40.459 --> 00:06:45.040 but they hate the particularity of John 3 .16. 00:06:45.389 --> 00:06:49.850 That is, that through Jesus, the Son of God, 00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:53.110 the world is saved. They want God to love the 00:06:53.110 --> 00:06:56.529 world, but they don't want to love Jesus and 00:06:56.529 --> 00:07:00.290 submit themselves to the simplicity of calling 00:07:00.290 --> 00:07:06.529 upon the Son of God to be saved. There's a simplicity 00:07:06.529 --> 00:07:10.430 to calling on and believing in Jesus to be saved. 00:07:11.029 --> 00:07:14.029 Many think their lives are complicated. You think 00:07:14.029 --> 00:07:17.089 that about yourself? Do you think that you're 00:07:17.089 --> 00:07:20.310 so sophisticated, that your life has so many 00:07:20.310 --> 00:07:25.689 difficulties and angles against you, than to 00:07:25.689 --> 00:07:31.029 turn to Jesus? And so, for the important, for 00:07:31.029 --> 00:07:33.269 the prideful, for those who think they are above 00:07:33.269 --> 00:07:36.870 the simple, they believe that they must be saved 00:07:36.870 --> 00:07:41.430 by whatever means they as an individual deem 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:46.050 as fit. Our passage in John 3 brings to bear 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:50.350 God's point that it is in Jesus only that one 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:55.290 can be saved. Jesus is truly the only way, the 00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:59.629 only truth, and the only life. Life in the first 00:07:59.629 --> 00:08:04.670 Adam is simply frustratingly leading to nothing 00:08:04.670 --> 00:08:08.870 but death. Like a person who's been bitten by 00:08:08.870 --> 00:08:12.250 a fiery serpent a poisonous serpent unless the 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:17.410 person looks to the cross Death is fast approaching 00:08:17.410 --> 00:08:20.730 No matter if we attempt to live our lives and 00:08:20.730 --> 00:08:23.990 what we think is normal or our regular routines 00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:30.470 That poison we've been bitten you can't continue 00:08:30.470 --> 00:08:38.009 on you are definitely going to die We see that 00:08:38.009 --> 00:08:41.350 Nicodemus in our passage comes to Jesus at night. 00:08:42.409 --> 00:08:45.529 Some have suggested that Nicodemus came by the 00:08:45.529 --> 00:08:48.690 cover of night so that he would not be embarrassed 00:08:48.690 --> 00:08:52.769 or discovered talking to Jesus. I don't think 00:08:52.769 --> 00:08:56.110 it's that at all. I think we see later, just 00:08:56.110 --> 00:08:59.409 a few chapters later, Nicodemus defends Jesus 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:04.269 to the Sanhedrin. Now they ignore him. We also 00:09:04.269 --> 00:09:07.129 see at the end of Jesus's ministry when he dies 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:10.690 that Nicodemus is there requesting for Jesus's 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:17.490 body No, Nicodemus is not an unfaithful or doubting 00:09:17.490 --> 00:09:21.169 Jew He is likely meeting Jesus at night because 00:09:21.169 --> 00:09:23.309 Jesus has swarmed during the day. We read that 00:09:23.309 --> 00:09:27.129 all over the place, right? The crowds come in 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:31.190 You see he comes at night when Jesus has a little 00:09:31.190 --> 00:09:34.440 time And because it was common to sit on the 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:38.399 roof at night, in the cool, and relax, and have 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.120 long conversations. I don't think that Nicodemus's 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:44.659 interaction is just this short little passage. 00:09:44.740 --> 00:09:47.159 This is what the Holy Spirit wants us to hear. 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:50.000 But I'm pretty certain that Nicodemus was there. 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.279 I mean, if you were there with Jesus, would you 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:54.919 come to your two questions and then get out? 00:09:55.940 --> 00:10:01.250 I think not. As a matter of fact, Nicodemus declares 00:10:01.250 --> 00:10:04.110 his faith in Jesus as a godly rabbi. He says 00:10:04.110 --> 00:10:07.610 this, rabbi, we know, so there's him and some 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:11.350 others, that you are a teacher come from God. 00:10:11.929 --> 00:10:15.570 For no one can do these signs that you do unless 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:18.909 God is with him. Now, I certainly think that 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:21.750 the gospels, as we find them in the scriptures, 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:26.980 are written in chronological order. In other 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:28.940 words, the way we see them, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:31.639 then John, that is the order in which the gospels 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:35.580 were written. But if we want to just narrow it 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:37.480 down to John, we've got to say, well, what signs 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:41.840 is he talking about? So we see in John 1, we 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:45.320 learn of the eternal creator son in whom there 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:49.460 is life, and that that life is the light of men. 00:10:49.669 --> 00:10:51.809 and the light that shines in darkness, and the 00:10:51.809 --> 00:10:54.129 darkness didn't comprehend it. So we know that 00:10:54.129 --> 00:10:56.830 Jesus is revealed as the light to the world. 00:11:00.070 --> 00:11:03.830 And we know that John the Baptizer came before 00:11:03.830 --> 00:11:08.789 Him proclaiming His coming. In chapter 2, we 00:11:08.789 --> 00:11:11.409 find that Jesus is commissioned in His baptism, 00:11:12.649 --> 00:11:17.769 and He calls His disciples. We also find in John 00:11:17.769 --> 00:11:22.820 2, Jesus' first miracle. That is where he takes 00:11:22.820 --> 00:11:26.480 these stone pots made for ceremonial washing. 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:28.740 They fill them up so they can ceremonially wash 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:31.360 people, particularly the dust off their feet. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:35.379 And he transforms those waters into wine. What 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:40.080 is wine? Wine is glorified water. You want to 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:41.940 understand that better? I worked at a vineyard. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:48.490 We can talk later. But Jesus presides over the 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:54.870 water to make glorified water. Chapter two of 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:57.970 John continues, and we see that Jesus is in Jerusalem 00:11:57.970 --> 00:12:00.990 for the Passover, and he cleanses the temple 00:12:00.990 --> 00:12:04.450 for the first time. You know, this is priestly 00:12:04.450 --> 00:12:06.769 duty. That's what he was ordained for in his 00:12:06.769 --> 00:12:10.929 baptism to be the priest, to be the right and 00:12:10.929 --> 00:12:14.090 true high priest, the final high priest. And 00:12:14.090 --> 00:12:20.019 part of his duty cleans dirty houses. So he goes 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:22.080 and does his priestly duty to cleanse the temple 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:26.779 from all the unclean and ceremonially dead things 00:12:26.779 --> 00:12:32.480 John 2 ends saying that many believed the signs 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:36.779 that Jesus did They believed in the sign, but 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:40.950 they didn't believe in him It says this though 00:12:40.950 --> 00:12:43.409 it ends chapter 2 ends with this but Jesus did 00:12:43.409 --> 00:12:45.549 not commit himself to them those people that 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:48.529 just believed in his signs But because he knew 00:12:48.529 --> 00:12:51.730 all men and he had no need that anyone should 00:12:51.730 --> 00:12:56.830 testify of man For he knew what was in man. He 00:12:56.830 --> 00:12:59.990 understood the duplicity that our sin does to 00:12:59.990 --> 00:13:04.029 us Jesus did not trust in men's acknowledgement 00:13:04.029 --> 00:13:07.309 of who he was He knew what was in the hearts 00:13:07.309 --> 00:13:11.000 of men Jesus rather trusted in the words of his 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.519 father who declared Jesus as his son in whom 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:20.000 I am well pleased. It is with these signs that 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:23.059 Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:27.139 council of Israel, declares that Jesus is teaching 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:30.759 and doing all these signs because God has sent 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:34.820 him. Jesus, of course, is unfazed to have a member 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:38.159 of the ruling council and a teacher Actually 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:41.220 the teacher of Israel before him Jesus refers 00:13:41.220 --> 00:13:43.820 to him as the teacher So it's probably that he 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:49.080 is one of the prominent teachers of Israel Jesus 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:52.600 provide this God -fearing Jew the understanding 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:55.659 of the fulfillment of God's salvation to the 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:59.360 world Now of course Nicodemus knew the Old Testament 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:03.659 after all he was a teacher of Israel and so he 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:07.820 knew that God was the God of new beginnings. 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:10.919 After all, there was a new beginning after the 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:14.879 flood. In our Old Testament reading today from 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:18.980 Genesis 12, we heard of God's call to Abraham. 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:24.700 God called Abraham to a new beginning. A new 00:14:24.700 --> 00:14:27.419 beginning that the word says would bring blessing 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:31.220 to such an extent that all the kindreds, nations, 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:36.440 and families of the world would be blessed. Nicodemus 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:39.500 knew there was a new beginning at Sinai where 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:43.080 God establishes covenant people He knew that 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.740 there were so many new beginnings for the people 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:50.580 of Israel because they continually were unfaithful 00:14:50.580 --> 00:14:52.759 and then they would fall into God's gracious 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:56.500 judgments and Then Israel would call upon the 00:14:56.500 --> 00:15:00.500 name of the Lord God would then lovingly redeem 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:07.559 and restore them into another new beginning Israel 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:11.480 at the time of Christ and once again fallen into 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:15.720 coven grievous covenant breaking sin and So we 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.399 heard first from John the baptizer and then later 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.639 Jesus that the kingdom of heaven is in hand that 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:25.460 the acts of God is laid to the root of the tree 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:30.000 of Israel and When we think of that tree being 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.940 chopped down and the new beginnings found the 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:38.919 tree being chopped off in judgment we hear Isaiah 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:42.940 11 there shall come forth a rod from the stem 00:15:42.940 --> 00:15:46.720 or root or stump of Jesse and a branch shall 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:50.259 grow out of its roots the spirit of the Lord 00:15:50.259 --> 00:15:52.700 shall rest upon him remember the spirit came 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:55.879 down on Jesus the spirit of wisdom and understanding 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:59.559 and the spirit of counsel and might the spirit 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.509 of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord His 00:16:03.509 --> 00:16:07.409 delight is in the fear of the Lord and he shall 00:16:07.409 --> 00:16:11.049 not judge by the sight of his eyes nor decide 00:16:11.049 --> 00:16:14.110 by the hearing of his ears But with righteousness 00:16:14.110 --> 00:16:17.070 he shall judge the poor and this word poor here 00:16:17.070 --> 00:16:20.049 could be very well understood as the humble and 00:16:20.049 --> 00:16:24.330 contrite Because the next verse goes on and says 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:27.970 this and He will decide with equity for the meek 00:16:27.970 --> 00:16:31.330 of the earth He shall strike the earth with a 00:16:31.330 --> 00:16:34.259 rod of his mouth And with the breath of his lips, 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:39.080 he shall slay the wicked. So here we see Jesus 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:44.940 is bringing the new and final beginning. From 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:47.360 the root of the foundation of all the promises 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:51.580 of God to redeem his people, Jesus is fulfilling 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:55.179 and completing this work. All these promises 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:58.740 that God made, all the way from the Garden of 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:03.460 Eden until that time. and even now is fulfilled 00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:06.960 in Jesus. Now Jesus declares this new beginning 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.460 in verse three. Jesus answered and said to him, 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:14.359 most assuredly I say to you, unless one be born 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:18.880 again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:21.019 said to him, how can a man be born when he is 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:23.279 old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:27.200 womb and be born? And Jesus answered, Most assuredly, 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:29.900 I say to you, unless one is born of water and 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:32.680 the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:36.220 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:38.880 that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.099 not marvel that I said to you, you must be born 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:44.799 again. Now children, everybody look up here. 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:46.960 I stopped by all the Sunday school classes this 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:49.279 morning and spoke to you briefly. All right, 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:51.279 you remember that? I said, pay attention or take 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:54.279 notes. Right that one of the reasons that your 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.079 Sunday school classes go over the readings and 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:59.420 particularly the younger ones the gospel readings 00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:02.299 So we're hoping that your your family at home 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:04.480 will read those readings with you in the week 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.000 You get it again in Sunday school, and then you 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.059 hear it in this worship service We're trying 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:14.019 to drive something home to you Children are you? 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:16.940 Because here's something very important in this 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:20.779 text Jesus says most assuredly That's not really 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:25.059 a very good translation. What Jesus is actually 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:29.420 saying, if you look at what he said, it is amen 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:33.920 and amen. Now, I have a question. At the end 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.960 of our service, children, what do we sing? We 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:40.440 sing the threefold what? Say it out loud for 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:45.220 me. I can't hear you. Amen, the threefold amen. 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:48.420 Right after you receive that blessing that I 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:51.759 sing, right? Right why do you think you sing 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:56.859 the threefold amen? Because the word amen means 00:18:56.859 --> 00:19:01.440 let it be so Let it be so let it be fulfilled 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.440 so you are responding to that blessing that I'm 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.779 giving you Right I sing it Representing Christ 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:12.400 to you, and then you respond let it be so God 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:15.299 let it be so That's what you're singing with 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:19.279 that threefold amen and Jesus here is saying 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.339 This. Amen and amen. Let it be fulfilled. Let 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:31.599 it be fulfilled. So he's saying. Here's the new 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.799 beginning. Let it be fulfilled. He is transitioning 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:41.839 from the old creation to the new creation. Now 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:46.259 Nicodemus understood his status as a son of Abraham. 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:51.059 He was found that way in the flesh and the covenant 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:54.400 and all the sacrifices. So what is Jesus doing? 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.319 He's going to be the fulfillment and deliver 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:01.680 him from the sin found in the flesh. He's delivering 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.859 them from all the old covenant ceremonial rules. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:10.299 And he's the final sacrifice doing away with 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:15.950 all the other sacrifices. Now, this phrase, born 00:20:15.950 --> 00:20:18.890 again, again, is something that's been very popular 00:20:18.890 --> 00:20:23.609 in the United States since the 1970s, probably 00:20:23.609 --> 00:20:26.369 popularized by a book called Born Again by Chuck 00:20:26.369 --> 00:20:31.690 Colson. Again, we have another thing looking 00:20:31.690 --> 00:20:35.670 at how this is translated. This phrase everywhere 00:20:35.670 --> 00:20:41.049 else except for this one is translated as born 00:20:41.049 --> 00:20:46.920 from above, born from above. Above. This is important. 00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:50.519 God's distinction here, of course, you see that 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:53.160 there's some confusion by Nicodemus, because 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:54.920 how do you go back in your mother's womb? You 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:59.339 can't do that. But you see, born of above. Remember 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:03.700 at creation how the waters above from the waters 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:07.019 below are divided? But even before that, what 00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:10.359 happens? The waters are there. And who is hovering 00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:14.349 over the waters? The spirit. is hovering over 00:21:14.349 --> 00:21:18.809 the waters. What happens from the spirit hovering 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:21.789 over the waters? As we go through the days of 00:21:21.789 --> 00:21:26.410 creation, the land, the dirt, comes up out of 00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:31.210 the waters. Who's made out of the dirt? Adam. 00:21:31.970 --> 00:21:35.529 We are. That's part of why we say at the very 00:21:35.529 --> 00:21:38.710 end of all things, we do a funeral. If you go 00:21:38.710 --> 00:21:42.450 to the grave side, dust to dust, earth to earth. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:46.400 We return to these things. But it was there, 00:21:46.980 --> 00:21:52.440 the spirit. And so by the spirit, the land sprung 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:54.880 forth and the waters. And on the sixth day, Adam 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:56.839 was made out of the dust of the ground and given 00:21:56.839 --> 00:22:01.299 the very breath of life from God. The first Adam's 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:04.579 sin brought death into creation. And all through 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:09.849 the Old Testament, we read. of God using water 00:22:09.849 --> 00:22:13.970 to cleanse ceremonial death from his people. 00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:19.269 We see it in Numbers 8, Numbers 19, Numbers 31, 00:22:19.549 --> 00:22:21.869 all of this getting rid of the ceremony. If you 00:22:21.869 --> 00:22:24.410 did something that made your ceremony unclean, 00:22:24.690 --> 00:22:26.650 you were dead and not able to enter into the 00:22:26.650 --> 00:22:29.529 sanctuary, the place where God was. And so you 00:22:29.529 --> 00:22:33.190 had to go and be washed. The water was poured 00:22:33.190 --> 00:22:38.490 over you. But we especially see this in Ezekiel 00:22:38.490 --> 00:22:41.970 where God describes a new people by the spirit 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:46.450 and water Ezekiel chapter 36 says this for I 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:50.170 will take You from among the nations and gather 00:22:50.170 --> 00:22:53.130 you out of all countries and bring you into your 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:56.329 own land Then I will sprinkle clean water on 00:22:56.329 --> 00:23:00.950 you and you shall be clean. I Will cleanse you 00:23:00.950 --> 00:23:03.670 from all your filthiness and from all your idols 00:23:03.930 --> 00:23:07.509 Will give you a new heart and put on put a new 00:23:07.509 --> 00:23:10.369 spirit within you I will take the heart of stone 00:23:10.369 --> 00:23:13.490 out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh 00:23:13.490 --> 00:23:17.309 I will put my spirit within you and cause you 00:23:17.309 --> 00:23:21.690 to walk in my statutes And you will keep my judgments 00:23:21.690 --> 00:23:27.829 and do them So Nicodemus was familiar and I understood 00:23:27.829 --> 00:23:32.150 the cleansing from ceremonial death by water 00:23:32.349 --> 00:23:35.170 And Jesus is declaring that the work of the Spirit 00:23:35.170 --> 00:23:38.990 in the waters of baptism, bringing about being 00:23:38.990 --> 00:23:42.950 born from above. The kingdom of heaven cannot 00:23:42.950 --> 00:23:46.289 be entered into unless a man is a new creation 00:23:46.289 --> 00:23:51.730 by the water and Spirit. Otherwise, a person 00:23:51.730 --> 00:23:56.269 is only born by flesh, which is an atom, and 00:23:56.269 --> 00:24:00.250 it is already doomed by the poison of the fiery 00:24:00.250 --> 00:24:04.730 serpent. Jesus tells Nicodemus do not marvel 00:24:04.730 --> 00:24:07.869 that I have said to you you must be born again 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:13.029 He's saying do not stand in all and Wonder now 00:24:13.029 --> 00:24:15.450 this again you've heard me talk about this before 00:24:15.450 --> 00:24:17.829 But if you're you're new I want to remind you 00:24:17.829 --> 00:24:22.210 of all this That many times in the Greek and 00:24:22.210 --> 00:24:25.710 the New Testament There are two kinds of use 00:24:25.710 --> 00:24:29.859 There's the singular you There's the plural you 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:32.700 if you had a old King James Bible it would say 00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:36.640 ye for the plural one So we actually have two 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:41.240 different types of use here Jesus says the Nicodemus 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:45.480 he says don't stand in awe and wonder that you 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:51.660 singular Nicodemus Plural that all y 'all must 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:55.519 be born from above Jesus was pointing out as 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:58.779 he will continue to do that merely being the 00:24:58.779 --> 00:25:01.779 biological sons of Abraham does not gain the 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:05.619 people of Israel into the kingdom of heaven All 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:09.119 men including the Jews must receive the Sun by 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:13.579 water and the spirit a new heart Removing the 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:16.380 dead heart of stone and receive a new life with 00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:19.380 a new beginning in the flesh and God will give 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.829 his people new affections Remember, he said, 00:25:21.890 --> 00:25:23.289 I'm going to give you that new heart, and then 00:25:23.289 --> 00:25:25.369 what's going to happen? Then you'll be able to 00:25:25.369 --> 00:25:31.569 obey my statutes. You'll be able to do what I 00:25:31.569 --> 00:25:33.769 had told you to do, your statutes and your judgments. 00:25:33.809 --> 00:25:37.509 You'll be able to walk in them. Now, for the 00:25:37.509 --> 00:25:40.970 unbeliever, the law brings death. Romans 7 tells 00:25:40.970 --> 00:25:43.829 us, for when we were in the flesh, the sinful 00:25:43.829 --> 00:25:46.750 passions which were aroused by the law were at 00:25:46.750 --> 00:25:49.869 work in our members to bear the fruit of death. 00:25:50.250 --> 00:25:52.650 But now, having been delivered from the law, 00:25:52.809 --> 00:25:55.549 having died to what we were held by, so that 00:25:55.549 --> 00:25:58.789 we should serve in the newness of the Spirit 00:25:58.789 --> 00:26:03.089 and not in the oldness of the letter or the letter 00:26:03.089 --> 00:26:06.609 of the law. Jesus brought us to a new beginning 00:26:06.609 --> 00:26:09.150 when he, like Abraham, left his home in heaven 00:26:09.150 --> 00:26:14.269 and came in faith, proven by faithful obedience 00:26:14.269 --> 00:26:20.150 to his father. So Jesus left heaven. not just 00:26:20.150 --> 00:26:23.970 obedience, but also in faith, believing that 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:26.190 he will obey his father and then go and do his 00:26:26.190 --> 00:26:28.589 father's will and bring deliverance to the world. 00:26:30.369 --> 00:26:33.690 Jesus is that promise that was given to Abraham 00:26:33.690 --> 00:26:40.230 in Genesis 12. Read this now with Jesus in mind. 00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:44.150 I will make you a great nation. I will bless 00:26:44.150 --> 00:26:46.950 you and make your name great. What does God the 00:26:46.950 --> 00:26:51.940 Father say to Jesus? In Psalm 2, if you ask, 00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:54.460 I'll give the nations to you as an inheritance. 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:59.819 And you shall be a blessing. Is Jesus a blessing? 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.619 And I will bless those that bless you. And I 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:06.819 will curse him who curses you. And all the families 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:11.059 of the earth shall be blessed. In who? Well, 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:13.359 in the fulfillment of the promises God made to 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:19.009 Abraham in Jesus. Jesus once again declares children 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:23.230 are you listening? Jesus again declares most 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:26.190 assuredly so that is amen amen so be it may it 00:27:26.190 --> 00:27:30.329 be fulfilled That he will be lifted up as Moses 00:27:30.329 --> 00:27:33.650 lifted up the bronze serpent During the wilderness 00:27:33.650 --> 00:27:37.750 days of the people of Israel What happened there 00:27:37.750 --> 00:27:40.910 Israel was short with God they were impatient 00:27:40.910 --> 00:27:44.910 in God's provision and So they sin and vexed 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:49.640 God greatly Are you ever... Are you ever impatient 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:53.880 with God's provision for you? Are you ever impatient 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:57.299 for how He is working in your life? For the challenges 00:27:57.299 --> 00:28:05.500 and trials He lays in your life? Don't be surprised 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:11.119 when fiery serpents come your way. They are the 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:15.180 judgments and the grace of God. Now Moses lifted 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:17.519 up that bronze serpent and all who looked up 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.680 believing in God received healing and all those 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:27.539 who down and Look up what happened to them? Many 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:32.079 died For all the reasons that they could conjure 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.920 up No, it can't be so simple as to look to that 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:38.799 bronze cross that dag on Moses who brought us 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:43.009 out here to die I don't care of all the proof 00:28:43.009 --> 00:28:47.329 that God has put in my life to show me that He 00:28:47.329 --> 00:28:50.470 is God, that He is the one to deliver, that He 00:28:50.470 --> 00:28:54.369 is the one to bring grace and mercy. I don't 00:28:54.369 --> 00:29:00.269 care about that. God, I'm calling into question 00:29:00.269 --> 00:29:05.470 your sovereign provision for me. They wouldn't 00:29:05.470 --> 00:29:09.130 do the simple thing and believe God in His mercy 00:29:09.130 --> 00:29:13.589 and grace. so they perished in their unbelief. 00:29:14.829 --> 00:29:18.630 Dearly beloved, the simple thing to do is this, 00:29:19.450 --> 00:29:22.349 to hear the words of God found in Christ Jesus, 00:29:22.710 --> 00:29:26.210 and believe God's promises, and so not perish, 00:29:26.849 --> 00:29:30.910 but have everlasting life. And it's in this context 00:29:30.910 --> 00:29:35.009 that we hear, for God so loved the world, that 00:29:35.009 --> 00:29:37.849 He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever 00:29:37.849 --> 00:29:40.730 believes in Him should not perish. that have 00:29:40.730 --> 00:29:45.190 everlasting life. For God did not send His Son 00:29:45.190 --> 00:29:48.549 into the world to condemn the world, but that 00:29:48.549 --> 00:29:54.230 the world through Him might be saved. Dearly 00:29:54.230 --> 00:29:58.950 beloved, Jesus departed from heaven to bring 00:29:58.950 --> 00:30:03.029 a new beginning that we would be saved, having 00:30:03.029 --> 00:30:07.809 been born from above by water and the Spirit. 00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:13.839 Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we ask that you 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:16.380 would surely grant us comfort in the work of 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:19.940 your Son Jesus on the cross. We thank you for 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:22.980 sending Jesus, for bestowing your Spirit upon 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:25.900 us in the cleansing waters, and having granted 00:30:25.900 --> 00:30:29.039 us a new heart. We ask you to help us, O Lord, 00:30:29.059 --> 00:30:32.519 to follow Jesus and complete the good works that 00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:35.779 you have prepared for us to do. We ask all this 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:38.480 for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:41.809 who reigns with you in the Holy Spirit. World 00:30:41.809 --> 00:30:42.509 without end.