March 5, 2023
Pastor John Hering
John 3:1-17
John 3:1-17
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 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.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “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!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 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.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
We all love to feel special. Last week we had a Zoom call with Lori Lorig with Faith Unleashed about helping us set up our Personal Member Ministry person here at Divine Peace, Garland. She made a very kind comment when she said, “You are all very special at Divine Peace.” We love to feel special. Maybe you were blessed with parents who did that for you. They would say to you, “I love you,” so you would know that they cared for you. Then they did special things for you like taking you fishing, or to Braums for some ice cream, or maybe a special gift like taking you to the symphony. Today, if you were going to communicate to your spouse how much they meant to you, you might say something like, “You’re very special,” and give them an unexpected gift like flowers, a note in their lunch, or a bottle of coconut oil with a ribbon around it on the bathroom sink counter. Well, who here doesn’t want to feel special in God’s sight? We all want to feel especially loved by our Father in heaven. The Word of God today will declare just how special you are to God as you…
Believe God’s Gift To You
As you gaze upon God’s uplifted Son
It was late at night when a man named Nicodemus came looking for Jesus. “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 to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him” (Jn 3:1,2). I have some heaven questions: Do you think Nicodemus was there when Jesus cleaned out the temple? Do you think Nicodemus saw Jesus’ miracles and heard Jesus teaching and just wanted to be sure who Jesus really was? We do know they had been talking about Jesus who they admitted had some special connection with God. Was this Jesus the Messiah? And if he was, then was the kingdom was about to unfold? And if the kingdom was about to begin then Nicodemus didn’t want to miss it.
Jesus used Nicodemus’ curiosity to lead him to discover and believe just how special Jesus was as the fulfiller of God’s gift to the world. Jesus begins with the reference to the very well-known account of Moses and the Bronze Snake. As you well know, all along the way the Israelites repeatedly complained against the Lord. And the Lord was patient with his people, but God finally had had enough and used tough love to teach them a lesson which they’d never forget. God sent poisonous snakes into their camp. People got bit and the angel of death was darting through the camp to take his victims. And as before, when the Israelites realized they couldn’t survive, they came crawling on their knees, “Moses! Moses! Help us!” Moses prayed. God answered, “Make a bronze snake. Put it on a pole. Those who look at the bronze snake will be healed.” It worked!
Now comes the question: Why were they healed? We know that bronze shaped as a snake does not have healing power by itself. But, God connected his Word to an earthly element and made a promise. “Gaze upon this uplifted snake and you will be healed.” God’s word put the healing into the image, and faith drew that healing from the image, “Trust me, and you will be all right!” God could have said, “Look at a cactus, and be healed” then that would have worked. But he didn’t. He said, “Make a bronze snake, and look at it, and be healed.” The point was this – God gave a special gift to his people and faith received what God had to offer, namely saving them from dying from a snake bite.
Jesus hoped that Nicodemus got the point. The problem of the Israelites was not just poisonous snakes. The greater problem is the poison called sin. Nicodemus, you, and I have been infected with it. There is no cure in medicine, earthly pleasures, or self-righteous ambitions. There is only the cure God gives to you as a gift. And this is the Good News! God has a cure for what’s killing you. He sent that cure from heaven. That cure is God’s own Son who has come down from heaven. As the people gazed at the bronze snake they were cured from the poisonous snake-bite because God’s promise was hidden in it. Likewise all who gazed upon Jesus hanging from the cross in faith receive the “cure” from sin because God’s forgiveness is “hidden” in him. Jesus said is so clearly, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
You are God’s special people, not because you are so special in and of yourself, but because God gave you the Gift of His Son. You gaze upon the Jesus Christ who was lifted up. Through faith you receive the payment for all your sins. You Christians don’t look different than others, or have different jobs, or shave your heads, or walk around in robes with our hands folded. No! In many ways we are just like everybody else. But what makes you special is the fact that God gave you the gift of his Son and the Gift of Faith to received the blessings from Jesus. You are special in God’s sight because Jesus was crucified for you!
Such a thought! You are special because of Christ Crucified! Our same God who caused water to come from a rock, manna to fall from heaven, knocked down walls with trumpets did all of these things to make the same point. If God decides it will work, will work. If God wants to connect his promise to water, who am I to say he can’t bring me Jesus’ forgiveness through such a means? If God wants to connect his promise to wafer and wine to give us his body and blood, who am I to say God can’t do that. God decided to save you from sin by giving you the Gift of his Son lifted up on a cross and to give you the Gift of Faith through which you gaze upon Jesus to receive payment for all your sins, then it is so. Believe it. Yes, gaze upon God’s uplifted Son and
Reflect What God Has Done!
You may have noticed that Jesus told Nicodemus, “the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Jesus had to die on a cross. Why? The answer is beautifully summed up in one of the most familiar verses of the Bible. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Stop and think about how many poems and songs are written about love. You know there are all sorts of love. There is sentimental love, like when you get a lump in your throat at the end of a good movie. There is romantic love, puppy love, and friendship love. And then there’s God’s love! You see, He had plenty of reasons to call the world into his courtroom and let his Son judge accordingly. The verdict would have been eternal banishment from God’s presence in hell. But, Jesus said, “God so loved the world.” God’s love moves beyond feelings to action. God saw our broken world and acted to change our situation. Reflect on this a second! He didn’t have to, but he graciously did! God so loved the world that he sent his special and only Son “that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Notice also that Jesus said, “God so loved the world.” What is this world like that God chose to love? It a world of Mental Health issues, anxiety, isolation, fear of money, sickness and broken relationships. Now, reflect on God’s unlimited love. It is meant for the whole broken world, and that includes you. You may see graying hair or broken bones or empty checkbooks or empty chairs at the family table, but God’s love remains constant. Believe it!
From time to time we see folks come into this church on crutches or with walkers. Weak, sore or broken bones need some support. Can you imagine going to the physical therapist who gives you crutches made out of Kleenex! Who would use a cane made out of rotten wood! You’d much rather have something strong and firm to lean on. In the same way, don’t try to lean on your frail reputation or the straw of your own character to become special to God. Rely on the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you. Believers, when you’re down, worried, hurting, and scared, don’t reflect on who you are and what you have done. Reflect on God’s active love. That is a solid foundation that will never change.
The Pharisees were supposed to be extra bright in spiritual matters. But Nicodemus was different. He had been living in darkness when it came to his relationship with God, but now he learned of God’s Gift and reflected on it as he listened to Jesus.
“3 Jesus replied, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God! 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 “You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things? 11 Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.”
John 3:3-13
Can you see why so many Pharisees didn’t like Jesus? They thought they were right with God because of how holy and righteous they were. And a crucified Lord had no place in their lives—it was too offensive to them! They didn’t want to hear about God working through the power of his Word connected to water in baptism. That was too simple. By the grace of God we reflect upon it as God’s Gift to us. God did the work and we get the blessings. Through faith in Jesus we reflect on God’s love for us in Jesus Christ from heaven. This changed Nicodemus’ life. Later, no more sneaking around in the dark. Together with Joseph of Arimathea he helped in the burial process after Jesus died. He was willing to risk all, his position, his reputation, to live according to God’s Gift as he gazed upon God’s Son and Reflected on all Jesus had done.
We all love to feel special. Well think about this. You can walk through a museum and see all sorts of special paintings with clothes, houses, parks and activities. By themselves they aren’t all that special. But, they take on great value because they were painted by some great person. Without Jesus your clothes, cars, school, job, homes and everything in your life are simply “things.” But, all of the quite ordinary things become special when they are connected to Christ Jesus. So today leave Trusting God’s Gift To You As You Gaze Upon God’s Uplifted Son and Reflect on What God Has Won to make you his very special, dearly loved child of God. Amen.
