Jesus, The Focused One

John 4:27-42

Throughout the book of John, there are different ways in which we study the person of Jesus.

On one hand we look at who He is from a preacher’s standpoint.
(THEOLOGICALLY)
The Living Word
The Light of the World
The Incarnate One
The Savior of the World

On another hand we look at who He is from a sinner’s standpoint.
(SALVATION)
The Essential One
The Exclusive One
The One to Follow
The Living Water

But sometimes we look at who He is from a disciple’s standpoint
(EXAMPLE)
The Evangelist

Tonight we see Him again from this standpoint.
We don’t see Him in this regard in the book of John as much as we do in the other gospels, but when we do, it is very beneficial to pay attention.

Tonight, we have another opportunity to learn from the example of Jesus.

In some regards He is very much exclusive,
We could in no way fill His shoes, or go where He went.
But in some regards He is very much and example,
That He intended that we follow.

Tonight we are going to look at the tremendous concentration and focus of Jesus.

His concentration is so far above any that we may ever demonstrate that Jesus definitely earns the title: “The Focused One”.

No one ever demonstrated the focus that Jesus had.

1) He could have forsaken Jerusalem
Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”

Luke 12:49-50 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
2) He could have flattened Judas
John 13:21-27 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

3) He could have followed Peter
Luke 22:49-51 “When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.”

4) He could have flattered Pilate
John 19:8-11 “Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

5) He could have found angels
Matthew 26:53-54 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

Jesus was focused.
Nothing could deter Him from getting to the cross.

Hebrews 12:2b “…who for the joy set before Him, [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus was focused, but not just on the cross.
Jesus was focused on doing the will of God.
He was focused on seeing the salvation of sinners.

While we are not seeking to be the sacrifice for the world, we are seeking to be witnesses to a lost and dying world, so in this regard, we look to the focus of Jesus as an example of how we are to view our mission in this world.

I am going to show two main truths about Jesus tonight, that will solidify in our minds how successful we can be when we follow the evangelistic example of Jesus.

#1 THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
John 4:27-38
Now you will immediately notice the setting to which this story takes place.

After having a conversation with the woman at the well, Jesus’ disciples show back up, and are a little confused as to why Jesus was talking to her, but at least they have the wisdom not to question Him.

On the other hand you have the woman who is so excited that she has run to town to tell everyone she know about this Jesus she just met.

So, fresh off of the excitement of leading a soul to salvation,
Jesus now finds Himself in a teaching opportunity,
And one that He takes full advantage of.

As He turns to teach the disciples, it allows us to see three wonderful characteristics about Jesus.
1) JESUS IS COMMITTED (31-34)

Jesus was committed to the complete and total will of the Father.

Other places in Scripture give us a hint as to what that might be.
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

There is no doubt that God has always had a heart for the lost.

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, God told them:
Exodus 19:6 “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

When God spoke of the Messiah through Isaiah:
Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Consider God sending Jonah to Nineveh…
Consider God sending Amos to the North…
Consider God sending His Son to the World…

There is no doubt what God has been working to accomplish since the creation of the world. He is seeking the lost to be saved.
John 3:16-17 “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. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus was committed to this cause.
Not only in the sense of being the sacrifice for sins, but also through being a personal evangelist to those He came into contact with.

Here, we are provided a glimpse into that commitment
As the disciples offer Jesus some food.

And Jesus said, (32) “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

Of course the disciples completely miss the point.
“So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?”

And Jesus answers, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
Jesus makes it real clear what is important to Him.
It is fulfilling the mission of His Father.

This is exactly what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

FASTING
Jesus was committed to His Father’s work.

John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Jesus was committed to the point that nothing could deter Him.
Remember feeding the 5,000
So what if He was mourning John’s death…
So what if they didn’t have any food…
So what if His disciples were doubting…
That wouldn’t stop Jesus, He was committed.
Remember Lazarus?
So what if the disciples didn’t want to go…
So what if Martha was doubting…
So what if there would be a stench…
So what if he was wrapped in death rags…
That wouldn’t stop Jesus, He was committed.

And yet today our commitment fades away when a person appears uninterested from a distance.

We learn from Jesus example, He is committed.

2) JESUS IS COMPASSIONATE (35)

Picture the disciples giving Jesus that familiar look of embarrassment and shame as they put their bread back in their bags.

And remember what we learned in verse 30, “They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”

So while the disciples’ heads are hanging in shame,
Jesus is looking over their shoulder
to the crowd that is topping the hill, and He makes a statement.

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest?”

Now picture the disciples saying, “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

And then Jesus gives them the head nod to turn around and see the crowd, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

Don’t you know that it sunk in
When the disciples turned and saw the people.

They learned a valuable truth.
When Jesus sees people He sees souls.

He didn’t see people as popular or not.
He didn’t see people as rich or not.
He didn’t see people as religious or not.
HE SAW PEOPLE AS SAVED OR NOT.

Matthew 9:12 “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

Jesus was compassionate to the needs around Him.

Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

I think we are often times more like the disciples.
They had just come from the city, but they didn’t see what Jesus saw.

They saw Samaritans. They saw bread sellers. They didn’t see lost people.

Casting Crowns has a new song out.
She is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction. She is trying, but the canyon’s ever widening in the depths of her cold heart. So she sets on another misadventure just to find she’s another two years old and she’s three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
She is yearning for shelter and affection that she never found at home. And she is searching for a hero to ride in, to ride in to save the day. And in walks a Prince Charming, and he knows just what to say. Momentary lapse of reason, and she gives herself away.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
Judgment looms under every steeple, with lofty glances from lofty people. We can’t see past her scarlet letter, and we’ve never even met her.
Judgment looms under every steeple, with lofty glances from lofty people. We can’t see past her scarlet letter, and we’ve never even met her.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Oh does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple, all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her, can anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction…

Would I have witnessed to the Woman at the Well?

3) JESUS IS CLEAR (36-38)

As Jesus and His disciples gaze at the crowd that is topping the hill and coming to them… Jesus makes a very clear point to the disciples,
And that is that the time for reaping is now.

“Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal”

We don’t have to wait four months, the time is now.
Hear comes the harvest, go get it.

And He shows us how it works.
“For in this case the saying is true, “One sows and another reaps.”

The disciples were about to able to reap, but they didn’t sow.
They missed their sowing opportunity. The woman at the well did the sowing, but they were going to get a chance to reap.

Sometimes it works that way, sometimes we sow, sometimes we water, but we all are in this together.

And then Jesus gets extremely clear.
“I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

There again, the disciples heads must have dropped.
I sent you to do something, did you?

We know the command of Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

How many times Jesus says, “Go witness to that person.”
For all we know it is their day to get saved,
And we get to reap where we have done no work.

I’ve had it happen like that to me.
I was coming back from Canton, and Sedrick Thompson was ready.
I was walking across Seminary, and a young boy was ready.

Other times I’ve planted, and other times I watered,
But what a tragedy when we don’t fulfill our part.

You have a pretty tough time picking cotton if you never plant it.
And you will lose your desire to plant cotton if no one ever picks it.

That is the example of Jesus.
Now I want you to see the effects of Jesus.

When we do it the way Jesus says, when we follow His example.
Look at how this works.

#2 THE EFFECTS OF JESUS
John 4:39-42

Because Jesus took the time to see the woman at the well, three things happened.

1) SHARING (39)

I want you to know, if you lead a person to Christ,
And they really accept Him, they will share it.

I believe this with all of my heart. If Jesus gets inside of you, you will share

Luke 8:16-17 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

C.H. Spurgeon says, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

William Barclay says, “The Christian life is based on the twin pillars of discovery and communication. No discovery is complete until the desire to share it fills our hearts; and we cannot communicate Christ to others until we have discovered Him for ourselves. First to find, then to tell, are the two great steps of the Christian life.”

Matthew 4:19 “And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mark Cahill, “If you aren’t fishing, then you aren’t following.”

And when you lead people to Jesus, so will they.

The effects of following Jesus example is sharing
2) SEEKING (40)

Notice that when this woman shared what God had done for her,
Other people wanted to know more about this Jesus.

Heart Changes are contagious, and people will seek what is going on.

Acts 9:19b-22 “Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

Now I’m not saying everyone will get saved, but I can guarantee they will want to know what made you change. They wanted to know what made this woman, who was once so ashamed of her past, now come broadcast it all over town.
The effects of following Jesus example is sharing, seeking
3) SALVATION (41-42)

And I love this, when they started seeking Jesus, and hearing Him preach, they were coming to Him.

I know a lot of times we focus on the difficulty that is promised to believers, but I also want you to realize that success is promised as well.

Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Ecclesiastes 11:6 “Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Christians will be victorious.
Remember, “The gates of hell will not prevail”

WE ARE THE WINNERS

Jesus designed this thing to be a circle.

A person gets saved and they share…
They share and others seek…
They seek and they get saved…
They get saved and they share…

But we have to be willing to follow the example of Jesus.
Jesus was Committed – nothing got in the way of kingdom growth.
Jesus was Compassionate – He saw souls going to hell.
Jesus was Clear – the only way to win the lost is to spread the seed.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS?

John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

Jesus, The Living Water

John 4:1-26

We have been on a quest here in our church for the Biblical Jesus.
There is no doubt everyone has an idea as to who Jesus is.
We are studying the book of John to see the Jesus of the Bible.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

There have been many false assumptions about Jesus.
No character in human history has ever been more reinterpreted.
People continually shape Him to be what best suits their needs.

But we are in search of who the Bible says Jesus is.
Today we continue on that search.

Vs. 1-6 “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

John had just answered the questions of the Jews who wanted to know what he thought about
Jesus baptizing people and all the people coming to Him.

Jesus is not interested in getting into a baptism war,
So He is going to move for the time being to Galilee.

To get to Galilee the fastest, you would cut through Samaria,
But during the 6th hour, (noon) He finds Himself tired and thirsty
So He sits beside a well, and our story commences.

But John has a purpose in including this story.
We are going to see that this woman found in Jesus,
What she could not find anywhere else.

That is precisely John’s point.
You find in Jesus things you can find nowhere else in life.

I am going to show you three things you get from a relationship with Jesus that you cannot get anywhere else.
#1 JESUS SATISFIES
John 4:7-14

We are all familiar with the song “Just Can’t Get No Satisfaction”
I would say this woman would have sang that song.

Take a moment to see here life.
Her race caused her to be rejected…
Her gender caused her to be rejected…
She was excluded even by her own people…

Despite all her efforts, life had not worked out according to plan.
Life can often turn out this way can’t it?

Take a page from this woman’s diary for example.
1) She comes home and tells her mom that she finally found the man of her dreams. She is in love, and has decided to marry. But marriage wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And after a couple of years of struggle, the marriage was over.

2) Not long after that, she meets a man who is everything that her first husband was not. This man will really make my dreams come true. However tragedy strikes and his life is cut short.

3) Now middle aged and alone you seek a new relationship, but you weren’t ready to remarry, and the whole thing was a mistake.

4) So a fourth husband comes along, and then a fifth, and now you just want a companion to help share the expenses.

5) Trying the world’s plan for happiness certainly didn’t work for you. Now you are scorned by all the other women, and to do your washing, you go to the Laundry Mat where no one knows you.

Sometimes we find out that all that glitters isn’t gold.
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 “Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 2:15-17 “Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.”

Solomon reminded us that sometimes beer commercials lie.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

But it’s not just the things of the world.
We can be just as burned by religion.

Look at verse 20.
“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

You get the feeling she tried religion,
But was left more confused than anything else.

Jews say you have to be a Jew
Muslims say you have to follow Allah
Buddhists say you have to be good
Jehovah’s Witnesses say you have to be one of the 144,000
Mormon’s say you have to be a missionary
Seventh Day Adventist says it has to be on Saturday
New Age says believe whatever you want

But not only in difference of religions
Are going to be a Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, First Christian, Assembly of God, Church of God, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Catholic, or just watch whatever on TV.

And just like in the world, you can get bogged down.

This was what happened to Israel
They got caught up in religion, but forgot about God.

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

In much of the world today, that is exactly what religion is.
It is tradition learned by rote. (rules taught by men – NIV)

THERE IS NO POWER IN IT, AS THIS WOMAN FOUND OUT
And as she approaches the well and sees Jesus,
He makes an analogy for her.

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Until now, all this woman had done
Was searched for things that would not satisfy.
But Jesus points to something better.
“If you knew the gift of God”
If you knew what God would have for you, you wouldn’t be wasting your time seeking the things of the world, or the religions of men.

The gift of God is righteousness.
The gift of God is faith leading to salvation.
The gift of God is Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Jesus also said, if you knew “who it is who says to you”
If you knew the power that I have to change your life,
You would be seeking Me for what is best.

Of course the woman doubts.
“Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it Himself and his sons and his cattle?”

She is not questioning her need for living water,
She is questioning the possibility of it.

EVER BEEN THERE?
You don’t question the fact that something better in life would be great,
You just question the possibility of it.

You would love to find something that would satisfy your soul,
But everything you have found only lasts for a season,
And so you have just about given up.

Jesus understands that, and see how He replies.
“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Jesus knows exactly what she means.
Everything she ever tried was fleeting joy.

Every relationship was only fulfilling for a little while…
Every religion was only fulfilling for a little while…
Every new car…
Every new dress…
The joy was fading, it didn’t last.

But Jesus promises something better.
He promises true deep satisfaction for your soul.
There is nothing in this world that can satisfy your soul but Jesus.

That is because it was Jesus who created you.
John 1:3 “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

And He created you with a void that only He can fill.

Everything in your life that you have been seeking
Is just like this well water.
It is stagnant, it is fading, and it doesn’t benefit you.

Try gaining all the possession that will make you happy,
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Try getting involved in religion
Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”

Without Jesus you will never be satisfied, but with Jesus,
It is like a well of water springing up to eternal life.

John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”

Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”

Psalms 36:7-9 “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

Jeremiah 17:13 “O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.”

You can search in this life,
But apart from Jesus you will never find satisfaction,
He is the One who satisfies a soul.
He can give you living water so that you will never thirst again.
#2 JESUS SOLVES
John 4:15-24

Now you have to love what takes place here in the conversation.
This woman is about to miss the boat completely.

Jesus comes to her wanting a relationship,
She just wants religion.
He wants to fix the problem
She wants to treat the symptom.

“Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

She thought her biggest problem was a long walk to get water.
If Jesus could treat this symptom in her life, then life would be better.

But isn’t that what she has been doing wrong from day one?
She was unhappy so she sought a relationship.
She was confused so she sought religion.

In her life she has yet to treat the source of the problem.

But Jesus doesn’t treat the symptoms, Jesus solves the problem.

“Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus told her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

Jesus was not about to just treat the symptom.
But look further, He wasn’t just asking her to get plugged in to religion either.

Vs. 19-24 “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT SHE WAS ASKING?
“Where should I go to church?”

Let me clarify something to you this morning,
On this #1 religious day of the year.
CHURCH IS NOT THE ANSWER – JESUS IS
Jesus wasn’t wanting this woman to go to church,
He wanted her to worship God, and there is a big difference.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

If you want to worship God, then do what God wants.
“the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

You must yield your entire spirit to Him,
And worship Him according to the truth of His word.

You don’t just go to church and say,
“There God, I worshiped you today.”

Isaiah 1:12-15 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

Look at what Isaiah says later.
Isaiah 58:1-5 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

This woman wanted to treat the symptoms,
But Jesus solves the problem.

People all over the world just want Jesus to treat their symptoms.
I need more money…
I need more happiness…
I need more comfort…

THOSE ARE SYMPTOMS, NOT THE SOURCE
He wants you to deal with your sin, that is your problem.
Isaiah 58:6-9a “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.”

[ILLUS: My dad’s Chiropractor – “Break up the Calcium deposits”]

JESUS DEALS WITH THE SOURCE
YOU DON’T COME TO JESUS TO TREAT SYMPTOMS,
YOU COME TO JESUS TO DEAL WITH YOUR SIN.

The Bible says our biggest problem is sin.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

But Jesus came to pay for sin.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Today we celebrate because we know His payment was accepted.
Romans 5:9-10 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

IF JESUS ONLY WANTED TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS,
HE WOULD HAVE JUST STAYED AROUND AND TAUGHT FOREVER.

BUT JESUS WANTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM,
SO AFTER 3 YEARS HE DIED ON A CROSS.

Jesus Satisfies Jesus Solves
#3 JESUS SAVES
John 4:25-26

At this point, the woman begins to understand what Jesus is saying.
She knows there is a need she can’t satisfy.
She knows she can no longer treat the symptoms.

She knows God has promised to send One who can help.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
She knew that there was a Savior on the way.
And then we get this wonderful truth.
“Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

He is the One she was waiting for.

No one and nothing else can save you but Jesus.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

You can look for salvation in other things, but it is exclusive to Jesus, and of course the reason is why we are here today.

There is only One who conquered the grave.
Romans 1:4 “[He] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”

You can seek to fill that void, BUT ONLY JESUS SATISFIES.
You can treat the symptoms, BUT ONLY JESUS SOLVES.
You can follow others, BUT ONLY JESUS SAVES.

So what do you do with Jesus?
It’s not about going to church 1 Sunday a year.
It’s not about going to church 52 Sundays a year.

Religion isn’t the answer.
Jesus is.

I am here to tell you that God brought you to this place today
So that you would surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

He will satisfy the void,
He will solve your sin problem,
He will save you for all eternity.

But you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
THIS MORNING WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN INVITATION:
We will sing an invitation hymn.
If the Holy Spirit of God is drawing you to give your heart to Jesus.

• I want you to leave the place where you are sitting…
• Come down one of these aisles…
• Take me by the hand…
• And tell me you want to give your heart to Jesus…

HE IS THE ONLY LIVING WATER
ARE YOU THIRSTY?

Jesus, The Exclusive One

John 3:22-36

Tonight, as we study this text, the text itself has three main breaks in it, and we will talk about them briefly.

However, we are going to spend most of our time on the third point,
As it is the one that deals with the Exclusivity of Jesus.

But as we just get a feel for our text,
#1 THE SETTING
John 3:22-26

Perhaps the best way to summarize this portion of Scripture is with the word ANXIETY
For anxiety is definitely what is taking place here.

1) For one part, you have the anxiety of those who are under conviction and are coming to John to be baptized by him.

Vs. 23-24, “John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized – for John had not yet been thrown into prison.”

2) You also see the anxiety of the Jews who are questioning John’s disciples.

Vs. 25, “Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification.”

No doubt John was teaching that the purification traditions of the Jews were far less than what God desired.

Matthew 15:17-20 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

3) We see the anxiety from John’s disciples who could foresee that as Jesus ministry grew that John’s was diminishing.

Vs. 26, “And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”

I don’t know if it was a smaller crowd than they were used to,
But something bothered John’s followers.
They are approaching John because they are concerned
That John is about to lose his following.

So the setting is best described as anxiety.
#2 THE SERVANT
John 3:27-30

Just as sure as we summarize the setting with the word anxiety,
We have a word to summarize the servant, and that is HUMILITY

John had every opportunity to take the bait here,
And to strive to hold on to his ministry,
But instead John took the right road.

Just look at these statements, you won’t find any better in all the Bible.

Vs. 27, “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.”

That’s not what John was supposed to say. Suppose you are a preacher, and God starts moving your flock to another church across town. We all know you are supposed to get up in arms and bad mouth that other church so you can keep your flock.

John didn’t, he knew that was all in God’s hands.

Vs. 28, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ’, but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’”

Again, that’s not what John was supposed to say. He was supposed to ridicule how this new preacher was just tickling their ears, and how certainly His ministry wasn’t as beneficial as his own.

But John is willing to recognize that his ministry
Was only for preparing the people to follow this new preacher.

Vs. 29, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of min has been made full.”

Oh John, you’ve got to be kidding me.
It’s one thing that He is stealing your congregation…
It’s another thing that you are willing to accept that…
But John, you don’t have to be happy about it.

John was. He knew he was not the husband of the church. To run off with the bride would have been adultery. He was merely an attendant of the groom, and he was truly happy to see the marriage take place.
Vs. 30, “He must increase, but I must decrease”

Alright, that does it.
No way you really want your fame to fade away.
No way you really want to just fall back into the shadows of this man’s glory.

John did.

We call this servant humble, because it correctly described his ministry.

John had followers who were willing to leave Jesus behind
All for the sake of making sure John stayed famous,
But John saw through that scheme, and because of his humility,
He placed himself rightly behind Jesus.

But the real point of this text is why John didn’t take the bait.

These men were willing to bring Jesus down to a level where He and John were equal, but John would not allow it.

The reason is because John had a proper understanding of Jesus.
And so let’s look at the third point tonight.

#3 THE SERMON
John 3:31-36

John here is straightening out his disciples.
And one word can accurately describe this sermon. PRIORITY

Jesus is priority.
He is not someone you can lump into a group.
He stands alone.

We live in a world that desperately tries
To do the same thing John’s disciples did.

On one hand our world would love to pull Jesus back
And lump Him in a group of religious zealots.

They would love to bring Jesus down to the level of Muhammad, or Gandhi.
People who would love to make Jesus just one of the crowd.

They did this even in Jesus day.
Matthew 16:13-14 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
We also have some today who would love
To make themselves equally important with Jesus.

You can see this in many churches.

Our ministry is the most important ministry, and if you are in another church, you ought to move your letter.

We often try to elevate ourselves to Jesus level, but John didn’t do that.

John knew better than to dumb Jesus down, or to puff himself up.
John knew Jesus is exclusive.

SO JOHN TAKES THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO SHOW HIS DISCIPLES WHY JESUS IS EXCLUSIVE.
There are four things that set Jesus apart from the pack.
#1 THE PREEMINENCE OF JESUS
John 3:31

Here we find the first reason Jesus can’t be looked at as one of many.
This is an area that sets Jesus apart, and that is where He came from.

Jesus is from above.

You cannot treat a citizen of a town like he is a tourist.

No one in this room knows more about Henrietta, TX than I do.
You could read books about Henrietta (provided someone would write them)
You could see pictures of Henrietta (provided someone would take them)
You could even visit Henrietta (provided you would want to)

If you want to talk about Heaven, there is only One expert, because there is only One who has ever been there.

You can’t lump Jesus with all the rest, He “comes from above” and “is above all”

Everyone else is “from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”

Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Consider what Jesus said.
John 6:30-34 “So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

John 6:35-51 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, ” Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘ I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

John could have tried to make himself an equal with Jesus…
John could have tried to bring Jesus down to his level…
But John knew better.
John knew about the Preeminence of Jesus.

#2 THE PREACHING OF JESUS
John 3:32-34

There was another reason why Jesus
Couldn’t be grouped into some pack of prophets.

That reason was His preaching.
Jesus preaching was unlike anyone else’s preaching ever.

Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
John 7:46 “The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”

When Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of heaven, He had authority.
“What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies”

Vs. 34 says, “For He who God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

The point is Jesus preaching sets Him apart from every one else.

Take for example all the prophets of the Old Testament.
They all had a familiar ring “Thus says the Lord”
But Jesus said, “I say unto you”

Isaiah said,
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

But Jesus said,
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Preachers can read the words of God,
But Jesus words are the words of God.

You cannot lump Him together we some group of prophets.

If you disobey Jesus, you are disobeying God.
Vs. 33, “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JOHN IS SAYING?
If you disobey Jesus, you are calling God a liar.
If you obey Jesus, you testifying that God is true.

You might could try to lump Jesus with other preachers,
But you can’t.

The Preeminence of Jesus sets Him apart
The Preaching of Jesus sets Him apart

When He speaks, it is the word of God.
Jesus is exclusive

#3 THE POSSESSIONS OF JESUS
John 3:35

There is a third aspect of Jesus that makes Him exclusive,
That is His inheritance, or His possessions.
You can withhold yourself from Jesus…
You can withhold your possessions from Jesus…
You can withhold anything you want from Jesus…

But He will get it sooner or later.
Because God has given all things to Him.

You don’t have to submit to what I say, because I will never rule.

BUT YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT TO JESUS
Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is why I love Psalm 2
Psalms 2 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

There is no other One in the scope of history
That demands your allegiance like Jesus does.

You will either submit to Him now, or submit to Him later,
But it has already been appointed.

You cannot treat Jesus as though He is One of many, for He is exclusive.

#4 THE PENALTY OF JESUS
John 3:36

The final reason we must treat Jesus different is
Because He alone holds your eternity.

So what if you disobey Muhammad.
So what if you disobey Gandhi
BUT DISOBEY JESUS, YOU WILL GO TO HELL FOR ETERNITY

You cannot treat Jesus like one of many, His penalty is real.

And look at this verse, for it is vitally important to grasp it.
John uses the word for “believes” and “obey” interchangeably.

John wants you to obey Jesus.
That is what matters.

Many of you have read the book, “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven”
He makes the statement.
“If it doesn’t matter 100 million years from now, it doesn’t matter.”

Well let me tell you, Jesus matters.

100 million years from now, it won’t matter what you thought of me.
It won’t matter that you didn’t follow Muhammad.
But the decision you made with Jesus will still be ringing in your head.
And if you haven’t figured out by now, the purpose of John’s gospel is to force you to deal with Jesus.

The other gospels are full of the teachings of Jesus,
But John just wants you to do something with Him.

SO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?

His preeminence sets Him apart
His preaching sets Him apart
His possessions set Him apart
His penalty sets Him apart

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Jesus, The Savior of the World

John 3:16-21

When last we left the book of John,
Jesus was locked in a conversation with one of the religious elite.

Nicodemus came to Jesus desiring some instruction.
He came appealing to this teacher who worked the works of God

Jesus reminded Nicodemus he didn’t need a change of direction,
He needed a change of nature.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.”

Although Nicodemus should have understood this,
He did not, and he questioned how such a thing could occur.

Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus why he couldn’t understand.
“Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.”

Nicodemus’ inability to see
Stemmed from an unwillingness to see.
He could not see because he would not see.

And after Jesus exposed this sin of Nicodemus,
He then explained that salvation can only occur when there is a:
1) Sacrificial Animal
2) Sacrificial Act
3) Sacrificial Acceptance

(13-15) “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”

We understand what Jesus was talking about.
We have been taught the need for another to pay the sin debt,
Nicodemus should have understood, but he didn’t.

Nicodemus was seeking a teacher, he needed a Savior.
Therefore Jesus must expound on this truth.

Here in our text this morning we see that:
Jesus is far more than just a teacher.
Jesus is far more than just a prophet.
Jesus is far more than just a wise man.

Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world,
He didn’t come just to teach.
THIS MORNING WE SEE WHY HE CAME

#1 JESUS CAME FOR THE DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE
John 3:16
We are reminded of a very foundational truth.
When you want to talk about the wonder of salvation,
There is only one place you can start,
The love of God.

The origin of salvation is God’s love.
He is the Originator of salvation…
He is the Author of salvation…
He is the Offerer of salvation…

Without the love of God, there would have never been salvation.

AND GOD’S LOVE IS NOT MYTHICAL, THANKS TO THE WORD OF GOD, WE KNOW A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD.

The Scripture provides us with the EXPLANATION OF GOD’S LOVE
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”

One of Jesus parables provides us with the ILLUSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE
Luke 10:27-37 “And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

We as Christians are the MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S LOVE
1 John 4:9 “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”
But if you want to see the DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE,
You only look at the cross.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Which is exactly what Jesus is teaching us here.
He came to demonstrate the unconditional love of God.

We see that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,”

1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Before Jesus came, God’s love was a mystery.
It was unknown, it was undefined, it was unrecognized.

The closest people in history to understanding God’s love
Were the children of Israel.

Ezekiel 16:4-14 “As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. “No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. “When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ “I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare. “Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord GOD. “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. “I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. “I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. “I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. “Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. “Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord GOD.”

Israel had received the love of God,
But when you factor in all the punishment they received,
And all the sacrifices that reminded them that they were not acceptable,
God’s love was still a mystery even to the Jewish people.

Despite all He had done,
God was still distant, and His love was undefined.
If it was this tough for Israel, it was near impossible for Gentiles.
What claim would they have on the love of God?

Before Jesus came, you could not understand God’s love.
It was undefined.
But then one day a baby was born in Bethlehem,
And God’s love took form.

They called Him Jesus, and He demonstrated perfect love.

A love that freed people from their bondage of sickness and disease…
A love that touched the lepers, and associated with the outcast…
A love that saw the heartache of a downtrodden people…
A love that would speak the truth even if it hurt a little…

And ultimately a love that would that go the distance
By laying down His own life for those who did not deserve it.

Jesus came as a demonstration of the love of God.
He came to show us that God cares.
He came to show us that God desires a relationship with you.
He came to show us that God does not want you to go to hell.
He came to show us that God is a Father, not just a Judge.

Jesus came to demonstrate the love of God.
And He did it to perfection.

“See from His head, His hands, His feet; sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?”

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus came to demonstrate that
Which we would not know if it weren’t for Him.

#2 JESUS CAME FOR THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD
John 3:17

This is another area that Jews like Nicodemus had missed the point.
They were waiting for Messiah, but they had a warped idea of Him.

They were waiting for the One who would come and judge the world.
They were waiting for the One who would come and restore Israel.
They were waiting for the One who would come and kill their enemies.
The One who would give Rome what they deserved.

The problem of course was that
They did not understand who their truest enemy was.
Isaiah 53:1-6 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

They didn’t understand that they needed a savior from sin.

In fact after they crucified Jesus, Peter had this to say.
Acts 3:17-19 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

Paul would say this about his former life of sin.
1 Timothy 1:12-14 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

The Jews did not understand their need for salvation.
So here Jesus makes very clear to Nicodemus
That salvation is why He came.

He didn’t just come to instill a new moral code.
He didn’t just come to encourage religious faithfulness.
He came to save men from sin.

Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Before Jesus, salvation wasn’t possible.
You couldn’t know it.

Before Jesus, there was only the Law and condemnation.
But through His sacrificial death on the cross,
Not only did we understand the love of God,
But we understand the way of salvation.

His blood was the perfect sacrifice that a Holy God requires.
His death appeased the wrath of God.
He paid the debt we could not pay.

Salvation came through Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Colossians 1:19-20 “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Galatians 1:4 “[Jesus] gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

Romans 5:6 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
He came for the demonstration of love
He came for the salvation of the world

But then again, we know that. We have talked about it over and over.

#3 JESUS CAME FOR THE REVELATION OF JUDGMENT
John 3:18-21

These four verses succeed in making Jesus sermon to Nicodemus
Quite an interesting paradox.

Without even a warning we go from seeing Jesus as the One who provides salvation to the One who secures condemnation.

In verse 18 Jesus said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Now there is a verse to open your eyes.
The first line we fully accept.

If you believe in Jesus, there will be no condemnation.
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

THIS IS WHERE WE OFTEN STOP OUR CONVERSATION
But Jesus didn’t.
“he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN, “judged already”?

If you don’t have Jesus in your life…
If Jesus is not your Lord…
God does not have to condemn you,
You are already condemned.

John 5:45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.”

Consider what Paul says in Romans 9.
Romans 9:15-16 “For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

Without God’s mercy, we are already condemned.
All that must be done in order for you to go to hell, is nothing.

Mankind is already condemned.
That happened thanks to a man named Adam.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
Man is already condemned,
Jesus came to save man from condemnation.
If you reject Jesus, you are already condemned.

If you reject the only way of salvation, condemnation is your only option.
Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.”

Jesus is showing this to Nicodemus,
But Jesus even goes further.

He shows Nicodemus why men choose judgment over Jesus.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY MEN DON’T SURRENDER TO JESUS?
Verses 19-21, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Because He exposes men and they don’t want to be exposed.

I’ve seen it hundreds of times.
People under conviction during an invitation,
But unwilling to admit what they are.

They don’t want to enter the Light.
They just want the Light to quit shining.
They are content in the darkness, in fact, they prefer it.

We see it throughout the Bible.
The Rich Young Ruler went away sad.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem for being unwilling
Pharisees refused to see what they were.

After the sermon of Stephen which rightly exposed their wickedness.
Acts 7:54-58 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

It is a hatred for the truth.

That is why Noah was ridiculed…
That is why Elisha was made fun of…
That is why Jeremiah was mistreated…
That is why Amos was rejected…
That is why Zecharaiah was killed by the altar…
That is why John the Baptist was beheaded…
That is why Jesus was crucified…
That is why Peter was crucified…
That is why John was exiled…
That is why James was stabbed…

Men either had to learn to love the light, or try to put it out.
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

DO YOU SEE WHAT JESUS IS DOING?
He is revealing why judgment happens.
He is revealing why men are condemned.

Nicodemus (who came at night) needed to know this,
Just as we need to know it today.

There is a reason why a person fails to come to Jesus.
It is because they have a internal problem.
They have a love of sin in their heart, and are unwilling to give it up.

And this is what I want you to see today, above all else.

We have been searching for the Biblical Jesus.
We live in a world that analyzes Jesus frontward and backward.
We live in a world that misrepresents Him continually
We have been studying Him for several weeks now.

BUT LET ME REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING.
We are taking a close look at Jesus,
But Jesus is not the One on trial here.

His trial is over.
He has already proved who He is.
Romans 1:4 “[He] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Jesus is not the One on trial, He has nothing left to prove.

JESUS IS NOT ON TRIAL, YOU ARE.

We are the ones who are presently being tried.

What we do with Jesus does not reveal
Whether or not Jesus is the truth,
What we do with Jesus reveals
Whether or not our heart loves the truth.

Jesus is the truth.
He is the Son of God. He is the Savior of the world.

When men don’t come to Him, it does not disprove Jesus,
It only proves that they do not love the truth.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE TRUTH?

Jesus hometown rejected the truth…
The Pharisees hated the truth…
Judas betrayed the truth…
Pilate was afraid of the truth…
Herod laughed at the truth…
The Mob crucified the truth…
But those that practiced the truth came to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

Jesus is the Savior of the World
If you won’t come to Him, what are you planning on doing?

Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Jesus, The Evangelist

John 3:1-15

We have looked at Jesus from many angles thus far in the gospel of John.
Who He is…
What He does…
Who He accepts…
Thus far the truths have been given
Simply to explain Jesus better to us.

Tonight we also begin here to learn from Jesus as an example.

There is no doubt that we all agree about the purpose of the church.
John 20:19-21 “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

We are to continue in the mission of Jesus.
He is the Living Word – We are to proclaim the living word
He is the true Light – We are to shine as lights
He left heaven to live amongst us – We take the gospel to others
He ministered to the people – We minister to the people
He had zeal for the truth – We have zeal for the truth
He carried the cross – We carry the cross

The church was left with the purpose
Of being the presence of Jesus in the world in which we live.

It is a mission that we cannot take lightly,
But that we must readily embrace with all urgency.

There are some tools to help us in our mission.
1) His Presence
Matthew 28:20b “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

2) His Spirit
John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

3) The Gospel
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

4) His example
John 13:15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

Tonight, it is the example of Jesus that we learn from.
HOW DID JESUS EVANGELIZE?

Tonight there are two truths that we will see.
1) The way Jesus evangelized
2) The truth about salvation

There are four truths we see about Jesus the evangelist.
#1 JESUS EVALUATED THE SITUATION
John 3:1-3
Let’s talk about the scenario here.

On one hand we have Nicodemus.
“man of the Pharisees” (group of 6,000)
Simply put their passion was legalism

“ruler of the Jews” (Sanhedrin – group of 70 – Supreme Court)
They judged and ruled Israel – exposed false prophets

On the other hand we have Jesus.
A man who has cleansed the Temple, and already been approached by the Jews (probably the Pharisees 2:18)

A man who was a lowly carpenter, and one who claimed to be a prophet.

The point is, these men on the surface are not allies.
Here Jesus is given the near impossible task
Of witnessing to a person who would have in most circumstances, Looked down upon Him, and desired to condemn Him.

This is an uphill battle in evangelism,
But it makes for a wonderful example for us to study.

Now, Nicodemus comes to Jesus “by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him.”

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, and is willing to consent
That he can learn from Jesus.

BUT LEARNING FROM JESUS IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.

And so Jesus seemingly skips his statement and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JESUS DID?
He looked past the surface into the heart.
He evaluated the situation.
Jesus knew what the man claimed to want,
And He knew what the man really needed.

He always got real with the person.
Remember when the Sadducees came testing Jesus?
They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they asked an indirect statement to try and trick Him about marriage.

Matthew 22:29-32 “But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

The point about Jesus is He always looked deeper.
Nicodemus just wanted to learn from Jesus,
But Jesus knew Nicodemus needed more.

He didn’t need a change of direction, he needed a change of nature.

This is vital in evangelism.
We don’t just treat the symptoms, we seek to treat the source.

We aren’t just trying to get drunks to stop drinking…
We aren’t just trying to get thieves to stops stealing…
We aren’t just trying to get people to come to church…
THOSE ARE SURFACE ISSUES.

Men don’t need a change of direction, they need a change of nature

I would estimate that 95% of the time I witness to someone, they will say something like, “I know I need to…”
(go to church, stop drinking, read my bible more, etc.)

THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY NEED
They need Jesus to completely change their life.

If you think that you just need to learn a little from Jesus, That’s not it.

You can’t change enough to enter God’s kingdom.
In order to enter God’s kingdom, “you must be born again”

Jesus evaluated the situation
#2 JESUS EXPRESSED THE SERIOUSNESS
John 3:4-8
It is apparent by the response of Nicodemus that he did not understand
“How can a man be born when He is old? He cannot enter a second time in his mother’s womb and be born can he?”

NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT NICODEMUS’ PROBLEM IS?
He is not arguing the necessity of a complete change in nature,
He is arguing the possibility of a complete change in nature.

That is not an uncommon response.
Matthew 19:23-26 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Jesus came advocating the need for a complete change in nature,
And Nicodemus doesn’t think it is possible.

HOW OFTEN THIS MISTAKE IS MADE TODAY.
People don’t see how they can ever change,
So they come to believe that a change is impossible.

Too often, we think that if we can’t comprehend it, then God can’t do it.

But look at what Jesus does here.
He gets serious about His point.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

You may think it is impossible, but I’m telling you it is necessary.

When evangelizing, do not be afraid to emphasize the truth just because you are afraid you will “lose” the person.

The truth is the truth, whether they come to it or not.

Jesus restated the truth that a change in nature is necessary.
“born of water” – repentance
“born of Spirit” – salvation

And then Jesus begins to explain how the Spirit works.
It is like the wind.

Jesus did not back off of the truth of salvation
Just because Nicodemus wasn’t buying it.
Instead Jesus emphasized it.

There is only one way to be saved
And to enter the kingdom of heaven.

That is if you are born again.
You cannot make enough changes in your life to enter heaven.
You cannot go to church enough…
You cannot read your Bible enough…
You cannot get baptized enough…
The only way, is if you are completely changed from the inside out.

And just because people have a problem with that,
Does not mean we are to back away from it.

Jesus evaluated the situation Jesus expressed the seriousness
#3 JESUS EXPOSED SIN
John 3:9-12
At this point you have to hold on to your seat,
Because Jesus quits teaching and starts meddling.

Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?”

He is still questioning this new birth,
Now on the basis of not understanding it.

But let me show you something here.
Nicodemus is a Pharisee remember?
Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin remember?

THERE IS NO REASON WHY HE SHOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE NEED FOR A HEART CHANGE.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ezekiel 36:24-32 “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. “Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. “I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. “I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”

Nicodemus should have understood what Jesus was talking about,
Which is why Jesus said this.

“Are you a teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I had told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Jesus confronts His ignorance, and even rebukes him for it.

But then Jesus reveals Nicodemus’ problem.
“you do not accept our testimony.”

Will Barclay wrote,
“There are two kinds of misunderstanding. There is the misunderstanding of the man who misunderstands because he has not yet reached a stage of knowledge and of experience at which he is able to grasp the truth…There is also the misunderstanding of the man who is unwilling to understand; there is a failure to see which comes from the refusal to see. A man can deliberately shut his mind to truth which he does not wish to accept…If a man does not wish to be reborn, he will deliberately misunderstand what rebirth means. If a man does not which to be changed, he will deliberately shut his eyes and his mind and his heart to the power which can change him. In the last analysis what is the matter with so many of us is simply the fact that, when Jesus Christ comes with his offer to change us and re-create us, we more or less say, ‘No thank you: I am quite satisfied with myself as I am, and I don’t want to be changed.’”
(Barclay, William, The Gospel of John, Volume 1, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1975, pg. 131-132)

This causes us to fail to experience many of the truths of God
We heard Amy’s testimony this morning…

But the point here is Nicodemus problem is sin.
The reason he can’t understand is because he won’t.

And there is only two options in this situation.
You can either ignore the sin and allow him to stay condemned,
Or you can expose his sin and seek to help him.

You cannot be saved if you will not repent of your sin.

Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

It floors me today the push for evangelistic approaches that never deal with the sin of the person you are witnessing to.

Some tell you not to call that person a sinner.
I know, let’s not call them lost either…
In fact, let’s not call them male or female…
Let’s not call them alive…
Let’s not call them anything…

IT’S THE TRUTH!!!!
“AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

The truth is not the enemy, the truth leads to salvation.

Some tell you not to emphasize repentance.
They can’t be saved if they don’t.

WHEN JESUS CALLS YOU, HE CONFRONTS SIN

Remember this woman?
John 4:15-19 “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”

“NOW JESUS DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT”
OH YES HE DID

He knew it is essential to expose sin as sin
He is our example for evangelism.

We read it this morning.
Luke 24:45-47 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

We must expose sin.
Now don’t confuse what I say with being a judge.

Jesus evaluated the situation…Jesus expressed the seriousness…Jesus exposed sin…
#4 JESUS EXPLAINED SALVATION
John 3:13-15

What Jesus does here is makes sure that Nicodemus understands what true salvation is, and how it occurs.

There are three things required for salvation to happen, and we see all three rhere.
1) SACRIFICIAL ANIMAL (13)
“No one ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: The Son of Man”
Jesus is pointing out the fact that He came from heaven.

SOMEONE MUST PAY FOR SIN.
Hebrews 9:6-7 “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.”

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

The simple truth is sin cannot go unpunished, someone must pay for it.
Jesus is making sure that Nicodemus understands this.

Of course we know that Jesus is the animal – The Lamb of God

2) SACRIFICIAL ACT (14)
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

Not only must the sacrificial animal be present, but it must be sacrificed.
If you don’t spill the blood, there is no forgiveness.

Jesus is of course prophesying of the crucifixion, but even more than that,
He is speaking of the necessity of the crucifixion.
“even so MUST the Son of man be lifted up.”

The death had to occur.
Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
There was no other way, the sacrificial act had to occur
If Jesus doesn’t die on that cross, then salvation is not possible.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

3) SACRIFICAL ACCEPTANCE (15)
“so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life”

I want you to know something, Jesus is sufficient.
He is perfect, His death is enough.

John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

The cross of Jesus is sufficient for atonement,
However, the cross of Jesus is limited in application.
Not only did Jesus have to die, but you must accept it.
John 3:16 “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.”

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

A person must willingly surrender their entire life to Jesus.
This is exactly what Jesus explained to Nicodemus.

Jesus evaluated the situation
Nicodemus didn’t need a change in direction, he needed a change in nature.

Jesus expressed the seriousness
Nicodemus needed to know rebirth was the only way, whether he liked it or not.

Jesus exposed sin
Nicodemus had a sin problem, and it had to be dealt with.

Jesus explained salvation
Nicodemus needed to know that to be saved, you had to trust in the only sufficient sacrifice for sin.

That is our example for evangelism.
That is what we preach to a lost world.
That is what I am preaching to you tonight.

 
1) You need a complete change, not a makeover
2) This makeover is the only way, whether you like it or not.
3) You are a sinner, and your sin must be dealt with.
4) The only way of salvation is to believe in the only qualified Savior

LET TONIGHT BE THE NIGHT YOU ARE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN.
If you have never been changed, let tonight be your birthday

If you are not evangelizing, let tonight be the night you commit to follow the evangelistic example of Jesus

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”