Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, full of questions and uncertainty, seeking answers about faith and life. Jesus responded by teaching him about the necessity of being born again—not just a physical birth, but a spiritual one, where we surrender our own leadership and invite Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. This new birth is the foundation of a transformed life, where we no longer live on our own terms but rise into new life with Christ, marked by hope, purpose, and belonging. [11:32]
John 3:3-7 (ESV)
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are still trying to lead on your own instead of letting Jesus lead you into new life? What would it look like to surrender that area to Him today?
Jesus explained to Nicodemus that just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. The cross, a symbol of suffering and death, becomes in God’s hands the very place where healing, hope, and new life are found. What looks like defeat is transformed into victory; what seems like the end becomes a new beginning. The paradox of the gospel is that God brings glory out of suffering, and the place of death becomes the source of all life. [16:25]
John 3:13-15 (ESV)
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Reflection: Where in your life do you see suffering or struggle that you need to lift up to Jesus, trusting Him to bring healing and new life from it?
At the heart of Jesus’ message is the declaration that God so loved the world—every part of it, not just the easy or agreeable parts. God’s love is for the whole messy, beautiful, and broken world: for families struggling to make ends meet, for children learning and growing, for the lonely, the migrant, the doubting, and the searching. God’s motive is love, His action is giving, and His purpose is to save, not to condemn. This love invites us to receive and reflect it in our own lives. [19:42]
John 3:16-17 (ESV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Reflection: Who in your life today needs to experience God’s love through you—especially someone who may feel overlooked or unworthy? How can you show them that love in a tangible way?
If Jesus was lifted up for the world, then as His church, we are called to be a lifted-up people who lift up others—not in pride, but in love. This means being visible signs of God’s love: sitting with the unseen child, visiting the forgotten senior, welcoming the outsider, and offering hope to the weary. Holiness is not retreating from the world, but embodying God’s love right where we are, so that others may catch a glimpse of Christ through us. [24:45]
Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Reflection: Who is someone in your community or neighborhood you can intentionally “lift up” this week through encouragement, presence, or practical help?
God’s love doesn’t just save us from condemnation; it raises us into a new way of living. This new life is marked by worship over worry, obedience over control, unity over division, generosity over hoarding, and community over isolation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our focus shifts from our own plans to what God can do through us, and we become living testimonies of His transforming love. [27:06]
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you most desire to see grow in your life right now? What is one step you can take today to cultivate that fruit by relying on the Holy Spirit?
Today, we witnessed the beauty and power of new life in Christ through the celebration of baptism, a visible sign of God’s transforming love. The story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night reminds us that even those who seem to have it all together can be restless and searching for answers. Nicodemus, a respected leader, was unsettled in his spirit and came to Jesus with questions he could not silence. Jesus responded not with easy answers, but with a profound invitation: to be born again, to receive a new life that is not just a second chance, but a complete transformation by the Spirit.
Jesus referenced the story from Numbers 21, where the Israelites, suffering from the consequences of their rebellion, were healed by looking at the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses. In the same way, Jesus declared that he must be lifted up, so that all who look to him in faith will have eternal life. The cross, a symbol of suffering and death, becomes in God’s hands the very source of healing and new life. This is the paradox of the gospel: what looks like defeat becomes victory, what seems like the end becomes a new beginning.
At the heart of it all is the love of God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” God’s love is not limited to the easy, the agreeable, or the familiar. He loves the whole world—the struggling families, the searching youth, the isolated seniors, the migrants, the weary, the doubting, and the hopeful. God’s motive is love, his action is giving, and his purpose is to save, not to condemn.
In a world overflowing with condemnation and division, God’s way is not to press us down, but to lift us up. We are called to embody this love, to be a people who lift others as Christ was lifted for us. Holiness is not retreating from the world, but living as visible signs of God’s love right where we are. This new way of life is marked by worship, obedience, unity, generosity, and community. Wherever we find ourselves—restless like Nicodemus, wounded like the Israelites, or simply longing for more—God invites us to look up to Jesus, to receive his love, and to walk in newness of life.
John 3:13-17 (ESV) — 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
---
## Observation Questions
1. What was the situation that led Nicodemus to come to Jesus at night, and what does this reveal about his state of mind? ([10:21])
2. According to Jesus, what does it mean to be “born again” and how did Nicodemus respond to this idea? ([11:32])
3. What Old Testament story does Jesus reference in his conversation with Nicodemus, and what is its significance? ([14:08])
4. In John 3:16-17, what is God’s motive for sending Jesus, and what is his purpose? ([13:20])
---
## Interpretation Questions
1. Why might Nicodemus, a respected leader, have felt restless and compelled to seek out Jesus privately? What does this suggest about spiritual longing, even among those who seem to “have it all together”? ([10:21])
2. Jesus compares his own being “lifted up” to Moses lifting up the bronze serpent. What does this comparison teach about the nature of salvation and healing in Christ? ([15:18])
3. The sermon says, “Condemnation is not God’s way.” In what ways does this challenge the way we often view God or treat others? ([22:49])
4. The message describes God’s love as all-encompassing and active. How does this understanding of God’s love differ from more limited or passive ideas of love? ([19:42])
---
## Application Questions
1. The sermon described Nicodemus as someone who looked put together on the outside but was restless and searching on the inside. Have you ever felt like Nicodemus? What questions or doubts have kept you up at night, and how did you respond? ([10:21])
2. Jesus invites us to a new life that is not just a second chance, but a complete transformation. Is there an area of your life where you are still trying to be in control instead of surrendering to Jesus’ leadership? What would it look like to let go? ([11:32])
3. The cross is described as a paradox—where defeat becomes victory and death becomes life. Can you think of a time when God brought something good out of a difficult or broken situation in your life? How did that experience change you? ([16:25])
4. The sermon emphasized that God’s love is for the whole world, including the struggling, the isolated, and the outsider. Who in your life or community might need to experience this kind of love through you this week? ([19:42])
5. In a world full of condemnation and division, what is one practical way you can “lift up” someone else instead of tearing them down? ([22:49])
6. Holiness was described as being present in the world as a visible sign of God’s love, not withdrawing from it. What is one step you can take to be more present and loving in your neighborhood, workplace, or family? ([24:45])
7. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—was mentioned as evidence of a new way of life. Which of these do you most want to grow in right now, and what is a specific action you can take this week to practice it? ([25:50])
``The very image of suffering became the sign of their healing. Jesus says to Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. And in John's gospel, that phrase lifted means two things. It refers to the cross in humiliation, but it refers to the glory of God in the raising of his king. [00:14:56] (40 seconds) #SufferingToGlory
You see, the cross that we see sometimes, we forget that the glory of God came through suffering. That it came through hard times and raised to new life still. The cross is not defeated. It becomes a throne. The place where humanity intended brokenness, God somehow receives glory. [00:15:36] (30 seconds) #CrossTransformsBrokenness
And this is the paradox of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. What looks like loss becomes victory. What looks like weakness becomes strength. What looks like the end becomes the beginning. It's almost as if the reminder that we are limited only by the imagination and freedom of the Holy Spirit at work in us to bring something new around us, to bring new hope, new life, and a new way. That's who our Jesus is. [00:17:07] (38 seconds) #ParadoxOfVictory
God does not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. We live in a culture overflowing with condemnation. Have you seen social media this week? We scroll through the news, we open social media, and we're quick to point out faults, to amplify failures, even to pile on shame. But Jesus shows us through this conversation with Nicodemus. Condemnation is not God's way. [00:21:32] (46 seconds) #LiftToLiftOthers
Whether we agree or disagree, condemnation is not God's way. Othering. Othering. Othering. not God's way. Wounding is not God's way. God does not press us down. His love lifts us up. He does not shame us in the dark. He invites us and lifts us, lights the way to live freely in him. [00:22:20] (43 seconds) #LivingLoveInCommunity
So if Jesus was lifted for the world, then what do you think our job is as his church? Could it be that we are called as a lifted up people to lift up people? Could it be not in pride but in love? Could it be that it means we live as visible signs of God's love? That when people look at us, they catch a glimpse of Christ? [00:23:25] (41 seconds) #FruitOfTheSpiritLife
God's love raises a new way of life. One where we worship Jesus rather than react to circumstances. One where we obey God rather than chase control. One where we choose unity rather than feed division. One where we live generously rather than hoarding security. One where we build community rather than walk alone. [00:25:22] (50 seconds) #LookUpForHealing
Here is what this scripture has taught us. Wherever we are in life, when we are ready to say yes to a new way of life in Jesus, just look up. Just look up. Look up to the one who will seek and save. The one whose way is love and transformation. [00:28:18] (30 seconds)
What I know is, is that God is not done yet. We say that a lot around here, mainly because most of us are still experiencing it. We know that God is not done, not only in this church, but God is not done in our lives. [00:29:04] (22 seconds)
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Sep 01, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?
Add this chatbot onto your site with the embed code below
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://pastors.ai/sermonWidget/sermon/embracing-new-life-the-power-of-gods-love" width="100%" height="100%" style="height:100vh;"></iframe>Copy