Our world is filled with bad news. This week was filled with stories of bad news, brutal murder, assassination, a local school shooting, violence, outrage, unrest, very bad news. And those are only the things we hear about. Bad news is all around us. It happens all the time, and it might be happening in our own personal life. And so does it feel surprising that today, with bad news swirling around us, we are going to spend time together talking about good news. In a world of bad news, we are going to spend time together talking about good news.
[00:01:14]
What we need is something that we can cling to and hope in that is stronger than death, deeper than suffering, and longer lasting than the most recent traumatic headline. That's why we're in this series in the Gospel of John called That You May Have Life. In a week that feels like it was defined by the bad news of death, the good news is that Jesus came so that you might have life. Life that conquers and overcomes death. Life that lasts beyond the despair of this world. Jesus called it eternal life. And he came so that we can have it. That's very good news.
[00:02:41]
I know that some of you in this room right now have not yet made your mind up about Jesus. We are so glad you're here. I'm not sure I can think of a better book for us to be studying together if you are trying to make up your mind about Jesus than the Gospel of John. You're coming to church. You're trying to figure out who Jesus is and whether he's worth following. You've heard about him. But you need to see and experience him for yourself. Kind of like Nicodemus. I hope you'll stick with us. And I hope you'll journey with us through this account of the life of Jesus. It can take time to figure him out.
[00:07:32]
Do you ever feel like you try to fit Jesus into a convenient part of your life? I'll get to that when I have time. I'll spend time in prayer with Jesus when I get through this project. I'll get back to studying the words of Jesus when this class is finished, when the kids are asleep. Does Nicodemus come to Jesus by night because it's convenient? Or does Nicodemus come to Jesus by night because he doesn't really want anybody to know that he's doing it? Is he coming secretly under cover of darkness? Because if the other Pharisees found out that Nicodemus was coming to Jesus, what would they say about him?
[00:12:11]
All of us, my friends, at one point are in the dark spiritually. We are confused about who Jesus is. And what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus through this exchange is that we get eternal life by moving from spiritual darkness into the light. And the way that happens is through a supernatural spiritual work of God. Jesus uses the metaphor of birth. Of course, every living thing has been born. And eternal life is born by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit invades someone's heart and causes them to be born again. It is God's miraculous work in the heart of a person to move them from darkness into light.
[00:14:02]
It means that eternal life is not dependent upon your race. It is not based on your nationality. You are not a Christian because your parents are Christians. There are so many young people in this room and that just fills my heart with joy. Please hear me say, each and every one of you must make your own decision to follow Jesus. You must be born again from above. This is not something you can presume because your parents are Christians, because your great aunt or uncle was a pastor a hundred years ago. This is a work of God that must happen in your heart. You must be born again from above.
[00:16:09]
Which means it's a miracle anytime anyone comes to faith in Jesus because it's a work of the Holy Spirit. I can't tell you how many stories we have experienced over the last couple of years that have been so unique in my 22 years on staff here at Calvary where people have come to church and I've asked them a question I've asked people for two decades. What brought you to church today? It used to be, I just moved here. I've been a Christian for a long time looking for a new church. Those are great answers. But you know what I've heard more often than not over the last two years? When I ask, what brought you to church today? An answer like this. Thank you. Thank you. I woke up this morning and felt like I needed to go to church. Have you ever been to church before? Never in my life. Why did you come to Calvary today? I felt like I needed to go to church. I looked up church on my phone. This was the one that came up, and so I'm here. How does that happen? That happens because God is at work amongst people, drawing himself to these people supernaturally in a way that only he can.
[00:17:07]
The Spirit of God is at work in the hearts of people. And friends, if you're here at Calvary every week, you should pray that more of this happens. And you might consider asking people what brought them to church today or step out in faith and invite a friend to come to church because the Spirit of God is working, and he is the initiator of salvation, and he draws people to himself. And we can't explain it. It's like the wind that suddenly blows and you don't know where it came from. That is the work of the Spirit.
[00:18:44]
Friends, do you believe that Jesus will always tell you the truth? In our world today, it's really hard to know what's true and what's not. You have to do a lot of work to sort through truth claims to find out if that thing you saw on the internet even happened. Jesus will always tell you the truth. He will never lie to you. He will never lead you astray. He won't try to trick you or deceive you. He is a truth teller. It is an intrinsic part of his nature because of who he is. And so when Jesus says, I'm telling you the truth, you can count on it. The truest truths you've ever heard.
[00:20:18]
What does that remind you of? Jesus Christ hung on the cross. Why? Because friends, each and every one of us encourage you to get a dog and he will be saved. See you soon. Thank you. have been snake -bitten by sin. And the poisonous consequences of sin will destroy us unless we look to Jesus and receive healing and salvation from the only one who can grant it, the Son of God. And what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus in this moment is the Son of Man will be lifted up and he will bring healing to people who otherwise are dead in their trespasses and sins. Have you looked to Jesus?
[00:24:21]
Eternal life is received by believing in the Son of God. It's not received from anywhere else. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved than the name of Jesus. Jesus himself will say later in John's Gospel, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is a truth teller. He won't lie to you. But don't take my word for it. Keep studying John with us and ask yourself, who does Jesus say that he is? And what does he want me to do about it? I think he wants you to believe and have eternal life. Eternal life is received by believing in the Son of God.
[00:25:22]
Most people if you ask them how do you think you get eternal life would probably point to something that they would have to do. Be kind. Be religious. Go to church. Volunteer. Be a good person. Most people would point to their own personal credentials as the pathway to eternal life. That's what makes this conversation between Jesus and this man Nicodemus so helpful for all of us to understand how we get eternal life. If you want credentials, Nicodemus had them. He's a Pharisee, a member of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin, respected, moral, religious, well -known, educated. If anyone could earn a place with God, it was a man like Nicodemus. But eternal life is not earned. eternal life is not given based on your resume or your credentials. Eternal life is given by the initiating love of God.
[00:27:22]
It is not that God loved the world because it's lovable. It isn't. Look around. God loved the world because he is love. It is who he is. And God has existed in all eternity in a loving relationship with the Son of God and with the Holy Spirit and they have shared love amongst the Trinity forever and ever. And it was out of their loving nature that they created the world so that we might share in the love that they had amongst themselves. For God so loved the world. He took the first step. He created us. It isn't that we turn to God and love him and he says, oh, now I love you. You are loved by God no matter what. God loved the world.
[00:29:06]
God loved and God gave. And God loved the world so much that he gave his Son not only to live with us but to die for us Amen. And in the most magnanimous, extraordinary gift that has ever been given, God gave his son, Jesus, because he loved the world so that we might be saved through him. God took the initiating step in the relationship between God and human beings. So God loved and God gave. What are we to do? Believe. God loved, God gave, so that whoever believes, whoever turns to Jesus by faith and believes that he is the son of God will be saved, rescued, ransomed, returned to right relationship with God and not perish but have eternal life. God loved, God gave. We believe and we live forever with him. Eternal life is given by the initiating love of God.
[00:31:01]
John chapter three is a chapter that is filled with contrasts, darkness and light, flesh and spirit, earth and heaven, death and life, unbelief and belief. These stark contrasts help us to see the reality of our own situation. We are all, each and every one of us, in one of two places. We are either with Jesus or we are without Jesus. We either have eternal life or we don't. And here we see in these verses we are either condemned or saved. Now that may sound harsh. But John is clear. We do not start our life in neutral. We begin this life condemned. But the good news is that God has made a way out of condemnation and into life. In his initiating love, God gave us his son so that we would not be condemned.
[00:33:34]
Because verse 19 tells us, the light has come into the world. Who's that? Jesus. The light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light. Friends, don't love the darkness. Come to the light. Come to the light. Come to the light.
[00:35:18]
Nicodemus started this night in the dark. But as John's gospel unfolds, Nicodemus slowly steps toward the light. In chapter seven of John, as tensions are building and people are becoming divided over Jesus and his ministry, there's a contentious meeting with the chief priests and the Pharisees and Nicodemus speaks up for Jesus. And in chapter 19, spoiler alert, after Jesus dies, along with a man named Joseph who was also a Pharisee, Nicodemus helps to bury Jesus's body. No longer hiding or coming to Jesus out of convenience, but identifying with Jesus right out in the open. At a moment when many of Jesus's closest followers went into hiding and fled, Nicodemus stepped out in faith and helped to take Jesus's body and give him a proper burial.
[00:36:09]
What's unique here is the amount of spices Nicodemus brings to cover the body of Jesus. 75 pounds is a lot. Way more than necessary. But scholars tell us that this unusual amount of spices were used most often in royal burials. Most likely in John's way he is reminding us that even though Jesus died the death of a criminal Jesus Christ is the king. And I think we're meant to understand that in spite of his initial confusion and hesitation and maybe even fear Nicodemus ultimately surrendered to King Jesus. That he went from darkness to light. From unbelief to belief. From condemnation to salvation. From death to eternal life.
[00:38:06]
You can step into the light too. You can move from unbelief to belief. From condemnation to salvation. From death to eternal life. Eternal life is born by the spirit. The spirit received by believing in the son and given by the love of the father. Here's the good news. God has done the work. Father, son, and Holy Spirit. Your part is to believe so that you might have life.
[00:39:24]
