2026_07_12 Who is Jesus Anyway?

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stepping Into the Light Without Explaining It

When a skeptic demanded explanations for how a lighthouse’s beam guides ships, the engineer replied, “You don’t have to explain the light to step into it.” Jesus declared Himself the light of the world not as a puzzle to solve, but as a presence to trust. Like Nicodemus, we often want theological certainty before surrendering. Yet Christ invites us to walk in His light even when mysteries remain. Spiritual rebirth begins not with perfect understanding, but with willingness to let His illumination expose our darkness. [36:11]

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. (John 1:4-8, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been demanding full explanations before trusting Jesus’ guidance? What one step could you take today to walk in His light despite unanswered questions?

Day 2: When Compliments Mask a Searching Heart

Nicodemus approached Jesus under cover of darkness with flattering words: “We know God sent you.” But Jesus bypassed the small talk to address the real issue – Nicodemus’ need for rebirth. Our polite religious conversations often hide deeper hunger. Christ sees past our carefully constructed façades to the spiritual poverty beneath. True transformation begins when we stop buttering up God and start letting Him dismantle our self-sufficiency. [40:44]

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” (John 3:1-2, NIV)

Reflection: What “respectable” spiritual masks do you wear when approaching God? How might Jesus be cutting through your polite religiosity to address a deeper need?

Day 3: Born Again: More Than a Label

The pastor once recoiled at the term “born again,” associating it with judgmental attitudes. Nicodemus similarly stumbled over the phrase’s impossibility. Jesus redefines rebirth not as a tribal marker, but as a supernatural transformation. This new birth isn’t about adopting Christian subculture – it’s the Spirit’s work of making dead hearts alive. The wind of God’s grace blows where it wills, often surprising those who think they’ve got faith figured out. [45:02]

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (John 3:3-4, NIV)

Reflection: What negative associations or misunderstandings have you had about being “born again”? How might Jesus be inviting you to redefine this term through His perspective?

Day 4: Looking Up to Be Made Whole

Jesus shocked Nicodemus by comparing Himself to Moses’ bronze snake – an odd symbol of both judgment and mercy. Just as dying Israelites were healed by looking at the lifted serpent, we find life by gazing at Christ crucified. Salvation comes not through theological debate, but through the simple yet profound act of fixing our eyes on the One who took our poison. The remedy seems too easy, yet requires humbling our self-sufficient tendencies. [50:30]

Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! (Numbers 21:8-9, NIV)

Reflection: What “snakebite” in your life have you been trying to heal through effort rather than simple trust? How might looking to Christ’s finished work bring freedom?

Day 5: From Secret Seeker to Bold Follower

The same Nicodemus who came by night later publicly defended Jesus before hostile religious leaders, then helped bury His broken body. His journey from cautious scholar to courageous disciple shows rebirth’s transformative power. Like Joseph of Arimathea, we all start as secret believers – but maturing faith compels us to step into the light. True conversion always moves from private curiosity to public allegiance, even when it costs reputation or safety. [59:53]

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. With Joseph came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. (John 19:38-39, NIV)

Reflection: Where is God calling you to move from private faith to public witness? What practical step could you take this week to live more openly for Christ?

Sermon Summary

John’s Gospel puts one question right in the middle of the room: who is Jesus anyway? John does not leave that question floating around as religious opinion. John says the Word gives life, that life is light, and the darkness cannot put it out. Jesus then says it plainly: “I am the light of the world.” The light does not have to be fully explained before a person steps into it and is guided by it.

John 3 brings Nicodemus into that light, but he comes after dark. Nicodemus is not some lightweight. He is a Pharisee, a respected religious leader, a man who knows the Scriptures cold. He comes with a compliment: “Rabbi, we all know that God has sent you.” Jesus does not play along with the buttering up. Jesus stops him in his tracks and says, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”

That phrase, born again, blows Nicodemus up. The man who knows the first five books of the Bible by heart is suddenly mush. Jesus tells him that human life can only produce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. The wind blows wherever it wants, and a person can hear it without controlling it or explaining it. Spiritual birth works like that. It is real, even when it cannot be managed like a religious system.

Jesus then speaks Nicodemus’s own language. As Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. Israel had been bitten, and God gave a remedy: look and live, refuse and die. Door A and door B. Jesus says the same kind of saving remedy is now standing in front of Nicodemus. The Son must be lifted up so everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

John 3:16 is not sentimental wallpaper. God loved the world by giving his one and only Son, not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. The judgment is that light came, and people loved darkness more than light. Nicodemus begins in the dark, but later he defends Jesus, and after the cross he helps prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Somewhere along the way, the skeptic steps into the light. The good religious man discovers that goodness is not good enough, and receiving Jesus is the difference between knowing facts and being born again.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus stops polite religion cold. Nicodemus opens with respect, but Jesus goes straight to the life and death issue. Religious polish cannot replace spiritual birth, and compliments cannot soften the truth that a person outside the new birth cannot even see the kingdom. Jesus is not being rude, he is being merciful enough to tell the cold hard truth. [40:44]
2. The Spirit gives spiritual birth. Jesus separates human effort from divine life with simple language: humans reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. The wind image keeps pride from trying to control the whole thing, because the Spirit’s work is real even when it cannot be mapped. A person may hear the wind before understanding where it came from, and faith often starts there. [47:22]
3. Look to Christ and live. The bronze snake was not complicated, but it was decisive: look and live, refuse and die. Jesus uses that old wilderness story to tell Nicodemus that the Son of Man must be lifted up as God’s saving remedy. Salvation is not earned by religious expertise, but received by trusting the one God has lifted up. [49:39]
4. Darkness hates exposure. John says the judgment is not that light failed to shine, but that people loved darkness more than light. Sin hides because light tells the truth, and truth can feel threatening before it feels healing. Coming to the light means letting God expose what darkness promised to protect. [55:58]
5. Skepticism can become surrender. Nicodemus begins as a cautious skeptic at night, but later he defends Jesus and finally stands near the crucified body with costly devotion. Honest questions do not have to be enemies of faith when they keep moving toward Christ. The skeptic may not explain the light at first, but the time comes to step into it. [60:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:11] - Greeting and Setting Up John
[33:17] - When God Opens His Mouth
[34:00] - Who Is Jesus Anyway?
[35:17] - Meeting a Highly Educated Skeptic
[36:30] - Step Into the Light
[38:46] - Nicodemus Comes at Night
[40:44] - Unless You Are Born Again
[43:43] - A Personal Born Again Story
[47:22] - Born of Water and Spirit
[49:39] - The Bronze Snake and the Son
[55:58] - God Loved the World
[57:25] - Nicodemus Defends Jesus
[59:13] - Nicodemus at the Cross
[61:34] - Is Good Good Enough?
[64:24] - Jesus Is the Only Way

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 3:1-21 (NIV)
Numbers 21:4-9 (NIV)
John 1:4-5, 12 (NIV)

Observation Questions

In John 3:1-3, Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night and begins with a compliment. How does Jesus immediately redirect the conversation? [40:44]
What Old Testament story does Jesus reference in John 3:14-15 to explain His role as Savior, and how does this connect to Nicodemus’ expertise? [49:39]
According to John 3:19-21, why do people sometimes prefer darkness over light? How does the sermon describe the relationship between sin and exposure? [55:58]
How does Nicodemus’s attitude toward Jesus change between John 3, John 7:50, and John 19:39? What actions does he take later that show his transformation? [01:00:32]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus uses the phrase “born again” instead of a more familiar religious term when addressing Nicodemus? What does this reveal about the difference between human effort and divine transformation? [47:22]
Jesus compares the Holy Spirit’s work to the wind (John 3:8). How does this analogy challenge attempts to control or systematize spiritual rebirth?
The sermon states, “Religious polish cannot replace spiritual birth.” How does Nicodemus’s story illustrate the limitations of religious knowledge or moral goodness? [40:44]
John 3:16 is described as “not sentimental wallpaper.” Why might people reduce this verse to a cliché, and how does its context in John 3 correct that misunderstanding?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life do you rely on “religious polish” (e.g., knowledge, habits, or reputation) instead of depending on the Spirit’s work? What would it look like to surrender those areas to God? [40:44]
Have you ever experienced a moment where you “heard the wind” of the Spirit’s prompting before fully understanding it? How did that lead to growth or change? [47:22]
Where do you sense resistance to “stepping into the light”—areas of your life, relationships, or habits that you’re tempted to keep hidden? What practical step could you take this week to bring them into God’s truth? [55:58]
Nicodemus moved from skepticism to costly devotion. What honest questions or doubts do you need to bring to Jesus instead of avoiding them? How can you actively pursue answers in Scripture or community? [01:00:32]
The bronze snake required a simple act of looking to live. What does it mean for you to “look to Christ” daily in a culture that pressures you to earn approval through performance or achievement? [49:39]
Who in your life resembles Nicodemus—someone respectful of Jesus but hesitant to fully trust Him? How can you compassionately share the urgency of spiritual rebirth without watering down the truth?

Sermon Clips

85s

#SkepticToFaith

“``Nicodemus had been a skeptic. A skeptic is someone the next slide, define the skeptic. Thank you. A skeptic is someone who questions the claims and doubts accepted beliefs, requiring evidence before accepting anything as true. When we first met Nicodemus, he was clearly, clearly skeptical of the claims of his 30 year old carpenter of this 30 year old carpenter's son, that this guy was the Messiah. Nicodemus was a highly trained and disciplined scholar. Can you blame him? After Jesus had been murdered on the cross, Nicodemus took Jesus' body and helped prepare it for the funeral. Somewhere between John three and John chapter nine, Nicodemus had in fact become born again. Somewhere between John chapter three and John chapter nine, Nicodemus had seen or experienced enough evidence to take a step of faith and move from skeptic to surrendering his life to Jesus. He might not have been able to explain the light yet, but he knew that he needed to step into that light.”

65s

#ReceiveTheGiftOfFaith

“Receive means to take possession of, to acquire something that is given, sent, or offered. Earlier, when I was talking about how I worked so hard to resist becoming a Jesus follower, I mentioned that I'd always believed in Jesus and who he was, but it wasn't until I was 28 years old that I actually received Jesus, took possession of the free gift that was given to me, offered to me that very same one that is offered to you today, if you're still skeptical. You see, Jesus honors people with intellectual skepticism, honest skeptics, healthy skeptics. He honors that regarding his claim to be the Messiah. It's a lot to process. It's not simple. It's very, very heavy.”

59s

#GraceNotGoodness

“How about you? Do you find yourself occasionally, or maybe even often, being skeptical about who Jesus is, and who he claims to be, or maybe on how we can get to heaven? Nicodemus and many religious people today think that they can earn their way to heaven. We've heard this said many times, and maybe even some of us have said it ourselves. I'm a pretty good person, and I just hope that I've been good enough to get to heaven. There's a book I read years ago, and it was a short little book called, How Good Is Good Enough? And it explains there's no possible way for anybody to be good enough to get into heaven.”

48s

#ChoicesHaveConsequences

“God told Moses to wreck this pole, put a brass snake on top of it. And then, told the people that if they got bit by the snake, that you would have to look up at the snake on Moses' pole, and you'd be saved, healed. But if they chose not to look at the snake, they would die. Right there, God established again consequences, the law of consequences. He says, here's what I want you to do. If you choose to ignore me, this is what's going to happen. A remedy where people have a choice. Do what God told you to do and live, don't do what God told you to do and die. Door a and door b. Your choice.”

59s

#BornAgainRequirement

“Instead of thanking Nick for the compliment, instead of saying something like, well, gee, that's a great question, or I'm so glad you brought this up, Jesus basically said, hold it right there, Nick. I'm gonna stop you in your tracks. He immediately takes over the conversation and makes this declaration to Nicodemus that unless he makes this huge life altering change, he will never even see the kingdom of God. Bam. Can't you just see this? Nick is laying it on thick with his compliments, buttering up Jesus, and Jesus just says, in your present condition, you won't even see heaven, let alone get there. And Jesus told him he'd need to be born again. Born again. That phrase. I can relate to Nicodemus' reaction to the phrase born again.”

51s

#StepIntoFaithNow

“Well, in the now what, so what section, in your handout, if I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord, that his resurrection was real, and then declare my faith, I have been born again. If you're not sure about this, you can firm that up and fix it today. In fact, you can do it right now. There'll be prayer teams up here at the right and the left at the end of the service. And if you have any questions on this, I beg you to pursue those questions. Nicodemus continued to pursue his questions, and Jesus encouraged him to do it. If I can answer any questions for you, I would love to do that on a one on one basis.”

82s

#TruthWhenItCounts

“The truth. Why is it so hard sometimes or usually to tell the cold hard truth to somebody when they are so blatantly wrong? Why is that so hard? And then, is every error in truth worthy of being corrected? How about the question of, honey, does this dress make me look fat? Well, that's a funny example. But at what level of significance does the responsibility of telling truth matter? Well, I would submit this to us, When it is literally a matter of life and death. When it is literally a matter of life and death. When we are challenged to tell someone the truth on a very specific and significant topic, especially when they're so completely wrong. There are two extreme approaches that we could take. One, we could be too harsh in saying the truth, or we could be too soft, too squeamish, afraid.”

46s

#ScriptureRecognition

“Have you ever tried to memorize large chunks of scripture? Do you think that's easy? Who here thinks that that is real easy? Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and as a such, he had to memorize every single word of the first five books of the old testament. 79,000 words. Nicodemus knew these words by heart. And when Jesus used the example of the bronze snake and the and the looking up and being saved, Nicodemus, in his own language, knew exactly what Jesus was making reference to. Nicodemus knew that Jesus was claiming, what he was claiming, and who he was claiming to be.”

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2026_07_12 Who is Jesus Anyway?

Devotional

Day 1: Stepping Into the Light Without Explaining It

Day 2: When Compliments Mask a Searching Heart

Day 3: Born Again: More Than a Label

Day 4: Looking Up to Be Made Whole

Day 5: From Secret Seeker to Bold Follower

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

2026_07_12 Who is Jesus Anyway?

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