John #12 I Tell You The Truth
That you May Believe and Have Life #12
John 3:3;21a
The Truth … "I'm telling you the truth"
That's an interesting statement. Often times it comes from one NOT telling you the truth, trying hard to convince you that they are telling you the truth.
But some times it is from someone that is trying to differentiate themselves from those who have NOT been truthful to you.
The Pharisees were devote keepers of the law
They were deep students of the word
They believed that they would be part of the Kingdom of God because of faithful acts, fasting, praying, tithing, scripture study, and personal piety.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night and Jesus shatters his truth … and says "I tell you the truth …"
Others have lied to you but
"I tell you the truth …"
Others want you to ease up a little but
"I tell you the truth …"
Others would like truth to be relative but …
"I tell you the truth …"
Read from John 3 beginning in verse 1
I have a question …
1. Can't I Just be Good?
Well … do you want me to tell you the truth or just what you want to hear?
Oh the thief, the snake, the deceiver told Eve, in the Garden, you can be good, you can be just like God
But I'm a good person
My mom was good
My dad was good
Or I'm better than my mom, dad, sister, neighbor
Isn't my good, good enough?
READ v6
Jesus said in verse six, "flesh, gives birth to flesh"
So where is my fleshly good going to get me?
Nicodemus was a good man and Jesus knew this.
According to traditions, he would have fasted twice a week, given a 10th of all he had to the Lord, he would have given to the poor, he would have studied the scriptures as his source of connection with God
They were missional - Mt. 23:15 says that they "traveled land and sea to win a convert"
But the problem was that they were bound to what they could do …
He would DO all he could and expect to find it to be enough to make him acceptable to God
Nicodemus sees Jesus and all he sees is what he can DO … and figures that must be enough …
He said in verse 2 "we know that you are a teacher from God … for no one COULD PERFORM the miraculous signs …"
Dunatai (able, could perform) … but Jesus flips the word and says "I tell you the truth, ou dunatai (no one is able, can) see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again"
Wow … Jesus said "Nicodemus, you are looking at what I can do and paying me a compliment, because you are wrapped up in doing, but it is about BEING."
Jesus was saying, "I'm not who I am because of what I can do, I can do what I do, because of who I am"
And you think you are part of the Kingdom because of what you can DO, but I tell you the TRUTH … the REAL Truth, you CAN'T even SEE it … unless you change what you ARE …
Can I be Good Enough?
Job 15:14 (NIV)
(esp) ?Que es el hombre para creerse puro?
15:31
(esp) Que no se engane ni confie en cosas vanas
14 "What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
Psalm 14:3 (NIV)
(esp) No hay nadie que haga lo bueno; !no hay uno solo!
3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
So, I tell you the truth, you can't just be good …
Because the Truth is there is a MUST … to the equation … Jesus said …
2. You Must …
(te aseguro)
Why does it surprise us when GOD … tells us you MUST do anything.
Have you ever had someone under your oversight, whether it is an employee or co-worker, or child, student as a teacher, and you told them they MUST do something, and they looked at you like … "what did you say? What do you mean I HAVE to …?"
READv7
Jesus told Nicodemus, in verse 7, "you should not be surprised at my saying, 'you MUST be born again."
Why? Because Jesus is the Son of God, that's why.
Even if Nicodemus didn't know that yet, he DID say that he believed that Jesus was SENT FROM GOD. Nicodemus may have been serving God, but he believed Jesus was SENT from God, so don't be surprised when he gives an instruction.
I tell you the truth … You MUST …
A. There are Civil Laws
1. You know, I was driving down the freeway on 270 and I saw a sign that said, "we'd rather you didn't drive over 60 mph"
2. Is that what it says? NO it says "Speed LIMIT 60 mph"
3. And if you disobey that earthly law, and the officer says "uh sir, miss, can I ask why you were driving so fast?" … and you say "cause I wanted to, I don't like that speed limit" or "oops, I'm sorry …"
4. You are going to deal with the consequences … that's the way laws work.
But earthly laws are written by men and can be repealed but while they are active you must abide by them
But there are
B. Physical Laws
1. you can't break physical laws without consequences
a. you stare at the sun too long, or you stare at an eclipse and you are going to have damage to your eyes
b. if you jump off a building, the law of gravity takes over
c. you jump from a moving train, though it seemed like you were standing still, when you jump off the laws of physics and gravity will take over
d. you go around a curve too fast and the laws of centrifugal force take over and an object in motion tends to stay in motion … that car wants to keep going forward even though you turn right and if you don't slow down, just turning the wheel, the car will flip over sideways.
e. If you go underwater without O2 … eventually you will have to come up or die … you can't breathe water
f. if you are deep diving, you can't come up too fast or you get your O2 molecules scrambled by the pressure change in your blood stream and you get sick and can die
2. they are LAWS, physical laws.
We are physical beings subject to physical laws, but we are also spiritual beings as well and thus there are …
C. Spiritual laws
1. I tell you the truth … YOU MUST … there are consequences to breaking spiritual laws
2. Paul writes in Romans 8 of the law of the Spirit of Life and the Laws of sin and Death.
3. God gave spiritual laws to us so we would understand the law already in place that we didn't even know existed
a. Paul said, "the law revealed to me that I was a sinner", that is that he was breaking the rules, missing the mark, and he didn't even know. The fact that he didn't know doesn't negate the fact that he was WRONG. If you are trespassing and you don't know you are trespassing, it is still trespassing.
4. Listen, Isaac Newton didn't WRITE the laws of gravity, he DISCOVERED it. Big Difference. An Apple fell on him and he said, "hey, there's a reason that happened, it's a rule of law. You can't REPEAL the laws of gravity. Apples didn't fall up or float before his discovery. Apples wouldn't STOP falling if we voted to "repeal" the law of gravity.
5. Man's civil laws can be changed. The laws said "slaves" "black people" were not worthy of rights afforded to "white people". The law of the land said women of any descent, had little or no rights … WELL those were bad laws and they had to be repealed, rewritten, changed
6. BUT, Natural laws and Spiritual laws cannot be changed!
7. There are Spiritual laws that cannot be changed and so if we are not in line with the law, something must change or we will bear the consequences
8. For Example, if you have fallen off a building, you are immediately subject to the laws of gravity. Soon, you will hit the pavement. Soon, you will be in a world of hurt, unless, something changes. You either need a safety net, or better yet, you could sprout wings and fly. The latter probably isn't going to happen.
David said - "Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest" … Ps 55:6
But my goodness isn't good enough, I must understand the Truth and come in line with the Spiritual Laws I am living contrary to and realize the truth is …
You Must … I Must … We Must …
3. … Be Born Again
I came today to tell you the truth
I didn't come to tell you what you WANT to hear
I didn't come to tell you what is easy
I didn't come to tell you what is politically correct
There ARE absolutes.
"In the beginning GOD" … The Bible doesn't begin trying to PROVE God, it just assumes we understand that God IS …
Isn't that how God named himself?
Moses said, "give me a name so I can tell them who sent me so they don't think I'm crazy … and what did God say."
"Tell them 'I might be' has sent you"
"Tell them 'a figment of your imagination' has sent you"
"Tell them 'I can be, if you believe it is true in your heart' has sent you"
"Tell them 'I am true if it works for you' has sent you …
NO, NO, NO, NO, he said
"Tell them 'I AM' has sent you."
He doesn't need to be defined, found, expounded on, nor believed, or worshipped, in order to exist. He just IS God. There are lots of gods, little g, but he is "The God who IS, Was, and Will Be"
He is TRUTH
And the Truth is, our good doesn't get us to the Kingdom
Sincerity doesn't get us to the Kingdom
Religion doesn't get us to the Kingdom
"Oh all religions are just basically the same."
That is the statement from one that doesn't really understand, nor wants to believe in anything
But even if they are similar … where they part is at Christianity, because Jesus said,
I AM THE ONLY WAY,
I AM THE ONLY TRUTH,
I AM THE ONLY LIFE
You can't get to the Father, to the Kingdom, to Eternal Life, without me
Jesus said "apart from me, you can do nothing"
Jesus said, "you MUST be BORN AGAIN"
You can't get there on your own
He is saying, you are falling off the Building and there had been a safety net called the law, but if you break the law, and offer an acceptable sacrifice, you have a safety net.
The sacrificial system was a safety net …
But what if … what if … what if you could sprout wings? … Oh wouldn't that be better?
Oh but you can strap wings on my back and I'm still not going to fly, my bone structure, my weight, my aerodynamics don't work … but what if
What if
What if I could become a bird
NOW we are Talking … Oh planes fly, but they've got jet fuel, they can't do it alone … if you strap a jet pack to my back, I will fly … till the fuel runs out
But if I could be transformed into a bird …
If in the middle of my fall, something could change … YES
You MUST be BORN AGAIN
A. It's a Command
1. no one can see the Kingdom UNLESS … he is born again
a. Jesus Christ is laying down for us a Spiritual law that we must live by
b. we can't substitute for it
c. we will not see or enter into the Kingdom of God
d. you couldn't even really understand the things of God before you entered into it through the rebirth
e. Augustine said "I had to believe that I could understand"
2. Why is Jesus the only way?
a. every other way is created by man
b. Jesus was speaking to a Pharisee , they had taken what God had sent down in the law and turned it into their own created way to God
c. every way created by man is flesh, so all it will get you is flesh. Religion created by man will just get you "good men" but good isn't good enough
d. Jesus created this way for men to be in right relationship with God
e. God is Spirit, so only HE can recreate us into a right spiritual being
f. 1 Cor 2:14 says "the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned." -
3. Can you understand the things of the Spirit? Perhaps one of the most arrogant things in Christianity is saying that you can explain the work of God that brings us Salvation. We can see it, we can experience it, we can live in it, but we can't explain it.
4. Explain the wind for me and then you can explain the things of the Spirit.
I Did some reading on the wind … Now Nicodemus didn't understand it all like we do today right? If you go to National Geographic.Com there are two paragraphs that say, when the Sun heats air, the warm air rises, and cold air rushes in to fill the space and we have WIND. So, we know it. But all the reading is observation. There is no real knowledge. You can go see where the Mississippi starts, you can see the seed where a Redwood tree begins … you can see the foundation of a building, but where did the wind start? Point it out to me. Where is the wind headed, and exactly where will it end? You can't understand it. Can you catch it?
5. I caught some WIND yesterday … I put it in a bag, you know what it is now? Wind? No, It's AIR. The moment you catch it, it ceases to be wind. If you have a god you can put in a bag, a god can contain and explain, a salvation that is easy to get, something you can earn yourself, you need to get yourself a new god, a true God.
6. you may not be able to explain the wind, but you can use it. You can throw up a sail, you can use it for electricity, you can harness it.
7. You may not be able to explain God, you may not know why God chose to make a way, or when he decided to save your soul, but you can live by it.
8. You need it, you are already falling off the building … verse 18 says "you are condemned already" because you haven't believed in the name of God's Son, Jesus
9. So, how can I be born again? There must be a transformation, you can't put wings on a caterpillar, it must be transformed, it must enter the cocoon and die and then become a butterfly.
10. I can't strap on wings, I have to become a bird if I'm going to fly. I must be BORN AGAIN
11. how can this happen? I need a heavenly intervention
12. you have to recognize the problem of sin and look to Jesus for relief and believe that he is the remedy. V14 … just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness. If you don't know the story, read Num. 21:4,9. The people sinned against God and God sent snakes to bite them. But he also made provision when they cried out so that a bronze snake was lifted up on a pole and all who looked to it could live.
13. Jesus Christ, himself sinless, became as we are and became our sin on the cross so that if we would look to him and believe we could be set free from the penalty and power of sin.
It is a Command … YOU MUST be born again
Just another thing to notice, about this phrase …
B. it is a Confession
YOU must be born again
1. When Jesus Christ is in your life and has transformed you, you don't need to advertise it, you can see it
2. you don't have to tell me that a butterfly has changed I can see it
3. I have met people and just KNEW they were born again
4. maybe you've had someone say "you are a Christian aren't you?
You must be born again
5. Lisa and I came out of a hospital recently and a lady passed us and smiled, we said "hello" and she said "hello Pastor." And I looked at Lisa and said, HUH? … "Have I been in her church, does she know me, or is it just all over us?"
6. If Jesus has changed you they should notice at work, they should notice at the park, at school
But finally
You must BE born again …
C. It's a Conviction / Condition
1. I've met some folks in churches and wanted to say … "you need to get saved" …
a. If you are a member of somebody's church, even this church, and don't exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, you need to hear Jesus' words …
You must BE born again
Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
b. The fruit of the Spirit is NOT an option for a healthy follower of Jesus
c. An apple tree doesn't decide if it feels like producing apples or not.
If you buy an apple tree and it doesn't produce apples, either something's wrong with it, OR it's NOT an apple tree.
d. If the fruit of the Spirit isn't evident, there are 2 options today … you ARE a believer but living a carnal or dead Christian life, OR … you don't know Christ
e. If you call yourself a Christian …
BE … LIVE … Exhibit … the New Life of Christ
Let go and let God
2. Some of you came to Christ, but now you are holding on to the old while he is trying to transform you … Let go of the old … You are NEW in Christ Jesus
BE born again
3. Or … perhaps you joined a church and reformed your life, but you've never been truly born from above. That is, you've never truly given your life to Christ …
BE born again
a. Stop the Reformation process
Surrender to Recreation; Rebirth beats Reformation EVERY Time!
b. One of the greatest problems in our churches today is church members who need to be born again.
** I read this week that astronomers, searching for black holes in far away galaxies, say that some galaxies hide the "supermassive black holes at their centers behind thick veils of dust and gas …"
c. Hear me church, in love, … Some church members today hide the massive black hole of lostness in their lives behind dust and gases, behind songs and sermons, prayers and professions, behind acts of service and self righteousness; when in actuality they have never given their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
d. I hope this doesn't offend, but my desire is that every person that attends and is a member of New Life Baptist Church would be BORN AGAIN. If you say "is he saying that I'm not born again" then you might want to give it some thought. For if you are born again you know it. If you doubt it, search within and know for sure.
4. Oh hear the words of Jesus "I tell you the truth, you must BE born again. You will not see the Kingdom of God, unless you be born again."
5. You can't walk in the Power of Kingdom Living, unless you are Born again
You can't know the blessedness of Intimacy with the Divine, unless you are born again
You can't have Eternal Life, unless you are Born Again
Self Righteousness won't do it for you
Religion won't do it for you
Reformation won't give it to you
Rebirth is what we need
Transformation
Metamorphosis
Oh little caterpillar submit to the Cocoon, die with Christ at the cross and be the Butterfly Christ desires for you to be
Oh precious Butterfly, stop crawling the ground with the caterpillars, fly blown about by the wind of the Spirit.
Do not be surprised when I say to you … You MUST BE BORN again
According to a Meteorologist, "wind is air moving horizontally. It is created by large scale differences in the air's density. This forces the air to move toward regions of lower pressure. If you stand with your back to the wind, an area of low pressure would be off to your left and the high pressure off to your right. The greater the differences in pressure, the stronger the wind."
Ok, so if I do that, would it rain off my left shoulder and be sunny off my right? J
But where does it come from?
There is a place where the Mississippi starts, there is a seed from which a tree begins. There is a foundation to this building. There is a cornerstone. But where does the wind come from? Where is it heading?
So, can you explain God any more? Can you really explain salvation? Can you explain the process by which we are born from above?