Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Gospel of John VI: *

*The End of Religion*

*John 3:1-21*

*/June 15, 2008/*

 

 

*Prep: *

·         Newbigin

·         Passover in “Encountering”

·         Phil sermon: eternal life now, BW: Hell

 

 

*Opening*

 

·         Happy Father’s Day, but *not* *preaching* on Fatherhood this year.

Pete P.: When making cards, easily remembered dads *smiling* but *struggled* to remember the last time they saw their dad *laughing*:

 

“*Remind* the dads to *smile* and *laugh* with their kids.

One of our roles as fathers is to teach *values* and *priorities* to our children.

I, for one, am guilty of allowing life's *responsibilities* to divert me from *modeling* for our children my expression of the *joys* of life.”

As fathers, we *teach* our children far more than we know *without* *speaking*, but the most *important* *lesson* is also the *core* of today’s *sermon*: Overwhelming and unconditional *love*.

·         Even more than Mother’s Day, this can be a *painful* day.

·         Many of my *points* may be *easy* to *internalize* if you were loved well, *hard* if you were not.

*Prayer*

 

Thank you for the fathers of this church who are *dedicated* to *loving* their kids and *teaching* your ways as best they can.

·         Thank you that we are *not* *alone*, *you* help us, and we have a *community* to help each other.

·         Help those who *hurt* today.

Finally, thank you for your *inexhaustible* *love*.

Help us see in today’s *passage* and see that in *striving* to *grow*, we are never *reaching* for your arms of love, but *responding* to your love.

*The context*

 

Today, we study the most *famous* *verse* in the Bible: John 3:16.

As powerful as this verse is in its own right, it does not stand alone, but is part of a much *larger* and rich *context*.

In order to understand today’s passage, we have to go back to the *previous* *passage*, when Jesus *clears* the *temple*:

 

·         Turn to 2:13, and don’t forget to *bring* your own *Bibles*.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here!

How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."* */John 2:13-17 NIV  /

 

 

·         This story is found in *all* four *Gospels*, but with some very important difference in John:

 

*BTW*: If you want to seriously study the Bible, you have to be okay with some *ambiguity*.

John shapes his *narrative* to demonstrate *deep* *truths*, without our *penchant* for *precision*.

1.

Occurs at beginning of ministry, not end: Sets the agenda.

2. Jesus does not call it a “Den of thieves.”

·         In John, it is *not* *dishonest* *trading* that seems to be the problem; it is the very trading itself.

I think this is reference to a *prophecy* that told of future time when *Jews* and *Gentiles* alike would worship God and there would be no *distinction* between *holy* and *secular* items, indicating a *radical* *change* in the *temple* system.

And there shall no longer be traders in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.* */Zechariah 14:21 NIV /

*The end of religion*

 

Likewise, only here does Jesus drives out the *animals* as well as the traders.

The animals were *not* *wrong*; rather they were a *vital* *part* of the temple and sacrificial system.

·         Jesus is *not* *condemning* *dishonest* religious practices, he is condemning the *entire* *religious* *system*.

If religion is seen as *man* trying to *reach* *God* through his own efforts, then Jesus is doing nothing less than heralding the *beginning* of the *end* of *religion*.

·         God is now *reaching* out to *us*.

18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

They understood what a *bold* *claim* Jesus was making, so must be *demonstrated* by miracles.

This is the *only* occurs in *John*.

19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"

21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.

Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.*

*/John 2:18-22 NIV /

 

Also only in John’s version do the disciples come to understand all this after Jesus death and resurrection:

 

Jesus was *replacing* the temple and this cleansing was not a *rejection* of the dishonest practices but of the very *sacrificial* *system* that he was *replacing* with *himself*.

*Shown, now taught*

 

Ä  Now in our passage today, Jesus *teaches*, though a *conversation*, what he *demonstrated* in the temple.

*John 3:1-21 * ¶ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.

For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

He is a “*teacher* of Israel,” a *respected*, fundamentalist *theologian*, and he comes to Jesus as one teacher to another.

·         “At *night*” may be *discretion*, or wanting *uninterrupted* *time*.

Nicodemus is very *interested* (note the importance of “signs”), but he needs to know more.

He has a *huge* *stake* in the system, so he is not willing change *flippantly*.

It would be like *Bush* becoming a *Democrat*.

 

 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth,

 

“I tell you the truth”: Lit, “*Amen*, *amen*,” a strong affirmation of what has been said.

It is only used to affirm something said by someone else, making Jesus *self*-*application* startling.

no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jesus *doesn’t* *respond* to Nic’s statement.

To put it in terms that would match how Nic, he is basically saying, “Let’s cut the *crap* and get down to *brass* tacks – you are going to *hell*.”

·         Nic would have started *chocking* on his *fig* *latte*.

The Kingdom of God was basically their *concept* of *heaven*, but on earth, and it was for the Jew and the righteous.

And Jesus is saying that *Nic* wasn’t “*in*.”

*BTW*: What is remarkable is the *variety* of *ways* that Jesus speaks to different people: *Compassion* to some, *rebuke* to others, and *antagonism* to others.

 

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked.

"Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Nic recovers from the *coronary* he just had and basically says “That’s the *dumbest* thing I have ever heard!”

It’s not that he *hadn’t* heard of “*born* *again*,” *Gentile* converts to Judaism were called “*newborns*.”

But it was inconceivable that a *Jew* would had convert to see the *Kingdom* of God.

 

·         Jesus is saying the *first* *birth*, as a *Jew*, won’t get you in.

·         This is just as startling as *rejecting* the *sacrifices*.

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

It is *impossible* to advance from *one* *realm* to *another*.

They are completely *different* *universes*.

Today, the notion that *personal* *righteousness* is insufficient is still startling.

There’s is nothing we can do, we need God.

For ages, we *tried* and *failed*.

Nothing that comes from our own effort will get us there.

Things of this earth (flesh) can never transform into thing of the spirit.

In the OT, we have a telling account of man trying to *reach* *God* by *physical* *means*: the *Tower* of *Babel*.

The lesson is that all of our *attempts* at *religion*, at reaching God are doomed to *fail*, because he is *out* of our *grasp*.

·         The *Voice* of *Choices*: Honest *attempts* to pursue *spirituality*.

Because they are *rooted* in *flesh*, and earthly attempts to understand what we *cannot* *understand*, they will always end in *confusion*.

·         That magazine was another *tower* of *Babel*, *confusing* and *contradictory*.

*BTW*: It is Christianity’s claim of *exclusivity* that gives it *strength*.