Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

What have you come to seek today?

Was it comfort, you may yet get some of that.

What it knowledge, surely you will gain that.

Was it conviction, I can guarantee that.

Or what it relationship, ah relationship, now that’s all about love right?

Of course, we have come to seek love and not the love of the World which seeks to dissuade every hard truth, but the Agape love of God, which stairs into the face of truth and is changed, even though it may cost me everything because:

Pray

Turn if you will over to John, as we continue our quest through the Gospel of John to reveal the theological and loving nature of God through Jesus Christ.

This has already been one of my favorite series to work through as a pastor.

I have always loved the book of John, it has always been challenging and yet encouraging in its message on my heart.

And now we pick up in John 3, containing the most famous verse in the Bible.

But before we get there, let’s find out why John eventually gets to that point, it starts in verse 1.

Born Again

A. Nicodemus

1. Pharisee

a. Teacher of the Law

b.

Ruler

i. Public position

ii.

People would recognize him

2. Came by night

a. Consorting with bad people

b.

Hidden

i.

The Irony

3. Rabbi

a.

What did this mean?

b.

We know

i.

Who is he speaking for

ii.

Perhaps he was voted on to go to Jesus to get answers

B. Spirit and Water

1. Setting up the conversation

a.

What was about to be taught

b.

Also to catch Nicodemus in his flattery that he did not believe

2. Flesh and Spirit

a. Born of our mothers

i. Leads to death

b.

Born of the Spirit

i. Leads to life

c.

This is our battle each and every day

C. From death to life

1.

Born to a world of sin

a. Started with Adam

b.

Even today

2. Reborn into Salvation

a.

Where we get the term born again

b.

Fleshly things cannot be Spiritual

i. Must die to one and live for the other

Have an apple - As much as I want this to be a tree it isn’t.

It will be an apple until it dies and is buried in the earth, only then is it born again as a tree.

Judgement

A. Jesus came to save

1. God gave of Himself

a. Remember the trinity in all things relating to God

b.

God gave His Word and sent sent His son the Word

i. Fulfilled the promise of salvation

2. Will not perish

a.

The eternal punishment

i. Hell - Eternal separation

b.

We all need to shed the flesh

i.

That which is sinful

B. World stands condemned

1.

The Law has judged

a.

Only thing the Law was good for

b.

Those not in the blood of Christ already stand condemned

i.

There is no hope for them

ii.

So many times and at so many funerals I have cried for those not in Christ

iii.

Why we need urgency in sharing the good news

2. Only one way out

a. Jesus Christ

b.

No other way

i. can’t live good enough

ii.

Can’t be a nice enough person

iii.

Only in Christ Jesus