1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,319 Marcel: We are continuing a sermon series, Daniel mentioned it in 2 00:00:03,319 --> 00:00:05,799 the welcome, called Come and See. 3 00:00:06,140 --> 00:00:09,660 And so it's mentioned a couple times in the Gospel of John, and 4 00:00:09,799 --> 00:00:14,579 specifically in John chapter 1, where they ask Jesus, "Where are you going?" 5 00:00:14,580 --> 00:00:16,180 And he says, "Hey, why don't you come and see?" 6 00:00:16,279 --> 00:00:18,529 He invites them, "Hey, why don't you come check this out?" 7 00:00:18,529 --> 00:00:22,760 And then, uh, uh, Nathaniel goes and, uh, and Philip in this conversation, 8 00:00:23,029 --> 00:00:24,409 and he's inquiring about Jesus. 9 00:00:24,410 --> 00:00:26,270 He's trying to share about Jesus and he says, "You know, why 10 00:00:26,270 --> 00:00:28,329 don't you just come and see." 11 00:00:28,559 --> 00:00:32,950 And so this is an invitation for all of us for the next couple of months here 12 00:00:32,950 --> 00:00:35,449 to come and see Jesus for ourselves. 13 00:00:35,789 --> 00:00:38,369 To be able to see him, maybe for the first time. 14 00:00:38,639 --> 00:00:44,129 Maybe for some of us to get reacquainted with Jesus, or for us to see some 15 00:00:44,129 --> 00:00:48,819 things about Jesus that we need to be reminded of and maybe we forgot or 16 00:00:48,819 --> 00:00:51,019 maybe we get a chance to be in awe of. 17 00:00:51,349 --> 00:00:56,149 And I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded of things in my relationships. 18 00:00:56,439 --> 00:00:57,529 Uh, just a couple… 19 00:00:57,549 --> 00:01:00,460 Actually, I think it was maybe last week or two weeks ago, uh, we had a, 20 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:04,379 uh, some type of meeting, and I always like to have some deep conversation. 21 00:01:04,819 --> 00:01:09,609 And so I wanted everybody to share what was their favorite ice cream. 22 00:01:10,819 --> 00:01:12,189 Getting real deep up in here. 23 00:01:13,429 --> 00:01:16,658 And Karina shares, my wife Karina shares, and she says her favorite 24 00:01:16,679 --> 00:01:18,800 ice cream is mint chocolate chip. 25 00:01:21,316 --> 00:01:22,736 That's my favorite ice cream. 26 00:01:23,776 --> 00:01:26,765 But I'm confessing right now, and I didn't tell this to Karina, I don't 27 00:01:26,765 --> 00:01:31,196 know why I do this to myself, but I had forgot that Karina's favorite 28 00:01:31,245 --> 00:01:32,406 ice cream was mint chocolate chip. 29 00:01:32,506 --> 00:01:32,626 Okay. 30 00:01:33,495 --> 00:01:34,586 And I was like, "Really?" 31 00:01:35,356 --> 00:01:37,096 But I didn't say anything, gotta keep it cool. 32 00:01:37,096 --> 00:01:37,805 You know what I'm saying? 33 00:01:38,825 --> 00:01:38,845 Yeah. 34 00:01:38,916 --> 00:01:40,395 I was like, "Wow, is that right? 35 00:01:40,416 --> 00:01:41,655 No wonder we're married." 36 00:01:41,656 --> 00:01:42,586 You know what I'm saying? 37 00:01:43,656 --> 00:01:48,256 But it was good to be reminded of this truth, that we have this thing together. 38 00:01:48,256 --> 00:01:51,895 And so when we come and see Jesus, whether you're coming for the first 39 00:01:51,896 --> 00:01:56,535 time or you're coming to Jesus for the 45th year of your life in Christ, 40 00:01:56,705 --> 00:01:59,955 we need to come and see him, and we're gonna see new things about him. 41 00:02:00,066 --> 00:02:01,975 We're gonna see old things that we know. 42 00:02:02,075 --> 00:02:05,156 We're gonna be refreshed, but we're gonna be able to get a clearer 43 00:02:05,156 --> 00:02:07,866 view- Yeah … of who Jesus is. 44 00:02:08,205 --> 00:02:13,165 A clearer view of what he does and wants to do in our lives, and then a clearer 45 00:02:13,165 --> 00:02:16,626 view of how to respond to this Jesus. 46 00:02:17,204 --> 00:02:21,386 And so, so far in our series, we've looked at coming and seeing the greatest, how 47 00:02:21,395 --> 00:02:23,454 Jesus is the Word of God, the Logos. 48 00:02:23,505 --> 00:02:27,346 And go online and you can hear the sermon about that, because there's so much 49 00:02:27,346 --> 00:02:29,996 to this idea of Jesus being the Logos. 50 00:02:29,996 --> 00:02:31,055 That's a Greek word there. 51 00:02:31,235 --> 00:02:32,385 I won't get into it again. 52 00:02:32,566 --> 00:02:35,335 Go to online and you can watch the sermon there. 53 00:02:35,496 --> 00:02:38,776 And then last week, Kyle talked about coming and seeing the divine, 54 00:02:38,776 --> 00:02:43,365 how the miracles or the signs, the miracles are really signs, that point 55 00:02:43,375 --> 00:02:46,275 to Jesus's definity, and divinity. 56 00:02:46,566 --> 00:02:51,045 And so today, we're gonna be talking about coming and seeing the Savior. 57 00:02:51,055 --> 00:02:51,085 Right. 58 00:02:51,625 --> 00:02:53,485 Come and see the Savior. 59 00:02:53,485 --> 00:02:55,545 Let's go ahead, let's go to God in prayer. 60 00:02:55,845 --> 00:03:01,525 Father, thank you so much for already the chance to connect with you, to 61 00:03:01,555 --> 00:03:06,435 sing songs and be reminded of your truth, and how you are the King, 62 00:03:06,435 --> 00:03:09,625 and your name is above all names. 63 00:03:09,895 --> 00:03:16,035 And God, we're grateful that we can rejoice in Jesus because he is the Savior. 64 00:03:16,426 --> 00:03:20,855 And Father, I pray right now that your Word will commun- be communicated in 65 00:03:20,856 --> 00:03:27,145 a fashion where every soul will hear exactly what they need to hear about who 66 00:03:27,145 --> 00:03:29,685 you are and how you want them to respond. 67 00:03:29,995 --> 00:03:31,595 We pray in the name of Jesus. 68 00:03:32,415 --> 00:03:32,995 Amen. 69 00:03:32,995 --> 00:03:34,006 Amen. 70 00:03:34,006 --> 00:03:36,575 Come and see the Savior. 71 00:03:37,135 --> 00:03:39,746 You know, we're all looking for, sometimes, some saviors. 72 00:03:39,746 --> 00:03:43,395 I know the Angel fans were hoping that Stan Krokeng, the new owner, 73 00:03:43,396 --> 00:03:45,206 will be the savior for the Angels. 74 00:03:45,855 --> 00:03:48,385 And so he's raising his hand, yes, because if you didn't 75 00:03:48,385 --> 00:03:49,795 know, the Angels are being sold. 76 00:03:49,985 --> 00:03:54,095 And so all the Angel fans are fired up right now because we're like, 77 00:03:54,095 --> 00:03:56,515 "We're gonna have a owner who's actually gonna care about the team." 78 00:03:56,515 --> 00:03:57,326 You know what I'm saying? 79 00:03:57,735 --> 00:03:59,295 Who actually wants the team to win. 80 00:03:59,295 --> 00:04:02,705 If you're a Rams fan, you thought that Miles Garrett would be the 81 00:04:02,705 --> 00:04:08,560 savior, and then you saw the game on Thursday Yeah, that's right. 82 00:04:09,050 --> 00:04:11,120 Yeah, they didn't look too good, Kyle, did they? 83 00:04:11,130 --> 00:04:11,150 No. 84 00:04:12,450 --> 00:04:13,620 They sure didn't. 85 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,930 And in fact, they played those mighty, mighty 49ers. 86 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:17,980 Yeah. 87 00:04:17,990 --> 00:04:18,730 Oh, yeah. 88 00:04:18,730 --> 00:04:19,540 Oh, yeah. 89 00:04:20,428 --> 00:04:23,480 And the 49ers showed them you ain't got no savior in Miles Garrett. 90 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,759 Uh, as you can know, I'm a 49ers fan, right, Drew? 91 00:04:26,759 --> 00:04:27,670 That's how we get down. 92 00:04:27,670 --> 00:04:28,030 Here we go. 93 00:04:28,030 --> 00:04:29,439 The faithful is in the building. 94 00:04:30,829 --> 00:04:32,520 The 49ers fans are called the Faithful. 95 00:04:32,530 --> 00:04:34,440 How could you not appreciate that? 96 00:04:34,589 --> 00:04:34,609 Yeah. 97 00:04:35,210 --> 00:04:39,320 That's a spiritual term, so if you're not a 49er fan, repent and come and see 98 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,979 the 49ers and be a part of the Faithful. 99 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:41,380 Amen. 100 00:04:41,949 --> 00:04:41,969 Yeah. 101 00:04:41,980 --> 00:04:45,259 Now that I've alienated many of us, let's get into the word of God. 102 00:04:46,852 --> 00:04:48,872 But that's okay, I got the Savior with me. 103 00:04:48,872 --> 00:04:49,362 Amen. 104 00:04:49,362 --> 00:04:50,462 Amen. 105 00:04:50,462 --> 00:04:52,042 We're gonna go to John chapter 3. 106 00:04:52,052 --> 00:04:54,952 Now, this is a chapter that many of us are very familiar with. 107 00:04:55,002 --> 00:04:56,352 We're gonna read a lot here. 108 00:04:56,352 --> 00:05:00,112 We're also gonna have to summarize some stuff here for the sake of time. 109 00:05:00,112 --> 00:05:03,662 And so I definitely wanna encourage you to write down some things that, that, 110 00:05:03,922 --> 00:05:07,421 that strike you so that you can go over and look over these things for yourself 111 00:05:07,422 --> 00:05:11,501 and be able to study these things out and be able to come and see 'cause there's so 112 00:05:11,502 --> 00:05:16,321 much about Jesus, there's so much about theology here and how we should view God 113 00:05:16,321 --> 00:05:18,641 and how we should view, uh, God's will. 114 00:05:18,811 --> 00:05:22,392 But we won't be able to get into all those particulars today. 115 00:05:22,422 --> 00:05:26,282 So in John chapter 3, we're gonna start off in verse one. 116 00:05:26,962 --> 00:05:30,561 It says, "Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, who was a 117 00:05:30,571 --> 00:05:32,662 member of the Jewish ruling council." 118 00:05:32,891 --> 00:05:34,521 So this is a big wig right here, okay? 119 00:05:34,521 --> 00:05:37,472 This is a big-time guy in the Jewish community there. 120 00:05:37,472 --> 00:05:38,772 He's a part of what we would… 121 00:05:38,911 --> 00:05:40,612 uh, what's been called the Sanhedrin. 122 00:05:40,612 --> 00:05:42,522 And so he's one of the top leaders there. 123 00:05:42,522 --> 00:05:44,871 A lot of respect and then probably a wealthy guy from 124 00:05:44,872 --> 00:05:46,542 what we learn later about him. 125 00:05:46,852 --> 00:05:50,251 It says that, "This man came to Jesus at night," in verse two, "and 126 00:05:50,251 --> 00:05:55,201 said, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for 127 00:05:55,201 --> 00:05:59,001 no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.'" 128 00:05:59,002 --> 00:06:02,902 Again, this ties back in to what we looked at last week in John chapter 2. 129 00:06:03,142 --> 00:06:07,341 These signs are pointing to Jesus, and, and Nicodemus is understanding and 130 00:06:07,361 --> 00:06:12,041 observing something, okay, he's doing these miraculous things, so it must 131 00:06:12,041 --> 00:06:14,101 mean that God is at least with him. 132 00:06:14,502 --> 00:06:18,342 So we're not sure if he's fully believing that Jesus is more than just 133 00:06:18,342 --> 00:06:22,861 somebody who did a couple signs or he's skeptical, but he can recognize that 134 00:06:22,901 --> 00:06:27,972 those miraculous signs are pointing to God's presence and activity. 135 00:06:29,021 --> 00:06:30,861 We go, we continue in verse three. 136 00:06:31,172 --> 00:06:34,302 "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you…'" 137 00:06:34,302 --> 00:06:37,701 Whenever Jesus, you see these words, very truly or truly, 138 00:06:37,712 --> 00:06:39,401 truly, he's like, "Hey, listen up. 139 00:06:40,001 --> 00:06:42,932 Make sure you're paying attention to what I'm about to tell you." 140 00:06:43,522 --> 00:06:47,111 He says, "'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of 141 00:06:47,111 --> 00:06:50,242 God unless they are born again.' 142 00:06:50,951 --> 00:06:53,131 'How can someone be born when they are old?' 143 00:06:53,172 --> 00:06:53,891 Nicodemus asked." 144 00:06:53,901 --> 00:06:55,171 That's a reasonable question. 145 00:06:55,352 --> 00:06:58,722 "What do you mean you have to be born again? 146 00:06:59,051 --> 00:07:02,971 That doesn't make sense in order for me to see the Kingdom of God. 147 00:07:04,271 --> 00:07:09,031 Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born again. 148 00:07:09,031 --> 00:07:13,051 I, are you telling me that I, I'm supposed to somehow be born again? 149 00:07:13,051 --> 00:07:15,381 I'm supposed to go back into my mo- that, that doesn't make 150 00:07:15,381 --> 00:07:17,381 a lot of sense to me, Jesus." 151 00:07:17,641 --> 00:07:18,522 We continue. 152 00:07:18,531 --> 00:07:21,312 "Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you…'" 153 00:07:21,322 --> 00:07:22,011 Listen up. 154 00:07:22,241 --> 00:07:25,511 "'No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born 155 00:07:25,512 --> 00:07:27,692 of water and the Spirit.'" 156 00:07:28,676 --> 00:07:32,556 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 157 00:07:32,736 --> 00:07:37,636 You should not be surprised at me saying you must be born again. 158 00:07:37,926 --> 00:07:39,486 The wind blows wherever it pleases. 159 00:07:39,486 --> 00:07:43,534 You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. 160 00:07:43,536 --> 00:07:46,855 So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. 161 00:07:46,885 --> 00:07:48,115 Let's just stop right there. 162 00:07:48,295 --> 00:07:51,536 Man, I would love to be able to have that be our entire sermon, 163 00:07:51,715 --> 00:07:53,145 but we're, we're not going to. 164 00:07:53,256 --> 00:07:56,885 And so I'm just gonna go ahead and just point out a couple of quick things here, 165 00:07:56,885 --> 00:08:00,746 and I want you to maybe go ahead, take a picture, if you will, or write these 166 00:08:00,755 --> 00:08:02,656 things down here on the screen here. 167 00:08:02,825 --> 00:08:06,225 And this idea of being born again or born of water and 168 00:08:06,225 --> 00:08:08,705 Spirit, Nicodemus doesn't get it. 169 00:08:08,946 --> 00:08:10,655 How can someone be physically born? 170 00:08:10,725 --> 00:08:14,655 Obviously, Jesus didn't mean literally you have to be physically born. 171 00:08:14,825 --> 00:08:17,605 What He was pointing to was a spiritual birth. 172 00:08:18,266 --> 00:08:21,245 And He ties it in, He says this whole water and Spirit thing. 173 00:08:21,246 --> 00:08:26,135 Now, the initial readers and listeners of this letter from John would have 174 00:08:26,176 --> 00:08:31,695 automatically connected the dots and said, "Jesus is referring to baptism." 175 00:08:33,025 --> 00:08:36,174 And even Nicodemus, you can argue, or some scholars would argue, 176 00:08:36,385 --> 00:08:37,826 that he should have received this. 177 00:08:37,826 --> 00:08:39,755 He should have understood this. 178 00:08:40,065 --> 00:08:42,306 And so I just wanna point you to a couple things that will 179 00:08:42,315 --> 00:08:44,295 help you out on your own there. 180 00:08:44,415 --> 00:08:47,885 Because in Ezekiel, there's this connection of what God's gonna do, 181 00:08:47,885 --> 00:08:52,055 not only for the people then, but a future fulfillment of this prophecy 182 00:08:52,256 --> 00:08:56,725 that ties in water cleansing and a new life with the Spirit of God. 183 00:08:57,055 --> 00:09:01,055 Acts chapter 2, after Jesus died and resurrected, and He ascends to 184 00:09:01,055 --> 00:09:05,125 heaven, and the s- church starts, and we have the, the inauguration 185 00:09:05,125 --> 00:09:06,985 of the church, how did they enter? 186 00:09:06,985 --> 00:09:11,605 They entered through baptism, which Peter says that you will, you will also receive 187 00:09:12,165 --> 00:09:14,915 the Holy Spirit, again, a new life. 188 00:09:14,955 --> 00:09:18,656 Romans chapter 6, the Apostle Paul talks about baptism and how that's 189 00:09:18,656 --> 00:09:21,925 the point at which we have a new life. 190 00:09:22,185 --> 00:09:25,285 And then in John chapter 3, where if you keep going down, 191 00:09:25,915 --> 00:09:27,155 this is so interesting, right? 192 00:09:27,445 --> 00:09:30,615 Jesus is talking about this whole born of water and spirit, and 193 00:09:30,615 --> 00:09:35,045 immediately after this interaction, they start talking about Jesus' 194 00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:37,555 ministry and John's ministry baptizing. 195 00:09:39,376 --> 00:09:42,236 And so all you have to do is connect these clues, and you can get it. 196 00:09:42,386 --> 00:09:46,646 But then also a little, little fun fact here is that all the church fathers of the 197 00:09:46,646 --> 00:09:52,986 first 400 years of Christianity considered this to be a reference to baptism. 198 00:09:53,006 --> 00:09:53,026 Yeah. 199 00:09:53,946 --> 00:09:58,336 And so this is this idea of being born again or born from above, 'cause it 200 00:09:58,336 --> 00:10:02,776 also could be translated as above or born anew, and it's this spiritual 201 00:10:02,785 --> 00:10:05,966 rebirth that takes place at baptism. 202 00:10:06,105 --> 00:10:08,015 That's our little teaching for the moment here. 203 00:10:08,115 --> 00:10:09,005 I gotta keep moving. 204 00:10:09,005 --> 00:10:10,375 All right, Church, are you still with me? 205 00:10:10,386 --> 00:10:10,406 Yeah. 206 00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:11,676 All right. 207 00:10:11,776 --> 00:10:14,795 We're gonna go to John chapter 3, and we're gonna go down to verse 208 00:10:14,815 --> 00:10:18,366 13, but let's just catch you up to speed in verses 9 through 12. 209 00:10:18,625 --> 00:10:22,765 Nicodemus, he's still not understanding kind of what's going on, so Jesus 210 00:10:22,765 --> 00:10:25,686 says, "If you don't understand these things that I'm telling you, 211 00:10:25,955 --> 00:10:29,125 and how are you gonna believe when I give you some deeper teaching?" 212 00:10:30,096 --> 00:10:32,116 And so we take it up in verse 13. 213 00:10:32,736 --> 00:10:35,615 "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came 214 00:10:35,615 --> 00:10:38,015 from heaven, the Son of Man. 215 00:10:38,425 --> 00:10:42,375 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man 216 00:10:42,375 --> 00:10:47,645 must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." 217 00:10:47,816 --> 00:10:50,505 Okay, let's stop right there for a quick second here. 218 00:10:50,915 --> 00:10:53,275 Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. 219 00:10:53,276 --> 00:10:56,555 To help the Jews and those who knew their Bible, that it's a reference 220 00:10:56,555 --> 00:10:59,305 back to Ezekiel and how many times it talks about the Son of Man. 221 00:10:59,475 --> 00:11:03,905 Again, pointing to him being the Chosen One, the Anointed One, the Messiah, 222 00:11:03,945 --> 00:11:07,725 the Christ, the Savior of the world. 223 00:11:07,905 --> 00:11:11,305 But he makes this reference to this whole idea, this story about Moses 224 00:11:11,325 --> 00:11:15,126 lifting up a snake in the wilderness, and what's he referring to is that back 225 00:11:15,126 --> 00:11:17,985 in Numbers 21, when God's people had… 226 00:11:17,995 --> 00:11:19,655 You know, remember the Prince of Egypt movie? 227 00:11:19,675 --> 00:11:20,455 Remember that movie? 228 00:11:20,805 --> 00:11:21,405 Okay, all right. 229 00:11:21,405 --> 00:11:21,755 There you go. 230 00:11:21,755 --> 00:11:22,705 Some of you are with me there. 231 00:11:22,785 --> 00:11:25,926 All right, so this is when Moses takes the people, he leads the people out, right? 232 00:11:25,926 --> 00:11:27,425 And they're on their way to the Promised Land. 233 00:11:27,645 --> 00:11:31,265 And so in Numbers 21, the Israelites, they sinned against God. 234 00:11:31,596 --> 00:11:32,345 They were rebelling. 235 00:11:32,346 --> 00:11:33,125 They were, they were mad. 236 00:11:33,125 --> 00:11:34,365 They were grumbling against God. 237 00:11:34,365 --> 00:11:37,305 And so these poisonous snakes happen, and they start biting 238 00:11:37,305 --> 00:11:38,595 people, and people start dying. 239 00:11:38,945 --> 00:11:40,745 And they realize, "Uh-oh, we're in trouble. 240 00:11:40,745 --> 00:11:41,425 We sinned. 241 00:11:41,655 --> 00:11:43,146 Hey, Moses, we sinned. 242 00:11:43,265 --> 00:11:46,445 Hey, can you pray to God so that we can no longer have this 243 00:11:46,645 --> 00:11:48,355 occurrence in our community?" 244 00:11:48,605 --> 00:11:50,846 And so God tells Moses, "Here's what I want you to do. 245 00:11:50,846 --> 00:11:52,905 I want you to go ahead and make this snake, put it… 246 00:11:52,986 --> 00:11:53,845 a bronze snake. 247 00:11:53,846 --> 00:11:56,335 Put it on a pole, and then I want you to lift it up. 248 00:11:56,465 --> 00:12:00,196 And everyone, when you lift it up, everyone who looks at the bronze 249 00:12:00,196 --> 00:12:03,695 snake, they will be healed and live." 250 00:12:04,475 --> 00:12:05,736 And so that's what happened. 251 00:12:06,275 --> 00:12:08,875 And so now Jesus says, "Hey, you know what? 252 00:12:08,896 --> 00:12:13,036 The Son of Man," referring to himself, "he too must be lifted up." 253 00:12:13,335 --> 00:12:15,625 And we know that's a reference to the cross. 254 00:12:15,956 --> 00:12:21,075 And when he is lifted up, and when we look to him as the source of salvation, we 255 00:12:21,075 --> 00:12:25,025 too will be healed and live for eternity. 256 00:12:27,060 --> 00:12:30,390 Let's continue in John 3:16. 257 00:12:31,010 --> 00:12:32,540 Brothers and sisters, are you still with me here? 258 00:12:32,550 --> 00:12:32,570 Yeah. 259 00:12:32,980 --> 00:12:33,350 Okay. 260 00:12:33,350 --> 00:12:33,620 All right. 261 00:12:33,620 --> 00:12:34,050 Here we go. 262 00:12:34,410 --> 00:12:35,710 "For God so loved…" 263 00:12:35,710 --> 00:12:36,680 Uh-oh, here you go. 264 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:37,700 Everybody know this one. 265 00:12:38,619 --> 00:12:41,199 John 3:16, you can see it on the street sometimes. 266 00:12:41,199 --> 00:12:43,040 You can see it on the, on the football field. 267 00:12:43,199 --> 00:12:45,670 In fact, many football games going on today, I'm sure we'll see at 268 00:12:45,670 --> 00:12:47,789 least one sign with John 3:16. 269 00:12:47,789 --> 00:12:49,700 The famous John 3:16. 270 00:12:49,710 --> 00:12:50,230 Here we go. 271 00:12:50,429 --> 00:12:55,170 It says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, 272 00:12:55,599 --> 00:13:00,209 that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 273 00:13:00,529 --> 00:13:03,870 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 274 00:13:04,050 --> 00:13:07,280 but to save the world through Him. 275 00:13:08,129 --> 00:13:11,119 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not 276 00:13:11,119 --> 00:13:14,930 believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in 277 00:13:14,930 --> 00:13:17,529 the name of God's one and only Son. 278 00:13:18,399 --> 00:13:19,400 This is the verdict. 279 00:13:19,829 --> 00:13:22,779 Light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of 280 00:13:22,789 --> 00:13:25,250 light because their deeds were evil. 281 00:13:25,919 --> 00:13:29,299 Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for 282 00:13:29,309 --> 00:13:32,740 fear that their deeds will be exposed." 283 00:13:32,740 --> 00:13:33,699 Isn't that real? 284 00:13:33,899 --> 00:13:33,919 Yeah. 285 00:13:34,589 --> 00:13:34,609 Yeah. 286 00:13:34,869 --> 00:13:37,229 But whoever, uh, here we go. 287 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:38,769 Uh, let's go, let's go to 20. 288 00:13:38,769 --> 00:13:39,099 All right, here we go. 289 00:13:39,270 --> 00:13:43,589 "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be 290 00:13:43,590 --> 00:13:48,819 seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." 291 00:13:50,079 --> 00:13:50,099 Yeah. 292 00:13:50,099 --> 00:13:51,719 Ain't that just rich scripture right there? 293 00:13:51,730 --> 00:13:51,750 Yeah. 294 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:55,389 This is the gospel wrapped up in a couple of verses. 295 00:13:56,050 --> 00:13:58,969 And it says here, "For God so loved the world." 296 00:13:59,399 --> 00:14:00,969 You ever so loved something- 297 00:14:03,780 --> 00:14:04,670 Some of you like, "Yeah." 298 00:14:04,670 --> 00:14:06,939 Some of you like, "Uh, I don't know if I so loved it." 299 00:14:08,370 --> 00:14:10,670 So loved means, man, this is big. 300 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:15,470 You mean, you, you value it so much that you'll do something, that you'll 301 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:21,309 sacrifice, that you'll spend the time and the energy because you so love it. 302 00:14:22,839 --> 00:14:29,259 And for God, He so loved you and I that He said, "I'm gonna send my Son so that 303 00:14:29,260 --> 00:14:32,260 they can have eternal life with me." 304 00:14:33,469 --> 00:14:38,340 He didn't just love the world, He so loved the world 305 00:14:41,102 --> 00:14:41,972 We continue. 306 00:14:42,752 --> 00:14:46,362 It says, uh, we're, we're gonna skip on down to verse 31 here. 307 00:14:46,362 --> 00:14:50,242 Let me give you a recap here of John 3:22-30. 308 00:14:50,242 --> 00:14:54,771 So it goes on and talks about Jesus' ministry, He's baptizing people, and 309 00:14:54,771 --> 00:14:59,102 then John the Baptist, uh, this is John who's the, the forerunner for Jesus. 310 00:14:59,102 --> 00:15:02,692 He's like the opening act for, for God's people there so that they 311 00:15:02,692 --> 00:15:06,671 can know that, that the true main headline event is here in Jesus. 312 00:15:06,891 --> 00:15:09,581 And so John the Baptist, his disciples come up to him and they're 313 00:15:09,582 --> 00:15:12,931 saying, "Hey, that guy you told us about, yeah, he, he, he…" 314 00:15:12,971 --> 00:15:15,881 There's so many people going to him, and they're coming to him, and, and 315 00:15:16,092 --> 00:15:19,251 they're basically a little nervous that John the Baptist and his crew, that 316 00:15:19,252 --> 00:15:23,112 they won't have the same popularity or that these people will go to Jesus. 317 00:15:23,112 --> 00:15:26,641 And John the Baptist replies, "I am fired up about this. 318 00:15:26,662 --> 00:15:27,961 This is good news." 319 00:15:28,851 --> 00:15:32,951 He says, "I'm a, I'm, I'm, I'm not, I'm, I'm like a, a, I'm 320 00:15:32,952 --> 00:15:34,611 like a groomsman in a wedding. 321 00:15:35,412 --> 00:15:37,021 Jesus, He's the groom. 322 00:15:37,711 --> 00:15:39,491 Nobody cares about the groomsmen. 323 00:15:40,362 --> 00:15:41,861 We care about the groom." 324 00:15:42,011 --> 00:15:44,211 And so he says, "Look, I, I'm fired up. 325 00:15:44,211 --> 00:15:45,290 This is good. 326 00:15:45,721 --> 00:15:50,641 And in fact, I need to become less, and Jesus needs to become greater." 327 00:15:51,949 --> 00:15:54,119 Man, that's a sermon right there, but we don't have time for that. 328 00:15:54,119 --> 00:15:54,400 Okay. 329 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:54,640 All right. 330 00:15:54,939 --> 00:15:56,989 In verse 31, it continues. 331 00:15:56,989 --> 00:16:01,170 It says, "The one who comes from above is above all." 332 00:16:01,550 --> 00:16:01,589 Amen. 333 00:16:02,369 --> 00:16:05,219 "The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and 334 00:16:05,219 --> 00:16:06,739 speaks as one from the earth. 335 00:16:07,189 --> 00:16:09,829 The one who comes from heaven is above all. 336 00:16:10,479 --> 00:16:16,400 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 337 00:16:16,859 --> 00:16:21,549 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 338 00:16:22,099 --> 00:16:26,559 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God 339 00:16:26,579 --> 00:16:28,620 gives the Spirit without limits. 340 00:16:29,070 --> 00:16:35,599 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 341 00:16:36,149 --> 00:16:41,439 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects 342 00:16:41,439 --> 00:16:45,989 the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." 343 00:16:46,459 --> 00:16:47,709 We'll stop right there. 344 00:16:47,909 --> 00:16:49,219 John chapter 3. 345 00:16:49,319 --> 00:16:52,459 If we take a step back and we look and we say, "Come and see," 346 00:16:52,519 --> 00:16:54,639 what do we see about Jesus? 347 00:16:54,829 --> 00:16:58,279 We see this: Jesus is the Savior. 348 00:16:58,980 --> 00:16:59,000 Yeah. 349 00:16:59,009 --> 00:17:01,749 Jesus is the Savior. 350 00:17:01,950 --> 00:17:05,009 And what's really cool about this, at least for me as you're 351 00:17:05,010 --> 00:17:05,980 going through the chapters… 352 00:17:06,010 --> 00:17:08,259 Now, remember when it was originally written, they didn't 353 00:17:08,270 --> 00:17:12,348 have chapters and verses, but it helps us to identify scriptures. 354 00:17:12,539 --> 00:17:18,079 So as we read chapter 3, we see this progression of realization 355 00:17:18,108 --> 00:17:21,539 or unveiling of who Jesus is. 356 00:17:21,829 --> 00:17:23,569 We already see it in John chapter 1. 357 00:17:23,579 --> 00:17:25,209 We see some more in John chapter 2. 358 00:17:25,209 --> 00:17:31,260 But we see it again progress even in the lives and the people in John chapter 3. 359 00:17:31,469 --> 00:17:34,209 From Nicodemus, what does he start off by telling Jesus? 360 00:17:34,379 --> 00:17:36,179 "Hey, you are a rabbi. 361 00:17:36,889 --> 00:17:37,749 You're a teacher." 362 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,779 Now, this is interesting, because Jesus didn't go to their 363 00:17:40,779 --> 00:17:42,449 formal schools of teaching. 364 00:17:43,239 --> 00:17:47,189 So again, those signs point in Nicodemus to go, "Okay, you weren't, 365 00:17:47,199 --> 00:17:51,469 like, you weren't in school with us, but we can tell that God is with you." 366 00:17:51,589 --> 00:17:51,689 Yeah. 367 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:57,399 And then we keep seeing, and it moves on from teacher to Messiah to the Son 368 00:17:57,589 --> 00:18:00,189 of God, and we see this progression. 369 00:18:00,639 --> 00:18:06,249 We see it from teacher and rabbi to now Jesus is the one who comes from heaven, 370 00:18:06,660 --> 00:18:11,140 and it needs to be lifted up so that people would then have eternal life. 371 00:18:11,539 --> 00:18:17,499 We see it now, he's also mentioned that he's the one and only Son of God, 372 00:18:17,869 --> 00:18:20,370 that he's the Savior of all the world. 373 00:18:20,469 --> 00:18:22,740 He comes from heaven and he's the Son of God. 374 00:18:22,929 --> 00:18:28,839 Therefore, he has authority to speak on spiritual things, on things that matter 375 00:18:28,899 --> 00:18:31,900 to God or the things of God because why? 376 00:18:31,910 --> 00:18:37,689 He is from heaven, and he has everything in his hands from the Father. 377 00:18:38,669 --> 00:18:45,130 Jesus is the Savior He wasn't just a teacher. 378 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:47,100 He wasn't just a religious figure. 379 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:51,920 He wasn't a guy who was just very nice trying to spread love to everybody. 380 00:18:52,389 --> 00:18:56,550 He is the Savior. 381 00:18:56,559 --> 00:18:56,589 Yes. 382 00:18:57,530 --> 00:18:57,570 Amen. 383 00:18:57,820 --> 00:18:59,970 And what does this Savior offer us? 384 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,579 He offers us eternal life. 385 00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:11,360 Jesus, the Son of God, offers every one of us a gift of eternal life. 386 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:12,699 Oh, sorry, let me go back here. 387 00:19:12,700 --> 00:19:13,100 All right 388 00:19:18,606 --> 00:19:20,376 Now y'all wondering what we gonna say about that. 389 00:19:21,416 --> 00:19:24,166 Actually, I think the slide might be out of order there, Cathy there. 390 00:19:24,316 --> 00:19:25,966 It should be, uh, belief in Jesus. 391 00:19:25,966 --> 00:19:27,236 That should be the next slide there. 392 00:19:27,236 --> 00:19:27,566 All right. 393 00:19:27,566 --> 00:19:29,316 Can we go to that slide there real quickly there? 394 00:19:29,496 --> 00:19:29,936 All right. 395 00:19:30,136 --> 00:19:31,776 And so what does Jesus offer? 396 00:19:31,776 --> 00:19:33,086 He offers us… 397 00:19:33,086 --> 00:19:34,085 No, no, that's not it. 398 00:19:34,096 --> 00:19:35,316 That's not it right there either. 399 00:19:35,316 --> 00:19:36,436 Let's come on back here. 400 00:19:36,436 --> 00:19:37,115 All right, here we go. 401 00:19:37,116 --> 00:19:37,386 All right. 402 00:19:37,395 --> 00:19:38,545 We having technical difficulties. 403 00:19:38,826 --> 00:19:41,245 It should be believing Jesus leads to eternal life. 404 00:19:41,256 --> 00:19:42,575 That should be the slide right there. 405 00:19:42,766 --> 00:19:45,645 Believing Jesus leads to eternal life there. 406 00:19:45,645 --> 00:19:48,465 If you're listening online, there was some technical difficulties. 407 00:19:48,506 --> 00:19:49,025 It's all good. 408 00:19:49,045 --> 00:19:50,276 All right, you guys back with me here. 409 00:19:50,285 --> 00:19:50,305 Yeah. 410 00:19:50,945 --> 00:19:51,285 Amen. 411 00:19:51,285 --> 00:19:51,576 All right. 412 00:19:51,585 --> 00:19:57,896 So Jesus offers us eternal life, and it says that if we believe in 413 00:19:57,896 --> 00:20:00,706 Jesus then we can have eternal life. 414 00:20:00,735 --> 00:20:05,386 It's mentioned three times just in this chapter, this idea of I believe in 415 00:20:05,386 --> 00:20:08,955 Jesus, then I can receive eternal life. 416 00:20:08,995 --> 00:20:12,165 And that eternal life means more than simply living forever. 417 00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:14,785 It means more than that. 418 00:20:15,545 --> 00:20:17,485 Number one, it's in the context of what? 419 00:20:17,625 --> 00:20:18,625 A new birth. 420 00:20:19,026 --> 00:20:24,595 So this eternal life is a new life with God dwelling within 421 00:20:24,596 --> 00:20:27,545 us, with God's Holy Spirit. 422 00:20:27,916 --> 00:20:32,605 It's being saved from condemnation and saved from judgments. 423 00:20:33,926 --> 00:20:37,836 You know, Dwight mentioned, hey, we can sing and not feel judged by anyone. 424 00:20:38,206 --> 00:20:42,555 Well, it- when we believe in Jesus, we don't have to worry about being 425 00:20:42,555 --> 00:20:46,336 judged for our singing, and hallelujah, 'cause a brother can't sing that well. 426 00:20:47,996 --> 00:20:52,825 But we don't have to stand insecure before the judgment of God because why? 427 00:20:52,835 --> 00:20:55,715 We are saved from judgment and condemnation. 428 00:20:57,605 --> 00:20:57,635 Right. 429 00:20:57,635 --> 00:20:57,650 Amen. 430 00:20:57,650 --> 00:21:05,965 But this life with God begins when we have a new birth. 431 00:21:06,526 --> 00:21:07,235 So what does that mean? 432 00:21:07,235 --> 00:21:10,275 Eternal life begins at the point of salvation. 433 00:21:10,985 --> 00:21:13,875 In John, we, it's a sneak peek here, later on in the chap… 434 00:21:13,895 --> 00:21:18,035 in, in, in, I think it's John chapter 7, John tells us this and reveals 435 00:21:18,035 --> 00:21:22,166 where he, he, he quotes Jesus saying that, "Eternal life is to know God." 436 00:21:23,305 --> 00:21:27,025 And so this eternal life is living forever, but it starts now. 437 00:21:27,025 --> 00:21:30,485 So if you are saved, you have already begun eternal life. 438 00:21:31,465 --> 00:21:31,505 Amen. 439 00:21:31,575 --> 00:21:35,546 Because you have now have life with you that will continue forever. 440 00:21:38,928 --> 00:21:41,018 That is what Jesus offer us. 441 00:21:41,398 --> 00:21:46,718 And none of us can produce that new birth, we can't remove our own condemnation, 442 00:21:46,838 --> 00:21:49,458 or we cannot earn eternal life. 443 00:21:49,478 --> 00:21:55,247 We need a savior, and God has given us that in Jesus. 444 00:21:56,067 --> 00:21:56,107 Amen. 445 00:21:56,837 --> 00:21:58,288 We need a savior. 446 00:21:58,298 --> 00:22:00,477 Some of us, we're more in tune with that. 447 00:22:00,487 --> 00:22:01,608 We understand that. 448 00:22:02,087 --> 00:22:03,907 Some of us, we don't realize that. 449 00:22:03,917 --> 00:22:07,227 We don't get that that much, and we think we can earn it. 450 00:22:07,227 --> 00:22:12,937 But see, the r- the great thing is that Jesus is the Savior, so that means, 451 00:22:12,937 --> 00:22:18,147 though, that not my church affiliation, not my good deeds, not my Bible knowledge, 452 00:22:18,328 --> 00:22:24,837 not my avoidance of sins, but only Jesus can e- have me enter into eternal life. 453 00:22:24,847 --> 00:22:24,867 Yeah. 454 00:22:24,867 --> 00:22:26,308 Yeah. 455 00:22:26,308 --> 00:22:27,707 And that's good news. 456 00:22:28,468 --> 00:22:30,598 That is good news. 457 00:22:31,007 --> 00:22:34,657 'Cause our salvation and our eternal life in Jesus are only 458 00:22:34,667 --> 00:22:37,787 found in and through Jesus. 459 00:22:37,927 --> 00:22:40,297 If it depended on you, you're gonna fail. 460 00:22:40,817 --> 00:22:43,467 I don't know about you, but you might have failed on the way up here. 461 00:22:43,657 --> 00:22:44,888 You might have failed afterwards. 462 00:22:44,898 --> 00:22:47,757 You might have not listened to Dwight, and you might have judged somebody. 463 00:22:47,997 --> 00:22:48,047 Come on. 464 00:22:49,557 --> 00:22:52,698 And so if we were the ones who had to be our Savior, we're in trouble, 465 00:22:52,698 --> 00:22:54,147 just like the Rams with Miles Garrett. 466 00:22:54,157 --> 00:22:55,327 You in trouble. 467 00:22:59,236 --> 00:22:59,976 You waiting on Aaron Donald. 468 00:23:00,136 --> 00:23:00,736 He's a savior. 469 00:23:00,766 --> 00:23:01,656 See how it goes? 470 00:23:02,526 --> 00:23:03,706 They waiting for Aaron Donald. 471 00:23:04,356 --> 00:23:06,356 Y'all need to start waiting for Jesus, you know what I'm saying? 472 00:23:08,266 --> 00:23:08,596 I know. 473 00:23:08,596 --> 00:23:11,355 I mean, we, we gonna be in trouble if the Rams beat the 49ers next time. 474 00:23:11,356 --> 00:23:11,656 Amen. 475 00:23:12,616 --> 00:23:15,346 Here's the thing here, brothers and sisters, is that look 476 00:23:15,346 --> 00:23:17,845 again here at John 3:16. 477 00:23:18,486 --> 00:23:23,686 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son," sent 478 00:23:23,686 --> 00:23:28,126 His Son, live a perfect life, but then also to die upon the cross so 479 00:23:28,126 --> 00:23:29,935 that our sins could be wiped out. 480 00:23:30,455 --> 00:23:33,975 "That whoever believes shall not perish, but have eternal life. 481 00:23:34,026 --> 00:23:37,086 For God did not send the w- Son into the world to condemn the world, 482 00:23:37,265 --> 00:23:40,425 but to save the world through Him." 483 00:23:42,096 --> 00:23:43,356 This is God initiating. 484 00:23:44,556 --> 00:23:45,896 God wasn't asked. 485 00:23:46,335 --> 00:23:47,705 God wasn't forced. 486 00:23:48,135 --> 00:23:52,165 God was compelled out of His own love to do something about our sin problem, 487 00:23:52,725 --> 00:23:56,385 about our destruction problem, 'cause sin destroys our lives and our relationships. 488 00:23:57,435 --> 00:23:59,975 And so God initiated on His own, and He said, "You know what? 489 00:24:00,175 --> 00:24:04,375 Jesus gonna come down, and He's going to save the world when He comes. 490 00:24:04,395 --> 00:24:06,985 He didn't come to condemn the world." 491 00:24:07,795 --> 00:24:09,265 And who'd He come to save? 492 00:24:10,535 --> 00:24:11,285 The world. 493 00:24:12,585 --> 00:24:13,556 So what does that mean? 494 00:24:15,115 --> 00:24:17,126 All, not some. 495 00:24:18,306 --> 00:24:21,606 Jesus came to save all and not some. 496 00:24:22,346 --> 00:24:26,325 Jesus came to save and not condemn all. 497 00:24:26,685 --> 00:24:29,875 He came to save you and me. 498 00:24:30,355 --> 00:24:32,925 He came to save the Jew and the Gentile. 499 00:24:32,925 --> 00:24:34,005 That's the non-Jew. 500 00:24:34,416 --> 00:24:38,545 He came to save the religious and the atheist or the agnostic. 501 00:24:38,965 --> 00:24:42,835 He came to save those who are lovely and those who are hard to love. 502 00:24:43,385 --> 00:24:46,285 He came to save the goody two-shoe and the criminal. 503 00:24:47,225 --> 00:24:50,155 He came to save the liberal and the conservative. 504 00:24:50,166 --> 00:24:50,196 Right. 505 00:24:50,855 --> 00:24:53,845 He came to save the American and Iranian. 506 00:24:54,495 --> 00:24:57,606 He came to save the heterosexual and the homosexual. 507 00:24:58,135 --> 00:25:00,865 He came to save the rich and the poor. 508 00:25:01,115 --> 00:25:04,745 He came to save the educated and the uneducated, the 509 00:25:04,745 --> 00:25:06,975 celebrity and the average Joe. 510 00:25:07,015 --> 00:25:11,455 He came to save you, me, your mama, your cousin too, and all of them. 511 00:25:11,465 --> 00:25:11,505 Amen. 512 00:25:12,685 --> 00:25:15,276 Jesus came to save, not to condemn. 513 00:25:20,516 --> 00:25:22,916 This is why we call it good news. 514 00:25:23,906 --> 00:25:25,546 This is why we call it good news. 515 00:25:26,076 --> 00:25:30,375 You can't talk about this and not smile, because it's good news. 516 00:25:30,825 --> 00:25:32,476 Man, Jesus came to save all everybody. 517 00:25:32,485 --> 00:25:33,045 Yes. 518 00:25:33,266 --> 00:25:35,376 You can't be like, "Man, Jesus came to save everybody." 519 00:25:36,235 --> 00:25:37,105 "What's up with that? 520 00:25:37,485 --> 00:25:38,375 That ain't cool." 521 00:25:39,705 --> 00:25:41,246 That means we don't understand a savior. 522 00:25:41,246 --> 00:25:43,086 That'll mean we don't, we don't understand the heart of God. 523 00:25:43,926 --> 00:25:43,976 Yeah. 524 00:25:43,976 --> 00:25:46,835 If you think God came to condemn, then you don't understand the heart of God. 525 00:25:47,545 --> 00:25:47,585 Amen. 526 00:25:47,596 --> 00:25:50,916 God came to pull us into an eternal relationship with him. 527 00:25:51,416 --> 00:25:51,836 Why? 528 00:25:51,926 --> 00:25:53,006 Because he loves us. 529 00:25:53,016 --> 00:25:53,036 Yeah. 530 00:25:53,275 --> 00:25:54,566 Not because you're good enough. 531 00:25:54,815 --> 00:25:54,896 That's right. 532 00:25:55,275 --> 00:25:56,256 Not because you earned it. 533 00:25:56,406 --> 00:25:56,466 Praise him. 534 00:25:56,466 --> 00:25:56,536 That's right. 535 00:25:57,956 --> 00:25:59,766 Some of us were more in touch with that. 536 00:26:00,626 --> 00:26:02,266 You know, we all need to be born again. 537 00:26:02,786 --> 00:26:02,816 Yep. 538 00:26:03,176 --> 00:26:05,486 We all need to be born again. 539 00:26:06,926 --> 00:26:07,066 That's right. 540 00:26:07,066 --> 00:26:07,076 Yeah. 541 00:26:07,076 --> 00:26:08,815 Not the person to your right or your left, like, "Oh, yeah, 542 00:26:08,815 --> 00:26:09,805 they need to be born again." 543 00:26:11,595 --> 00:26:14,975 We all need this rebirth. 544 00:26:15,135 --> 00:26:15,175 Amen. 545 00:26:16,536 --> 00:26:17,946 Every single one of us. 546 00:26:18,215 --> 00:26:21,465 You know, for Nicodemus and the Jewish people, and especially the Jewish leaders, 547 00:26:21,725 --> 00:26:24,056 this was radical, it was shocking to them. 548 00:26:24,496 --> 00:26:28,255 Because they were familiar with the idea of a new birth, but it meant for all 549 00:26:28,266 --> 00:26:30,795 the non-Jews who converted to Judaism. 550 00:26:31,705 --> 00:26:35,005 So when the non-Jews, when they would, they would convert to Judaism in the 551 00:26:35,905 --> 00:26:36,766 1st century, they actually got baptized. 552 00:26:36,766 --> 00:26:39,475 Again, this idea of baptism wasn't something new. 553 00:26:40,675 --> 00:26:42,435 And so when they got baptized, they, they… 554 00:26:42,586 --> 00:26:45,205 There's even writings where the Jewish, uh, uh, writings, they would say, "Oh 555 00:26:45,205 --> 00:26:47,976 yeah, this is like a rebirth for them." 556 00:26:48,615 --> 00:26:51,975 But when Jesus and John the Baptist come on the scene, they're like, "No, not just 557 00:26:51,975 --> 00:26:56,075 the Gentiles, but you too need a rebirth." 558 00:26:56,255 --> 00:26:56,325 That's right. 559 00:26:56,995 --> 00:26:58,675 "But I was born into this. 560 00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:00,106 I'm a Jew. 561 00:27:00,106 --> 00:27:02,965 I come from the tribe of Levi," or, "I come from the tribe of…" 562 00:27:04,175 --> 00:27:10,805 He said, "No, that doesn't earn your way into the gates of heaven and eternal life. 563 00:27:11,925 --> 00:27:15,926 You need to have a birth that is spiritual, that comes from 564 00:27:15,926 --> 00:27:20,525 God from above, that is spirit initiated and worked through." 565 00:27:20,535 --> 00:27:20,575 Amen. 566 00:27:21,245 --> 00:27:22,085 So what does that mean? 567 00:27:22,095 --> 00:27:24,585 That means something special too, especially for those of us who grew 568 00:27:24,586 --> 00:27:28,325 up in the church here, those who like to call ourselves kingdom kids. 569 00:27:28,626 --> 00:27:32,855 You too, like Nicodemus, need a new birth. 570 00:27:32,865 --> 00:27:32,905 Amen. 571 00:27:34,165 --> 00:27:37,665 Those of us here may be visiting for the first time, and you're, you're 572 00:27:37,676 --> 00:27:40,205 trying to investigate, "Hey, I don't know about this Christian thing." 573 00:27:40,346 --> 00:27:44,325 I want to encourage you, you too need a new birth. 574 00:27:45,305 --> 00:27:45,375 That's right. 575 00:27:45,545 --> 00:27:48,445 Those of us who grew up or those of us who have been in the faith, 576 00:27:48,465 --> 00:27:54,175 we need to be reminded that our new birth only comes through Jesus. 577 00:27:54,685 --> 00:27:54,755 That's right. 578 00:27:54,835 --> 00:27:58,305 You see, we all need this new life, but only Jesus can provide it. 579 00:27:59,185 --> 00:28:01,355 Again, this is good news. 580 00:28:01,876 --> 00:28:05,226 If you're a guilty soul, this is good news because now there's relief 581 00:28:07,396 --> 00:28:11,236 If you're those who are the perfectionist, now there is peace. 582 00:28:11,246 --> 00:28:11,276 Yes. 583 00:28:12,256 --> 00:28:16,686 If you're those who want to work hard and, and running, there is rest. 584 00:28:16,696 --> 00:28:16,716 Yeah. 585 00:28:17,856 --> 00:28:21,386 For those of us who are lonely, you are seen. 586 00:28:21,396 --> 00:28:21,416 Yeah. 587 00:28:23,056 --> 00:28:26,175 You see, this is good news, that Jesus is the Savior. 588 00:28:27,476 --> 00:28:27,516 Amen. 589 00:28:27,576 --> 00:28:30,495 And this is something that we should rejoice in. 590 00:28:31,226 --> 00:28:34,785 You know, God wants to redeem you from your sin and judgment, and 591 00:28:34,796 --> 00:28:36,475 give you eternal life with Him. 592 00:28:37,126 --> 00:28:42,086 Again, many of us, I know we know this, but we need to be reminded of this. 593 00:28:42,526 --> 00:28:47,035 We need to stay in awe of Jesus, because we can lose the awe 594 00:28:47,035 --> 00:28:50,456 of Jesus, and therefore reduce Him to something He's not. 595 00:28:51,475 --> 00:28:54,446 Again, He could become a teacher, He could just become a good figure, 596 00:28:54,545 --> 00:29:00,475 or He becomes a part of my life as opposed to being my life. 597 00:29:01,525 --> 00:29:01,595 That's right. 598 00:29:01,595 --> 00:29:02,946 And when He gets reduced, what happens? 599 00:29:02,946 --> 00:29:04,076 We get some stinking thinking. 600 00:29:04,076 --> 00:29:07,055 We get the wrong views, and we can go sideways. 601 00:29:07,056 --> 00:29:11,155 We can start to make some poor choices in our lives, and we start 602 00:29:11,155 --> 00:29:14,925 to be, uh, resemble less and less of Jesus, and more and more of our 603 00:29:14,945 --> 00:29:18,766 old selves, or more and more of the world that Jesus is trying to redeem. 604 00:29:20,006 --> 00:29:20,106 That's right. 605 00:29:20,106 --> 00:29:23,565 And so it's important that we remember, we stay in awe of Jesus. 606 00:29:23,565 --> 00:29:27,055 Because when we lose that awe, we can start even thinking that 607 00:29:27,055 --> 00:29:29,365 our, the salvation depends on us. 608 00:29:30,005 --> 00:29:30,025 Yeah. 609 00:29:30,125 --> 00:29:32,286 I need to do X, Y, and Z. 610 00:29:32,555 --> 00:29:34,326 No, you can't do X, Y, and Z. 611 00:29:34,485 --> 00:29:39,075 It is solely dependent upon the salvation that Jesus offers. 612 00:29:39,085 --> 00:29:39,105 Yeah. 613 00:29:40,475 --> 00:29:40,515 Amen. 614 00:29:40,515 --> 00:29:43,456 And we need to remain thankful for Jesus, and who He is, and what God has 615 00:29:43,456 --> 00:29:48,615 done through Jesus, not only for us, but what He's doing for the entire world. 616 00:29:48,845 --> 00:29:48,885 Amen. 617 00:29:49,515 --> 00:29:53,495 And so what should we do in response to Jesus being the Savior? 618 00:29:53,966 --> 00:29:58,285 Well, first off, if you have not made Jesus Lord, you need to believe in Jesus. 619 00:29:58,826 --> 00:30:00,745 Make Him Lord and become a disciple. 620 00:30:01,085 --> 00:30:06,115 Find out how to be born again by the work of the Spirit through baptism. 621 00:30:07,015 --> 00:30:10,915 And it wasn't mean to believe in Jesus, though. 622 00:30:10,915 --> 00:30:15,186 We gotta hit on this real quickly, because th- this can easily be misconstrued. 623 00:30:15,525 --> 00:30:18,675 And now we're gonna go to that picture, and, and, and what I believe that 624 00:30:18,685 --> 00:30:22,145 biblical faith includes, it includes BTS. 625 00:30:24,095 --> 00:30:25,266 Some of you are like, "Who is that?" 626 00:30:25,295 --> 00:30:27,285 BTS, that's the Korean pop group. 627 00:30:27,295 --> 00:30:27,315 Yeah. 628 00:30:27,845 --> 00:30:29,605 They're just, like, the biggest group in the world. 629 00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:32,055 You don't know who they are, that's okay. 630 00:30:32,336 --> 00:30:33,635 Ask the person next to you. 631 00:30:35,295 --> 00:30:36,046 We, we… 632 00:30:36,185 --> 00:30:38,385 Biblical belief includes BTS. 633 00:30:39,405 --> 00:30:40,925 Not this BTS, okay? 634 00:30:40,925 --> 00:30:41,886 Not this BTS. 635 00:30:41,905 --> 00:30:43,345 I'm just having a little fun with you here. 636 00:30:43,595 --> 00:30:46,746 But what I mean, this is believe, trust, and surrender. 637 00:30:49,252 --> 00:30:50,072 There you go. 638 00:30:50,832 --> 00:30:52,712 Some of y'all are thinking, "Uh-oh, this is heresy. 639 00:30:52,732 --> 00:30:53,342 Watch out!" 640 00:30:55,414 --> 00:30:56,444 I ain't gonna do that to you. 641 00:30:58,184 --> 00:31:02,744 Biblical belief includes believing, trusting, and surrendering. 642 00:31:03,524 --> 00:31:05,963 It's not just an intellectual exercise. 643 00:31:05,974 --> 00:31:05,994 Yeah. 644 00:31:07,394 --> 00:31:10,434 It's not just something, "Oh, I believe in Jesus, so therefore I got eternal life. 645 00:31:10,684 --> 00:31:10,934 Hallelujah." 646 00:31:12,704 --> 00:31:18,493 No, it means, yes, to believe who Jesus is, believe who He is, believing 647 00:31:18,493 --> 00:31:19,784 that Jesus is the Son of God. 648 00:31:21,034 --> 00:31:22,783 Believing that, no, He's not just a prophet. 649 00:31:23,213 --> 00:31:29,153 No, I need to believe that Jesus really is the Son of God- Amen … God in the flesh. 650 00:31:29,693 --> 00:31:33,253 And then next, I need to trust in His Word and His sacrifice. 651 00:31:33,753 --> 00:31:35,943 Trust what Jesus says about God. 652 00:31:36,603 --> 00:31:39,933 If He really is from above, if He's the Son of God, then He does have 653 00:31:39,934 --> 00:31:44,094 authority to speak on things of God, so we should trust what He says about God. 654 00:31:44,673 --> 00:31:47,243 And when He says that God loves us, we can trust that. 655 00:31:47,903 --> 00:31:50,283 When He talks about how to live, we need to trust it. 656 00:31:50,353 --> 00:31:51,333 That's how I should live. 657 00:31:51,333 --> 00:31:56,033 It shouldn't be, "I believe in Jesus, but I also believe in doing this my way." 658 00:31:56,593 --> 00:31:56,613 No. 659 00:31:56,923 --> 00:32:01,824 No, we trust that His Word is true, and that we should follow it, but 660 00:32:01,824 --> 00:32:03,653 we also trust in His sacrifice. 661 00:32:04,093 --> 00:32:09,893 Trust what He said, but also trust what He did on the cross, that His sacrifice 662 00:32:09,913 --> 00:32:16,183 was the sacrifice for all time, and that what He did upon the cross and 663 00:32:16,184 --> 00:32:19,893 what He did in the sending, in rising from the dead and ascending to heaven, 664 00:32:20,143 --> 00:32:25,313 that is enough, and that's the only thing that can allow me to have this 665 00:32:25,313 --> 00:32:27,444 eternal relationship with the Father. 666 00:32:28,033 --> 00:32:29,683 I need to trust in that. 667 00:32:30,393 --> 00:32:31,574 Again, that brings peace. 668 00:32:31,584 --> 00:32:35,303 That brings security when I truly trust that it's what 669 00:32:35,313 --> 00:32:37,854 Jesus did upon the cross for me. 670 00:32:38,313 --> 00:32:39,953 And lastly, surrender. 671 00:32:40,423 --> 00:32:42,654 Surrender to Him as Lord. 672 00:32:43,163 --> 00:32:46,633 Again, it's not just believing, it's not just trusting, but I surrender. 673 00:32:47,533 --> 00:32:48,534 Jesus is Lord. 674 00:32:49,114 --> 00:32:50,173 He's the Son of God. 675 00:32:50,184 --> 00:32:52,913 He's the one that makes the way for our salvation. 676 00:32:52,913 --> 00:32:56,333 He's the Savior, but He's also Lord. 677 00:32:57,053 --> 00:32:58,423 That means I submit to Him. 678 00:32:59,383 --> 00:33:02,774 I'm not gonna call Him Lord or Savior and then do something 679 00:33:02,774 --> 00:33:04,393 that opposes what He's about. 680 00:33:05,024 --> 00:33:10,814 No, I surrender my own thinking, my own ways to His ways, and when 681 00:33:10,814 --> 00:33:12,953 I do, I taste how good it is. 682 00:33:12,963 --> 00:33:12,993 Yes. 683 00:33:14,683 --> 00:33:16,484 I believe we need to share this good news. 684 00:33:17,283 --> 00:33:19,083 I don't know about you, but my whole life's been changed 685 00:33:19,084 --> 00:33:20,373 because of this good news. 686 00:33:21,194 --> 00:33:23,033 Is there anybody that can testify that their life has 687 00:33:23,033 --> 00:33:24,793 been changed by this good news? 688 00:33:24,804 --> 00:33:24,974 Yes. 689 00:33:26,153 --> 00:33:29,083 How many more of your neighbors and friends need to have their lives 690 00:33:29,084 --> 00:33:30,663 changed because of this good news? 691 00:33:32,163 --> 00:33:32,233 That's right. 692 00:33:32,243 --> 00:33:33,044 Who's gonna share it? 693 00:33:34,926 --> 00:33:35,916 Who's gonna share it? 694 00:33:35,916 --> 00:33:35,946 Come on. 695 00:33:36,906 --> 00:33:40,496 Yes, we can believe in Instagram and TikTok, but who's gonna share 696 00:33:40,496 --> 00:33:42,016 it on a one-on-one basis with them? 697 00:33:42,566 --> 00:33:45,656 Who's gonna help them to see what it means in their day-to-day lives? 698 00:33:46,646 --> 00:33:49,106 I believe God wants us to join him in this good work. 699 00:33:49,845 --> 00:33:49,915 That's right. 700 00:33:50,376 --> 00:33:54,016 Now, I'm convinced because that's what Jesus says- That's right … that 701 00:33:54,016 --> 00:33:57,985 we should be included in this great mission of sharing the good news. 702 00:33:57,996 --> 00:33:58,016 Yeah. 703 00:33:58,855 --> 00:34:01,675 I believe when we have this true belief, when we believe, but again, 704 00:34:01,676 --> 00:34:04,335 we have biblical belief, this will help us stay faithful to God and 705 00:34:04,336 --> 00:34:07,826 keep growing in our nature and our character and likeness of Christ. 706 00:34:08,155 --> 00:34:11,844 This will help us grasp the depth of who Jesus is and the eternal 707 00:34:11,846 --> 00:34:13,406 life that's offered through Jesus. 708 00:34:13,715 --> 00:34:15,475 I like to give action steps for the week. 709 00:34:15,475 --> 00:34:18,455 I'm gonna give it a little differently here this week, and we're gonna have a 710 00:34:18,456 --> 00:34:20,735 reflection question for the week, okay? 711 00:34:21,315 --> 00:34:24,965 And so this week, you start off today in your lunchtime or, or throughout the week, 712 00:34:24,965 --> 00:34:28,866 whatever it is, I want you to just reflect upon this question, and this is it: How 713 00:34:28,866 --> 00:34:31,916 will I trust Jesus as my savior this week? 714 00:34:34,318 --> 00:34:38,007 How will I trust Jesus as my savior this week? 715 00:34:38,797 --> 00:34:40,658 Think of one specific response. 716 00:34:41,878 --> 00:34:45,428 Maybe share it with someone so they can be a healthy accountability part 717 00:34:45,458 --> 00:34:50,237 or an encourager throughout the week so that you can respond to how you can 718 00:34:50,257 --> 00:34:52,398 trust Jesus as your savior this week. 719 00:34:53,068 --> 00:34:53,877 Come and see. 720 00:34:54,947 --> 00:34:58,798 Jesus is the greatest, he's the divine, and he is the savior, and through 721 00:34:58,798 --> 00:35:02,608 Jesus' death and resurrection, he opens the road to salvation, which 722 00:35:02,608 --> 00:35:05,527 is a gift of love available to all. 723 00:35:06,298 --> 00:35:11,147 All who believe in Jesus will have eternal life, but that biblical belief includes 724 00:35:11,177 --> 00:35:13,927 believing, trusting, and surrendering. 725 00:35:14,267 --> 00:35:17,038 Let's close out in John 3:16. 726 00:35:17,038 --> 00:35:20,628 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 727 00:35:20,628 --> 00:35:25,438 that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 728 00:35:26,607 --> 00:35:29,537 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 729 00:35:29,538 --> 00:35:32,107 but to save the world through him." 730 00:35:32,477 --> 00:35:35,218 Brothers and sisters, may we come and see the savior. 731 00:35:35,257 --> 00:35:35,647 Amen.