June 12, 2011
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)“From an evangelistic standpoint, what is the message and methodology of Jesus in this passage? Five points or questions can help explicate this:
(1) What is your predicament?Today’s message will focus on the first four questions.
(2) How can you be saved?
(3) Who can save you or to whom must you look for salvation?
(4) Where must you look for salvation?
(5) Why would God do what He has done in Christ?
What must happen in the heart of a person for him to be saved? The recent emphasis on 'felt needs' and marketing, whether aimed at 'seekers' or post-modern thinkers, aims to show people how Jesus is the answer. We should start with how Jesus evangelized and this leads us to two applications: What should my message be for evangelism, and in caring for my own soul, how do I appropriate these truths to make my calling and election sure?
What (Nicodemus) had expected to be a theological discussion, an enjoyable excursion into deep biblical truth, was really a painful exposition of his own barren soul. Jesus spent a lot of time helping Nicodemus understand his predicament. Nicodemus was hoping, perhaps, to exegete Messianic prophecy with Jesus. Instead, Jesus exegeted Nicodemus’ own heart. He pointed out the darkness of the unregenerate heart. A person who has not been born again, even though theologically informed, is still in the dark spiritually. The nature of the unregenerate heart is that it can’t understand the things of God. The affections of the unregenerate heart are alienated; it hates the things it ought to love and loves the things it ought to hate. Jesus demolished the strongholds of Nicodemus’ self-reliance, self-righteousness, and self-satisfaction.
When evangelism has started where it ought to, a person that is being evangelized and being moved by the Spirit to consider their own soul in truth is left barren, with the question: 'How can I be saved?' Jesus is modeling for us that you don't start with 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.' Jesus models for us what the Puritans called 'law-work;' that is, the evangelist must, by God’s grace, demolish what people are trusting in. We don’t have the ability to do that; what we must do is bring the Word. You must be born again. It isn’t about baptism, church membership, or church office. At this point, Nicodemus knows that he is lost. But Jesus doesn’t leave him there in despair; he begins to present the Good News.
The great need of Nicodemus, indeed of all fallen men, is to obtain the new birth, or to be 'born from above.' This is the Life of Heaven coming down. Since there is no one in history who has ascended into Heaven and come back, Jesus is telling us, in Verse 13, that there is only One who can bring down the resources of Heaven…the Son of Man. Evangelism that doesn’t direct the object to Jesus is not evangelism.
'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.' This is 'where' a person in his great need must look: to the Cross where the Son of Man is lifted-up. This may seem odd and foolish, to look to the cross, which was a symbol of shame. But, as Paul tells us, the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who believe, it is the power of God.” (Ty Blackburn)
(Listen to entire sermon here)
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