The Law & The Gospel | Week 10

Just want to say welcome again to New Life Community Church,

it's good to see everybody this morning, glad to be here.

Weather's nice. It's been a good weekend.

My wife, and I did a lot of spring cleaning yesterday and

I'm exhausted from it, but we were productive.

So it's been a good. Been a good weekend.

I hope you guys have had a great weekend as well.

My name is Jasper. I'm the associate pastor here at

New Life, Community Church and apparently listening to Kyle,

talk this morning. It is Divine Providence that I'm

preaching today. Either that or he knew I was

preaching, so he gave it all. He had at the ball field this

weekend, I'm not sure, but but it worked out.

Great, God is good. Hey man, I'm glad that.

I'm glad that I'm able to do this.

I'm glad that we're a church where we have a plurality of

Elders that get up and preach. And so, I'm honored to be here

doing this, just to let you know, this is not me being here,

was not a backup thing. We had planned.

This Kyle is in seminary right now and he's taking a lot of

classes and he's finishing up a He has been working really

really hard this week especially to finish some assignments and

get and get all that finalized for this semester.

So you guys don't ever hesitate to lift him up in prayer and

prayer for that, pray for that. He works really hard for that.

He's working really hard to try to learn and better himself to

better serve us as lead Pastor so you guys continually pray for

him and then also I think we've mentioned this once and not

again since then, but when you give there's actually a fund for

that. At to help pay for those things

for training for staff and pastors and all of that.

And so we want to be able to help him and that as well.

So if you guys feel led to do that, by all means we can give

toward helping pay for things like Seminary, so that that's

not coming out of his pocket. So just encourage him in that.

Lift him up in prayer, support him in that as he's trying to be

a better Pastor for you guys and for us all.

So anyway, I'm glad to be able to preach today, so we're going

to be continuing our series and John After three.

So if you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn there.

The series is titled, the law and the gospel.

And we have been taking a look at this story of Jesus and

Nicodemus and so we've gone through verses 1 through 8,

we're going to be looking at verses 9 and 10.

Today, we're going to start at verse 1 and go ahead and read

from there, just to kind of as a refresher to get caught back up.

So if you have your Bibles, you want to follow along with me,

John 3, starting at verse 1. Let's do what we've been doing

and let's stand. If you were able for the reading

of God's word. Starting at verse 1 now, there

was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him.

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher.

Come from God, for No One. Can Do the signs that you do

unless God is with him, Jesus answered him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he

cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him.

How can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?

Jesus answered truly, truly I say to you unless one is born of

water and the spirit, he cannot enter the enter, the kingdom of

God, that which is born, of the flesh is flesh.

And that, which is born of the spirit is Spirit, do not Marvel.

That I said to you, you must be born again, the wind blows where

it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where

it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is

born. Born of the spirit Nicodemus

said to him, how can these things be Jesus answered?

Are you the teacher of Israel? And yet you do not understand

these things. Let's pray, father.

Again, we thank you for letting us be here today.

We thank you for all your provision all your blessings.

God, we pray now that as we study this passage and talk

about it, that you're magnified and glorified, we pray that you

give us discernment to understand.

Word. Well, to hear what you want us

to hear. I pray that you speak through it

today. Speak through me, we thank you

again for letting us be here in Jesus name.

Amen. You guys can have a seat.

So so far what we've established reading this story in verses 1

through 8, I'm going to do a really fast kind of fly by just

recap of some of the things we've talked about Jesus in

Jerusalem during the Passover. He's doing many signs and

wonders many miracles and Nicodemus witnessed some of

these signs and Anders. Now he was again, the leading

Pharisee, he was the teacher of all Israel.

He was the top of the food chain, when it came to the

Pharisees. He's at the very, very top.

So he comes to Jesus at night. He's sneaking around, he doesn't

want to be seen doing this. Okay, so keep that in mind as

well. He comes and he acknowledges

Jesus as a rabbi, he calls him Rabbi, which means teacher.

So if the the top teacher of all the Pharisees, the guy that

supposed to know it all, he's running, the whole show is Now

calling Jesus. Rabbi he's saying, look, you're

above me. Like I'm here to learn from you.

He comes to him and he's acknowledging this.

He's kind of praising Jesus for the things he's done.

And Jesus we were told back at chapter 2 right there at the end

is that Jesus already knew what was in the heart of man.

And so before Nicodemus ever asks a single question, Jesus

knows why He's there and he immediately goes straight to.

You can't see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. -

Miss didn't ask how you're born. He didn't ask any of that.

He just came and said, nobody can do what you do, unless

they're from God. So Jesus gets right to the point

starts, addressing the heart of the matter, which was Nicodemus,

his heart. And so he tells him you have to

be reborn to enter the kingdom of God.

This blows Nicodemus, his mind, he's never heard this term.

Never heard it put this way. He should understand this, but

he doesn't. But this idea that everything

I've done everything, I've worked.

Worked for means nothing. I have to start over completely

start over and then to take it even further last week, Jesus

uses the wind analogy where he says, look, not only do you need

to be reborn, not only do you have to start over all of the

stuff you've done is not good enough but you can't just do

this on your own. This isn't just a thing you work

for. This is actually out of your

control because God does this in you.

So it's like the wind. It's who knows?

Who knows it, right? So, Nicodemus, has now been

told, not only do you have to start over, you have to be

reborn, but that's not something you can do in yourself.

That's something. Only God can do in you.

It's out of your control. So his mind has been kind of

blown by all of this. And that's what leads us to our

passage today we're going to be in verses 9 and 10.

This is what we're looking at and this is the main point that

I really want to drive home and this is what we're going to

start unpacking is that this idea of rebirth or being reborn,

that's just another word for salvation.

It's another way of saying being saved and so the main point

today is it salvation always has and always will come by grace

through faith. By grace, through faith.

So, let's talk about that. Let's talk about what it means

to be saved by grace. So in verse 9 Nicodemus says,

how can these things be? He is an utter astonishment from

the things that Jesus has told him so far.

When he says these things, how can these things be?

He's talking about everything that they've discussed up into

this point. He's talking about this idea of

rebirth. He's talking about this idea

that At rebirth doesn't just happen because I want it to or

I'm going to make that happen. But that God has to do that.

In me, all of this has just blown his mind.

He said, how can this be? He's an utter astonishment.

He is in shock, he's stunned, he's shook with, he's he doesn't

know what to think about any of this.

So Jesus has just taken everything that he thought

everything he knew about righteousness, about entering

the kingdom of God, about being close to God, and he took it and

flipped it on its head. And said, no, that is not how

this works. So remember as a Pharisee, he is

living a life where your righteousness was completely

100% based on how hard you worked and working your way up

that ladder and doing more and more for God, that was, that was

in his mind. What righteousness and salvation

was Jesus is saying, no, it's not about how hard you work.

It's not about what you do. In fact, you need to start over.

You need to be reborn and by the way, that is totally out of your

control. Roll.

It's not something you just do in yourself.

It's something God does. So this is why Jesus uses that

wind analogy Colin packed? This really well, last week he

pointed out that the holy spirit is like the wind, it is

independent irresistible and visible and incomprehensible.

So in other words, it's unpredictable.

Rebirth or salvation is a complete Act of Grace on the

part of God in the life of a believer.

If you guys ever heard that old saying about Justice?

Mercy and Grace. I'm pretty sure.

I've said that I know you guys have heard this before.

But Justice is, when you get exactly what you deserve, what

you've earned Mercy is when you don't get what you deserve.

And then Grace is when you are given something that you did not

earn and you don't deserve it, it's a gift.

And that's why I salvation is a, it's a grace of God.

It is something that we are given that we didn't earn and We

don't deserve. So in rebirth, that's what's

happening. This is not something we've done

to earn it, it's not something I did at some point that now I

qualify none of that. It is completely an act of God

in my life for every person we were slaves to sin but he frees

us, he is the author. And Perfecter of our Salvation,

not us, I'm not saved because I chose Jesus and allowed him to

come into my heart. Like I got to dictate that.

It was my decision. That is not what's happening

here. I'm not in control of this.

I don't get too stiff arm Jesus until I decide.

Okay, I'm going to let you in now.

If that's the case, I'm am Nipa today.

I'm all powerful. Not him.

I don't get to choose when God gives me a new heart.

And opens my eyes to see and ears to hear the truth, and see

the truth. I when I, when it comes to my

decisions and my choices. Yeah, I have them and I choose

sin and destruction every time. Until God gives me a new heart

and new desires and new affections and a new mind only.

Then can I pursue him left to my own devices?

I am going to chase sin every single time and run from God

every single time and anything good.

I do is just filthy rags. But because of his love, his

Mercy, his grace, he chose me. Not because of anything I did to

earn it or deserve it or initiate it or any of that.

Not because he saw something in me that one day would happen.

Not because I was special, but solely based on his love and his

grace and his Mercy was I saved God loved me so much that he

sent his son. He sent his son to save me

before I was ever even born. So rebirth is totally 100% an

act of Grace. We are undeserving, we are

rebellious, Sinners that constantly turn from God and he

pursues us and Nicodemus, just couldn't comprehend this.

This idea that rebirth and then and then at the fact that that's

not something I get to control and dictate was blowing his

mind, he couldn't comprehend it and Jesus.

Responds accordingly to Nicodemus is kind of shocked and

how can these things be? Which leads to the second part

of this is not only are we saved by grace.

We are saved through faith saved by grace, through faith verse

10, Jesus says, Are you the teacher of Israel?

And yet, you don't understand these things.

Remember Nicodemus was the the leader of it.

Alright. The Pharisee of Pharisees, he's

the top dog, and yet he does not understand anything.

Jesus is talking about right now.

Now, these are, these are sharp words from Christ.

He is rebuking Nicodemus, he's telling him you should know

this, but you don't. He fully expected Nicodemus to

know these things to understand it.

As we've already said this idea of rebirth, this idea of

Salvation and regeneration was not something new from

Nicodemus, he should have known about this.

We've pointed out some Old Testament passages that he would

have read and should be familiar with like Ezekiel 36:26 through

Ezekiel 36:26–27

27. It says this, I will give you a

new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you and I will

remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh and give you a heart

of Flesh. Flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my

statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

You notice what God is saying there?

I will do this in you. I'm going to put my spirit in

you and make you love me and make you walk in my ways.

I do this. Not you.

We are incapable of walking in his statutes and obeying his

rules apart from him giving us this ability.

Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 6 says in the Lord, your God will

Deuteronomy 30:6

circumcise your heart and the heart of your Offspring.

So that you will love the Lord, your God with all your heart and

all your soul and that you may live.

Let's talk about this for just a second, this idea of

circumcision of the heart. Okay?

So we know that the physical act of circumcision was established

in the abrahamic, Covenant in Genesis 17 and then

re-established again, reinstituted in the Mosaic

Covenant in, Leviticus 12. So this was a thing.

God did with the people of Israel as a sign of the Covenant

that he had made with them. But this is talking about

something different, this isn't physical circumcision, this is a

circumcision of the heart. This is something different.

This is a process where God cuts off or removes, the old heart,

and gives you a brand new heart that is able to follow him and

love him. He takes the old, you and cuts

it off and does away with it, and creates a new you with a new

heart, and new desires, and new affections than a long for the

Lord, whereas, before you rebelled against God, Why is

this necessary? Well, it tells us in the text so

that you will love the Lord, your God with all your heart,

and your soul, and that you may live again.

Apart from this apart, from God, circumcising our heart and doing

this work in us, we do not do this, we don't love the Lord, we

don't follow his statutes and try to live in a way that

pleases him. So, don't miss this.

The circumcision of the heart. This removing This Heart of I

want to be in giving a heart of Flesh happens first, then

following the Lord then obedience to God.

So this was necessary for everyone, this is Old Testament.

This isn't New Testament stuff. Not only for the Israelites, but

for their children, this is for you and your Offspring.

So simple Birthright, just being an Israelite wasn't enough, you

know? We're told that there are those

who were of Israel yet, not of Israel.

Romans 9 637 says not all who are descended from Israel,

belong to Israel and not all are children of Abraham because they

are his offspring. well, if it's not his offspring that are his

children than who are Jeremiah 925 through 26, says, behold the

days are coming declares the Lord.

When I will punish all those who are circumcised merely In the

Flesh, Egypt, Judah Edom. The sons of am on Moab for all

these nations are uncircumcised. And all the house of Israel are

uncircumcised in heart. So we know that that Israel

practice circumcision. This is what they did.

It's what they were known for this but God says he's going to

punish them because they're uncircumcised of heart that it's

physical only. The even the Israelites God's

chosen people had to go through a heart change, God had to put

his heart and his Spirit within them for them to be saved, they

weren't saved just because they were Israelites and then of

course, we read in Hebrews 11. So we walked through a little

bit of Hebrews 11 and Sunday school this morning, talking

about this about faith. That chapter is called the Hall

of Faith. Instead of the Hall of Fame, the

Hall of faith. And it is just a list of Old

Testament Heroes that were saved by Faith by their faith in God.

That is what made them righteous Abraham, Sarah Isaac, Jacob,

Moses, Nicodemus should have known all of these.

Should have known every one of these characters.

It should have been familiar with their story and that their

faith is what was counted to him as righteousness.

Not their deeds, not their works.

All of those people had their hearts circumcised and God had

put his Spirit within them. See, God does not change the way

that he saves from the Old Testament to the new.

It's not like he used to save a certain way and then all that

changed. After Jesus.

It's always been by grace through faith, that the people

of God were saved. It's always been from this heart

transplant that we're talking about.

Now, again, Nicodemus should have known, all of this.

All of this is in the Old Testament, okay?

He as the teacher of Israel should have understood.

These verses, you should have known this, he should have known

what circumcision of the heart means, and removing the Heart of

Stone and being given a heart of Flesh, you should have

comprehended these things. You should have known these

texts. So after all is learning after

being the teacher of Israel, the smartest guy in the room could

quote, you all these verses, he was the most, holy guy around.

After all of that, it meant nothing.

He still didn't get it, he still didn't comprehend.

What Jesus was telling him, he could not comprehend that he

needed to be reborn. And that God does that in you,

you don't learn that you don't work for that.

He didn't comprehend that that rebirth that salvation always

has and always will be an act of Grace on God's part in our lives

and that it happens through our faith in him and believing in

him. Not ourselves.

Not our Good Deeds, not how hard we work.

I'm not saved because I come to church every week, I'm not saved

because I went to a Juana's as a kid, or even because I walked an

aisle and said a prayer, I'm not Saying that that wasn't

salvation for you. But just because you do these

things doesn't make you saved. It's only by being reborn being

given a new heart and new desires.

Only when God does that in you, are you now saved?

And a Christian we need to understand this people because

we live in an area and in a time when cultural Christianity is a

big, big deal. Don't miss this.

Now I'm looking through this room and I'm seeing a ton of

people that I love dearly. There are my brothers and

sisters in Christ and I know I'm preaching to the choir to a lot

of you guys but that's fine. The preaching, the gospel never

gets old. Amen.

We need to hear this. We need to make sure we

understand it. My hope for you.

Is that as I'm saying these things, you're thinking, amen.

That's exactly what happened to me.

But the truth of the matter is, there are Nicodemus has still

running around. There are those of us who have

grown up hearing this our whole lives who have spent a lot of

time sitting in a Pew or in a chair in a church.

We can tell you any verse you want to know There are a lot of

people like Nicodemus that it has not registered, it's not

been real in here. Because it's all been just our

work and it's not been a work of God in us.

Perhaps the best passage on this is Ephesians 2, 1 through 10,

Patricia read, part of it during worship.

I want to read this to you now. Ephesians 2, 1 through 10 says,

and you were dead and the trespasses and sins in which

you. Once walked following the course

of this world, following the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work in the sons of Disobedience,

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh.

Carrie Hang out, the desires of the body and the mind.

And we're by Nature children of Wrath like the rest of mankind.

but, God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with

which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our

trespasses made us alive together.

With Christ by Grace, you have been saved and raised us up with

him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ

Jesus. So that in the coming ages, he

might show the immeasurable Riches of his grace and kindness

toward us. In Jesus Christ, for by Grace,

you have been saved through faith and this is not your own

doing. It is the gift of God.

Not a result of works so that no one may boast.

Amen. Jesus, not only expected

Nicodemus to know this, But he expected Nicodemus to respond

accordingly. When being told this, He

expected Nicodemus to believe what he was saying and to put

his faith and trust in him in Christ.

That's what Christ was expecting of him.

Believe what I'm saying, trust me, put your faith in me.

So what does this mean for us? What does this mean for us

today? Well, the bottom line is this,

what Nicodemus needed to do was believe, Jesus believe in Jesus.

Believe that what he's saying is true.

He needed to check all of that stuff that he thought he knew at

the door and he needed to believe what Christ was telling

him, he needed to have faith, and he needed to submit his life

to Christ in that moment. We also need to do that.

You see it? It's God.

Who does the saving God circumcised has the heart.

God removes the heart of Flesh and gives us removes the Heart

of Stone and gives us a heart of Flesh.

But we have a responsibility to. When God removes that Heart of

Stone and gives us that heart of Flesh and the Holy Spirit begins

to pluck our hearts. We need to respond faithfully

and obediently we aren't completely when it comes to

this. We are completely off the hook

that we do nothing were called to be faithful and obedient to

the Lord to respond in kind. And so, when Nicodemus, I'm sure

we're going to talk about this at some point that this is the

last Instance, where we see him in this story from here, Jesus

goes on to teach and say many things, but this was the last we

hear from Nicodemus. Now, we know that he shows up

later in the story of Jesus and in the life of Jesus and there

are a lot of speculations as to whether he ever actually did

place his faith in Christ or not.

I'm sure Kyle is going to talk about this at some point but we

know that Christ expected him to respond.

And that same expectation is there for us.

So I'm going to go ahead and invite the worship team to come

back up. And I want to talk about how we

can respond to this. How do we respond to this idea

that we need to be reborn? That we need a new heart.

We need a new soul that God. Does this in us?

That salvation is a complete Act of Grace.

We're saved by grace, through faith and obedience through

trusting. The Lord.

How do we respond to this today? Well, if you're a Believer, if

you're one of the people, I mentioned earlier that this is

you, this is your story. And praise God, praise God.

Rebirth is the greatest miracle in the world that you were a

different person and now you have been changed.

And so my prayer for you this morning is that you would not

your Would not be one saved because I worked really hard at

it and I attended church and I tithe and I did all these

things. My prayer for you is that your

testimony would be. I was blind and God gave me

sight. I was a sinner and God saved me.

He gave me a new heart, he changed, who I was.

You should have seen the person. I used to be my prayer for you,

is that you would understand that God is merciful and

gracious to you, and that you would give him the key.

Credit for that. And that after that, you would

go and be live faithfully and be obedient and live your life for

him. The rest of your days and tell

people about the gospel, tell people your story.

So, that's my prayer for you. If you can confidently, say your

Christians morning. But there are people that cannot

say that they maybe are unbelievers, it would never put

their faith in Christ. And so my prayer for you, If

you're like Nicodemus, maybe, maybe you're hearing some things

you're wrestling with. Maybe you're kind of don't

understand it, maybe it's shocking.

My prayer for you is that you would do what Jesus expected

Nicodemus to do and respond in faith.

Trust Christ, but your faith in him, and then go live your life

in obedience to his word. But that's what were called to

do, is to respond in faith to trust to believe.

Romans 10:9 says, if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is

Romans 10:9

Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the

dead, you will be saved. Saved.

So if you've never done this, maybe you've attended church

your whole life, maybe you're just like Nicodemus and you

thought you knew or maybe you've never heard any of this.

But my prayer for you is that you would trust him today today.

Not tomorrow, put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today if

you've never done. So, I'm going to be around if

you need to talk later. If you need to talk to Kyle

Allen, any of our elders, we would love to talk to you about

this but don't wait any longer. If you've never done this, Give

God your life today let's pray. Father we love you we thank you

again for this opportunity to be in your house.

God I'm so grateful for salvation.

I'm grateful that while I was still a sinner.

Hell bent on running from you. Do you save me?

Grateful. God.

Sure if your son that you sent Jesus to die for me, and I'm

grateful that he pursued me, that he softened my heart that

he gave me a new life, praise you for that and I pray, God,

that anybody in this room that has never experienced this, that

you would save them today that you would give them, that heart

of Flesh. He was circumcised the heart

that you would open their eyes to see your truth that they

would respond in obedience to that.

God, we love you. We praise you for your Mighty

works. We worship you now.

So we sing out. We pray that your honored and

glorified Jesus. God, we love you.

We praise you for your Mighty works.

We worship you now. So we sing out.

We pray that your honored and glorified Jesus.