Jesus, The Evangelist

John 3:1-15

April 2, 2006

We have looked at Jesus from many angles thus far in the gospel of John.

Who He is…

What He does…

Who He accepts…

Thus far the truths have been given

Simply to explain Jesus better to us.

Tonight we also begin here to learn from Jesus as an example.

There is no doubt that we all agree about the purpose of the church.

John 20:19-21 “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

We are to continue in the mission of Jesus.

He is the Living Word – We are to proclaim the living word

He is the true Light – We are to shine as lights

He left heaven to live amongst us – We take the gospel to others

He ministered to the people – We minister to the people

He had zeal for the truth – We have zeal for the truth

He carried the cross – We carry the cross

The church was left with the purpose

Of being the presence of Jesus in the world in which we live.

It is a mission that we cannot take lightly,

But that we must readily embrace with all urgency.

There are some tools to help us in our mission.

1) His Presence

Matthew 28:20b “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

2) His Spirit

John 14:16-17 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

3) The Gospel

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

4) His example

John 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

Tonight, it is the example of Jesus that we learn from.

HOW DID JESUS EVANGELIZE?

Tonight there are two truths that we will see.

1) The way Jesus evangelized

2) The truth about salvation

There are four truths we see about Jesus the evangelist.

#1 JESUS EVALUATED THE SITUATION

John 3:1-3

Let’s talk about the scenario here.

On one hand we have Nicodemus.

“man of the Pharisees” (group of 6,000)

Simply put their passion was legalism

“ruler of the Jews” (Sanhedrin – group of 70 – Supreme Court)

They judged and ruled Israel – exposed false prophets

On the other hand we have Jesus.

A man who has cleansed the Temple, and already been approached by the Jews (probably the Pharisees 2:18)

A man who was a lowly carpenter, and one who claimed to be a prophet.

The point is, these men on the surface are not allies.

Here Jesus is given the near impossible task

Of witnessing to a person who would have in most circumstances, Looked down upon Him, and desired to condemn Him.

This is an uphill battle in evangelism,

But it makes for a wonderful example for us to study.

Now, Nicodemus comes to Jesus “by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him.”

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, and is willing to consent

That he can learn from Jesus.

BUT LEARNING FROM JESUS IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.

And so Jesus seemingly skips his statement and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JESUS DID?

He looked past the surface into the heart.

He evaluated the situation.

Jesus knew what the man claimed to want,

And He knew what the man really needed.

He always got real with the person.

Remember when the Sadducees came testing Jesus?

They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they asked an indirect statement to try and trick Him about marriage.

Matthew 22:29-32 “But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

The point about Jesus is He always looked deeper.

Nicodemus just wanted to learn from Jesus,

But Jesus knew Nicodemus needed more.

He didn’t need a change of direction, he needed a change of nature.

This is vital in evangelism.

We don’t just treat the symptoms, we seek to treat the source.

We aren’t just trying to get drunks to stop drinking…

We aren’t just trying to get thieves to stops stealing…

We aren’t just trying to get people to come to church…

THOSE ARE SURFACE ISSUES.

Men don’t need a change of direction, they need a change of nature

I would estimate that 95% of the time I witness to someone, they will say something like, “I know I need to…”

(go to church, stop drinking, read my bible more, etc.)

THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY NEED

They need Jesus to completely change their life.

If you think that you just need to learn a little from Jesus, That’s not it.

You can’t change enough to enter God’s kingdom.

In order to enter God’s kingdom, “you must be born again”

Jesus evaluated the situation

#2 JESUS EXPRESSED THE SERIOUSNESS

John 3:4-8

It is apparent by the response of Nicodemus that he did not understand

“How can a man be born when He is old? He cannot enter a second time in his mother’s womb and be born can he?”

NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT NICODEMUS’ PROBLEM IS?

He is not arguing the necessity of a complete change in behavior,

He is arguing the possibility of a complete change in nature.

That is not an uncommon response.

Matthew 19:23-26 “And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Jesus came advocating the need for a complete change in nature,

And Nicodemus doesn’t think it is possible.

HOW OFTEN THIS MISTAKE IS MADE TODAY.

People don’t see how they can ever change,

So they come to believe that a change is impossible.

Too often, we think that if we can’t comprehend it, then God can’t do it.

But look at what Jesus does here.

He gets serious about His point.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into 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 be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

You may think it is impossible, but I’m telling you it is necessary.

When evangelizing, do not be afraid to emphasize the truth just because you are afraid you will “lose” the person.

The truth is the truth, whether they come to it or not.

Jesus restated the truth that a change in nature is necessary.

“born of water” – repentance

“born of Spirit” – salvation

And then Jesus begins to explain how the Spirit works.

It is like the wind.

Jesus did not back off of the truth of salvation

Just because Nicodemus wasn’t buying it.

Instead Jesus emphasized it.

There is only one way to be saved

And to enter the kingdom of heaven.

That is if you are born again.

You cannot make enough changes in your life to enter heaven.

You cannot go to church enough…

You cannot read your Bible enough…

You cannot get baptized enough…

The only way, is if you are completely changed from the inside out.

And just because people have a problem with that,

Does not mean we are to back away from it.

Jesus evaluated the situation Jesus expressed the seriousness

#3 JESUS EXPOSED SIN

John 3:9-12

At this point you have to hold on to your seat,

Because Jesus quits teaching and starts meddling.

Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?”

He is still questioning this new birth,

Now on the basis of not understanding it.

But let me show you something here.

Nicodemus is a Pharisee remember?

Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin remember?

THERE IS NO REASON WHY HE SHOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE NEED FOR A HEART CHANGE.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Ezekiel 36:24-32 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. "You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. "I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. "I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!"

Nicodemus should have understood what Jesus was talking about,

Which is why Jesus said this.

“Are you a teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I had told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Jesus confronts His ignorance, and even rebukes him for it.

But then Jesus reveals Nicodemus’ problem.

“you do not accept our testimony.”

Will Barclay wrote,

“There are two kinds of misunderstanding. There is the misunderstanding of the man who misunderstands because he has not yet reached a stage of knowledge and of experience at which he is able to grasp the truth…There is also the misunderstanding of the man who is unwilling to understand; there is a failure to see which comes from the refusal to see. A man can deliberately shut his mind to truth which he does not wish to accept…If a man does not wish to be reborn, he will deliberately misunderstand what rebirth means. If a man does not which to be changed, he will deliberately shut his eyes and his mind and his heart to the power which can change him. In the last analysis what is the matter with so many of us is simply the fact that, when Jesus Christ comes with his offer to change us and re-create us, we more or less say, ‘No thank you: I am quite satisfied with myself as I am, and I don’t want to be changed.’”

(Barclay, William, The Gospel of John, Volume 1, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1975, pg. 131-132)

This causes us to fail to experience many of the truths of God

We heard Amy’s testimony this morning…

But the point here is Nicodemus problem is sin.

The reason he can’t understand is because he won’t.

And there is only two options in this situation.

You can either ignore the sin and allow him to stay condemned,

Or you can expose his sin and seek to help him.

You cannot be saved if you will not repent of your sin.

Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 3:19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

It floors me today the push for evangelistic approaches that never deal with the sin of the person you are witnessing to.

Some tell you not to call that person a sinner.

I know, let’s not call them lost either…

In fact, let’s not call them male or female…

Let’s not call them alive…

Let’s not call them anything…

IT’S THE TRUTH!!!!

“AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

The truth is not the enemy, the truth leads to salvation.

Some tell you not to emphasize repentance.

They can’t be saved if they don’t.

WHEN JESUS CALLS YOU, HE CONFRONTS SIN

Remember this woman?

John 4:15-19 “The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw." He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”

“NOW JESUS DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT”

OH YES HE DID

He knew it is essential to expose sin as sin

He is our example for evangelism.

We read it this morning.

Luke 24:45-47 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

We must expose sin.

Now don’t confuse what I say with being a judge.

Jesus evaluated the situation…Jesus expressed the seriousness…Jesus exposed sin…

#4 JESUS EXPLAINED SALVATION

John 3:13-15

What Jesus does here is makes sure that Nicodemus understands what true salvation is, and how it occurs.

There are three things required for salvation to happen, and we see all three rhere.

1) SACRIFICIAL ANIMAL (13)

“No one ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: The Son of Man”

Jesus is pointing out the fact that He came from heaven.

SOMEONE MUST PAY FOR SIN.

Hebrews 9:6-7 “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.”

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

The simple truth is sin cannot go unpunished, someone must pay for it.

Jesus is making sure that Nicodemus understands this.

Of course we know that Jesus is the animal – The Lamb of God

2) SACRIFICIAL ACT (14)

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

Not only must the sacrificial animal be present, but it must be sacrificed.

If you don’t spill the blood, there is no forgiveness.

Jesus is of course prophesying of the crucifixion, but even more than that,

He is speaking of the necessity of the crucifixion.

“even so MUST the Son of man be lifted up.”

The death had to occur.

Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."

There was no other way, the sacrificial act had to occur

If Jesus doesn’t die on that cross, then salvation is not possible.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

3) SACRIFICAL ACCEPTANCE (15)

“so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life”

I want you to know something, Jesus is sufficient.

He is perfect, His death is enough.

John 12:32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

The cross of Jesus is sufficient for atonement,

However, the cross of Jesus is limited in application.

Not only did Jesus have to die, but you must accept it.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

A person must willingly surrender their entire life to Jesus.

This is exactly what Jesus explained to Nicodemus.

Jesus evaluated the situation

Nicodemus didn’t need a change in direction, he needed a change in nature.

Jesus expressed the seriousness

Nicodemus needed to know rebirth was the only way, whether he liked it or not.

Jesus exposed sin

Nicodemus had a sin problem, and it had to be dealt with.

Jesus explained salvation

Nicodemus needed to know that to be saved, you had to trust in the only sufficient sacrifice for sin.

That is our example for evangelism.

That is what we preach to a lost world.

That is what I am preaching to you tonight.

1) You need a complete change, not a makeover

2) This makeover is the only way, whether you like it or not.

3) You are a sinner, and your sin must be dealt with.

4) The only way of salvation is to believe in the only qualified Savior

LET TONIGHT BE THE NIGHT YOU ARE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN.

If you have never been changed, let tonight be your birthday

If you are not evangelizing, let tonight be the night you commit to follow the evangelistic example of Jesus

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”