A lot of people think by their own works that somehow they’re going to get to heaven. No one can do that. The gospel is that he who came down from heaven, the son of man, a title used in Daniel chapter 7 of the Messiah, he is in heaven, he came to us.
God became man and dwelt among us. The gospel is not man reaching God, the gospel is God reaching man. It is not by works of righteousness that we have done, says Titus 3.5.
But according to his mercy, he saved us.
Do you ever wonder, how can this be? Nicodemus had that very question when he met with Jesus in John chapter 3. Jesus answered his question with a powerful truth, calling out the darkness and offering life in the light.
My question is, will you step into God’s marvelous light? Well, today we dive into John chapter 3 verses 9 through 21, where grace meets truth and eternity hangs in the balance. This is Hope for Today with David Hocking.
Go ahead and turn in the Gospel of John 2 chapter 3 again, verses 9 through 21. And we’ll get started in the passage in just a moment.
Just before that, if you’ve ever doubted God’s love for you, if you ever thought, how can this be? How can God love me? And let’s be real, at some point, we’ve all asked that question.
Well, don’t miss out on Does God Truly Love Me? This is written by Hope for Today friend Richard A. Bennett.
It’s a powerful resource that’s free to download right now at davidhocking.org. And when you get this, you’ll see a clear, no-nonsense biblical explanation that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves you and has a purpose for your life. Grab your free copy of Does God Truly Love Me?
today at davidhocking.org and share it with as many people as you like. Now here’s David with day one of his message called How Can These Things Be?
Will you take your Bibles and turn to John chapter 3? We begin at verse 9. In our last message, we looked at the confrontation of Jesus’ remarks about the kingdom of God and the understanding of a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, named Nicodemus.
Jesus told him, You have to be born again, to see or enter the kingdom of God. He said, You must be born again. Gave him an illustration of the wind.
And now we begin with verse 9.
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what we know, and testify what we have seen.
And you do not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the son of man who is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world. And men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. Will you join me please in prayer?
Father, we thank you and praise you for the message of salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, I pray that you would help us to see what we must believe in order to be saved. We would understand your character and compassion for us.
We Father would no longer wait but flee to the Savior before it’s too late. Thank you Lord for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
The key word of the Gospel of John is believe. It’s used 98 times. No doubt about it.
Anybody who reads the Gospel because of its repetition understands that’s the key word, to believe. In verses 9 to 13, Jesus emphasizes the message of God. The message of God requires faith.
He speaks about the heavenly things that God wants to reveal to us, and they are taught to us by earthly things. The message of God requires faith. In verse 14 and 15, it’s the method of God that requires faith.
And the emphasis is on Moses lifting up the serpent, even so the son of man must be lifted up. God’s method requires faith. You must believe in God’s method of lifting up.
Third, the motive of God requires faith. You say, why does God want to save us? Why did God pick me?
Why did God choose me? God so loved the world, and that requires faith. And finally, in verses 17 to 21, we have the mission of God, and that requires faith.
Why did God send his son? And the Bible says, he didn’t send his son to condemn, he sent his son to save. So the mission of God also requires faith.
Now let’s back it up to verses 9 to 13. The message of God, Jesus told Nicodemus, requires faith. In verse 9, you have the anxiety of Nicodemus pointed out.
As he said, after hearing the illustration of wind, describing the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and being born again, he said, how can these things be? Now this man is well educated, and it thrills me to know that educated people don’t understand some simple things. Amen?
There are lots of people who with their backgrounds and degrees and education, this was a little graduation this weekend in many of our local colleges and universities and graduate schools, and I’m thrilled as they walk across the stage and kind of an erudite formal manner with their robes and their degrees that they don’t know a whole lot.
Amen?
And a lot of us who’ve had a great deal of education have only lived to discover you can get educated beyond your intelligence. And here is a man who’s called the Teacher of Israel and is asking a question, how can these things be? It’s interesting to me how religion, and he was religious, can blind your mind to the simplest truth of the gospel.
As we look at the answer of Jesus in verses 10 to 13, I want you to see four things. One, he expressed concern over Nicodemus’ failure to understand. He said, are you the Teacher of Israel, the number one rabbinical authority, and you don’t know these things?
1 Corinthians 2, 14 says, The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for their foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they’re spiritually discerned. The Bible says that the God of this age has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them. Do you not understand these things, Jesus said?
In Hebrews 11 3, it says, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So the things that you see were not made of things which do appear, that came out of nothing. You say, I don’t believe that.
All my education, my biology, my training, my geology, paleontology, all of it has told me, no, this is not the way. Through faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God. We read in Genesis 1.1, in the beginning God, case closed.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. You say, I don’t understand that. It is through faith in what God says that we understand.
I’ve seen some of the most brilliant scholars in the world blinded by their own reasoning. And you have too. And it’s amazing when you put faith in God’s word, how your mind can all of a sudden open up.
You can see things, understand things that you never saw before. The message of God requires faith. The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, Romans 10, 17.
The second thing I notice is it revealed the cause of his failure, verse 11. Most assuredly, I say to you, Jesus said, we speak what we know. Who’s the we?
Some commentators say the father and the son, but they were not hearing dual messages. What the son was speaking was what the father wanted him to say. I think what he’s referring to is John the Baptist, which is the opening discussion of chapter 1, a man whom Nicodemus knew well, and the rulers of the Jews did not receive.
He said, we are speaking what we know and testify what we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. In 1 John chapter 5, it says, the witness of men is often received by people. Then why don’t we receive the witness of men that’s in the Bible?
Why do so many people say, well, that was only written by men? Excuse me, but we are all receiving the witness of men. We receive the witness of men on crazier matters, that’s for sure.
We accept things at face value that people tell us, even though we know it may not be true. Take the average used car dealer. Amen?
They tell us things about things that we just… In fact, there are three reasons why we believe anything. The appeal to authority is one, direct experience is another, and reasoning with facts is another.
The Bible has always asked us to reason with the facts. And Jesus said, we told you what we have seen, but you don’t listen. There’s a reason why we don’t listen.
Number three, Jesus not only expressed concern over his failure to understand and revealed the cause of his failure, but he emphasized the contrast between earthly understanding and heavenly understanding. He said, verse 12, If I’ve told you earthly things and I have, like what? Like being born.
Remember the discussion in the opening verses? Physical birth is an earthly thing. How about the wind in verse 8?
That’s an earthly thing. If you don’t understand earthly things, could you said, how could these things be? Well, you ought to know what they are.
Don’t you see physical birth? Don’t you see the wind? Why are the common illustrations of earth not helping you to understand?
Jesus is going to go on to tell him that the problem is in his heart. The problem deals with our sin folks, not with our ability to understand. And Jesus is masterful here as he deals with the number one scholar in Israel.
What do you mean you don’t understand? If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe them, then how in the world would you ever expect to understand something that was heavenly and much deeper in knowledge? And the fourth thing that he did is he explained the character of the gospel in verse 13.
He said to Nicodemus, I don’t know what your view is, but no one has ever ascended to heaven. Here is the conflict between what man believes and what God says. No one has ascended to heaven, yet a lot of people think by their own works that somehow they’re going to get to heaven.
He said, no one can do that. The gospel is that he who came down from heaven, the son of man, a title used in Daniel chapter 7 of the Messiah, he is in heaven. He came to us.
God became man and dwelt among us. The gospel is not man reaching God, the gospel is God reaching man. And so when Jesus dealt with him, he explained the character of the gospel.
That you must have he who comes from above to save you. He must come to the earth in order to take you to heaven. You cannot go on your own.
It is not by works of righteousness that we have done, says Titus 3.5. But according to his mercy, he saved us. All of our righteousness is like filthy rags.
There’s no way we can get to heaven. God must come down here, and he must take us. Jesus Christ is the only way.
So the message of God, what he’s saying to Nicodemus, requires faith. Now look at verse 14 and 15. The method of God also requires faith.
Jesus said, And as Moses lifted up the snake, the serpent, in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Folks, the method of the gospel is that the Son of Man must be lifted up. Turn to John chapter 12.
What does it mean to be lifted up? John chapter 12. And look at verse 31.
Jesus said, John 12.31, now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.
This he said signifying by what? What’s the next word? Death, he would die.
To be lifted up is referring to the method of his death, which is to be lifted up on a cross to die. But something interesting about the word lifted up, turn please to Acts chapter 2, just a few pages to the right. Chapter 2 of Acts, and look at verse 33.
What does it mean to be lifted up? Acts 2, 33. Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost, verse 32.
He says, This, Jesus, God has raised up of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted, mark it in your Bible. The word exalted is the word to lift up.
Same one in John 3, 14. Therefore, being lifted up to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. Turn please to Philippians in the New Testament.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Turn to Philippians, Chapter 2. And look please at verse 8.
Philippians 2, 8. And being found in appearance as a man, referring to Jesus Christ, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also is highly what?
Exalted. It’s the same word lifted up that’s in John 3, 14. Folks, we have a play on words.
To lift up is an official term referring to putting somebody on a cross and crucifying them. But in the Bible, there’s a play on it. And that is at the moment Jesus died, God lifted up Jesus and exalted him as his only method of salvation.
He was highly exalted, and there is no other way. Now, emphasize it greater. We have an illustration.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. What is that talking about? Let’s go back and find out.
Numbers chapter 21. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, the fourth book of the Bible, chapter 21, please. And pick it up at verse 5.
What does it mean when it says, Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness? Numbers 21, verse 5. It says, And the people spoke against God and against Moses.
Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes or despises, detest this worthless bread. So, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many of the people of Israel died.
Parents listen to me. If you’re having trouble getting your kids to eat, I suggest you just open Numbers 21 and read this to them. If your kids are complaining about what’s set before them, just read about how the children of Israel complain, they despise the bread, and God sent snakes and bit them.
And that will scare the daylights of anyone under five. Verse 8, Then the Lord said to Moses, this was God’s instruction, make a fiery serpent. It’s referring to the process of producing bronze.
And set it on a pole. And it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. There’s an old time gospel song that said, look and live, my brother, look and live.
Look to Jesus now and live.
That’s Bible Teacher David Hocking, and this is Hope for Today. David returns in a moment to close out our time in God’s Holy Word. First though, Matt and I are going to share a powerful study tool with you by David.
Matt, what do we have?
Our future resource for this month is Principles of Joy. This is our book study of the Apostle paul and his epistle to the Church of Philippi.
Four principles in the book that take us through the book of Philippians. The first principle, the philosophy of your life must be centered in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Now the second principle, the pattern of your life must be conformed to Jesus Christ.
Right. And this asks you, who is Jesus Christ? And what does God want to do in your life?
Third principle, the purpose of your life must be changed by Jesus Christ.
And this helps really drive home that question of, how important is your past? We all deal with that, you know, and what are our goals in life?
Talk about the future. Principle number four, the peace of your life must be controlled by Jesus Christ.
What are your priorities? And what advantage is it to trust in the Lord about those priorities?
Do you have peace? And do you have joy? Folks, this again is our featured offer for the month of September, Principles of Joy, David’s book.
It is a study of paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. We have this for you. Just $15, and you can order in the US by calling 1-800-75-BIBLE.
If you listen in Canada, 1-888-75-BIBLE, or of course you can order online at davidhocking.org. And just before we bring David back to close out our time in God’s Word, you know, if you need prayer for any reason, maybe a job situation, or maybe you don’t even have a job. There might be an illness or trouble in your marriage or another relationship.
Well, listen, we’d love to pray for you, dear friend. We ask you to pray for us, and well, we want to pray for you. You can send your prayer request by mail if you like to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781.
In Canada at Box 15011, RPO 7 Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S 8 P1. Or you can request prayer by calling 800-75-BIBLE. In Canada, 888-75-BIBLE.
Bible by the numbers again, 24253. Once again, here’s David.
Well, the question that was asked our Lord Yeshua by Nicodemus, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night. But he, in hearing that he had to be born again, he said in verse 9, How can these things be? And the answer of Jesus shows that he wasn’t just an ordinary rabbi.
In the Greek text of verse 10 of John 3, it says, Art thou a master of Israel? And no, it’s not these things. But the definite article the in Greek is in front of the word master or teacher.
Are you not the chief teacher of Israel and you don’t know this? Just because a person is high up in religiosity does not mean that he’s knowledgeable of the Word of God as he should be. And so our Lord lays out for him what he is speaking about.
And these heavenly things are important, and he illustrates it powerfully by the situation of Moses in the wilderness who lifted up the bronze serpent, and as people would look in faith, they would be healed. And he applies that to the importance of how the Son of Man, namely himself, will be lifted up on a cross, and people who look at him, like the Isaiah 45 passage says, chapter 45, the Messiah says, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye nations of the world, all ye winds of the earth. You see, folks, there is no other way.
We have to be born again by the Spirit of God. And I hope your heart will be encouraged by the studies that we have here in John. And remember that all of these messages you can acquire and make it a part of your library.
This will be a long series on John. And it’s a powerful gospel with 93% of the material not found in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Our mission here at Hope for Today, folks, is to teach the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible.
It’s God’s Word. It’s God’s instruction manual to us about His love and His plan for us. The Bible says, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Council of God.
Our challenge is to broadcast the good news as far as God allows, not just on this radio station where you might be listening today, but in other markets to millions who are hungry for the Word of God. We broadcast on radio stations throughout North America, and on the Internet, television, we reach over a hundred countries around the world. You can help us with your prayers and your support.
We invite you to join us in this worldwide ministry. Help us share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. And God bless you for doing so.
Thank you, David. And by the way, if you want to maximize the benefits of your study time in our current series in the Gospel of John, you may wish to add it to your home study library. We have this available on MP3 CD or MP3 download, and the entire series in the Gospel of John is just $30.
Prefer individual messages? Well, we have those available as MP3 downloads for $3 each. Just go to davidhocking.org now to purchase and download, or you can call 875-Bible to order the MP3 CD.
And if you prefer traditional audio CDs, get in touch with us for the pricing on that option. In Canada, call 888-75-Bible. You can call these same numbers to donate as well.
If you prefer, you can mail your donation to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. And in Canada, at Box 15011, RPO 7 Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S 8 P1. Well, think today’s message was eye-opening?
Well, we’re just getting started. Next time, we’ll dive even deeper into Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, right here on Hope for Today.
