All posts tagged John 3

Nicodemus 4 of 4

by Ryan Marcum on April 8, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

NICODEMUS – GOD’S LOVE #4

Tonight is the last message in our series of Nicodemus, we will conclude with the last section of chapter three verses thirteen through twenty one. Tonight let’s see a show of hands, ARE YOU A SINNER? Do you know what that means? (Wait for student responses)

Open your Bibles to Romans chapter five verse eight;

Romans 5:8  8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We saw this verse last week and talked briefly on the topic of sin. So, tonight the question of this moment is, what is Sin? (Again wait for student responses) Wayne Grudem defines sin as this: Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude or nature[1]. Grudem says that not only is sin an act, like stealing, killing or committing adultery, he is also stated that sin is an attitude such as coveting your neighbor’s house. The last thing Grudem says about sin is that our nature, unless conformed to God is sinful. Our nature consists of our internal character; the very essence of who we are can be sinful. These standards tell me, that unless I am perfect, which I am not, I sin! You sin! We all SIN. So now we must find out what God’s answer to sin is: THE ANSWER

John 3:13-17   13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The answer to sin is simple! God Loved the WORLD! Jesus couldn’t have been clearer to Nicodemus about who God loves and offers salvation to! The WORLD. Does this mean that everyone is going to heaven one day? If everyone believes in Jesus Christ whole-heartedly, sure. But we know of those who have died before us without have that relationship with Jesus.

Does God Love The Sinner? The clear answer is YES. Does God love the sinner’s sin? NO.

John 3:18-21   18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

If I were to ask you tonight, Who in this room is afraid of Hell, many would raise their hand. But I charge you tonight in saying this, Jesus did not come to give you a get out of Hell free card. No, Hell is not the problem! Sin is the Problem! Sin is what separates us from God and sin is what will be judged!

Everyone who respond to the Gospel with unbelief there will be a judgment from Christ Himself. Jesus gives Nicodemus a picture of this in a positive way and a negative way. The positive being that, all who believes in Christ will not be judged, and the one who does not believe has been judged already, this reflect the negative. Jesus describes judgment using the contrast of Light and Darkness. Unbelievers hate light because it reveals their sin. As a result they see their own condemnation because they reject the One who can save them from Spiritual Darkness.[2]

In Closing, Nicodemus eventually accepted this free gift from Jesus and became a follower of Christ. We know this because of John chapter seven:

John 7:50-51 50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51“Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

Nicodemus was one of their number! You can be one of their numbers too! Make sure that before you leave here tonight you do not refuse the one who is speaking (Jesus). Jesus demands that in order for us to be in the Kingdom of God we must be born again. Tonight if you have made a decision during this series see a counselor before you leave.

[1] Grudem, Wayne Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Zondervan 1994) 490

[2] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Moody Publishers 2006) 118

Nicodemus 3 of 4

by Ryan Marcum on April 7, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

For those who haven’t read Nicodemus #1 & #2, this is a simple Youth Ministry outline. This series covers some basic topics in the story of Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. (This is not an exegesis of the text, just a simple devotion type message)

NICODEMUS – UNBELIEF LESSON #3

Alright, tonight we are going to examine Nicodemus and the result of unbelief. The story of Nicodemus refused to believe the truth which Jesus testified. Let us check it out:

John 3:11-12  11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

The Apostle Paul wrote, The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 2 Corinthians 2:14

The Jewish people did not accept the testimony of Jesus and His disciples, and their unbelief was what fueled their spiritual ignorance.

The question is do you believe? And what are the dangers of unbelief? Nicodemus’ unbelief did not allow him to even understand the earthly things like being born again, the Kingdom of God or even salvation for that matter! John MacArthur states, There are two sides to Nicodemus’ unbelief, .. Intellectually and Spiritually.[1] Like many Jews Nicodemus admired Jesus’ miracles but refused to commit his life whole-heartedly to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Maybe you’re here tonight in the same boat, you like coming and hanging out with other students and you may even like the music and games, however you have yet to give your life over to Christ. If you are here and have yet to give your life to Christ I urge you and ask the simple question, WHAT HOLDING YOU BACK?
GAME – (Three Lies and A TRUTH)

Game Instructions: Students circle up in a large circle. Next have each student think of three lies and one truth about themselves. One at a time each student will give their answers and the group has to figure out which one is the truth.

We see in verse eleven that Jesus told Nicodemus the truth, and he testified.. This brings up a word that you hear a lot in church settings, which is Testify. What does it mean to testify? Or to give your testimony? Jesus gives us a great example of testifying right in verse eleven, “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen,” The first thing we see is that their testimony was of the Truth. The testimony we give should be truthful, honest and sincere. Second, we see is that they speak of what the know. When giving your testimony be clear and give the information about your relationship with Christ through the things in which you know. So often I hear testimonies of people who go off on rabbit wholes and theological terms that go way over the average Christians head and no one is edified (built up). And Lastly, we see they only spoke about what they had seen. When giving your testimony just simply tell your story. The story of how you came to an understanding of being a follower of Christ. BE TRUTHFUL, BE HONEST AND TELL YOUR STORY.

[Have two student leaders (you should have chosen these students before hand and given the ample time to prepare their testimonies) come up front and give their testimonies of how they were born again. After testimonies share the Gospel.]

Tonight we come to the end of our teaching time and want to give each of you the opportunity to experience what these two leaders have shared with you. There is no magic formula, no secret hand shake. There is only you and God right now. Jesus came to this earth in the form of a man, He took on human likeness so that we would be able to connect with Him. He showed us that He was both God and man able to live a sinless life, He was crucified, buried and rose again from the dead to give us freedom from sin. The Bible tells us that, all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. There is no one in this room who is without sin. The Bible also goes on to tell us that the wages of sin is death or the penalty of our sin equals death. This death represents a separation from God, and if you were to die tonight being separated from God you would spend eternity separated from Him, this is Hell. The Bible goes on to give us the Good News, that while we were sinners Christ died for us! This is a GIFT of God!

(READ) Ephesians 2:8-9 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

So God has offered the free GIFT, so now what? Romans chapter ten verse thirteen tells us, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is a sincere calling out to God asking for forgiveness of sin and a whole-hearted commitment to follow after Him. If your decision tonight is to receive this GIFT of God I simply say from where you are talk to God, open your heart up to Him and believe that Jesus is Lord and you too will be saved. In closing, Romans chapter ten verses nine and ten say this, 9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

[1] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Moody Publishers 2006) 112

Nicodemus Part 2 of 4

by Ryan Marcum on April 6, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

NICODEMUS – BORN AGAIN LESSON #2

Tonight is the second part of our series on Nicodemus! Who can tell me anything from last week? (Wait for something about shallow faith) Good answers. Let’s pick up where we left off, Nicodemus met with Jesus at night and gave Jesus a compliment about being from God, but what we did not see is Jesus’ response. Check out:

John 3:3-8   3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Here some things that stick out, that we will be looking at:

  1. Born Again
  2. Kingdom of God
  3. Born of water and spirit

So, what does it mean to be Born Again? (give adequate time for students to think about the question) The phrase, born again, is the display of God giving eternal life to a person who is dead in sin. Let us take a look at some verses to explore this though even more. (Divide students into groups, depending on the number of students you have) had out the following verses for each group to look up, act out and recite to the group as a whole; BORN AGAIN:

Ephesians 2:4-5  4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17  17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Titus 3:5  5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

James 1:18 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

1 Peter 1:3    3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

These verses give us a look into salvation that only comes from God through Jesus, this “new birth represents the gift of God that brings us life out of death! When Jesus tells Nicodemus You must be born again, this birth is a second chance! Wayne Grudem explains it like this; Regeneration is a secret act of God in which He imparts new spiritual life to us This is sometimes called being born again(using language from John 3:3-8)[1]. Jesus then goes on to say that Nicodemus cannot see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. What is the Kingdom of God? (again give students adequate time to answer) Nicodemus being a Jew anticipated the Kingdom of God and like all good Jews believed that doing the right things (observing laws and religious rituals) would work their way into the kingdom of God. For brevity when we say the Kingdom of God we are referring to; the Kingdom of salvation, the spiritual realm where those who have been born again by divine power through faith now live under the rulership of God.[2]

Born of Water & Spirit

What does it mean to be born of water and spirit? (give students adequate time to answer) Some would hear this and think there are two aspects of being born again; one being born of water and the second as being born of spirit. DO NOT LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.  Born of the water and Spirit parallels the phrase “born again” in verse three.[3] Some scholars believe that Nicodemus would not have understood our understanding of Christian Baptism because it did not exist yet.[4] Jesus new Nicodemus would have understood both water and spirit symbolically through the Old Testament to spiritual cleanliness. Have students read the following verses out loud;

Numbers 19:17-19  17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean.

Isaiah 4:4 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

Joel 2:28-29  28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Ezekiel 36:24-27  24 ” ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

John MacArthur says of Ezekiel 36:24-27; It was surely the passage that Jesus was had in mind, showing regeneration to be an Old Testament truth with which Nicodemus would have been acquainted.[5] Jesus’ statement was very clear, without being born of water and spirit which is acted out only by the Holy Spirit, no one can enter the Kingdom of God.

What is Baptism? Denfinition:

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.[6]

For our definition we will use this simple definition: Baptism = outward expression of inward transformation. (SHOW CLIP OF Oh’ Brother Where Art Thou Baptism Scene)

Oh’ Brother where art thou? Clip

Was this a picture of being born again? If Baptism is an Outward Expression of an Inward Transformation something must be different! The Holy Spirit washes us clean and we become a NEW CREATION!

In closing, if you are here tonight and have ever made the decision to follow Christ with your whole being yet have never outwardly expressed that decision I invite you to come forward during the closing song and speak with a counselor and know that you know you have been born again.

[1] Grudem, Wayne Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Zondervan 1994) 699

[2] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Moody Publishers 2006) 102

[3] Ibid, 104.

[4] Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans 1991) 191-196

[5] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Moody Publishers 2006) 105

[6] Baptist Faith and Message Baptistm and the Lord’s Supper; available from http://www.sbc.net/BFM/bfm2000.asp;  Internet; accessed 06 April 2010.

Nicodemus, Jesus Knows Your Heart

by Ryan Marcum on April 6, 2010 in Blog, Ministry Helps, Sermon Outline with No comments

This is the first of four simple teaching outlines for youth ministry feel free to take and adjust for your needs!

Background of Nicodemus & Jesus Knows Your Heart LESSON #1

Good evening! Great Worship time guys, if you have your Bibles raise them up! If you need a Bible let a student leader know and they will help you out. Tonight we are going to begin our new series about Nicodemus. Can anyone tell me anything about Nicodemus? (Give Students the proper amount of time to respond) Does anyone know the verse John 3:16? You may not know what the context around this verse but the passage, John 3:1-21, is in the middle of a conversation Jesus had with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Does anyone know where Nicodemus is mentioned in the Bible besides John chapter three? Let’s take a look at some scriptural references of where Nicodemus is mentioned;

John 3:1-21 (already mentioned)

John 7:45-51, Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why   didn’t you bring him in?” “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared. “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

John 19:39-42, He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Who was Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a Pharisee, his name was Greek in origin which means, victor over the people. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin a ruler of the Jews; however nothing is known about his background. We saw in John chapters seven and nineteen that Nicodemus became a believer. In the passage we will be talking about Nicodemus is still seeking answers from Jesus.

Check out John 2:23-3:3:

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name, 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. 3:1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”

Here we see Jesus in Jerusalem performing miracles and they believed in His name. Like the people mentioned here there are some here tonight who believe the things we talk about but if you look in the very next verse we see something that I do not want you to miss. Check out verse twenty four; it says that Jesus knew all men and He knew what was in a man. Jesus KNOWS your HEART. True faith is much more that believing in miracles it is a whole-hearted commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior over your life. So the question tonight is; is your faith a shallow faith?

Then walks in Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, who is connected with the superficial believers whose heart Jesus read like an open book.[1] In this passage we see Jesus pointing Nicodemus to the life changing nature of true saving faith.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, this is interesting because it could mean a couple of things, one being that Nicodemus did not represent all of the Sanhedrin and two, he did not want others to know of the inquiry. The most important part of these two is that Nicodemus showed up! Nicodemus was willing to put himself out there, remember JUST SHOWING UP DOESN’T GUARANTEE SALVATION but it is important that you showed up tonight.

Back to the question; Is your faith shallow? Have volunteers read, Romans twelve verses one through two and James one twenty two through twenty four.

Romans 12:1-2 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? To live is to, well, BE ALIVE! And to be a sacrifice is to BE DEAD! So how can one be alive and dead at the same time? It does not make sense! (Wait for student responses) God calls those that follow after Him be alive in Christ, repenting of sin, accepting the gift of salvation and allow Jesus to be Lord over our lives. God also calls us to die to self, no longer living in sin which represents selfish desires in essence dying to ourselves. If you are here tonight living for self take a moment to evaluate why you are here, really dig deep and seek God. Some are here just talking the walk instead of walking the talk. Check out our next verse.

James 1:22-24 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

How many would raise your hand if I were to ask, how many here tonight know that you only hear what we talk about and never do anything about it? (Rhetorical) The simple fact is we all at times miss the point of walking by faith! We like Nicodemus are inquiring instead of living our faith out.

As we close tonight evaluate your relationship with God and ask yourself if you are living for God or if you are living for self. Jesus knows your heart. You can not fool Him, you cannot squeak by. You either are a true believer or you’re not.

CLOSING GAME:
(blind-fold obstacle course)
Students will pair off in two’s – Teammate will blindfold the other and guide blindfolded teammate through obstacle course while other teams try and confuse them by yelling and making noise.

[1] MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, Moody Publishers 2006) 100