Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20050703.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING IN JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part X: Trusting Christ For Salvation Apart From ANY Human Merit
(John 3:1-21)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Do famous, wealthy or publicly pious people have a greater chance of entering heaven based on their human merits than do regular people?

Though we at Nepaug Church have for many years taught that all men have sinned and so all must equally trust in Christ to be saved, you can get a different impression from what Billy Graham said at his recent New York City Crusade on Saturday, June 25, 2005!

Rachel Zoll, an Associated Press reporter noted that Billy Graham then spoke of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, U. S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, calling " . . . the Clintons wonderful friends' and a great couple,' quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow his wife to run the country.'" (ABC News Internet Ventures, June 26, 2005)

To listeners, such words can open the door for a different Gospel of salvation! (1) First, it is common knowledge that former President Bill Clinton was impeached by the U. S. Senate for immoral conduct with a young female intern, Monica Lewinsky; this left him with a soiled reputation that 1 Timothy 3:7 dictates is to keep a regular man disqualified from serving in a local church office let alone in an evangelistic pulpit! (2) As for Mrs. Clinton, 1 Timothy 2:9-15 requires regular women not to have authority over men based on God's order, so a regular woman should not be the President of the United States or a U. S. Senator since both offices give her authority over men!

Well, an unsaved person who heard these word by Billy Graham at the crusade and who can read 1 Timothy 3 in the Bible and who knows these facts about the Clintons could conclude that since the former President and his wife are famous, God is impressed by them to the point He favors the Clintons over regular folk, and so relaxes His righteous requirements with them and may even let the Clintons into heaven due at least in part to their human fame!

Well, ARE ALL people saved by grace through FAITH ALONE in CHRIST ALONE, or do FAMOUS, WEALTHY or PROMINENTLY PIOUS folk have an EDGE with God on entering heaven due to their HUMAN MERITS ?!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "In view of what Billy Graham SAID in his recent Crusade, IS God impressed by human merit so that He lets eminent folk into heaven more easily than others? If so, where do I stand with God?"
  1. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was a famous, devout, decent and wealthy man, the EPITOME of HUMAN MERIT, John 3:1-2:
    1. Nicodemus belonged to the party of the Pharisees, the most Biblically devout religious group in Israel of his day, John 3:1a:
      1. Nicodemus was a Pharisee according to John 3:1a.
      2. This party was known most for its concern to attain God's practical righteousness in living, Z.P.E.B., vol. Four, p. 752.
      3. [In contrast, the Sadducees, the more "Liberal Theology" wing in Judaism claimed there was no resurrection, no demons or angels, that only the first five books of the Old Testament were inspired of God, and their goal was to preserve their priestly powers versus focus on righteous living, Ibid., vol. Five, p. 214-215.]
    2. Nicodemus was also famous as a Pharisee; he was a member of the Hebrew nation's ruling religious council, the Sanhedrin, John 3:1b:
      1. The Hebrew people were ruled in religious affairs by a council of 70 to 72 of the nation's elders, a council called the Sanhedrin, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftns. to John 3:1; Luke 22:66.
      2. Nicodemus was one of these elders; he was thus both devout and famous as a religious leader of his nation! (Ibid., ftn. to John 3:1)
    3. Nicodemus even had the piety to confess to Jesus he represented the conviction of others on the Sanhedrin that Jesus was a teacher come from God due to His attesting miracles, John 3:2.
    4. Nicodemus was also very wealthy: his gift of 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes for Jesus' burial (John 19:39 NIV) was a very large one that was typical of the burial of kings; Nicodemus was thus a very wealthy man (in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9), L. Morris, John (NICNT), p. 825-826.
  2. Yet, Jesus CLEARLY stated that UNLESS Nicodemus came to TRUST ALONE in CHRIST ALONE thus to be "BORN AGAIN" by GOD, he would FAIL to GAIN ETERNAL LIFE, John 3:3-21:
    1. Cutting quickly to the facts with the famous, devout, decent, wealthy and open Nicodemus, Jesus explained that "truly, truly" unless a man was "born of water and of the spirit," he could NOT "enter into the kingdom of God," John 3:3.
    2. In the mind of Nicodemus who would have known his Old Testament well, Christ's reference to "water and of the spirit" recalled Ezekiel 36:25-26 where God predicted a spiritual new birth that affected the heart of people in terms of a SPIRITUAL cleansing with ritually clean water and the replacement of a hard heart with a new one via God's Spirit, Ibid., Ryrie, cross ref. at John 3:5. [This description has NO reference to a salvation by water baptism as some claim!]
    3. Thus, Jesus told Nicodemus he was not to marvel if Jesus told HIM that HE, a member of the devout Pharisees, a famous and wealthy ruler of the Jews who admitted he knew Jesus was from God STILL had to be BORN AGAIN to enter the kingdom of God, John 3:5-7!
    4. Nicodemus was caught off guard by this news, and repeatedly urged Jesus to explain Himself, John 3:4, 9; Jesus responding, teaching that for ANY person, NICODEMUS INCLUDED , salvation was by God's work ALONE through FAITH ALONE (John 3:8, 11-21):
      1. Jesus explained the spiritual birth was not a tangible function, but was spiritual much like the wind: the wind is real though we can not tell by our senses from where it comes or goes, John 3:8-12.
      2. Jesus further revealed He had come as God's Messenger to explain this unseen but real spiritual birth: like SINNERS in Israel's wilderness wanderings had to look to the bronze serpent Moses that held up on a pole to be saved from death at the bite of the fiery serpents (John 3:14; Num. 21:4-9), so all men, even Nicodemus, had to trust in Christ's death on the cross where He would be lifted up for their sin in order to be saved from hell, John 3:15-16!
      3. If anyone believed thus in Christ, he would be saved, 3:17-18a; if anyone did not do so, he stood condemned to go to hell, Jn. 3:18b.
      4. Jesus thus explained that, in God's view, there were only two real classes of people -- those who stood condemned because they rejected this Gospel regarding faith in Jesus, and those who believed it and lived new lives via God's new birth, John 3:19-21.
Application: (1) Know that God has NO "favorites" BASED ON MAN'S MERIT, be it fame, reputation, religious piety or wealth; ALL men need to trust in Christ for salvation and eternal life or be condemned to hell. (2) May we then TRUST in Christ, and (3) give this truth to others that they might believe it to be saved!

Lesson: Very CLEARLY, Jesus told Nicodemus, a man representing the PEAK of HUMAN MERIT in terms of FAME, a GOOD REPUTATION, RELIGIOUS DEVOTION and WEALTH that ALL men -- EVEN HE -- had to be "born again" by faith alone in Christ alone as Savior from sin in order to escape hell and enter heaven with eternal life.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Josh McDowell's book, A Ready Defense, p. 445 cites the testimony of a Protestant pastor, Dr. Don E. Schooler from E. Stanley Jones' book, Conversion, p. 125-127.

That account tells how this Protestant minister, an upstanding, decent, religious leader came to believe in Christ as His Savior and thus qualify to enter heaven. Here are his own words: "In my first two churches I preached all that I knew, honesty, faith (not knowing what it meant), good habits, church attendance, honor, and a continual exhortation to be good,' to serve God. I talked about the fruits without knowing the roots. Enthusiasm carried me in those days -- enthusiasm and youth. These two proved not to be enough.

"The marriage was getting difficult. My wife believed one thing. I believed another. We decided to study Jesus, without any helps of any kind, which we did with a small group for seven weeks in Canada . . . It began to dawn upon me that if I would put my will into God's hands . . . this would be equal to doing God's will . . . I was committing myself to all of God I could see in Jesus, plus all of God that would be revealed tomorrow and the next day and the next . . . The light broke upon me. I wept like a child calling out to my wife: I have missed it. Utterly missed it.' All these years I had preached only ethics, social and personal, but not the gospel . . . The gospel is the living Christ, who has come to dwell in me. He has liberated me. He assured me my sins were forgiven . . . There was a new center for all my social passion -- it is not centered in human striving -- it is centered in Christ . . . " (emphases ours)



May we realize that human fame, wealth, religious piety or other areas of achievement can NOT IMPRESS GOD regarding His letting us into His heaven: salvation from hell is GOD'S GIFT to ANY man, famous or infamous, wealthy or poor, pious or profane, an achiever or a looser who by FAITH ALONE in CHRIST ALONE is GIVEN eternal life by GOD ALONE!



May we TRUST in Christ for salvation from sin and hell unto heaven and eternal life, and PORTRAY this TRUE Gospel to others that they like Nicodemus of Jesus' day might be saved!