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One of the first real witnessing experiences I had was on State Street in Madison, WI.
One of the ministry teams from MBU went down there every Friday night and we would pass out tracts and witness to people on the street.
I gave a tract to one person and we got into a conversation about the gospel.
Turned out she was a homosexual and she asked the question, “Can I believe in Jesus and still be a homosexual?”
In other words, can I say I believe in Jesus and still live the way I want to live?
What would you say to that person?
What does it mean to believe in the Son of God?
If we want to help our friends come to faith in Jesus Christ one of the things we will need to help them understand is what it really means to believe in Jesus.
Last time we examined several principles of Christlike evangelism.
We looked at the principles that Jesus used in order to cause someone to believe in His name.
Let’s review the principles of Christlike evangelism:
1. curiosity aroused
2. problem pointed out; and then (maybe),
3. the answer is given
Jesus finally does give Nicodemus an answer he can understand- Jesus gives Nicodemus the gospel.
But Jesus did not give Nicodemus the gospel until he had caused Nicodemus to ask the right questions.
First Jesus aroused his curiosity by saying things that he could not understand- You must be born again or you cannot see the kingdom of God.
Then before Jesus gives Nicodemus an answer he verbally slaps him in the face- Are you the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?
The primary problem facing Nicodemus was his pride.
He prided himself on his knowledge of religious things and he prided himself on his position- a leader of the Jews.
But he could not answer the most fundamentally important question there is- “How can a person get into the kingdom of God”!
We might say it this way, “How can a person get into heaven?”
Nicodemus didn’t know!
And Jesus called him out on his pride and his arrogance by asking him, “Are you the leader of Israel and you do not understand these things?”
Now that Nicodemus is ready to hear the answers, now that Nicodemus is genuinely searching for truth- Jesus gives him an answer he CAN understand.
And Jesus confronts Nicodemus about what genuine faith looks like.
What does it really mean to believe?
I. Why does Jesus use the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness?
(John 3:14-15)
First of all Jesus used this example because it was something that Nicodemus could understand.
He knew this story well.
But why this story specifically?
Why not any of the other stories in the OT?
What specifically does Jesus want Nicodemus to understand about faith and belief from this story?
What about this story would have helped Nicodemus understand genuine faith?
Why did Moses have to lift up the serpent in the wilderness?
Because God judged the Israelites for this sin by sending poisonous snakes to bite them, and the only cure was for the people to look upon the image of the serpent on the pole.
Why did the Son of man have to be lifted up? (v.
15) That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Who were the ones that had to look at the snake in Numbers 21?
The ones who got bitten by the snake.
Why?
Because they were about to die/perish.
Who are the ones that have to “look upon” or “believe” in the Son?
The ones that are going to perish.
Who are the ones going to perish?
The truth is everyone is going to perish- everyone has been bitten by a poisonous snake.
Why is everyone going to perish?
Keep reading.
Remember back to Jesus’ question in v. 10- “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
What things did Nicodemus not understand?
How to enter into the kingdom of God.
Another way we could say that is how to have eternal life.
What does Jesus tell Nicodemus how to get in v. 15? Eternal life.
How does one get eternal life?
By believing in the Son.
We are all of us perishing, we are like the Israelites who were bitten by poisonous snakes- and we all need to be healed- we all need eternal life- and the only way to get that life is by believing in the Son of man- Jesus.
II.
Why did God send the Son into the world?
(John 3:16-18)
16 Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον,
For in this way God loved the world,
ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν ⸆ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν,
for this reason, the Son the Only Begotten, He gave,
ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται
so that all the ones believing in Him might not perish
ἀλλʼ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.*
BUT might have eternal life.
How did God love the world?
He gave his only begotten (one and only) Son.
Why did God give the Son to the World?
So that all the ones believing in the Son might not perish, BUT might have eternal life.
Who are the only ones that will not perish?
The ones believing in the Son.
Who are the one who will perish?
The ones who do not believe in the Son.
Again, we have all been bitten by snakes, we all have the threat of death or perishing hanging over our heads.
But God loved the whole world- and so that no one would have to perish, he gave the Son so that instead of perishing the ones who believe in the Son will have what instead?
Eternal life.
17 οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν ⸆
For God did not send the Son
εἰς τὸν κόσμον
into the world
ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον,
in order to judge the world,
ἀλλʼ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος διʼ αὐτοῦ.
BUT in order to save the world through Him.
Why didn’t God send the Son into the world?
To condemn the world, or to judge the world.
Why did God send the Son into the world?
To save it through Him, through the Son.
Think about this from the story of Moses and the serpent.
Did Moses make this image of the snake, put it on a pole, and lift it into the air for people to see in order to condemn them?
In order to cause them to perish?
No.
If Moses had wanted to condemn them, if he had wanted them to perish, what did Moses have to do? Nothing!
They were already perishing.
If God really wanted us to perish, what would he have had to do? Nothing!
We are already perishing.
God didn’t send the Son into the the world to judge or condemn the world.
He didn’t have to, the world was already perishing.
All God would have had to do was leave the world alone.
But God loved the world, and because of that He gave his one and only Son.
Not to judge the world, but to save the world.
So that the world could look upon the Son of God and believe in the Son and have eternal life.
Then does everyone get saved from perishing?
Does everyone get eternal life?
Who is not condemned?
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