Sermon notes 👇
Jesus reminds Nicodemus of an old story from Israel’s history.
Back when Moses was leading God’s people through the wilderness, there was a scene where serpents were biting and killing the people, and it was happening because of their own sin.
But God told Moses to make a fiery serpent made of bronze and lift it up on a pole.
He said that if anybody was bit by a serpent, all they had to do was look at the fiery serpent and they would be healed.
Jesus says that in the same way, He must be lifted up, and whoever will believe in Him will have eternal life.
He is the way to healing, the way to new life, the way to be reborn…
All one has to do is look to Him.
If God wanted to condemn the world…if God wanted to condemn you…Jesus simply would not have stepped into our reality.
Jesus not coming would be condemnation.
Those who see themselves as superior and those who see themselves as inferior would both be found guilty.
But Jesus did come…because God loves us…because God loves you.
He loves you where you are and as you are – self-righteous or blatantly rebellious – He came for you there.
And He was lifted up on that cross, and He died for your sins so that you could be purified once and for all.
He rose again so that God could dwell with us, so that the Spirit could indwell us, and so that we could live the way He made us to live.
We can have life. God-given eternal life.
And we should be living in that life here and now – living from this good news of Jesus today.
All we have to do is look to Him.