A Conversation About Heaven

0:00 to John 3, because we're going to look at a conversation about heaven, and it is about being born again. So John chapter 3, they'll put the QR code up in just a moment, and you guys can get a copy of the notes, so that you don't have to try to keep up with trying to write down the verses. You can get a little bit ahead when I take a pause and write the verses down if you so wish. But as you are getting ready, I'm going to go ahead and pray. Father, we thank you for this day that you have made. and Lord when we hear someone like Chuck Norris he loved you and Lord he went to be with you in glory from what I know it's awesome to think watch the internet make such a big deal out of it but Lord there's so many that don't know you and I pray that Lord they would come to know you as their Lord and Savior as time on this planet is running out and even if someone thought well time's not running out there's not a single person that can tell me how long they'll be alive.

0:59 Because not one of us knows the day of our death. So I pray today that we would take a serious look at this passage before us and that we would question, if we haven't ever questioned, am I truly born again? Lord, may today be the day that we really question and discover whether we are or not. As we look at this passage before us, lead us and guide us by your Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Now as you know, we're in John 3 And as you heard me mention, we're going to talk about being born again You might be tempted to tune out You might be tempted to say, I've heard this before So I don't think I need to hear it again Well, there's a lot of people that do things like that And they end up tuning out And never becoming truly born again You need to make sure We're supposed to examine ourselves to see whether we're in the faith And even if you are truly born again then I would encourage you today to take note of the process so that you know how to explain it to somebody else.

2:01 So listen, George Whitefield said, or was known for his preaching the same message over and over, and what he would preach over and over is, you must be born again. Someone finally asked him, why do you keep preaching that? He answered, because you must be born again. By the way, I was reminded in between services, did you know that George Whitefield was preaching for quite a while and was not himself born again? See the need?

2:29 Now you're saying, well, Shadrach, are you trying to elucidate? No, I know I'm born again. Dwight O. Moody said, you can be brought up in a Christian home, go to church all your life, and still not be born again. Billy Graham said, a person can go to church, say prayers, and still not be born again. Isn't that amazing? You would think everybody that comes to church is born again. and that's why they're here. But the reality is, is it's possible to sit in the pew and to hear different messages over and over and over again and remain unchanged. Because you could think, that's for everybody else around me. I've literally heard people say, oh, I heard this message before. Well, listen, the same message has never been preached twice in the same way in this church. I can tell you that. Have you heard similar messages over the years? Yes, but you've never heard the same message, like someone just came out and preached the same message, unless you went to first service and you're still sitting here for a second. And I don't know why a person would do that, but some people do. And I would say, get a life. Like, I have a life. It's sitting in church.

3:36 So let's look at point number one, the person, Nicodemus. This is a conversation about heaven. Then Nicodemus comes to Jesus, we see here in verses 1 to 2, by night. He says, There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know you're a teacher from God, for no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him. So let's look at a little background on Nicodemus. Number one, it is noted he was a man. I'm pausing because California has a problem with defining what a man is. He was a man. Second, he has a Greek name, Nicodemus. Did you realize that Nicodemus was a Greek name? It's not a Hebrew name, and it comes from two words being put together, Nike, Nico, and Demas, meaning people, and it either means victory of the people or one who conquers the people.

4:38 Now, we know Nicodemus was not that kind of guy. He came to Jesus by night with a question. Now, for the most part, one commentator says, those who lived in Judea had Hebrew or Aramaic names. However, those in upper classes who were exposed to Greek as well as Jewish culture often gave their children two names, a Greek name as well as a Hebrew one. Evidently, this had been true of Nicodemus, which indicates that he had a Greek education. That way he could move in both societies freely. There wouldn't be a prejudice against him because he would have a Greek name and a Hebrew name. If he was with the Greeks, he could say, my name's Nicodemus, perhaps. And when he was around the Jews, he could give his Hebrew name. However, we're not given his Hebrew name. We're just told his name is Nicodemus. Three things are to be noted about Nicodemus He was rich, he was religious, and he was a ruler He was rich, and we know this because in John 19 When Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus We're told in verse 39 Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night Also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloe About a hundred pounds So he was very wealthy We know that he was a Pharisee and by the way, not all Pharisees were hypocrites.

5:57 It says Nicodemus, one commentator writes, was a Pharisee, which meant he lived by the strictest possible religious rules. Not all Pharisees were hypocrites, as one may infer from Jesus' comments recorded in Matthew 23. And evidence indicates that Nicodemus was deeply sincere in his quest for truth. William Barclay notes, there were never more than 6,000 Pharisees and that because of their limited number, they actually formed a kind of select brotherhood. Moreover, they were very serious about the law. The Pharisees were theological conservatives of their day. They believed that Old Testament was the revealed word of God, and the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, contained an inspired code of ethics to be believed and practiced literally. In some ways, the greatest glory of the Pharisaic religion lay in the fact that it applied the law literally. It was the goal of the scribes to work out the exact meaning of the law.

6:56 It was then determined purpose of the Pharisees to keep it. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus represented those of his day and ours who seek the meaning of life in religion but don't find it. He belonged to the church, but he knew nothing of that personal life-transforming relationship to Jesus Christ upon whom the true church is founded. So listen, Nicodemus is in some way a representative of all humankind at their best possible state. Nicodemus at his best possible state was still separated from God by his sin. He was rich, he was religious, and he was a ruler. He was well respected in his community. And people in those days as people do now think that having all of those things, being successful, having money, is some sort of sign from God that you're doing it all the right way. However, it's no such sign. You cannot say, I have nothing, therefore God has cursed me, or I have everything, therefore I have need of nothing, including to have a relationship with Christ. We all need to see our depravity at the foot of the cross. And here's what's wild.

8:07 this man Nicodemus comes to Jesus at nighttime some suggest it's because of fear but the reality is it's not because of fear it's because he wanted to be alone with Jesus during the day the mass crowds were thronging Jesus constantly so at night Nicodemus comes to him so that he might have a private conversation with him and get to the meaning of who he is but his question should tell you a lot. He says, we know that you are come from God, for no one can do the things that you do unless God is with him. He should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Think about it. He knew his Bible. He was sincere. But still, the Messiah was sitting right in front of him, and he didn't say, I know you're the Messiah. He didn't say that. He said, we know you come from God, which means there was others that recognized Jesus must have come from God because no one could do the things that he was doing unless God was with him, but they failed to see the truth.

9:12 Nicodemus had everything, but something was missing, which brings us to point number two, the problem, and that is, or was, that Nicodemus was spiritually dead. He was spiritually dead. notice Jesus's response in verse 3 he says most assuredly I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Nicodemus says to him how can a man be born when he is old can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born this conversation is kind of funny if you follow it the way I follow it Nicodemus is like we know you're from God Jesus like you got to be born again Nicodemus is like what am I going to go back into my mother's womb and be born again like what like that's a that's a pretty silly assumption you won't fit like think about it it's like of all the things to say that's your response am I just you want me to go back into my mother's womb and be born again it didn't say wait a minute what did you mean by that why would you say such a thing what does that mean he just immediately says am I going to go climb back into my mother's womb and then be reborn again like well how does that get me to heaven? But think what Jesus is saying to him, you must be born again. Now he clarifies in verse five, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

10:51 so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. He said you must be born again. He did not say you must be baptized, you must raise your hand, you must pray the prayer, you must walk forward. He didn't say any of those things. Those are things that you do as part of the process, but oftentimes when I ask people if they know they're born again, those are the answers that I get. I've heard it said just like this. I prayed the prayer. you prayed the prayer like it was a put off are you going to go to heaven when you die? yeah, I prayed the prayer oh which prayer did you pray? yeah I went forward when yeah when I was like I don't know six months old I've been told what got baptized last summer you baptized me does that mean something because i baptized you that's that's pretty wild what are you trusting in you see what was nicodemus trusting in he had to be born again because you have to be spiritually reborn in order to enter the kingdom of God because heaven requires inner change. 1 Corinthians 15 50 says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Flesh and blood. Nicodemus thought in part he was going to go to heaven because he was born a Jew. Just being born a Jew does not mean you're going to heaven.

12:35 You could say, well, I was born in the United States. I was born into a Christian family. That doesn't mean anything to God. I mean, you might have a better chance of finding Jesus than someone else, but the reality is, is just because you're born into a Christian family does not mean you are born again. You might call yourself a Christian. Many people call themselves Christians. That word, that name, that title has lost its meaning. Lots of people call themselves Christians. But if you were to follow them around in the world, you would be so confused. I'm sorry, are you a Christian or a heathen? Because you attach the name Christian like, okay, I'm okay. Look, God, I've got my Christian badge on, see? And I go to church and I put the Not of this World sticker on my car.

13:24 Like, you gotta let me in. Nicodemus could have done all this. He could have had a Not of this World sticker on his donkey. but he wasn't born again. He was doing everything right. He kept the law. He could have probably said like Paul in that sense. According to the law, he was blameless, but he wasn't born again. So the expositor commentary says, birth is our mode of entrance into the world and brings with it the potential equipment for adjustment to the world, meaning our physical body. You're born with this physical body into this physical world, and it adjusts to whatever environment you're in in the way that God has intended for it to be, right? To be born again or born from above means a transformation of a person so that he's able to enter another world and adapt to its conditions. anothen which made many bible versions translate as again in the johannan writings normally means from above and it should be rendered thus here to belong to a heavenly kingdom one must be born into it you were born physically but in order to enter that kingdom you must be reborn spiritually by default we are born spiritually dead that's the default setting when you come into this world your default setting is spiritually dead and you say well then why would it be my fault if I don't receive Christ since I was made that way because sin isn't just like I was born with it I also choose to do it right you were born into sin but then at two years old you decided to act on it your mom and dad said don't touch that thing and you went this thing Amen.

15:16 Right? You see little kids doing that? They're at Disneyland, they're licking the handrails. You're like... I tell my kids, don't even look at the handrail. Don't even touch it. Who knows what diseases are on there?

15:42 So yes, you're born into the world in sin, but then when you're old enough, trust me, you choose to sin. You do. Everybody does. Genesis 2.16 says, The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die then we know the story we fast forward adam and eve they ate of the tree did they die immediately they did but not in the way you think they died immediately spiritually but physically that took some time but death entered into the world and thus death spread to all men because all men well you didn't sound very confident about that let's try that again death entered into the world to all men because all men there you go all men sin all men sin all fall short of the glory of god all that means all all means all that's all all means are you following me i want to make sure nobody's lost God put the knowledge of the tree of good and evil into the garden.

16:52 And I heard a guy on Instagram recently say, well, why did God blame us? He's the one that put the stupid tree there. because God wanted man to have a choice you have to have a choice do you want to follow God or not what's the choice God's like you can eat freely of all the trees of the garden but there's no tree that has a consequence God wanted man to choose to love him not to love him because he made him a robot you see that you don't want someone to love you because someone's got a gun to their head. You're at a wedding and the husband's like, do you want to marry her? Absolutely, I love her with all my life. And you look at her, someone's got a gun to her head. Do you love him? She's like, yes, I love him. Why? Because there's a gun to her head. When you take the gun away, she's like, I'm out of here. This guy's nuts. What if I took you afterwards to 31 flavors? Do you know why they call it 31 flavors?

17:47 They wanted you to be able to have a different flavor every day of the month. Did you know that? I just learned that. It was like my favorite ice cream place growing up for my whole life. And I always go in there and look at all the flavors and still get the same thing. Year after year, every time I go, peanut butter and chocolate, that's what I get. I'll even try other flavors. And I'm like, yep, that was good. Peanut butter and chocolate, please. If I went in and all they had was peanut butter and chocolate, I'd probably get out of there faster because I just wouldn't look. But I'd still get the same thing, right? So just a little note, 31 flavors. If you just want to make one with just peanut butter and chocolate, I'm good with that. But what would it be if that was the only choice? And I walked in and I said, there's 31 different buckets in the little refrigerators there. You go ahead and you pick whatever flavor you like. and you look over and you're going through and you're like, these are all peanut butter and chocolate. And I said, yeah, pick whatever flavor you want.

18:41 They're like, that's the only flavor. It's not a choice, is it? But see how you could say, oh, I've actually met people who don't like peanut butter. I think they're weird. They don't like bananas either. I don't get it. And together, there's nothing better. The banana looks like a smile. I mean, come on. You don't like smiles? No, I hate bananas. Oh, we cannot talk.

19:11 By default, we're born with an earthly nature. Look at Romans 8.5. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. It cannot be subject to the law of God. but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. By default, you're born into this world with a sin nature. Until this statement, Nicodemus thought he was going to go to heaven. He thought because of being born a Jew of the seed of Abraham, and then because he did everything that was right that you could possibly do in the way of religion. In Matthew chapter 3 verse 7, we see John the Baptist, he's out baptizing, and as he's baptizing, a bunch of Pharisees and Sadducees come to the baptism. So he's down there baptizing, and he looks up, and he sees them, and he goes, could you imagine? We have a baptism coming up. Could you imagine? I'm out there baptizing, and I see some people coming down the stairs, and I stop, and I go, brood of vipers!

20:21 Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You're like, Shadrach, that is not the message that we want to be sending to people coming to the baptism. I mean, that's kind of hard. But look at what he goes on to say. He's not done. Can you imagine? He's, hang on a second. I've got more to say. And don't begin to say or think we have Abraham as our father because that's what they believe. I've got Abraham as my father. I'm good. I'm going to heaven.

20:48 Look at what he says. For God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. oh you want to talk about an insult that's an insult they probably were flipping their yarmulkes at that point who is this guy telling us it's john the baptist jesus said there was none greater of the old testament prophets than john the baptist and look at his message Brut of vipers, who warned you? Because these guys coming down with all their religiosity, all their self-righteousness, it meant nothing to God. And it didn't get them any closer to God. As a matter of fact, it probably put them further from God because of their self-righteousness. They didn't see their own need to change. Whereas the sinners that came to Jesus recognized their need for a change, which is why when Jesus was accused being caught with hanging out with publicans and sinners and tax collectors.

21:50 He said, I didn't come to heal the whole. I came to heal the broken. I came for those who recognize their need. And so there's so many people that don't recognize their need. Don't be one of those people sitting in the chair today that thinks, I have no need. I'm okay with God. I mean, me and the big guy upstairs, we're good. If you talk like that, I'm going to promise you this. You and a holy God in heaven are not good because I don't look at him like the big guy upstairs. Nobody that loves Jesus looks at him like the big man upstairs because it's irreverent. We look at him like a loving father, a holy father, a holy and a righteous God. That's how we look at him. Now, Nicodemus' question isn't why, but how.

22:48 How can a man be born again? How is this process possible? Jesus said, unless one is born of water and the spirit. All that Nicodemus thought about getting to heaven was wrong. Romans 4.1 says, What shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

23:14 Nicodemus could boast in front of everybody. I mean, people could line up and say, well, yeah, I mean, Nicodemus is, he's more righteous than all of us, but not before God. Before men, maybe, but not before God. the things that you think you can do to get into heaven they don't they don't please God they don't impress God because there's a requirement to get in there's a ticket that you must have and if you don't have it you're not going it's as simple as that now he mentions the water and the spirit pastor Chuck Smith said it would seem to me that being born of water would be a reference to our natural birth as the fetus is in that water sack being protected, then there is the water bursting and the child is born. To be born of the water would refer to the natural birth because in context, Jesus said that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. And so he's talking about two births, born of the water and born of the spirit. And that the born of the spirit is referring to the new birth, the spiritual birth that we have, where born of the water would refer to the fleshly birth.

24:25 Now the spirit, he says, but when a person is born of the spirit, that which is born of the spirit is spirit, then the spirit becomes alive and begins to rule within my life. And now my mind is occupied with the things of the spirit on how I might please God in the worship of God and the opening up my life and my heart unto the things of God and to his spirit. And these are the things that now dominate my mind. A mind dominated by the spirit is called the mind of the spirit, which is life and peace and joy. because before Jesus, the only thing I ever thought about was what I was going to do on the weekend. Man, I can't wait for the weekend. Me and my friends would talk. Wow, what are we going to do on the weekend? I don't know which party are we going to go to. Hey, did you get some weed? Yeah, I got some weed. All right, we're going to get high on the weekend. That was what we looked forward to. Now, in that time, I went to the very first Harvest Crusade. Prior to that, I was working with Christians. God had people around me constantly telling me the truth. I worked at Long's Drug store in Costa Mesa on 17th Street. And I remember this guy, Dave Poe, he was there sharing the gospel with me. And he would tell me the gospel. And I remember one day just going like, why are you telling me this? I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead.

25:38 But what he knew was that there wasn't a thing in my life that reflected it. Not one thing. I said it, but I didn't really believe it. And the way he knew I didn't really believe it is because I wasn't living it. And so from that time to the time I went to the First Harvest Crusade, I remember being convicted, and I remember going down in the front at the Pacific Amphitheater there. There wasn't a field. It was like, you know, in front of the stage, and I remember praying, praying the prayer. I prayed the prayer, and I got a little Bible, and I went home, and I remember reading that Bible every day for a week, and I remember thinking, I haven't sinned this week. That's because I didn't do the things I normally did. I didn't go to the parties. I didn't do all that stuff for one whole week. But when the cares of the world came back in, that seed was choked out, and I went right back to the old life. You see, sometimes you can go for a time thinking you're right, thinking that you're going to go to heaven, but eventually something happens, and it chokes it out, and it proves there was no fruit. They weren't really born again. I wasn't really born again. How do I know that? Because the next time I went to the Harvest Crusade, it was much bigger at Anaheim Stadium, and I remember the spiritual battle that was happening in my life before I went down onto the field. I remember sitting there and looking at my mom and telling her, I am not receiving Jesus today. That was the first thing I said. Oh yeah, nobody's going to make me do nothing I don't want to do. Okay? Someone's like, hey, you can't do that. I'm like, I'm a grown man. I can do what I want.

27:13 And that's the way I thought. I can do whatever I want. I'm a grown man. You're not going to tell me what to do. Nobody's going to make me be a Christian. If I don't want to be a Christian, I'm not going to be a Christian. And the same is true if you're sitting here listening to me, and maybe you got your arms folded, and you're like, I can't stand listening to this guy. His voice drives me crazy. Join the club. My voice drives me crazy. I wish I had a cool voice. I wish I had like a really cool, deep voice. But I don't. This is the one God gave me.

27:40 I'm stuck with it. So are you. So I sat there. You know what I thought? I'm listening to this bald guy. that means bald one in spanish if you didn't know that way i learned that way before duolingo with duolingo i learned how to say i need to paint my bedroom i don't need to paint my bedroom but in case i ever do i learned how to say it in spanish so anyways i sit in there listening to him and I didn't, I don't remember anything he said till he got to the very end of his message and he said, you are either for or against God and to be undecided is to be decided. That was like, it was like all of a sudden I was like, wait, what? What did he just say? I thought I was decided. God, I said that I believed in you. I said that I believed that your son is the son of God. I said the things that I needed to say, but I hadn't really repented. I hadn't really believed in the way the Bible talks about doing those things.

28:53 Let's go to point number three. I'm going to leave you hanging. We'll go to point number three, the provision, which is Jesus. John 3, verse 19, Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, are you the teacher of Israel and you don't 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 into 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 the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, 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. So let me ask you a question, when does a person become condemned?

30:05 the answer, they're already condemned. If you sit here today in unbelief, you are already condemned. Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn because you're already condemned. He came in that you might have life, eternal life, and not more abundantly. So this is the thing. He uses this analogy with Nicodemus. Nicodemus would have immediately remembered the serpent being lifted up now have you guys been reading the one-year bible because we just read through this not too long ago do you remember why Moses made this snake on a pole if you will this bronze snake do you know why he made it because there was snakes going around biting everybody they were poisonous and they were dying do you remember why that happened because someone said they were complaining they were complaining about everything they ate. They're like, we're sick and tired of this manna. What is this stuff?

31:01 That's what manna means. It means, what is it? you ever sat and eaten with picky people and you like the food you love the food it's your favorite food and you take someone who's picky and they turn their nose at it and you're offended aren't you it's like how could you not like this this is my favorite food you're like well what's your favorite food they're like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you're like that's it I like spaghetti it's like well I'm not why did I bring you to this restaurant then so they were complaining about the manna and they were like man if we just you know they're always like if we just died in the wilderness or we just died in egypt it was better when we were in egypt that what a horrible thing to say to god who's brought them out and showing them these wonders right taking care of them cloud by day pillar of fire by night they watch the egyptians die i mean in the middle of the red sea which god parted miraculously they were seeing all kinds and they just turn their nose at all of it now we're sick so god was like all right that moses move aside i'm gonna the snakes go in they start biting them and so god comes up with a remedy for moses make a bronze snake put it on a pole and raise it up okay so in numbers 21 verse 9 so moses made a bronze serpent he put on the pole and so it was if a serpent had bitten anyone When he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

32:29 Okay, think about this. There were some guys out, you know, weed whacking. People around him are like, quick, look at the snake on the pole. He's like, oh, it hurts. I'm going to die. Look at the pole. Look at the pole. I'm not going to do it. Why? I don't want to. But you'll live. I want to live. Look at the pole. I can't. Why? I don't want to. It hurts! Ah, the poison!

33:03 Right? How hard is this? How hard is that? Try it right now. Just everybody. Look at the light over there. Just everybody. Watch. Some of you aren't looking. See how hard it is? See what stubbornness does? I can't even believe it. I'm done. I'm going to leave. That's how we are. All I got to do is look. Just look. No, I'm not looking. No. There's not enough evidence.

33:44 Just, okay, look. You see Moses over there? The other Moses. He got bit. He looked at the snake. He's fine. You see the guy looking at Moses? Yeah, I see Moses. Okay, then look at the pole. No. Thank you. look the only people that will end up in hell are people that want to be there I want to make it very clear the only people that end up in hell are people that want to be there you could say oh no I don't want to be in hell but if you end up there it's because you did want to be there because you didn't want to be with God because he did everything necessary Jesus said, as the serpent was lifted up, so must the Son of Man be. But people still refuse Christ. They refuse the provision.

34:35 All you gotta do is look and live. It's up to you. Stay condemned. Or be born again and have eternal life. You gotta look. Believing. Nope, can't do it. I'm not gonna do it. Why? Because God is unjust. God's not unjust. There's not enough evidence. Nobody can prove to me that there is a God. I refuse to believe. What evidence do you need? Well, if God would, like, write something in the sky, like, you know, if the sky popped. Could you imagine if God answered every whim of people? Like, okay, God, if you're real, make a red balloon appear right here, you know? It's like a red balloon, pop, you know, and all this stuff. Well, there would, the laws of physics would be out the window. but do you think even after all that people would believe they saw Jesus they walked with Jesus they saw the miracles that Jesus performed and they still refused him and you think you're different you think that if you had some amount of evidence Romans 1 says there's enough evidence outside go outside and look at the creation and you will have all the evidence that you need you don't want to go outside? Fine. After service, go in the bathroom and look at the mirror.

35:54 You are fearfully and wonderfully made, the Bible says. You have a little mini computer inside your head. You have eyeballs better than any camera ever made. Your body can adjust to conditions. Look, we've adjusted to Southern California. If you were to take me in the middle of winter and put me in Minnesota, I would die. And we're in California going, oh my gosh, it's so cold. We have friends that they live on the big island of Hawaii. And when it gets to 75, they put sweatshirts on. They're cold. Cold? Are you kidding me? It's 75. And then people come here from Nebraska when it's 48 and they're in shorts and flip flops. Like, man, it's a heat wave. because your body adjusts. Do you see? It's suited for this environment.

36:48 But in order to go to the new environment, you need to be born again. Jesus was lift up and he bore our sin. Look at Isaiah 53 verse 5. It says, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He has laid on him, on Jesus, the iniquity of us all. John 8, 28, Jesus said, when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he. In the same way that that bronze snake was lifted up on the pole, Jesus was lifted up on the cross. And anyone who will look to him can be healed. We are all bitten by sin. you're all born separated from God but you need to be born again if you want to go into the kingdom of God and we're talking true biblical faith look at James 2 17 James 2 17 James says faith by itself if it does not have works is dead now you might say well wait a minute you just said a moment ago that Abraham could not be justified before God because of his works and I would say absolutely you'll say, well, wait a minute, but this says faith by itself, if it does not have works, it's the order. If you try to put works before faith and be justified before God by your works, you're off. But works come after faith. I'm born again. Now what follows is evidence.

38:23 The Bible calls it fruit. You should be able to see fruit in my life. If you followed me around for a week, you would see, look, I'm going to be honest, you see me driving on the 91 freeway, you could see me get frustrated. But you won't see me ramming my truck into people. You won't see me cutting people off back. I used to do that when I was younger. Younger in the faith. Someone cut me off, I was like, because I learned it from my dad.

38:52 That's what my dad was. You cut him off on the road? Well, my dad drove a big truck most of his life, he could never get even with people. But when he got into his 78 Ford Bronco, he got even with everybody. You cut him off, he would cut you out back. But you know what happened? I watched my dad change. As he got older, I remember driving down to Costa Mesa from Fullerton with him on Monday nights to go serve in the children's ministry. My dad didn't drive like that anymore. But growing up, I can't tell you how many times we pulled over on the freeway and he got out of his truck. And I'd be sitting there like, oh man, what's going to happen? The good thing was my dad was very big, so he would get out, and the other guy would see how big my dad was, and he would get back in his car and drive away. That happened more than once. So my dad learned, and early on, I would be like, that guy cut me off, and I cut him off back. And now, you're just seeing me go, what's that guy's problem? That's like the most, right? Oh, the nerve of that guy. What, are you trying to get everybody killed on the freeway? No, they only care about themselves. But see, things have changed. I'm not the man that I used to be. That's just one small thing. There's other stuff. But some will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works. I'll show you my faith by my works. You believe there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.

40:12 Just belief by itself? If I said there's going to be a major earthquake in five minutes, it's going to be a 7.0, and it's going to absolutely level the sanctuary, and if you remain sitting in these chairs, you're going to die. And I go like this, click, and then I leave, and I go outside, and I see like four people walk out. You know what I can assume? The rest of you did not believe me. Why? Because you stayed sitting. If you believed me, you'd get up and go outside. You see that when the faith is exercised, it then turns and it does something. It doesn't do something to get into heaven. It does something because I'm going to heaven. But do you want to know a foolish man? Faith without works is dead. Be careful that you don't become or that you already are a Christian atheist. That you call yourself a Christian, but you live as if there is no God. That is the worst kind of person. A Christian atheist. Those purple people that walk around and they just slap Christian on everything. Where are you? I'm a Christian. But you see how they treat people. It's terrible. They're probably a Christian atheist. They call themselves a Christian, but there's no evidence of it in their life. Then Jesus goes to John 3, 16, of course, for God so loved the world. God so loved the world because God is love. First John 4, 8 says God is love. And you know what's awesome? The gospel is communicated in 25 words. And right in the right in the middle. And through John 3, 16, we get his heart, he loved the world, his plan, he gave his only begotten son, and his will. Whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. Isn't that wild that God did all that was necessary for me to go to heaven, and all I got to do is believe it, and then I get everlasting life? You'd be a fool not to accept that offer. And there are a lot of fools. There are a lot of people who would rather remain

42:22 in their sin. For what? I like it. Don't you judge me. Don't you tell me. God helps those that help themselves, the Bible says. The Bible does not say that. The Bible says if I'm just sincere, Nicodemus was sincere sincerely wrong he was wrong and Jesus told him he was wrong Romans 5.8 says God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us while I was in the middle of my sin that's when I found God in the middle of my sin I didn't have to clean myself up to come to him there isn't a single Bible verse that says clean yourself up and then come to God. God wants you to come just as you are. You come just as you are. Sin and all. Sin and all. That night I sat there at the Harvest Crusade, I came into the stadium wanting to get out as soon as possible so I could go out and get high. That was my life. I was content with it. I liked it.

43:35 I was high every single day for over a year and a half. Every single day. I got hired at a job. High. That's how good I hit it. They didn't even know. They were like, you're hired. I was like, in my head, I was like, far out. Like, whoa. and that night I come, now I wasn't high when I went to the Harvest Crusade, but that night when I was sitting there, and all of it made sense, we came to the end, and I realized, wait a minute, I thought this whole time, like Nicodemus, I thought I was good with God, I don't know what made me think that, nothing in my life resembled it, I just thought, you just got to have that belief, you just got to believe it in your head, and that's as far as it needs to go, but no, it needs to be proven. It's like it's true if there's something that follows it. I can look at my life and say, I know that I'm born again based on what the Bible says, and I know that there's fruit in my life. That night when I left, something changed in the way that I thought.

44:45 I hadn't even read the Bible yet, but my thinking had changed, and the next day when I woke up, I didn't want to smoke weed anymore. You explain that. How do you go from one night, that's all you can think about, that's all you want to do, to the next day, you don't want to do it at all. And I realized, man, I'm living with my friends, I got to get out of this house. I can't live with these guys anymore, because that's all they want to do. They want to party and do all that stuff. And I knew, like, it's going to wear on me trying to live here with them. And so I was like, I need to move back in with my parents, which was kind of a bummer. I felt like I was going backwards. I had the taste of freedom, right? And then I'm going to go move back in with my parents was the best decision that I could have made. Because my dad, you know, my dad just looked at me and said, all right, you need to start serving. And I was like, okay, what does that mean? He's like, well, you need to get involved at church. And I was like, okay, well, where should I get involved? Like, I know nothing, right? And my dad said, sign up for the children's ministry. Okay, because that's where he served. So I started serving in the children's ministry with him.

45:42 One day someone comes to me and says, hey, your dad and your uncle are going to be gone. We need you to create a Bible study for the class. And I'm like, a what? A Bible study? How do I do that? My dad said, here, I have this book. It'll help you. He gives me this book, so I'm reading through, you know. And okay, so I go in and I teach these fifth graders. And at the end, they didn't throw rocks at me. So I was like, okay, I survived, you know. And it's like, I don't want to do that again, you know. And then they came to me. They're like, hey, we're going to be gone again. We need you to teach the class again. Oh, okay. So I taught the class again. Pretty soon they came to me and said, hey, we want you to take over a class and do all the teaching. I said, you what? They said, yeah, we want you to do all the teaching in the class. I said, okay. And in my brain, I'm thinking, you guys have never even heard me say one thing. But they had been hearing from the kids. okay I had no idea what was going on translate that over years and look at where I am today I had no idea All because God said, you need me.

46:54 And that night I said, you're right, I do need you. You've been doing it your own way. Yes, you're right, I've been doing it my own way. You really haven't been living for me. And I was like, you're right, I really haven't been living for you. You aren't born again. You're right, I'm not born again. I need to be born again. And that night when I looked at my dad, I saw my dad crying as people were walking down onto the field. And the Holy Spirit said, I have changed your dad. He is not the same man. and I want your life. And I looked at my dad and said, will you walk down on the field with me? And he said, yes. And that night I walked down into this, Ephesians 2, 4. But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ for by grace you have been saved.

47:38 That's beautiful. And that, not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of works. we cannot earn it 1 John 4, 9 in this the love of God was manifest toward us that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him Jesus loved an adulterous woman who was protected from those who would have stoned her he told her he didn't condemn her and that she should go and sin no more he loved another sinful woman by telling her her sins had been forgiven as she poured out her oil her whole livelihood upon him. An outcast Samaritan woman by offering her living water. You remember the woman in John chapter 4? She came in the middle of the day, in the heat of the day, to draw her water, and there was Jesus waiting by a well in an appointment. He didn't have iCalendar, but he knew he needed to be there.

48:38 And he was there waiting for that woman by the well. The reason she came out in the middle of the day was to avoid all the gossip. Jesus asked her for a drink of water and she wanted to know why he a Jew was speaking to her a Samaritan and Jesus said if you knew who it was asking you for a drink of water you would have asked him and he would have given you living water then he told her to go call her husband and she said I have no husband and he said you're right you've had five and the one you're with now is not your husband What do you think the woman's problem was? Maybe she was trying to find her identity in men. She had a problem.

49:20 But each and every time probably one guy left her, the next guy would just be worse and worse and so on. Until she became the talk of the town. And Jesus was sitting there waiting for her. And you know what's amazing is right after that, she takes off back into the city. The disciples come back and they're like, all right, we brought in and out. and Jesus says, I have food to eat that you don't know about. And then they're like, did someone bring him Jack in the Box? And then he told them that the harvest was plentiful, but the labors are few. And right then, the whole town has come out to see Jesus. Because this one woman, because Jesus met her at the well, he didn't say to her, you know, you're a dirty, rotten sinner. No.

50:12 He looked at her, created in his own image. and loved her in a way that only God can. You might feel like the most vile, disgusting, how could I do this again with my life? And God would look at you and say, my son, my daughter, it's time for you to be born again because you are tired and you are weary and sin has dominion over you. But once you become born again, the chains will be broken and you will no longer be bound in your sin. You will be set free. Jesus said, whom the Son sets free is free indeed. He did not come to condemn, but to save. In Luke 9, verse 56, it says, the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

51:07 So who isn't condemned? John 3, 18. He who believes in him is not condemned. Romans 8, 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Isn't that beautiful? There's no condemnation. since the day that I received Christ as my Lord and Savior, I haven't been condemned one single day. Have I blown it? Have I sinned? Yes, but God has never condemned me. He's convicted me by his Holy Spirit. He said, Shadrach, don't you dare go down that path. Or when I did something that he knew I shouldn't have done, he tells me immediately, go and make it right. If I offended somebody else, go and make it right and come back to me as quick as possible. First John 1, 9, He's faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse because that's our God. So who is condemned? John 3, 18.

52:00 He who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. That's who remains condemned. It's a choice. You can walk out of here today condemned or not condemned, but you will make a choice because to be undecided is to be decided. You cannot walk out and say, oh, I'll do it another time. You're making a choice. You're playing with your soul. You walk out those doors undecided. You are playing with your soul. Because here's what I know. You cannot tell me the day of your death. Not one person can.

52:39 People die of cancer. People die in accidents. people die of silly things but we all die, and one day you will stand before a holy God without excuse, but right now he's offering you everything, but when you die, it will be too late, so that leaves the choice of two paths. Point number four, stay in the dark or walk in the light. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew, or sorry, John 3, 19, and this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. What's the reason people don't come to Jesus? Does it have anything to do with science? Nope. Does it have anything to do with the confusion that's out there? No, it has to do with sin.

53:32 It's all about sin because he says here, 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. Look, that day that I walked down on the field at the Harvest Crusade, I said, I'm done hiding. I'm done with my sin. I'm done living a life contrary to you. And I'm going to tell you this right now. I don't regret one second of that decision. Not one second. Life is so much better. He came to give life and that more abundantly. Satan is a thief and a robber, John 10. He's come to steal, kill, and destroy. Look at what he's doing in the world around us. He's doing a great job of it, isn't he? Just in the state of California, look at what he's doing in the state of California. Do you feel oppressed in the state of California? You are oppressed in the state of California. In the same way other states are? No, a different way. There is a spiritual oppression in California.

54:35 Why? I think there's a lot of people who call themselves Christians, but they are not. A lot of people, they don't do anything. their salt what salt their light what light they like the darkness you have a choice sin though will keep you from jesus second thessalonians 2 9 says the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of satan with all power signs and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish and those that will be perishing they will do so why Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. They rejected it. They rejected the love of God that they might be saved. And so they're taken in this deception because they did not receive the love of the truth. Rejecting Jesus, denying Jesus, keeps you condemned.

55:32 You cannot earn your way in. Romans 3.10, there is none righteous, no, not one. In verse 20, therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight. for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Galatians 2.16, a man is not justified by the works of law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified. You can't do it. So what we could not do, God did. That's the beauty of it. That choice in the garden, the sin that was brought into the world was resolved in another garden the garden of Gethsemane and the cross very near where Jesus hung taking upon him the sin of all of the world and in the same way that snake that bronze snake was a symbol of judgment the cross is to us today what it was to them as they had been bitten by the snake.

56:42 You've been bitten by sin and all you gotta do is look and live. So what we couldn't do, God did for us. Romans 8, 3, for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by the sending of his son. Acts 13, verse 39, by him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Nick, you can't be justified by the law of Moses. You must be born again. You want to see the kingdom of God, Nick? You've got to be born again. You want to see the kingdom of God, whatever your name is, sitting in this place or hearing my voice? You must be born again. Galatians 3.24, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. You know, I've been set free. I'm going to run around trying to keep the Ten Commandments. You know what Jesus said?

57:36 are the two commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do you know that's a summation of all the law? Did you know that the basis for all the law was love? Did you know that? But people look at it like, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this, don't do that. And they just don't do it. Like, okay, I'm doing it. I'm doing it by not doing it.

58:00 I'm doing it by not doing it. It says don't. I didn't. I'm good. I didn't kill anybody. You ever thought about killing anybody? I mean, sometimes, but... Well, then you're guilty. You're guilty. But I didn't actually kill anybody, but you thought about killing somebody because Jesus took the letter and showed the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law because the law was meant to be loving. Because if you love people, you won't take their stuff. If you love someone, you won't kill them. If you love someone, you won't covet what they have. If you love God, you'll put nothing before him. You see, it's all about love. And God, who is love, demonstrated love for us at the cross. So what remains? A choice. Stay condemned or be born again? How can you become born again? Number one, you must admit or repent that you are a sinner and you have sinned against God. Mark 1.15 says, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.

58:58 Repent and believe the gospel. If that was true then, how much more is it true today? Acts 17 verse 30. truly these times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent number two you must believe that Jesus is God died on the cross and rose from the dead John 20 verse 31 says these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name the first Corinthians 15 verses 3 and 4 says I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and then he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and three confess with your mouth what you believe this is where it all comes together you know just praying the prayer just going through the motion of praying the prayer just I raised my hand and I'm trusting in my hand being raised or I trust in getting dipped in the pacific ocean it doesn't cut it because unless you did this none of that is true or real you have to do this you have to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you have to believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.

1:00:05 That prayer that you pray is important that you repent from your sins, that you believe that Jesus is God, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. And you must confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart. And then the Bible says, you shall be saved. That's the process. So, in wrapping up, do me a favor. Close your eyes and bow your heads. Close your eyes and bow your heads. I'm going to give you an opportunity right now to do just that I don't want you to ever say I prayed the prayer I want you to say if you are able to say this I confessed with my mouth the Lord Jesus and I believed it in my heart now I want you to raise your hand today if that's you if you want to be born again I want to have that new life that Jesus talked to Nicodemus about I realize I don't think I've ever truly become born again.

1:01:00 Just raise up your hand right now. I'm looking around the sanctuary. I see hands going up everywhere, all over the place. Raise them up, nice and high, nice and high, all over the place. Praise the Lord. Because this is the most important decision that you could ever make in your whole entire life. And the Bible says today is the day of salvation. Do not harden your heart. And how do you know if God is speaking to you? Because as for me, and I've heard other people explain the same thing, there was this anxiety I felt inside. Just this, I need to do this and I need to do it right now. I cannot wait.

1:01:38 And if you're feeling that tension, that war inside you, just go ahead and raise up your hand. So I'm gonna lead you in a prayer. God bless you guys all over the place. Go ahead and put it down. Now after that, I'm gonna ask that you confess with your mouth and you believe in your heart. I'm gonna lead you in a prayer and I want all of you that are already believers to pray along with them so that they feel encouraged. You pray this prayer now. Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I need a savior. And I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. I believe, Jesus, that you are God, that you died on the cross and rose from the dead. And I receive you now as my Lord and savior. Help me to live for you every single day. In Jesus' name, amen. You know, when you prayed that prayer, the Bible says angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner.

1:02:42 And today, many raised their hands. Can you imagine the party in heaven? So listen, would you guys all stand? And as we close out on this song of worship, I want to invite those of you that raised your hands to come up over here to the left and see Pastor Dennis and get a Bible. It's a free Bible. In just a couple of moments, they will walk you through the decision that you just made and next steps. The Lord bless you and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, be gracious unto you, and give you peace as you serve him this week.