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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's Word will empower you to live a full, impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in.
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We're gonna be in John chapter 3 and verse 1. But John says here, and he begins this narrative we're about to focus on by saying there was a man. Jesus was about to have a dialogue with a man from a very male dominated world. At that time, if you were born a free male in the ancient world, you had already won life's lottery. So as it introduces him, the first thing it mentions is that he was a man. And then it continues, it says, of the Pharisees. Now, the term Pharisee is taken from the Hebrew Aramaic term which means separate. The Pharisees were a highly educated group of men, and they came from all different economic classes. And these men were united behind a shared vision of keeping even the smallest letter the law. But their great weakness was they often though they kept the letter, they missed the spirit of the law. And in all their keeping and right doing, over time, they started getting lifted up in pride. And they began to feel that they were superior to others in culture and society. In Luke chapter 18 and verse 11, Jesus gives us their mindset. He said this two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. And the Pharisee stood and watch how this is phrased, and prayed thus with himself. Notice he prayed with himself, not with God. And what Jesus is teaching is all prayer is not equal, and all prayer is not necessarily heard. Prayer has more to do with the attitude than just the act of praying itself. And this is how the Pharisee prayed. He said, God, I want to thank you that I am not like those other men. So he spent most of his prayer congratulating himself about how wonderful he was and gloating over how bad everyone else was. And then he started listing some things. Extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even this tax collector. You see, his concept of righteousness had nothing to do with pleasing God. It had everything to do with being better than the next person. But how many of you know God doesn't grade on a curve? Just because you're better than me doesn't make you good enough for God. What would it profit a person to win the trophy first place for being the best sinner to ever go to hell? So he continued. He said, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all I possess. I not only do, like many of you, you know, off the top, when it comes, you know, from my job, man, when I go into the restaurant, I'll tithe my salt and my pepper. When I get gifts on Thanksgiving, I mean, Christmas and all the tithe, I figure out the value, and then I bring that tithe into the house of the Lord. You see, the Pharisees did these things because they wanted to earn in merit and deserve God's love. But we understand that we will only do these things in response to God's love. John 4 and 1st John 4:19 says this. We love him because he first loved us. The only reason why I push myself and I try so hard to do right and take this gospel, just like all of us are doing, is because he first loved us. And the way we say thanks is through being obedient and following his directions in life. And then on the other hand, so you have this Pharisee that's quite impressed with himself. But then the camera moves to the tax collector. And the tax collector was the most despised person in society. In order to be a tax collector, you had to have sided with the Romans. You were a Benedict Arnold. You betrayed your own people because you were exacting money for Rome, not your own nation. People hated you and despised you. And often these tax collectors were cheats. They didn't just get your taxes, they would always get a little bit extra. So they were a little bit like the mob in the first century. And. And that they weren't beloved. So here's this man that's standing there. The Bible said the tax collector couldn't even come close to the altar. He was standing afar off. And he would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven. But he began to beat his breast over and over, saying, God, be merciful to me, sinner. You see, all God requires for any of us to enter the kingdom is simply to trust his mercy. You see, every soul needs a savior. And the advantage, though, of the tax collector was that his sins were obvious to him. One of the most difficult things you're ever going to do in life is, is try to tell a good person that they need a savior. But because this man, he knew that he lied, he cheated, he stole, and he knew that he wrongly put people in jail. It was always in front of him. So it was apparent to him that he needed God's mercy and grace. Jesus said it this way. He looked at the Pharisees and he said, you know what? The prostitutes, the tax collectors, and wicked men are going to go in the kingdom before you. Not Because God winked at their sins. But because it seems when your sins are more obvious, it's easy to recognize them. And the Pharisee was so busy doing good, he couldn't see what was really going on on the inside. This may surprise you. Good people do not go to heaven because the Bible teaches no one is good enough. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God, even the best of us. You might be able to outwardly impress me, but God sees what's going on inwardly inside your heart. Good people do not go to heaven. Only forgiven people do. And then Jesus speaks up. He says, I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled again. You may be better than me, but when the curtain comes down, you shut your eyes and all is said and done. All that's going to matter is an audience of one. And Jesus continues. And he who humbles himself will be exalted. God presents every soul with a choice. Do you want to trust in your own righteousness to make it into heaven or receive the gift of righteousness that Christ purchased at the cross? You can trust your own goodness if you want to, but I'm going to put my trust in Jesus. Stay with me. John, chapter three, verse one. And we're going to finish that first sentence. There was a man of the Pharisees, his name was Nicodemus. This is the man that John chapter 19 says offered £100, some translations say £75 of expensive myrrh and alloys for Jesus burial. Now since we don't live back then, we might not quite understand this, but this was the amount afforded by a king. This was an exorbitant amount of, of spice. It was super expensive, which lets us know that this man Nicodemus must have been very wealthy. And then it goes on, he says, and he was a ruler of the Jews. Now the Romans allowed the Jews some measure of self rule, so each city would have a ruling council. But the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the supreme court for all matters that related to Jewish law and religion. So what we have here, and I want you to recognize who Jesus is speaking to, we have this highly educated individual. He was a rich man. He was a Pharisee, which was the most popular sect in the nation. He was, you know, not only was he a Pharisee, but he was the top 1% of, of the top 1%. He was part of the super powerful Jerusalem, great Sanhedrin. So this is a guide in this nation without equal that has come to Jesus. And it says in verse two, it was this man that came to Jesus by night. Now, it's possible that he came to Jesus at night because he wanted uninterrupted time with the Master. But, you know, reading the last chapter, I kind of doubt that. I think he came at night because he didn't really want anyone to know. But how many of you know, creeps creep at night? You know, as the old folks used to say, nothing good happens after 2am in the morning. And Nicodemus came in through the door, sat down, and he said to him, rabbi. Now Nicodemus calling Jesus rabbi was a mark of great respect considering the accomplishments of this particular leader. So this great man comes in, he says, rabbi, we know meaning it's generally acknowledged that you are a teacher come from God. So far, so good. And he continues, for no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him. Jesus operated with such a unique sense of power and authority that even a man as powerful as Nicodemus had to recognize that there was something going on with his Jesus. But as gracious as Nicodemus was trying to be with his words, they fell short. He said that God was just with Jesus, but Jesus was standing there. And when you read the Gospels, you realize God was just, just with Jesus. Jesus thought himself to be God. And when you honestly read the Gospels, Jesus was either right about his identity or he was the most egotistical man that has ever lived. So Jesus answered and said to this esteemed individual, most assuredly, things are lost in the English translation here. In the Aramaic and the Hebrew, it was amin amin. In the King James, it was verily, verily other translations, truly, truly. But the double amen here was more than just saying, believe me, this is true. It meant that the information that was about to be shared was firsthand and came without any doubt. You see, in the Old Testament, the prophets would speak beginning. They speak for God, but they begin using this phrase, thus saith or so says the Lord. But Jesus is not functioning like the prophets of oh, Jesus speaks as if he has firsthand information. Jesus speaks as if he is God himself. Jesus had a boldness and a clarity that was literally otherworldly. So Jesus said, most assuredly, amen. Amen. He's looking this guy right in the face. I say to you, unless one is born again. Now, at this time in history, it was widely taught that Abraham would stand at the gates of hell to make sure that none of his ancestors accidentally wandered in. So as Descendants of Abraham, they felt that they were automatically assured of heaven. Jesus said, amen, Amen. Most assuredly. He looked this powerful man in the eye and said, listen to me, Nicodemus, I'm not stuttering. I say to you, oh great teacher, in Israel, unless one is born again, it's not enough to be born in a nation or a so called Christian nation. It's not enough to be born into a good or perhaps even a Christian family. It's not enough to just maybe you were sprinkled as a baby. It's not enough just to have maybe read a few verses over the years. It's not enough just to say, well, I like baseball and apple pie too. You will not get into heaven just because you're outwardly better than the next guy. The only way you will get into heaven is if you are fundamentally changed. And that is on the inside. I want you to think about it. Just think with me. If God forgave us only, but did not change our nature, we'll end up in heaven doing the same dumb stuff we did on earth. And heaven, full of unchanged people, would be heaven no longer. So God's program is not just to forgive us, but to reach down in the inside and change our very nature. Are you with me? So Jesus is speaking authoritatively. He said, nicodemus, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. You can dress your dog up like a human if you want to. You know, I've done it too. I've put sweaters on them. I've done all different types of things. But unless the animal's nature is changed, the dog's gonna keep doing dog stuff. Sniffing where he shouldn't sniff, digging, chewing, begging, urinating in some other stuff, chasing, jumping, biting. Unless his nature's changed, I don't care. Put sunglasses on him, a hat on him. I mean, put shoes on him. Unless his nature's changed, he's still gonna act like a dog. No one's first birth assures anyone of God's kingdom. Only our second. Nicodemus looked at Jesus and he scoffed. He said, how can a man be born when he's old? Jesus, you can't teach old dog new tricks. Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? You see, without God, such things are impossible. But my Bible says with God all things are possible. Verse 9. Let's skip to verse 9. So Nicodemus asked, answered him, and said, well, Lord, how? He didn't even call him Lord. He said, how can these things be? You see, all the Pharisees knew was how to wash their hands. All they knew is what to wear, when to take baths, and how to count Hebrew letters. And they knew all the church nomenclature and all those sayings that church people say. But they knew nothing of the power of God. And there are many people that talk to talk, even get their doctrine right, but they don't believe in a God that still moves, that still saves, that can still change a person's heart and life. Jesus answered and said, are you the teacher of Israel and you don't know these things? As smart as he was, as powerful as he was, matter of fact, as good as he was compared to others, and the Pharisees were good compared to others, Jesus reprimanded him for not believing in the power of God. Skip to verse 12. We got to get to where we're going. He said, if I have told you earthly things and you don't believe, if you can't believe the most basic promises God has for people on earth, how will you believe, Nicodemus, if I start talking about heavenly things? If you can't handle this, how are you going to deal with the deeper spiritual truths, like who I really am, when I really start telling you that I'm not just a prophet, I'm not just a wise man, when I really begin to talk to you about who I really am and what I plan to do at the cross. Then Jesus went there with Nicodemus, verse 13. He said, Nicodemus, no one has ascended into heaven but he who came down from heaven, and that is the Son of man. Now that might not sound like a lot to us, but he's quoting a portion of Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 4. And Nicodemus, he's a highly educated, a brilliant man. He probably has a photographic memory and he knows the Bible. And what Jesus was implying and what he was saying here was that he came down from heaven. And I'm sure flies started wanting to land in Nicodemus mouth because his mouth hung wide open as Jesus had the audacity to say to him that he had come down from heaven. But the truths we read in the New Testament were long ago established in the old. Proverbs 30 and verse 4. Augur says what some says is a pen name for Solomon. He asks rhetorical questions. And in these questions each of the answer is God. And he said, who has ascended into heaven descended. As educated and as powerful as Nicodemus was, he still had much to learn. And there were still things that only God could do. You see, I don't care how careful, how talented, how smart you are, you will always need things that only God can provide. You think if I just would have married better. If I just would have planned better. Let me tell you something. The children of Israel followed God step by step. But they still landed right in front of the Red Sea at its deepest part. It was overflow. It was flood season. With the Pharaoh behind them. They were in the will of God. But God intentionally led them into a situation. They needed a miracle. And just because you need a miracle doesn't mean you're out of the will of God. It doesn't mean you've done something wrong. The Bible says the footsteps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And in his wisdom, Jesus said to. To Mary and Martha, I'm glad I wasn't there. You know what? Yeah, he's dead and everything, and y' all crying about it, but I'm glad I wasn't there. I'm gonna do something even greater than a healing. I'm gonna raise that boy back up. And sometimes the miracle you want is so low level. God's like, I'm gonna wait till it's absolutely too late. God's like, I'm gonna wait till. You can't give nobody credit but me for what I do. I'mma wait till it's midnight, the darkest hour. And that's when the prison doors are gonna open. So everybody in the prison know it wasn't your singing, it wasn't your song. It wasn't your power. It had to have been God. And it continues. Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who. He. He who created the wind can make it stop. And what he was saying, listen, you are only one. Peace, be still. Away from ending that storm. He who created the potential for that storm has the power to stop it. He said, who has bound the waters in a garment? And what he's saying here is, if you took all the oceans, the Pacific, the Atlantic, all the oceans on the earth, and all of the water in the heavens, in the atmosphere, God could just take off his headscarf. Matter of fact, I don't know. Y' all old enough. We used to have sweatbands. He could just take his sweatband, he's so big, stick it in the ocean. All of the water in there. Why does that matter? Because when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord is still able to. He knows how to raise up a standard against him. And then he says, who has established all the ends of the earth. Job said it this way. Who said to the oceans, come this far, but come no further. As bad as your problem might be, my Bible says, no temptation has overtaken you, but such as calming the man. And God will not allow you to be tempted above that which you can bear. I don't understand it all, but the devil, yeah, he could do some things, but he's still got a leash on him. He can only go so far. As bad as it is, God is still in control and you have to trust him. So he refers back to proverbs and you know Nicodemus knows exactly what he's saying. But then there's a part here that really just sums it all up. It says, what is his name and what is the name of his son? If you know Nicodemus, if you only realize who you're talking to, Nicodemus, if you only realize who the carpenter from Galilee is really was. If you only realize what I can do, what I want to do, Nicodemus, it would change everything. And God is saying to each of us, if you only realize the God that they were worshiping up here, it wasn't about music. It wasn't about a singer. It was about the God that changed them and transformed them and lives with them and walks with them and guides them and keeps them. If you only understood who we were worshiping, you'd be running across this place too.
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Thank you for joining us. Until next time, remember you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Greer Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word to the world. Get started by visiting Derekreer.com by clicking the link in the description.