Greg Laurie - Heart to Heart (07/26/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from John 3 on the life-changing conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. He explains that true salvation requires being born again—receiving new spiritual life through faith in Christ—regardless of religious background, morality, or age, as shown in John 3:16's promise of eternal life to whoever believes.
The Nighttime Visitor – Nicodemus Comes to Jesus
Let's grab our Bibles and turn to John chapter 2. John chapter 2. And the title of my message is Heart to Heart. I heard a story about a woman who would walk by a pet shop on her way to work. And they would have the front door of that pet shop open and a perch set up there with one of those big old macaw parrots. And he could talk. And she would walk by and the parrot took a look at her and said, Hey you. She turned and looked. The parrot is calling me. Hey you, he said. You are the ugliest woman I have ever seen.
She was very offended. But she thought he can't really be talking to me. He is just parroting, imitating. And the next day she walks by again. He says, Hey you. She turns and looks at him. He says, You are the ugliest woman I have ever seen. He didn't say it to anybody else. So this is personal now. The third day she walks by again. The parrot says, Hey you. What? You are the ugliest woman I have ever seen. That is it.
So she walks in the pet store. I demand to see the manager right now. And so the manager comes out from his back room. She says, Sir you have got to do something about this parrot. This is the third day he has insulted me saying I am the ugliest woman he has ever seen. The man said, Ma am. Hold on. I apologize. Let me take care of this. He took the parrot into the back room. Smacked it around a little bit. And told the parrot to never say that again. Don't you ever say that to that woman. So the parrot was contrite in a parrot kind of way. And he put him back in his perch and the woman was feeling very good about what she had done. Smugly walking out the door and the parrot yelled out, Hey you. She turns back, What? He said, You know.
That is a true story. Probably not.
You know there are things that we should know. And there are things that we do know. For instance, here is what I know after living on this earth for 61 years. You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull on the mask of the old Lone Ranger and you... Wow. Some people are sitting here saying, What is happening? What is this? That is an old song by a guy named Jim Croce called. You don't mess around with Jim. You don't pull on the mask of the old Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Jim.
Here is something else you should know. For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son and whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Do you know what that verse is? What is it? Thank you very much. John 3.16. Most people know it. If you don't know it you ought to know it. But do you know why that statement was ever given? Do you know what it means in the context of the conversation it was given in and the impact on the person who first heard it?
We are going to talk about that today. We are going to read about a conversation that changed human history. Between a wealthy, powerful, influential, very pious and religious man known as Nicodemus and Jesus the carpenter's son from Nazareth.
Nicodemus – The Finest Man Religion Could Produce
Now Nicodemus was famous. He was very religious as I said. He was powerful. He was wealthy. And yet there was something missing in his life. So he comes to Jesus one dark night. And they have this amazing interchange. Now we might wonder what effect could a conversation between a Jewish carpenter and some religious dude named Nicodemus have to do with me today in the 21st century. Well the answer is everything. Because it is not merely a conversation between God and man. Excuse me. It is not merely a conversation between two men. Rather it is a conversation between God and man.
In fact if we were going to represent or nominate someone to represent humanity to God, we could not find a better rep than Nicodemus. He was the finest this world has to offer. The closest that a person could come to being a good individual. Again very intelligent, educated, cultured, moral. So he is a good guy to represent us to God. But despite all of his accomplishments there was a big old hole in his heart. Despite the fact that he was a leader in his country and in his faith he was dissatisfied. And the words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus have unlocked the mystery of life for millions of people throughout the centuries. And maybe they will unlock the mystery of life for you today.
But before John chapter 3 is John chapter 2. Bet you didn't know that. Now of course when the scripture was originally given there weren't chapters and verses. Jesus did not say John 14 verse 1. And my father said, you know that wasn't there. That was added later. Sometimes those chapters and verses are helpful. Other times they sort of break the flow of thought. This is one of those instances because the backdrop of John 2 really sets the table if you will for John 3.
Let's look at John 2 starting in verse 23. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did. So that sounds good, right? Here is Jesus ministering. People see his miracle power. And we read they believe in him. But look at what follows. Verse 24. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of men for he knew what was in man.
Another way to translate this more simply would be they believed in him but he did not believe in them. Or they trusted in him but he did not trust in them. But why? Because Jesus was omniscient. That is just a big theological word that simply means Jesus knew everything about everyone. Do you wish you had that ability? Do you wish you could look into a person's mind and soul when you converse with them? I am not so sure I would like to be able to know what people really think.
You know you give a message and someone comes up and says, Pastor that was a wonderful message. And what they are really thinking is, You are the ugliest pastor I have ever seen. They are probably the owner of that parrot. You know you would see what is really in the human heart. You would know what their secret sin was. You would know more about them than you would probably ever want to know. I am kind of glad I don't know that about people. But God did. Jesus would look at people and he would know what they were all about. And periodically he would call people out in that regard.
Well here as this. fair weather, I mean this group of fickle followers, these fair weather believers, come to him, he could see they didn't really believe in him. In particular they were dazzled by his miracles. But their faith was not genuine. And because of that Jesus did not believe in them or reveal himself to them. But yet in the next chapter, chapter 3, he does reveal himself to Nicodemus.
Now we say, but wait a second. I thought God wanted everyone to believe in him. He does. In fact the scripture even says, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. However, he wants us to believe in him on his terms. Not just think good thoughts about him or admire him, but really understand what it means to believe.
So now we shift gears to John chapter 3. And we are going to find this conversation has three primary movements. Movement number 1 is verses 2-3 where Jesus and Nicodemus initially come face to face. Movement number 2 verses 4-8. Jesus and Nicodemus are mind to mind. And finally movement number 3 verses 9-21. Jesus and Nicodemus are heart to heart. Hence the title of the message. So let us read John 3 verses 1-10.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night. You might underline that. We will come back to it. And he said, Rabbi, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered and said, 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. You hear the sound of it. You can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus answered and said, How can these things be? Jesus answered, Are you the teacher in Israel? And you don't know these things. We will stop there.
The Backdrop – Jesus Knows What Is in Man
Now we are in this new series that we are calling God came near. It is a chronological look at the life, miracles, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Chronologically meaning we are using all four Gospels and following the events in their proper sequence as they actually happen. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the amazing events leading up to and including the birth of the Lord Jesus in Bethlehem. Then we saw how He was baptized by His cousin John and the Jordan River and the Spirit came upon Him and the Father said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then we saw how He was driven into the wilderness and tempted by the devil for forty days and forty nights. And then He performs His first miracle which was turning water into wine at Cana of Galilee.
Immediately following this, Jesus goes into the temple and overturns the tables. Now I find that interesting. Because this was a pretty radical thing to do at the start of His ministry. I mean most religious art portrays Jesus often holding a lamb around His neck or holding a staff. Sometimes He is doing this with His hand. He has got the staff doing this. Usually looking a little bit effeminate as art often portrays Him. Here is the biblical image of Christ. Jesus with a whip. I love this. Indiana Jones. He has got a whip. And what is He doing? He is driving people out of the temple. Who? The people that came to worship? Oh no. Not them. He is driving the people out that were keeping those people from worshiping. For instead of praying for the people, these other folks were praying on the people. Overcharging them. Making God's house a place of merchandising instead of a place of worship. So He drove them all out.
But you better believe that was a big deal. That caused a stir. And certainly Nicodemus would have heard all about this. Because now we come to John 3 chronologically and this conversation unfolds.
Why Nicodemus Came by Night – And What It Means
So movement number one. Nicodemus and Jesus are face to face. Here is a very important thing the Bible tells us about Nicodemus in verse 1. He was a Pharisee. Now usually we think of the Pharisees and a negative lie. But there were some positive things about them as well. I mean these were men that took the law of God very seriously. They sought to apply the Ten Commandments to every area of their life. Every Pharisee took a solemn vow before three witnesses that he would devote every moment of his entire life to obeying the Ten Commandments. There were usually only around six thousand Pharisees in their position at a time. So Nicodemus was a Pharisee.
They were the theological conservatives of their day. They believed in the authority of Scripture. They believed in the miracles of God. There was another group you read about in the Gospels called the Sadducees. They were like the theological liberals of their day. Sadducees did not believe in the supernatural. Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. They did not believe in a heaven or a hell. No hope beyond the grave. Maybe that is where they got their name. Sadducee. Because they were sad. You see? And interestingly there were occasions we read of the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming together. And the only reason they came together was because of their mutual hatred of Jesus Christ. Do you know why? Jesus was bad for business. The religious business.
So here is Nicodemus a Pharisee. And not only was he a Pharisee but he was a leader of the Pharisees. He was a part of what was known as the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a ruling body and chief authority in all of Israel. They wrote laws and conducted trials. They would be the equivalent of the Supreme Court of today. But they were even more powerful. So here is a man who has dedicated his life to the study of Scripture. Here is a man who is a member of the most powerful ruling group in Israel at the time. And not only that but he was famous. Jesus even said, You are the teacher in Israel. And you don't know these things. Nicodemus was probably the best known teacher in all of Israel.
Yet despite the fact that he was famous and powerful and educated and religious, there was something missing in his life that brings him to Jesus. And our story picks up there. Look at verse 2. He came to Jesus by night. You know I have to say this was Nick at night. Okay. We got that out of the way. Now this particular fact that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night is mentioned more than once in Scripture. So it is worth noting. Why did he come at night? Well maybe because he was the most famous teacher in all of Israel. And people would think why is the most famous teacher in all of Israel, this highly educated man going to speak to this controversial son of the carpenter known as Jesus, who does have his detractors. So there may have been the fear of what other people would think about him.
Then again maybe he went to Jesus by night because the schedule of our Lord was so full there was no time. So if he came at night he would have more time to converse with him. I don't know why he came at night. But at least he came. And the fact is at the end Nicodemus turned out to be one of the most courageous followers of Jesus Christ. Listen to this. Better to have a great ending and a poor beginning than a great beginning and a poor ending. Nicodemus had a great ending, but he didn't start so well.
You know maybe you look back in your life and you say, man I wish I had become a Christian when I was younger. And I wasted so many years of my life. Hey listen. If you are a Christian now, you have got today, you have got tomorrow, and you have got the time ahead of you as God gives it to you. So it is sort of like a race. Just finish this race well irregardless of when or how you started it. Even if you have stumbled and fallen, get up off the ground and finish this race of life well as a follower of Jesus. Far better that than the person who started with so much promise and then crashed and burned and never got up again.
Yeah, Nicodemus was just making his way into the kingdom while Judas Iscariot was a full-fledged apostle in good standing. But in the end of our Lord's ministry Judas betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver and went out and hung himself. And Nicodemus came up publicly and stood for Christ. In fact we read in John 19.39 that Joseph of Arimathea came to get the body of Christ. Jesus was buried in the tomb of the family of Joseph of Arimathea. And we read in verse 39 of John 19. And Nicodemus who at first came by night also came. I love the fact that it points out Nicodemus came out publicly for Christ in the end. And he was the guy by the way that came by night.
So there is a little reminder there about him. Now he has great respect for Jesus. Look at how the conversation begins. Verse 2, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God. For no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with them. Now it is a significant thing for a guy of the stature of Nicodemus to say this to Christ. He was treating Jesus as an equal. Rabbi. A lot of respect there. Of course they were not equals. Because this was a man talking to God. But I do not know if Nicodemus understood Jesus was God yet.
Now if Nicodemus was a careful student of Scripture he would have read the prophecies of Daniel about Messiah. And if he understood those prophecies he would recognize that Messiah was alive at that moment. And he would probably recognize Jesus was that Messiah. But if he also studied Daniel's prophecies he knew that the time would come when Messiah would be cut off. And so Nicodemus knew time was short. He needed to act quickly. And he might have also come at this point because he was getting on in years. Verse 4 says that he said to Jesus, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? So he was probably an elderly man when this conversation took place.
You Must Be Born Again – The Essential Truth
Nicodemus had the statistical cards stacked against him. Listen. Most people make their commitment to follow Jesus Christ before the age of 21. So you may wonder why we always reach out to younger people. That is why. Because most people come to Christ when they are still young. It is not to say they do not come in the older years. But most come when they are under 21.
Take a quick poll. Let us start with an easy question. How many of you are Christians? Raise your hand. You are Christians. Good. All right. How many of you became a Christian before the age of 21? Raise your hand. Well that is the majority of you. Okay. How many of you came to Christ after the age of 30? Raise your hand. Not as many. How many after 40? How many after 50? See. Less hands each time. So the longer you wait the harder it gets. That does not mean it becomes impossible. It just becomes more challenging. Because when you get older you become more set in your ways. Right. When you are older you like routine. You like to know what is coming. You do not like surprises. Right. You listen to the oldie station on the radio. You do not understand this new music at all. You go to the same restaurant. You sit in the same place. And you order the same thing every time. When you come to church you will even sit in the same place. I know. Because you are all in your places. With bright shining faces. You do not like change. You know you are slower a bit now. Right. You know you drive slower. Have you noticed older people drive really slow. I mean if you see someone going like 40 on the freeway. Chances are it is an elderly man. He probably has a trifocal windshield he is looking through. You know. So that does not mean they are beyond hope.
Years ago we did a crusade in Santa Barbara. It was an outdoor amphitheater. And when the invitation was given a 90 year old man walked forward at the urging of his grandchild. Now the back story to this is interesting. This man's wife had died a few years before. She was a Christian and she had prayed for him throughout her entire life. But he would not believe in Jesus. On her deathbed his wife pleaded with him to come to Christ. She wanted her husband to know the love and the peace that she had experienced. But he churned her down. So here he is now. Age 90. At a harvest crusade. The service is coming to a close. I am giving the invitation for people to come to Christ. And his granddaughter says, Grandpa, do you want to go forward? He says, No, I don't. She says, Come on, Grandpa. I will go with you. He says, No, it is cold down there. I don't want to go down there. She says, No, Grandpa. I think you are going to like what you find when you get down there. He turned to her and says, What do you think it is that I am going to find when I get down there? She said, I think you are going to find love and peace in life.
So this old man made his way forward, prayed that prayer, and afterwards he said, Now I know what my wife was talking about all these years. And now I know that I will see her again. See, God can work still. Don't write anybody off, irregardless of their age.
So Nicodemus comes with great respect. Verse 2, We know that you are a teacher come from God. That is sort of humorous to me. We know. We. It is just Nicodemus and Jesus. There is no we. But sometimes people will say that when they are not comfortable saying, I. You know, we know. Or a lot of people have said this about you. We do not want to commit ourselves to it personally. Or sometimes when we have a question, we might say, A friend of mine had a question. But it is really me. So we know that you are a teacher come from God, he says to Jesus.
And with one single sharp and penetrating phrase Jesus slices through all the layers of rules and legalistic attitudes that have accumulated around the mind of Nicodemus. Like a sword these words Pierce the Pharisees heart. Verse 3, Most assuredly I see to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
So here is Nicodemus. You would expect Jesus to say, Well first of all let me say it is an honor to meet you Nicodemus. I can not even believe you would make time to meet with me. I just want to thank you. No. Jesus does not do any of that. He just cuts to the chase. Buddy let me get to the bottom line with you. I know why you are here. I am God. I know everything. You need to be born from above Nicodemus. And it is interesting how he prefaces that statement. He says, Most assuredly, or I tell you the truth, that can be translated, this is a certain thing. In other words, I am going to reveal to you a fundamental reality of life. Listen very carefully to what I am saying to you now Nicodemus. And in effect to all of us listening now, you must be born again. That is essential. It is not optional.
Sadly this term has lost its meaning. People throw it around a lot. What does it even mean? The term born again has been pirated, emptied of its meaning, dragged through the gutter, and given back to us minus its power. Today when someone says they are born again we do not even know what that means necessarily. A person can be into New Age mysticism and say they are born again. What does it mean to be born again? Well it means that you have had your spiritual eyes opened and you have embraced Christ as your Savior and Lord.
This is why you can't explain it to a non-believer. God has to touch them. See this is what I recognize as an evangelist. I don't have any magic tricks. I don't have any clever sayings that man once I say this everyone believes. I have had people come to me and say, Greg what is the one thing I can say to my non-believing friend to make them believe. What are you serious? Okay I am going to reveal this to you. Only a few evangelists know this. But if you say this they will believe. I don't have anything like that. Here is what I understand. I am to declare a simple message and I pray God will open the hearts and the minds of the listeners. And I will tell you what I have seen it happen before my eyes. I have watched people. And I can often pick out a non-believer in a crowd. They just are, you know, they stand out a little differently. The way they listen. The way that they respond. And I have watched a person. And I don't stare at anybody by the way. People say, you were staring at me the whole time. It is not true. But I am staring at the man in the blue shirt now. Man. How is it going? Okay. I am done with that. Okay. But I don't intentionally do that. But I have noticed people. And I have seen the moment. I believe when they got it. When the light went on they just sort of, I can see it. It is like, they got it. And then when we extend the invitation they will respond. That is so glorious.
But the Bible says that the non-believer, the man who is not a Christian, the woman, can understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. That is 1 Corinthians 2.14. So buddy, listen to me. Jesus is saying, you need to be born from above. Your religious beliefs aren't going to do it for you. Despite the fact that you are at the top of the heap of the religious world, it hasn't brought you any closer to heaven.
Let me make a statement some might find controversial. I think religion has kept more people out of heaven than all the other sins combined. You say, well how can you say that? When I say religion I mean man's attempt to reach God. That is not what I have. And by the way, I do not consider myself a religious person. Oh no Greg, you are a preacher. You are very religious. I hope not. I sure try not to be. I do not like religion. Let me take it a step further. I hate religion. I hate it. And I will tell you why. Because it blinds people to their need for God.
You know you will talk to them about their faith. Well I am raised Presbyterian. Well what do you want? A medal? Well I am raised Catholic. I was baptized as a kid. Yeah so. Well my grandfather was a preacher. Yeah. And? See we will run to these little religious things. Oh well I gave my confession at church. Oh I was baptized. I received communion. And just like a Pharisee we will go to little rituals that we think will earn the favor of God. And we will hide behind those things. And sometimes religion can actually keep us from Jesus Christ. And plus I think religion makes people weird. They just get weird when they are religious. Sometimes they can be judgmental unnecessarily. They can be mean. They can be spacey. I do not know if they were weird to start with and then they got religious. Whatever it is I am not interested. I do not want religion. In fact if I were not a Christian I would not be a religious person. I have never been enthralled with religious ritual and things of that nature. I would not be a person that goes to any kind of a worship service. I would. just be a Joe Heathen. But because I met God in a personal way and Christ came to live inside of me I cannot deny the reality of that. But I desperately do not want to become a religious person. But I do want to be a follower of Jesus Christ. And there is a big difference between the two. So let's clap for it.
So Jesus says to Nick at night, you must be born again. Sometimes people will say, well you know I am a Christian. I am just not one of those born agains. Ever heard that? News flash. You cannot be a Christian without being born again. Jesus says you must be born again. It is absolutely essential.
The Wind of the Spirit – Born Again Explained
So now we go from phase one, phase to phase. Now it is mind to mind. Verse four. How can a man be born when he is old? So Nicodemus is saying, okay I accept this in premise. But how? What is the process of this? How does a person start over? Can a person really change at this time in life? Really? I mean we have all tried to change. Probably not been very successful. Usually at the beginning of a year we have our resolutions. How many of you made New Year's resolutions this year? Raise your hand. Thank you very much. By the way I did not make any New Year's resolutions so I am in the same boat with you. But you know we try to change. You can change the exterior but that does not affect the interior.
Years ago we had a car. An old Ford Starliner. Do you know what that looks like? If you are a car person you will understand what I am talking about. It is a super cool car. And I wish I still had that old car. Anyway my mom decided she wanted to get it painted. It was sort of a powder blue color. So there was this guy that used to paint cars back in those days. His name was Earl Scheid. Anybody remember him? Any of you who remember Earl Scheid make a resolution? No I am kidding. Okay. And he would come on TV and say, Hi, I am Earl Scheid. I will paint any car any color for $29.95. No ups and no extras. That is what he said. He was something. I mean $29.95. Then he raised his price to $99.95. But can you imagine getting your car painted for $30? So we took our car to Earl Scheid and we went from kind of a powder blue to a deep metallic blue. And I tell you what he did it. $29.95. He painted that car. And the windows. And the tires. And the chrome. Lots of overspray. A very blue car for $29.95. And it was still the same car. Still ran the same. You have to change the inside.
And so now as we are having this conversation perhaps a warm breeze blew through. causing Jesus to say, Hey the wind blows where it wills. You hear the sound of it. You can't know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Get in Nicodemus. Feel the wind right now. See how the wind moves. Can you see the wind, Nicodemus? No. But you see the effects of the wind. Right. If you have ever flown and you hit turbulence you sure feel that. Plane is shaking a lot. Or maybe you have seen a hurricane. You see the effects. You don't see the wind. He says so is everyone that is born again.
So now we have come to the third phase of the conversation. It starts with face to face. Then it is mind to mind. Now it is heart to heart. Verse 9. Nicodemus answers and says to him, How can these things be? Now he is being honest and open. He is saying, Okay. Break it down for me Jesus. What is the process of this? I am an old man. I am set on my ways. How can I be born again? Jesus says, Are you the teacher of Israel and you don't know these things? Hey Nick. Come on man. Everybody knows who you are. You are the go to guy for spiritual information and you don't know that?
And so now Jesus is going to explain it. And he really gives the ABCs of the gospel. Verse 14. As Moses was lifted up, or lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Now we may read that and not know what it means. But to Nicodemus it meant a lot. Nicodemus, a student of Scripture, knew that Jesus was referring to Numbers 21. It is the story of the Israelites in the wilderness. And they were complaining to Moses. Saying, Why did you bring us out to Egypt to die like this? And we are sick of this stinking manna. This is horrible. So the Lord sent venomous snakes snakes to bite them. So they were snake bit. A bunch of snakes.
Now, being a guy who once wanted to be a herpetologist, that is someone who studies reptiles, I was curious to know, what kind of snake was this? I mean, the cobra was indigenous to this region. So it could have been cobras. That is a powerful snake. It is a big snake. It has venom that is fatal if you are not treated quickly. And it could have been a cobra. But chances are it was a different snake actually known as a saw-scale viper. This snake is smaller. It is only about three feet at its longest. And what is unique about the viper is it is aggressive. And it strikes snakes with such force it actually leaves the ground. So...and I have been bit by a lot of snakes by the way. Because I used to have snakes. Every kind. I have been bit by many gopher snakes because we would catch them in the wild. I have been bit by red racers, king snakes. Bitten by a python. Bitten by a boa. I think I was bitten by every snake I ever owned. Why did I have snakes? I don't know. It is so much fun to be bitten by a snake. It is not. I hate them now. But you know I have never been bit by a venomous snake.
So here probably this particular snake, the saw-scale viper. Probably a bunch of them emerge and they are just leaping up biting the Israelites. Foom, foom, foom, foom, foom. Everyone is bit. They are all going to die. They only have a short time to live. So God says to Moses, I am Moses. I want you to get a pole. I want you to get a serpent. Make it out of brass. Wrap it around that pole. Hold it up high where everyone can see it. Whoever sees the serpent on the pole will live. So you do your part and I will do my part. So Moses took this pole with the serpent on it. He held it up and everyone that looked at the pole was healed and they did not die of the snake bite. But if they did not look at the pole they would die.
So Jesus is using this as an illustration of the cross. How Jesus was lifted up on the cross. And even as we go back to Calvary. There were those that looked up at him and believed. There was a satyrian that looked at him and said, truly this was the Son of God. There was his mother that looked up there. There was John looking up. There was Mary looking up. And there were others. And there were others that looked away. In fact there were some Roman soldiers gambling for For the one earthly possession He had while He was dying for their sin and the sin of the world. Others even mocked and walked away. So you had a choice on that day when Jesus died. You could look and live or you could look and leave.
In fact we read in Isaiah 45, 21, There is no God apart from me. Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there is no other. So Jesus uses that picture. Now He comes to the most well known verse in all of the Bible, John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
That has been called the Hope Diamond of Scriptures. In the last interview I did with Pastor Chuck Smith. I asked him, I said, Chuck, if you had one last sermon to give before you went to heaven, what would your text be? What do you think He chose? John 3, 16. I asked him why. He said, because the gospel is in it. Max Lucado says of John 3, 16, quote, it is a 26 word parade of hope. Beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather 2,000 years of storms and questions. If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. End quote. That is good, isn't it? That old Max, he has a way with words.
What does it say? For God so loved. You know some people have a concept of God as a cosmic killjoy out to ruin our lives. Nothing longs for a relationship with us. And who does God love? For God so loved the world. It doesn't say, for God so loved really nice people. For God so loved Christians. No, it says, for God so loved the world. That includes everyone. That means God loves thieves and adulterers. That means that God loves homosexuals. And that means that God loves adulterers. And that means that God loves murderers. And that means that that love is for every person on the face of the earth.
I mean that thief on the cross who was crucified next to Jesus. He was most likely a murderer. We call him a thief. But the word in the original language would speak of someone who committed a more serious crime. Probably an act of insurrection against Rome. Probably murdered a Roman soldier or something like that. We might even call him a terrorist today. And yet Jesus extended forgiveness. For God so loved the world.
And by the way, some would say. Christ died only for the elect. This would be the Calvinistic point of view. Christ died for the elect. And only the elect will believe. They believe that God has predestined some people to go to heaven. And God has predestined other people to go to hell. You have nothing to say about it. In the councils of eternity God figured it all out. You are going to heaven, heaven, hell, hell, heaven, hell, heaven, heaven, hell, hell. Just like that. And then you figure it out later in life. Well I don't happen to believe that. I don't believe Christ died for the elect. I believe He died for the whole world. He died for every man, every woman, every sinner. It's like D.L. Moody the evangelist once said, Lord, save the elect and then elect some more.
I don't believe anyone is predestined to hell. I don't believe that God in the councils of eternity said, I choose that you go to hell. However, I do believe God predestined people to heaven. You say, now you are confusing me. Well I have to believe in it because the Bible teaches it. The Bible teaches that Jesus said, you did not choose me. I chose you. And then the Bible says that I have been predestined by God. Well, then how does it work with free will? Here is how it works. The Bible teaches predestination and free will. Side by side in some occasions. So it is not that I have to reconcile this. I recognize my job as a preacher is to proclaim the gospel and appeal to the free will of people. It is God's job to decide who those people are. But this offer is to everyone. For God so loved the world.
He gave His only begotten Son. He gave. You know, the world reaches up to God through religion, through ritual. God reaches down to humanity through Christ. And when it says His only begotten Son, this could better be translated, His one and only Son. Or the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind.
Okay, well who can be forgiven? Whosoever believes. Who does that mean? That means everyone. Whosoever believes. No matter what they have done, no matter what sins they have committed, whosoever believes should not perish. You know, it is an interesting thing. There are other whosoever's in the Bible. In Revelation 20.15 we read, Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So if you are included in the whosoever of John 3. 16 you will not be included in the whosoever of Revelation 20.15. Which whosoever are you? Whosoever believes.
Now what does that mean? It means to put your full trust in Christ. I am putting my full trust that this platform is going to hold up all 140 pounds of my frame. That is my right leg. But if I put my weight against this podium, I trust that it will hold me up. That is what it means to believe. You trust in. You cling to. You rely on Christ and Christ alone. Not Christ plus works. Or Christ plus ritual. Or Christ plus anything. Whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.
Notice it does not say, well hope to have. But it becomes the immediate possession of the child of God. When you are born from above, when you believe in Jesus, you have eternal life given to you as a gift from God. 1 John 5. 13 These things I have written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know, that you have eternal life, and by believing you may have life in His name.
So that is God's promise to you. It is for everyone. Young people. Middle-aged people. Old people. Old people who think they are middle-aged. Middle-aged people who think they are young. It is for everybody.
A Personal Story – My Dad's Late Conversion
Speaking of moral men. You all know that my mom was married and divorced seven times, and. had a bunch of boyfriends in the middle of all that. And she married one guy that I respected. His name was Oscar Lurie. He was not my biological father. But he was different than the other guys my mom picked. You know she always picked these kind of, what do you call them? The kind of guys that hang around in bars. One was similar to another. And this one guy, Oscar, was different from all the rest. He was not a guy who hung out in bars. In fact he was a member of the bar. He was an attorney. He was moral. He was educated. He didn't smoke. He didn't drink. I don't know what my mom saw on him. But she married him. Oscar Lurie.
And so I was living in California. And we moved to New Jersey where he practiced law. In a little city called Summit, New Jersey. And I remember how he took such an interest in me. First of all he adopted me and gave me his name. That was a lot right there. Secondly he treated me as a father should treat a son. He spent time with me. He helped me. He gave me an allowance but I had to work for it. I remember it was fifty cents a week. I had to do all of my chores. One time I got caught stealing popcorn in a store. And by the way the popcorn bag was like this big. And when you are this big and you steal popcorn that is this big it is not going to end well. You are walking out. I got caught. So my father disciplined me. And then he took me down to the jail and introduced me to the prisoners trying to warn me away from a life of crime.
So I called him dad. He was the only father in quotes that I ever called dad. I loved him. He was my father. And one day I got out of school there in New Jersey. And my mom had the Cadillac loaded up with all of our suitcases. And I said what is going on? She says we are leaving New Jersey. I said where are we going? She said we are going to Hawaii. Well I was excited. I had never been to Hawaii before. I said where is dad? She said he is not coming. And I never saw him again in my childhood.
So after I became a Christian and became an adult and I started pastoring this church I decided I wanted to look him up if he was still alive. I did not know. So there was a girl in our church who was a member of the Bar Association. I said look up Oscar Laurie. See if he is practicing law anywhere. Sure enough she finds him immediately. Practicing law still now in Red Bank New Jersey.
So I was going to go speak in New York City in Central Park and I thought maybe I will look him up and try to share my faith with him. So I got his phone number, called his office. His secretary answered. Law offices of Oscar Laurie. I said yes is Mr. Laurie. And she said no he is not here. He is at lunch. Can I take a message? I said yeah tell him that Greg Laurie called. She said how do you spell your last name? I said same way he spells his last name. L-A-U-R-I-E. I am his son.
I get a call like ten minutes later. Greg. So good to hear from you. How have you been? I have been good. Hey listen Oscar. I called him. I did not feel I could call him dad anymore. I am going to be in New York speaking. I told him a little bit about being a pastor. And I said I would love to have lunch with you. He says oh no Greg. Come to our house for the weekend. I said oh I couldn't do that. That would inconvenience you. Because he is remarried. He has a family now. No. Come to our house for the weekend. No. No. Come. Okay.
So I get to New York. I have Kathy with me. And Christopher who was a little boy at that time. I did my speaking engagement. I got on the train. Went from New York City. Arrived in Red Bank. And there is like a scene out of a movie. You know he comes running up. And he looks so similar to the way I remembered him. I hadn't seen him for years. He is older now of course. But so we go back to his house and we are talking. And I find out that he had just had a heart attack and blacked out at the wheel of his car and had run into a pole. He had serious heart problems at this point.
So we are catching up on old times. I am telling him a little of my story. So that night his wife Barbara made us a fantastic Italian meal. Spaghetti. You know the sausage. the meatballs. All the fixings. And she is a committed Catholic woman. And she says Greg tell me all about how you became a Christian. So I start sharing my story. And she is listening. She is really responsive. And I look at the other end of my table. And my dad is just sitting there. He has his hands up to his face like this. He does not react. He does not smile. I suddenly felt like I was in a court of law. You know like I am giving my testimony and he is the judge. And it is not going over well. Because he did not react to anything I said. He just listened like this. Just listened.
Then dinner was done. He said, Now Greg I have to get up every morning and walk. Would you walk with me in the morning? I said, Sure. He goes, I can knock on your door. So the next morning the knock comes on my door at 6 o'clock East Coast time. 3 o'clock California time. And I come stumbling out of the room. I am so sleepy. I am thinking, Why did I ever agree to this? And so we are walking along and the air is really cool. He says, Greg I listen very carefully to what you said last night. I said, Right. And at this point I was calling him dad again by the way. And he said, Yes, Greg. I would like to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord right now.
Now the reason I am telling you this story is here is my dad. He is 75 years old. He is like Nicodemus. He is moral. He is educated. He is a good man in the broad sense of that word. I want to accept Jesus Christ right now he says. I said, Well dad we just pray a prayer. I could lead you in a prayer. And I went over it again to make sure he understood. I understand. I want to do that right now. He is very determined. I said, Well let us pray. He drops to his knees. I was not going to get on my knees and apart. But he was down there so I got down on my knees with him. And we prayed and I led him in this prayer. And after we are done praying he says, Oh I know Christ is coming to my life. Greg pray for my heart now. Pray God heals my heart. I am saying, Well dad we don't know if God will heal. Pray for my heart. Okay Lord heal his heart. He is like four minutes old in the Lord. His faith is already... So we pray for his heart.
We get up and he says, Christ is coming to my life. I believe God has healed my heart. Well no we don't know. Well I believe it. Okay great. He goes, I want to go tell my doctor. His office is right over there. You want to tell your doctor? Yes. So we walk into his doctor's office. He is a nice Jewish man. We walk in and my dad says, Doc this is my son Greg Laurie. He is a preacher from California. And I just prayed and accepted Christ into my life. And God has healed my heart. And I am going, Oy vey.
So they did tests on him. And sure enough his heart had been healed. And so, God gave him 15 more years. And he served the Lord. He was actively involved in his church. I remember I told him to start reading the Bible. And I came back home and I went back in a month. He had already read the whole Bible. He was quoting scriptures to me with understanding. I couldn't believe it. It is dramatic. Dramatic. And he served the Lord. And then the Lord called him home to heaven. I preached at his funeral service. 75 years old. What are the chances? No one is beyond the reach of God. You are not beyond the reach of God.
So I think the appropriate way to close our service is to just make sure everyone listening to me right now is born from above. You have been born again. Because if you are not born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So my closing question to you is, Are you? You say, Well Greg I am a moral person. Yeah. That is good. I am religious. None of these things matter. If this story tells us nothing else, it tells us none of those things will get you into heaven. You have to admit that you are a sinner. And turn from that sin. And realize that is why Jesus died on the cross for you. Because there was no other way to get you right with God.
If you want to be born again, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you are ready to say yes to Jesus, I am going to give you an opportunity to do that right now. Let us all bow our heads. Everybody pray please.
Father I pray now that you will work in the hearts of those that are listening. Holy Spirit I pray that you will open their spiritual eyes and show them their need for Jesus. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. How many of you today would say, I want to be born again. I want Christ to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die I will go to heaven. Pray for me. If that is your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life just like He came into my dad's life so many years ago. Just like He came into the life of naked demons. If you want to know with certainty you will go to heaven when you die. Would you lift your hand up wherever you are and I will pray for. I want you to stand to your feet. Stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer where you will be asking Christ to come into your life. Stand up. Stand up. Stand up.
Now listen. You are not the only one standing. You need to make this commitment. You stand. Even if you did not raise your hand, you stand. You are watching on a video screen. Stand up and we are going to pray. Anybody else? One final moment. Stand. If you want to go to heaven. If you want Christ to come One final moment. God bless you. Stand up. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless all of you standing.
Now you that are standing, I am going to lead you in a simple prayer. I will ask you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you are asking Christ to come into your life. Again as I pray, pray this out loud right where you stand. Pray this after me now.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But you died on the cross for my sin. And Rose again from the dead. Jesus, I want to be born again today. I want to go to heaven when I die. I want to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and accepting me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.