Believing “in” Jesus not “about” him is required to be born again. We must surrender to his lordship in our lives to enter the Kingdom of God.

John 2:23-25 The intention of miracles was to point people to Jesus, not just to merely impress them.

John 3:1-10 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, perhaps Sanhedrin. He was interested and seemingly humble.

John 3:3 Being impressed with Jesus’ actions is not enough to enter the kingdom.

Verse 5 – “born of water” can be understood two ways that are both accurate – 1) water refers to amniotic fluid with physical birth and 2) water that cleanses.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 …cleanse from all your filthiness. Based on context from vs 4 and 10, could be both.

Titus 3:5

John 3:8 “wind” comes from the Greek pneuma, also translated spirit and breath. All three cannot be seen, but the effects can be felt and seen.

2 Corinthians 5:17 We are new creations since we have been born again.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Numbers 21:6-9

John 3:15-18 “believes in Him” is not the same as believing about him. Nicodemus’ progression of faith (John 3): unsure who Jesus was – John 7: defends Jesus and John 19:39: buries Jesus, thereby identifying with Jesus in public.

1 Peter 1:3-19, 22-25 If you want to experience the new birth, you must have faith in him.

Romans 10:9-10

Luke 19:11-15 Before answering why Jesus is coming back, we can first ask why he left in the first place. As it turns out, Jesus told a parable about this. He explained that he had to go away to receive royal power and then return to rule the world.

Reasons Jesus Is Coming Back

Daniel 2:31-40, 44 Nebuchadnezzar’s dream reveals God’s plan to replace the kingdom of this world with his own global kingdom.

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, 17-18, 27 Daniel’s dream shows how God will give this authority to the Son of Man to rule over the nations of the world forever. The people of the holy ones of the Most High will receive this eternal kingdom.

The Old Testament set clear expectations for what the Messiah would do. Although Jesus did not fulfil many of these expectations, we have good reason to believe he will when he returns because of his resurrection from the dead.

The messianic prophecies of the Old Testament set our expectations for what the Messiah will do.

1.      He will righteously rule over the kingdom of Judah forever from Zion (1 Chron 17:12, 14; Jer 23:5; Dan 7:14; Mic 5:2; Zech 9:9; Ps 2:6; 110:2).

2.      He will descend from Israel, Judah, Jesse, David, and Bethlehem (Num 24:17; Gen 49:10; Isa 11:1; 1 Chron 17:11; Jer 23:5; Mic 5:2).

3.      He will bring lasting peace, safety, and care for the people (Jer 23:6; Mic 5:4-5; Zech 9:10; Ps 72:7).

4.      He will judge the people fairly and execute justice, especially for the needy (Isa 11:4-5; Jer 23:5; Ps 72:2, 4, 12-14).

5.      He will have dominion to the ends of the earth, even over the nations (Dan 7:14; Zech 9:10; Ps 2:8-9; Ps 72:8-11).

6.      He will bring abundance of grain and fruit and prosperity for the people (Ps 72:3, 6, 15-16).

7.      He will be famous and renowned to the ends of the earth (Isa 11:10; Mic 5:4; Ps 72:17).

8.      He will be a son to God and God will be a father to him (1 Chron 17:13; Ps 2:7).

Jesus’s ministry was full of messianic activity, including preaching about the kingdom of God, teaching people how to live in the kingdom, healing the sick, raising the dead, and restoring outcasts back to God. However, his most direct messianic claim occurred when he rode a donkey into Jerusalem at his triumphal entry.

Although his crucifixion publicly undermined his messianic claim, his resurrection was how God vindicated him as the true Messiah. Thus, we look for his return to fulfill what remains of his messianic destiny.

Pastor Sean uses the Bible version NRSVue

“Atonement” is defined as “reparation for an offense” and it repairs a broken relationship between two parties by offering a payment to make right that which is wrong. In the Old Testament, God’s people offered sacrifices to God through the rituals of Passover, the sin offering, and the Day of Atonement. These observances were prophetic, pointing towards Jesus Christ who offered his life as the ultimate atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).

1 John 2:2 – “Atonement” is defined as “reparation for an offense or injury.” Atonement repairs a broken relationship between two parties by offering a payment to make right that which is wrong.

Exodus 12:3-13 – The blood of the Passover lamb saved God’s people from death.

Leviticus 4:27-31 – Requiring sacrifice helped deter people from sinning. When a person did sin, God graciously accepted a “sin offering” so the sinner would not die.

Leviticus 16:1-10 – Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place where God’s presence dwelled, and only on the Day of Atonement. He would confess the sins of the people and cast a goat out into the wilderness. This “scapegoat” symbolically carried away the sins of the people.

Isaiah 52:13-53:10 – The prophets foretold of a Messiah who would offer his life as an atoning sacrifice for sin. Like the Passover lamb (v. 7) he would save God’s people from death. Like the scapegoat, he would “carry” our sins in his body (v. 4). Like the sin offering (v. 10), he would be “pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities” (v. 5).

Matthew 27:11-26, 39-44 – Barabbas (“son of the Father”) deserved to die but Jesus died in his place. Jesus died to bring sinners into a right relationship with God. The veil in the temple tearing symbolizes that, through Christ, we can enter God’s presence.

Hebrews 9:24-28 – Old Testament sacrifices had to be offered over and over again. Christ offered himself as a better sacrifice – one sacrifice for all the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).

Matthew uses the Bible version REV

Although it’s common today to think of Jesus as God, he’s the human mediator between God and mankind (1 Tim 2:5). God never feels the pull of sin. Like eating liver and onions, sin holds no temptation for God (Jam 1:13). Jesus, however, faced temptations to sin throughout his life, but he overcame each one (Heb 4:15).

Scripture reveals that although Jesus had a miraculous conception (Luke 1:35), he was genuine human being. He was born in the usual manner (Luke 2:7), grew up and became strong (Luke 2:40), and increased in wisdom over time (Luke 2:52).

Peter recognized that Jesus was a man attested by God (Acts 2:22-23). Paul saw him as the man who righted Adam’s wrongs (Rom 5:12-21). Even when Jesus returns as judge, he will still be a man appointed by God (Acts 17:31).

To be human is to be in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27) and to have dominion over creation (Psalm 8:3-8). Jesus, though initially lower than the angels, has received glory and honor as the ultimate man who served God faithfully (Heb 2:5-18).

The secret to Jesus’s success of living righteously was his dependence on the Father (John 4:34; 5:19, 30; 7:16, 28; 8:26, 28-29; 10:25, 37; 12:49-50; 14:10, 24, 31; 15:10, 15; 17:4, 7-8). The greatest demonstration of his humble obedience was when he faced Satan’s temptations in the wilderness (Mat 4:1-11).

Jesus is the perfect man, our ultimate example in whose steps we can follow (1 Pet 2:18-25).

Our hope should be the anchor of our soul as we navigate the struggles of life. Scripture gives us abundant and vivid information about the coming Kingdom, providing a clear picture of the future we can confidently anticipate, rather than relying on vague or speculative ideas about heaven.

Romans 8:18 The more we know about glory, the better.

Romans 20 – Futility means emptiness, frustration, inability to achieve the purpose for which something was created.

Genesis 1:28-31

Isaiah 45:18 God’s original plan

Genesis 3:17-19 the earth radically changed

Genesis 7:11 Man’s sin caused a catastrophic alteration of both the heavens and the earth. It is not how God originally created it.

Romans 8:18-21

2 Peter 3:1ff

Isaiah 11:6–9 animals peacefully co-exist

Isaiah 35:1–2 the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus

Isaiah 40:4; Luke 3:4-5 valleys lifted up, and mountains and hills made low

Isaiah 41:18–19 wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water

Ezekiel 47:1-12 water from the temple

Isaiah 65:17–25; Revelation 21:1-4 new heavens and a new earth

Revelation 21:23-25 no need for sun and moon

Revelation 22:1–6 Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 do not lose heart

Pastor Sean uses the Bible version NRSVue

In part two of our gospel series, we consider how sin separates us from a holy God and causes negative consequences in our lives.

Isaiah 6:1-5 The prophet Isaiah saw God in an incredible vision. This intense experience made him acutely aware of his own sin as well as that of his people.

Isaiah 59:1-4 The people of Israel were mired in sin. It came out of every part of their bodies, their hands, fingers, lips, and tongues.

Isaiah 1:11-17 Even though the people were pursuing evil and taking advantage of the vulnerable, they continued to perform their religious rituals. This hypocrisy greatly offended God.

Isaiah 6:5-13 God called Isaiah to be a witness to the coming judgement in full knowledge that the people would not repent. God had been patient for centuries, but it was time for judgement.

Mark 4:10-12 Jesus saw a parallel to Isaiah’s mission in his ministry. He knew people would reject him and fail to hear his message.

Luke 19:41-44 Like Isaiah, Jesus saw the storm cloud looming on the horizon. About thirty years later, the Jewish people rebelled with the result that the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. (It has never been rebuilt.)

Revelation 20:11-15; 21:7-8 In the end we will each stand before the throne of God. What excuse can you give for your sin then? Today is the day of repentance. Now is the time to get right with God and receive his forgiveness. Then it will be too late.

Genesis 1 portrays God as unique among the so-called gods of the ancient world, a God who loves and intimately cares for his people. Instead of describing scientifically what happened in the beginning, Genesis 1 is telling us who God is and why he alone is worthy of trust and worship.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The first words of scripture are some of the most recognized and familiar words of scripture. Because we live in our modern world, we unknowingly bring a context and meaning to the text. We read Genesis 1 as an introduction to creation rather than an introduction to God’s relationship with humanity.

In doing this, we bring our own questions to the text. But these are not the same questions that the original audience would have had.

Genesis 1:1-5 If we imagine the world of the ancient Israelite, we see the questions that they would have had. We see the struggles that they would have had. And then we can read these familiar words with a fresh perspective.

Genesis 1:14-19 Notice that the Hebrew word for sun does not appear in this text. The Israelites would have been familiar with the stories of the Babylonians and the Egyptians, and the Egyptian creator God (Re) was the sun god! So Moses is correcting the old way of thinking and leading the people to the true God.

When we think about what this means to us, we don’t struggle with idolatry like ancient people did. It’s more subtle for us. We must confront the idols of our time: success, comfort/security, technology, or control, just to name a few.

According to Jim Wilder, narcissists are those who cannot metabolize shame in a relational way. What do you do when you’re confronted? Do you shift the blame, counterattack, or get defensive? A great key to transformation is learning to process shame and take responsibility both with people you’ve wronged and with God.

Proverbs 28:13 Our tendency is to conceal our transgressions (sins against other people). We don’t want to face the music. We’d rather cover it up. Why? We don’t want to feel guilt and shame.

Genesis 3:8-13 Avoiding shame is part of the human condition. Right from the beginning, Adam and Eve shifted the blame rather than taking responsibility. Although we may gawk at their obvious immaturity, many of us do the very same thing when we are confronted.

Genesis 4:3-9 Likewise, even after God worked with Cain to understand why his sacrifice was not accepted, Cain went on to murder his brother. When God confronted him, he lied to God’s face. This landed him in a world of consequences and alienation from God.

2 Samuel 12:1-15 Perhaps the greatest example of accepting intense shame, King David shows us how to do this after Nathan confronted him for adultery and murder.

Matthew 26:31-35, 75 Peter, too, provides a sterling example of someone who metabolized his shame and made it through the other side. Although he had denied Christ, he was able to find a path back.

1 John 1:8-2:2 Even after we’ve accepted responsibility for wrongdoing, we should also take the time to get right with God. Doing so involves confession and repentance. Thankfully, God promises to forgive and cleanse those who come clean to him.

1 John 2:28 Ultimately, we have two choices at the coming of Christ: shame or confidence. Which would you rather have?