Impact Week Nineteen

Review

Last week we talked about Timothy and the instructions that Paul was giving to him. Timothy was left behind by Paul to watch over the church at Ephesus. Paul told Timothy to be an example to the church because it was getting off track and seemed to preaching some bogus stuff. He told him to be an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Timothy was a young guy, but Paul was confident that Timothy was up to the task. There is no reason why any of us should think we are incapable of leading people to Christ. It’s pretty simple: live the life. People need to see an example of genuine faith, a life devoted to what they claim to believe.

Background

This week, we’re going to look at one of the most famous passages in the Bible. It’s famous because John 3:16 pretty well sums up the Christian faith. Nicodemus was apparently part of a small group of Pharisees (which ruled over religious and civil matters) that believed Jesus was sent by God. But even in the early days of Jesus’ ministry, Nicodemus didn’t wish to be seen with Him, so he approached Him during the night. It is likely that Jesus had just cleansed the temple, so it’s not hard to imagine Nicodemus’ hesitation.

Reading: John 3:1-21

End

I read an article online last night about a speech that the president of a university gave to his audience. In his speech, he related a story. Apparently he was walking out of a department store during the holiday season. If you've been to Target or K-mart during Christmas, you know that The Salvation Army sets up a volunteer who rings a bell and collects donations for the organization. Well the president came across one of these people and stopped to drop something in the pot. The volunteer asked, “Sir, are you saved?” He replied that he thought he was, but the woman didn't like his answer. So she pressed further, "I mean, have you given your life to the Lord?" So the president told her of his position, "I am the president of a university, and as such, I am also president of its school of theology." The woman paused to consider his answer and replied, "It doesn’t matter, wherever you’ve been, or whatever you are, you can still be saved.”

Nicodemus was a religious leader of his day, and probably thought he was a shoe in for heaven. The president of a Christian university probably thought his salvation was secure as well. And I have heard some preacher’s kids and missionary kids try to tell me they were saved because their parents were. The fact is, who you are and what you do doesn’t make you a Christian. Your faith is your own, not because someone prayed for you when you were a baby and blessed you. You are a Christian because you have been reborn and have personally accepted Christ as your savior.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Most of us have at one time or another done some chores around the house to earn an allowance. As a kid, I can remember getting between twenty-five cents (when I was younger) to about five bucks (when I got older) per week. I don’t come from a particularly wealthy family, so anything I got was a big deal. But I worked for it, believe you me. It was usually yard work (the yard looked like a landscaping crew had been there by the time the four of us got done) or helping with the family business. I did it to earn money.

Our salvation, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. You can’t earn salvation – it is given freely to those who put their faith in Christ. If you’ve been told differently, you were told wrong. And you don’t need to take my word for it. The Bible is more than clear about it.

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Memory Verse: Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.”