WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.040 Clearly, that God had a claim on me. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:04.480 I knew that. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:06.799 He had a claim on me. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.279 And what I told my brother was, ask me later. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.640 I have a lot more living to do. 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:22.960 I felt these inner stirrings. 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:30.640 Something in me resonated with what he'd read to us in the scripture and what I'd read in this track. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:33.439 And yet, no. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:35.280 I just stuffed it. 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:36.560 Ask me later. 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:38.479 I've got a lot more living to do. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:44.560 I'll come back to you when I'm done with some major goals that I have in my 12-year-old self. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:01:04.239 The second thing that we see about what it means to open to God, what it looks like, if the first is paying attention to the stirrings in our heart, the second is a little more costly. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:10.239 It involves a willingness to be corrected and to be taught by the Lord. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:20.879 Have you noticed in Nicodemus when he speaks, there's actually only about three sentences that he says back to the Lord. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.280 It's a really short encounter here. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.680 He comes to Jesus and he says, you know, we know, we know. 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.120 He's in the place of knowing and seeing. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:36.159 I see you, Jesus, we know. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:41.760 The second thing he says is, what? 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:43.519 Like, what? 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:44.879 Born again? 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:46.239 Born from above? 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:47.120 What? 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:54.480 The third thing he says is, how can this be? 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:59.439 How can these things be? 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:09.199 You see, what Jesus had said to him was Nicodemus, you have missed the center. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:11.599 That's what Jesus says to him. 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:18.080 You're a teacher of Israel, and yet you have missed the center of Scripture. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:24.240 And you're lost. 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:33.599 And Nicodemus is willing to sit under that. 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:38.560 There's something amazing about this. 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:45.280 There is a teachableness in him that is in sharp contrast to the Pharisees and to the other Jews. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:50.400 What did they do when Jesus said the kinds of things that I read earlier to you? 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:57.599 Jesus would tell them, you know, you're going to die in your sins if you don't believe I am who I am. 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.719 And they would say back, oh, where is he going? 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:02.879 Where does he think he's going? 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:04.800 We know your parents. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:06.240 Yeah. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:07.680 Yeah, we know. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.000 We know you don't have a dad. 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:17.919 They would pull out the knives, they would chuck and jive, they would move all around. 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:21.039 But they weren't teachable. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.159 They weren't willing to just sit. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.240 See, they weren't willing to face the cost. 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.280 There's a cost involved in opening. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:34.159 What is this cost? 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:42.639 There's a cost involved in opening, a cost that we have to put lower down. 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:44.080 We begin this process. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:48.960 It's a long process to begin the process of lowering our masks. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:56.400 I don't know about you, but I see a mask on Nicodemus when he comes to Jesus. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.360 He's got his Pharisee mask on. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:04.800 He's got his Sanhedrin, ruler of the Jews, mask on. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:08.560 And he says, I know. 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:10.080 I know. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.400 But that mask starts coming off. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:15.680 It's beautiful. 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.680 That mask starts coming down. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:23.519 And he begins to face literally the terror of his fears. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:50.160 And facing your fears at this level can be terrifying because Nicodemus is facing the fears of his need, that he's missed the center, that he's not right with God, that in spite of decades of positioning himself and putting himself in the best possible place in life, he's now in a place that has missed it all. 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:03.120 He's in a place that has to look at the exposure of his sin. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:11.199 Listen to what Jesus said just a few minutes, and perhaps even a part of this discussion with Nicodemus. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.240 This is in John 3, verse 19. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:26.000 Jesus says, This is the judgment that light has come into the world, and people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:36.639 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come into the light lest his deeds should be exposed. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:41.279 There is the cost of openness to God. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:49.759 Coming into the light that your need would really be exposed. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.160 This is humility. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:00.879 This is repentance. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:03.120 This is surrender. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:08.160 This is the point that Nicodemus is looking at, that he's facing. 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.160 He's a very conflicted man. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:14.560 We're not sure how he actually leaves this scene. 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.639 But he's facing the pressure of this. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.879 He's being shown that if he doesn't open, the great cost that's involved in that. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.959 Well, there's a third thing here about what openness looks like. 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:36.720 And I'm just going to mention this. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:45.839 But all opening, all opening to God involves a prior movement of God. 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:48.560 Jesus said this to Nicodemus. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:50.879 It's one of the things he marveled about. 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:54.959 Jesus says, flesh gives birth to flesh. 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:58.800 You have to be born from above. 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:11.519 The Spirit of God needs to blow at his sovereign will in your life and in your heart and do a creative work within you that is radical. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.439 As radical as being born all over again. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:20.160 It's an inward renewal, an inward birth. 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:27.439 Only Spirit can give birth to a new heart. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.920 And in fact, the Old Testament foretold that very thing. 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:43.519 I do think it's meant for us to take into account. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:53.199 It's meant to kind of push against that 12-year-old who says, you know, I'll come to God later. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:08:00.639 I'll come to God when I am willing, on my terms, I'll come back to this. 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.279 I'll just come back when I'm when it's more convenient. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:10.480 But I think all through John's gospel, there's this constant message. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:18.720 Jesus says, you know, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.800 Jesus said, all my children will be taught by God. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:27.920 They will hear the voice of God. 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.519 My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:35.200 And the reason you don't hear is because you're not my sheep. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:52.639 So Jesus would say a lot of things that would create a kind of hopefully an allurement of humility of saying, wow, wow, Lord, it really is meant to evoke in us a quicker opening. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.360 Lord, can I be such a man? 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:57.440 Would you work in me? 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:01.360 The spirit opening that you talk about here. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:10.559 I remember when my mother had cancer 20 years ago, she was diagnosed with one of the most serious kinds of cancer there are. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:14.000 And I think if I remember the stats, it's something like this. 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:18.159 They said, you know, only 5% of people will survive this. 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.720 Her response to the doctor literally was, okay. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:25.919 What do I got to do to be in that 5%? 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:27.919 How come I can't be in that 5%? 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:29.600 Someone's in that 5%. 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:40.559 I'd like us to move over to scene 2. 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:46.639 We're not going to get through this if we don't move quickly here, so let's look at scene 2 in John chapter 7. 00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:00.559 And we're going to look at verse 32 and then 45 to 52. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:12.799 John 7, verse 32, the Pharisees had heard the crowd muttering these things about Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:15.759 Now drop down the verse 45. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:23.200 These officers came back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, Why didn't you bring him in? 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:27.200 And the officers answered, No one ever spoke like this man. 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:30.879 The Pharisees answered them, Have you been deceived? 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:36.639 Have you, have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.840 But this crowd that doesn't know the law is accursed. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:54.240 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:59.200 They replied, Are you from Galilee too? 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:04.000 Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee. 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:09.759 Things are heating up for Jesus. 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:22.320 And one of the things, this is the second time, the second scene we meet Nicodemus, and what we see in this scene about opening is that opening involves a desire to die to people pleasing. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:35.759 Nicodemus is beginning to die to people pleasing, all his status and all his jockeying to maintain where he was and the kind of position that he had. 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:56.480 He is willing at this point to actually rebuke in a veiled kind of way these leaders that you know what, you guys are saying nobody understands the law but you, and you're breaking the law in condemning Jesus without even having given him a fair hearing. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.039 Wow. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:24.080 What courage it took for Nicodemus to do this, to begin to express his loyalty to him, the courage it took for him to face the scorn that he faced in this passage and that he would have known he was going to face as he begins to kind of come out and start moving more toward Jesus. 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:34.399 And you know, the Lord tells us this many times that he who wants to save his life will lose his life in this world. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:40.480 But he who loses his life for my sake will find it. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:46.159 He who denies me, my father will deny. 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:56.559 But he who is loyal to me and affirms me, my father will affirm in heaven. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:02.799 There's a great cost in opening to God. 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:08.080 There's a great cost to our reputation. 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:15.919 And maybe not with your fellow Christians, but maybe with your family, maybe at your workplace. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:23.919 In some sphere of your world, if you're not really opening to God, there is going to be a cost, and there will continue to be a cost. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.720 We'll see with Nicodemus, the cost only gets higher as he goes on. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:30.639 The cost never stops. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:35.039 There's a cost to receiving the gift of grace from Jesus. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.279 There's a cost of loyalty. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.480 And that cost is an angry world. 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:45.360 That cost is evil that now has a target on your back. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:57.360 John chapter 19. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:14.240 This is after Jesus was crucified. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:20.159 It was during the Passover feast. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:22.320 The Sabbath day was at hand. 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.399 Everything had to be taken care of before sundown. 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:30.720 So the things we're going to be reading about here happened in the daylight. 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:34.879 Happened in broad daylight, toward the end of the day. 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:47.519 After these things, verse 38, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:49.759 And Pilate gave him permission. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.639 So he came and took away the body. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:15:06.240 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloe, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:14.240 They took the body of Jesus and bound in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:22.159 Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had been laid. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:29.600 So because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:35.919 What we see here with Nicodemus is a deepening loyalty. 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:41.919 He now with another member of the Sanhedrin, another secret disciple. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:46.399 And I think even his association with Joseph is saying something to us. 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:48.000 These two are together. 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:50.080 They're really disciples of Jesus. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:54.480 They're emerging disciples, but secretly for fear of the Jews. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:59.519 But now, now they are in broad daylight. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:01.919 What happened first at night? 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.360 And then only in the company of just his colleagues. 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.200 Now he's before the world. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:15.440 He's asking for the body of Jesus, and he's going to give him a lavish burial fit for royalty. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.120 This really was a lavish, lavish burial. 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:34.559 And Joseph and Nicodemus kind of reverse the opposition of the Jews who believe that Jesus was not the King of the Jews, and they say, oh yes, he was. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:38.080 And they're giving him this lavishing burial. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:54.720 I wish we had time to think about with you just the slowness of Nicodemus' movement. 00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:00.720 Be careful how you judge people's opening to the Lord. 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.519 Nicodemus leaves us kind of ambiguous. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:09.759 We're never really sure how deeply he apprehended Jesus at the point of this final scene. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:14.079 And yet, what's interesting is where are all the other disciples? 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.240 They are hiding. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:23.440 And Joseph and Nicodemus are burying the body in public in broad daylight. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:27.759 There is a symbolism there that is just beautiful. 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:32.880 Are you personally opening to God? 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:38.880 Are you opening to his way of reconciliation? 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:52.960 Are you content to be somebody who maybe has been around Christianity and around the scriptures, but's never really open to God? 00:17:53.119 --> 00:18:00.880 Somebody who's maybe stirred from time to time that maybe you've missed the very center, but not willing to push into it. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:19.119 Or maybe if you're a young person like I was, maybe you're just gonna wait for a better day when it's more convenient, when you've lived a little bit and got sowed your wild oats and had some fun, then you'll come to God and let his claim be upon you. 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.559 Don't do it. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:28.559 If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart. 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:34.000 You know, a flower is an amazing thing. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:36.799 It was made to be glorious. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:44.319 But it's interesting that its glorious is realized only in its opening. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:58.079 A flower that remains closed is virtually no flower at all, is in danger of being useless to the gardener and pulled up. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:09.279 But there is something else which God created that is more beautiful still when it opens to its creator. 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.640 Are you opening to God? 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:16.640 Well, the musicians, uh, please come forward. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:23.440 We're going to have a responsive uh song, and then we'll have a closing prayer after that.