Emmanuel Lutheran Church Asheville

Nicodemus: Doubt turns into Belief! March 1, 2006


Introduction: We all live out our faith in the company of other people. Some of them seem friendly and even open to our Christianity. Others are curious. Some are skeptical, and a few are even downright hostile. Jesus had the same experience. During Lent we will focus on the lives of a handful of these people, to whom the cross and the empty tomb spoke more vividly than it does even to us today. Here is the evidence of their lives, taken from their stories in Holy Scripture. (Much of this source material is credited to Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 16, Part 2, Series B.)


Nicodemus: John 3: 1-21, 19: 39

In St. John??s account of Jesus?? life and passion, we encounter the man known as Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. In many ways, the Pharisees were some of the most ?¨moral?Æ people living at Jesus?? time. They spent every moment (and certainly every PUBLIC moment) observing every tradition of the laws of Judaism, laws that went FAR beyond that we can read in the Old Testament today. They had VOLUMES of laws, thousands of them, laws for every occasion. I am lined up to teach an adult class this summer on Leviticus, and I like to kid Jean that I am glad I encountered so much mildew and mold in New Orleans before I read Leviticus again! 

The Pharisees had run-in after run-in with Jesus, mostly because they were concerned about keeping the ?¨letter of the Law?Æ while Jesus was concerned with the INTENTIONS of the Law. Jesus healed the blind and the lame, even on the Sabbath?ñ.while the Pharisees criticized him for working ON the Sabbath. If you were a blind person who could see after Jesus went by on a Saturday, who would You back??? So it??s no wonder Jesus was popular and it??s no wonder that they wanted him DEAD. It??s also amazing, then, that Nicodemus, a Pharisee, would even want to TALK to Jesus.

Nicodemus wasn??t just a Pharisee, he was one of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin?ñ.the 70 member ?¨Supreme Court?Æ of the Jews. It had religious jurisdiction over every Jew in the world, and they took it seriously.

So?ñNicodemus came to see Jesus at night, certainly the sign of a cautious man who probably didn??t want to commit himself to visiting Jesus openly. We can??t condemn him for being careful?ñ..especially when his occupation and maybe even his life depended on it. He was a man who was curious, maybe puzzled about Jesus. He had power, influence, plenty of money and certainly respectability?ñ.but something wasn??t right in his life. Maybe there??s a little Nicodemus in all of us?


So Nicodemus, in the first part of our lesson, comes to visit Jesus, and it??s in Jesus?? discussion with Nicodemus that we hear the wonderful words of John 3: 16, words we know so well, and words that must have touched Nicodemus deeply. In ending his words to Nicodemus, Jesus talks about those who live in the truth can live in the light?ñ.maybe a jab at Nicodemus, who only came to him at night! 

Then we don??t hear about him until the suffering and death of Jesus. Nicodemus was a member of the group that tried Jesus on Maundy Thursday?ñ.and we don??t know if he was there or not. Perhaps he hadn??t been told about the meeting. Perhaps he knew and couldn??t bring himself to go. Perhaps he showed up and even said something in defense of Jesus?ñand was ignored. Not that anything he could have said or done would have changed the outcome, mind you. We won??t know until we get to heaven?ñ.but let??s leave it at this: Nicodemus?? faith wasn??t on Thursday what it was on Friday. On Thursday he was still uncertain?ñ.and that uncertainty kept him quiet.

Have you ever kept quiet when you knew you should have or could have said something? Even when you felt strongly about it? And when you weren??t really sure?ñ?ñ..it??s easy to explain silence. Nicodemus was uncertain in his beliefs because he was uncertain about Jesus. 

It??s not that he wasn??t curious. He was. He was even inclined to believe. We see this tension in his first meeting with Jesus, where he said, ?¨Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God, for no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him!?Æ Jesus answered with, ?¨I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.?Æ Nicodemus questioned the ?¨born again?Æ concept, since he wasn??t a baby anymore, and Jesus delivered the payoff pitch, ?¨I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh and the spirit gives birth to spirit.?Æ

What IS believing?? Believing is more than just seeing some miracles and being drawn to the one who performs them. If that were true, Harry Houdini would have had a huge church. Being a sympathetic spectator isn??t having faith. Nicodemus left the first meeting with Jesus WITHOUT the certainty of faith. Later, when the temple guards (chapter 7) failed to arrest Jesus, the Pharisees shout out, ?¨Has any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed him??Æ Nicodemus didn??t answer. He only says (7:52), ?¨Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing??Æ He is curious. He is fair. He is a spectator, not a believer. He doesn??t say, ?¨SURELY THIS IS THE SON OF GOD!?Æ

Believing is more than curious interest. Let me explain the difference between knowing Jesus is a good man sent from God and saving faith. 

It??s the old story of the man watching the daredevil walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He sees the man do it and knows that the man can. He hears the man say he can push a wheelbarrow across the gorge. That??s believing that the man can do some really great things. FAITH is getting in the wheelbarrow and letting the man wheel you across. 

That??s the difference. One says ?¨God is able to do great things?Æ and the other says, ?¨God can do great things for ME!?Æ

Faith will never be solid if it sits back and asks (with Nicodemus) ?¨How can this be??Æ That??s a question of the flesh, an earthly question. The dimension of faith is the dimension into which God??s Holy Spirit leads us, something we cannot find or manufacture on our own, but something God is more than willing to give to anyone who hears the words of Jesus! The Spirit worked through Jesus?? miracles on Nicodemus. It works through Jesus?? words in Scripture on us. It works through the waters of Holy Baptism and through the bread and wine, connected with the Words of Institution in Holy Communion.

Yet we can even deny the Spirit. Nicodemus did. He walked away from his first encounter with Jesus an unbeliever. He remained a spectator on the sidelines. It was only in the death of Jesus that Nicodemus saw what we see?ñthe Suffering Servant of God giving Himself for the salvation of all humanity. No sooner had Jesus died on the cross than Nicodemus became a different person. Maybe it was a fulfillment of Jesus?? prophetic words in John 12: 32, ?¨When I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.?Æ The cross was the magnet for Nicodemus.

You and I have the privilege of a personal encounter with Jesus this Lenten season?ñ.every time we read His words, every time we taste of His body and blood. Through the miracle of faith, we BELIEVE not only what Jesus did, but that Jesus did it for us! And with the witnesses at the cross, we too can say, ?¨Truly this is the Son of God!?Æ

Amen.

?¨ Wrapped in the Armor of God?Æ March 5, 2006
Mark 1: 12-15 Pastor Mark Nieting

Early in his career, the famous circus showman P.T.Barnum created an exhibit entitled ?¨The Happy Family.?Æ It consisted of a cage housing a lion, a tiger, a panther and a baby lamb. The rather amazing display earned Barnum a huge amount of money and lots of publicity. Some time later, Barnum was asked whether he had plans to make it a permanent display. ?¨It will,?Æ he declared,?Æ if the supply of lambs holds out.?Æ

Today is the beginning of Lutheran Schools Week, a celebration going on in the 2500 schools run by the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod. And here on our campus, it is a day in which we give thanks to God for the very special ministry of Emmanuel Lutheran School, something that has been going on now for 48 years. Over those years, several thousand of God??s little lambs....all of them precious.... have received a high-quality, Christian education, better enabling them to be the people God planned them to be. Children are the very reason that we have our school. 

And it isn??t easy raising children, is it? Pam and I are about to become grandparents for the second time. The first time it was my son Ben and his wife Rachel, who live in San Diego, so we are a bit ?¨detached?Æ from the immediacy of their raising of Kaylee. This time it is Pam??s daughter Nina and her husband Matthew, who live in Sylva. Knowing that we will be much more involved, we went to Target and looked at ?¨baby stuff.?Æ We were AMAZED! When my kids were little, there were only a few kinds of strollers and car seats. The variety now is almost incomprehensible! When Ben and Reba were little, we threw them in the back of the station wagon with sleeping bags and drove all night to grandma??s house. Now you have to have them strapped in until they are about 6 feet tall! And I have heard that the government is actually studying HELMETS that children may be required to wear while they attend public schools! When I was a young teacher, there were 2 basic types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Now there are almost 50 different varieties, reaching almost epidemic proportion even here in Asheville. What??s a parent to do? It??s scary!

God was a parent once. He sent His Son into the world, a story we know well and hear every Christmas. Then, as Scripture says, ?¨Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.?Æ (Luke 2: 52). When it came time for Jesus to begin his ministry, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist and in a wonderful attestation of the loving presence of the Holy Trinity, God??s voice was heard saying, ?¨You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.?Æ And the Holy Spirit came to rest on Him. Spiritually, this is what happened (will happen) to Jude Teske this morning, as He comes into the family of God through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. God was pleased to wash Jude of the stain of original sin and to bestow on him the presence of the Holy Spirit as Jude becomes a child of the heavenly Father! That is exciting. That is wonderful. And what happens after?ñ..can be just plain scary.


No matter how much we want our children to stay small and sweet and innocent and well protected, those little rascals start to GROW UP. Hard as it is to believe, our children don??t want to stay tiny babies in cribs and car seats?ñ.they actually want to move from the car seat into the driver??s seat the PILOT those cars out into the big bad world. What??s a parent to do?

The physical answer to that question is the easiest one. We buy the best car seats we can. We equip ourselves with Urban Assault Vehicles with side curtain airbags. We give our kids camera phones and tell them to broadcast us their surroundings. We run criminal background checks on their babysitters. And still, each of them?ñ.and each of us?ñ..lives surrounded and influenced by the devil, the sinful world and our own sinful flesh. And that??s never easy, especially on a spiritual level. It??s a recipe for disaster, because of the nature of temptation. 

Let??s go back to the text. After Jesus?? baptism, what happened? At ONCE, before the pictures even came back, the Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert where for forty days, he was tempted by Satan. Matthew and Luke don??t tell the story as clearly as Mark does. We can get an impression from them that there was a single series of 3 temptations and Jesus was done. Not so from the Marcan account. Forty days of temptation, by none other than the devil himself, a level of temptation that only our Lord himself could have resisted. 

To paraphrase the popular expression, ?¨What DID Jesus do??Æ We want that answer not in the academic sense?ñ.to know how HE withstood temptation, but we too want to be able to withstand temptation, and we want that same blessing for our children. So what DID Jesus do?

Answer: He was wrapped in the Armor of God. I??ll say it again. He was wrapped in the Armor of God. Recall what happened at Jesus?? baptism? He heard the voice of God clearly proclaim that He was dearly loved and that God was proud of Him! Jesus began His ministry equipped and protected with nothing less than the full love of His divine parent. 

A child who knows that they are deeply and dearly loved is much more likely to let God help him take care of himself because his or her parents have expressed their love freely. Because of the love that exists in the relationship, they are much more likely to, say, put on their bike helmet before they head out to start jumping curbs! They know, to the core of their being, that their folks have their best interests and safety at heart. And when parents instill in them the reality that Jesus loves them too?ñ.it??s all the better. Jesus knew that too. He knew God loved Him, was proud of what He was about, and was with Him, covering Him with protection and love.


As we, and as our children go out into a world full of temptations and pitfalls, our first line of defense is to know that God loves us. It is to know that we are ?¨beloved?Æ of God because of His grace. It is to know that because of what Jesus did on the cross?ñ.that He died for our sins?ñ.even WHEN (it??s when, and not IF) we fall victim to temptation, we are freely forgiven and totally restored. And it is to know that even if the absolute worst happens and life itself is threatened and even taken, that God has created a place for His people?ñ.a place so comfortable and so wonderful that, like the Garden of Eden, we too can be, as Mark writes, ?¨with the wild animals and have angels attend to us!?Æ 

That??s why we have our children enrolled at Emmanuel Lutheran School. That??s why we attend weekly Bible classes and Sunday School. That??s why some of us are in Home Bible study groups. It??s to help us be wrapped in the armor of God.

I watch a lot of shows on the History Channel?ñ..and just this week there was a show about the development of body armor, all the way from the tin cans that knights wore to the Kevlar worn today to the newest stuff on the development path, armor that reacts to different threats and responds in different ways. 

That??s no different than what Jesus did in His temptation and what He can do for us in ours. The Gospel of Mark doesn??t go into detail about the temptations that Jesus faced out in the wilderness, but Matthew and Luke do. Outfitted with God??s love, Jesus is armored to be able to react to a variety of different temptations thrown at him by the tempter. Like a bullying kid standing at the base of a skateboard ramp, the devil double-dog dares Jesus to do something risky. Using Scripture as His armor, Jesus doesn??t take the leap, not even once. Nor do we have to, with Scripture at our side!

Satan says, ?¨Satisfy your hunger and turn these stones to bread.?Æ Jesus armor reacts with a shell of self-denial, recognizing that everything comes from God and God provides all that we will ever need. Again, this is something the world won??t teach, but God??s word does!

Next they go to the pinnacle of the temple. ?¨Jump off,?Æ says the bully, ?¨and let God lower you down. If you??re so great, He??ll do it!?Æ Jesus straps on the armor of God-given common sense and knows that people who have REAL power don??t need to use it to satisfy themselves!

Finally comes the really big one: ?¨All kingdoms of the world can by yours,?Æ Satan says, ?¨if you will just worship ME!?Æ Jesus buckles on the armor of humility and says that God is the only one worth serving. And that was the end of it?ñfor then.

Knowing who He was, what He was about, and who was on His side, Jesus was fully armored by God. Knowing God??s love, knowing Jesus?? forgiveness, and following Jesus?? example, they are the best way to be protected every day! Amen.

The Bridge February 12, 2006
Tools for Sharing Christ, part 2 Pastor Mark Nieting

How many jokes like this have you heard? A pastor dies and is buried in his full clerical regalia. He gets to the pearly gates and is waiting in line. Ahead of him is a guy dressed in sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. Saint Peter addresses the guy, ?¨Who are you, so I can know whether to let you in to heaven or not??Æ

The guy replies, ?¨I??m Joe Green, a New York taxi driver.?Æ St. Peter checks his list, smiles, hands the taxi driver a silk robe and golden staff and says ?¨Welcome to heaven!?Æ So in he goes. The pastor is next in line. Without even waiting to be asked, he says, ?¨I??m Pastor Nieting, from Emmanuel Lutheran Church!?Æ St. Peter checks his list and says, ?¨Here??s a cotton robe and wooden stick, but you have to wait a while to get in.?Æ The pastor says, ?¨Just a minute. That taxi driver got a silk robe and a golden staff and he got right in. How can this be??Æ

?¨Well, up here we go by results,?Æ said Peter. ?¨While you preached, people slept. While he drove, people prayed.?Æ

We??ve been talking about evangelism?ñ..and since 95% of Christians have never been involved in leading anyone to Christ, we??re hoping and praying that we can learn how to ?¨do it better.?Æ One of the problems that we Christians have is in dealing with all the myths that people have about just how to get into heaven?ñ.. like the joke I told before?ñ..most of them misconceptions based on the idea that WE have to ?¨DO?Æ the right things to get there. It is crucial that when we share the Good News of Jesus with people, and that we do it in love and with truth.

Evangelism is like fishing. When you fish you can use different baits, different lures, different kinds of rods and different techniques, all with the goal of catching a fish. Sometimes you??re after trout?ñsometimes you??re after bass?ñ.and that affects how you are going to fish. In fact, some people put a lifetime of work into learning just how to catch a few silly little fish!

Jesus has asked us to be ?¨fishers of men.?Æ It??s no less spiritual for us to learn and practice methods for THIS kind of fishing than it is for the choir to practice their music before they sing in church. It is important to be open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He may have you saying things you haven??t planned to say?ñ.but that doesn??t mean you go ?¨fishing?Æ unprepared, like the 5 foolish virgins who missed out on the oil. Scripture says ?¨be ready,?Æ so when God says ?¨GO,?Æ you will!

Last week we studied The Roman Road, a series of Bible verses from Romans that can be used to share both the dilemma of sin and the gift of Jesus with people. Before we get to today??s topic, let??s review the verses we used, and if you didn??t get one of these handouts, there are some on the table outside. (or on the website)

First, John 3: 16?ñ. The overall ?¨Gospel in a Nutshell.?Æ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.?Æ
Next, Romans 3: 23?ñ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The emphasis here is that NO one is better than anyone else?ñ all of us are sinners and all of us will be separated from God unless?ñ.
Then, Romans 6: 23?ñ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God, who must punish sin, gives us the gift of Christ Jesus, our Savior FROM sin.
Followed by, Romans 5: 8?ñ.God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus took on the result of our sin, and paid the price to win us forgiveness before God!
And to ?¨close the deal,?Æ we have Romans 10: 9-10?ñIf you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! That??s the good news!

Please take out today??s bulletin insert?ñand we??ll look at another ?¨strategy?Æ for sharing God??s plan of salvation. While you are getting it out, let me share a few brief thoughts on ?¨bridging the gap?Æ with people. It??s easier to share YOUR faith with people you know. Asking them if they are a Christian or if they are saved can put people off?ñ.but simply asking if you can share your story?ñyour faith with them, that usually results in an ?¨ok.?Æ

THE BRIDGE illustration has three steps to it. Step 1: Notice the first graphic, a deep chasm that separates people on one side of it and God on the other. Next to it, in the blank space, draw your own version of my graphic. I want you to do this so that you have the confidence to ?¨doodle?Æ someone towards the gift of salvation through Christ on the back of a napkin, if God so leads you!

You??ve drawn the chasm?ñnow here??s how to explain it. God created us in His image to be His friend, like Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. But sin, like the deep gap you??ve drawn on the paper, separates us from God. It??s a gap that people try to get across through all kinds of ways: positive thinking, doing lots of good works, giving money to charity?ñ.none of which can work. 

There are a few Bible verses that can be memorized here to illustrate the point:
Romans 3: 23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Isaiah 59:3 Your sins have separated you from God.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.

On our own, we cannot bridge the gap between us and God. Through the ages, people have tried everything?ñ.but the gap of sin is impenetrable to us.


Step 2 is God??s remedy?ñ.the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the ONLY answer to this problem. He died on the cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sins and bridging the gap between God and people. Look at the second graphic, with the arms of the cross bridging the gap. Now add the cross to the diagram that you started before. Notice how simple it is? You??ve only drawn about 4 lines, but you have almost told the entire story of salvation.

We have Bible verses to ?¨back this up,?Æ one of them from the Roman Road.
Romans 5: 8 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Peter 3:18 Christ died for sins once for all?ñ.to bring you to God.

It??s important to illustrate that in all of this, God is doing the work. God sent Jesus, and Jesus died. The final step, Step 3, is our response to what God has done. Our natural?ñsinful?ñ inclination is to stay on ?¨our side of the gap.?Æ Here??s where people can throw up ?¨smoke-screen?Æ objections to God??s message. Listen for comments that are aimed at deflecting God??s grace: If God is so loving, why do so many babies die? Why are there so many wars? Why are there so many different denominations and religions? We??ll get around to answering some of these later (see also ?¨Questions that Skeptics Ask?Æ by Josh McDowell). Just acknowledge their concerns, discuss them briefly if you feel you can, and turn the conversation back to THEIR relationship with God.

Step 3 is about believing and trusting in Jesus and what He did. It is where the Holy Spirit can work an acknowledgement of sin and a trusting in Christ??s forgiveness. It??s God taking them by the hand and LEADING them across to the bridge and into an eternal and personal relationship with Him, forever. 

Verses like these are wonderful.
John 3: 16?ñ we??ve already reviewed this one.
John 5: 24 Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life.

And that, my friends, is what we want our friends to know! If God allows you to have this conversation and to use this art, simply add a ?¨double arrow?Æ to show God reaching across the gap and pulling the person over towards Himself. Maybe you might lead the person you are working with in a simple prayer that goes like this: Dear Lord Jesus. I know I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I believe that you died on the cross for me. Take away my sins and create a new heart and a new faith in me so that I can trust you always as my Savior. Amen.

AND TO THAT, THE PEOPLE OF GOD SAY AMEN!


THE BRIDGE?ñA tool for sharing Christ

?¨In the beginning?Æ all was well.
____US___and____GOD! 

Then came sin.

Step 1: Our Problem: Separation from God.


Draw the picture... a gap between us and God.



Step 2: God??s Remedy: The cross.


Draw this picture....add a cross in the gap...as the BRIDGE!


Step 3: Our Response: Faith in Jesus.


Now we need arrows...God coming across to us and bring us back to Him.. 
the emphasis is JESUS does the saving work and the Holy Spirit calls us
to faith!