Chardon Baptist Church

Will you say with John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease"? It will take humility. A humility that shows itself in a total yielding to God’s will, a recognition that any success in ministry you see is not your own, a joy that's found in Jesus being magnified.

When people see your life does it point them to Jesus, do they actually get to see the One who gives eternal life, or do they only see you? 

The message for us from this passage at Easter and every other day of the year is that God loves sinners so much that He sent His one and only Son, to live a sinless life, to go to the cross for our sins, and to die for them, and to be buried and then rise from the dead on the third day so that whoever believes would be saved from their sins. 

There are powerful truths shown us in the Bible that remind us of all that’s true for every person who looks to Jesus Christ in faith. These are truths that exist because Jesus willingly went to the cross and they are true for all who believe in Him. 

Nicodemus didn’t understand it when he first enquired of Jesus but it wasn’t more religion he needed. What he needed was to believe in Jesus. It’s the problem every sinner has. It’s not being better, kinder, or more religious that makes you right with God. What makes you right with God is believing in Jesus.

How can you know you have been born again? The Bible gives clear instruction to believers pointing to the evidence that will be apparent in the lives of believers in Jesus, people who are born again.

Nicodemus and all of mankind need to know that you cannot be right with God based on who you are or what you've done. You cannot make yourself right with God on your own terms. Being born again is completely a work of God. Your responsibility is to repent and believe in Jesus.

One thing is clear when you begin reading John chapter 3. It’s clear that Jesus knows just what you need. We see it in the exchange with Nicodemus. Jesus knows just what Nicodemus needed, and he knows that because he knows what’s in the heart of man. What was it he needed?

Read the Bible and beginning to end you'll see clearly the omniscience of God. A Biblical understanding of God's omniscience is essential for your faith in Jesus. What does God know? He knows everything, He knows your struggles and He knows your needs, and He will never forget you.

There is a belief that is not a true belief in Jesus. Jesus, God in human flesh, knew the hearts and minds of all people. The omnisciences of God is on display in this passage.

In John 2 Jesus calls his body the temple. In several ways, Jesus' body is the true temple, and all who trust in Christ are also now God's temple.

When Jesus drove out of the temple those who were selling sheep and oxen and doves along with their animals, and along with the money-changers, His deity was on display in his passion for a pure heart and in pointing to His power over death.

Jesus turns water into wine. This is the first of His public signs which John shows us from the ministry of Jesus. Follow along as we make three important observations from this passage. 

Jesus manifested His glory for the purpose of showing who He is as God in human flesh. We see here the first of Jesus' signs and in this sign, He manifests His glory so that people will believe in Him.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man? It's a title that Jesus used for himself many times and it points to the fact that Jesus is God's revelation of himself to mankind in human flesh.

Who is Jesus that he can say "follow me"? He's the one with authority, he's the one who reveals the love of God to man, and he's the one who knows you.

What's in a name? Simon would receive a new name from Jesus but it wasn't for something he was at the time but for something he would become as he learned to trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a name he would need to learn to live up to. 

What happens in the life of a believer when they place their faith in Jesus? Does anything change for people who believe in Jesus? We’ll see the answer to that in John 1:35-42.

When you read the Bible it's important to read with a heart that wants to learn. One question, among many, to ask as you read the Bible is "What can I learn about God from this passage?" Let's ask that of the passage as we learn of God from the Lamb.

Throughout Israel’s history, God repeatedly made it clear that sin and separation from Him could only be removed by blood sacrifices and that the lamb used for the sacrifice had to be spotless. John shows us that Jesus is the spotless, sinless Lamb of God.

The church is a guardian of the truth, and every believer in Jesus is to be so saturated with Scripture that we are each guardians of the truth who are always growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The role of John the Baptist was to point to Jesus; to shine the light on The Christ, the anointed One, the Messiah who had been sent by God the Father to forgive the sins and save all who believe in Him. That is now the role of God's true church in the world today. Will you live your life so that it points to Jesus?

The Apostle John is writing this Gospel so that we will believe in Jesus, and keep believing in Jesus. He's also helping us see that our witness to the watching world must also, always be, about Jesus. 

Believers in Jesus can take comfort in the fact that God is sovereign and He is in control of this world. But believers are also to take seriously their responsibility to live for the glory of God this side of eternity. Believers are to be ready, living in light of the Lord's return and coming judgment. 

The fullness of God is in the Son and the fullness of the Son is in all people who believe in the Son. And salvation is full and complete through faith in Jesus alone because Jesus is the Son of God, God the Son.