Sunday Sermon: Your Own Personal Jesus

Pastor Ryan Jantzi from Zurich Mennonite Church.


Hymns:
Whom shall I fear God of angel armies by Chris Tomlin
Beautiful one by Tim Hughes
Good Good father by Chris Tomlin
In the garden by Charles Austin Miles

Scripture: John 3:1-21

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Sermon Notes:

Pastor started the sermon off playing this clip:

Johnny Cash lived a troubled life, fighting drug abuse.
This song was important to him

In history Jesus being shown as a personal Saviour
Shift now to seeing him as king of universe

He is our personal Saviour as well as king of the universe.

Nicodemus is invited to make Jesus his personal Saviour

A member of the Jewish ruling council, a faithful follower of God

Jesus tells him he must be born again.
To experience the fullness of the kingdom of God you need to be born again.

Moses and the snake


Poisonous snakes, people need to look to the bronze Snake in order to be healed from the poisonous snakes.

So people need to look to Jesus to be saved from the poison of sin.

Nicodemus represents people that need to respond to the truth of Scripture.
Nicodemus needed to know the personal Jesus.

We are just like Nicodemus,  needing to know Jesus in our heart.
People can know the scriptures well without really knowing God.

Hear Jesus today.   Be born again.