En Casa Como En El Cielo, Mayo 24, 2026

Good morning church, so good to be here with you this morning. And I know some of you, many of you might be tired from that basketball tournament we had yesterday. And so because of the rain, we're waiting for that championship game for the next retreat. But we're so happy you're here this morning. And we're continuing in our new series, Across the World as it is in Heaven, where we're studying the heart of God for all nations. Of how the Lord has the desire to save people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And how we can be a part of that plan that God has. And so as we open our Bibles to John chapter 3, today we'll see the greatest gift. And so let's accompany me in prayer this morning. Heavenly Father, we give you thanks this morning for your word. Lord, open our minds and our hearts to understand the message you have this morning for our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen. And so this morning, I'd like to give you a little bit of context before we get into our passage today of where we are in the story of Nicodemus. In chapter 2, we see that Jesus performs his first public miracle of turning the water into wine at the wedding at Cana. And after that, we see his fame start to spread throughout Galilee. And just after that, he goes to the temple and he finds chaos in the temple. And that's where we see that iconic moment where Jesus turns over the tables and tells the people, you have turned the house of the Lord into a house, a den of thieves. And for those of you that have maybe forgotten what was going on in the temple that caused Jesus to respond in that way, the law taught that those who wanted to worship the Lord needed to appear in the temple and offer a sacrifice to the Lord. And so what was designed to be a gathering place where people could come to worship the Lord, serve the Lord, it became a place where people could turn it into a way for them to earn a dollar. And as the Roman Empire was over the Jewish people in that time, the money that was used

was the money of the Roman Empire. And so what the money changers did was they told people, no, you need to use the money from the Jewish people. And so in doing that, they would change the exchange rate in a way that would allow them to make an extraordinary amount of money off of the money exchange. And not only that, people who traveled from very far away could not bring an animal with them for the sacrifice. And so what do you do? But you know they also would sell animals for sacrifice. And so, in the same way, that's like when you go to another country, and you think, wow, I'd like to buy a souvenir. And you remember something that you liked in one of the towns you visited, and now you're at the airport. And what costed you maybe a dollar in town, now costs fifteen. And you're in that debate with yourself of, do I pay fifteen, do I not? Because the stores in the airport know you're not going to leave the airport to go buy what you want to buy. And so, unfortunately, the people in the temple knew the same thing, and so they would sell the animals way more expensively than they had to be. And that led to a problem. Those who were poor could not come and offer sacrifice to the Lord. It made it impossible for them. And after people saw the authority that Jesus had through His miracles, and through what He did in the temple, it says that many believed in Him. But it says that Jesus didn't trust in that because He knew their hearts. Because in the book of John, where it says that they believed in Jesus, it doesn't always mean that they put their full trust in Christ. And so some people thought, well, He's so powerful, that has to come from God somehow. And among those that believed, we find ourselves in chapter three. And one of those people who believed is a very important person in Scripture. And his name is Nicodemus. He was from the sect of the Pharisees.

He was one of the principal Pharisees. But it says that he came at night. Because he knew that coming before the rabbi, coming before Jesus, could cause him problems with the people around him. Because Jesus was bringing a message a little different from what they were used to. Nicodemus was a very devout Jew. To be a part of the Pharisees, he had to be very disciplined. Very obedient to the law. And according to the passage, we see that he was also a teacher of the law. The message that Jesus has for Nicodemus causes an extreme reaction in Nicodemus because of the message of salvation Jesus has for him. Because when Jesus tells him that you have to be born again to have eternal life, how is that possible? How can one go back into the womb to be born again? And what he tells him is, one has to be born again spiritually to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And Nicodemus, I think, had to have been thinking, with all of my obedience and all of my knowledge, how can that not be the thing that's going to get me into the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus uses the explanation of how how he's going to be raised up on a cross and compares that to how Moses raised up the serpent in the desert for healing. Para aquellos que recuerdan esa idea de la serpiente y que también es el símbolo de los médicos. And as you know, that symbol of the serpent being raised on a staff, that's the sign for doctors. Que significa sanidad. That means healing. Y entonces, en la maldición en el desierto, porque el pueblo había desobedecido, dice que la serpiente lo mordían y ellos morían.

And it says that because of the Israelites' disobedience in the desert, they were bitten by serpents and many of them died. Entonces, Dios le dice al pueblo, bueno, miren a la serpiente y serán sanados. And God says to the people, look at the serpent and you'll be healed. ¿Qué tiene que ver eso con la muerte de Jesús? What does that have to do with the death of Jesus? Que cuando miraban a esa serpiente, les recordaban la maldición de su pecado y el castigo que había traído al pueblo. Because when they looked upon that serpent, they would be reminded of the curse that their sin had brought upon them. Y cuando miraran la cruz del Calvario, eso iba también recordarles que por causa de nuestros pecados Cristo murió en la cruz del Calvario. And just like that, as we look upon the cross of Calvary, we're reminded that it was our sin that put Christ upon that cross. Y ahora que ya hicimos la introducción, vamos a ir al pasaje. And now that we've done the introduction, let's take a look at the passage. Porque en el pasaje, lo que Nicodemus va a decir, ¿pero por qué Dios va a hacer las cosas de esa manera? And so Nicodemus asks, why is God going to do things in this way? Y es que primero nos va a decir el motivo de este regalo.

And so to begin with, we're going to see the motive behind the gift. Dios nos da el regalo que más necesitamos. God gives us the gift we need most. Vamos a leer del 16 al 18. Let's read verses 16 through 18. Porque de tal manera, modios al mundo, que dio a su único hijo, a su hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, más tenga vida eterna. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Porque Dios no envió a su hijo al mundo para juzgar al mundo, sino para que el mundo sea salvo por él. 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. El que cree en él no es condenado, pero el que no cree ya ha sido condenado, porque no ha creído en el nombre del unigénito hijo de Dios. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever, sorry, 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. Yo creo que la pregunta de Nicodemo,

¿por qué Dios haría algo así? I think the question Nicodemus has is why would God do something like that? ¿Por qué Dios salvaría personas por simplemente poner la fe en Jesucristo? Why would God save people just by putting their faith in Jesus Christ? Y en la primera frase del versículo 16 vemos el motivo del por qué Dios hace. And in that first phrase of verse 16, we see the motive behind God's doing this. Por el amor de Dios. Because of his love. Porque Dios amó al mundo, amó a la humanidad. For God so loved the world, he loved humanity. Que aunque no había motivo alguno por cual amarnos. Because even though there was no motive to love us, there was nothing lovable within us. Dios es amor en sí mismo. God is love in his essence, in who he is. Hay un principio teológico que dice que todo lo que Dios tiene, Dios es. There's a theological principle that teaches that everything that God has, he is. En Primera de Juan nos dice que Dios es amor. In the book of John, First John, we see that God is love. ¿Han pensado en la trinidad y en el concepto del amor? Have you thought about the trinity and the concept of love?

Para que alguien ame, necesita un objeto a quien amar. And for someone to love, they have to have something to love. Muchos de nosotros luchamos con lo que es el concepto del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo como un Dios trino. And many of us can struggle with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in seeing a triune God. Pero si Dios es amor. But if God is love. Y es suficiente en el mismo. And he is enough in and of himself. Él tiene lo suficiente para ejercer el amor que él es. He has enough to exercise the love that is who he is. God has experienced love in the Trinity for eternity past. And so, as a result, we see he didn't create us because he needed someone to love. God is love. And what did he do to prove that love? He gave his only begotten son. And every time in Scripture when you see the phrase God loves or God loved, it's almost always followed by an action. And God's love was so great, I'm sorry, that he gave the one he loved most. And in Scripture it says someone could give their life for their friends, but who would give their life for their enemy? God gave his only son for his enemies so that we could become his friends once again. He died for sinners, not for saints. And he uses an interesting word, the only begotten son. And that word in Greek is monogenes, mono meaning unique or only, and genes for which we get words like genetics or genes from. He is unique in his essence, unique in his class. There's no one like him.

And he is the essence of God himself. What was the result? That all who believe in Christ Jesus would have eternal life. There's no sinner that can't receive the forgiveness of God. There's no person that's so far away or so lost that they can't receive the mercy of God. And so on the one hand, that message is inclusive. It's for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus. And on the other hand, it's exclusive because it's only through the faith in Christ. This invitation is so great that even the worst of sinners can come before God and receive salvation through Jesus. But it is also so exclusive that even the most moral of people who doesn't put their faith in Christ Jesus would be out of the kingdom of God. Why? Because if the standard of God is perfection, and none of us can get to that standard, we need someone who is 100% God and 100% man, that he would fulfill all of the requirements of the law. And that was Christ Jesus. And he died a death so that all of us who place our faith in him could receive his forgiveness. What happens for those that don't believe? It says that those who don't believe have already been condemned. What does that mean? It means that from the time we are born, we are born with a sinful nature. When we're raising children, do we tell them from the time they're born, just go do whatever it is that you want. It's fine. Just do whatever. No, no. No, no. But we, no, we teach them, don't do this, don't do that, don't fight.

Their nature already comes with that in hand. They fight. And so the verdict is already made for us sinners, we are guilty. But what is it that mankind does? Our second point is this, that people reject this gift. Let's read verses 19 through 20. 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. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. You could ask, how could it be that a man would not accept such a gift? It says the light, and light referring to Jesus, the light came into the world but that mankind loved the darkness more than the light. Have you ever thought about the nature of mankind when we do things that we shouldn't do? What does mankind do? They lie. They justify themselves. They blame someone else. They hide. They run. That's human nature. I miss the whole thing, not just one word, I'm sorry. When I was seven years old at Christmas time, I had a Christmas light. And so I, okay, no, I had a sparkler and I lit it and I put a hole in the sofa. And so my mom took a picture of me with the hole in the couch and my hand behind my back. And that just captures so well my nature. The evidence is right there, but I want to hide it. And what John 3.19 tells us is not that people will go to sin just because they're sinners, because everyone in this room is sinners,

but because they reject the light, they reject Jesus. And so when they're presented before the throne of judgment, it's not so much what's all the bad that you did and what's all the good that you did. The question is, what did you do with Jesus? What did you do with the message of light? And why do they reject the light? Because they loved the darkness. And sometimes our attitude with sin can be, well, if we just ignore it for long enough, it won't bother me anymore. It'll just go away. But it doesn't work that way. And so I'm going to tell you a story. It'll just go away. But it doesn't work that way. But for those who do believe, those who believe experience transformation, and transformation is real in those who believe in the light. Look at what verse 21 says. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God. When those who believe in Jesus, when they believe and they know their only hope is to honestly present themselves before Christ, do you know why the Christian walk should be full of honesty? Because we know that our acceptance before God is not based on our works, it's based on Christ. And so when you have a relationship with your son, he's not going to become less your son because he does something good or something bad. But I would hope that based on the relationship he has with you, your son would come to you and he would tell you the truth. Because it's by grace. And so why would we hide it?

Why would we love the darkness? But rather we should bring it to the light. So what do we do with this message, church? For those who have not surrendered their life to Christ, God is calling you this morning to surrender your life to Christ. And for those who maybe have believed but you still think that you should hide those sins, bring your sin to light, bring them before the throne to find grace and mercy before the Lord. And for those who have found forgiveness and are walking in the light, 1 Peter 2.9 has a calling for us. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. God transforms us into a holy nation. He transforms us into a chosen race. Why? So that we can announce the good news of Him who called us out of darkness and into light. And so I want us to walk out of here with a few practical ways we can apply this message. How can we participate in the mission? First of all, in prayer. Praying for those that don't know Him. Praying for the missionaries that we support around the world. In second place, sharing the gospel. Opening our mouths and teaching about that God who forgives sinners. Talking about that in our homes. in our jobs. Next. Supporting the mission through regular giving. Not because God or the church needs our money, but because we believe that just as God reached out for us, we want to reach out to others. And one of the things I love about being a part of this local church is how God uses this church with missionaries throughout all the world in sending missionaries. And I want, if we could celebrate together

what God did this last year. This past year, we've been able to receive $2,514,000. We've been able to send out $2,514,000 to local and international missions. And global missions is 1.4 million. That means that thousands of people are receiving support so that the Bible can be translated into their language. We're supporting people who are, we're supporting missionaries who are planning churches in Latin America, in the Middle East, and in Europe. And we can be a part of that. Look at the next slide. This is the way in which those offerings were distributed. And we continue increasing the number that is going to the Middle East. Because in that region is where the least reached people are. Those 3 billion people we talked about last week who have very little access to the gospel, we want to continue reaching them. Church, the mission continues. And that's one of the ways in which we can support the mission. Next week, we'll see how we can also go and participate in some of those trips. But let me ask you something. Have you believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior? Have you come to the light and surrendered your life to Jesus and made him Lord of your life? If you haven't done that yet, we'd invite you to do that. And if you have done that already, I'd like to invite you to participate in this mission. But I'd like for us to finish in prayer. For those that don't know him. That God would use our lives to bring the message of salvation. Holy Father, we come before you. Giving thanks because you loved us so much. You so loved the world that you sent your only son to die for our sins. God, there's no logical reason that I can think of that we would deserve your forgiveness. Thank you for your sacrifice. God, in the same way, please use us to go and to reach those that don't know you. Use our our physical health. And also use our physical weakness, Lord. Use all that we are to proclaim your gospel. God, we pray for the missionaries in every region of the world. That you would strengthen them and that you would provide all that they need. Open hearts to receive the message of your word. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Let's stand to our feet, church, and finish in worship.