Rescue Story: Rescued from Religion

Organized Religion = Man’s attempt, through rules, traditions, and ceremonies, to appease God or gods.

John 3:1-16 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:1 - “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.”
John 3:2 – “He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

It takes humility to find real truth and to remain in that truth.

Proverbs 11:2 - “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 22:4 – “Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.”
John 3:3 - Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

The only answer to spiritual death is spiritual life – not performance

Born Again = ‘Born from above’ or a ‘spiritual rebirth.’

Sin deforms us and separates us from God.

Romans 3:23 – “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23a – “For the wages of sin is death
Isaiah 59:2a - “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.”

Jesus transforms us and unites us with God

Colossians 2:13 – “When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ.”
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9 – “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

John 3:4-8 - “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born! Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Spiritual rebirth is a work of the Holy Spirit and not a human matter.

John 3:9-10 - “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?

Religion/tradition can often cloud our view of who Jesus Christ really is.

Mark 7:13 (NLT) – “And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
John 3:16 - “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Good people/religious people do not go to heaven, born again people do!

Romans 3:20 (NLT)
John 7:22-23 - Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

If you have Jesus, you have eternal life!!

Rescue Story: Rescued from Guilt and Shame

John 8:1–11 (NIV)

1but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

1. JESUS LOVED SINNERS

John 8:2 (NIV)
2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.

2. JESUS DESPISED SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

John 8:7 (NIV)
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

3. JESUS IS NOT SHOCKED BY YOUR SIN.

John 8:3–4 (NIV)
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

4. YOUR WORST MOMENT EVER MAY LEAD TO YOUR BEST MOMENT EVER

John 8:9–10 (NIV)
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

5. FORGIVENESS IS FREE BUT IT ISNT CHEAP.

Isaiah 53:5–6 (NIV)
5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

6. GRACE AND TRUTH DO NOT CONTRADICT EACH OTHER.

John 8:11 (NIV)
11“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 1:14 (NIV)
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Romans 10:4 (NIV)
4Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

God Never Said That: It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere

SINCERELY BELIEVING SOMETHING DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE.

RELATIVISM- the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.

Being sincerely wrong is still wrong. We can't make up our own truth.

WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.

2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

WE BELIEVE JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION.

John 14:6 (NIV)
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 (NIV)
12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

WE BELIEVE IN THE BIRTH, LIFE, DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS.

Acts 3:15 (NIV)
15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

1 Corinthians 15:14–17 (NIV)
14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

WE BELIEVE IN SALVATION BY GRACE, NOT WORKS.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9not by works, so that no one can boast.

WE BELIEVE IN ETERNITY

Heaven will be Awesome!!

WE MUST GENTLY AND HUMBLY TELL OTHERS THE TRUTH.

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
15But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

God Never Said That: God will never give you more than you can handle

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
13No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

It’s not that God won’t give you more than you can handle, but that God will help you handle all that you’ve been given.

SEEK GOD'S PRESENCE

1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Psalm 18:4–6 (NIV)
4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

EXPERIENCE GOD'S POWER

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV)
9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

TRUST GOD'S PROVIDENCE

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
20You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

FIND GOD'S PEOPLE

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NIV)
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

HOLD ON TO GOD'S PROMISE

Hebrews 10:35–36 (NIV)
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

GIVE GOD PRAISE

Job 1:21 (NIV)
21and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”