1. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives and World
By Glenn Kenadjian

2. A Solution for What? Many things are not right in our world and lives
We lack harmony and often don’t have peace
Why is this?

3. A Biblical Diagnosis At heart, something is wrong in all of us
We can do good things, but we also have corrupted desires and can do bad things (i.e., we have problems in our actions and hearts)
We all contribute toward disharmony and pain in our world and in our own lives

4. How do we respond to this problem?
Don’t worry about it, focus on other things
Look for solutions
Most common response
Usually just focus on obtaining personal satisfaction
But disharmony remains, and the satisfactions we find do not last
Jesus claimed to have the solution
Let’s look at what he said in a conversation with a man named Nicodemus

5. Nicodemus Meets Jesus
John 3 1 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.”

6. About Nicodemus
John 3 1 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.”
Pharisees were Jews--
Highly educated and scholarly
Careful in ethics
Extremely Religious

7. About Nicodemus
John 3 1 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.”
An important leader
High social status

8. About Nicodemus
John 3 1 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.”
Why do you think he came to Jesus at night?

9. About Nicodemus
John 3 1 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.”
Believed Jesus was a teacher come from God

10. Jesus’ Teaching
3     Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

11. Nicodemus’ Reaction
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?”
He asks a “how” question
Startled
Uncomprehending

12. Jesus Repeats his Teaching
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.
Repeats his emphasis of “Truly, Truly”
Repeats “Unless cannot . . .”—a necessary condition

13. Side Note about the Kingdom of God
It is where God reigns and all is in harmony with him (results in harmony with everyone and everything else too)
It is experienced in full in heaven
But it can be experienced to some degree now

14. Jesus Elaborates
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.”

15. Jesus Elaborates
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.”
1st birth: Flesh to flesh (physical birth/life)

16. Jesus Elaborates
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.”
1st birth: Flesh to flesh (physical birth/life)
2nd birth: Spirit to spirit (spiritual birth/life)

17. Jesus Elaborates
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.”
1st birth: Flesh to flesh (physical birth/life)
2nd birth: Spirit to spirit (spiritual birth/life)
The second birth comes from God’s Spirit

18. Jesus Elaborates
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.”
1st birth: Flesh to flesh (physical birth/life)
2nd birth: Spirit to spirit (spiritual birth/life)
The second birth comes from God’s Spirit
You cannot observe God’s Spirit directly or know where he will act next, but sometimes people can sense when he is working

19. Jesus Elaborates
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.”
1st birth: Flesh to flesh (physical birth/life)
2nd birth: Spirit to spirit (spiritual birth/life)
The second birth comes from God’s Spirit
You cannot observe God’s Spirit directly or know where he will act next, but sometimes people can sense when he is working
Note: Jesus makes it personal!

20. Nicodemus' Second Question
9     Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
He asks another “how” question
Astonishment, but more than astonishment
How can this come to be, i.e., occur?

21. Jesus' Reply
10     Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
First, Jesus says you should already know about this.
Implies this teaching was in the Old Testament

22. Likely Old Testament Reference
Ezekiel 36:25-28 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

23. Likely Old Testament Reference
Ezekiel 36:25-28 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God is promising
He will cleanse people from their uncleannesses (what makes people unacceptable to God)

24. Likely Old Testament Reference
Ezekiel 36:25-28 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God is promising
He will cleanse people from their uncleannesses
He will put a new spirit within them (i.e., Spirit gives birth to spirit)

25. Likely Old Testament Reference
Ezekiel 36:25-28 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God is promising
He will cleanse people from their uncleannesses
He will put a new spirit within them
He will give people a new heart—not stony / insensitive, but responsive

26. Jesus' Reply (continued)
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.

27. Jesus' Reply (continued)
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.
Next, Jesus says he knows what he is talking about. (How does he know about heavenly matters?)

28. Jesus' Reply (continued)
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.
Next, Jesus says he knows what he is talking about
He says he knows about heavenly matters because he came from heaven

29. Jesus' Reply (continued still)
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.
Finally Jesus answers the question, “How can this be / occur?”

30. Jesus' Reply (continued still)
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.
Finally Jesus answers the question, “How can this be / occur?”
He starts with a story from the Old Testament

31. Story of Moses' Lifting the Serpent
Numbers 21 4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
The Israelite people had been freed from slavery in Egypt by God and had witnessed many miracles. (God chose them to be his witnesses to the world)

32. Story of Moses' Lifting the Serpent
Numbers 21 4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
The Israelite people had been freed from slavery in Egypt by God and had witnessed many miracles.
After all God had done for them, how did they respond?

33. 6  Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
God judged and punished them

34. 7  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

35. 7  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
The people acknowledged their sin
They asked Moses to pray to God for them to take away the serpents.

36. 8  And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

37. 8  And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
God did not take away the serpents
Instead he gave a remedy for the fatal consequences of their punishment.
As people followed God’s remedy, they were saved

38. Jesus' Reply (continued still)
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.
How we can have eternal life is like what happened in this story.
(Eternal life is everlasting life in God’s kingdom. To enter, we must be born again.)

39. Exploring the Analogy People in Moses’ Day People in Our Day
Had sinned, and were facing impending death
God provided a cure for their punishment-he had Moses lift up a statue
Have sinned, and facing impending eternal death
God provided a cure for our punishment-he had the Son of Man lifted up

40. Exploring the Analogy People in Moses’ Day People in Our Day
Whoever looked to God’s provision was healed by God and lived
Whoever looks to God’s provision gets a new birth from God into eternal life

41. Jesus' Reply (continued still)
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.
Jesus says this happens through believing in him
Not just believe that
Believe in = trust your whole life with
The French tightrope walker Blondin asked a crowd if they believed he could carry a man on a rope over Niagra Falls. They said YES! Then he asked, “Who will volunteer?”
This is “believe in.”

42. Concluding Remarks
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.

43. Concluding Remarks
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.
God’s motive—love

44. Concluding Remarks
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.
God’s motive—love
God’s provision—gave his only son

45. Concluding Remarks
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.
God’s motive—love
God’s provision—gave his only son
God’s reason—that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life

46. Concluding Remarks
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.
God’s motive—love
God’s provision—gave his only son
God’s reason—that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
God’s ultimate end—the world may be saved

47. Overall Summary

48. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives & World
What Is It?
A New Birth for a New Life
Not an improvement of our old nature but an implantation of a new spiritual nature/life from God

49. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives & World
Who Needs Jesus’ Solution?
According to Jesus, Everyone
Even the most moral and intellectual and religious

50. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives & World
Why Do We Need It?
To Enter God’s Kingdom / Have Eternal Life
We have all done wrong and our natures are corrupted
This results in 1) God’s condemnation and 2) alienation / disharmony with God, with others and in ourselves
The new spiritual birth results in 1) reconciliation with God and 2) real personal transformation as this new spiritual life in God’s kingdom is cultivated
This is God’s way to save people and the world

51. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives & World
How Do We Experience Jesus’ Solution?
By Believing in Jesus
Involves recognizing your need
Involves believing that Jesus is God’s provision for your need
Involves entrusting your whole life with Jesus (willingly submitting yourself to God’s kingdom)

52. Jesus' Solution for Our Lives & World
When Does It Happen?
New life begins when you respond to the Spirit’s initiative and trust in Jesus
God’s spirit “blows where he wishes”
You sense yourself being attracted to Jesus
You respond with trusting yourself with Jesus
The new birth happens then, but it is just the start
Fuller transformation happens with time and ongoing trust in God
Changes show new life is present

53. Responses Don’t Believe It Now: Believe It Now:
Is there some attraction though?
If no, thanks for listening.
If yes, look into it more. Maybe God is drawing you.
Have you already put your trust in Jesus?
If yes, keep growing in your relationship.
If no, talk with someone about doing this.

54. Discussion Questions
Do you agree something is wrong in all of us—we have corrupted desires and do wrong? If so, how big a problem do you think this is?
What questions do you have about Jesus’ solution for our lives and world?
If you don’t mind sharing, what response do you have to Jesus’ solution?