John 3:9-15 lifted up for all

John 3:9-15 lifted up for all

Today is Palm Sunday, a day when Jesus is welcomed by the people as a Hero. Waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna in the highest. Heroism usually happens in a moment. A cop or a fireman respond to a call and then comes a moment of choice, draw your weapon or run in the building. A soldier in a fire fight, runs in for a buddy or dives on a bomb. While they know the choice may come they don’t know for sure it will come. And they don’t have time to think about who they are saving and why. But Jesus did have the time. He had the time, knew the hearts of the people, and from that perspective Jesus walks His entire life on the road to the cross.

1. Lifted Up
a. The strange conversation only understood at the end of the book
b. Numbers 21:5-9
c. Jesus lifted up for all to see
d. Jesus knew, walked His whole life knowing

2. Jesus still needs to be lifted up
a. I never talk to Jen because I don’t want to talk religion.
b. every day you lift up your picture of Jesus
c. tongue wagging and finger pointing
d. faith as a backpack
e. church as a small town board meeting

3. A New Picture of Jesus
a. faith as Chocolate cake
b. Church as a campfire
c. God’s Word as a cup of hot coffee in a living room of friends

Jesus walked every day of His life deliberately toward the Cross. That is heroic. We need to walk deliberately each day holding up our picture of Jesus. Who He is and What He is about. Every day we lift up our picture of Jesus, we only get to choose what that picture looks like.