Introduction: Exposing Ourselves to the Word
The peace of the Lord be with you and your household. We thank God for one more season that He grants us, in His grace and mercy, to expose ourselves to His Word and to the power of His Holy Spirit. It is important that we understand the need to do this, and that its purpose is not merely to hear a sermon, much less to listen to a preaching. The purpose is that our lives be exposed to the light. How can a man, or a woman, really know that he or she is walking according to the will of God if not by the Word of God?
That is the true purpose of exposing ourselves to the Word. It is not about becoming better Christians, or better citizens, or better men or better women. The life of faith consists of absolutely none of that. It is about adjusting my life to the will of God. The life of faith is precisely that each one of us learns to conduct himself according to the will of the Lord. That is why we thank God: He grants us times of grace and mercy from His throne so that each one of us may be enlightened by His Word.
Review: The Seven Benefits of the Kingdom
The teaching we have been developing concerns the Gospel of John. As was explained in the previous teaching, this Gospel is distinct from the other three. There are four gospels in all, but the one written by the apostle John does not present a summary of everything Jesus did. It concentrates on seven great teachings that John himself calls signs, and the purpose of writing this way is to establish foundations, or rather pillars, on which a firm, stable, healthy, and prosperous life of faith can be built.
We studied the first sign, found in chapter 2: the wedding at Cana of Galilee, where water was turned into wine. For the apostle John, that day was not an isolated miracle or wonder, nor something astonishing that Jesus was doing as a stand-alone event. John explains that this sign was, in reality, the inauguration of the kingdom of God on the face of the earth. The other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, only mention how Jesus began His ministry and say that He preached that the kingdom of heaven had come. John goes a little further: he explains that on that day the kingdom of heaven was being inaugurated on the earth.
From that sign we saw seven benefits of living within the kingdom of heaven:
The first is that the kingdom is founded on a prophetic word. There is always a prophetic word; it is not an option or an alternative, but the foundation on which the kingdom operates. Every man and every woman who enters the kingdom enters under a prophetic word for his or her own life, the word on which a life of faith is built.
The second is that the life of faith is not founded on rules, rituals, or routines. We do not need them to develop it.
The third is that in the kingdom of heaven there is a different order. The master of the feast told the bridegroom that everyone serves the good wine first and the inferior wine afterward; but it was not the bridegroom, or the master of the feast, or any of the guests who decided how the wedding would unfold, but the will of Jesus. God establishes a different order, and therefore men and women must learn not to walk according to the rules of this world, because the rules of this world do not apply in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom has its own laws, its own foundations, and its own regulations.
The fourth is that cost is not a factor in making decisions within the kingdom. The Word establishes that the worker is worthy of his wages, and this means that within the kingdom there is provision: the provision God has established for every man and woman who lives in it, not only for those in ministry.
The fifth is that we go from glory to glory. The best has been reserved for later, yet there is no final end; we are always attaining a greater benefit.
The sixth is that the kingdom of heaven is founded on the impossible. The impossible is not an obstacle to operating within the kingdom; it is precisely on the impossible that the kingdom operates.
The seventh is that the sign can be seen or exercised only by those who are willing to obey. Mary, the mother of Jesus, said to the servants: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” To receive the benefits of the kingdom of heaven, all of us must learn to walk in obedience.
That was the previous teaching. The question we will answer now, always based on this first sign, is this: What are the requirements for receiving these benefits? How does one enter the kingdom of heaven? How can I enter?
The Sign at Cana Is Not an Isolated Event
The answer rests on two events that took place shortly after the water was turned into wine: the driving of the moneychangers and dove sellers out of the temple, at the end of chapter 2, and Nicodemus’s encounter with Jesus, in chapter 3. Let us first read the account of the cleansing of the temple.
“After this He went down to Capernaum, He, and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and they stayed there not many days. And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem; and He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers sitting. And having made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables; and to those who sold doves He said: Take these things away, and do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise. Then His disciples remembered that it was written: Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:12-17)
The first thing we must understand, because it will help us grasp what follows, is that the wedding at Cana of Galilee and the sign Jesus established there cannot be seen as an isolated event. If we read the miracle of water turned into wine as a rescue measure, as Jesus stepping in because the wine had run out, we will not truly be able to understand what Jesus established at that moment. Water transformed into wine is the sign that the kingdom of heaven has been established, and each one of us must enter and live within it.
This act in the temple took place a few days after that sign and, together with Nicodemus’s encounter recorded in chapter 3, forms part of the first sign. The apostle John’s purpose, with these two events, is to show how men and women can enter into the enjoyment of the benefits of the kingdom of heaven. For John it is not only a matter of believing: there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled. In these two accounts we will see that the apostle presents four requirements demanded of every man and woman who would enjoy the benefits of the kingdom on earth.
An Act Jesus Repeated
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and enters the temple. It is important to note that this was not the outer court: the sellers of doves, oxen, and sheep, and the moneychangers, were inside the temple. Jesus performed this act twice during His three and a half years of ministry, not just once. Most of us have seen it as a single act, but it is enough to observe that in the Gospel of John, Jesus is beginning His ministry and this is practically the first time He enters Jerusalem, whereas Matthew, Mark, and Luke place it at the end of His ministry, when Jesus entered Jerusalem and, a week later, was crucified.
This does not mean that some evangelists decided to write it at the beginning and others at the end. These are two acts separated in time by three and a half years. There is also another detail: in the first, Jesus says not to make His Father’s house a “house of merchandise,” whereas in the other evangelists the expression is “a den of thieves.” Jesus, then, repeated the act on two occasions, once at the beginning of His ministry and once at the end.
This matters because Jesus is establishing a requirement here. We cannot see it as something that applied only to the Jews of that time, or as something circumstantial, or as something isolated. We must see it as the establishment of a teaching that sets requirements of life for the man and woman who want to live within the kingdom of heaven.
Believing Is Not Enough
I repeat: for the apostle John it is not only a matter of believing. In our contemporary context we have come to think that, to enter the kingdom of heaven, all I must do is acknowledge Jesus and accept Him as Savior and, above all, as Lord. That is essentially the message we preach today. But the apostle John establishes for us that it is not only a matter of believing.
If we have read the gospels, we know that multitudes followed Jesus. On one occasion He fed five thousand men, not counting women and children, and on another, three thousand men, also not counting women and children. If we make a rough calculation, in the case of the three thousand we would be speaking of some seven thousand people, and in the case of the five thousand, of about twelve thousand. In other words, many people followed Jesus, and they were people who believed in Him. In fact, when we get to Nicodemus we will see that, though a Pharisee, he believed in Jesus: “We know that You have come from God,” is his declaration. Many believed, but John says it is not only a matter of believing in Jesus, but of fulfilling certain requirements. The kingdom of heaven has requirements for entering.
To understand those requirements we must ask a question about this first act, when Jesus drives out the sellers, the oxen, the sheep, and the doves, makes a whip, and overturns the moneychangers’ tables: Why did He do it? Jesus established two requirements here. To understand them, let us go to the book of Genesis, because this act closely resembles another that took place many years earlier.
First Requirement: A Faithful Heart
“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock, of the fattest of them. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and on his offering; but He did not look with favor on Cain and on his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry, and why has your countenance changed? If you do well, will you not be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door; and its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it.” (Genesis 4:3-7)
Here is the key to understanding why Jesus acted this way when He entered the temple, and here we find the first characteristic of how we can enter the kingdom of heaven on earth: what does not come from a faithful heart is not an offering pleasing to the Lord. Let me repeat it, because this is the first requirement: what does not come from a faithful heart cannot be considered an offering pleasing to God.
Why did Jesus overturn the tables and drive out the moneychangers and everything that was being sold for the sacrifices? The example of Cain and Abel explains it: because God does not look at the offering, but at the faithfulness of the heart that presents it. I am not speaking of intentions; I am speaking of a person who has committed himself to the Lord. The Word teaches us that this is a faithful heart. Whoever is not faithful before the Lord presents an offering that is not pleasing to Him.
This did not happen only at that moment; it has been repeated over many, many years on the face of the earth. Let us see what the prophet Isaiah says:
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says the Lord. I am full of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. Who has required this from your hands, when you come to present yourselves before Me, to trample My courts? Bring Me no more gifts from your hand; incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moon and the Sabbath, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure; your solemn gatherings are iniquity.” (Isaiah 1:11-13)
What does God demand so that we may enter the kingdom of heaven? A committed heart. That committed heart is a faithful heart, because a person who has not developed commitment toward his Lord cannot be faithful to his Lord. And this is the important part: a few minutes ago I said that the apostle John teaches us that believing is not enough. The life of faith is not developed by believing alone. Believing is a requirement, yes, but the life of faith is founded on a heart committed to the Lord, a heart that is faithful to Him, that has decided for Him and that, no matter what comes against it, will stand firm before Him.
“But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep of your burnt offerings, nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices; I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, nor wearied you with incense. You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:22-24)
Historically, and this has been the great problem of man and of woman, there has been a lack of commitment. “But I believe; of course I believe in Jesus.” The apostle John, by the Spirit of God, tells us that the life of faith does not consist in believing. Is believing important? Yes, because no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Spirit of God; but we do not stop there. To enter and live in the kingdom of heaven, faithfulness is necessary, a faithfulness grounded in commitment.
In this way we not only answer why Jesus overturned the tables and drove everyone out with a whip, but we see how I can really live within the kingdom of heaven. The psalmist establishes it clearly:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart You will not despise, O God.” (Psalm 51:17)
God demands a faithful and committed heart, because the person who does not have one presents an offering that is not accepted. Now we can understand what happened with Cain and Abel. The Lord Himself declared it to Cain: you are not committed; you do things out of obligation, because you feel obligated, not because you truly want to please the Lord.
Second Requirement: Do Not Bargain with God
Let us return to the Gospel of John, chapter 2, to find the second requirement. I read verses 15 and 16 again: “And having made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables; and to those who sold doves He said: Take these things away, and do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:15-16). The dove sellers are singled out in particular. What do they represent?
When we go to the Old Testament, to the Mosaic law, we see that God, in His grace and mercy, had established that man was to sacrifice sheep, rams, goats, and calves. But it also speaks, as a last resort, of doves. What relationship do doves have to cattle or sheep? The Lord established that, surely, there would be poor people who could not afford a sheep, a ram, a goat, or a calf; and for those who lacked the means to buy one of those animals, He established doves and young pigeons as the minimum offering.
Where does this lead us? Why is the emphasis placed on the doves in this act? Because the people were learning to bargain with God. Just as you hear it: they were not presenting their sacrifice to honor the Lord or out of obedience to what the Mosaic law had established for them, but to get out of an obligation that the law was imposing on them.
Here is the second requirement: for a person, man or woman, who is not willing to do the will of God, everything he or she does, says, or gives is considered a bargain. I repeat it because it is extremely important. This act establishes requirements for living within the kingdom of heaven and enjoying its benefits, and one of them is this willingness to fulfill God’s will for our lives. Without it, everything is a bargain: “I give You this, but in exchange, give me that.”
Sadly, this is how many men and women who have confessed the name of Jesus live: “Lord, if You grant me this, this, this—and the list could be endless—then I am willing to serve You.” That is not commitment; it is bargaining. That is why Jesus made a whip and drove out the sellers and the moneychangers and overturned the tables: because with their actions they were teaching the people to bargain with God, and the people were content to be taught that way.
Life within the kingdom of heaven is not a bargain, nor can it be seen as one. Listen well: the person who bargains is immediately put out of the kingdom, because you cannot bargain. No man who is unwilling to do the will of God will receive anything in exchange for what he does, says, or gives; in reality, he will receive nothing.
There are people who, in the matter of offerings and tithes, maintain that this is the only way God will bless them: “If you do not give, if you do not sow a seed, you will not reap.” Have you heard that? The seed refers to a gift that is material or financial. But within the kingdom of heaven there is no bargaining. What does God demand of our lives? A heart committed to the Lord, a faithful heart, contrite and humbled, that will not hold back in what it gives and will not believe that by giving it will receive something in return from God. Many see offerings, tithes, and firstfruits as a way to obtain greater benefits from God. I have to say it: that is not the kingdom of God, that is not the kingdom of heaven in any way.
When the Lord Overturns the Tables
One more thing: this was not a one-time or isolated act. It is what the Lord does in the life of every man and every woman. That is why, many times, there are lives whose projects, works, and undertakings are overturned, and they do not understand why. We often say: “It is the devil attacking me, it is the devil oppressing me.” But here we realize that it is not really the devil: it is the Lord overturning the tables, overturning the table of the moneychangers, overturning everything we are doing. Why? Because we are doing it on a mistaken foundation: bargaining with God. Within the kingdom of heaven you cannot bargain.
God demands that we do what He wants us to do. He demands that we not put limits on what the Lord asks for our lives, that we not tell Him no, or maybe, or “all right, but later.” God is looking for a contrite and humbled heart, as the psalmist David writes; a faithful heart, committed to the Lord. You have surely read about that disciple who came before Jesus and said he would follow Him, but asked to be allowed first to go and bury his father; and Jesus told him to let the dead bury their own dead, and that he should come and follow Him. That is the heart God demands; that is how God establishes the requirements of the kingdom of heaven.
We have, then, two requirements for living within the kingdom of heaven: a faithful and committed heart, and that we do nothing as a transaction or a bargain.
Third Requirement: The Life of Faith Is Not a Behavioral Adjustment
Let us move on to the second act, in chapter 3 of the Gospel of John.
“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 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. Jesus answered and said to him: Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 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? Jesus answered: Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:1-6)
The verses that help us understand this second act are 3 and 5. Let us read verse 3 again: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus asks how a man can be born when he is old, and whether he can enter his mother’s womb a second time. Here we have the third requirement for entering and living within the kingdom of heaven: the life of faith is not a behavioral adjustment.
We must understand this clearly. The life of faith is not a behavioral adjustment. It does not consist in regulating my way of being a little more, or in adjusting my way of feeling or my way of thinking. The life of faith is not an adjustment of behavior, or of thought, or of feelings, or of intentions. It cannot be seen as an adjustment of things.
When Nicodemus asks whether a man can enter his mother’s womb and be born again, Jesus answers that if that could be done, the only things that would change would be physical features: the color of the skin, the eyes, the hair; but he would still be the same person he is now. External things would change, but what really needs to change is not the external, but the inner life of every man and every woman. That is why the life of faith is not a behavioral adjustment.
We must understand this very clearly, because many men and many women never manage to enter. “No matter how much I want to, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I strive, I do not succeed; I feel I fall short; I feel I am not attaining what is demanded of me.” People do not see change. Of course there will be none. Why? Because we are working at the life of faith with adjustments: tightening a little here, a little there; adjusting my way of thinking; “I will take this word out of my vocabulary, I will not say this other one either, I will not wear these clothes, I will conduct myself this way, my manners will be like this instead.” I will readjust my whole life: thought, feeling, way of being. You will never succeed, because the life of faith is not a behavioral adjustment, and this is plainly seen in verses 3 and 4. This is where many of us are failing: we are wasting our time.
This is the third requirement, and it is very important: do not work at it as an adjustment. It will not solve anything, it will not work, you will accomplish nothing. Of course you will have a different appearance, and people will see you differently: “Before, you used to do this, you used to say this, and now you no longer do it, you no longer say it.” Yes, they will see a difference; but inwardly you will remain the same depraved man, the same contaminated man, or the same depraved and contaminated woman, because it is not an adjustment. So what is it about?
Fourth Requirement: Being Born of Water and of the Spirit
Let us go to verse 5: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). It is clear: it is not about adjusting anything or about being born of the flesh again. It is necessary to be born of a spiritual process called water and Spirit.
What is the difference between verse 3 and verse 5? Verse 3 says that unless you are born again, you cannot see. Verse 5 adds two elements, water and the Spirit, and says that unless you are born of them, you cannot enter. The purpose is not merely to see the kingdom of heaven, but to enter it. This is decisive if we are to live a life of faith fully within the kingdom.
What does it mean to be born of water and of the Spirit? Let us go to the Old Testament, to the book of Numbers:
“Everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of purification; but all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water.” (Numbers 31:23)
And in the New Testament, in Matthew:
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
Jesus told Nicodemus that unless you are born of water and of the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom. Water speaks of purification; the Spirit, of God’s work in us. It speaks to us, then, of repentance and purification. This is the fourth requirement for entering and living within the kingdom of heaven: it is necessary that we be born of cleansing, that we be purified, and that we be born of repentance. A person who does not repent of his past deeds cannot be clean, and a person who is not clean has not repented. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. To enter and live in it, the man, the woman, the young man, and the young lady need repentance.
Repentance of what? Of the deeds of the past; of having lived by our own motivation, our own desires, our own tastes, our own decision; of not having kept God in our knowledge. In fact, many people have come to a congregation but go on living as if they had never repented, because they do not want to keep God in their knowledge: they do not consult Him, they have not integrated Him into their lives. The only thing they call on Him for is: “Help me, rescue me, prosper me, bless me”; but not to ask: “What do You want me to do? What do You want me to say, Lord? What do You want me to give? What do You want from me, Lord?” If you are not born of water and the Spirit, that is, of repentance and the cleansing of all your old way of being, you will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Come Out from Among Them
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)
Many of us want to receive the benefits of the kingdom while still living under the customs of the world. It is impossible; it cannot be done. We want all the benefits: “Give them all to me, and if there are more, I am ready to receive them all”; but we want to bring the world along with us and integrate it into the life of the kingdom. It cannot be done. When I speak of bringing in the atmosphere of the world, I mean customs, words, songs, motivations; I mean practically everything.
Have you noticed how music from the world is being exported to be sung inside a congregation? The lyrics were changed, but the music is the same. That cannot be done: you are bringing the world into the church, you are bringing the world into the kingdom of heaven. We are bringing in customs: out there they call it Valentine’s Day, here we call it Friendship Day. Impossible; it cannot be done. And let us not come with the excuse that it is so the young people will have an environment, because otherwise they will leave for the world; for you are bringing the world in to them inside the church as well. More and more parties are being integrated into the church; we are bringing the world’s platforms in: out there they hold achievement days and operations of this kind, and we say, “Let’s bring those in too, because if it worked out there, it will work here.” It cannot be done.
Many of us do not want to understand it, but if you are not born of water and the Spirit, you will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. You must be cleansed, you must be born of repentance; otherwise you will not be able to enjoy the kingdom. Jesus then says to Nicodemus:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)
We must understand that within the kingdom of heaven there is a completely different structure. It is not a matter of exporting the former structure because I felt comfortable in it, or of thinking that if we remove this or that, the situation is not so bad. Many of us are redesigning the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. It cannot be done, it cannot be done, it cannot be done.
Conclusion
That is why the water turned into wine at the wedding at Cana of Galilee cannot be seen as an isolated miracle. Jesus stepped in, He broke into that wedding, to show that God wants to have communion with His people, with those who are willing to serve Him. He did it at a wedding, an image of the union of Christ and the Church. God wants communion, but there are requirements. Let us summarize the four.
First, everything that does not come from a faithful heart is not an offering pleasing to the Lord, because God is not impressed by anything or anyone: He looks at faithfulness and commitment. If we have not committed ourselves to the Lord, nothing we do or say will truly be pleasing to Him.
Second, if a man or a woman is not willing to do the will of God, everything he or she does, says, thinks, or feels is considered a bargain: “I am doing this, but not because I understand that it is Your will, but because in exchange I want that other thing.” In acting this way we deceive ourselves and ruin our lives, because in the end there will be no hope of salvation for any of us.
Third, the life of faith does not consist in adjustments: neither of behavior nor of thought. It does not consist in striving to do this, or in watching how someone who I understand is doing well behaves in order to repeat what that person does. It is not a behavioral adjustment or an imitation of personality.
Fourth, it is necessary that each one of us be born of the truth of the gospel, the truth of God, which is repentance and cleansing. Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
On the day Jesus turned the water into wine, He was inaugurating the kingdom of heaven on the face of the earth, and that day He established benefits, but also conditions for enjoying them. In these two teachings we have seen what the benefits are and what the conditions are for enjoying them. No man and no woman can redesign the gospel. Let us not fall into the gravest error, which would be not only an error but a sin, of wanting to do it our own way, because we would be setting ourselves against God, and no one can set himself against God and remain standing.
This is the teaching the Word establishes for us: how I can enter, live in, and fully enjoy the kingdom of heaven. May the eternal God, the Almighty, give us a heart to understand, but above all a heart to act and to establish His Word in each of our lives. The peace of the Lord be with you.
Review Questions
- Why does the Gospel of John teach that believing in Jesus is not enough to enter the kingdom of heaven, and what is the difference between believing and having a faithful heart committed to the Lord?
- In what areas of my life am I bargaining with God—“I give You this, but You give me that”—instead of doing His will, and what does it mean to bring Him an offering that comes from a faithful heart?
- What is the difference between adjusting my behavior and being born of water and of the Spirit, and what do I need to repent of and be cleansed from in order to enter fully into the kingdom of heaven?
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