The Simple Life at Church
“Salvation Made Simple”
John 3:1-16
About a year ago a TV series had become fairly popular called “The Simple Life.” It featured Paris Hilton, millionaire, Hilton Hotel fame and Nicole Richey, also from a very wealthy family. Basically what you have are 2 spoiled kids. They have been given everything money can buy and so they were invited to try and live the simple life. They would travel the country in a bus - they would live with different families, usually in the country, perhaps on a farm. They would milk the cows, feed the hogs, get up at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. and they would attempt to live the Simple Life. As you can imagine, it simply did not work! Neither of them had ever had to do anything for themselves, had never done physical labor and so, for them, it really was NOT the simple life.
Today, I am beginning a new teaching series called “The Simple Life at Church” and I told you right before I went in for surgery a couple of weeks ago, that when I came back we would be talking about change and some changes that we will be implementing here at Eagle’s Landing. And that is what you will be hearing about in the weeks to come.
I went in for my surgery about 3 weeks ago with most of my questions answered about the surgery.....they told me the extent of the surgery but I didn’t realize how sore I would be following the surgery......most of the soreness, of course, was in my throat.....I couldn’t eat for over a week.........lost 11 lbs., but I don’t recommend the diet plan! You know, there’s the Atkins plan, the South Beach Diet and this plan I would call “The Cut Throat Diet”...... just let the doctor cut your throat and you’re so sore you can’t eat! When the surgeon described what he was going to do, it began to sound a bit extensive, but I think what surprised me more than anything was when he said the surgery would take a couple of hours and then I would immediately go home.....of course, we can all thank HMO’s and our insurance companies....when my wife had her tonsils out she was 19 years old and they kept her in the hospital 5 days......that was only one of the things they were doing on me and sent me straight home the same day!
I am reminded of a funny story.....3 men died and they were all standing at the pearly gates. Peter met them at the gate and said to the first one, “Tell me what you’ve done to deserve Heaven.” The first guy said, “Well, I’m a police officer, I’ve enforced the law, I’ve fought crime all my life.” Peter said, “OK, come on in.” The 2nd fellow steps up and says “Well, I’ve given a lot of money to charity and to the church.” Peter says, “Great! Come on in.” The 3rd guy was the Director of an HMO.....he says, “I’ve helped save the health care industry millions of dollars by cutting down on the amount of time people can stay in the hospital.” Peter says, “Fine, come on in.....but you can only stay for 23 hours. You see, there’s going to be a payback for these people.” In reality, we have all heard jokes about people showing up at the “Pearly Gates” seeking entrance into Heaven. While these stories usually make us smile, behind most of them is the false assumption that we must do something to get into Heaven. You see, we make it too complicated. It’s actually much simpler. It’s a part of the “Simple Life” that God wants us to live.
In the text today, we come across one of those people who had a way making things complicated. In this case, he is trying to make salvation complicated. His name was Nicodemus and I want us to listen in to the conversation he was having with Jesus here in John chapter 3. It was at night that this leader of the Jews, Nicodemus, decided to pay Jesus a visit. We speculate why he came a night.............several possibilities: (1) Rabbis use the evenings to study.....perhaps he thought it would be convenient to get to Jesus at that time, (2) He may have wanted to avoid the crowd during the day, (3) He may have feared being seen with Jesus. But for whatever reason, here is Nicodemus coming with several very important spiritual questions.
We should know right up front Nicodemus was no ordinary citizen. He was Rich. He was Repected. He was very Religious. He was a Ruler, a leader. He also had a deep interest in Jesus; he had great respect for Jesus. He addresses Him as a teacher which tells us that Nicodemus felt there were things that he could learn at the feet of Jesus. He recognizes that Jesus’ ministry has been blessed by God. (Verse 2)
Nicodemus would fall into the category of people that are described back in chapter 2, verse 23. Yes, he does believe in Jesus, but it is strictly because of the miracles. Now, Jesus sees straight to the heart; He knows our every thought and He knew exactly why Nicodemus was there, so He immediately challenges Nicodemus. (Verse 3) Many of us can recall when, in the mid-70’s, Jimmy Carter, who was running for President, announced he was a “born-again Christian.” For many people, that was the first time they had ever heard that term - they thought Carter made up the term “born again.” But, as a result, I think it is a much more familiar term now. But what Jesus is talking about here is a supernatural event.
Nicodemus doesn’t understand, so he asks another question...verse 4. Jesus is speaking here on a spiritual level, but Nicodemus is listening on a physical level. He says, “How can I go back and be “born again?” Really, the child doesn’t contribute to the delivery, the dad likes to think he contributes something, by standing there saying, “Breathe, honey, breathe.” But, let’s face it - guys aren’t a lot of help either.......the real work falls to the women....all the ladies said, “Amen!” No one says, “Good job, Dad” and pats the baby on the back and says, “Good job!” You see, the one who pays the price is Mama. Mama does the work. She deserves te gold medal!
Max Lucado says that when his niece was having her first child, she invited her brother and mother to stand in the delivery room. After witnessing over 3 hours of labor, the mom pushing and straining, when the baby finally arrived, Max’s nephew had never seen anything like this in all of his life. So, when the baby started to arrive his nephew turned to his Mom and said, “Whew, Mom! I’m sorry for every time I’ve ever talked back to you!”
Jesus says, “I am speaking of a spiritual birth. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. If you study enough, you can find at least 7 opinions about what this means “to be born of water and spirit.” Some think it means being baptized.......some say it means to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit.......
Now listen Jesus is talking here about 2 births. The first one is a physical birth, the 2nd one a spiritual birth. How can we know that? Because He tells us: (Verses 5-6) When He speaks of being born of water or being born of the flesh, He is not talking about the water of baptism. He is talking about the water a baby lives in during the pregnancy. Further, he tells Nicodemus that he should not be surprised by what He is telling him and we shouldn’t either. Do we really think there is anything we can personally do to get to Heaven? It’s a gift and it comes from above. He says it’s like the wind in many ways..........you see its effect....it can bend large trees to the ground.....but still, we can’t pinpoint its source. He says this is what the new birth is like. It is a divine act, that can completely change an individual, can break them, if necessary, and yet we can’t see the source.
But, guess what? In all of this, Nicodemus is still very confused. (Verse 9) Jesus says to him in verse 10: “Look, Nick, you’re one of the main guys here.......you’re a member of the Sanhedrin.” 70 men served there, plus the high priest and they ruled on many matters related to civil life......anything the lower court could not handle, they would. They were, in essence, the Supreme Court. Jesus is saying, “You have given your life to the study of truth and yet you still don’t get it!” Jesus is saying, “I shouldn’t be shocked......you don’t understand the earthly things that I tell you, so how can you understand/believe in the spiritual things? Because, to do so, you must be born again.”
To emphasize His point, Jesus turns to a familiar OT story. He refers to the incident in the desert/wilderness when God sent poisonous snakes into the Israelites’ camp to judge
them for their sin. As these snakes began to strike the people, God told Moses to make and erect a bronze serpent. And all those who looked up at the serpent were saved. He then quickly compares this to what Jesus would do on the cross 1500 years later. He says even so Jesus would be lifted up on a cross and those who look to Him............they will be saved. And that’s the key.
Nicodemus was religious in every sense of the word. But he had no relationship. Here’s what this text tells us:
• 1. Being born again is not about human effort. If anyone could have earned a place in Heaven, it would have been Nicodemus. It seems he had all the right qualifications. It reminds us of that.
A. Position does not save you. He was one of the 70 who made up the Sanhedrin.
In essence, he was a member of the Jewish Supreme Court. They were considered to be the religious elite. They went to great lengths to obey the law.
B. Popularity does not save you. His name meant “Victor over the people.” He was a winner. Well-liked, popular. His name, by the way, comes from the Greek root word “Nike.” But popularity will not save us.
C. Prestige does not save you. Jesus identified Nicodemus as “the” ruler of the Jews. He was the one people turned to for answers in spiritual matters. He spent his life studying the scriptures. He was “the man” when it came to spiritual matters, but he was not saved.
D. Piety does not save you. Nicodemus knew right from wrong. He, no doubt, lived it out. The first words he spoke to Jesus back in verse 2 were “we know.” But, the reality was, Nicodemus didn’t know. He was religious to the core. He obeyed the law to the letter. He fasted, he prayed, he studied the Bible, but still he was lost.
So, what does it take to be saved? It is a relationship, not a religion. What does that mean?
(1) It involves a spiritual birth. Jesus said, “Unless one is born of the spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (2) It involves a sovereign birth. In other words, it is an act of God. God spends our entire lifetime seeking us out. God has been afer you since Day 1!
(3) It involves a supernatural act. Salvation cannot be explained in human terms. You can’t put it in a test tube and examine it. It’s not a scientific formula. There’s no secret recipe. It comes through grace. (4) It involves a Savior. As I said, “It is a relationship, pure and simple, a relationship.”
There were Four things that nearly kept Nicodemus from coming to Christ: (1) Pride. As religious as he was, someone told him it wasn’t enough. (2) Tradition. His background. He was a ruler of the Jews, a teacher. But it wasn’t enough. (3) Lack of information. How can a man be born when he’s old? (4) Misunderstanding. Don’t be surprised......you must be born again.
This section of the Bible is probably the most important passage in all the scripture. We close this section with this promise: John 3:16. **Man born blind in John 9. I cannot explain it all. I just know one thing: I was blind and now I see. And that is the testimony of everyone who is born again. I cannot explain how God can transform a sinner into a saint. I just know that I was lost and now I am found. I was blind and now I see. I was on my way to Hell and now I am on my way to Heaven. The new birth is supernatural. It is beyond explanation. You can miss Heaven by about 12 inches. The distance from the head to the heart.
