What does it mean to be a disciple? Wait a second; let me be a little bolder with my question. Are you a follower of Jesus? I believe that the majority of us would answer that question in a way that affirms that we do indeed follow Jesus. But I still have to ask; are you really a disciple? Is there a difference? Well there shouldn’t be but unfortunately we have the tendency to make a distinction between the two. The majority would define a follower as an admirer of Jesus, someone who likes Him there when they need Him and they do not see the need to truly surrender their entire life to Him. In fact in their mind the term disciple is reserved for those super Christians. Jesus draws no such distinction, a follower and disciple is one in the same. In fact Jesus defines a follower or disciple in this way, a person that is so committed to Him, that when He calls they will change, risk, grow and leave their old lives behind. In our text we meet a man by the name of Nicodemus who thinks he might like to be a follower of Jesus but unfortunately He sees the concept of being a follower quite differently than Jesus. In fact He holds more of a modern view that draws that line of distinction between follower and disciple. This sets the stage for what will prove to be an interesting exchange between a respected teacher of the law and the very Messiah that he has been waiting for. Today through this text we should gain an understanding of what a true follower of Jesus looks like and why it requires us to truly be born again.
I. A close examination of Nicodemus’ resume.
A. The positive attributes that we discover about Nicodemus.
1. Not only is Nicodemus a Pharisee, John describes him as a leader of the people which implies that he was a member of the revered council of seventy known as the Sanhedrin.
2. Being a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have known the Law of Moses inside and out and would have taught and defended it faithfully.
3. Nicodemus’ opinion of Jesus is obviously not a private opinion as he says “we know”. Now he finds himself honestly searching for answers in regard to Jesus’ identity and the Kingdom of God.
4. As we trace Nicodemus throughout the book of John we discover that later He will stand up for Jesus in the presence of his fellow Pharisees and will also assist Joseph of Arimathea during Jesus’ burial.
B. The attributes that are not exactly in Nicodemus’ favor.
1. The fact that Nicodemus chose to come to Jesus at night forces us to question his motives. This forces us to ask the question, “Why did he choose to come at night?”
2. Normally being called a rabbi by such a distinguished teacher as Nicodemus would be a great compliment. However, considering the fact that already in the Gospel of John, Jesus has been identified as the Logos, the Lamb of God, the Son of God and the Messiah, the term rabbi seems to completely miss the mark.
3. Nicodemus is rebuked by Jesus for not understanding concepts that He should have been quite familiar with considering his position.
4. All of the prestige and clout that went along with Nicodemus’ position were worthless in the Kingdom of God. If he truly desired to enter the Kingdom he would have to throw away all his earthly prestige and start anew.
5. Nicodemus’ faith was obviously misplaced since it seems as though he is relying on his position and knowledge to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God.
II. Should Nicodemus be viewed as a positive or negative example?
A. Nicodemus’ opinion about Jesus was based upon the signs and miracles that He had performed.
1. To Nicodemus the signs indicated that Jesus had come from God, but when you look closely at the scene one main question surfaces. “If Nicodemus really believed that Jesus was sent from God, why didn’t he accept His teaching as being from God?”
2. Perhaps Nicodemus intended to discuss the signs and miracles with Jesus as well as the coming kingdom, but one thing is for sure, he got more than he bargained for.
3. Nicodemus’ view of the kingdom was obviously off the mark and that would have been directly related to his misunderstanding of the nature and mission of the Messiah.
4. Nicodemus does not come to Jesus truly seeking; he comes to Jesus as an equal, an insider, a person who believes that his position and knowledge assures him of a place in the kingdom.
5. We need to understand that just as earthly citizenship is a right of birth or granted to a person, citizenship in the kingdom of God is granted by Him and is a right of the new birth.
6. For some reason Nicodemus is reluctant to openly follow Jesus.
7. Nicodemus’ belief never matures into true faith; in fact it appears as if the closest he ever gets to Jesus was His dead body.
8. This would make it impossible to view Nicodemus as an example that should be emulated.
B. Many people like Nicodemus fail to grasp the idea that citizenship in the kingdom of God is dependent upon what God has done rather than our resume.
1. There are people because of their talents, knowledge or pedigree that are seen as having a guaranteed place in the kingdom.
2. Even someone recognized as a spiritual giant by the populace still gets into the kingdom the same way as everyone else. They must rely on the grace of God that was displayed through Jesus.
3. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23—NIV)
4. Is it possible that there are many people like Nicodemus who are viewed as being a shoe-in for the kingdom that will not make it because their faith was misplaced?
5. If we were raised in the church we have great difficulty with this idea, in fact we may even find it to be a bit offensive. However, we can never forget that entrance to the kingdom of God is dependent upon grace not on personal achievement.
6. From Nicodemus we learn that even a person that approaches Jesus can still be left out and never have the opportunity to see the kingdom of God.
7. Salvation cannot be found apart from God’s intervention in providing a remedy to man’s sinful condition.
III. To be a true follower you really must be born again.
A. Nicodemus misses the whole point of Jesus’ teaching because he is strictly thinking in physical terms rather than spiritual.
1. When we fail to view things in the light of God’s power and only view things according to the perceived physical limitations of our world, like Nicodemus we will only see the absurdity of the concepts being taught.
2. Jesus in verse seven repeats the necessity of the new birth and He makes it clear that the rest of humanity has the same need for new birth as Nicodemus. The Greek word used here for you is hymas which is plural.
3. Like Nicodemus we consider the idea of being reborn as being an impossibility. Even though we would like to have a chance at a redo in life.
4. What is impossible to be accomplished in the physical realm can be accomplished by God supernaturally.
5. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
(Mark 10:27—NIV)
6. As Jesus clearly shows that the only way a person can start over is by being born from above. That is in grace allowing God to place within our lives His Holy Spirit to begin His regenerating work.
B. We have to be careful and not miss the fact that the reason God provides the opportunity for a new birth is because of His love for us and His desire to have our broken relationship with Him restored.
1. Jesus’ death not only showed the seriousness of but the hopelessness of man’s sinful condition. Through His death we see the depth of God’s love as well.
2. As with Nicodemus, this teaching in regard to the kingdom and God’s actions through Jesus require a response from all who hears it.
3. Our text makes it abundantly clear that those who do not accept the necessity of being born again and fully place their trust in Christ are doomed to perish.
4. Literally our eternal fate hangs in the balance. If we refuse to accept God’s gift through Jesus Christ then we have chosen to perish.
5. It has been wisely stated that, “the only way someone will spend eternity in hell is by their choice, not God’s.”
From time to time, lobsters have to leave their shells in order to grow. The problem is that they need the shell to protect them from being torn apart but growth cannot take place unless the old shell is abandoned. If the lobster does not abandon their old shell it will soon become its prison and eventually its casket.
The tricky part for the lobster is the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed. This is a very scary period for the lobster because during this time it is extremely vulnerable. Currents carry them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them into a nice square meal. For a while at least that old shell, that source of security, looks pretty good.
If you think about it we are not that different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our old shells, those things that often provide us with security and comfort. However, if we truly want to be used by Jesus Christ we must leave our old shells behind.
