A. Most of us are familiar with JOHN 3:16.
1. We see that word and those numbers can see it displayed in many places – especially at sporting events where the sign may be seen by many people.
2. Look at the four pictures on the screen.
a. The first is of a young man with a John 3:16 sign being chased by a security guard at a baseball game – he’s trying to get the word out and is about to be tazzard.
b. The second picture is of a guy at a football game with a colorful wig wearing John 3:16 on his shirt.
c. The third picture is of a city wall with John 3:16 painted on it – I like that kind of graffiti.
d. The final picture is of Tim Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback of the Florida Gators, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, likes to put Bible references under his eyes over the black grease.
B. Although we may be familiar with John 3:16, many of us don’t realize that Jesus uttered those famous words during an encounter with a man named Nicodemus.
1. Nicodemus came to Jesus in the cover of darkness one night in order to have a conversation with Jesus.
2. That’s why I titled this sermon – “Nic at Night.”
C. John the gospel writer treats us to many pictures of Jesus in his gospel.
1. We see that Jesus is the Word, alive in the flesh. (Chapter. 1)
2. We see that He is the Lamb of God. (Chapter 1)
3. We see Him at a wedding doing a miracle behind the scenes. (Chapter 2)
4. We see Him at the Temple cleaning house. (Chapter 2)
5. Now we see him in conversation with a man named Nicodemus. (Chapter 3)
D. Let’s begin reading the story from John 3.
1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (Jn. 3:1-2)
2. Nicodemus was a good man, a very good man.
a. He was a Pharisee – The Pharisees were the conservative party of Jewish religious leaders.
b. Nicodemus was also religious ruler, a member of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.
c. Nicodemus loved the Lord; he loved the law of God; he wanted to do what was right.
d. He spent his time doing what religious leaders did – discussing, debating, deciding religious issues.
E. So, Nicodemus had credentials, he had clout, and he had questions.
1. He had questions for the Galilean crowd-stopper named Jesus.
2. This backwater teacher who lacked diplomas yet attracted people.
3. This Jesus had ample time for the happy-hour crowd, but little time for the clergy.
4. People were talking about this Jesus the one who casted out demons, healed the sick, purified the temple and even claimed to forgive sins.
5. The Jewish leaders had done a background check on Jesus, and He had failed the test, but Nicodemus wasn’t as sure.
F. So Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.
1. Maybe because he was afraid and wanted not to be seen, but more likely because he wanted time with Jesus that was undisturbed, away from the crowds.
2. Either way, it was better to come to Jesus at night than not to come at all!
3. So, Nicodemus not only came, but came with a respectful, open heart. He said that no one could help but be impressed with the signs and wonders Jesus was doing. He certainly must be from God.
4. Nicodemus basically said, “I’ve done my homework, and I must say your work impresses me.”
5. Nicodemus paused, surely expecting that Jesus would reply with some kind of customary response, “And I’ve heard of you, also, Nicodemus.” Or “Thanks for your vote of confidence, it’s good that you noticed these things.”
6. But no such hospitable chitchat came from Jesus.
G. Instead, Jesus simply issued this proclamation: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (3:3)
1. Behold the Continental Divide of Scripture.
2. Nicodemus stands on one side, and Jesus on the other.
3. Nicodemus inhabits the land of good efforts, sincere gestures, and hard work.
4. Jesus’ response is basically, “Your best won’t do. Your works don’t work. Your finest efforts don’t mean squat. Unless you are born again, you can’t be a part of God.” – Keep in mind that Nicodemus is a religious leaders!
H. Nicodemus hesitated on behalf of us all.
1. He didn’t ask “why”, he asked “how?”
2. Nicodemus said, “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!” (Jn. 3:4)
3. Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding. How can a person put life in reverse? How can we start all over? Being born again is impossible.
4. Oh, but wouldn’t we like to? Who wouldn’t take a “do-over?” A reload. A mulligan. But who can pull it off?
5. Nicodemus could agree with Jesus that a second birth was necessary, but in his mind it was impossible.
6. Nicodemus knew that a grown man cannot crawl back into his mother’s womb and be born again – He was so confused.
I. Jesus continued: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ” (Jn. 3:5-7)
1. The word that Jesus used for “again” when he said, “you must be born again” could also be translated “above.”
2. Both meanings apply. We must be born again, and we must be born from above.
3. The concept of rebirth can be seen so often in the New Testament.
a. Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone the new has come” (2 Co 5:17).
b. Peter wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus” (1 Pt 1:3).
c. Paul discussed the “washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” in Titus 3:5.
d. In Romans 6:4, Paul speaks of Christians as dying with Christ in baptism and then rising to a new life.
e. Paul speaks of those who are new converts as babes in Christ (1 Co 3:1,2).
f. So, all over the New Testament we see this idea of rebirth and recreation.
g. It is a wonderful concept and a marvelous reality. Something we all need.
G. We must be born again. We must be born from above.
1. The first birth was for earthly life; the second one is for eternal life.
2. By natural birth, people become members of an earthly family; to become members of the family of God, then a birth from above is necessary.
3. In our second birth God remakes our souls and give us what we need - spiritually.
4. He gives us new eyes so we can see by faith.
5. He gives us a new mind so we can have the mind of Christ.
6. He gives us new strength so we won’t grow weary.
7. He gives us a new voice for praise and new hands for service.
8. And most of all, he gives us a new heart. A heart cleansed by Christ Jesus, where Jesus can live.
H. “How does this happen,” you might ask?
1. It happens when we are born of water and the Spirit.
2. It happens when by faith and with repentance and confession we are immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins. (Acts 2:38)
3. The water is a symbol of the cleansing forgiveness of God, and the Spirit is the symbol and agent of God’s power.
4. The water and the Spirit guarantee that the past is forgiven and the future is victorious.
I. Nicodemus didn’t say anything at this point, but Jesus knew the question still rattling in his brain was, “But how does this happen? I see that faith and baptism are a part of being born again, but still I don’t understand how it works.”
1. About this time a gust of wind must have blow through the curtains hanging from the open window, and Jesus said: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (3:8)
2. There are so many things about the wind that we may not understand, but its effect is plain for all to see.
3. So it is with the Spirit. The hidden work of the Spirit in the human heart cannot be controlled or seen, but its effects are unmistakable.
4. At the heart of the new birth is mystery. The mystery of the working and wisdom of God.
J. The bottom line is this: being born again requires faith in God on our part, but the recreation and new birth is something that the Lord brings about.
1. Let me ask you a question about your physical birth: How active were you in the birthing process?
2. Did you create yourself in the womb?
3. Did you place your hands against the top of the womb and shove yourself out?
4. Did the doctors ask you to measure the contractions and report on conditions inside the womb?
5. Of course not, you were passive in the process.
6. You were not born because of what you did.
7. Someone else did all the work. Someone else felt all the pain. Someone else did all the pushing and struggling. (Thanks MOM!)
8. Max Lucado tells the story if his niece who invited her brother and mother to the birth of her first child.
a. After witnessing three hours of pain and pushing, Max’s nephew turned to his mother and said, “I’m sorry for every time I talked back to you.”
9. We were passive in our physical birth, and the same is true for our spiritual birth.
10. It is through God’s pain that we are born.
11. It’s not our struggle that mattered, but His. It’s not our blood that was shed, but His.
12. Aren’t you thankful that he has made the new birth a possibility and a reality?
K. Now, here’s an important clarification: Being born again doesn’t mean you are immediately all that you should be.
1. It doesn’t mean that the old nature will never rear its ugly head again?
2. It doesn’t mean that you and I will instantly be able to resist any temptation?
3. Go again to the delivery room and look at the newborn baby.
4. What can he do? Can he walk? Can he feed himself? Can he sing or read?
5. No, not yet. But someday he will. It takes time to grow!
6. But are his parent’s ashamed of their baby? Are they embarrassed that the infant can’t spell, or walk or give a speech?
7. Of course not, they know that growth will take time. So does God.
8. God is often more patient with us than we are with ourselves.
9. Sometimes we get to thinking that if we fall, we aren’t really born again.
10. If we stumble, the we aren’t truly converted.
11. If we have old desires, the we must not be a new creation.
12. If you are anxious about these things, then please remember what Paul said, “God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).
L. In many ways your second birth is like your first, but there is one very important difference.
1. The first time you had no choice about being born; this time you do.
2. Yes, the power is God’s. The effort is God’s. The pain is God’s. But the choice is yours and mine.
M. Jesus had more to say to Nicodemus that night, so He continued: “14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (Jn. 3:14-19)
N. Sandwiched in the middle of that presentation is the “Hope Diamond” of the Bible – the 26 word parade of hope – John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
1. Those words are brief enough to write on a napkin, or memorize in a moment, yet they are solid enough to weather 2000 years of storms and questions.
2. If you know nothing about the Bible, then start here.
3. If you know everything about the Bible, then return here – we all need the reminder.
4. This verse can be summarized so simply: He Loves. He Gave. We Believe. We Live.
5. The words are to Scripture what the Mississippi River is to America – the entryway into the heartland.
6. Believe them or dismiss them, embrace them or reject them, the choice is ours.
7. But any consideration of God and Christ must include them.
8. In the coming weeks, I want us to take a closer look at John 3:16 and the truths that are packed into that little verse.
9. I trust that it will have a profound effect on us all.
O. For today, let’s return to the story of Nic at night.
1. Jesus challenged him to believe in Jesus and be born again.
2. So what did Nicodemus do?
3. Scripture doesn’t fill in the blanks, but after Jesus was crucified a certain individual showed up with a man named Joseph of Arimathea.
4. The two men paid their respects and oversaw Jesus’ burial.
5. It was no small gesture given the anti-Jesus sentiment of the day.
6. Who was the man who joined Joseph in showing proper respect for the body of Jesus? The man named Nicodemus.
7. Three days later when Jesus arose from the grave, I’m sure Nicodemus was among those who rejoiced.
P. It is said that George Whitefield, who lived in the 1700s, preached frequently from the text we have considered today.
1. One day a friend asked him, “George, why do you preach so often on the text, ‘You must be born again’?”
2. Whitefield firmly replied, “Because you must be born again!”
3. Jesus told us the truth: Unless we are born again we will not have the eternal life God offers.
4. You must be born again.
5. What choice will you make today?
a. Are you ready to repent and be baptized?
b. Or do you need to make a commitment to look further into being born again?
c. If you are already born again – what do you need to commit to doing in order to grow up in your salvation?
d. If we can help you in your walk with God…
Resource:
“3:16 – The Numbers of Hope” by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 2007
