Born of the Spirit
Sunday March 20, 2011
Our scripture today comes from John chapter 3, verse 1-17.
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
More commonly, this passage is referred to as the story of Nicodemus.
Who was Nicodemus? Why did he want to meet with Jesus?
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was definitely educated. He was a leader in law and religious matters for his people. He was very important and very influential and very religious.
Yet, here he is, seeking out Jesus. With all the accolades, with all the titles and honor and fame, something was missing that caused him to seek out Jesus. Keep in mind that at this point, Jesus is just another man claiming to know the mind of God.
Nicodemus saw something more than just another preacher. He saw something more in Jesus that others were missing. There was also something missing in Nicodemus and he felt Jesus could help him fill that void.
Within this conversation, Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they are born again. The original Greek term is actually “anothen”. This word loses some of its meaning in translation due to the fact it actually means more than one thing. Anothen means from above as well as again or anew. Essentially Jesus is saying that no one sees heaven without being born again from above. We must be reborn in the spirit of God.
That leaves us with the big question of How? How can we be reborn in the spirit? Jesus uses an interesting metaphor to provide us some direction. In verse 8 He says, “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.” As Jesus says, wind cannot be seen, nor can the Spirit of God. We can hear the wind, as we can hear the Spirit and we can feel the wind, just as we can feel the Spirit.
Again, I want you to remember that Nicodemus comes with the greatest respect for Jesus. In verse 2 he says, "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."
I also think Nicodemus was hopeful that during this meeting, Jesus might say or offer him a nugget of advise that might improve his life a bit; something to give Nicodemus a little spark of energy in his own teachings.
What Jesus shares is perhaps the most well known verses of all time. 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Why would Jesus say this to this man, who respected and apparently admired Him?
Jesus is not looking for admirers, he is looking for followers. He is looking for disciples, not those who just offer their respect.
Jesus is demanding a change from Nicodemus, and from us.
Back to verse 16 for a moment. I want you all to look at the back of the announcements. Please read verse 16 to quitely. Think about that in the context of your own life. Do you love anything so much you would give up a son or daughter, a mother or father? God loves us that much. And His only requirement is complete faith in Jesus and for that we are given eternal life.
Verse 17 clarifies God’s intentions. Jesus was not sent to condemn us but to save us. We must reach out to God, dropping all pretenses, and give ourselves to him completely.
This is the message Jesus wants to convey to Nicodemus.
When we go back to the metaphor of the wind, we see Jesus saying, “Open yourself to this
uncontrollable but trustworthy Presence.” Just as the wind is all around us but unseen, so too is God all around us but unseen. Allow Him into your heart and He will be in your heart forever.
We have been a spectator to a rebirth by water. It is physical, it is definable and it is observable. The birth Jesus talks about with Nicodemus is none of those things, yet it is even more important than baptism.
As Christians, we are asked to do many things. As disciples, we are asked to be born “anothen”. We must let go of the known, the comfortable and the tangible and allow ourselves to be overtaken by the Spirit of God. It is the wind we can’t see, it is the wind we can’t touch, yet it is the wind we can feel and we can hear.
As I was preparing this week, I came upon a quote. I could not go back and find the author, yet felt it import to share with you today. It is printed on the back of the announcements also.
“If you are born once, you will die twice. If you are born twice, you will only die once.”
I challenge all of you to mull on that statement this week. Consider if you have fully handed your life to God or if you admire Him a lot. Consider if you are a true disciple of Christ or if you just respect him deeply. Consider if you have allowed the Spirit of God into your heart, just as the wind reaches into every corner and crevasse. Consider if you have truly opened yourself to this uncontrollable but trustworthy Presence that is God.
