“Nic at Nite”
John 3:1-11
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
**********
I. His Identity
Someone once asked a young woman, “What is the difference between my religion and yours?”
She responded, “They are actually quite close. In fact, only two letters separate our beliefs. Your religion is spelled, ‘D-O; DO.’ Mine is spelled: ‘D-O-N-E; DONE.” Our lesson this morning is about a man who had a “do” religion instead of a “done” relationship! His name is Nicodemus which means interestingly enough, “innocent blood.” We shall learn that eventually he came to realize that his salvation was dependent on the shedding of innocent blood. What do we know about this man?
a. His character
Nicodemus was a Pharisee; but he was not only a Pharisee; he was also (verse 1): “a ruler of the Jews.” That refers to the Sanhedrin, the 70 men who governed the Jews under the ultimate authority of the Roman Empire. They had “wide-ranging powers in civil, criminal, and religious matters.” They could both arrest and conduct trials.
Also, they had, for example, many rules dictating acceptable behavior, especially on the Sabbath. Because God prohibited work, they carefully measured their food so as to only carry what weighed less than a dried fig. They prohibited a woman from picking grains of wheat and eating them, for that required the “work” of harvesting and “threshing.” Their acts of devotion seem ridiculous to us, but we surely must be impressed by the seriousness with which they practiced their faith. Theirs was a “do” experience in every way. It was performance oriented religious experience. Their sense of acceptance and wellbeing was directly related to what they did.
b. His caution
The 2nd verse tells us that Nicodemus “…came to Jesus by night…” This has several implications. First, it’s apparent that Nicodemus was somewhat reluctant to be seen with this young Rabbi. In many ways we would consider him to be a “closet disciple.” In some ways he is very much like us. It is difficult for us to identify with Jesus because in doing so we may be subjected to ridicule or mockery. Have you ever been called a “Bible thumper” or a “Holy roller?” The Apostle Peter became very agitated when he was confronted by someone who had seen him with Jesus and even had a “cuss fit, “denying the One that just a few hours earlier he had pledged to die for! Second and we need to see this; this man wasn’t far from the kingdom. Make no mistake, he was not a Christian but he wasn’t far from it! Granted he was mistaken about some very important truths but at least he had come to the right place and the right person!
ILL - J. C. Ryle, “We must not set down a man as having no grace, because his first steps towards God are timid and wavering, and the first movements of his soul are uncertain, hesitating, and stamped with much imperfection…. Like our Lord, let us take inquirers by the hand, and deal with them gently and lovingly. In everything there must be a beginning. It is not those who make the most flaming profession of religion at first who endure the longest and prove the most steadfast.” Third, this man wasn’t far from the kingdom; I know that I just said that but the truth is you can be close and not get in. We are told about the case of a young man who “lacked” only one thing to enter the kingdom in Luke 18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. He was close to the entrance to the kingdom but he would not enter. As far as we know he never did!
c. His conclusion
There had been no direct word to Israel from God in
400 years, and here was One whose message carried the stamp of divine authority. So Nicodemus the cautious enquirer, but a man of spiritual perception, sought out Jesus, and listened to one of His remarkable conversational sermons. He is not sure what to think about Jesus, but he has seen “these signs” (verse 2) and he is clearly impressed. We do not know if he was personally at the wedding in Cana (recorded in chapter two), where Jesus changed the water into wine, but he has surely heard of that miracle. And this verse makes it clear that Nicodemus has seen other miracles himself. So he concludes that Jesus must be from God. Additionally, Nicodemus admits that Jesus is a teacher and he calls him Rabbi. This is a complement; Nicodemus, the older and wiser Rabbi is “graciously” treating Jesus as a peer, as a man to be honored. He is certainly speaking of him and to him with some respect. There are many today who speak of Jesus with respect, they think him a great teacher , a great moral example, a great leader but not the Son of God and certainly not the Savior of the world.
ILL - In May 1897 the death of author Mark Twain was reported a bit too early. When the news reached Mr. Twain he was reported to have said, “The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” Had someone thought to go to Mark Twain himself they would have known he was alive. In the same way, we should go to Christ to find out what He has to say about Himself. We must at least give Nicodemus credit for doing this!
II. His Inquiry
a. He was a man who was concerned about his soul
All men should be but many sadly are not. The Bible has many examples of men who showed some interest in their eternal soul. Many of these men sought solace in religion but failed to find it. Jesus spoke to a young ruler who came to find the thing he might do to inherit eternal life. In Acts 24 there is the record of Felix who called for Paul to come before him to give a defense of the Christian way only to send the Apostle way when he was discomforted by the preaching of this man of God. Felix will always be remembered as that man who looked for a “…more convenient season.”
b. He was not a fully committed to Jesus
Not only did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night because of his concerns at being seen with Jesus, this seems to be a pattern for there is a moment when he could have been a witness for the Lord that is recorded in John 7:45-52.
John 7:45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
Nicodemus was afraid to confess Jesus even though he did raise a point of order in reference to the Sanhedrin’s treatment of Jesus. They were to avowed enemies of the Lord and they were able to cow down anyone who may have had any sympathies for this young preacher. When the Lord was condemned to death by this very same body, there was not a word of protest from Nicodemus. He may have even absented himself from this meeting so that he would not have to take a stand.
Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
ILL - Fredrick the Great of Germany was a scoffer, but his great general, Von Zealand, was a devout Christian. One day at a gathering, the king was making coarse jokes about Jesus and the whole place was ringing with laughter. Von Zealand arose stiffly and said, “Your majesty, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man now. Soon I will go to be with the One who saved me from my sin—the very One you are blaspheming against.” With trembling voice, King Fredrick replied, “General Von Zealand, I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon! And the gathering quickly dispersed quietly.
c. He is a very conflicted man
In Nicodemus we see a man that has acquired all that religion can afford, but inside where no one can see but him and God there is the sense that something is missing, something is not quite right and for a man who has led a well ordered life this is disturbing! His search has taken him to this young intenerate preacher of dubious ancestry and dangerous doctrine. He has climbed a religious ladder to the top rung only to find that what he had hoped to find was not there and this only added to his conflict.
III. His Illumination
a. He is a confused man
Nicodemus was no fool; he was both educated and sophisticated. Therefore, we are not surprised that Jesus’ conversation with him overflows with subtle reasoning, complex scriptural allusions and deep spiritual truths. There is much irony in the Lord’s statement that this “master in Israel” who confessed that Jesus was a teacher sent from God could not understand what he heard that in spite of his position, possessions, and prestige, he still needed something that he could not do, could not earn, and did not deserve.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
b. He is a challenged man
In this case the main point is: “You must be born again.” Verse 3: “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” He repeats himself verse 7: “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
“Born again” – when Jimmy Carter, the President of the United States of America, said that he was “born again,” the evangelicals knew they were in tall cotton. “One of us” was in the big house. Unfortunately, Mr. Carter’s theology and practice turned too often against the Bible, and so began the draining of meaning from the term, “born again” and now, ultimately its defilement. Jim Jones claimed to be born again. In 1980 Forbes magazine described “Born-again Companies.” An LA Times article reported on a football player who made a career comeback, “The Steeler Who Was Born Again.” And even Madonna says that, “When my daughter was born, I was born-again.”
In spite of the misuse and abuse of the phrase, it was first spoken by Jesus, and we will take the risk of seeking to learn from it today.
c. He is a changed man
Herbert Locklear writes; “After the death of Christ, ashamed of his cowardice, Nicodemus rendered loving though belated service to Christ. Openly he joined Joseph of Arimathaea, another secret disciple, in preparing Christ’s body for a kingly burial. But the dead cannot appreciate our loving attention. Mary gave her spices to Jesus while He was alive. It is better to give flowers to the living than reserve them for their burial.”
IT’S AMAZING YOU SHOULD COME TO ME...
ILL - A Jewish father was concerned about his son. He had not truly raised him to be grounded in the faith of Judaism… So, hoping to remedy this he sent his son to Israel so the boy could experience his heritage. A year later the young man returned home.
He said, "Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers. It was wonderful and enlightening. However, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity."
"Oh (groan) what have I done?" the father thought. So in the tradition of the patriarchs he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace.
"It is amazing that you should come to me," stated his friend, "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian."
So in the traditions of the Patriarchs they went to the Rabbi. "It is amazing that you should come to me," stated the Rabbi, "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian. What is happening to our sons?
“Brothers, we must take this to the Lord," said the Rabbi. They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.
As they prayed, the clouds above opened and a mighty voice stated, "Amazing that you should come to Me. I, too, sent My Son to Israel..."
SOURCE: Jeff Strite, "The Question That Condemned Jesus - (Whose Line Is It?)." http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=55872
