WHAT MUST I DO? YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN
JOHN 3:1-21
Big Idea: You must be born again.
Supporting Texts:
• Ezekiel 36:23-29a
• Psalm 119:1-8
• 2 Cor. 5:14-17
• John 3:1-21
JOHN 3:1-21
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He 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."3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " 4 "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!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is 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 I tell you the truth, 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 desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever 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.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
INTRO
It happened at night. It seems to happen at night all too frequently. Night gives way to silence … to stillness … which then gives way too much time to think … and to feel. It’s at night that we fight with self-doubt. It’s at night that the “what if” gremlins whisper in our ear. It’s at night that fear settles in. It’s at night that guilt and shame drag us into their torture chamber. Monsters, it proves to be true, do live in the dark!
There’s a reason that bars are filled at night. There’s a reason suicide rates climb at night. There’s a reason psychic hotlines and spiritual prayer hotlines peak at night. And there was a reason Nicodemus sought Jesus out at night. We don’t know what was haunting Nicodemus – doesn’t matter really – but we do know that he shows us what we should do when the night settles in on us. He’s very clear about why he came to Jesus. “He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God …” (v. 2). Nicodemus was looking for answers or help and he knew God was the place to find them.
It’s interesting to me that Jesus does not give Nicodemus time to go much further. Jesus knew that Nicodemus’ needs had collided with the stillness of the night and brought this private session. It’s almost as if Jesus cuts him off mid-thought; he interrupts and goes straight to the core of Nicodemus’ problem. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again … you MUST be born again” (vv. 3 & 7).
Nicodemus was haunted by something. He was hoping Jesus could give him some relief … maybe a word of encouragement or a simple key to peace. But Jesus sees the real need and gives the real answer ... enough of the secrecy ... he comes out with it. “You MUST be born again.”
• Nicodemus, you don’t need information - you need transformation
• Nicodemus, you don’t need refinement- you need renewal
• Nicodemus, you don’t need a new start you need a new heart
• Nicodemus, you don’t need a better life - you need a new life
• Nicodemus, you don’t need to turn over a new leaf - you need to be born again! You need a do over from the inside out.
Being born again – being born from above by God’s Spirit – requires some very specific dynamics to happen.
1. The new birth requires that we, like Nicodemus, come.
The exchange begins when we choose to come to God for help. Like Nicodemus, we do not even have to fully understand what we need. It is more important to know who can meet the need that it is to be able to fully explain it. But rest assured. Jesus can meet the deep spiritual needs that are circling you.
“Do you need an app update?”
On a rather regular basis my phone sends me messages. They come in the form of a large red exclamation point. This message is informing me that one of my apps needs an “update.” When I go to the app store and click on the update to see what exactly is need there is one explanation that is almost always included in every app’s update; “bug fixes.”
I have a choice when I see that. I can refuse the update or I can give permission for the app store to connect with my phone and repair / update the app in question. If I choose to give permissions my phone will work smoothly. If I refuse; its functionality will be hindered.
As I read God’s word I often have a similar experience. I get a red exclamation point telling me I need an update to repair “bug fixes.” As with my phone – I have a choice. I can yield to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit and allow God to make the “updates” or I can decline / postpone the repair.
As with my phone, failure to give permission will hinder my functionality but the choice is mine.
2. The new birth requires we come with a repentant heart.
The word “repent” simply means “to turn.” And this describes what we must be willing to do.
Nicodemus came to Jesus because he could not find the solutions to the darkness within himself. He had tried religion (he was a Jewish ruler) but that didn’t help. Religion alone can only take a person so far.
• Religion is about me. The new birth is about Jesus.
• Religion can make us “nice.” The new birth makes us new.
• Religion focuses on outward behavior. The new birth brings an inward transformation.
• Religion focuses on what I do. The new birth centers on what Jesus did.
Nicodemus came to Jesus seeking something he did not have within himself. To find this would require he abandon he previous course and follow a new one.
Like Nicodemus, coming to God requires us to walk away from / turn from / repent of ourselves too. That means we must be willing to deny ourselves and change our way of living which, in other places in the Gospels, is exactly what Jesus requires. You see, Jesus is not offering to help Nicodemus (or us) with the journey; Jesus is demanding we abandon it, surrender, and follow Him in a new direction.
“Hoarders”
Have you ever watched the show, “Hoarders?” It’s about people who have a hard time throwing things away. They simply collect and, eventually, the clutter overwhelms them.
The thing about a hoarder is that, unless there is a change within the garbage will collect again. There is a small farming town north of Manhattan, Kansas that had a notorious hoarder family living there. They had completely filled their front porch with bags of trash and it wasn't long before their yard and driveway were completely full of trash, broken refrigerators, stoves, worn out sofas, lawn mowers and an old car--and they didn't drive! And then one morning a sign was posted on their front door that read, “Moved Next Door.” And they had--they had literally moved next door! It seems the inside of their house was just as full of clutter and trash as the yard and so they had no choice but to move. But you know they took some of their old trash with them, and it wasn't long until their new house was as trashy as the old one!!
While returning from Richmond last weekend, Vickie and I saw a car on I81 that was so full of garbage that the driver hardly had room to drive. The garbage was stacked higher than his shoulders and included everything from fast food bags to … well who knows what else. This hoarder took his trash with him on the road.
Sometimes our lives can be that way--so cluttered with junk and trash that normal life seems impossible. We'll talk about needing a fresh start or a clean break--we'll want to just pick up and “move next door” hoping for a fresh start or a clean break with the past. But unless some deep change takes place at the core level of our very being, we end up cluttering up our lives with the same sort of junk and trash as before – we’ll even take it on the road with us everywhere we go.
That’s where repentance comes in. That’s where a new birth, as opposed to a new start, is required.
2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
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“You MUST be born again.”
Nicodemus said "I can’t be born again … no one can!" (v. 4) but Jesus knew he could.
Do you remember what I told you when we started this series? It’s very important that you never forget it. “WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS I MUST DO, GOD KNOWS I CAN DO.”
You can be born again. You can be made new from the inside out. God Himself will send His Spirit to do a great work within you. When you choose to die to yourself God will resurrect you in “newness of life.”
As I mentioned, 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
What’s the key to this new life? Well, there’s a verse in the middle of this story about Nicodemus that gives us the answer; it’s 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.”
He loves; he gave. We believe; we live.
The Bible makes it clear that God can give you a new life. God can remove the guilt, pardon the sin, and equip you to live a life of victory and purpose. You simply need to come in repentance and turn from yourself.
“The Lawyer’s Invitation”
A pastor told the true story of one of his church members, an attorney, who after meditating on several scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than six months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent seventeen debt-canceling letters via certified mail. One by one, the letters began to return, unsigned and undelivered. Perhaps a couple people had moved away, though not likely. Sixteen of the seventeen letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes, fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts.
Well, today we have opened the letter and we have read about God’s offer to pardon your debt. Today would be a good time to accept His offer of forgiveness.
“You MUST be born again.”
WRAP-UP
What haunts you at night? What monsters live in the dark?
Maybe you aren’t literally coming in the middle of the night, as Nicodemus and many others do, but maybe it’s a “dark night of the soul.” Deep within your spirit there is a voice telling you “something’s wrong.”
Your solution, like Nicodemus,’ is to come to Jesus and find the new life you are looking for.
May I invite you to step into the light? Let Jesus shine His truth into the deep recesses of your world and bring newness … healing … life.
Martin Luther called the new birth “The best medicine.” Those who have experienced it would certainly testify that it’s true! You can too. You just need to pray a simple prayer that has radical results.
“God, be merciful to me a sinner. I turn from myself and my ways and surrender my life to you. Please forgive me for my sins, come into my life, and make me new.”
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
