You Must Be Born Again
(John 3:1-18)
John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
Nicodemus. Who was Nicodemus? This verse tells us.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group of Jews who were excessively concerned about keeping the letter of the Law. They were legalistic. The law was very important to them.
Nicodemus also was a member of the Jewish ruling council. This was one of the highest political positions for a Jew. Nicodemus was somebody. He was a prominent Jewish leader and teacher.
In this sermon today, we will look at the conversation that Nicodemus had with Jesus. It gives four points about salvation. This sermon is entitled, You must be born again. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus many times. You must be born again.
The first point is an admission that Nicodemus made.
1. Jesus is From God
John 3:2 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.”
Nicodemus came to Jesus with an admission: Jesus is a teacher come from God. This is quite a statement for a Pharisee to make. But it wasn't just Nicodemus making this statement. Nicodemus didn't say, “I know that you are a teacher from God.” He said, “We know.” Evidently, he and his friends or colleagues had come to this conclusion. It is a step in the right direction. Jesus is from God.
We talked about signs in the previous sermon. Nicodemus and his friends had seen the signs that Jesus had performed. The signs had convinced them that Jesus was from God.
Anyone who wants to be saved, must start at this point. Jesus is from God. Do you see Jesus as being from God? Do you? If so, you have made a step in the right direction. If not, go back to the signs that Jesus did. Look at them. See them. Believe them. They all point to this fact: Jesus is from God.
You would think that when Jesus replied to Nicodemus after Nicodemus said this, that He would say something about this, but He didn't. Jesus goes directly to the subject of salvation. He does so by saying that another birth is necessary.
2. Another Birth is Necessary
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Here’s some bonus material. It says, “very truly” here in the NIV. Your Bibles may say, “verily, verily” or “truly, truly.” In the Greek it actually says, “amen, amen.” Amen, amen, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. The word “again” here is actually “from above.” It can have the meaning of again as it does here.
No one can see the kingdom of God, no one can go to heaven, unless they are born again. This is necessary. There must be a birth, a rebirth.
Nicodemus responds to this in verse 4.
John 3:4 “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!”
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Nicodemus is not just asking an innocent question here. He is disagreeing with Jesus. He states that a person cannot enter a second time into the womb.
Jesus doesn't respond to his question. He just makes His statement again. No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born. He adds two elements: are born of water and the Spirit. What does this mean? Look at the next verse.
John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
The flesh, the physical body, gives birth to a physical body. This corresponds with the water in the previous verse, being born of water. When you were born, you came in a water sac. That’s what water here is referring to. It is not referring to water baptism. It is referring to a physical birth. You have been born physically. You also must be born spiritually. The Spirit gives birth to spirit. You can only function in the spiritual world where Jesus and the Father are, if you have been born in the spirit.
Jesus continues.
John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
This is the third time that Jesus has said this. It was the one thing that Nicodemus needed. You must be born again. It does not matter how rich you are. You must be born again. It does not matter how long you have gone to church. You must be born again. It doesn't matter which denomination you are a member of. You must be born again. It doesn't matter how many ministries that you are involved in in this church. You must be born again. It doesn’t matter how good you are. You must be born again. Have you been born again? If not, you must be born again.
Jesus continues.
John 3:8 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.”
How was I born again? I don't know. I turned to Jesus and it just happened. I know that there was a birth, that something happened, that there was a change in my life. I know that I am a new person. After almost fifty years of having been born in the spirit, I still have never seen the spirit. I have felt it, but I don't know where it comes from and I don't know where it wants to go. The Spirit knows. God knows. It is like the wind. How am I supposed to respond to that? That is where the next point comes in. Not only is another birth necessary, but:
3. Trust is Key
John 3:9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
John 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
John 3:11 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.
How is it that Nicodemus does not know about these things? He was a prominent teacher about God, about spiritual things. And he doesn't know about the spiritual birth?
Jesus said, “We speak of what we know.” Who is the we? The we is everyone who has been born again. It is you. It is me. It is all of the disciples of Jesus. We don't understand it, but we tell what we know and what we have seen. That is all we can do, but it is something that we should do.
We tell these things. We tell about our rebirth, about being born again. But still, as Jesus said, you people do not accept it, you people who are religious but not born again. That was Nicodemus and his friends. That may be some people here.
Jesus continues.
John 3:12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe (trust) if I speak of heavenly things?
John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Nicodemus did not trust. He knew that Jesus was from God, but he did not trust Him. He did not trust Him. He most likely had come to Jesus to get some special heavenly knowledge from Him, knowledge that no one else knew, something new that he could teach, but He didn't trust Jesus. How can you learn from a teacher that you don’t trust?
Jesus even reminds Nicodemus that He, Jesus, came from heaven. He came from the spiritual world. Who knows better about the spiritual world, than someone from the spiritual world? Who else are you going to trust? Huh? Trust is key.
Trust is not only key in learning from a teacher, from someone greater than you, but trust is key for salvation. Salvation. Being born again. What must you do to be saved? Jesus tells in the next verses.
John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
John 3:15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Do you remember this story? (Numbers 21:4-9) The children of Israel were wondering through the wilderness for forty years. During this time, they started complaining and speaking against God and against Moses. They said, and I quote, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread. There is no water. And we detest this miserable food.” End quote.
God responded for Moses. He sent poisonous snakes among them. They bit the people and many died. Do not speak against the man of God. Let me repeat that. Do not speak against the man of God. He may not respond, he may not say anything, but don't be surprised when God does.
The people realized that they had done wrong. They went to Moses for a solution. Yes, the one they were criticizing. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten and looked at the bronze snake would live.
Do you want to be born again? Jesus was put on a pole, a cross. He was put there to solve your sin problem. Look to Jesus. Look to His death on the cross. Trust it to rescue you, and you will be born again. Everyone who trusts may have eternal life in him. That’s what it says here. Trust is key.
4. God Loves the World
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes (trusts) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
How is this possible? How is it that all we have to do is trust? How is it that we can be born again by that? Because God loved the world, that’s how. God loves you. God is not going to make this hard for you. Just trust Him. God sent Jesus to this world, not to find fault with it, not to condemn it, not to ruin it. He sent Jesus because He loved people. He wanted to rescue them.
Whoever trusts in Jesus will not perish. Whoever trusts in Jesus will have eternal life. Jesus said this in verse 15, in verse 16, and in verse 18. Three times. Trust in Jesus. If you will not trust, and there are people who refuse to trust, you already stand condemned because you have not trusted the one person who is trustable, the one person who can be trusted, God's one and only Son.
How can you be born again? Turn to Jesus and trust Him. You must be born again.
Conclusion
Do you think Nicodemus trusted? Do you think that he became born again? It doesn't seem like he did, not at this time at least. He didn't give up his prominent Jewish position and start following Jesus. None of the other gospels even mention him. He is mentioned two other places in John. Once he stood up for Jesus at the Jewish ruling council before being shouted down. Then after the crucifixion, he helped remove Jesus’ body from the cross and bought an expensive mixture of myrrh and aloes to put on it.
Some has suggested that Nicodemus eventually did trust in Jesus and became a follower, but he was not mentioned in any of the other books of the Bible because the authors were protecting Nicodemus from the Jewish leaders. We don't know if that is true or not.
The bigger question today is have you been born again?
I have. I have already told you my story. When I was a sophomore in high school, on October 27, 1975, God changed my life. Most of you have had similar experiences. You were born again. Your life was changed. Look on the internet, you will find hundreds of these types of stories. People that were born again. This has been happening for thousands of years. In each case, it was a miracle, to change a sinful person into a godly one. Wow.
So the question remains, have you been born again? Take a look at your life. Is there a time and place where you were born again? Have you put your trust in Jesus? If not, you need to do so today. You must be born again.
