A NIGHT VISITOR’S INQUIRY
Sixth in the Series: “Conversations With Christ”
John 3:1-18
Back in 1976, JIMMY CARTER was running against President Gerald Ford. And you might recall Jimmy Carter caused a bit of a sensation. Because during HIS campaign, Jimmy Carter said publicly he was a BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN.
It caused a stir, and it was a term that was used about him over and over again.
Wow…Jimmy Carter is not just your ordinary run of the mill Christian. He was a BORN AGAIN Christian.
A few years later, I was chatting with someone who I’d just met. He was telling me he was into herbs, health foods and marijuana. I mentioned I was into Christianity. And his first response was to take a step back and look at me. And he said, "You’re not one of those BORN AGAIN type of Christians, are you?"
Now, what would YOU ANSWER to that?
I’ll tell you right from the start - and we’re going to see it John’s gospel this morning - that there’s actually NO OTHER SORT.
If you’re a Christian, then you’re a BORN AGAIN Christian. In fact, there’s NO SUCH THING as a NON BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN.
LET’S LOOK AT OUR TEXT: (The original “Nick at Night’)
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.
Nicodemus was a seeker.
Nicodemus was looking through a very narrow lens in his search for a messiah…a savior.
Jesus proceeds to challenge his assumptions.
· Nicodemus as a member of the Sanhedrin and a Pharisee would have lived with a very set political view of the concept of “The Kingdom of God.”
· By that, I mean, for him the Kingdom coming was nothing less than Israel being returned to the sovereign control of the Jews.
· Here Jesus is attempting to bring Him into an understanding of the Kingdom being a spiritual quest not a political one.
· On another occasion Jesus talked about this issue;
Luke 17:20-21 “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ’Here it is,’ or ’There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."
· My personal favorite verse describing the nature of the Kingdom of God is found in Romans 14 when Paul states;
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
· Jesus is saying that Nicodemus needs to get his spiritual eyes on in order to understand who Jesus really is.
· Nicodemus approached him as teacher and miracle worker…but there is more to know bout Jesus than these.
· I believe then, that the reference to water and the Spirit speaks of natural and spiritual birth.
LET’S READ ON:
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."
· I like the way the “Living Bible” renders this verse:
“Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do not know on whom he will next bestow this life from heaven."
· This presentation of the Holy Spirit being free moving and given to all is a mind-blower for Nicodemus.
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.
· This reference to the “snake in the desert” comes from an incident recorded in Numbers 21.
· Nicodemus would have known this passage of scripture by heart.
· Let me read Numbers 21:8-9 “The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
· Nicodemus is invited to believe that this miracle is a prophetic picture of the savior/Messiah Jesus claims to be. More than a teacher…more than a miracle worker.
AND NOW SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VERSES IN THE BIBLE:
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.
In my mind, these three verses stand at the very core of the Gospel message. Here Jesus succinctly explains:
The motivation of God - LOVE
The gift of God – HIS SON/SAVIOR
The provision of God – ETERNAL LIFE
The forgiveness of God – DID NOT COME TO
CONDEMN
The choice of mankind – BELIEVE IT OR NOT
This conversation with a Jewish ruler gives us the heart of the Gospel.
This conversation with Nicodemus uses powerful metaphors to help him understand how to look at Jesus, His message and His mission through spiritual eyes.
Some common perceptions of Jesus Christ are…
Intellectualism – Great Teacher INFORMATION
Ritualism – Great Icon INSPIRATION
Moralism - Great Role Model IDEALISM
All of these fall miserably short of who Jesus is and what He is about.
A great preacher was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don’t like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example."
The preacher replied, "If I presented Christ in that way, would you be willing to follow Him?" "I certainly would," said the stranger without hesitation. "All right then," said the preacher, "let’s take the first step. He committed no sin. Can you claim that for yourself?" The man looked confused and somewhat surprised. "Why, no," he said. "I acknowledge that I do sin." The preacher replied, "Then your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example!"
BACK TO NICODEMUS
Nicodemus was radically changed as a result of this conversation in which Jesus challenged him get his spiritual eyes opened.
We know that Nicodemus risked his reputation and place of prominence in the Jewish ruling body to speak up on Jesus’ behalf at his trial before the High Priest the night before he was killed. (John 7:50)
We know Nicodemus was involved in the request made by a man named Joseph of Aramathea in requesting the body of Jesus for proper burial. (John 19:39)
Christian tradition has it that Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and John, suffered persecution from hostile Jews, lost his membership in the Sanhedrin, and was forced to leave Jerusalem because of his Christian faith.
SEEKING ANSWERS?
Nicodemus made his approach to Jesus by night. This tactic could be considered as an act of fear and cowardice.
This is the most popular opinion. Nicodemus was afraid, or ashamed, to be seen with Christ, and therefore came in the night.
Whatever brought him under cover of darkness we do not know. But we do know that he came with questions?
Do you have questions you need to ask Jesus?
Are you, for some reason, being overly cautious about getting too close to Him?
Do you have troubling questions for or about Him and find yourself impatient for satisfying answers?
Remember, what I said earlier:
Your perspective on Jesus
will determine your approach to Him and…
will determine the questions you will ask him.
Intellectual approach, moral approach, aesthetic approach…these will ultimately fail you.
James 1:4
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn’t so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?
"Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
Come asking questions like Nicodemus…
Jesus loves the hard questions…the sticky ones…
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked.
"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
When the questions are answered deep in one’s hard they will risk anything to stand with the Lord.
Later at Christ’s trial he would boldly intercede for Him:
John 7:50-51
"Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"
