February 6, 2000 John 3:1- 21
“Man born twice!!”
INTRODUCTION
How many of you have ever looked at your own children or someone else’s and said these words: “Oh, if only I could be a young again and have half the energy that these kids do.”? This past Wed. night, I heard someone make a remark that went something like that. Mark Twain after watching a bunch of children and wishing that he had their energy made this remark: “Youth is wasted on the young.” The Lord has seen fit to bless this church with a rather large proportion of children. Having a lot of children around can remind us of how old each of us is getting because we constantly have to compare our level of energy with theirs. But having children nearby also adds a lot of laughter to life.
A mother and her son had a confrontation one afternoon. Mother: "Young man, there were two cookies in the pantry this morning! May I ask how it happened that there is only one now?" Boy: "It must have been so dark I didn’t see the other one."
An earthquake frightened the inhabitants of a certain town. One couple sent their little boy to stay with an uncle in another state, explaining the reason for the nephew’s sudden visit. A couple of days later the parents received the following telegram, "Am returning boy. Send earthquake instead."
Little Suzie finished her prayers before bed one evening with these words: Dear God, Before I finish, I want you to take care of mommy, take care of daddy, take care of my sister and my brother and please, God, take care of yourself, because if you don’t we’re all sunk. Amen!
During one Wednesday service, the children’s worker was talking with the kids about God’s work of creation. He carefully explained to them what God did on each day. After the lesson, the worker was asking the kids to tell her about God’s work on each of the days. When she asked about the 7th day, one young man’s hand went straight up: "On the seventh day God went to jail." When asked to explain, the boy replied, "You said that on the seventh day God got arrested." --Charlotte Cooper
Late one night, when Jesus was not surrounded by a crowd of people, and most of Jerusalem was getting ready to go to bed, Jesus kept an appointment that a man by the name of Nicodemus had made with Him. During that meeting, Jesus made a radical statement. He told Nicodemus that he could become a child again! But He went further than that; He told him that he MUST become a child again! On that night, Nicodemus learned that Jesus’ arrival on earth wasn’t just something that had significance for the world; he learned that Jesus’ arrival on earth was going to change his own personal life forever.
What does the coming of Jesus mean for you? It means that . . .
1. Jesus can meet your true needs. (vs. 1-3)
It was a need that brought Nicodemus to Jesus for that meeting. Nic. had a need to be in control of every part of his life. Nic. was the one who initiated the meeting, he was the one who determined when they were going to meet, and he attempted to control the topic of conversation. He came to Jesus that night to find out exactly who Jesus was. Jesus was an unknown to Nic. and his associates. Until Jesus came along, they had the people pretty much under their control. When he said that the people were supposed to do something, they responded with obedience. And then came Jesus. He started doing miracles and healing people. And He started teaching things that were contrary to what Nic. believed and taught. Nic. couldn’t handle any part of his world being outside of his understanding, so he met with Jesus so he could try and categorize Jesus and fit Him neatly in a box or figure out exactly what file Jesus belonged in his file cabinet. Did he go under the heading of “teacher”, or “healer”, or “nut-case”? Nic. had to know.
Nicodemus also thought he had a need for power. Verse 1 says that he was a member of the Pharisees. These men were the upper-crust of society. They were well-educated, respected and to a certain extent feared. If you made them mad at you, they could create a lot of heart ache for you. They were very religious, but religion to them was a means of exerting power over people, not of bringing healing to hearts. Within this group of Pharisees, there was an even smaller group – the elite of the elite – called the Sanhedrin. It was the Sanhedrin that later tried and condemned Jesus. They had religious power, but in a society where your religion controls everything that you do, they also had tremendous political power. Nic. didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his position with these two groups, because he didn’t want to lose that power.
Nic. also thought he had a need for the acceptance and respect of his peers. He was used to the people becoming quiet and getting out of the way when he walked through. He enjoyed the fact that people listened to him. All of these were things that Nicodemus thought that he needed, and they were all things that he might lose by coming to Jesus, so the Bible tells us that he came to Jesus “by night”. That way, he could get the information that he wanted, and no one would be there to witness to the fact that he had gone to Jesus. It was a clandestine meeting – a secret rendezvous.
Nic. began the conversation that night. Monday afternoon, Mike called all the members of the finance committee and told them that they needed to have an emergency meeting that evening, but he didn’t tell them what it was about. He figured that if he used the word “emergency”, then everyone would show up. Nic. pretty much did the same thing. It’s as if he’s saying to Jesus, “I know you’re wondering why I called this meeting; well, here’s what I wanted us to discuss.” One of the difficulties of reading a passage like this is that we can’t hear the tone in the person’s who are speaking. All that we have is their written words. But knowing what position Nic. held and what the other Pharisees were like, I’m going to add my own tone to his words. [read Nic’s words in verse 2 in a condescending kind of way]
Have you ever been in a conversation where you were talking about one thing, and when you stopped to hear the response from the other person, they began talking about a totally different subject? It’s kind of aggravating because it gives you the impression that they either were not listening or do not consider what you had to say worthy of a reply. I don’t know what kind of response Nic. expected from Jesus, but he was shocked by what he heard. [read verse 3] Jesus could do that because he could see beyond those things that Nic. thought were his needs, and He could see what Nic. true needs were. Before Nic. could have his true need met, he had to have his support structure stripped from underneath him. Nic. thought he needed control. Jesus took control away from him by turning the conversation in a totally different direction. He told him that he had to leave behind the control of his position and become a little baby again. A little baby has control over nothing. It can’t control it’s bowels, it’s legs, it’s temperature – it can’t even turn over on it’s own. Jesus told Nic., “you’ve got to give up control”. Then he told Nic. that he had to turn over his power. Nic. was one who was used to telling others what to do, and here Jesus was telling him that he had to be born again! Over in verse 8, Jesus spoke of the wind and reminded Nic. that he had no power over the wind. He couldn’t tell it what to do, and he couldn’t stop it from doing whatever it wanted to do. Nic. had to realize that he was not the one with the power. It was God who was the one with the power. And then Jesus told Nic. that it was not acceptance and approval of his peers that he really needed. It was the acceptance and approval of God that he needed. Jesus told him that without being born again, he would not be accepted into the kingdom of God; he would not even get to see it! This was a radical statement to Nic. because he thought the fact that he was a Jew meant that he was automatically a part of God’s kingdom. And now, here was this Jesus telling him that if he didn’t get back into his mother’s womb and be born again, he was going to be left out?! Unfortunately, there are a lot of people today who think that because they are a part of a certain group, they are a part of God’s kingdom. Because they go to church or a certain church, because their parents were Christians, because they are Americans, because they are a part of that group that gives to charity, because their spouse is saved . . . that means that they are a part of the kingdom. What each of us needs to understand is the message that Jesus gave to Nic. In order to have acceptance with God into his kingdom, there has to be a personal, individual change that takes place. See, Nic’s greatest need was not for power, or control, or acceptance by other men. His need was to be changed. He didn’t need to be taught by the Teacher; he needed to be birthed by the Spirit.
Why have you come into this place today? Did you come because you wanted to hear some principles from God’s Word that you figure will help you live life a little more peacefully? You can find those here. Did you come because you wanted to make some new friends? You can find that here too. Did you come because you want some more business contacts to sell to? People do that you know. Or did you come to Jesus in order to be changed by Him – not cleaned up, not overhauled, not refurbished – but completely and utterly changed. If that’s what your need is, then you’ve come to the right place. That change from the outside out will provide the next thing that Jesus’ arrival on earth means for you.
2. Jesus can give you a new life. (vs. 4-15)
Jesus spoke of the need to be “born again”, something which only faith in Him could provide. But what does that mean? It doesn’t mean what Nic. thought it meant. Look at verse 4. [read it] Several weeks ago, Mike was praying one Sunday night, and he said something like this: “Lord, please let Stacie have a big, healthy baby.” Now, Stacie was probably very appreciative that Mike was praying that her baby would be healthy, but she probably didn’t like that “big” part too much. It looks as if his prayer is coming true too. According to the doctor’s examinations, the baby is already 2-3 pounds in weight, and Stacie still has 14 weeks to go in her pregnancy. As Stacie’s giving birth, she’s not going to be getting mad at Dan, she’s going to be getting mad at Mike! I’ve heard of 14 & 15lb babies. That’s got to be rough! As rough as that might be though, can you mothers imagine the pain of having your children crawl back up the birth canal, take up residence once again in the womb for another 9 months, and then be born one more time? “How much did your baby weigh?” “Oh, I got off lucky. Mine just weighed 90 lbs.” I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind. Look down at verses 6-7. [read them] Jesus was talking about two totally different kinds of births. The first one was physical, or as Jesus calls it, being “born of water”. Water is the greatest requirement for physical, earthly life. All the Mars probes are searching for one thing on Mars. There are looking for evidence of water. Scientists figure that if they can prove that there is or once was water on Mars, then they will be much closer to proving the possibility of life on the planet. Water also is that substance that cushions the child while it is in it mother’s womb. When the “water breaks”, you know that it is about time for the baby to enter the outside world. Being “born of water” makes you a part of this world which is composed mostly of water. We understand that process. But then Jesus talks about being born of the “Spirit”. So whatever that means, Jesus is not talking about having to enter into your mother’s womb all over again. And every mother in the place breathed a sigh of relief. If Jesus had been talking about that, it would have given a whole new attraction to the concept of having a surrogate mother.
Another idea that some people have had when they spoke of being “born again” is the idea of renewal or “re-birth”. Probably most of you have seen one or more of the series of “Rocky” movies. That was one of those series that you wondered when it would ever end. Probably my favorite of the 6 movies was Rocky IV. At the beginning of that movie, the man who had been the world champ just before Rocky – his name was Apollo Creed – was given an opportunity to fight in an exhibition bout against the Russian champion. Apollo had been out of the spotlight for a while, so when he got back in the ring and heard the crowds cheering and the music playing, and he knew that all the people were there to see him again just like things had been before Rocky came along, he was overwhelmed with emotion and excitement. He turned to Rocky who was now his trainer and said, “I feel born again!” He was back in the groove again. Others have experienced the same feelings. An artist who has gone through a long dry spell without inspiration and suddenly finds it within himself to begin painting great masterpieces again. A NASCAR driver who had been off the circuit but is given a chance to race again and ends up winning the Coca-cola 500. A golfer who hadn’t won a tournament in years who stuns the crowd by sinking a put from 25 yards out for a double-birdie. It is a renewal of what was once there but has been absent for some time. Is that what Jesus was telling Nic. had to happen in his life and in our lives? Do we just need to recover something that we have lost? After all, Jesus spoke of being born again which would seem to say that something that had happened in the past needed to happen all over again.
It might help us to understand what Jesus meant when we take into consideration that the word translated “again” is also translated “from above”. It is not simply doing over again something that has already been done or regaining something that has been lost. It is being made all over again. (2 Cor 5:17 KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [or “creation” as the NIV says]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. It changes your life completely because the person that was alive before is now dead. (Gal 2:20 NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. When a person is born again or from above, they die to their old life and begin a brand new life. (Phil 3:13 NIV) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press toward the mark . . .
I still lived in Atlanta when the new Hartsfield International Airport was constructed. A couple of days before the airport officially opened for air traffic, they had an open house so that people could go in, see the place, ride on the moving sidewalks and the underground tram, and enjoy the hospitality of Atlanta. One of the things that struck me the most about that airport was all the weird art-work that decorated the halls. None of it was of things that you could recognize; it was all modern art. They spent millions of dollars on stuff that any 3 yr old could do if you just shut him up in his room with nothing but a paint brush, a few full cans of paint, and mommy’s warning to not get paint on anything. I remember one story that I heard about a particular piece of artwork. The city had to spend thousands of dollars refurbishing this artwork because some workmen thought that it was a drop-cloth and had thrown it away. Some people would say that if you add a few drops of paint to a drop-cloth, then you have a piece of art. I would say that you have a nice looking drop-cloth. A drop-cloth whatever you call it is still a drop-cloth.
(Rom 12:2 KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . Did you notice that in that verse, Paul said “transformed” not “reformed”? Do you know what a reformed sinner is? He is a person that looks real good on the outside but is just as dirty as ever on the inside and is still just as destined for hell as he ever was. We have to be changed into something new not just cleaned up. (Gal 6:15 KJV) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. It’s not about what you do or fail to do either; it’s about who you have become. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He told Nic. that he must be born again.
There are a lot of things that go along with being born again too. Being born again gives you a . . .
new Father A new mother stayed with her parents for several days after the birth of her first child. One afternoon she remarked to her mother that it was surprising the baby had dark hair, since both her husband and she were fair. The grandmother said, "Well, your daddy has black hair." To which the daughter replied, "But, Mama, that doesn’t matter, because I’m adopted." With an embarrassed smile, that mother said the most wonderful words her daughter had ever heard: "I always forget." The grandmother had become so accustomed to treating her adopted daughter as her own that she had forgotten that she was adopted.
All who have been born again have been adopted as sons and daughters of God. (Rom 8:15-16 NIV) For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. I don’t know what kind of childhood any of you had or what kind of conception you have of what a father is supposed to be. Some of you may have had abusive fathers. Probably a lot more of you had absent fathers – absent because of war, job, or divorce. My dad died when I was 5 years old, so I really had no one to model my relationship with my children after. Whatever your conception of a father might be, when you are born again, you enter into a relationship with the only perfect Father that there is. He’s not a Father that we have to fear like a slave fears his master, or an employee fears his boss. That verse says that we can come to our Father as “Daddy”; that’s what the word “Abba” means. God the Father is Daddy to all who have been born again. (Gal 4:6-7 NIV) Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. God doesn’t want a bunch of servants who serve Him because they are paid to do so or because they fear His wrath if they do not serve Him. He wants sons who serve Him out of a love relationship that they have with Him. All who have been born again have entered into that kind of a relationship.
new brother (Mat 12:50 NIV) For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." Since we are now sons of God, then that means that we also have a new Brother. A few verses later in our John 3 passage, Jesus is called the “only-begotten” or “one and only” Son of God. That is true. He has always been God’s Son. He is the only one who is God’s Son because of His nature. You and I are made God’s sons and daughters through adoption. Since God is now our Father, that makes us Jesus’ brothers and sisters. (Rom 8:17 NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Mat 12:50 NIV) For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." I suppose that it is the wish of most little girls to have a big brother to watch out for them.
A little boy and his younger sister both contracted a dreaded disease. The boy was delivered from death by the medicine that he received, but the same medicine did not work on his older sister. The doctors knew that the only hope that the little girl had was to receive a transfusion of her brother’s blood. The doctor’s came to the young brother to ask if he would be willing to give His blood for his sister. The boy looked out the window for a couple of minutes, and then with a tremble in his voice, he agreed. Both children were brought into a room, each was hooked up to the machinery, and the blood began to flow. Like a miracle, the girl quickly showed signs of improvement. When the process was over, the boy motioned for the doctor to come over. The boy asked the doctor in a timid voice, “When am I going to die?” Then the doctor understood why the brother had hesitated before giving his blood. He thought that giving his blood would cost him his life.
On the night before Jesus died, He knelt in the garden and prayed, “Father, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Several hours later, Jesus was hanging on a cross shedding His blood in order that new sisters and brothers might be brought into the family. Jesus knew that the giving of His blood would cost Him His life. But He did it anyway. He is the ultimate Big Brother.
new family With God as our Father and Jesus as our Brother, that means that we also have a new family. Every time that a person is born again, they join the family of God. (Gal 6:10 NIV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. One of the things that people have told me that they enjoy most about this church is the family atmosphere that we have here. Some of you may not have been here long enough yet to feel like a part of the family, but if you stick around for a while, you will see how much love is available here for you to receive. Being part of a family doesn’t always mean that everyone is going to get along with one another and see things eye to eye. A Sunday School teacher was in the process of teaching the 10 commandments to her third grade class. She noted: "We have learned the commandments, ’Honor thy father and mother.’ Is there one that refers to brothers and sisters?" A little girl responded, "Thou shalt not kill!" Brothers and sisters are going to fight with each other. There are going to be disagreements. There are going to be difficult days. There may even be days that you feel like leaving this family behind and joining another family. One female teenager disliked her family so much that she made many attempts to run away. But every time that she was just about to go out the front door, the phone would ring. Those of you with teenagers understand that one. No, family doesn’t mean that everything is going to run smoothly. But it does mean that no matter what happens, there is always love, and there is always acceptance. Family never turns its back on family no matter what.
new country The King of Prussia, while visiting a village in his land, was welcomed by the school children of the place. After their speaker had made a speech for them, he thanked them. Then taking an orange from a plate, he asked: "To what kingdom does this belong?" "The vegetable kingdom, sir," replied a little girl. The king took a gold coin from his pocket and asked, "To what kingdom does this belong?" "To the mineral kingdom," said the little girl. "And to what kingdom do I belong, then?" asked the king. The little girl colored up deeply, for she did not like to say "the animal kingdom," as he thought she would, lest his Majesty should be offended. Just then it flashed into her mind that "God made man in His own image," and looking up with a brightening eye she said: "To God’s Kingdom, sir." The king was deeply moved. A tear stood in his eye. He placed his hand on the child’s head, and said, most devoutly: "God grant that I may be accounted worthy of that Kingdom." (Phil 3:20 NIV) But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
(Heb 11:13b-16 NIV) And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
new culture
new language A relative coming to visit the new baby in the house asked a little boy, "Does your baby brother talk yet?" Freddy answered, "He doesn’t have to! He gets everything he wants by yelling." (Eph 4:29 NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
new perspective which gives you a new understanding Children see things from such a different perspective than we adults see them. They accept things without question, they love without reservation, they forgive without bitterness, and they tell the truth without a moment’s hesitation. In their innocence, they have a very unique way of looking at our world. A mother and her 3 year old daughter were riding in a car when suddenly the little girl put her head on her mother’s chest and began to listen. "What are you doing?" mom asked. "I’m listening for Jesus in your heart," was the reply. "Well what do you hear?" The innocent child looked up with the satisfied look of discovery in her eyes and said, "Sounds like he’s making coffee to me!" Jesus said in Luke 18:17 NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Can you see things from a child’s perspective? Do you have to understand everything before you will accept it? Nic. had a problem with what Jesus was saying because he couldn’t understand it. He kept asking, “how can this be?” Ask Stacie, ask any parent, if they understand the process of conception, and gestation and birth. They will tell you that they do not. But that doesn’t change the fact that in 14 weeks or so, Dan and Stacie will be holding their son.
new start (Rev 2:17 NIV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Did you ever wish that you could just go back and start all over again? This past Tuesday evening, I caught part of a movie called “Groundhog Day.” It’s about a man who wakes up every day at 6:00 to find that he is living the same day, Groundhog Day, over and over again. It’s like he’s given thousands of chances to live the day over until he finally gets it right. One of my favorite shows of the past was Quantum Leap about a man who went to different times in the past to set right what once went wrong. At the end of the day, when you lie down on your bed, did you ever wish you could do it all over again? When you’re sitting there in divorce court, did you wish that you could go back and not say those words you said or not do that thing you did? When you here the sound of the cell door close, do you wish that you had never bought that gun? The world doesn’t give you a chance to start over, but Jesus does. He says that he will give you a white stone – a clean slate –, and a new name so that no one who knew the former you will hold those actions of the past against you anymore. Your old name was “condemned by God”. Your new name, though known only to you and God, will carry this meaning: “a child of the King”. (1 Cor 6:9-11 NIV) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. We all carried a name that separated us from God for now and for all eternity. We had the name “murderer” and “liar” and “adulterer” and “thief” tatooed across our forehead. But Jesus, by His blood, washed the stain away and has given us new start, a new name and a new destiny. (Rev 21:4-5 KJV) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
CONCLUSION
It seems like every day in the news, we hear another chapter in the story of Elion Gonzalez. Ever since Thanksgiving Day of 1998, two nations have been fighting over him trying to determine where he belongs. Cuba says that he belongs there because that’s where he was born. America says that he belongs here because this is where he can find his greatest satisfaction and fulfillment and reach his highest potential. And in the struggle to get him from where he lived in bondage to where he can live in freedom, his mother had to die.
INVITATION
You and I have been born into a world of bondage – bondage to sin and death. But we have been given the opportunity to leave behind the world we were born into and be born into a new world. To be born from above and change where our citizenship resides and where our home for all eternity will be. In order for that new birth to happen, someone had to die. His name is Jesus.
I have just two questions for you this morning. First, have you been born again? Have you begun a brand new life in Jesus? If not, won’t you come to me this morning so that I can show you how you can get a new Father, a new Brother, a new family, and a new start? The second question is this: are you living like a new person who has his citizenship in a new country, or are you living like that old person that you used to be? You can get a new start too because Jesus’ mercy is new every morning.
The first birth is physical; the second is spiritual. The first birth makes us a part of the physical world; the second makes us a part of the spiritual world.
