DOUBLE DELIVERY
John 3:1-15
S: Salvation
Th: My Life as God’s Light
Pr: WE CAN HAVE NEW LIFE.
?: How?
KW: Stages
TS: By observing the example of Nicodemus, we will see in John 3:1-15 five stages that help us understand how we can have new life.
Inductive
The ____ stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was…
I. CONCERNED (1-2)
II. CONFRONTED (3)
III. CONFUSED (4-10)
IV. CHALLENGED (11-13)
V. COMFORTED (14-15)
RMBC 4/22/01 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Have you ever felt clueless?
ILL Notebook: Understanding (c-section)
Victor, a man in Jeanette Hoessel’s English-as-a-second language course, came from El Salvador. He asked her one day, "What does C-section mean?" Since Jeanette’s three children had been delivered by Caesarian section, she felt confident with her explanation, but Victor’s face reflected total puzzlement. "Do you understand what I’m say-ing?" she asked. "Yes," he replied, "but I am still confused." She asked him the context in which the word had been used, and he responded: "Yesterday, on my break, I was reading the newspaper. A co-worker asked me for the C-section, but I didn’t know what he meant."
You know, we sometimes get into situations that we just don’t understand what is meant.
Does that happen to you?
This morning, we return to our study on the gospel of John.
We start today in chapter three with a man that doesn’t seem to understand Jesus.
What is ironic about this is that he is very religious.
He really knows his stuff.
But His reaction makes us ask this question…
2. Can it be that there a lot of religious people that do not understand the truth?
The answer is, “Certainly.”
There are an awful lot of people going through religious motions.
They seem to sign on the dotted line.
They are involved and perhaps even serious, but something is missing.
You know, if we asked the typical person on the street, we would receive a variety of answers on this question of what does it mean to be a Christian.
We might hear answers like these…
“I’m a church member.”
“I’ve been baptized.”
“I go to Sunday School.”
“I go to mass every week.”
All of these would be answers we might hear.
But…
3. What does it mean to be a Christian?
We probably have all been puzzled by those that confess to be Christians, but don’t act like true Christians ought to act.
Their belief seems to be a Sunday only type.
The truth is, though, man, by nature is religious, and incurably so.
Science has been unable to eradicate religion, because science can’t meet the deepest needs of the heart.
This is why people check their horoscopes every day and call the psychic friends network.
They long for the spiritual.
In our story today, Nicodemus comes looking for spiritual truth.
And he found a great source—Jesus—who would help him grow in his understanding of what he needed to be.
So…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was CONCERNED (1-2).
(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.”
These opening verses provide for us…
1. The setting: A meeting of the powerful.
We know by the testimony of the New Testament that the Pharisees had taken quick note of Jesus, but early on, they are hard-pressed to speak critically of Jesus because of His popular teaching and His miracles.
Specifically, there is one Pharisee that is greatly impressed.
He was a man at the top of his field, a member of the ruling council and he hears from Jesus the answers to questions that have bothered him for years.
He finds that Jesus speaks in simple terms, but His message has great power.
So, this Pharisee, Nicodemus, recognizes that Jesus is on a divine mission.
He has divine authority.
God had put upon Him His seal of approval.
But as he comes to Jesus, he interestingly does not claim to come for himself, but for his fellow Pharisees and colleagues.
“We know that you are a teacher who has come from God.”
What makes this interesting is that the Pharisees appointed themselves as the proper accrediting agency for any and all religious movements related to Judaism.
These Pharisees were a select group.
There were never more than 6,000 of them at a time.
They took a public solemn vow to devote every moment of life obeying the Ten Commandments.
Because of this life-commitment to obey the Ten Commandments, the Pharisees considered themselves as the spiritually elite.
Though Nicodemus is a Pharisee, he sees that…
2. Jesus is worth coming to.
Even though Nicodemus says, “we,” I think that Nicodemus is acting independently.
Nicodemus thinks in terms of the Pharisaic system, so much so that he thinks “we.”
He has already come to an important conclusion, though.
He recognizes that Jesus comes from God and that God is with Him.
This is a conclusion that most of the religious leadership had been reticent to agree with.
But Nicodemus know that the visit is worth every moment.
II. The second stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was CONFRONTED (3).
IN REPLY JESUS DECLARED, “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, NO ONE CAN SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNLESS HE IS BORN AGAIN.”
Nicodemus has given Jesus a great opener.
And as a result, Jesus does what He does best.
He gets to the hear of the matter.
1. Jesus always gets to the heart of the matter.
“You must be born again.”
These are words that absolutely stun Nicodemus.
And whether he realizes it or not, in one sentence Jesus has swept away everything that Nicodemus stood for.
For…
2. We cannot settle for our efforts; we need God’s.
“You must be born again.”
The idea of being born again in the text has three related meanings that all seem valid in this context.
The first meaning is “to do it a second time.”
The second is “to begin radically, completely; a new beginning.”
The third is “from above.”
The gospel writer, John, seems to incorporate all three since we are to be born again as a new creation that comes from above.
So if we are going to be a part of the kingdom of God, we must be born again.
If we are going to belong to God and be a part of His rule and His reign, we must be born again.
To many Jews, this would be shocking news, for to be born the first time as a Jew was to be born into the kingdom of God.
That was the best way to be born.
But Jesus is clear…your natural birth will not save you.
You must be reborn from above.
You need God’s efforts over your own.
ILL Notebook: Confused (rope)
A confused man was walking down a lonely country road one day, dragging a long rope behind him. Upon being greeted by a friend coming down the road, he said, “I am so confused that I don’t know whether I’ve found a rope or lost a mule.”
III. The third stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was CONFUSED (4-9).
(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.
Nicodemus leans to the absurd, because he is clueless about what Jesus is saying.
So since Jesus can’t be serious, he takes Jesus literally.
This way, he doesn’t have to take Him seriously.
Nevertheless, Jesus holds firm…He says…
1. We need to be born of water and spirit.
Some see this as a reference to natural birth, then spiritual birth.
I think, however, that water and spirit are one expression.
The context was more likely to be referring to baptism, since John the Baptist was a hot topic and the ministry of baptism was important to both John the Baptist and Jesus.
The rite of baptism was, in effect, a renouncement of Judaism.
It was a renouncement of law keeping.
It was an admittance of the need to repent, an honest admission of one’s sin.
It was a public act that confessed the uselessness of one’s own deeds and ways.
And it was a public declaration that God was working in their life.
You know, salvation is hardly safe.
After all, it requires approaching the King of the Universe, face to face.
ILL Notebook: Salvation (Jill in Narnia)
In his book, The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis draws an analogy with the story of a young girl named Jill. She’s in the land of Narnia, and she’s thirsty. At once she sees a magnificent stream...and a fearsome lion (Aslan, who represents the Lord Jesus): "If I run away, it’ll be after me in a moment," thought Jill. "And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth." Anyway, she couldn’t have moved if she had tried, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the Lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first... "Are you not thirsty?" said the Lion. "I’m dying of thirst," said Jill. "Then drink," said the Lion. "May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. "Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill. "I make no promise," said the Lion. Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. "Do you eat girls?" she said. "I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. "I daren’t come and drink," said Jill. "Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion. "Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then." "There is no other stream," said the Lion. It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion—no one who had seen his stern face could do that—and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went straight to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. You didn’t need to drink much of it, for it quenched your thirst at once. Before she tasted it she had been intending to make a dash away from the Lion the moment she had finished. Now, she realized that this would be on the whole the most dangerous thing of all.
I like this story because the person and work of God is not something that we can control.
We just accept it.
And…
2. We cannot control what God needs to do in us.
Jesus uses the wind to demonstrate the sovereignty of God.
He notes that the effects of the wind can be seen, though the wind itself is not seen.
Just as the wind can’t be controlled, neither can anyone direct the Spirit.
But just like the wind, when the Spirit works, the effects are evident.
Nevertheless, Nicodemus is still not getting it, which brings us to…
IV. The fourth stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was CHALLENGED (10-13).
(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.”
1. We are supposed to get it (Isaiah 44:3-4; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Ezekiel 36:24-27; 37:4-6).
Jesus challenges, “This is the teacher of Israel?”
“If you can’t get this, the earthly things, how are you going to get the heavenly things?”
This reveals what Nicodemus doesn’t get.
It is about what he is.
Note what the Pharisee should have been able to apply…
From Isaiah…
(3) For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. (4) They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
From Jeremiah…
(31) “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. (32) It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. (33) “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
From Ezekiel…
(4) Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! (5) This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. (6) I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
In these passages, God reveals that the problem has always been the heart.
It is God alone that solves the deepest need of man.
It is He who gives a new birth and a new beginning.
It is God who makes us a new creation and gives us new life.
And it is done through Jesus…
2. The answer is in Jesus.
It is Jesus that has come from the heavenly realm—much more so than Nicodemus has understood.
He is the answer, and this is what Nicodemus needed to know whether he was ready for it or not.
Which leads us to…
V. The fifth stage that demonstrates a growing understanding for Nicodemus is he was COMFORTED (14-15).
(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.”
1. There is a solution coming.
The story in Numbers 21 foreshadows the salvation God provides through the “Son of Man,” Jesus.
The Israelites had been complaining against God, grumbling about the journey and their apparent lack of food and water.
They did not like the manna God gave them day after day.
And so God had enough, and He sent fiery serpents among them, and many of those who were bitten died.
God provided a salvation for this disobedient people, so that they might survive the divine judgment.
He instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and to set it on a pole, so that anyone who was bitten by one of the serpents could merely look up at the serpent and be healed.
And this is precisely what happened.
All who were bitten and looked up were healed.
Jesus says that as the serpent is lifted up and becomes the “source” of Israel’s salvation, how much more will Christ on the cross provide salvation.
Those who will look on Him with faith will be saved from wrath.
The solution was coming.
Jesus would be lifted up on the cross, but not only that.
He would later be lifted up in His resurrection and ascension, then exalted by God the Father, on His right hand.
So we need to remember this…
2. Faith has eternal consequences.
Faith makes the difference.
It determines our eternity.
Whoever believes in Him has eternal life.
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Salvation (you can still be saved)
A number of years ago, there was a newspaper account of a speech given by the president of a well-known university to a group of influential businessmen and civic leaders. The president told of a recent experience which he, his audience, and the newspaper reporter found humorous. The president was shopping during the Christmas season and happened to pass by a Salvation Army volunteer, standing by a "donation kettle" and ringing a bell. As he paused to make a donation, the woman volunteer asked this educator: "Sir, are you saved?" when he replied that he supposed he was, she was not satisfied. So she pursued the matter further: "I mean, have you ever given your full life to the Lord?" At this point, the president told his audience, he thought he should enlighten this persistent woman concerning his identity: "I am the president of such and such university, and as such, I am also president of its school of theology." The lady considered his response for a moment, and then replied, "It doesn’t matter wherever you’ve been, or whatever you are, you can still be saved."
And the same is true of each one of us…
WE CAN HAVE NEW LIFE.
So many people have it wrong.
They think if you just obey the Ten Commandments, you will be okay.
Or if you just live life the best as you can, this will please God and He will accept you.
The truth is, though, good people need new birth.
Religious people need new birth.
Church members need new birth.
A lot of very decent, very moral, and very hardworking are still lost and need new birth.
No matter how good we think we are, or how bad we believe we are, we all have the same need---a double delivery!
We need to be born in an earthly way, and a spiritual way.
It is a truth that Nicodemus discovered.
He found new life.
Have you been born both ways?
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Have new life…because you can be born again; when you discover the inadequacies of the first birth and your own shortcomings, know that it is not the end of matters; there is new opportunity awaiting you.
Have new life…because you can have a new start; you can be a new creation; you can know a quality of life far superior to what you have known up to this point in time.
Have new life…because God can do in you what you cannot do for yourself; He can give you life eternal when, by faith, you are born from above.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
