Sermon - John 3 - Unless one is born again - Littleby Baptist Church - April 7, 2019

We are continuing in our series on the life and ministry Jesus this morning. We will jump ahead for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, but will continue our series after we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.

Open you Bibles to John chapter 3.

John 3:1-2

“3 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.””

A couple of things about Nicodemus. He was a pharisee, a religious and political leader, he was one of 70 members of the Sanhedrin. He had a lot of influence, was probably very wealthy, a devout Law-abiding Jew… essentially, he was a somebody. He was well liked, he was in the know, and someone whose opinion was sought after and yet he came to Jesus for answers.

Some will say that Nicodemus came under the cover of night to stealth fully talk to Jesus in hopes of keeping it a secret. It could also be that Nicodemus or Jesus were busy during the day and this the only time they had, maybe social hour was after dinner. There could be a lot of reasons for the night meeting. We do not know which, but we do know that Nicodemus was the one who rebuked the other Pharisees for convicting Jesus without a proper trial. Either Nicodemus was on the up and up from the very beginning or this conversation convicted him and changed his heart.

Nicodemus starts with “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” Nicodemus was using the same titles that people would have used when talking to him. Nicodemus believed that God was with Jesus, but he viewed Jesus as an equal. He had yet to grasp who Jesus really is.

A lot of people are like that, they do not grasp who Jesus really is. Some will call Jesus God, but don’t really realize what that means. To many He is just someone to believe in so that they can ‘feel good’ about it when they say they are a Christian. Sadly, those are people who may say they are a Christian, but you cannot see any of Christ in them. Others chalk Jesus up as a prophet, a good teacher, a miracle worker, but aren’t sure He was anything more than a man. It is sad that people have heard about Jesus but never take the necessary steps to live their life with Him. Jesus tells us He is the only way to eternity in Glory. We are lost without Him, but it really does take more than a cursory look at who He is to know that.

Nicodemus stated that God was with Jesus, but still saw Him as an equal. He did not get it.

John 3:3-4

“³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?””

Jesus’ response to Nicodemus was look, you are missing the point and you will continue to miss it until you start seeing things as they really are. You are carrying all this baggage that is preventing you from seeing clearly. You will not see the Kingdom of God, you will not understand the truth unless you are ‘born again.’

Jesus is saying that you cannot see people and things as God sees them without your eyes being opened by the Holy Spirit, as part of being born again or what could be translated as born from above.

Before beginning our relationship with Jesus, we do not see the kingdom of God. We do not truly recognize who Jesus is or what it is that He did for us. Without Jesus we are blind and would respond as Nicodemus responded. He probably was thinking something along the lines of, this guy Jesus is not making sense. Why do people think so highly of Him? How can anything Jesus is saying be remotely possible?

Nicodemus was still trapped in the world as a follower of the law. He is just like our family and friends who have yet to accept Jesus as Lord. They don’t understand what we see. They don’t believe there is a need for us to do the things we do. From their perspective living a good life will result in a happy eternity, that other stuff that those Christians do is nice but not necessary.

They are missing the point, just like Nicodemus. They may say we are blinded by our faith, I would say they are blinded by their lack of faith.

John 3:5

“⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus being a leader of the Pharisees would know all about John the Baptist and how he had called people to repent and be baptized in water. Jesus was telling him that in order to truly be saved from your sins and enter the kingdom of God, you need to repent of your sins as John has been saying, but also be filled with the Holy Spirit. Being a spiritual leader, obeying The Law, being looked up to, is not enough. You must repent and be born from above.

John 3:6

“⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Whatever is born into this world is of this world. You, me, and everyone we have ever met was born into the world. Meaning we are fallen in nature from the very beginning. There is nothing we can do about it, it is just who we are. Every generation, those that came before us and those that will come after us are born into this world. We start life as sinful people, it is our nature.

Being born of the Spirit on the other hand is something that requires a radical change, a new beginning, a choice, faith in the One True God, belief that Jesus is more than a prophet, miracle worker, or just someone to feel good about.

Being born of the Spirit, or born again, requires complete faith in Jesus. Without it we are lost. Without it we are still just part of this fallen world.

There is no such thing as being good enough. No such things as marking things off of your Christian to do list. There is no other path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

John 14:6

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

This is not a suggestion, it is an absolute. There is no path other than faith in Jesus and what He did for us.  

John 3:18

“Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

We must choose Jesus. Our loved ones must choose Him. Our friends need to choose Him. It is a choice. If any of us, our family, or friends do not choose Jesus we stay condemned. Our status does not change. We do not get a glorious eternity, we get an eternity in agony.

Lack of action on our part results in condemnation. Choosing Jesus, which allows us to be born from above or born again, is acceptance of the amazing gift our Lord and Savior is offering. Without Jesus we are lost, with Him we are saved.

John 3:7-8

“⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Part of me wonders if Jesus was like, ‘how can you be amazed at this? You are a Pharisee, this should not be a surprise to you.”

Jesus’ tells us that we must be born again. We must choose to have faith in Jesus. We must let the Holy Spirit fill us. We may not understand how God works, we may not understand what God is going to do in our lives, and we may not understand how the Holy Spirit is going to work in and through us, but we need to accept it.

We are lost on our own. We cannot save ourselves, regardless of how much we know, how influential we are, and if we ‘are’ someone. Left to our own accord, we are condemned and that will not change if we do not choose Jesus.

There is only one path to the Kingdom of God and that is following the Way, Truth, and Life Jesus Christ. Faith in the fact that He is God become flesh. Faith in the fact that He lived a sinless life. Faith in the fact that He took on our sins and paid for them to be wiped away. Faith in the fact that He rose again on the third day victorious over death.

Choosing to follow Jesus will open the door for you to enter the Kingdom of God.

We are going to celebrate our Lord and His sacrifice by partaking of the Lord’s Supper here in a few minutes. Our practice here is simple. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you can partake with us.

If there is any doubt if Jesus is your Lord, I would like to invite you up during our invitational hymn. If there is anything that is between you and God, please take this time to lay it as His feet and ask for His forgiveness.

God Bless,

Robert