OUT OF THE DARKNESS Part 1 (John 3:1-8 December 7, 2003)

Transcription

1 OUT OF THE DARKNESS Part 1 (John 3:1-8 December 7, 2003) Many years ago, I had dinner with two of my closest school friends. I had just become a Christian and I wanted to share the gospel with them. It was an evening that taught me much. On one side there was me the zealous new convert. Someone who had led a pagan life until the Spirit of God opened my eyes. But now I just wanted to live for Jesus. Then there was a friend who was what I can only call a zealous seeker after truth. He had read the sacred books of almost every religion including reading the whole Bible twice. But still he rejected the claims of Christ. Then there was another old friend. Ever since I had known him, he had claimed to know Christ. But when I became a Christian, when I came to understand what it meant to follow Christ I told him that I doubted his salvation. I pointed out that he never went to church. Rarely ever opened his Bible. And certainly didn t live as a Christian. In my zeal I was probably a little too frank. I told him that he wasn t saved and needed to be born again to get rid of his sham Christianity and get the real stuff. It nearly ended our friendship. But this particular night we were back on the same subject. He erupted. How dare I judge him! He believed in Jesus. He was baptised as an infant and confirmed in his teens. In his opinion his faith was fine. I can have my way of following Jesus he had his. I shouldn t go judging him. Aren t we all sinners anyway? It was starting to get ugly really ugly. When our friend who had sat on the sidelines suddenly spoke up. Basically, he said this: Look, I don t claim to be a Christian. While I don t believe the Bible I have read it twice. And without doubt it is the most radical book I have ever read. Jesus was very clear if you are a Christian you must be changed your life is never the same. If you are born again you can t live the way you are living. He was dead right. If the Spirit of God is within you you must change. Over the years I have had a version of that conversation with many different people. I am not the only one to have had conversations like this. Jesus had one. He had it with a man named Nicodemus. And Jesus pulled no punches with Nicodemus. This conversation which is one of the most famous and most fascinating in Scripture is found in John 3 verses 1 to 21. This is one of the best known passages in the Bible and it contains what is certainly the best known verse verse John 3:16. 1

2 Luther chose John 3:16 as a one verse summary of the Bible. We use it evangelistically. But the reality is that this verse is just one part of the gospel message. This whole passage this whole conversation outlines both the glory of the gospel and also how to share the gospel. In these verses, the Master Himself shares the wonder of the gospel and leaves us with a pattern for how we can share with others. Jesus uses this conversation to teach Nicodemus, and us, seven truths that demonstrate the glory of the gospel and must be established in sharing the gospel. We will look at the first three this week and the final four next week. When you share the gospel you should make sure all of these truths are given. The first truth that demonstrates the glory of the gospel and must be established in sharing the gospel is found in verses 1 and 2: Men are born into darkness and need a Saviour. The Scriptures teach us that all men are born as sinners in a deep spiritual darkness. But the very nature of man makes us think that we are not as sinful and lost as we actually are. Nicodemus was typical of so many. But if you are going to enter the kingdom of heaven you have to realise just how sinful you are and that you need a Saviour. Verse 1: Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man Nicodemus, who came to Jesus, was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews and as we find in verse 10 the teacher of Israel. He was a Pharisee. The Jews, like all societies, grouped together with others who had similar interests, beliefs and passions. And a group that was zealous in studying and keeping the Law of God became known as Pharisees separated ones. Pharisees have received some bad press over the years. But in Jesus day Pharisees were seen as being at the front end of religious knowledge, conviction and moral fortitude. They were the Baptist and Presbyterian pastors of their day. 2

3 They were scrupulous in studying and following the law. They were very concerned about observing the requirements of the covenant. And yes they were hypocritical and legalistic but that flowed from a misunderstanding of the law not from a lack of zeal to keep the law. Pharisees were probably the most respected of the parties in the days of Jesus. Not only was Nicodemus a Pharisee but he was a ruler of the Jews. This probably meant that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Romans were the ruling superpower. They then appointed a governor of each province in the case of Judah it was Pilate. But then power was delegated to a group of seventy Jewish men. Within certain guidelines, they were allowed to make laws and enforce their laws. The situation was fairly similar to what we see in Iraq today. There, the US is in charge. The US has appointed an administrator to have oversight of the nation. But then certain authority is passed down to the Iraqi congress. That is something akin to the situation in Jesus day. Notice that Nicodemus was not just a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, but in verse 10 he is identified as the teacher of Israel. The way this is phrased suggests it was a title. He is not just a teacher in Israel he is the teacher the most senior rabbi in Israel. So this man, Nicodemus, was one of the most important, influential and respected men in Israel. He would have been conservative theologically and politically. He would have been wealthy. He would have been very knowledgeable. A man in his position would have committed to memory at least the Pentateuch the first five books and probably the whole Old Testament. He would also have memorised a body of oral tradition about twice the length of the Old Testament and would have been able to discuss the opinions of many famous rabbis over the years. This man was no lightweight. But what is crucial about Nicodemus is this. If you were to survey the people of Israel and asked: Name someone alive today who is definitely going to Abraham s bosom someone who will inherit the kingdom of God. Have no doubt Nicodemus s name would be near the top or at the top of the list after all, he was the teacher of Israel. 3

4 And have no doubt that Nicodemus would have agreed with their assessment. He was zealous about keeping the Law. He had done what was necessary to receive salvation. But the point Nicodemus has to grasp is that although he is so powerful, so learned, so authoritative he is like every other man, woman and child. He is in the night, the darkness of ignorance and sin. He is lost. He needs a Saviour. Verse 2: This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. So why did a man like this approach Jesus? He didn t come because He was a sinner in need of a Saviour. No! He came because he saw the signs the miracles that Jesus did. Notice how Jesus responds to him in verse 3: Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. When you read verses 2 and 3, at first glance you wonder what the connection is. Nicodemus comes with a statement that Jesus is a teacher come from God. And Jesus responds as if he had asked about kingdom of God. Some have supposed that Nicodemus was about to ask a question of Jesus concerning the kingdom and Jesus knowing what was coming answered first. If Jesus hadn t interrupted, Nicodemus might have said something like this: Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. So as a teacher from God tell us is the kingdom about to appear, are the Jews about to enter the kingdom of God? And Jesus answers It is not as you think you must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. But that just scenario just doesn t fit the context. Nicodemus doesn t come as a true disciple, a learner. He doesn t come as a contrite sinner. He comes as a ruler of the Jews who has seen some miracles and wants to know what is going on. Unfortunately chapter 3 is often lifted out of the context of John. What we are supposed to see is that Nicodemus is one of those referred to in chapter 2 verse 23. He was one of the many who had seen the signs the miracles of Jesus 4

5 and believed in His name recognised that He was a worker of true miracles and as such was someone special. Nicodemus did not come because Christ cleansed the temple and he realised the shallowness of His worship the depth of his sin and recognised that Jesus was the true temple the Messiah God Himself. No! Nicodemus came because he saw Jesus perform a few miracles. He saw some manifestation of the power of God. But John wants us to know that verses 24 and 25 of chapter 2 apply to Nicodemus: But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. Nicodemus came to evaluate Jesus. But Jesus had already evaluated Nicodemus. Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus. He knew what was going on here. He knew that Nicodemus didn t come to Him as a true disciple. A sinner without hope. Nicodemus wasn t a broken man coming to the one place salvation may be found. Nicodemus is attracted by the power of the kingdom but doesn t understand the true nature of the kingdom. He comes as the teacher of Israel. He comes as an important man. He comes to Jesus as an equal. I am the teacher of Israel You are a teacher who comes from God let s talk. Jesus knew what was going on and Nicodemus had to learn that no man not even the teacher of Israel comes to the Son of God on these terms. At this point we need to notice something important. In verse 2 we are told that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Why did John include this detail? Many have speculated that Nicodemus, as such an important man, didn t want it known that he had approached someone like Jesus a Galilean carpenter, someone without formal training so he came under the cover of darkness. But this is not consistent with the way Nicodemus is portrayed in John. He is bold, he speaks his mind, he cares little for how others view him. Some have said it is just a historical fact. It was night time when he came. Certainly he did come at night, but there is more going on here. 5

6 Night and darkness are used throughout John to speak of the sin and ignorance of the world. Every use of night in John is symbolic. For example in John 13:30 John records that after Judas betrayed Jesus he went out and it was night. Judas left the light of Christ to enter the darkness and sin and ignorance of the world. In John 11:10, Jesus tell us: But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him. Light and dark. Day and night. These are constant themes in John and they are used symbolically. And that this is how we are to understand this here in John 3 is made clear by the context. Notice how this whole section ends. In verses Jesus tells Nicodemus very clearly that men are in darkness and they love their darkness. But if you come to Jesus, you leave the darkness and come to the Light. Although he was the teacher of Israel, Nicodemus was in the darkness and night of sin. And he had to know this. Of all the points in sharing the gospel this is one of the hardest to get across. Many we meet are like Nicodemus blissfully unaware of the depth of their sin and their desperate need of a Saviour. They might be convinced that they are not that sinful. That their baptism or confirmation has dealt with their sin. This has always been difficult. Today, it is especially difficult. Have you noticed that post-moderns don t have a category for sin. The concept of sin implies a standard of right and wrong and they reject this notion of an absolute standard. If you say to them homosexuality is sin or premarital sex is sin they will reply that is your opinion mine is that it isn t and my opinion is just as valid as yours. They don t accept an ultimate standard so sin becomes relative. What you have to do is show them that some acts are pure evil. Find something horrific paedophilia, mass rape and murder, the holocaust and ask was this sin? Tell me was this evil or not? 6

7 And they have to admit grudgingly yes it is. They may have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness but they know the truth. Then you ask Hitler believed the holocaust was morally defensible paedophile priests think what they are doing is acceptable does that make it right? Is their opinion valid or is there right and wrong? And once you have established that by some standard there is sin and evil then you can work back to the reality that these standards are from God and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This is crucial because no one will come to a Saviour if they don t grasp they are a sinner. This leads us to the second truth that demonstrates the glory of the gospel and must be established in sharing the gospel. It is found in verses 3 to 7: Men can only come out of the darkness by being born again. Nicodemus came for a chat with a miracle worker. Nicodemus thought that Jesus might be involved in ushering the Kingdom the transformation of the nation. But he gets far more than he had bargained for. What he is told is that the transformation that is needed is personal. Even he the teacher of Israel needs to be born again to be cleansed and renewed by the power of Jesus. Jesus statement in verse 3 and His explanation in the verses that follow show that this is not something academic. Nicodemus eternal salvation depends on it. Being born again is not an optional extra it is salvation itself. He may be a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews and the teacher of Israel but unless he realises he is lost in the darkness of sin and comes to the Light Jesus and receives the new birth he will be lost forever. This is one of the big themes in this gospel. All men must come to Christ and be born again. His mother has to come to terms with this. His cousins have to. His disciples have to. The Pharisees have to. All men must come to know that they are sinners and that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The problem is most of the world don t realise they are sinners. And their only interest in Jesus is to evaluate Him I like His teaching, I don t think He was God, He seems to be misunderstood. 7

8 But what Nicodemus and indeed all men must realise is that you don t evaluate Jesus. You must come to Him as a sinner and fall down before Him. If you come to evaluate Him, it merely shows how bankrupt you are. I learned a little of this some years back. Dena and I are very different in our art tastes. I always liked the old masters Rembrandt and Titian. And after fourteen years of visiting art galleries with Dena I have come to really appreciate some impressionist masters especially Monet. But even now I really struggle with modern art. My wonderful wife loves appreciates all styles of art. When we were in New York in 1993 she just had to visit the Guggenhiem Museum. And there was nothing in this museum I liked. And I let everyone know. Looks like a crippled chook crawled over that one. This is obviously the equal opportunity for the artistically challenged give them a go section. Finally, we were standing in front of a Picasso masterpiece from his cubist period. And I have to tell you I did try and understand something, anything, about this piece of art. And I am just not connecting. Finally, I said in too loud a voice, Well my eighteen month old daughter does better artwork than this. My wife was furious. And she said, That comment says more about you than it does about Picasso. How true. It doesn t matter that I don t understand Picasso he is a master a genius. My comment merely showed my ignorance, my inability to understand great art and that I am artistically challenged. So too, Nicodemus pompous approach to evaluate Jesus showed that although he was the teacher of Israel he didn t understand the depth of his sin or who Christ was. It shows how spiritually challenged he was. And that is why Jesus says in verse 3: Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus had to be born again. What does it mean to be born again? 8

9 There is much debate about whether this should be translated born again or born from above. Linguistically, it can mean either. Note that Nicodemus comments in verse 4 suggest born again and the phrase born of the Spirit in verse 8 suggests born from above. I think the phrase infers both born again and born from above. Either way, Nicodemus didn t like Jesus response. Verse 4: Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born, can he? Don t be mistaken here. Nicodemus didn t really think that Jesus was suggesting grown men needed to crawl into their mother s womb and go through birth again. Nicodemus was not a fool. The man who is the teacher of Israel can spot a metaphor. So why respond like this? What is going on here is that Nicodemus does grasp what Jesus is saying but he doesn t like it. He rejects it. And he uses his own analogy to say Listen what you suggest is impossible this personal renewal, this idea of personal cleansing it is as impossible as a grown man crawling back into his mother s womb. Nicodemus failed to understand the need for personal renewal and transformation and he failed to grasp that this was what the Scriptures promised would occur at the coming of Messiah. He was like most conservative Jews in that his vision extended only to national transformation not with personal renewal and transformation. Messiah would come and renew the nation. No one talked about individual renewal. And one reason they didn t talk about it is that they understood it to be impossible. The Scriptures ask Can the Ethiopian change his skin colour? Can the leopard change his spots? So can sinners be washed clean? That is the gist of Nicodemus answer being born again is impossible. But what Nicodemus failed to grasp is that these Scriptures talk in the context of human effort. It is true, we can t change ourselves no matter how hard we try. What Nicodemus needed to realise is that there are plenty of Old Testament passages that indicate that God through His Messiah and His Holy Spirit will do the impossible He will renew individuals. He will cause them to be born again by the Holy Spirit. 9

10 So Jesus gives him a hint in verse 5: Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Born of water and the Spirit. What is Jesus saying? There have been many different suggestions as to what this means. Many tie verse 5 with verse 6. In verse 6 two different births are in view born of flesh and born of Spirit. So they say that born of water means the first birth being born naturally born of flesh and born of Spirit refers to the new birth being born again. You are born once naturally and later you are born again spiritually. One problem for this view is how to relate born of water with physical birth? They do this by saying it either means: Water refers to the breaking of the membranes and amniotic fluid coming out at birth. But a real difficulty is that there are no Jewish metaphors that liken physical birth to being born of water. Nicodemus would not have understood this. So some point out that a few later Jewish sources liken sperm to water. So this is said to mean to beget by sperm and then to beget by Holy Spirit. But these sources are late after the days of Jesus and they are rare. Nicodemus would not have understood such an analogy. As well, the death knell to this views is that verse 5 doesn t refer to two births. If you compare verse 3 and verse 5 Jesus pretty much repeats Himself. The only real difference is that instead of born again He says born of water and the Spirit. Born of water and the Spirit together they both refer to the new birth. So what does this mean? Some have said it means: Born of water baptism and born of the Holy Spirit. To be born again you need to be baptised in water and then baptised in the Holy Spirit. Among the many problems with this view is the fact that post-pentecost Christian baptism would be unknown to Nicodemus and the fact that birth through immersion in baptismal water and Spirit is not a concept that is found in the Old Testament. So again we ask, what does it mean? 10

11 If you look down to verse 10, you will see that Jesus admonishes Nicodemus for being the teacher of Israel, for being so learned in the Old Testament and yet not grasping that all men need to be born again. To be fair to Nicodemus the term born again is not used in the Old Testament but there are phrases and descriptions that do indeed talk about the need for personal renewal and the fact that this will be accomplished at the coming of the Messiah. So Jesus gives him a hint. He points him toward the type of passages that should come to mind by mentioning water and Spirit. A number of Old Testament passages mention water and spirit. And perhaps the clearest passage is Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36 is one of the great Old Testament passages that deal with the coming new covenant. It leads on to Ezekiel 37 the valley of dry bones that deals with restoration and renewal and ultimately to the resurrection itself. Notice these verses in Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36:25-27: Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. This is one of several passages that says a time will come when the Lord will transform His people through individual renewal. Jesus words should not have been surprising to Nicodemus. God says He will do this by cleansing them sprinkling water on them. And by transforming them by placing His Spirit within them. There are a number of Old Testament passages that deal with the coming of a new covenant and the changes that will take place.. Under the old covenant transformation and renewal was nationalistic. Under the old covenant cleansing and purification was done by priests on behalf of the nation. Under the old covenant the Spirit of God was poured out on individuals but for nationalistic purposes. Kings, prophets, judges, craftsmen they received the Spirit temporarily for the good of the nation. But, what Nicodemus the teacher of Israel should have known was these passages that indicate that a time will come in which the cleansing and renewal will be individual and personal rather than corporate and nationalistic. 11

12 Under the new covenant there is only one mediator Christ and all Christians are priests. But the Judaism in which Nicodemus was raised failed to grasp these promises of a time when Messiah comes and institutes the new covenant and individuals are cleansed and transformed. Nicodemus should have known this. Verses 6 and 7: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. His point is this like gives birth to like. Cows give birth to cows. Dogs give birth to cows. Men who are flesh can only give birth to men of flesh. But the coming Kingdom is spiritual and must be filled with spiritual people and only the Spirit can give spiritual birth. Why are you amazed that I would say to you, You must be born again? Here is the tragedy of Nicodemus. His hope was for a transformed nation. A miracle worker and King who would renew the nation. What he needed to understand is that only renewed individuals can truly lead to a renewed nation. Men are in darkness. They need a Saviour. They need to be born again. When you share the gospel, men and women have to realise that only the Spirit of God changing them from within can save them. They can t be deal with their sin enough by their own effort. Science won t solve mankind s problems. Government won t do it. Philosophies and religions that speak of human effort just won t do it. Only the work of the Spirit of God within the heart of men can save them. Jesus is the way, the truth, the life no one comes the to Father but through Him. 12

13 There is a third truth that demonstrates the glory of the gospel and must be established in sharing the gospel: Men who are born again are demonstrably changed. We see this in verse 8: The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Born again. Born of the Spirit. It is such a tragedy that this wonderful description of entry to the Christian life has accumulated so much baggage. We speak of born again Christians as if there are two types of Christians born again ones and not born again Christians. American politicians and athletes created great mileage out of declaring they were born again when their lifestyles cried that they actually needed to be truly born again. In fact, overall born again is not a particularly positive term today. We tend to think that it is a phrase used by those who want to associate with Christians without being truly given to Christ. But Jesus makes it very clear that if you are born again transformed from within born of the Spirit you are changed in ways that all can observe. He likens this to the wind. You can t see the wind but you see its effects. In the first century, meteorology was in it infancy. They didn t understand barometric pressure and high pressure systems. All they knew was the wind blew and you saw the leaves stir, you heard the trees rustle, you felt it on your face. They didn t know where the wind came from or where it went but they knew it was there because of its effects. So it is with the work of the Holy Spirit in transforming men and women through the new birth. It is inconceivable for someone to be born again and still live like the world, the flesh and the devil. The new birth by its very nature changes men and women from within. Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 13

14 The nature of the new birth is that Christ through His Spirit, comes to live in us. He transforms us from the inside out. Yes, it can be slow in some. Yes, we all take three steps forward and two back. Yes we all sin. But if the Spirit of the living God is in you you will change and continue to change until that final day when you are finally one with Christ. Praise God! this is the gospel this is the good news Christ does what we cannot. This is crucial. When you read through John, there are many who claim to believe in Christ, claim to be His disciples but Jesus knows those who are His. His true disciples are those who are transformed from within by the Spirit of God Men want an easy believism. Men want to live life they way they want and still go to heaven. Men hate to be told you have to live holy. The result is that in an effort not to offend, many gospel presentations omit this point. All you need to do is just believe in Jesus. Others say well there are two levels of Christianity ordinary Christians who have believed and born again ones those who have made Jesus Lord and their lives have changed. Don t believe it for a moment! All men who are born again are demonstrably changed. Brothers and sisters. There are so many versions of the gospel that float around. Easybelievism. Men can change themselves. Jesus is merely one way. But here we have the Master Himself showing us how to share the gospel. 1. Men are born into darkness and need a Saviour. vv Men can only come out of the darkness by being born again. vv Men who are born again are demonstrably changed. v. 8. And then what we will see next week. 4. Men may only be born again when they accept that Jesus Christ is God. vv Men are born again through faith in Jesus Christ. vv Men refuse to be born again because they love sin. vv Men are born again not by their works but by the power of God. v

15 But this morning I want you to take home the truth that the great news is this it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. I know that sometimes you hear a sermon that says true Christians have to be changed more holy more godly and you feel guilty as if you have to change you have to work this miracle. Don t be mistaken. The point of this sermon is that you can t change any more than the leopard can change his spots. But the glory of the gospel is that Jesus, through the power of His Holy Spirit can and does change us and make us into new men and women. That is the good news that is the gospel. That is the grace of the Lord Jesus. Amen! 15