Why Being Born Again is a Must

March 12, 2017 John 3:1-17 COJLBC Why Being Born Again is a Must by Mark Jarvinen 3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. 3 Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered him, Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:1-17) INTRODUCTION I came across a story this week that piqued my interest, especially in light of today s text. Did you know that cake mixes were introduced to the market in 1947 and that by 1953 sales had doubled? However, between 1956-1960 sales went flat. General Mills employed a researcher by the name of Ernest Dichter to find out why. Understand that prior to this era, a cultural value had been placed on 1

baking from scratch. After interviewing lots of homemakers, Dichter reported that the simplicity of the mixes just add water and stir made women feel self-indulgent and guilty for using them. There simply wasn t enough work involved. His advice to General Mills was to leave the homemaker something to do for example, adding an egg to the mix so that she would feel she had contributed something to the baking process. Truth be told, adding a fresh egg to the cake mix made for a more moist, better tasting cake, but having something for the baker to do was also important in the resurgence of the cake mix market (Snopes). It seems as though our human need to do for ourselves manifests itself in numerous and subtle ways. The old nature is hard-wired to perform - to make the expectations of ourselves, the expectations of others, and ultimately, even the expectations of God, more manageable. More on this later. MEET NICODEMUS How do you spell religion? Two letters, D-O, DO. Religion is man s attempt to work his way to God to do something to earn God s favor, or at least keep His expectations manageable. It s a perplexing road simply because one can never know when he or she has done enough. In today s text, we meet Nicodemus, a synagogue leader and a Pharisee, deeply committed to Judaism and the upholding of Jewish laws and traditions. In addition, he was a member of the select group of 70 men called the Sanhedrin, who exercised wide-ranging powers over the Jews in civil, criminal, and religious matters, of course, all under the political authority of the Roman government. Nicodemus was educated, sophisticated, and respected. Yet, as a man steeped in his religion of DOING, he was both fascinated and conflicted by the miracles of this small town rabbi from Galilee and 2

aware of His growing popularity and potential. Nicodemus addressed Jesus with an outward display of respect and approval, yet meets Him by night, as if wanting to avoid tipping his hand to the public, and certain members of the Sanhedrin, concerning his interest in Him. Superficially, Nicodemus seems polite, but underneath we sense his confusion and uncertainty about Jesus as he enters into dialogue with Him. THE MAIN THEME In determining the meaning of any Biblical text, repetition is one of the keys. In today s text, both in v. 3, which states, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, and in v. 7, which says, You must be born again, we see clear indications of the main theme of the passage. As a seminarian, I had long been aware of the term, born-again, but in my second year, the term vaulted into public prominence when Democrat, Jimmy Carter, announced his candidacy for the office of President, identifying himself as a born-again Christian. After the Water-gate Scandal and the resignation of President Richard Nixon, followed by the brief presidency of Gerald Ford, who finished out Nixon s second term, the country was ready for a change. As a soft-spoken Baptist Sunday School teacher from Plains, GA, Carter became our born-again President. I have no reason to question the sincerity of his faith, but unfortunately, every political misstep during his presidency (and what President can avoid them) somehow seemed like a black mark against Christianity. Since then we ve seen born-again cult leaders, bornagain companies, born-again athletes, and born again entertainers. It s not hard to understand why, for many, the term is at best, hard to understand, and at worst, a joke. In spite of the misuse 3

and abuse of this term over the years, Jesus told Nicodemus in no uncertain terms, You must be born again. From a biblical perspective, what do we mean by the term, born-again? In simple terms, to be born again means to receive, by faith, new life in Christ. In seeking to define the term in a 2010 message, Billy Graham writes: To be born again means that [God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you (Ezekiel 36:26). Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4); we have passed from death into life (John 5:24). In today s text, Jesus words to Nicodemus are stated as an imperative You must be born again. In this message, we ll observe three truths from the text that all point to why being born-again is a must. We must be born again I. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM. (vv. 1-3) Nicodemus visit to Jesus indicates that he, and perhaps others among the Sanhedrin, hadn t yet made up their minds about Jesus. He says, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. It s almost like Nicodemus is trying to impress Jesus with his own importance, as if he s vetting Him on behalf of a like-minded group of Jewish leaders, to make Him their dark horse candidate for leadership in Israel. In other words, we surmise that Nicodemus has criteria in mind by which he is measuring potential leaders and possible Messiahs. By complimenting Jesus, we imagine Nicodemus letting Him know that He s made it past the first round of candidates. Jesus answers him with this cryptic response in v. 3: 4

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus answer is straight-forward. He s not the least bit flattered. He s saying that the Kingdom of God is not that kind of kingdom. Jesus lets Nicodemus know that this is not the NCAA, in which he can be recruited like a star athlete to help the recruiter s team go all the way to the championship. Jesus wants no part of being a dynastymaker for the Pharisees. In other words, Nicodemus, don t ask Jesus if He is ready to be the leader; ask yourself if you are ready to receive the King? If this question could be asked of Nicodemus, it s a fitting question for each one of us. Are we, by faith, ready to receive the King? Yes, it s true - we must be born-again. So far, Nicodemus hasn t been painted in a very favorable light. But there s a grace note revealed later in John s Gospel. Very late in Jesus earthly ministry, we learn of Nicodemus defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin as they make plans to kill Him. And then, after Jesus crucifixion, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea prepare His body for burial, apparently indicating that Nicodemus had come to faith and was living as a committed follower. In other words, never write off a person whose first steps toward God seem timid and faltering. Deal with them gently and lovingly. The outcome of a life is always in God s gracious hands. That is the way of the Kingdom. We must be born again II. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE FLESH. (vv. 4-8). Nicodemus is confused. He responds to Jesus in v. 4 How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? 5

Nicodemus believed his relationship with God was based on his birthright, that he was a Jew, born of the lineage of Abraham, and therefore, entitled to God s Kingdom. He didn t understand this talk about new birth. Obviously, Jesus wasn t speaking in the realm of the natural. Nicodemus could see only the physical and material, the realm of the flesh, but Jesus was talking about the spiritual. God s Kingdom is entered by spiritual rebirth, not by tracing our family tree. We cannot inherit new birth. The Bible says that those who are born again were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Our fathers and mothers may be the greatest born-again Christians in the world, but that doesn t make us born-again Christians, too. Many people have the idea that because they were born into a Christian home, they are automatically Christians. They re not. Verse 6 tells us That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Furthermore, v. 8 of our text reminds us - The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. In other words, you need not put a date on the moment you came to faith, or be able to describe a certain kind of experience. The Spirit comes and goes as He pleases. For many it s as simple as going back to your baptism, which according to Acts 2:38, is that moment in which you received, as a gift from God, on the merits of Christ s cross, the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Since then your life has been marked by a daily walk of repentance of sin and renewal of faith. Others, returning to faith or having believed for the first time in adulthood, can look back to a crisis 6

conversion, marked by a deep awareness of sin and grace. The issue isn t so much when or how, but that indeed, Jesus has been received into one s life by faith, and new life, as a result, has been created by the Spirit. And just as the wind can be heard, the effect of the Spirit s work will be discerned in the life of the person who has been born again. Finally, we must be born again III. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE SAVIOR (vv. 9-17). Since the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin, where love once reigned, now there was animosity. Fear drove out trust. Rebellion replaced obedience. Mankind was no longer innocent. Human hearts were now set against God, and intent on living their own way. Mankind had a problem inherited from our first parents SIN. Sin causes a restlessness in the human heart, sounding the alarm that all is not well. Left to ourselves, there s a lack of peace and contentment, the ominous sense that something s not right. For many, this deep need gives rise to religion - man s attempt to climb back to God to make things right. Nicodemus was still in that camp. He didn t get Jesus speech about being born again. He said to Jesus in v. 9 - How can these things be? Jesus said in effect, You re a renowned rabbi of Israel, you tell me. I ve told you what you need to know and yet you won t believe the testimony. Here Jesus lays the problem at the front door of Nicodemus religious orientation to life, which is his attempt to climb the ladder to God by counting on heritage and relying on the self-effort of performance-based righteousness. Remember the need of 7

homemakers to add the egg to the cake mix? Remember how we spelled religion as D-O, do? Any one here relying on being a pretty good person in order to be in right standing with God? In v. 13 Jesus said - No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. In other words, no one ascends to heaven based on their own efforts, only Jesus has come down to mankind from the Father. He came down in order to be lifted up. Verse 14 says, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. This is a reference from Numbers 21 to the bronze serpent, which God commanded Moses to put on a pole and place in the center of the Israelite camp, a mere look at which would heal them from their poisonous snake bites and allow them to live. Jesus announces here that in like manner, He would be lifted up (on the cross) so that all who would gaze upon Him in faith, would have eternal life a life beginning in the here and now and continuing in heaven. This is true religion according to Jesus, not based on doing, but simply by believing, made possible by a God of love, who initiated this life-giving plan of salvation by sending His Son. John 3:16-17 (AMP) clearly spells out this good news: 16 For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Sin separates us from God, but He freely gave us His Son so that we might believe, be born again, and live an amazing offer! A-men. 8