10 January 2010
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 3
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."
3. In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "
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.'
-- Wayne Cordeiro, pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship O'ahu in Honolulu, Hawaii, told the story about the time some people in his church gave him and his wife a gift card to a 4-star restaurant in their town
-- being a pastor and living on a pastor's salary, this was not their usual dining experience -- never in their life had they taken a meal at an expensive 4-star restaurant -- so they were very excited about this generous gift
-- they made arrangements and scheduled a free evening -- they dressed up in their finest clothes -- Wayne's wife put on her best pearls -- Wayne even washed and waxed his car because he knew the restaurant had valet parking and he wanted everything to be just right -- the night finally came, and both of them were excited to be going out on the town in such a way
-- when they got to the restaurant, they handed the keys to the valet and strolled in to this ritzy restaurant for their first fine dining experience -- the maiterde' seated them at a nice, candlelit table overlooking a lagoon adjacent to a moonlit bay there in Hawaii -- the evening was turning out better than they could ever have imagined
-- since their meal was covered by the generous gift from their members, Wayne and his wife didn't worry about price, but ordered the most expensive items on the menu -- the food arrived and it was just as they had anticipated -- it was a most magical evening
-- when the bill came, Wayne turned to his wife and said, "Honey, hand me the gift card" -- She replied, "I don't have the gift card -- I thought you brought it." -- Wayne said, "You have to have it. You're supposed to have it. You're the wife!" -- but she replied, "I don't have it."
-- Wayne relayed what was going through his mind at that moment -- and I quote: "I thought, "We are in deep yogurt -- Here we are -- We look rich -- we act rich -- we even smell rich -- But if we don't have that [card], it invalidates everything"
-- There are times when can be just like Wayne and his wife in our spiritual lives -- we can look holy -- we can act holy -- we can smell holy -- But without a relationship with the Lord, we've forgotten something -- because it's the relationship that validates everything else"
-- that's what Jesus was talking about in His conversation with Nicodemus in the passage that we opened with -- and it's what caused Him to say in Matthew 7:21-23. "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. -- Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' -- Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
-- the most important thing is not what we say or do or even look like on the surface -- the most important thing is the relationship that we have with Jesus
II. Scripture Lesson (John 3:1-11)
-- so, let's turn to this passage here at the start of John 3 and let's see what we can learn from Jesus' talk with Nicodemus
-- look back at verse 1
1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
-- before we go any further, let's talk for a moment about Nicodemus -- who was Nicodemus?
-- John tells us here that Nicodemus was a Pharisee -- you know, right away,when I read that word, most of us immediately have a negative image of Nicodemus -- for us, as New Testament Christians, who have read the Bible and know the story of Jesus, we tend to look at the Pharisees as one of the bad guys in the story -- if this was a western, Jesus and His disciples would be wearing the white hats and the Pharisees would be wearing the black hats -- it's the way we look at them -- but, it's not really the way they were
-- in Jesus' day, the Pharisees were some of the most admired religious people that there were -- they were widely respected by both Jews and Gentiles for their piety -- for their holiness -- for their spiritual lifestyle -- the Pharisees were the men who not only talked about the things of God, but lived them out in their daily lives
-- they were also known as students of the Bible -- they were renowned for their scholarship -- for their knowledge of the Scriptures -- they would study God's word and expound on it and write commentaries to help the common people understand and apply God's word in their lives -- these weren't what we would call "Sunday Christians" -- these were men who were very serious about their faith -- who held fast to the orthodox Judaism that was handed down to them through Moses -- these were men who kept the old, traditional ways of worshiping God and didn't adopt every fad or compromise their beliefs to get along better with the Romans and the other religious groups
-- in our day, we would regard the Pharisees as the conservative Christians -- as the group of people who stand firm and hold to traditional biblical principles in their life and worship and who believe in a literal understanding of the Bible -- most of us would be honored to be counted in their number
-- John also tells us that Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council -- the Sanhedrin was a select group of 70 men who served as a kind of combination Congress and Supreme Court -- In our day, Nicodemus' position would have been similar to that of a United States senator or a Supreme Court justice -- they were the highest ruling body of the Jews -- and they were concerned with the social and moral and legal and religious lives of the people
-- as you can imagine, only the best of the best -- only the most moral -- the most pious -- the most honest men were selected to serve on the Sanhedrin -- so, as a Pharisee and as a member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus would have been highly respected and admired, not only as a leader, but also as a man of God
-- verse 2
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."
-- the fact that Nicodemus came at night has always been a major topic of this passage -- but don't read too much into that -- some people have suggested that perhaps Nicodemus was embarrassed and didn't want to be seen coming to speak with Jesus -- others have said that his coming at night was reflective of the evil and darkness that lurked in his heart -- I think people may be reading too much into this
-- you know, it could have been just as simple as the fact that Jesus' was constantly surrounded by the crowds during the day and there was no opportunity for Nicodemus to sit down and have a lengthy conversation with Him -- I don't think he was trying to sneak in without anyone seeing him -- obviously, John and the other disciples were there because they heard and recorded this conversation -- it could be that Nicodemus only came at night so that he could sit around the fire and talk with Jesus one-on-one without interruption
-- Nicodemus calls Jesus "Rabbi" -- it was a term of respect -- we sometimes translate this as "Teacher" -- he goes on to say "we know you are a teacher who has come from God" -- here is Nicodemus -- a man of learning -- a man who is known for his spirituality -- for his knowledge of the Scriptures and the law -- a man who is highly respected as a leader of the people of Israel
-- and here he comes to Jesus -- a back-woods carpenter who has all of a sudden decided to become a preacher -- a man, who, in the Pharisee's eyes had no religious or legal standing -- yet, Nicodemus comes to Him and defers to Him and calls Him, "teacher" -- this would be the same as a Supreme Court Justice coming to a local evangelist here in Valdosta today and calling him, "Sir" and seeking his audience
-- the question is, "Why?" -- Why would Nicodemus come to Jesus like this? -- it seems obvious that he was seeking something -- perhaps he saw in Jesus something that he was lacking in his own life
-- right before this nighttime visit occurs, Jesus had visited the temple and seen the tables of the money changers -- and the people selling livestock to be used for sacrifice right within the gates of the Lord's house -- and Jesus got angry and made a whip and overturned the tables and ran the money changers and the livestock dealers out of the temple
-- and maybe Nicodemus had thought about Jesus' zeal and dedication to the Lord and had begun to realize that religion -- that the man-made practices and adherence to the law that the Pharisees so cherished -- was getting between the people and God
-- you know, one of my earliest memories of childhood is singing in Sunday School -- I can't remember a single lesson that was ever taught when I was five or six years old -- but I remember standing up and singing those great children songs -- and one of the favorite was "Old Time Religion" -- do you know that one? -- do you remember it?
-- "Give me that old time religion -- give me that old time religion -- Give me that old time religion -- It's good enough for me"
-- it seems that this might have been the theme song for Nicodemus and the Pharisees -- over time, they had taken the goodness and the simplicity of the worship of God and turned it into religion -- into rules and into practices and into things that, on the surface, looked holy and sounded holy and felt holy -- but that really kept God at an arm's distance -- that really hindered people from knowing God in their heart -- from having a relationship with Him
-- I think this is the reason that Nicodemus came to Jesus that night -- because he was tired of religion and was seeking a true relationship
-- verse 3
3. In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "
-- a lot of times when we read this passage, we kind of jump over what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus here -- keep in mind who Nicodemus was -- this was a Pharisee of Pharisees -- a leader of the temple -- a man who followed the commandments of God -- a man who lived a holy life -- who prayed three times a day -- who read the scriptures daily and reflected on them -- a man who taught others and who was a living example of what it meant to follow God
-- and Jesus tells him here, "What you're doing is not enough -- what you're doing will never be enough -- it doesn't matter how many times you pray -- it doesn't matter how often you read the Bible -- it doesn't matter whether you follow every single law in the scriptures -- the only way you can enter the kingdom of heaven is to be born again"
-- do you see how radical this teaching of Jesus must have sounded to Nicodemus? -- Jesus was shattering all that Nicodemus knew and believed and trusted in
-- Jesus said, "If you want to see God, you have to know God -- you have to be born again"
-- that phrase there, "born again" is one that has a double meaning -- it can mean "born again" or "born from above," referring to a heavenly birth -- and I think Jesus meant it in both ways -- I think He was pointing out to Nicodemus that in order to come to God, you had to be recreated in His image -- you had to be born of the Father in order to have a relationship with Him
--a scholar once wrote, "One can love religion like anything else in life: sports, science, stamp collecting. -- One can love it for its own sake without relation to God or the world or life. -- Religion fascinates; it is entertaining. -- It has everything that is sought after by a certain type of person: aesthetics, mystery, the sacred, a feeling of one's importance and exclusive depth, etc. -- but, that kind of religion is not necessarily faith."
-- that is what Jesus is trying to get Nicodemus to see -- it's not about religion -- it's about relationship
-- verse 4
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.'
-- Nicodemus' real question is there in verse 4 -- "How? -- How can you know God in this way?" -- you can hear the heart cry in that question -- here is a man of God -- someone who has spent his whole life learning religion -- trying to make his own way to heaven by following the rules of the church -- and if that isn't enough, then how -- how can he find what he is truly looking for?
-- Jesus replied, "You have to be born again -- you have to be born of the Spirit -- you have to be in a relationship with God" -- it's not enough to know about God -- you have to know God -- personally -- intimately -- in your own life
-- and notice what Jesus says here -- when Nicodemus came to Jesus, he began by saying in verse 2, "We know" -- but here in verse 7, Jesus makes it personal -- it's no longer "we" -- it's "you" -- Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus' heart and He says, "You, Nicodemus, must be born again"
-- in other words, Jesus was not asking about Nicodemus' church membership -- He wasn't asking about his giving record or his Sunday School attendance -- He wasn't asking about his personal morality or whether he read his Bible and prayed daily -- Nicodemus had all those things down cold -- Jesus was asking about his heart -- "You must be born again, Nicodemus -- I don't really know you -- I don't have a relationship with you -- but I want to"
III. Closing
-- religion had gotten in the way of Nicodemus' path to God -- he couldn't see God for all the godly things he was going -- he couldn't find God because he was staying too busy doing "churchy" stuff -- he acted holy -- he looked holy -- he felt holy -- but all he was doing was staying busy following the rules and the practices and the rituals without ever involving his heart
-- in Psalm 51:16-17, King David wrote, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. -- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
-- "Religious activity apart from fellowship with God is empty ritual." [Henry Blackaby] -- it's not about what we do -- it's not about what we can bring -- it's about what's in our heart -- there's a difference between religion and relationship -- Nicodemus was beginning to realize that
-- all his life he had been told that if he wanted to get to heaven, he needed to go to church -- he needed to go to Sunday School and Bible study -- he needed to read his Bible -- he needed to pray -- he needed to stand up and sing the songs in church -- he needed to sit and listen to the preacher
-- but you can do all that and never know Jesus -- Henry Blackaby asks the question, "Is it possible to pray, to attend a worship service, or to give an offering yet not to experience the presence of God?" -- the answer is a resounding, "Yes" -- It certainly is possible -- and not only for non-Christians, but for us Christians, as well
-- the follow-up question then is, "What do I do about it?"
-- well, the first thing is to ask yourself if you know Jesus -- have you been born again? -- have you been born from above? -- have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins -- to cleanse you from all unrighteousness -- to come into your life and to fill your heart with His presence? -- have you received Him as your Lord and Savior? -- are you in a personal relationship with Him? -- do you know Him?
-- if not, then that's the place to start -- you can do that this morning -- you can that right now -- just simply tell Jesus that you believe in Him and that you trust Him and ask Him to forgive you and come into your life -- and you will start on your personal relationship with Him
-- but, what about us -- what about us Christians who have already done that? -- well, for us, it's a matter of attendance -- by this I don't mean just physically showing up -- I mean attending with our heart
-- men are good about being in a place physically without ever really attending to the people who are there with them -- calling myself out, I can't tell you how many times Kim and I have been in the same room and I'm watching a game or something on t.v. and she tells me something that happened or something that we need to do -- and five minutes later, I have no clue what she's said
-- I was there physically, but I was not attending to her -- even though I heard what she said and I acknowledged it at the time -- I wasn't really paying attention
-- well, all of us -- men and women -- can do that in church, too -- how many times have you stood up to sing the hymn in the bulletin without ever once thinking of Who you are singing to? -- how many times have you just mouthed the words and done what was asked while your mind was on something entirely different?
-- how many times have you just prayed before a meal out of habit rather than really thinking about God and talking to Him from your heart?
-- how many times have you just thrown your money in the offering plate because that's what you do when it comes by without ever stopping to thank God for this opportunity and for His blessings in your life?
-- how do you think God feels at the end of our worship services or at the end of your day? -- do you think He would say that you spent time with Him or would He just say that you were there, but not paying attention?
-- this is the difference between religion and relationship -- between just going through the motions and truly experiencing God in our lives
-- as Henry Blackaby wrote, "Christianity is an intimate, growing relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. It is not a set of doctrines to believe, habits to practice, or sins to avoid. Every activity God commands is intended to enhance His love relationship with His people."
-- I want to close by leaving you with this challenge -- "Don’t settle for a religious life that lacks a vital relationship with Jesus Christ -- When God is present, the difference will be obvious" [Henry Blackaby]
-- as I close now, I want to encourage you to take just a moment and pay attention to God -- seek His presence with your heart -- listen for His voice -- look for His face -- He's here and He wants to be with you -- but you have to seek Him first -- God tells us that if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him -- that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us -- isn't that the real reason we are here?
-- don't leave here with this morning with this just being another empty religious service -- don't leave here saying, "I didn't get anything out of that today" -- but leave here knowing that you have been with God
-- let us pray
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