Intro:
Everyone today is familiar with the term "born again."
A) It has become so popular
that it is used for all kinds of situations that have nothing to do with the
way the BIBLE uses it.
B) If a football team has a
bad season and the next year better one - , they have been born again.
C) Rock
Stars Career Born again
Marriage in Trouble: Born
again.
Car New Look -
Interesting
Some who profess to be Christians shy
away from its original use
I am a Christian just not one of those
Born again types
A)What
does that mean? Born again It is a Must!
Straight from the words of Jesus Himself.
B)
That is what we learn in this story of our Lords encounter with this religious
leader by the name of Nicodemus.
Who
was Nicodemus?
A)Nicodemus
was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews.
That
means he was a member of the Sanhedrin,
B)They were a council of
seventy men who ran the religious affairs of the nation.
C)That
council was almost entirely made up of Pharisees.
It
is very important to understand who the Pharisees were.
They
were a select group -- never more than 6,000 of them.
A)Men
who had each one taken a solemn vow before three witnesses that he would devote
every moment of his entire life to
obeying the Ten Commandments, as a way of pleasing God.
B)
The Pharisees took this very seriously. These men spent their lives studying
the Ten Commandments and applying them to situations of life so that the
Pharisees could carry out these commands and thus obey God.
C) Within the sect of the Pharisees were the Scribes the
Scribes were the scholars
1)
They comprised a thick book called the Mishnah sort of a commentary that
explained what it means to obey the commandments
D)
Another Book was the Talmud it is a commentary interpreting the Mishnah
Both books are still used today by the Jews
E) They focused on the Minutest detail of the commandments that God
laid out. -
1)
For example in the Talmud there are 156 pages given to explain what it means to
keep the Sabbath
Things like tying a Knot or drawing water out of a well or walking a certain distance from your home were all
violations
This
is the Kind of man that Nicodemus was
Given to that sort of detail &
devotion to the law of God
A)His
Life revolved around the rituals
B)It
is amazing that he would come to Jesus at all,
1.)
because of their dedication to the law the Pharisees regarded themselves as
superior to other
So Nic was a
religious man he was a ruler or a leader in his circle V. 10 Jesus
refers to him as The teacher.
A)He was also Wealthy
B) But despite having
Religion / Power / Prestige / and Wealth Nic knew that
something was missing.
1)
So he comes to Jesus by night.
C) A lot has been made about
Nic coming at night 1) It has been suggested that He came by
night because of embarrassment He didnt want to be seen with Jesus
2)
So he opted for a secret meeting.
I
dont think that is the case.
A)Cooler - { Roof top patios coolness of the night
B)
Calmer This was Passover season the busiest time for a Pharisees especially the
teacher in
So
Nic comes and addresses Jesus is a very polite way.
A)Rabbi
= Teacher or Master - Blind Bart Rabboni My master
..
Nic
wouldnt go that far. He was curious
B) But notice also that he
says we know
.: Letting Jesus know
You have been a topic of conversation amongst the religious leaders
1)
They as a group had come to the conclusion that Jesus was from God the reason
His miracles
C) Amazing to me that no
one doubted the miracles of our Lordnot in that day!
D) But today you have Seminary Professors who want to debate and doubt
and explain away the miracles of Jesus /
1)
Professors who are removed by two
thousand years and several thousand
miles from the land where it all took place, and then you can doubt the
miracles.
E)But you will not find that
either the friends of Jesus or His enemies ever doubted His miracles.
So Nic is being
all polite Rabbi : V.3 Jesus cuts to the
Chase: Answers the unasked questions
A)This
was the thing that was burning on the heart of Nic
how
can I know that I am going to be a part of the
B)
Despite all of his knowledge / education / training / background position Nic was lost Knew sensed something was wrong
1)
No assurance
C) I am sure that Nic thought My religion tells me that I am secure by
keeping the law
Problem is I dont
1)
I know my heart my thoughts sometimes I falter in actions
D) Paul said the same thing law revealed
he was covetous Busted
1)
Who can save me ?
So Not feeling that assurance Nic comes to Jesus
He comes speaking in Broad terms we know
General A)Jesus gets specific Nic I am saying to
You. You must be born again.
B)I love this about the Lord
he loves to get specific We love to be general
C)We
say the Church needs to experience a revival Forget about the Church
1)
You need to experience Revival.
D)Jesus says to Nic You must be born again? Spiritual birth
1) Religion / Morals /
ethics is not enough There is a problem at the core.
Two servants
in a kings court were debating over the idea
of whether a man could be made a gentleman, or whether he had to be born one.
A)The King grew tired of the
debate and gave each some money to try and prove his point.
B)
The one who thought it was possible for a man to be made a gentlemen went to
an inn. Ordered some food
1)
Amazed at what happened next Out comes a Cat walking hind legs all dressed
up nice like a Gentlemen Served his food
C)
This proves my point If a Cat can be made a Gentlemen so can a man. Bought
the cat to show to the King
1)
Other Guy who thought only born Got wind -
Idea to disprove
D)
The Day came to present their findings to the King The one man showed up with
his Cat- Other a Box
E)
The cat was doing his thing the King was amazed Until the other guy opened
his box 12 Mice Cat natural instincts reverted
That
is the way it is: You can clean up a man / new clothes / stick him in great
surroundings
A)But when things heat up
Natural tendencies are going to surface
B) According to published
reports 60% of those released from Prison Recommit
serious crimes 2/3 are arrested
1)Not reform that is needed
it is REGENERATION
- You must be born again.
C) Nicodemus immediately
thinks of gynecology:
1) "How am I going to get back into my
mother's womb and start life all over when I am already old and grey? How can I
do that?"
V.4
I will commend Nic though he is not asking Why ? Asking How?
A)To ask why Lord is a sign
of a hard heart why should I do that?
{ Purpose why necessary
B) To ask How soft heart
1) Ok I see the need maybe
even have the desire but How ?
C) Which are you are you always asking Why? Why is it this
way why that way. Why that need} who messed up
1) How can it happen Lord
show me
D) Nicodemus I think
understood the need for a fresh Start
Born again Yea that would be nice New
Start/ How
V.5
Water and the spirit
V.5 Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit He cannot
enter the
A)What
does that mean?
Some Water = Baptism The symbolism of
baptism is one of death not of life. -
Burial -
A)And
Baptism is not a criteria for salvation but rather the evidence of it.
Barclay: Water =
Cleansing / Spirit = Empowering
A)Though
both are parts of salvation by products of salvation neither are a part of
the Criteria or process in regeneration
B) Others
Believe water = Physical birth { embryonic fluids
v.6
would seem to support that idea that which is born of the flesh is flesh
spirit is spirit
C)Problem the word water
is never used in that way in the Scriptures
D)And V.6 is really magnifying
on the need presented in v.3 Being born Physically is not enough.
1)Spiritual
birth is needed for salvation
E)That which is
born of the flesh is flesh. That is an axiom.
1)
See God does not intend to save the flesh at all. This old nature must be
replaced by the new nature.
The
spiritual birth is necessary so that you and I may be given a new nature.
A)
Flesh is temporal Tent
B)Spirit
is eternal Question how will you spend eternity Alive or dead
4th
Wuest: Water =
The Word Eph. 2:26 /
A)I
believe this is the clearest explanation Born again thru the ministry of
the Spirit acting thru the Word of God
B)
Been said the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible
C)The
HS works thru the word of God to ignite the heart to convict the soul -
Interesting
terminology Born again there are similarities in Physical birth with
Spiritual Birth.
A)Human
birth involves travail
. Labor for nothing
B)Likewise
spiritual birth involves travail Our Saviour had to
travail on the cross so that we might become members of the family of God
1)
Neat picture in nature : Tolaith worm Red Die
C) As believers we travail
in Prayer to see people come to Christ
In
Physical Birth the child inherits the nature of the parents.
A)SO too in Spiritual
birth . We become partakers of the
divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
B)Nature
determines appetite. Cows Grass / Lions meat
1)
Christian gets an appetite for the things of God (1 Peter 2:23).
Desires the milk of the word -
C) Birth involves a future,
{ Beginning all upward grow mature
1)
Spiritually we are born again to a
living hope (1 Peter 1:3, nasb).
D) Nic you need to be Born again
Now
Nicodemus must have had a surprised and yet bewildered look on his face, for
the Lord had to say, V.7 You must not be surprised that I told you that all of
you must be born again
To
Prove his point Born again you see the affects
Analogy
of the Ministry of the Spirit being like the wind Looked at on Sunday.
A)Point
Cant see the wind but you see the affects
B) Same is true of the
person who is born again You see the affects
1)
Inward Spirit affects outward life.
1)
Free
2)
Driven by the flesh Now led by God Look different sound different act
different Marching to a new Drum beat
C) I read of a Christian in
1)
He noticed that a number of guests had entered their degrees after their names.
D) He wanted to put some
letters after his name, but had never been to a university. So he wrote,
"John Smith, BA and MA."
1)
Asked what the letters stood for, he said, "John Smith, Born Again, and
Marvelously Altered!"
E)
Jesus is saying, "Do not marvel at that; that is to be expected." When God's life
becomes your life, you can expect many changes.
MY DAD HUGE IMPACT !!! CRIED reading word
2)
Patient Kinder treated my mom Better.
.
Once
again Nicodemus is puzzled. "How can this be?" he asks V.9 / V.10 Now It is Jesus' turn to be astonished.
A)He
has spoken to a man who is the teacher of
B)Jesus
also knew that book. He knew that Isaiah / Ezekiel / Jeremiah all wrote about
the New birth part of the New Covenant
C) Nicodemus You should Know
exactly what I am talking about!.
All
through the Old Testament there are statements about a new birth, a new
beginning, a new creation, a new life that would come as a gift of God to those
who would humbly, without pride, receive it as something they desperately
needed.
So
Jesus says to Nicodemus, "How can this be? How can you, a teacher of
Selective
Theology
A)Guilty of selective
Theology all laws no grace
Also No law all grace
Jesus
responds by Chiding Nic a bit v.11-12
A)Not understanding earthly
things Ref to analogy of the wind
How
will you understand Spiritual things
B)
But here we see the patience of Jesus real plain - V.13-15 Jesus says let me
give you a Picture: The serpent on the pole
C)The story in
1)
It is a story of sin, for the nation rebelled against God.
D)
It is a Story of Judgment Because of their sin
1)God
sent fiery serpents that bit the people so that many died.
E)It is also a story of
grace, for Moses interceded for the people and God provided a remedy.
1)
Brass serpent on the Pole Those who look to it Saved/ healed
F) Also a story of Faith -
when the people looked by faith, they were saved.
Great
picture of What Jesus was going to do.
A)Interesting that the
serpent was a symbol of the Curse
B)
Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree Jesus became a curse so that we could
be healed
C) Later the serpent on a pole
would become a symbol of healing { Medicine and hospitals
1) That is what Jesus does
he reverses the curse
Jesus
would say later
A)He was lifted up at
B) We continue to lift Him
up Point to exalt
C) Finally Jesus Flat out
answers the question of How V.16
His heart:
He loved the world.
His plan:
He gave His only begotten Son.
His will:
Whosoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.