A
Study of the Book of John
“That
You May Believe”
Sermon
# 8
“You Must Be Born Again”
John
3:1-13
Good morning and welcome to
“Old Fashioned Sunday” here at First Baptist Church. Our special guest
who was scheduled to speak had an emergency situation arise at his church and he could not
be with us this morning. I don’t think it an accident that we come to the subject
“You Must Be Born Again” in our study of the book of John. There is no
message that is more “old fashioned” yet more relevant to our day.
What would you say if I were to ask you this
morning, “Give one good reason why you should
go to Heaven?” The answers that we would get from asking the question,
“Are you going to heaven?” are fairly predictable. There would be a variety of answers. Some would
say “I hope so.” Some would
say, “I am trying,” or “I am doing the best I can!” Some would say, “Yes, because I have been
baptized.” Others would say, “Yes, because I am a church member.”
But none of them would be right.
The question, “Are you going to Heaven? And, if so,
why?” It is without a doubt “the”
most important question your mind can ever entertain. The reason that this is such an
important question is obvious, there is only one alternative to heaven. That is hell, the
place the Bible calls outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth, where "the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever: and they
have no rest day nor night." And there is nothing in between. It is Heaven or it is Hell. God says in His Word
that all men and women must appear before Him in death. Then they shall be divided as a
shepherd would divide the sheep from the goats; one into everlasting punishment, into
everlasting hell and torment; and the other into everlasting glory.
In John chapter three we
have more than the record of a two-thousand year old conversation, we have the answer to
the question, “How do we get to Heaven?”
In this text, a man approaches Jesus late one night with a look of quiet desperation. His
name is Nicodemus and he comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness to ask that question
-- the one that had been keeping him awake at night. In verse one we read, “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.”
In order to understand this story, we need to
notice three things about this man named Nicodemus.
First, besides his name the text reveals that
he was a “Pharisee.” If you know anything about the Scriptures you
probably have a negative view of the Pharisees. You may think that all Pharisees were
legalistic hypocrites, but that is not true at all. In the days of Jesus the Pharisees
were a very much respected group known for their knowledge of the Old Testament and their
scrupulous keeping of the law. The Pharisees
were the theological conservatives of their day, and they believed that the Old Testament
was the revealed Word of God which contained an inspired of code of ethics which should be
practiced literally. This was such a demanding life that only a few thousand were ever
willing to make the commitment.
Secondly, note also that
Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee but he was also one of the most important religious
teachers of his day. He is also called a “ruler of the Jews.”
From what we read about Nicodemus in John chapter seven we can conclude with some
confidence that Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish legal
court in the land. This was a select group of
seventy men who served as the highest Jewish court in the land, much like our present day
Supreme Court Justices.
Third, it is also important
to note that in verse eleven that Jesus refers to him as “the teacher of Israel.” Notice
the definite article is used. He is not called just “a”
teacher but “the” teacher. The
meaning seems to be that Nicodemus was probably the most popular religious teacher of
Judaism at the time.
If you want one word that would describe
Nicodemus, it would be this: He was good! He was very good! But he still had this nagging question that his
religion could not seem to answer. So he comes to Jesus to ask his question. I can imagine
Nicodemus watching from the shadows as Jesus did his work -- preaching and teaching and
healing. And as he watched, Nicodemus saw something in Jesus that all his religious rule
keeping hadn’t been able to provide. He saw LIFE! It was as if God was pouring out
life through Jesus. So he comes to Jesus to ask his questions, because he senses that
Jesus has the truth from God.
The core of what he wanted to know from Jesus
was this: “Jesus, is my
goodness, good enough to get me into Heaven? Is my goodness good enough to make me
acceptable to a Holy God? Is my goodness good enough to get me in?” We all want to ask Jesus that question? Don’t
we?
Jesus answers Nicodemus
that, no his goodness is not good enough to get him into heaven.
No
amount of goodness is good enough
to
establish a relationship with God or
to
get us to Heaven !
When it comes to getting into Heaven, it
doesn't matter how many good works we are are able to perform. It doesn’t matter how
much money we give to Christian causes, how many church services we attend, how many quiet
times we have, how many underprivileged kids we support.
No one
gets to Heaven by being a “good person”!
Nicodemus had devoted his life to being good, trying to live up to the standards his
religion said he had to meet in order to please God and to win a place in Heaven. And he
did it relatively well, better than most. He was a very good person. And he comes to Jesus
pointing at his goodness asking, “Is it good enough?” And Jesus says, with
compassion: “NO... No one can get to heaven by being good because no one can ever be
good enough! You are going to have to go about it another way!”
Three things About Being
Born Again
First, Jesus
Tells Nicodemus the Necessity of Being Born Again (3:3)
Nicodemus has not asked a question, but he has a problem that needs an answer. In verse three Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
We would have to say that Nicodemus is the
“cream of the Jewish crop.” He is a Jew, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin,
and a highly respected teacher of the Old Testament Scriptures. Can you imagine being
Nicodemus and being told by Jesus that all of this is not enough to get you into Heaven?
Yet that is precisely what Jesus tells him! With one sentence Jesus sweeps away
everything that Nicodemus stood for, and demands that he be re-made by the power of God.
Jesus
is turning this man's world upside down. Nicodemus has never heard such a thing before,
all his life he has understood that one gets to Heaven by keeping God’s law. This
means that everything that Nicodemus has done in his life to this point means absolutely
nothing. Jesus tells this remarkably good man: "If
you want to get to Heaven, if you want a relationship with God that begins now and lasts
forever then you must go about it in a totally different way, you will have to be born again...” In other words, Jesus is saying: “You can’t do it, Nicodemus, but God can!
He can transform you from the inside out and make you good enough! And he wants to do that
for you... if only you’d let him!”
To
understand we need to focus first, on the key phrase “born
again.” The Greek adverb (anothen)
translated here as “again” has a double meaning,
it can either mean “again” or “above.” In this case, both meanings
apply, Jesus is telling Nicodemus that the only way to find what he is looking for is to
be born again from above.
Not only does Jesus tell Nicodemus About the Necessity
of Being Born Again but ….
Secondly,
Jesus Tells Nicodemus the Non-Negotiables of Being Born Again
(3:4-7)
Nicodemus’ Response is given in verse
four,
“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?”
Nicodemus’ response is
a little surprising, in that Jesus quite obviously was not referring to a second physical
birth and an educated man like Nicodemus can hardly have thought that he did.
Nicodemus question is either cynical, “It is hardly possible for a man to return again
to his mother’s womb!” or wistful “Is
it really possible for a man to begin again?” If the words of Jesus are taken
with a sense of cynicism then His words can be brushed aside as ridiculous and absurd.
Yet it is more likely that Nicodemus is saying,
“Another chance, starting over, a chance for a
new life, if it were only possible!” Yet that is exactly what Jesus is saying!
In our day and age the term
“born again” has been nearly stripped of its meaning, the words have been tossed
about so but that they can mean anything or nothing. But when Jesus uttered these words
they were radical and new.
Verse five which
says, “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God” has often been misinterpreted. To quote one of the old commentaries on this
subject, “Certainly Jesus was not saying that baptism was
necessary to salvation. Baptism is an outward thing and conversion is an inner thing of
the heart. A man … can be baptized many times but that water will not wash away a
single sin nor admit him to heaven. If baptism is necessary to salvation no one was saved
before John the Baptist because baptism was not mentioned in the Old Testament….
Am I minimizing the
importance of baptism? Not one whit, I am simply saying that baptism has nothing to do
with salvation. But baptism has everything to do with obedience. You can be a Christian
without baptism, but you cannot be an obedient Christian.” [W. Hershel Ford. Sermons You Can Preach
On John. (Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 1958) pp. 92-93]
So what did Jesus mean by
being “born of water and of the spirit?” Throughout
the New Testament, the term “water” is used to indicate the Word of God. Peter
states in 1 Peter 1:23, “having been born again, not
of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through
the word of God which lives and abides forever.” How is anyone saved?
All you have to do to understand this if you are saved, is to review your salvation. How
did you get saved? Was it not because the word of God got a hold of you?
In verse
seven Jesus says to Nicodemus,
“Do not marvel that I said to
you, ‘You must be
born again.’
· Being Born Again Is Universal. (v. 7)
Jesus also makes it clear
that what he is saying applies not only to Nicodemus but to everyone. In Greek there is a
distinction between the singular and the plural form of “you.” When Jesus “you
must be born again” he uses the plural form. It is a little easier to see in
the King James Version, “Marvel not that I have said to thee (singular – meaning
Nicodemus) that ye
(plural – meaning everyone) must be born again.”
The point is that this is not a private principle which only applies to Nicodemus.
· Being Born Again Is Not An Option!
We need to also note the use
of the strong word “must.” Jesus is not saying
that being born again is just a good idea for some people. It is not just something he is
recommending, it is an imperative.
“It
is said that George Whitfield, who associated with the Wesley’s in the Great
Awakening in England preached on this text again and again. When one of his friends asked
him, “Why do you preach so often on the text, ‘You must be born again.’
” he replied, ‘Because you must be born again.’ ”
Jesus
Not Only Tells Nicodemus the Non-Negotiables of Being Born Again but …..
Third, Jesus Tells Nicodemus the Nature of Being Born
Again (3:8-13)
· Being Born Again Is A Mystery (vv
8-13)
In verse
eight Jesus gives Nicodemus an
We accept all kinds of earthly mysteries by
faith. I don’t really understand how a man stands in New York and sings and I not
only hear him I can see him. I don’t understand that completely, and I bet you don’t
either, but you believe it! If we are able to believe things we don’t complete
understand on earth why are not willing to accept heavenly truths by faith?
Nicodemus asks once again in verse nine,
It ultimately becomes a matter of belief, Jesus
is asking, “Nicodemus are you ready to place
your faith and trust in me!”
Did Nicodemus ever get saved? I think he did!
Why? Nicodemus stood up for Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:45-53). And Nicodemus
helped Joseph of Arimathaea bury the body of Jesus after the crucifixion (John 19:38-42).
Conclusion
Let me close with one final thought, “Wouldn’t be terrible to wake up one morning, to
find yourself standing before Jesus and find out that you had missed heaven by eighteen
inches?” Perhaps you say, “How is it possible to miss