Book Of John: John Ch. 3

Book Of John: Born Again

October 1st, 2023 | Casey Middle School

Title: Born Again

BIG IDEA: Come to Jesus with ALL of your curiosity and heed the clarity He gives you!

In other words, if you got questions about faith in God, Jesus has the answers that will provide clear next steps for you to take.

I don’t believe that you are here by accident. I believe God wants to speak something to you this morning. I want you to know that God has an incredible plan for your life. That you are known, you are loved, and that we believe in you today. This is church. It is not a place to cast stones! It’s not a place to cast judgment! This is a place where you will experience love, hospitality, and people that want to really meet you where you are and walk with you through life.

There’s no place like church?! Let’s go church?! Am I right? We love the local church.

The story we are going to look at today is pivotal in the Christian faith. If you have your bibles then go ahead and turn to John 3. If you don’t have a bible then we want to give you one today. You can also download an app called YouVersion. It’s free and has some wonderful reading plans and bibles. John chapter 3. John is in the New Testament. The bible is broken into two sections, the old and new testament. John is the fourth book in the new testament.

Intro:

“Benjamin Franklin was a great statesman and inventor, and often he would receive letters from famous people from all over the world. One day he received a letter from the well-known British preacher George Whitefield. George wrote “I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world, as you have made such progress in investigating the mysteries of electricity, I now humbly urge you to give diligent heed to the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important and interesting study and, when mastered, will richly repay you for your pains.”” - Wiersbe

Passage: John 3:1-21 CSB (Story of Nicodemus)

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Context:

Nicodemus: Victor Over The People or Conqueror Of The People

• Pharisee (Lived by the strictest religious rules)
• Ruler of the Jews
• Member of the Sanhedrin (70 high ranking officials)
• Master teacher
• Religious leader
• He had status, wealth, comfort, and was very educated.

There’s not a lot written about Nicodemus. We see him mentioned in 3 separate stories in the book of John. I’m going to give a quick overview of His story and then I want to focus on this first encounter with Jesus.

Process:

• Seeking (John 3)

  • In the passage we just read we see Nicodemus came to Jesus. He came searching for answers and we can see that he was sincere on this quest for truth. We see by Jesus’s response why he came.

  • Questioning (John 3)

  • He questioned the things Jesus was telling him, but he kept asking questions. God was patient, but persistent.

  • Believing?

  • We don’t have a clear account of Nicodemus putting his trust in Jesus, but we do see signs later in John that something changed in his life.

  • Standing (John 7:25-44)

  • As Jesus was preaching and teaching in the temple, the Pharisees and Chief Priests sent officers to arrest Jesus. Nicodemus spoke up and said “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

  • Burying (John 19:38-42)

  • After Jesus had been crucified, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took His body and bound Him in linen cloth with spices, which was the custom of the day.

  • The last two passages both speak of the time that Nicodemus met with Jesus during the night. Something happened in that encounter that changed the trajectory of Nicodemus’s life.

Illust: Preparing sermons and writing illustrations to help us understand deeper biblical truths. Jesus does this for us in this text. We see four unique illustrations pointing to the same truth - how we receive salvation and see the Kingdom of God.

Outline:

1. Birth (V1-7)

   1. There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again.

   2. Two possible scenarios as to this first encounter, either it was by chance or by choice.

      1. Chance

         1. It worked well with his schedule
         2. He bumped into Jesus on a Sunday stroll

         3. He made a last minute decision to see him 2. Choice

         4. He wanted to be alone with Jesus

         5. He feared what others might think
         6. He didn’t want to ruin his reputation

         7. Question: Based on the text and context, which do you think would be the more probable scenario? CHOICE! 3. I believe Nicodemus was approaching Jesus with a genuine and vulnerable heart, but his opening statement was calculated and sounded religious.

         8. Nicodemus uses the word “we”, as if he was representing the religious leaders, but Jesus responds with “truly I tell you*”*. Jesus knew that he came not as a representative, but as a response to the miracles that he had seen Jesus perform.

         9. “His heart drew him to Jesus, but he spoke with his head.” - A.W. Tozer

         10. “The Lord ignored his words and spoke to his heart.” - A.W. Tozer 4. Questions: Why would Nicodemus approach Jesus at night?

         11. It is likely that he wanted to be alone with Jesus with no distraction. But I believe there is more. He was a Pharisee that came seeking truth with a humble heart. Some might assume that he came to avoid ridicule or the possibility of tarnishing his reputation. But we clearly see him approach Jesus with questions, questions that I believe he genuinely wanted answers to. During the day, with large crowds, would have made it difficult to have this deeper conversation.

         12. Application: I don’t really care how or why he came, I’m just glad to see him coming to Jesus! 5. Illust: I’ve had many questions throughout my spiritual journey, all growing up I’ve pressed into the hard questions and looked hard for the answers. I would read books, go to conferences, talk to people smarter than me… but it was hearing God through His Word that ultimately answered all of my questions and gave me clarity.

         13. Every person has not only the right, but the responsibility to pursue their spiritual journey without condemnation, pressure, or guilt from others.

         14. Instead of fear of others, apply Philippians 2:12-13 (CSB) “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.”
         15. Keep taking steps in the journey. Keep asking questions. Keep pressing in! God is with you! God is with you and we are with you!

         16. The beauty of the journey is that we get to do it in community, not isolation. You are not as alone as the enemy wants you to think! You are not as alone as you may think! It’s our desire to meet you where you are on that journey. 6. John 3:3-7: Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 7. Illustration: Story of a new baby. This new life came with pain and effort. It’s also pretty messy, blood everywhere. What part did the baby play in the story? Basically just receiving the nutrients from her mother. “All of you were born by blood, pain, and effort that was not your own!” There is nothing you can do to earn or achieve salvation. New birth is the work of the Spirit through the blood of Jesus in your life. 8. Without the new birth, there is no life. Without the new birth, we cannot see the Kingdom of God. 9. It is from that passage that we get the term “new birth”. It is mentioned first here and is repeated often throughout the story. It is also where we get the phrases “born again”, “second birth”, and our understanding of “regeneration”. 10. Water and the Spirit

         17. We need physical birth and spiritual birth if we want to see the Kingdom of God. No lofty, impressive, or even spiritual ancestry can suffice. 11. The greek word translated “again” (anothen) can also mean “from above.”

         18. It could be that both ideas are intended.

         19. We need to be born again into our spiritual birth and that spiritual birth can only come from above!

2. Wind (V8-13)

   1. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus. 10 “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven —the Son of Man.
   2. The wind is both movement and a mystery.
   3. Just as the wind blows, the Spirit does His work invisibly in the heart. We can’t physically see it happening, but we can see the results.

   4. The Colorado Derecho

      1. Wind gusts of 60-80 mph winds with the highest gusts of 110 mph.
      2. Illust: flying during a derecho
      3. You can’t see the wind, but you can feel its effect.
         5. You cannot control the wind, just as you cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Serpent On The Pole (V14-18)

   1. 14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
   2. Images
   3. The term “lifted up” is mentioned 3 times in John. (John 3:14-15, 8:28, and 12:32) This is significant.
   4. The serpent - a story of sin, a story of grace, a story of faith
   5. The Rod of Asclepius - snake on a pole… In greek mythology the rod of Asclepius came 600 years after what happened in the wilderness in 1500BC. They borrowed this idea, but the Bible.
   6. Every ambulance you’ve ever seen. It is a sign of healing in reference to Numbers 21:4-9
   7. Story: “On January 6, 1850, a snowstorm almost crippled the city of Colchester, England, and a teenage boy was unable to get to the church he usually attended. So he made his way to a nearby Primitive Methodist chapel, where an ill-prepared layman was substituting for the absent preacher. His text was Isaiah 45:22-"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." For many months this young teenager had been miserable and under deep conviction, but though he had been reared in church (both his father and grandfather were preachers), he did not have the assurance of salvation. The unprepared substitute minister did not have much to say, so he kept repeating the text. "A man need not go to college to learn to look," he shouted. "Anyone can look-a child can look!" About that time, he saw the visitor sitting to one side, and he pointed at him and said, "Young man, you look very miserable. Young man, look to Jesus Christ!" The young man did look by faith, and that was how the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon was converted.”

4. Light And Darkness (V19-21)

   1. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Mission Statement: We are going to be a church that meets you where you are and points you to Jesus.

No matter your status or position, we are all on the same playing field at the foot of the Cross. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey you are loved, accepted, and welcome. We are all a work in progress. Not a single person in this room has arrived. We are growing together, learning together, and building one another up every step of the way!

The prodigal Son and Nicodemus

The Prodigal (Luke 15)

• Smelly
• Broke
• Homeless
• Disgusting

Nicodemus (John 3)

• Wealthy
• Healthy
• Educated
• Status

God wants to meet you where you are this morning and tell you that there is Good News!

You Must Be Born Again

Jesus explains to Nicodemus that there is both a physical birth (by water) and a spiritual birth (by the spirit).

Story: My testimony

This text is not about Self Righteous Religion but Regeneration

Self Righteous Religion

• Self-Centered
• Works
• Control
• What can I do

Regeneration (restoration, renewal, revival)

• Jesus-Centered
• Relationship
• Surrender
• What God did

Question: Have you been born again?

Maybe you are searching for truth, searching for answers, searching for purpose. Maybe like Nicodemus you come to Jesus in the night for a quiet moment with him. Or maybe you fear what other might say or think about you.

Would you allow yourself to open up to the truth of God’s word tonight and take a deep and sincere look at the claims of Christ.

Walking Points: Four truths about what it means to be born again.

1. The Problem Is Sin

   1. The problem is sin. Most people acknowledge that all have sinned and “fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
   2. There’s not a single person in the room that would label themself as being “The perfect one”. We have all sinned against God and we all fall short of His glory.

2. The Penalty Is Death

   1. The Bible says the payment for sin is death – eternal spiritual separation from God. (Rom. 6:23)
   2. “For the wages of sin is death.” The penalty of our sin, is death.
   3. Imagine that you commit a crime and you are facing the judge. You know there is a penalty for your crime and you acknowledge your guilt… then all of the sudden somebody steps in and says “I’ll take his punishment.” This is what Jesus did for you on the cross. Jesus said “I’ll take your pain, I’ll take your guilt, I’ll take your sin, I’ll take your condemnation on myself!”

3. The Provision Is Jesus

   1. Timothy Keller writes “The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued and that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time.”
   2. Christ has paid the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross. (Rom. 5:8)
   3. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

   4. He rose from the grave. Defeating sin, death, and the enemy for all eternity.

      1. “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,* *that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.” - 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

4. The Decision Is Yours

   1. Each person needs to place their faith in Christ as their Savior and accept that He paid the price for their sin. Repentance and faith are essential in making a decision to follow Christ. (Rom. 10:9-10, 13, Eph. 2:8-10)
   2. But if you confess with your mouth Jesus as lord and believe in you heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
   3. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

Bow your head and close your eyes…

• God loves you MORE than you’ll ever know and has a wonderful plan for your life
• Don’t fear what others might think or say! This is your journey, this is your story!
• Today is the day of salvation. Don’t put it off. Tomorrow is not promised, but we all have this moment!

If you are ready to receive Christ pray this prayer with me. Church, will you join me in this prayer as we all pray aloud together?

God, I admit that I am a sinner. I have sinned and I know that I need you as my savior. Save me of my sins and give me a new heart. I believe that you are who you say you are. You are the Lord Jesus Christ. By your grace I am saved. And by your power I am set free. Amen!