A New Birth

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Transcript:

Well, this morning we’re going to look at a story that will probably be familiar to many of you. It’s a story that I’ve preached about many times over the years, both here and elsewhere. But it’s one of those passages that has something new for me to learn every time I look at it.

And I suspect it’ll be the same way for you. So if you would, please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of John, chapter 3. John chapter 3.

And we’re going to look at John 3 verses 1 through 8 for a few moments. And we’re going to read the story of a man named Nicodemus who came to see Jesus in the middle of the night. And I’ve heard a lot of preachers speculate about the reasons why Nicodemus came in the middle of the night.

Entire sermons have been built on the idea that he was embarrassed or he was afraid or that he wanted privacy. But the fact is it’s all speculation. We don’t know.

There could be some great spiritual significance to the timing of his visit or it could have just been that he hated crowds. We don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us why he went in the middle of the night.

It just tells us that he did. Now John 3 verses 1 and 2 says, there was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to him at night and said, came to Jesus at night.

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. So we do know a few things about Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, meaning that he was a member of the religious elite.

He was very religious. We know that as a Pharisee, he was highly educated in the Jewish religion. He knew the Old Testament inside and out.

He’d mastered the teachings of the rabbinical authorities. He knew it all. We also know that he would have been meticulous about keeping Jewish customs and traditions.

We know that he was a ruler of the Jews. He held a position of power, and he was probably wealthy on top of it. We know that he was a man of high status among the people.

And we know that if religious activities or human effort could make a man closer to God, Nicodemus was the kind of man who would have been close to God. If all of that stuff mattered to God, Nicodemus is exactly the kind of man who would have been close to God. But we also know that he wasn’t quite the expert on God’s truth that he appeared to be.

See, he didn’t have all of the things of God figured out. So he came to ask Jesus a question. We know he didn’t have it all figured out because he came to ask Jesus.

If he had it all figured out, he wouldn’t have needed Jesus. Before he asked his question, though, he broke the ice by complimenting Jesus. He called him rabbi.

And as a Pharisee, as an authority on Jewish teaching, that’s not a word Nicodemus would have thrown out lightly. It meant that he had examined Jesus. He’d been listening and paying attention, and he had concluded that Jesus was a reputable and authoritative teacher of the scriptures.

That’s quite an admission from a Pharisee, considering the way they felt about Jesus. So he called him rabbi, but he went a step further. Nicodemus said that he and the other Pharisees knew that God had sent Jesus.

He wasn’t just knowledgeable about God’s word. He was sent by God, Nicodemus said. The other Pharisees might not have wanted to admit that they knew it, but they knew it.

He said in verse 2, we know that you’re a teacher who’s come from God. And they knew it. They knew that because of the evidence.

See, they had seen the miracles that Jesus had performed. And Nicodemus said, no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him. See, Nicodemus recognized correctly that the Father was validating Jesus’ ministry through these miracles.

So when Nicodemus had questions about the things of God, he needed someone who, unlike him and his fellow Pharisees, someone who really knew the Father and spoke with the Father’s authority. He needed somebody higher up than him. So he came to Jesus to get his questions answered, He acknowledged Jesus as a great teacher sent by God’s own authority.

Now look at Jesus’ response. It’s interesting. Look at verse 3.

Nicodemus had said in verse 2, We know that you’re a teacher that has come from God. But in verse 3, Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now what just happened here?

Nicodemus called Jesus a great teacher, And Jesus responded by telling him he wouldn’t get into heaven without being born again. Recently, I was teaching my kids this story, and they thought I left out part of the conversation. Because it’s really hard to get from point A to point B.

I mean, you just made a big leap there. Here’s what happened. Here’s what happened.

In John chapter 2, Jesus drove money changers out of the temple with a whip. It’s one of my favorite stories. And at the end of that story, John 2.

25 says, He himself knew what was in man. That’s the way chapter 2 ends. So Jesus knew what was in people’s hearts, and that includes Nicodemus.

So while Nicodemus was sort of easing into the conversation, you know how you’ll step into a cold swimming pool? He kind of eased into the conversation. Jesus just sort of leapfrogged over all the small talk to address the real question that was in Nicodemus’ heart.

After all, he knew both the questions and the answers before Nicodemus even asked. You see, he wanted to know about God’s kingdom. And John the Baptist’s preaching on the kingdom had attracted a lot of attention in Jerusalem.

And Nicodemus may have been wrestling with these questions as a result of that. And so Nicodemus had questions about getting into God’s kingdom that he knew only Jesus could answer. He couldn’t answer it, so he went to Jesus.

Iodemus, despite all of his head knowledge about the scriptures and his intellectual mastery over all these religious teachings, he realized that something was missing from all of that. God’s kingdom was a mystery to him. And there was this longing deep in his soul to understand the truth about God’s kingdom.

And so he came to Jesus. And Jesus told him, truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now, if the whole concept of being born again is confusing or uncomfortable to you, then you’re not alone, because Nicodemus felt the same way.

So this morning, we’re going to walk together through Jesus’ explanation to Nicodemus to help each of you understand this requirement for entering into the kingdom. Now, the phrase Jesus used has a double meaning. When he said, again, the Greek word anathen can mean again, or it can mean from above.

And people have debated between these two options back and forth. Does it mean born again, or does it mean from above? Born again, from above.

Born again, from above. Which one is it? And after searching the scriptures to figure out, does it mean born again, does it mean born from above?

After searching the scriptures, I can tell you my answer to that question is yes. All right? Yes, it means both born again and born from above.

It means that we are given a new life and that that life comes from God. So it means born again and born from above. Again, though, was the part that threw Nicodemus.

That was the part he had trouble with. Verse 4 says, 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? That is one of the most disturbing thoughts in all of Scripture. That question just bothers me.

Nicodemus asked how an adult could crawl back into the womb and be born a second time. And we know that that’s physically impossible. Take Carly Jo, for example.

She’s six months old, and she’s still little. Seven, oh, sorry, seven as of a couple days ago. When I was putting my message together, she was still six months old.

All right, excuse me. She’s seven months old and still little. But we’ve talked about how far even she would stick out if Charlo was still carrying her today.

And before you think my family, it’s just weird for having that conversation. That discussion only started because we were watching a documentary on the Discovery Channel that said elephants stay pregnant for two years. It was kind of one of those, man, if I was still pregnant.

So that’s where that conversation came from. But Carly Jo, as little as she still is, she wouldn’t fit back in the womb. And for a grown man, a grown man, to be born again physically is a ridiculous suggestion.

If Carly Jo can’t do it, an adult can’t do it, all right? But Nicodemus knew that it was a ridiculous suggestion. The way it’s phrased in the Greek tells us he was looking for a negative answer.

It’s kind of like when you ask your wife, you’re not going to eat that last hot dog, are you? When I ask that question in that way, I’m looking for a no. Looking for a negative answer. So was Nicodemus.

He was basically saying by asking this question, Jesus, you’re going to have to explain this further, because I know you’re not talking about getting back in the womb. And so Jesus explained that it had nothing to do with physical birth. In fact, it has nothing to do with human effort at all.

His explanation here, just to tell you, his explanation here includes some of the most widely debated verses in the New Testament. But I think if we will remember the context, remember who he’s talking to, it’ll be easier to understand what he meant. Because we adjust our approach to communication all the time, depending on who we’re talking to, don’t we?

Those of you who have lived in this area for decades, y’all can swap stories about people and places with little explanation because you both know what you’re talking about. The conversation a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night about Station 9 or something, I had no idea what y’all were talking about, but y’all knew. So you can swap stories without explanation, but with a carpetbagger like me, you have to explain the references.

So I’ve noticed you all talk a little bit differently to each other than you do to me, and that’s natural. We use language and we use references that our listeners will understand. So remember, Jesus and Nicodemus were both intensely familiar with the Old Testament. That’s important.

So Jesus would have used Old Testament references and Old Testament language that Nicodemus would have understood. So to understand Jesus’ explanation, we’ll need to look at the Old Testament as well. Look at verse 5.

It says, Jesus answered, truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So he says we have to be born of water and the Spirit. This is one of those verses that people debate.

So before I take you to the Old Testament and tell you what I believe it means, let’s look at what it doesn’t mean. First of all, and I could spend a lot more time on this than I’m going to, but first of all, this verse does not teach that we have to be baptized in order to be saved. It just does not.

There are other verses that sound like that might be the case. They’re also not saying that. But this one doesn’t even come close to mentioning baptism.

The only way we’d see that here is if we start with the belief that you have to be baptized in order to be saved, and then go hunting for evidence to back that up. That’s the only way you’re going to see that here. Nothing in the text itself tells us that.

On the plan of salvation, the New Testament is too clear in too many places to allow that explanation. And I’m not trying to pick on anybody. I’m just telling you that’s not found in this passage.

The New Testament is too clear in too many places. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, not because of our works and certainly not because of religious rituals. Baptism just isn’t what he meant.

It’s not what Jesus meant. Now, another suggested explanation for what Jesus meant by water is physical birth. So before it sounds like I’m picking on anybody else about the baptism thing, I myself have believed the physical birth interpretation, and I now think I was incorrect.

Now, because he contrasted the flesh with the spirit in verse 6, some people conclude that verse 5 refers to physical and spiritual birth, with the water being the amniotic fluid. Now, because the mother’s water breaks, you might say the child is born of water. And like I said, I’ve gone back and forth on this explanation over the years, but it just doesn’t seem to be the best fit.

For one, I’ve read that they didn’t typically use that kind of terminology in their day to describe physical birth. I think we need to go back to the Old Testament to understand what they would have understood talking to each other. So let me tell you what I do believe Jesus was talking about.

I believe that when he said born of the water and the spirit, he was using two descriptive phrases to describe one event. Being born of water and being born of the Spirit are both describing what happens when God gives a person new life in Jesus Christ. It’s describing that one event. Now remember, Nicodemus was a scholar of the Old Testament.

So we need to see where these concepts are discussed in the Old Testament. Let’s look at Ezekiel 36. I need to mark my place.

Ezekiel 36. We’ll be there for just a moment. It’s a prophecy about how God planned to restore the nation of Israel, cleansing them, changing them, and drawing them to himself.

So Ezekiel 36, 25 through 27, says, I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.

I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. Notice the five times that God says, I will, in these three verses.

This passage describes a supernatural act in which God cleanses his people and changes them and gives them new life. He said it’s the work of God from first to last throughout this whole thing. It’s the work of God.

And there are two major components here to what will take place in Israel’s new birth. First of all, God is going to cleanse them like with water. And second of all, he’s going to renew them with his spirit and give them new life from above.

He promised that back in the days of Ezekiel. So when Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born of water and the spirit, I don’t believe he was inventing new terms. I don’t think he was saying anything brand new. I believe he was drawing on Old Testament terms to explain the truth that Nicodemus had missed there in the Old Testament.

For us to be in God’s kingdom and have fellowship with him, he must cleanse us and he must transform us. God has to do a work in us for us to be in the kingdom. To get to the kingdom, Nicodemus needed a new life that only God could give him.

And this man had realized that something was missing from his pursuit of God’s acceptance. This outward obedience to laws and traditions, it would leave him empty and outside the kingdom. So Jesus showed him that it wasn’t about Nicodemus bettering himself.

He needed God to transform him completely from the inside out. And he explained the vast gulf between what we can do and what God can do. In verse 6, I’ll go back to John chapter 3.

In verse 6, he said, Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the spirit is spirit. Now the word that’s translated born throughout this passage, it describes a cause. It’s the cause that brings something into existence.

So here, Jesus was talking about the work of the flesh that man causes versus the work of the spirit that only God causes. As fleshly creatures, we can only produce fleshly results. It’s like that old principle that so many of us learn in biology class.

Like produces like. Months ago, we drove by a pasture and saw a cow beginning to give birth. We knew that she would give birth to a baby cow, a calf.

because like produces like. We never once thought she was going to give birth to a puppy. That never even entered the imagination.

And so later we drove back home the same way and we saw the calf standing next to her. If a cow is pregnant, she will always produce a cow. If a dog is pregnant, she will always produce a dog.

If a human, if a person is pregnant, she will always produce a person. No matter what Planned Parenthood tells you otherwise. All right?

It will always be a person. So to Jesus’ point, fleshly causes can only produce fleshly results. Light produces light.

Spiritual results only come from spiritual causes. That means that all of our human efforts, they are entirely insufficient to produce the slightest bit of the spiritual transformation that we need. We can never work hard enough.

Hear me on this. We can never work hard enough to produce a new spiritual life within ourselves. We can’t do it.

Spiritual life and spiritual transformation are the work of the Spirit of God. Jesus was looking directly at someone whose entire life was wrapped up in trying to produce spiritual results through fleshly efforts, and he told him it would never work. It would never work.

Now, that was a lot for Nicodemus to process. In verse 7, Jesus said, Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. Jesus said this shouldn’t have surprised Nicodemus.

It shouldn’t have surprised Nicodemus that man requires a spiritual life and a spiritual change that only God can produce. Because of his familiarity with the Old Testament scriptures, Nicodemus should have understood better than anybody the holiness of God and how far we fall short of it. He should have understood that.

It should have been obvious to him that we’re incapable of fellowship with God unless God totally renovates us first. The transformation we need is something that only God can do, and it’s out of our hands. And in that regard, Jesus compared it to the wind. Now look at verse 8.

Jesus said, 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. He pointed out that we don’t control the wind.

We can’t make the wind blow or stop it from blowing, right? Here in Oklahoma, we know that better than most people. In the spring, we can’t stop the wind from blowing no matter how much we’d like to.

And in the summer, we cannot, you know, when it feels like we’re about three miles away from the sun, we cannot just conjure up a breeze at will to cool ourselves off. It doesn’t work that way. Now, Jesus said the wind blows where it pleases.

It does what it wants to do. We don’t control it. We don’t even understand it all.

He said, we don’t know where the wind starts or where it ends, but we can feel it and we can hear it. We can hear it. It does what it’s going to do, and we sit back and feel the effects of it.

And Jesus said the same thing is true with the Spirit of God. We can’t control the process. We can’t transform ourselves.

We can’t give ourselves a new life. We can’t produce the works of the Spirit. We have to let the Spirit of God work to cleanse and transform us.

We have to let the Spirit do what the Spirit’s going to do. We can’t control the Spirit, but we certainly can feel its effects, and we certainly can be open to its effects as well. Now, Nicodemus was a man who had everything, everything but the assurance of being in God’s kingdom.

So he approached Jesus wondering how he could get there. But Jesus told him that what he needed was not something he could do for himself. He needed God to cleanse him.

He needed God to change him. He needed God to give him new life by the power of his spirit. And that’s the same thing that you and I need today.

Just like Nicodemus, our own efforts leave us no assurance, leave us no assurance at all of being in the kingdom. None. Just like Nicodemus, if we want fellowship with God and his kingdom, we must be born again.

Now the natural question that some of you probably have to that is, how can I be born again? I mean, if it’s not up to you to give yourself a new life, if it’s not up to you to create a new heart in yourself and change yourself, if it’s not up to you to birth yourself again, then what? I mean, why even bring it up if there’s nothing for you to do?

If we don’t control it, how can we be born again? It’s the natural question. But the Spirit of God moved the Apostle John to answer that question.

in a very concise way in 1 John 5. 1. He wrote, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.

God’s Word ties this new birth and this new life to faith, specifically to faith in Jesus Christ. John also explained that he wrote so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His name. Here’s the bottom line. about the new birth.

It requires faith. Now we can’t make it happen, but we can believe God for it. It requires faith.

You acknowledge your sin, and you acknowledge your need for a Savior, and you believe that Jesus Christ died to pay for your sins in full and rose from the dead. You believe on the one that He sent. You have faith in Jesus Christ as your one and only Savior, and God does all the work of changing you.

He does all the work. He’ll give you new life in Christ. He’ll cleanse you. He’ll transform you.

He’ll bring you into the kingdom. You can only be born again by the power of God, but that new birth, that new life requires faith in Jesus Christ. So what does that mean for you this morning? What comes next?

How can I be saved? That means first, admitting that you’ve sinned against God and that your sin has separated you from him. Second, it means that you’ve got to believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, to pay for them in full, and that he rose again from the dead to prove it.

Finally, it means that on that basis you need to ask God for forgiveness of those sins, trusting fully in Jesus Christ as your one and only Savior. See, when we trust Jesus as our Savior, God cleanses us, he changes us, and he gives us new life in him. The new life is not something we can manufacture.

It’s something we have to believe God for, and it’s something that He provides through His Son, Jesus Christ. This morning, if you want to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again. That’s not my opinion. That’s not just what the church says.

Those are the words of Jesus written in red. You must be born again.