Sermon This week: A teaching Moment
Sermon #6
A TEACHING MOMENT
DATE FEBRUARY 09, 2013
SCRIPTURE John 3:1-15
SCRIPTURE John 3:1-15
FROM THE SERIES Moments With The Master
Scripture
Let us rise to our feet and together read John 3:1-15
3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Introduction
Over the
last several weeks, we have looked at several of the personal encounters that Jesus
had while He was here, walking upon the earth.
We have watched Him as He interacted with sick people, dead people and
lost people. We have watched our
marvelous Lord do that which most people would have considered impossible. We have seen Him heal the sick, raise the
dead and reach out to the lost.
In
this passage, one of the best known in the New Testament, Jesus has a personal
encounter with a man named Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was one of the most powerful and influential men in all of Israel during
this time period. Nicodemus is a
wealthy, powerful, religious man. Yet,
he is a man with an itch that neither he, nor his money, nor his power can
scratch. During the course of their
conversation, Jesus refers to Nicodemus as “a master of Israel”.
This title means “teacher”. This tells us
that Nicodemus was an educated man, but despite his learning, there were some
things this man did not know. But, one night, this rich, powerful,
educated man found himself alone in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. What Nicodemus learned that night would prove
to be the greatest lessons of his life!
Sermon
I
want to eavesdrop on this conversation between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus
today. I want us to hear for ourselves
the great truths Jesus shared with this man.
You see, Nicodemus came to Jesus for some answers about religion, what
he received were some answers about redemption.
He came to Jesus with questions about Jesus. He went away with more knowledge about Jesus
and about himself than he could have ever imagined. He came to Jesus that night to ask some
questions about life. He left with
information about the new birth. Let’s
listen in as the teacher gets taught. I
want to preach this morning on this thought: A Teaching Moment. As Jesus teaches Nicodemus the truth about
salvation, He shares a few insights about the new birth that we need to hear.
I. v. 1-7 THE MUST OF THE NEW BIRTH
(Ill.
The New Birth! It has become part
of the common language of America.
70% of Americans claim to be born again.
President Jimmy Carter claimed, during his presidential campaign, that
he had been born again. Since Carter,
every American president has said that he has had a religious experience, which
they have all referred to as being “born again”. And, I hope they have
been! But, this is not a new
phrase! 1 Pet. 1:23 speaks of the new birth. James mentions it, James 1:18 as does John in the epistle of First John, 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1; 5:4; 5:18. Well, what does it mean to be “born
again”? The little phrase
literally means “to be born from above.”
It
carries the idea of getting a fresh start, a new life from Heaven. We call this experience “being saved” or being “born
again”. In Titus 3:5, Titus uses the term “regeneration”. It means the same exact thing! It means that when you are regenerated, you
get a new life! You get a new
start!
So
many people have this thing confused!
They are seeking reformation.
That is, they are trying to “turn over a new leaf” or “get a
new lease on life”. What the
world needs is not reformation, but regeneration! Every person under the sound of my voice
needs regeneration and not reformation! You see, reformation is just whitewashing, but
regeneration will wash you white!
Reformation will put new cloths on a man, but regeneration will put a
new man in his cloths! What the world needs, what you need, and what I need is
regeneration! You see, if you have been
born only once, then friend you are going to die twice! But, if you have been born twice, you will
never die, because death has been swallowed up in life, John 11:25-26; 1 Cor. 15:54; 2 Cor. 5:4.
With
all that in mind, let me share with you the Must Of The New Birth. Let me show you why it is necessary, if you
want to get to Heaven!
A.
The Nature Of Humanity Makes
It A Must – Old Nicodemus has received a lot of criticism for
approaching Jesus at night. Some people
have suggested that he came at night because he was ashamed and was trying to
hide what he was doing. I don’t think
that was the case at all! I think he
came at night because he was a busy man and he knew that Jesus was also a busy
man. I think he came at night because he
wanted some uninterrupted time with Jesus!
Now,
you will notice that when this man came to Jesus, he came humbly and was very
complimentary to Jesus. He came with
some serious questions, but I dare say that he did not expect the answer he
received. Jesus told him, “You
must be born again!”, v. 3, 7. Surely, Nicodemus must have thought this was
a mistake. After all, if you looked at
this man and at all that he had going for him, you would never expect him to
need to be born again! Not
Nicodemus! Maybe that wino needs to be
saved and born again. Maybe that wayward
woman needs the new birth. Well, that
wasted life down in the gutter needs to be born again, but someone like
Nicodemus, well surely that doesn’t apply to him. If you looked at this man you would have
thought that he had everything going for him.
He had all the plusses and none of the minuses from a human perspective. Look at all this man had going for him!
1. Nicodemus Was A Rich Man – Tradition tells us that Nicodemus was
one of the three riches men in Jerusalem. He had more money than he knew what to do
with! What we have does not change what
we are! You can have plenty of
money, but it does not change the fact that you are still a sinner in need of a
Savior! Your money can buy you many
things here in this world, but it can buy you nothing in Heaven!
2.
Nicodemus Was A Respectable Man
– When he walked down the streets, people knew who he was and they pointed him
out to their children. He was held in
great esteem by all who knew him and saw him.
He was, after all, a rule in Israel! Still, what we achieve does not change what
we are! It is good to be
respected and to have a good name among men, but that will not provide you a
place in Heaven
3.
Nicodemus Was A Religious Man
– He was a Pharisee! He kept the
Law. He was morally pure to a degree
that you and I cannot imagine! Even
Jesus recognized the religious efforts of these men, Matt. 5:20. He paid his
tithes, did everything the Law said to do; he kept the written Law and the
traditions of the elders. He never
touched a woman; he probably avoided looking at them when possible. He would not come into contact with a
sinner. He was a holy man! Still, what we do does not change who we
are! In spite of the outward
attempts at righteousness, Nicodemus was a religious man in need of a
Redeemer! It is good to live clean and
holy, but that will not save your soul!
Your religious activities will not do the job either!)
(Note: Here is where many well meaning people are
confused. They think that of they can be
good enough or do enough, it will guarantee them access into Heaven. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Salvation only comes through the new
birth! Why? Because, no matter what you
have, what you do or who you are, you are still a sinner, Rom. 3:10-23; Rom. 5:12.
Nothing you have, do or are changed what you are: a sinner in need of a
Savior! That is why the new birth is not
an option. It is not a take it leave it
proposition. It is a divine must! If you want to miss hell and go to Heaven,
then you must be born again! The nature
of human nature demands it!)
B.
The Nature Of Heaven Makes It
A Must – In verse 3, Jesus
says that without the new birth, you cannot “enter the kingdom of God.” Notice what kind of place Heaven is. It is the “kingdom of God.” Do you understand what He is saying? It has been said that Heaven “Is a
prepared place for a prepared people.”
Did you know that this is true? One
of the most precious benefits of the new birth is the fact that we receive a
new nature when we are saved, 2 Peter
1:4. When you get saved, you receive
God’s nature; a nature from Heaven! The
new birth prepares you for life in a new kingdom! The only way for you to get into Heaven is
for you to first get Heaven into you!
Besides,
if you went to heaven with a lost, fallen nature, you would be miserable! Heaven would become Hell for you! You would never enjoy that land unless you
had a new nature! All the worship, the
praise, the glories of Heaven would be offensive to you if you went there
lost! It would be against your nature to
enjoy anything in that land. That is why
we need a new birth; it prepares us to enter in and to enjoy that new
land! It gives us a new nature and it
gives us a new life!
(Note: This business of the new
birth got me to thinking! You will never
see a bird swimming laps in a pool. Why?
It’s against its nature! You will never
see a cow dancing in a Broadway show.
Why? It’s against its nature! You
will never see a pig flying from tree limb to tree limb. Why? It’s against its nature! My friends, you will never a see a lost
sinner in Heaven! Why? Because it’s
against their nature! If you are going
there, then you need a new nature. The
only way to get that new nature is through the new birth. Why? Your first birth provided you with a
physical, fleshly nature. You need a new
birth, a birth from Heaven to provide you with a new, spiritual nature, v. 6.
That is why Jesus says, “You must be born again!” It is not an option! Don’t settle for a maybe so, hope so or think
so kind of salvation. Get born again and
you will know so! The new birth is a
must!)
II. v.
4-8 THE MYSTERY OF THE NEW BIRTH
(Ill. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he had
to be born again, it messed with his mind!
Nicodemus could not grasp how that could be. He imagined himself going back into his
mother’s womb to be born a second time.
I am sure his mother would have vetoed that idea! He wanted to know how this could happen, so
he asked Jesus about the “How?” of the new birth. Nicodemus knows that he is in the presence of
a mystery and he wants the answers.
There
is no doubt that the new birth is a mysterious thing. None of us truly understands everything there
is to know about it. It is still a
mystery, even to those of us who have experienced it! However, don’t let the fact that it is a
mystery cause you to avoid it altogether!
You don’t let the mystery of electricity to cause you to sit in the dark
do you? You don’t let the mystery of how
a brown cow can eat green grass and give yellow butter and white milk stop you
from enjoying butter, milk and ice cream do you? There are many things that we do not
understand in life, but we still believe in them. So, do not allow the mystery of the new birth
to keep from being saved! Notice how
Jesus addresses this mystery for Nicodemus.
A.
v. 4-7 He Compares It To A Birth – Physical birth is a
mystery! Even doctors who special in
that field know that human birth is a marvelous mystery that no one can fully
explain! When Jesus says “except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”,
He is talking about physical birth and spiritual birth. He is telling us that for a man to get to
heaven he must have two birthdays. There
must be a day when he was born into the kingdom of men and a day when he is
born into the kingdom
of God! There are a few ways that physical birth can
be used to illustrate spiritual birth.
1.
Physical birth provides life
– A babies have life because they are born! Likewise, spiritual birth provides
a person with spiritual life, 1 John
5:12.
2.
Physical birth only happens once
– Physically speaking, you can only be born one time! (Ill. All the mothers said: Amen!)
Spiritually, the same thing is true!
Your spiritual birth is a one time for all time experience. It cannot be undone and it cannot be
repeated!
3.
Physical birth takes place
because of the suffering on another – A mother enters the very jaws of
death to bring life into this world.
Jesus entered the cruel jaws of death so that you might be born
again. The new birth rests squarely upon
the pain and suffering of another!
4.
Physical birth gives the infant a
brand new start – No baby is born with a past! They have no past, only a future! So it is with the new birth. When you get saved, you get a brand new start. Your past is wiped away and a new, clean future
lies in front of you!
The
new birth is like a physical birth!
B.
v. 8 He Compares It To A Breeze – Jesus tells Nicodemus that just
as the wind can be felt, it can be measured and the effects of it can be seen;
where it came from and where it went to remains a mystery. The new birth is the same way. You cannot see God do His work in a heart in
this altar. But, you can see the effects
of the wind of the Spirit in a life!
When you see a drunkard leave his bottle, you know God has been
working! When you hear clean language
come from a mouth that used to be a sewer, you know God has been at work. When you see a vile woman become a clean
woman, you know God has passed by. When
you see a wicked, hateful man turn into a sweet, loving, holy saint, you know
the wind of the Spirit has been blowing in his soul. It is a mystery because we do not see it
happen. But, there is no denying the
effects of the power of God when He works in the human heart.
(Note: Jesus is saying, “Nick, I can save you and when I do, you will
never be the same!” That
is what God does for all those who come to Him by faith. He changes them and alters their lives for ever,
2 Cor. 5:17!)
(Note: By the way, the wind of the Spirit was blowing in the
soul of Nicodemus. But, he could not
control that wind. It might be gone in
an instant, never to return. The time
for Nicodemus to heed God’s call was when the wind was moving in his heart. Friend, if the wind of the Spirit is blowing
in your soul, the time to be saved is now!
He will not always deal with you, Gen.
6:3. The best thing you can do is
come to Him when He is near and calling, Isa.
55:6; 2 Cor. 6:2. The only time you can come is when He is
calling you, John 6:44.)
III.
v. 9-15 THE MEANS OF THE NEW BIRTH
(Ill. When Nicodemus hears these things, he
wants to know how this is possible.
Jesus takes these next few verses to explain to him and to us how the
new birth can become a reality!)
A.
v. 13-14 The Role Of The Savior – Jesus tells Nicodemus that the
Savior’s part in the new birth was to leave Heaven above, to come into this
world to die for sin! Friend that is
what Jesus did for you! He left Heaven,
took upon Himself a human body, lived without sin and died a horrible, awful
death upon the cross, Phil. 2:5-8; Mark
10:45; Isa. 53:1-12. Jesus reminded
Nicodemus of the time Israel
sinned and God sent serpents in among them to bite them. As they did, many people in Israel died, Num 21:4-9. When that tragic
event took place, God commanded Moses to make a brass snake and put it on a
pole. Jesus said that He was like that
snake! He came to this world to be put
upon a cross. He came to die a sacrifice
for sin, 1 Cor. 5:21. He came to die that we, through His death,
might live! And, friend, when Jesus died
on that cross, He paid your sin debt in full, Heb. 9:12; 10:10-14! There
is nothing more owing on your account if you will receive Him by faith! He did His part when He died and rose again
from the dead. That is the role of the
Savior!
B.
v. 15 The Role Of The Sinner – What must the lost, hell bound
sinner do to be saved? The answer is
right here in verse 15. It is a one word answer: believe! Just like these people in ancient Israel who had
been bitten by those fiery serpents. All
they had to do was look and live! (Ill.
How
that scenario might have played out then.) If you need to be saved, there is nothing
left for you to do, but to believe in Jesus and receive His finished work at Calvary as the payment for your sins, Romans 10:9! For you there is nothing to do, He did it
all. So, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved!” Have
you done that? Are you saved and
sure? You can be!
(Ill. Our Indians believed in the new birth. They
believed that when a person died they
became whatever animal happened to have been born at the same time, and
then
they went from that animal to another animal life and then to another
animal's life
until they had gone through all of the animals of the animal kingdom,
and then they believed that you could be born again, that's what they
called
it, born again as a human being, and they believed the process would
take 3,000
years. Really, they believed in
reincarnation and they believed in a lie!
Well,
friend, I've got good news for you today. You can be born again, and I don't
mean become some animal, and I don't mean become another human being; I mean
you can be born into the family of God and become God's child. And the best news is, you don't have to wait
3,000 years, you don't have to wait 3,000 days, you don't have to wait another
second, you can be born again right now.)
Invitation and Final Challenge
What was it that drew Nicodemus
to Jesus that night? I think
it was the events of John 2:13-25. There, Jesus drove the moneychangers out of
the Temple
and proclaimed the fact of His Own death and resurrection. The Bible tells us that many of the people believed
in Him because of His miracles, v.
23. However, Jesus did not commit Himself to them,
because He knew that their faith was superficial. It was based on the miracles and not genuine
love for Him. No doubt Nicodemus
saw what Jesus did at the Temple. No doubt Nicodemus heard what Jesus said when
confronted at the Temple. What he saw and what he heard created a hunger
within his soul to know more about Jesus. So, he came and he heard the Gospel. 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. Nicodemus put
his wallet and his wellbeing on the line for Jesus. That is the kind of thing a saved man does:
he bears fruit!
As
we close today, I want to draw your attention back to John 2:24-25 for just a moment.
Before Nicodemus ever came to Jesus, Jesus knew what was in the heart of
Nicodemus! Jesus knew what he needed
when he came that night. Jesus cut
through all the religious nonsense and all the foolishness and Jesus told
Nicodemus exactly what he needed to hear!
He told him how to be saved.
Did
you notice that verse 24 says, “…he
knew all men”? And, verse 25 says, “…He knew what was in man”.
Friend, Jesus knows you too! He knows whether you are saved or not! He knows whether or not you have been born
again. He knows all there is about you
and He knows He loves you. He also knows
that if you will come to Him, He will save you by His grace. He knows that if you will come to Him like you
are, you can leave this building like you ought to be! If you are not saved today, let me invite you
to come to Jesus for salvation right now.
The Rev. Lenin Kumar
The Potter's Home International Church
The Christian Living
The Potter's Home International Church
The Christian Living
www.pottershomeinternational.org
Comments
Post a Comment