Word Count: 2655
Genesis 12:1-4a Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3:1-17 Psalm 121
Prayer. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit let these words bring honour to you so that your will may be known and understood. Amen.
Summary: I dislike the term “born again”; being asked regularly; I mean, just how do you answer this question? I personally find it intimidating and off putting, but I don’t disagree with the logic nor the reasons why it is done, and I will now tell you why.
This sermon was delivered to the congregation in St Oswald’s in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland on the 20th March 2011: by Gordon McCulloch (A Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).
Introduction:
Today’s gospel reading is a very familiar passage to the Pentecostal or Charismatic movement. Every member of that movement can recite this passage, particularly verse 3 which says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, that unless a man (or woman) is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven”
Now I must admit that I did not like this expression; I did not disagree with it; I just somehow do not like how it can be forced upon someone who struggles to understand it.
I have been on the receiving end of this, in a church of all places, with someone saying “are you born again”? I mean, just how do you answer that question like that?
I personally find it intimidating and off putting, but I don’t disagree with the logic nor the reasons why it is done and I will tell you why.
Let us start with our Old and New Testament readings, which focused on the faith of the Israelites, which gave birth to Christianity itself. It all started with the call of Abraham, and without knowing where this would take him, Abraham listened to and obeyed God, and God truly blessed him.
This relationship grew, and God guided Abraham and his descendants with his Laws and Prophets, and the teachings through the centuries, and finally, promised them a Messiah who will deliver them from the hands of their enemies.
So you must ask, “If God had truly blessed and guided them, why did he promise a Messiah”? There are many answers to this question, but the one I want to focus on is that God needed to send a messiah because what God had given them was not enough. God wanted to give his people more, but to do so, he needed to send his own son in order to clean them up and be presentable before Him.
This came from the Book of Job, the oldest book in the Old Testament; where Job had just been horrendously afflicted, losing everything including his family said, and I paraphrase “Who can stand before God and defend himself”?
Later in Job’s subsequent arguments, he came up with three points.
1. “Job could not contend (or compete) with God” (9:1–13)
2. “Job could not answer God” (9:14–35)
3. “Job could not understand God” (10:1–22)
Why, because of the barrier called SIN. God hates sin, but the bible tells us that God truly loves us and wants to communicate with us just like he did with Adam and Eve; but this SIN thing seriously gets in the way.
Job concluded then that we need a mediator between us and God, and we know that this mediator is Jesus Christ himself.
To move on, we now look at the Gospel story of Nicodemus, who was a Jewish leader and teacher; a senior member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of the Pharisees.
Nicodemus came from the right background, the right family and the right race. He was educated and was an academic. He knew his scripture backwards and could possible recite every law in detail. He was a very prominent and respected Jew; but he came to Jesus because it is clear that his Pharisees ways, (which were strict and totally devoted to God), were not enough for him. Nicodemus knew he was missing something, something that his Jewish teaching was missing, and he knew Jesus had the answer.
Nicodemus visited Jesus at night, probably because of his senior position in the Sanhedrin; who were after all in direct opposition to Jesus: but Nicodemus really needed to seek out Jesus for some kind of help; and if he was caught talking to Jesus, there would have been a price to pay. His desire for counsel certainly motivated him into this covert action.
Anyway, Nicodemus met with Jesus, and this is where the story gets interesting and colourful.
Think of it as a game of tennis; they toss a shekel to get started, and Nicodemus gets to serve. He serves his first shot, acknowledging Jesus as a teacher;
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."
There’s a bit of flattery going on here and I expect Jesus is meant to reply in a similar polite way, acknowledging the learning and status of Nicodemus; but Jesus doesn’t show his gentle nature of meekness here; he shows his divine powerful Godly nature; God’s very distain of the proud. Jesus hits him with a great backhand volley shot, saying: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again!” 15-love to Jesus.
Nicodemus is straight away caught off guard, and serves his next shot defensively: “how can anyone be born after having grown old? How can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be re-born”? O dear, two silly questions, it should be a double fault, but Jesus returns the shot anyway and blows Nicodemus with the words "Very truly” again, Jesus says “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit”. 30-love to Jesus.
Nicodemus is out of his depth, things are not looking good, but to retain his dignity Nicodemus serves to Jesus again, this time trying to turn the question back on Jesus. “How can these things be”? (In other words, you tell me how)?
Jesus is now on the spot. Is he worried, I think not? Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things”? 40-love to Jesus, Nicodemus is speechless.
Jesus has instantly gained the upper hand of this proud man, and rubs it in by saying, "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things”? Game set and match to Jesus.
Nicodemus stands helpless, he is totally stunned. Jesus has made him look a fool. Nicodemus was proud, educated and probably arrogant. He would have debated with Jesus all night with an interesting theological discussion which he would probably win so Jesus needed to beat him into submission, to let him know who the true master was; and to enable Nicodemus to listen, and listen with the correct learning attitude.
Academics do play these mind games to assert their authority and I can assure you that they can be a total and utter pain. Nicodemus was trying to play a game here, but Jesus was up to him. Nicodemus came to Jesus wanting to find out what he was teaching; instead, Nicodemus was confronted with the state of his own soul, and it wasn’t as healthy as he thought; and to change it he needed to be reborn.
In this condition I am sure Jesus pointed him in the right direction, in which we now know from the New Testament teachings of Paul as to how can you be born again?
Nicodemus was forced to ask, “How can a man enter his mother’s womb”? He had to ask that question because he did not know the make up of man. Do you remember as sermon of mine last year or so where I said that man was made up of body, soul and spirit?
Where your body is the obvious thing you see in front of a mirror: your spirit is that which makes you You, and it is deep Deep within, and very difficult to describe accurately but I am talking about your human spirit with a small “s”; and finally your soul being your mind, your will and your emotions.
The bible says that man is made in the image of God, and God being three in one is also Body Soul and Spirit; which relates to the Son, Father and Holy Spirit in a similar but in a much more powerful way.
When we are young, we belong to ourselves and our families. We do our best to survive, and we normally do our best to live righteously. But we being man, sin, and thereby fall short. We are far from perfect though most of us try to be, and no matter what we do, we still mess things up.
We try all sorts of things for help, and have you ever noticed, the more you search and ask for the deeper questions of life, the more you are fobbed off; or the more people like to look down on you with high fluting answers that make them look important and you a fool.
I think Nicodemus was in this place, he was searching and could not find; and being a senior member of the Sanhedrin, I am sure he was afraid to ask. He had done everything humanly possible, and then this Jesus arrives who tells him that he needs to be born again.
It is not born again physically that Jesus means, it is being born again spiritually. Your human spirit must join up, or meet with or be combined with the Holy Spirit of God. These spirits must be combined, they must be linked, and they must be interlinked; to be at one with God himself.
That is where the rebirth takes place, and I can assure you that it is a rebirth. A rebirth where everything you know to be true; suddenly falls apart and just like an infant you need to grow, or grow again, but the second time with God in control and not yourself nor your families although they can help or hinder. In this new growth God decides where and how you grow, not you, not your families nor friends nor your enemies. God decides.
In this very reading this morning, Jesus tells us exactly how you will grow once you are born again. He says; “You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
In this new growth, God decides where you are going; all you have to do is be sensitive to his call, and not your personal (dare I say selfish) ambition. You will be in God hands and he wins every time.
I started off this sermon saying I did not like the term “born again”, nor the term “born again Christians”; but I do like the King James version being more accurately translated from the Greek “Born from above” or “Born from above Christians”.
“Born from above” is a far more accurate expression, but if you think about it, in today’s politically correct society, it has many adverse connotations; so the expression born again or born again Christians is a more politically correct and acceptable statement. When I started to write this sermon, I did not like the born again expression, now I suppose I do.
To finish of, you must be asking, how can I be born again? How can you be born of the Spirit, that is the Holy Spirit with a capital S.
Well first, I believe you must be in that place Nicodemus was in. the place where he was searching for answers to difficult life questions. Secondly, you must be in a position where you know Jesus is Lord of all. You must believe the words of today’s Gospel reading which said "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” And third, I believe you must ask God into your heart yourself.
I know many have given their lives to the Lord at mass church meetings, but when you pray to God, you are on your own; it is between yourself and God alone. You are asking Him for yourself to be saved. You are giving your body to him, that he may enter and take control of your life.
There are many people like Nicodemus, they have questions and they are not sure about Christianity, or who Jesus really is. Jesus taught Nicodemus something which changed his life as we read later in the bible, but Jesus loves equally. He desires a relationship with us and to give us a life full of joy and purpose.
So why do we need Jesus in our lives?
1st. We have a past; some of us more than others, (no names mentioned other than myself).
We cannot go back and change things, but He can. The Bible says, (in Hebrews 13:8), 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever' God is the “Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last”. Jesus can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe the slate clean and give you a new beginning. Jesus can answer the age old question, “how can I live for ever”?
2nd. You need a friend with your best interests at heart, somebody powerful.
Jesus knows the worst about you, yet He believes for the best in you. In fact the more powerful men (and women) of God in and out the bible have been the biggest wasters in life themselves. Look at the apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament. His life before he met with Jesus was deplorable, a murderer to say the least.
God sees you in a completely different way from the way you do. He sees you not as you are, but as who you will be when He gets through with you. What a friend to have!
3rdly and finally, God holds the future in his hands.
Who else are you going to trust; the politicians? In God’s hands you are safe and secure; yesterday, today, tomorrow, and for all eternity. God’s Word says, in (Jeremiah 29:11-13); 'For I know the plans I have for you ... plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen'
"Indeed, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Amen.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ,
I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life and I ask for your forgiveness.
I thank you for taking my place on that cross and dying horribly to free me from my sins and myself.
Please come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit; and be with me forever.
Lord let me feel that you have washed away all my sins, and that I belong to you.
Thank you Lord Jesus,
Amen.
