MPC 12th June 2005.John 3:1-21 - "Missing the Main Ingredient"
Garnet Swann MPC 12th June 2005.
"When I was 20, my parents didn't know anything. When I was 30, I was amazed that they learnt so much in 10 years!" Now, if you get what I mean - you'll know that the statement says something about me, rather than anything about my parents.
What it shows is that sometimes we don't know half as much as we think we do. Sometimes we think we know what life is all about, but with time, we get a bit more humble, we get a bit more wise. The good thing about growing up is that we can move from - thinking we know everything - to maybe at least knowing a few things.
Now, it can be the same in all areas of life - not knowing as much as we think we do. And it can happen also with God. You know - we think we know what God's like, we think this is how God must think of me - but in the end - does it actually match up with reality?
Now, I raise this because in the passage we're looking at this morning, we're going to look at a very important conversation that Jesus had with a religious man named Nicodemus. And in this conversation Jesus will reveal that Nicodemus doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. With Nicodemus - here was a guy who thought he knew it all when it came to God, but Jesus is going to explain he's still got a way to go.
Before we look at what Jesus says to correct Nicodemus' understanding, we need to learn a little about this man.
And we learn from v1, that he was basically a good man. We're told in v1 that he's a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. That means that he was a man who carefully sought to obey all of the laws of God. He knew the Scriptures of the Jewish religion and was a teacher of others. This was a man who would have been respected for his morality and rightly so. You would be happy for your daughter to bring him home for dinner.
And we see that Nicodemus has an openness to him as well. He comes to Jesus at night and in a respectful way says, "Rabbi, we know you're a teacher who's come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
From one perspective in would look like Nicodemus has got it all together on religious matters - but Jesus goes on to say this man's understanding is lacking and Jesus says at least three things that he needs to know.
Jesus explains to this good religious man - he must be born again. It's the whole subject of what Jesus says in verses v3-8. It's there in v3 - I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. And also v7 - You must be born again. But what does Jesus mean by saying you must be born again? Well, if we look closely at what Jesus says we can learn a few things.
Firstly - we learn that this birth comes from God.
And really, someone's birth must always come as a result of another. How much say did you have in your own birth? - not much. How much say did your children have in their birth? - not much. This being born again in people - is a birth brought about by God.
Also this new birth brings about an inward cleansing.
We see that Nicodemus is confused by this born again language - how can an adult climb back into their mothers' womb? Nicodemus is conjuring this naturally ridiculous image in his mind.
But Jesus goes on to say - this being born again - is not that sort of birth, but is all together different. This being born again is a spiritual thing. And it brings inward cleansing.
I take it when Jesus says, "unless he is born of water and the Spirit" - he is drawing on the words of Ezekiel, chapter 36 which says,
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
See the link? Water and spirit in Ezekiel and water and spirit here with Jesus. Jesus is drawing on this promise of God - to say - not anything about water baptism as some might read it, but that with this new birth - a person's heart is purified by God. God inwardly cleanses us from all our impurities.
This is what happens for all those who are born again.
This is the wonderful truth that - the wrongs we have done, the pain we have caused, the hurt with have brought about - has been washed away in God's eyes. Relationships don't usually work like that, do they? If I do wrong - it can so easily taint a relationship. Relationships can be forever polluted because of wrongs that are done. But with God - he washes us clean. What a wonderful reality we live in if we are born again.
But just one more thing that this being born again means. And we can see it again from Ezekiel 36 which is what I think Jesus is drawing from. Being born again - is to be made new, to have a new heart that's inclined to follow after God. See it there in Ezekiel:
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
With being born again - he just doesn't cleanse our heart so that we can live our lives just as we always did. But he cleanses and totally changes us - so we're not the same person we once were.
See, sometimes with houses it's not worth doing a few renovations - adding a room here, knocking down a wall there. Sometimes it's better to start again - and that's what God does in us. He starts again. He makes us new.
And for all people here who are born again - that's what God did in us. It might have happened in you at such a young age that you didn't realise it at the time. And being born again does not mean you felt any different. But that is what God does in us - he changes us and he make us new so that our hearts are inclined to live rightly for God. Not that we're perfect in our actions - who can be but Jesus? - but he's transformed us by his Spirit and given us a new heart that is inclined to want to love and follow God.
Now that's our look at what being born again means. But let's just focus in again on Nicodemus. See as Nicodemus heard these things from Jesus and came to understand these things - he would realise he does not know half as much as he thought he did. Jesus is giving him a new perspective on goodness.
Nicodemus would have thought his goodness in trying to carefully obey the law is what allowed him to enter the kingdom of God. He would have thought his goodness in being a morally upright person allowed him to enter the kingdom of God.
But Jesus is saying - that's not what's required. But you must be born again. Jesus is giving this guy a new perspective. Sometimes what we think is valuable is not so valuable at all.
Sort of reminds me of that guy on the north coast of NSW I heard about last year. He was an art collector and thought he owned a rare Cezanne painting worth millions of dollars. But as it turned out - it was a fake, not even a very good fake at that.
See - sometimes what we think is valuable is not. God does not want our moral goodness in order to enter the kingdom of God. It doesn't count. He wants to transform us. And as he transforms us - he gives us the ability to live in a way that is good and pleasing to him.
I'm not sure if anyone ever watched that show Extreme Makeover. I for one couldn't help but get caught up in watching the testimony of those who were about to go through the plastic surgery. The people spoke about why they wanted it done. And so often said - if I get this done - I'll be able to live my life differently. I can start afresh and begin my new life.
Well, to enter the kingdom of God, we must be born again. And the change of being born again is so radical and so deep that no scalpel could ever reach it. God cleanses us and transforms us. We must be born again.
Well, in this conversation Jesus is proceeding to break down Nicodemus' previously held assumptions and understanding. Jesus is showing that what thought he knew, he didn't.
But Jesus goes on to break down his understanding even more. Jesus goes on to say - I am the very one from God. My words come directly from heaven. And if you want to have the kingdom of God you must listen to me.
We see it with Jesus words in v11 - I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen. Or v13, No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of God.
They're strange words but Jesus is presenting himself as the very one whose source is heaven with God. And when Jesus speaks it's not that some information about God has been passed down to him to pass on to other. No, when Jesus speaks, he speaks truth about God because he was there with God.
See, at the very start, Nicodemus called Jesus a rabbi - but he's not a rabbi - he's the one who reveals God directly to us.
And at the start, Nicodemus called Jesus a teacher - but he's not a teacher - he's the one who transcended heaven and came to earth.
In a world where there are a million voices saying, "This is the way to God, this is how you should live, this is the news about what's spiritual and important,|" Jesus makes the startling claim - that his testimony, his words are not mere opinion, but come directly from God. And we must listen to him.
Jesus is showing that Nicodemus doesn't know half as much as he thought. You must be born again. You must listen to Jesus.
But Jesus goes on to say something else. You must be saved.
We need to realise that Nicodemus would have felt secure in his knowledge of God. He was a religious teacher. He was a good man. He was a Jew - part of God's chosen race. Where was the need for him to be saved? Sure - God would come and rescue Israel from its enemies and restore its fortunes - but Nicodemus, it seems, would not have felt very safe himself.
But Jesus comes along and says to him - you must be saved.
Notice the words in v16 - the word perish, the words in 17 and 18 condemnation. It might be possible to feel secure and think that God is happy with me, but these words are filled with danger and threat. And in midst of the danger, God lovingly provides a rescue. As 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believed in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
But to understand God's loving rescue in the midst of danger, let's see how Jesus compares it to another time of rescue. See in v14-15 Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life".
I read before the event recorded in Numbers 21 that Jesus makes a comparison with.
It's that time when the people of Israel had been rescued out of slavery in Egypt. They're in the wilderness and God is guiding them and protecting them. But the people start grumbling and complaining against God - their sinfulness and hard heartedness comes out. And so in judgment God sends poisonous snakes amongst the people. Just a terrible experience when you think about it. How scary would have that been - your whole camp being overrun by poisonous snakes which are biting the people. God's anger was coming down upon the people in such an awful way.
But in the midst of God's judgment, God brings rescue - by instructing Moses to build a bronze snake statue - put it on top of a pole, lift it up and tell the people if they're bitten - they can look to this bronze snake and they will live.
Extraordinary event really - here is God's judgment upon the people - yet God doesn't want to utterly destroy them. He wants to rescue them. He provides a way, that in the midst of death and despair, the people can have life.
Now Jesus is saying in v14-15 - that it's like this with me. People will perish, people are condemned for their rebellion against me. But Jesus is going to be lifted up - not on a pole, but on a cross. And that's God's loving means of rescue.
During the week I learnt in the newspaper that there's nine different loves according to new research.
There's "cupids arrow love" - which is the passionate romantic love.
There's "hedonistic love" which is related to pleasure and sex
How bout "dyadic partnership love" where in a relationship the partners begin to put the relationship before their own individual needs.
But I never saw the sort of love that is, in the midst of judgment, lovingly providing a way to be rescued. Of course I didn't - that's God's love. We need to be saved and God provides the way. For those who know this and hold it dear - we can thank God for his love every day of our lives.
And just lastly - we need to do something in order to receive this rescue. We need to believe in Jesus. The word 'believe' is constant throughout these verses. It's there in just about every line. We need to believe.
Believe is such a fuzzy word. But what does it mean? "I believe in the Loch Ness monster". "I believe that my team can win the footy". What is this belief?
Well, again I think that event of the snakes is very helpful. In the mist of death and despair, in the most hopeless of situations - poison running through their veins - they had to believe the word of Moses and to look to this thing provided by God - look to that snake.
To believe in Jesus - is to look to him on the cross. To believe in Jesus is to realise that his sacrifice is God's means of rescue. And to put our trust in him.
For many people here today - you have seen your need, your need of rescue and you have looked to Jesus and believed in him.
What an important conversation that John the gospel writer has recorded for us. Here - with Jesus' words to Nicodemus - he's showing where this man's understanding of God is lacking. Jesus is showing how he needs to change in his thinking.
The wonderful thing about this conversation is that it reveals deep truths that are at the heart of Christianity and which is the reality for every Christian person here. We can be so thankful that we've been born again, that we've come to listen to Jesus, that we've accepted that we need to be saved.
The question I will pose generally is - for anyone here - if this has not been your understanding in the past, will you be willing to let Jesus change your way of thinking? Will you be open to what Jesus says here? The promise is that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.