John 3: 1 – 10

First what do we know about Nicodemus? Verse 1 tells us Nicodemus was a man of the Pharisees and a member of the Jewish ruling council that was called The Sanhedrin. This was like the Supreme Court. The 70 members of the Sanhedrin were the most powerful and prestigious group in all of Judaism. It is interesting that the name Nicodemus means, "Ruler of the people" in Greek. Nicodemus was a very powerful man.

Nicodemus was also a very religious man. The focus of the Pharisees was to become righteous by strictly adhering to the Law of Moses. And if the Pharisees did not think that the Mosaic Law was specific enough they created additional Laws. They piled laws on top of laws in order to try and win God’s favor. In Jesus’ day, there were over 400 laws that the Pharisees espoused. The Pharisees’ devotion to keeping the Law forced them to be separated from other people that were not Pharisees. They referred to these other people as sinners. The Pharisees were proud of the fact that they "kept the Law" and they wanted everyone to know how religious they were. They were a proud group. … This pride and the need to be separated from, quote, "the sinners", is probably the reason that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. He did not want to be seen with the crowd, nor did Nicodemus want the people to see his need or his lack of understanding.

We also know that Nicodemus had to be an intelligent person since he knew the Pharisaical Law and he was a member of the Jewish The Sanhedrin.

Next what did Nicodemus know about Jesus. In verse 2 Nicodemus addressed Jesus as, "Rabbi" or teacher. This shows he had a deep respect and interest in Jesus. After all, Nicodemus was a trained religious ruler and Jesus was only a commoner. But … Nicodemus did acknowledge that Jesus was from God. To address Jesus with the title "Teacher" reveals Nicodemus’ deep admiration for Jesus. Nicodemus makes Jesus an equal.

In verse 2 Nicodemus says, "Rabbi, We know…." Who is the "we"? The "we" is the Pharisees. The Pharisees had honestly struggled with who Jesus was. They had seen the crowds flock to Jesus, they had heard Jesus teaching, and they had witnessed the miracles Jesus performed. As a group they had come to the conclusion that Jesus was a "great teacher who had come from God." However, the Pharisees could not figure out how Jesus fit into God establishing His kingdom of earth. You see the Jews were looking for an earthly king to sit on David’s throne. They were looking for their Messiah to overthrow the Roman occupation in Israel.

Now what did Jesus know about Nicodemus? Jesus looked right past Nicodemus’ words. Jesus knew what was on Nicodemus’ mind. That is why Jesus responded by saying "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again". Jesus guided Nicodemus into a new level of understanding.

Jesus looked past the pride and the position of Nicodemus. Jesus also knew what was in Nicodemus’ heart. Jesus knew that Nicodemus did not have a relationship with God. Nicodemus knew about God but Nicodemus did not know God. Nicodemus was spiritually dead. That is why Jesus said, "You must be born again."

You can just picture the blank look on Nicodemus’ face. "How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he can not enter into his mother’s womb to be born again?" You see Nicodemus was focused on the physical not the spiritual. Nicodemus missed the whole point of Jesus’ spiritual statement. Sin causes us to be spiritually dead and to become spiritually alive we must be born again.

The Greek word Jesus uses here [anothen] means, "born again" or "born from above". This ambiguity appears to be deliberate because when Nicodemus states the physical impossibility of reentering a mother’s womb, Jesus uses this opportunity to drive His point home in verse 7 by stating that a person must be born of the Spirit before they can enter the Kingdom of God.

Nicodemus asks, "How can this be? What does being born again look like? How can we detect the presence of the Spirit working in a person’s life? Jesus answers by using an analogy of the wind in the treetops. You cannot see where the wind comes from or where the wind goes… but you can certainly see and hear the results.

To be born again means to have a personal relationship with the Lord. It means a complete change in our attitude and actions. It means to be focused on spiritual things.

The sad thing is that many people today are like Nicodemus and like the Pharisees. They are very religious; they know about God, BUT they do not know God.

In our scripture lessons from I John and I Peter we read that the born again person puts their faith and hope in Jesus Christ. We read that the actions of a person who has been born again are characterized by: Holiness, Obedience ; Self control, and Not continuing in sin. The attitude of a born again person is characterized by a reverent fear of the Lord and a love for other people.

There are two primary truths about being born again in our text this morning.

First being born again is not about human efforts (verses 1-2).
If anyone "deserved" to enter into The kingdom of God, it would appear that Nicodemus had all of the right qualifications. Nicodemus certainly seem to be worthy of eternal life. Nicodemus was religious to the core. He was a Pharisee Nicodemus had a prestigious position. He was one of the 70 men who comprised the Sanhedrin. He was recognized as a spiritual leader, Nicodemus was well respected. Here was a very religious man who was well known, popular, intelligent, and respected in the community.

But Nicodemus was told that keeping the law would not get him into the kingdom. Nicodemus found out that he was not good enough to get into the kingdom.

Nicodemus found out that being religious cannot save you. Holding an office in the church will not save you, knowledge of the scriptures does not get you into the kingdom, being popular will not cut it. In effect Jesus told Nicodemus you are religious but lost. You can only enter the kingdom on God’s terms; you have to depend upon Jesus as your sole source for salvation. Jesus said Nicodemus you are religious but you are not redeemed. Nicodemus found out that entrance into the kingdom only comes by being born of The Spirit.

The second truth is that the new birth is God-initiated and God-controlled. Being born again is a supernatural event.

Jesus emphasizes this point with His illustration of the wind. Just as the human mind cannot understand the depth and details of how or where the wind blows, neither can sinful humanity understand how the new birth transpires. It is a matter of faith. Humans can not control the wind any more than we can control God’s Holy Spirit.

Being born again is about a spiritual renewal (3-6). Being born from above is not about religion but about a relationship with Jesus Christ. (3-15). It is about being transformed. Being born again is not a mental or emotional decision. It is not a moral life style. Being born again is a spiritual transformation that comes only through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

In our lesson from 1^st Peter we read that we are saved by the grace of God. We are saved by "the living and enduring word of God", which is Jesus Christ. If we want to enter God’s kingdom we must put our faith in Jesus Christ. We are to accept Jesus as our personal Savior and make Jesus our Lord.

Being born again is about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We can only know some one and have a meaningful relation with them by spending time with them and talking to them. We spend time with Jesus by reading our Bibles and we talk to Him in prayer. Jesus speaks to us through His word and in answered prayer. Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice"

Being born again is about making Jesus our Lord! You see when we become Christians our lives come under new management. That is what this concept of being "born again" is all about. It’s not about turning over a new leaf in our lives. It’s not about deciding to be a better person. It is not about cleaning up our act! It is not about getting involved in all of the activities at the church. If we think about it, we could not get much better than Nicodemus.

A person who has truly been born again is one who thinks differently, who acts differently and who goes in a different direction in life because they are living for a different purpose. They are living for their Lord.

There was a void in Nicodemus’ life. Nicodemus came to Jesus seeking answers. Jesus knew that. … and … Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus’ heart. That is why Jesus said "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again". The missing element in Nicodemus’ life was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today if you know that something is missing in your life; If you are unhappy; If you lack meaning and purpose in your life, … Come to Jesus! You may have tried to be religious. You may have tried to change your attitude and to change your life but you just keep missing the mark. Then maybe it is time to surrender your life to Jesus, make Him The Lord of your life, and ask to be born again. To be born of the Spirit. Ask God to send His Holy Spirit to transform your heart and your life.

Being born again is not something you cannot explain. Being born again is something you experience. I leave you with this question "Have you experienced being born of The Spirit"?

AMEN