What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

(John 3:1-8)

I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
Last time,
We saw Jesus at Jerusalem for feast of Passover.
Every Jewish man had to appear before God at three yearly feasts
Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles
And so Jesus was there to honor His Father.

We saw His desire to honor Him went even further:

When He came to the Temple and found all that merchandizing going on in the
outer court
All the sacrificial animals for sale,
The moneychangers waiting to exchange currency
He made a scourge, overturned the money tables,
And drove them all out.
He didnt want these hucksters to stand in the way
Of anyone coming to His Father
Salvation is freely offered to whomever will receive it
Especially now in the New Covenant.
Thats why Jesus came
To buy salvation for everyone who will come to Him.

But Jesus did even more: He also performed many signs.

And there were many who saw them, and believed on Him,
Including some of the Pharisees.

B. Preview.
This morning, we see one of the most respected teachers in Israel
Come to Jesus at night to ask Him some questions.
He saw what Jesus had done.
He knew God had sent Him.
And so he came to Jesus to find out more about Gods kingdom
Specifically, how he could enter it.
Thats what Jesus now tells him,
And if youre at all interested in how to enter it yourself,
Youll want to pay attention to what Jesus says.

This morning, lets consider three things:

1. If you want to know more about Gods kingdom, you need to come to Jesus.
2. If you want to enter His kingdom, you must be born a second time.
3. If you are to be born a second time, the Spirit must bring it about.

II. Sermon.
A. First, if you want to know more about Gods kingdom, you need to come to Jesus.
Thats what Nicodemus did.
In verses 1-2, we read, Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we
know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs
that You do unless God is with him.

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1. Who was Nicodemus?
John tells us he was a Pharisee.
The Pharisees were one of three religious schools that were formed around 145
BC
The other two were the Essenes and the Sadducees.

The Essenes were the ascetics of their day.

They believed in poverty, shared property, daily immersion in water, works of
charity, some groups practiced celibacy, and they believed in the absolute
sovereignty of God.
They established communities throughout Judea and are believed by many to be
the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Sadducees were the theological liberals of their day.

They didnt believe in Gods sovereignty,
That there was life after death and so no rewards or punishments
And that there are spirits or angels.
They did believe man was absolutely free to choose good or evil
And that he wasnt necessarily predisposed to evil.

The Pharisees agreed that man has a free will,

And that God does not predetermine the future
Though He knows what will happen
But they did believe in angels and spirits,
And that there would be a resurrection when the righteous would be rewarded
and the wicked punished.
They also held that obedience to the Law was essential for salvation

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Being at the same time exacting in their obedience to the Law,
And yet very lax in their interpretation of it
Which is why Jesus often rebuked them.

Most of the Pharisees we run into in the Gospels were religious hypocrites,
But John tells us there were a few who followed Jesus
Nicodemus being one of them.

Nicodemus was also a ruler of the Jews

He was a leader in the church,
Not the Roman government.

History also seems to point to the possibility

That he was the brother of Josephus, the Jewish historian who wrote about the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Josephus, whose full name was ben Gorion, had a famous brother
By the name of Nicodemus ben Gorion
Who very closely fits Johns description of this Nicodemus
And who lived during this time.

2. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night,

Apparently to find the answer to some important questions.

Why at night?
Maybe as a teacher of Israel, he was ashamed to be seen
Asking questions of an itinerate preacher.

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Maybe he was afraid he would offend his fellow Pharisees,
Or maybe the Sadducees.
Or maybe Jesus was easier to get to see in the evening.
John doesnt really tell us.

But he does tell us what Nicodemus thought of Him:

He considered Jesus to be a Rabbi
Which means someone recognized as an outstanding teacher of the Law.

He also believed God had sent Him, We know that You have come from God.
The miracles Jesus had done proved that: No one can do these signs that You
do unless God is with him.

And he wasnt alone in these views:

He says, We know that you have come from God.
This certainly wasnt the majority opinion of his peers,
But there were others who held it
Such as Joseph of Arimathea.

3. The most important thing to see here is why Nicodemus came to Jesus.
Were not really told, but from what Jesus says to him,
It clearly had to do with how to enter Gods kingdom.
What better way to learn the answer to this question
Than to come to One sent by God?

How can you learn the truth about salvation?

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Should you count heads?
Should you ask your friends what they believe and go with the majority?
Thats what many do; but your friends can be wrong.
Should you rely on your gut feeling? What seems right to you?
Thats not such a good plan either
Since God warns us that our hearts are deceitful.

You need to go to Jesus.

You need to read His book.
And as you read, you need to pray that the Spirit would help you to understand
what He says,
And give you the heart to believe and receive what He says.
When you have any question about anything related to the kingdom of God,
You need to go to His Word!

B. What did Jesus say? If you are to enter His kingdom, you need to be born a second
time.
John writes, Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one
is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (v. 3).

Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a great teacher One sent from God.

John Gill notes that Nicodemus was likely already convinced that Jesus was the
Messiah.
The Jews believed the Messiah would be a teacher
That He would be an expert in the Law
And most importantly, that He would have the final word on how to enter Gods
kingdom.

So what does Jesus say to Nicodemus?

The first thing He tells him is:
Its not enough to believe He is a great teacher.
Its not enough to believe He is sent from God
Its not even enough to believe that He is the Messiah.
You need to believe this to be saved,
But by itself, its not enough.
Even the demons believe the truth
That there is one true God
They even fear Him.
James writes, You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe,
and shudder (2:19).
But thats not enough to save them.
That wont save you either.
You need something more.

Jesus also implies here to Nicodemus

That it isnt enough to be a Jew.
The Jews believed that when Messiah came to set up His kingdom
They would have their share in it because they are Abrahams descendants.
Maybe you though being born into a Christian family,
Or being raised in the church with the truth,
Or being baptized,
Or making profession of faith,

Somehow entitled you to enter Gods kingdom,

But that isnt the case.
You cant be born into this kingdom,
Nor does circumcision, baptism, education
Or even profession of faith open the door.
Jesus says, You must be born again.

Nicodemus thought Jesus was speaking literally.

How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his
mothers womb and be born, can he? (v. 3).
That would be impossible
Just like entering the kingdom in these other ways
But thats not what Jesus meant.
He was saying you need a new kind of birth a spiritual rebirth.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit (vv. 5-6).

You must be born twice

First of water, and then of the Spirit.
What does He mean?

Some see this water birth as baptism

But Scripture clearly tells us baptism cant save you
Though it is commanded of those who believe.

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But note too that if that is what Jesus was talking about here, Hes saying the same
thing:
Its not enough You also need Spirit baptism.

Others see this water birth as a picture of Gods grace

The same thing pictured by the baptismal water
Which would be the same as spiritual birth.
You must be born of Gods grace, even the Spirit.
Thats certainly possible.

But its also possible that Jesus is simply referring to a natural birth.
For the first 9 months of your life, you are immersed in water;
And when youre born, the first thing that comes out is water,
Which may explain why Jesus says in verse 6, That which is born of the flesh is
flesh.

Why isnt natural birth enough to enter Gods kingdom?

Its because, That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
Flesh in Scripture, is another name for your sin nature,
And if thats all you have, you cant please God,
And so you cant enter His kingdom.
Paul writes, For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and
peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not
subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who
are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:5-8).

You need something more!

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Jesus told Nicodemus, You must be born again.

You need a spiritual rebirth/a new nature
The Spirit must raise you again to life,
Work faith and repentance in you,
Or you will not see the kingdom of God
That is through the eyes of faith
And you certainly will not enter it.

C. So finally, how can you be born again?

Jesus clearly says here this is something you cant do.
If you are to be born a second time, the Spirit must bring it about.

If youre having a difficult time understanding what Jesus means,

Youre in good company Nicodemus didnt understand Him either.
Jesus must have seen it on his face,
Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. The wind blows
where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes
from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (vv. 7-8).

What was Nicodemus wrestling with? Two things:

First, with what Jesus said about the flesh:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
Nicodemus believed that being born a Jew was enough to enter Gods kingdom
That which is born of Abraham inherits the kingdom
But Jesus said that wasnt enough.

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He was also struggling with the second birth:

If that comes from the Spirit,
If you have no more power over it
Than you do over the wind
If you can see the effects of this spiritual change in your life,
But have no control over where and when the Spirit gives it,
Then how can you hope to enter the kingdom?

What Jesus says may sound like bad news, but it isnt!
Its good news! This is the Gospel.
You dont have to understand how it works,
Or be concerned over the fact you cant control it
The Spirit will still work this when and where He wills.

Consider Nicodemus: He didnt understand it, but he received it.

Later, well see him defending Jesus in front of his peers.
When the chief priests and Pharisees later send officers to arrest Jesus at one of the
feasts,
And they return empty handed, Nicodemus will stand up for Him.
John writes, Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to
them, Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows
what he is doing, does it? They answered him, You are not also from Galilee,
are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee (John 7:50-52).
We will also see him helping Joseph of Arimathea prepare Jesus body for burial
after the crucifixion, After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of
Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away
the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His
body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a

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mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the
body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial
custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a
garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby,
they laid Jesus there (John 19:38-42).
You dont have to understand how it works,
Or have any control over when and where it is given to receive it.
The Spirit will do His work.

If you love the Father and His Son Jesus this morning,
If you have turned from your sins and placed your whole hope of heaven on Him,
He has already done this work in you.
You dont need to seek God for this blessing.
In His mercy, He has already granted it to you.
And so be thankful and set your heart to love and worship God with your life.

You dont have to understand this when you go to evangelize;

All you have to believe is He will do it.
Thats why you can be confident
That your efforts to bring others to Jesus will be successful.

But if you havent trusted Jesus, then let me say this to you:
Since the Spirit alone can change your heart,
And since the Father and Son alone have the power to give Him to you,
If you would have any hope of receiving His life,
Rather than His justice for your sins,

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You must ask Him for this blessing:
Ask the Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ,
To give you this new birth
To give you the ability to repent and believe,
To give you the desire to do it.
Keep asking Him until He does
Because that is your only hope.
Know that God is gracious and merciful.
He sent His Son to save sinners.
Come to Him. Ask Him for His mercy.
May the Lord grant you His grace
That you might to seek Him and find Him. Amen.

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