PBPC - Sunday Sermon Available
Sermon – "Nick at Night" – John 3:1-21
January 24, 2021
Chris Coon, PBPC
Introduction
In his commentary on the gospel of John, N.T. Wright shares about the experience of losing his birth certificate in the process of moving from one home to another. Many of us have had this experience, and often we only realize that it is missing when we really need it, as when we're renewing our passport; then the there's the mad scramble to order another one and hope that it arrives in time. Of course, the one thing that a birth certificate isn't needed for is to prove that a birth took place. Here I am; obviously I have been born. The fact that at the moment I can't prove when and where is a minor detail. N.T. Wright makes the point that sometimes when talking about being born again, Christians forget this; we are more focused on the when and where it happened than we are on what did happen. This is a bit like taking your birth certificate and framing it and hanging it on the wall for everyone to see. What matters most is not that once upon a time you were born, but rather that you are alive right now.
This question of new birth and new life is what Jesus addresses in our scripture passage today.
John 3:1-21
1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "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." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' 8 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." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 "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. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "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.
17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Nick at Night
I couldn't help but name this sermon after the evening programming block on the kids' channel Nicelodeon, called Nick at Nite. In our passage, a Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to speak with Jesus. The Pharisees and religious leaders are already on their guard against Jesus because of the havoc that he has created by clearing out the temple. But Nicodemus is apparently intrigued by Jesus and wants to know more about him; but he doesn't want to do this publicly, so he comes to Jesus at night. In the resulting dialogue, we have the most significant and well-known verse in the entire Bible, John 3:16.
Born from Above
Bible scholar F.F. Bruce describes that there was a process by which a person in the centuries before Christ could convert to Judaism. It involved symbolically laying their old life aside and entering into this new life, evidenced by ritual washing clean in baptism. It could be said that such proselytes to Judaism were born anew or born from above. So this concept probably would not have been so strange to Nicodemus; but he likely would have considered it necessary for others, not himself. He was a Jew, after all; he belonged to the chosen people already. Beyond that, he had spent his life studying the scriptures and was now one of the religious leaders of the Jews.
But Jesus makes it very clear to Nicodemus that anyone, Jew or not, even a Pharisee, must be born again (or born from above.) Just as everyone experiences a physical birth, so we must each experience a spiritual birth. Being born of water and the Spirit refers to baptism (the experience of being symbolically cleansed as well as dying and rising) and even more importantly the new life that only the Spirit of God can give to us. Every single person needs to experience this, and the good news is that it is available to every single person.
When Nicodemus asks the question, "How can this be so?" Jesus makes the bold and revolutionary statement: "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life." This statement is so concise that it is no wonder that it is the best-known verse in the Bible. If you could only share one scripture verse that described the gospel the most clearly, this is the one to choose – and in our world of short attention spans, that might be all you get. So we see the scripture reference on posters at football games and on the bottom of soda cups at fast food restaurants that are owned by Christians. One of the problems, though, is that the apparent simplicity of this verse belies an incredible depth of meaning that even Christians don't take the time to understand and appreciate.
1 – God So Loved the World
First of all, God has taken the initiative in saving us. God is reaching for us, God is doing for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. And God does this because God loves us. This is so important for us to understand, and it is fundamental to Jesus' message. God loves us. This of course does not mean that God loves everything we do and unconditionally supports all of the choices we make. But Jesus presents to us a picture of God who loves us as a parent loves their children, as a mother wants to care for and bless her child, as a father who wants to have a loving relationship with their child.
If you're a parent or have cared for a child, you have a sense of the deep love and care you have for that little one. When they make a bad choice, you don't give up on them or write them off. When you're child wanders off and gets lost on an outing to the park or mall, you search for them until you find them. This is how God loves us and seeks after us and is not satisfied until he has found us. And this love of God extends to all people – God loves the world.
2 – Jesus is God's Gift
While we were still sinners – lost and separated from God – God sent Jesus into the world to save us. Jesus is the savior of the world, the one who reconciles us to God, forgives our sins, and shows us the way of life.
3 – Whoever Believes in Him
There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves – God has done everything that we need for us. But there is still something required of us: a response. However, we want to think of this, whether it's winning the lottery and needing to cash that check, or simply reaching out and accepting the gift that is offered, the Bible is very clear that what God offers us is realized – is not activated – until we receive it.
In this verse the word used for responding is believe. Perhaps this is the piece that is most misunderstood – the difference between faith and belief. Obviously, there is an intellectual aspect to our response – believing God loves us, believing Jesus is the Son of God. But what is called for here is not merely intellectual assent. Checking the theological belief boxes may mean we've chosen correctly, but unfortunately it doesn't actually bring us closer to God.
In Jewish thought, one couldn't really separate belief from action; they were inextricably linked together in a very holistic way. So, to speak of belief was really to speak of faith, or trust. The example I've given in more than one children's sermon is bringing out a chair and asking, "Do you believe this chair will support you?" The answer is usually yes, at least at first. I begin to ask further questions, like, "are you sure?" This begins to cast some doubt, and the kids wonder if maybe there's a trick – have I sabotaged the chair? Finally, I ask for a volunteer to sit in the chair; this is where the rubber meets the road, where belief becomes trust – at the point where they put their full weight into the chair and trust that it will not collapse and hurt them.
To believe in Jesus is to trust him with our very lives.
4 – May Have Eternal Life
And this trust is about putting our life in his hands; it is about relationship with Jesus. If we entrust ourselves to Jesus, we will have eternal life. Now typically people assume this means that we will go to heaven when we die. But Jesus is talking about more than continued existence or heavenly rewards. Eternal life is literally "life of the ages", which can be understood as the life of God. God's life is never-ending, so this is an aspect of it. But this is the part of the verse that we have been too happy to accept with relief, without seeking further understanding.
Eternal life is all about being in relationship with God. Jesus says in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, that they may know you (God), and Jesus Christ, the one you have sent." When we know Jesus, we know God; and when we know God, we have the life of God that lasts forever. Nothing can take this life away from us; the death of our earthly bodies will not separate us from God, because God is the source of life and we belong to him. But the opposite is also true: there is no life apart from God, so those who do not share in God's life through Jesus don't have this life of the ages.
So this is an invitation to each of us, to receive God's love and recognize the One he has sent to us; to put our faith and trust in Jesus, and to enter into the life of God, the life that lasts forever. Remember, God has already offered this life to us; our part is to respond to this invitation by believing and entrusting ourselves to Jesus. If you've never done this before, it's done through honest prayer: "Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I receive you as my savior, and I entrust my life and future to you." This is the beginning of your new life in Christ.
Maybe you are a Christian, but you're realizing that you don't have much of a relationship with Jesus. Like any relationship, this takes some work and effort on our part – but the rewards are rich. God has promised that eternal life begins now, when we receive Christ; it's not something we have to wait until we die to experience. So begin setting aside some time each day to pray, to listen to God speaking to your heart, and to grow as Christian; this is the most important relationship of your life, and it's the one that will last beyond this lifetime.