Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of Spirit is Spirit, do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it's going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered, are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. I've told you earthly things and you do not believe. How can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Here is the reading of God's holy word. Let's pray. Our Father, as we come to consider your word, pray that you would open our hearts and our minds, that you would change us. In Jesus' name, amen. So Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He's a Pharisee, he's a ruler, he's a Jew, he's probably wealthy, and he's a flatterer. Almost all of us at some time wish to make a good impression. We want the approval of someone important to us. Maybe it's a prospective employer. Maybe it's a first date. Maybe it's a new school. We've all been in situations where we hoped to make a good impression. I remember one time in my life that I really wanted to make a good impression. Tracy and I had just started dating. It was January. This is when the Super Bowl was played in January. So I invited her over to our house, my house, that I rented along with my two roommates who I asked not to be there. And I set up the card table in front of the television and dinner was going to start at the same time the Super Bowl was starting. So it wasn't much. It was spaghetti with some Italian bread. And I set it out and we sat there in front of the TV during the Super Bowl and I never turned it on. Now Tracy had no idea the Super Bowl was playing, but I knew she would find out and she would be impressed. A couple of weeks later my roommate Paul and I devised this plan to impress our girlfriends, Tracy and Mary. And so what we did is we, again, we were gonna make dinner for them, strangely enough, spaghetti and then bread. We were university students. We didn't have any money. For some reason Mary's apartment had a spiral staircase coming from the second floor to the first floor. And so we told the girls to leave and come back in 45 minutes or so. And we put a note on the door that they were supposed to come in and press play on the cassette player. Cassette, that's how long ago it was. Press play on the cassette player and when they did, the song from the Spinners, Could It Be I'm Falling in Love would come on. And when the song started playing, Paul and I came down the spiral staircase, each holding a rose, handed it to the girls, then lip synced and danced to Could It Be I'm Falling in Love. Three weeks later Tracy and I were engaged. A week after that, Paul and Mary broke up. Paul never could dance. Now I tell you this because I want you to understand that we're prone to seek the approval of others. We're prone to try to impress, even when we are trying, not trying to, we are trying in a more subtle manner. We are most of all prone to self justification. And I want you to understand it, not only in your head, but in your heart. We love stories and when we enter the story of another, our hearts soften and we become more open to change. So as we look at this story together, ask God for your heart to be open to his spirit so that you will be changed. So what impresses us? Intelligence, wealth, family name, fame, power, beauty. In Nicodemus' day, the list was not much different. We can say that Nicodemus would have been considered a very impressive fellow. First he was a Pharisee, which meant that he was well versed in God's law and at the time clergy, which is what the Pharisee was, were very well respected in that community. It's not necessarily the same today, but then it was. So not as only is he of the right religion, but he's a teacher of the same, very impressive. And second, he is a ruler. He is the equivalent of a city councilman. Third, he's a Jew, which means he's the right nationality, the right family. And finally, he's a flatterer. He comes to Jesus and says, we know that you must be from God, because no one could do these signs unless God is with him. He's impressive. And he's built this platform of self-justification. And he comes to Jesus by night. Why? I think because like all of us, who seek to justify ourselves, all of us who desire the approval of others, who desire the approval of others, we have our doubts. We aren't quite convinced that we measure up. And so Nicodemus comes to Jesus to find out, is he really okay? What we're going to see is that Jesus, far from building up his self-esteem, takes down his platform of self-justification one pillar at a time. So when Nicodemus says you must be from God, Jesus answers him. Answers? What was the question? I think it's implied. Nicodemus is coming to find out if he's okay to seek the approval of Jesus based on his accomplishments and his self-righteousness. This impressive man with position and power and education and the right religion from the right family comes to Jesus by night with heart questions. Am I okay? You see, Jesus is not impressed with Nicodemus. Matter of fact, if we look back at the end of John chapter two, it says on Jesus' part, he did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people and he needed no one to bear witness about man for he himself knew what was in man. So he answers the question on his heart, unless you were born again, you can't see God. So immediately, Jesus removes the first pillar under his platform of self-righteousness, which is his birthright. You think you were born in the right family, but unless you're born again, you can't see God. He's a Jew. In terms of God's dealing with humanity, he was born into the right nation. He has good genes. But Jesus says it won't profit you a thing unless you're born again. And this is especially insulting to someone like Nicodemus because the term born again was used for Gentile converts. Nicodemus, unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. What's he saying? Unless you're born again, you cannot see two feet in front of your face because I am the king of God's kingdom. The kingdom is standing right in front of you and you can't see it unless you're born again. How does Nicodemus take this? He's a Christian. He's a Christian. He's a Christian. He's a Christian. He's a Christian. He's a Christian. How does Nicodemus take this? He says, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time? No, I don't think Nicodemus actually thought that Jesus meant he should enter his mother's womb. I think he's going along with the analogy. Jesus says in verse six, that which is born of this flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. Yes, Nicodemus, you have the flesh, but despite the fact that you take such pride in your nationality and your genetics and your blood, they will not allow you to enter the kingdom. As a matter of fact, the very thing you're counting on to justify you, the very thing that you're hoping will gain approval will be the thing that prevents you from what you seek. The gospel truth for us is anything you think you bring to the table, anything that you believe accrues to your account, anything that you think makes you acceptable to God, that gains his approval, anything that you believe impresses God, anything that you believe justifies you in any way is in fact the very thing preventing you from knowing him. Verse seven and eight. Do not marvel that I say you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the spirit. Here we see Jesus kicks out another pillar. Nicodemus is a ruler. He has a position of prominence and power. People in positions of power are used to the approval of others. And Jesus tells them in regard to your own salvation, you have no power. You have no control. Nicodemus, you have as much control over the spirit as you do over the wind, which is to say none. Nicodemus has to be reeling. Your nationality is of no value. Your power is of no value. You must be born again and you can't make it happen. His worldview is crumbling. His worst fears are being realized. And you can almost hear the panic in his voice when he says, how can these things be? I think it's important to note that Nicodemus is not challenging Jesus' teaching. He's groping for understanding because he has no categories for this. But that's not everyone's response. If any of you have witnessed anybody, which I hope you have, some people will not tolerate a paradigm shift. Some people will react negatively, even violently, when they are challenged to see things differently. But ultimately, for anyone to understand the gospel, they will have to see that their former manner of thinking is wrong. The gospel is you're more sinful than you ever dared think and more loved than you ever dared hope, all at the same time. And at this point, Nicodemus has come to the realization that his former manner of salvation is of no value. He's come to the realization that he's more sinful than he ever dared think. If Jesus never took him there, he would remain prideful and self-justifying. So it was necessary that Nicodemus understand that his present view of salvation was inadequate. But if Jesus leaves him there, he will despair. That's why we have to believe both, that we're more sinful than we ever dared think and yet more loved than we ever dared hope all at the same time. Let me explain why this is reassuring. It might initially seem anything but reassuring that you cannot gain salvation in any way. But if the gospel message was God loves you in part because you believe or because you've done some good work or because of some religious ceremony and as a result, you have something to do with your salvation, then that means you can never really be sure that you've done enough. You cannot be sure if you are loved. And a lot of religions are like that. Talking to people I know who believe in Islam. That's how they think. They keep all the commands as best they can and they hope that God will be merciful. When you ask them, are you sure you're going to go to heaven? They say no, I just hope that God will be merciful. Of course they say a la. But if you're basing your salvation on anything you have done, you can't be sure that you've done enough. Now at the same time Jesus answers the question, he knocks out the last pillar in his platform of justification, which is his education. You are a teacher of the Jews and you don't understand these things. If you don't understand elementary things, how will you understand, or earthly things, how will you understand heavenly things? This is every bit as true today. We love our degrees. We feel as though we've earned the approval of others, we've somehow justified ourselves if we have letters behind our name. B-S-B-A-M-S-M-B-A-J-D-P-H-D-M-D. A few years ago, oh by the way those of us in ministry have the same thing, MDiv, THM, D-Men, DD, and PhD. A few years ago, Tracy and I were attending a service and I heard a sermon and I was dismayed at the pastor's interpretation of the passage. I thought he had taught falsehood. Not intentionally, but I still thought he was way off the mark. So I sent him an email and outlined my concerns. A few days later I got his response which he signed and then at the end of his name, in an email, he had typed B-S-M-D-H-M-D-Men. I mean who does that in an email? I'm not against education, it's valuable for the service of Christ. Quite often our pulpits are filled with uneducated preachers, but why would someone put all those letters at the end of an email response? Why would someone do that? Look at me, I'm educated, I have all these degrees. You should be impressed with me, therefore I am right. But he was not. Nicodemus is no different. He has all the letters behind his name. When it comes to understanding salvation, he could not have been more wrong. And Jesus chides him, you, you are a teacher of Israel, you don't understand these things. This is elementary stuff. If you don't understand the basics, how are you gonna understand heavenly things? This had to bring Nicodemus to his knees. If you tell anyone who believes himself or herself to be an expert in any field and you tell them that they don't actually know anything about what they're talking about, they're bound to react in one of two ways, either with incredulity and anger or with humility. The realization that they've been wrong the whole time. Then very quickly Nicodemus gives him a remedial course by explaining that he is the central focus of the Old Testament scriptures. He does this so succinctly, it's breathtaking. In verse 13 he references a passage in Genesis 28 where Jacob dreams of the angels ascending and descending on the ladder which reaches earth from heaven. And Jesus says no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. He's saying that's me, I'm the ladder. The passage that we read in Numbers 21 about the bronze serpent that God told Moses to erect. That if the Israelites had been bitten by the fiery serpents because of their sin against God and against Moses, if they looked at this, all they had to do was look. They didn't have to crawl there. They didn't have to give an offering. They just had to look and if they looked at the serpent, they would be cured. And Jesus is saying that's me as well. If you've been reading the scriptures and you don't understand that they were about me, then you don't understand them at all and your learning is of no value. Can you imagine what's going through Nicodemus' heart and mind? He came to be reassured that he's really okay. He came seeking the approval of Jesus and instead he's having his self-esteem devastated. And his life in a position of helplessness, in a position of utter need, then Jesus gives him the medicine. For God's soul of the world. They gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It means that you see yourself as a sinner, more sinful than you ever dared think, and helpless one at that. Someone who needs a savior, it means that you see Jesus as the savior, the one who can and will rescue you. And will rescue everyone who believes. It means that you believe that Jesus lived a sinless life in your place and that his righteousness is now counted as yours and the penalty that justice demands for your sin has been paid by Jesus through death on the cross. Usually there are two reasons that people won't believe. They don't think they're bad enough to need a savior. They think they've lived a pretty good life. They think that by all accounts, if there is a God, which a lot of them aren't sure, if there is a God, that God will look at their life and say you did more good than bad, so I approve of you. I have one friend that I knew a long time ago that said I think Jesus would like me. This person claims to be an atheist. So either they don't think they're bad enough to need a savior or they don't think they're good enough that God will ever accept him. Either way, it's their own approval that is more important to them than God's approval. For God so loved the world, he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. You are seeking the approval of others on your own merit. You will be lost. But if you know that you have the approval of God based on the righteousness of another, you will gladly come into the light. We'll conclude with this passage from Luke seven. This is what impresses the Father. It's Jesus. What impresses the Father is faith in Jesus. Luke seven, after he had finished saying all these things in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death who was highly valued by him. And when the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent him to the elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal the servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly saying, he is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation. He's the one who built our synagogue. Listen to the rationale of the Jews for Jesus doing something for him. He's worthy. He loves us. He helped build our synagogue. Therefore he has earned your help. And Jesus went with him. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. You see the difference? The Jews are saying he's worthy because he loves us, because he's done so much for us. And the centurion himself is saying, I'm not worthy for you to even come under my roof. Therefore I didn't presume to come to you, but say the word and let my servant be healed, for I am to a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, go, and he goes, and to another, come and he comes. To my servant, do this, and he does it. Look at the difference. I'm worthy, or he's worthy, because he loves the right people. He's helped us build our synagogue. Therefore you should help him. Therefore you should help him. But the centurion himself is saying, I'm not worthy. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him. And turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, I tell you, not even in Israel, have I found such faith. And when those who had been sent return to the house, they found the servant well. He made him who knew no sin to be sent on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you that it can change us. In Jesus' name, amen.