The Second Sunday of Lent

Enter the Presence of God

Welcome & Greeting

Call to Worship

God calls us into his presence, so please stand and join with me for our call to worship.

Psalm 47

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth!

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth

Prayer of Invocation

Let us join together now in prayer:

Heavenly Father,

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we gather together to seek your presence and to give you praise.

We acknowledge you as the one true God, existing eternally in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit. We worship and adore you, and give you thanks for your loving kindness and grace.

Be with us now, and fill this place with your presence. May your Spirit guide us, your Son Jesus Christ be our savior and Lord, and your Fatherly love be our comfort and strength.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Confession of Sin

Psalm 33:13-16

“The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.”

Brothers and sisters, the proof of God’s amazing love is this: While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in him, we dare to approach God with confidence. In faith and penitence, let us confess our sin before God and one another. Let us first confess our sins to God, silently.

Prior to the corporate prayer, we take a moment to confess our sins in silence.

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. Against you, you only, we have sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Hide your face from our sins and blot out our iniquity. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and restore to us the joy of your salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Assurance of Pardon

For those of us sinners in need of a Savior today, hear these words of promise:

Psalm 33:18-19

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”

Hear the Word of God

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we come together to study your word, we ask for your wisdom and understanding to guide us. We pray for your Spirit to open our hearts and minds to your truth, that we may grow in our knowledge of you and your ways.

Grant us the grace to listen and to learn, to seek your will and to live according to your word. May the light of your truth shine upon us, and may your love fill our hearts and guide our steps.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Gospel Lesson

After the lesson, we respond:

This is the Word of the Lord!

Thanks be to God!

Homily

John 3:1–21 (ESV)

You Must Be Born Again

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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 who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, 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. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And 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.

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 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. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Curiosity killed the cat. Speak of the Devil. Blood is thicker than water. These common sayings are only half complete, and have taken on a particular meaning in our cultural vernacular. However, in their whole context, a different meaning comes to the fore: Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought him back. Speak of the devil and he may come. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.

In our reading this morning, we are introduced to a Pharisee and Sanhedrin named Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night seeking answers about the nature of salvation. Nicodemus would play two more parts in this gospel, as a man of reason over those seeking to persecute Jesus in Jn. 7:50-52 and again, in Jn. 19:39-40, it was Nicodemus who brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes for the burial preparation of Jesus.

Jesus told him that unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God. This doesn’t make sense, and even Nicodemus seemed to think so, although his understanding was strictly literal. In the Chosen television series, violations of the Second Commandment aside, if they may be, is a beautiful scene where Jesus and Nicodemus are shown sharing this conversation. Nicodemus, played by Erick Avari, makes a humerus intonation to the reality that if he needs to be born again, it’s going to be a significant problem. As we delve deeper into this passage, we will see how it is central to the Christian faith and our understanding of salvation.

Firstly, being born again is a spiritual rebirth. Nicodemus, “the teacher of Israel,” his mind and heart not illumined by the Spirit could not understand this. Jesus, the Word of God, as John says in Chapter 1, verse 1, clarified that this is a spiritual process, a transformation of the heart that is necessary for salvation. The operator of this transformation is the Spirit.

Secondly, this transformation is not something that we can earn. It cannot be paid for, or work done in return for it. In reality, our most righteous works in a sinful estate are as filthy rags (Is. 64:4-9; Rom. 3:10)- and the only way to leave that sinful estate is through the cross. Or as the British-American Puritan revivalist preacher, philosopher and theologian Jonathan Edwards said, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” But take heart, dear sinner: By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). Jesus says that we must be born again "from above," a work of God made effective not by anything you or I could ever do, but only and exclusively through the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Thirdly, this transformation causes us to surrender everything to God. One cannot lose their salvation if they are truly born of the Spirit. The only litmus you or I are given to get an inclination of the soul of another is their fruit, by which we will know them. But turning our eyes inward, my dear friends, We must let go of our old ways of living- in unrepentant sin and sexual immorality, and recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in us.I admonish you as Paul admonished me, work out your salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). It is the Holy Spirit who transforms our hearts and minds to conform to the image of Christ.

Finally, the purpose of this rebirth is to bring us into relationship with God. In verse 16, Jesus says that God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God and become heirs of his kingdom.

Salvation is a spiritual rebirth that is only possible through God's grace and mercy. We must be transformed by the renewal of our minds, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect, ultimately bringing us into relationship with God. Nicodemus didn’t seem to get it. A lot of people don’t. Belief and cognitive biases, idolatry, money, family, career- people will worship many things before they are called to worship the Soverign God, creator of the Universe. However, he followed a path that perhaps many of us have walked, from sin to salvation. He began as a Sanhedrin in opposition to Jesus’ ministry. An enemy of the church. Then, the Spirit began a work in him and he honestly sought the truth with an open mind and heart, if Jesus was who people were saying that he was. In the beginning, Nicodemus would come at night, in the dark, afraid of the light. In the end, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Joseph of Arimathea as a lamp, as a believer, a member of the church. A Christian.

I ask you as we come to a close, are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling? Choose this day whom you will serve. Christ, the son of God, was born of a virgin, crucified, died, and buried. He rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the God the Father Almighty to make intercession for you, even now. Repent, and believe. Brothers and Sisters, if you believe there is a sin God cannot forgive, then you do not understand the depths of His mercy. Call on His name and you will be saved. Amen.

Respond to God

Prayers of Supplication

Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Following the Lord’s Prayer, we continue with the following responsive prayers.

Be exalted, O Lord, above the heavens;

Let your glory cover the earth.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

And grant us your salvation.

Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

And make your chosen people joyful.

Give peace in our time, O Lord;

For only in you can we live in safety.

Let your way be known on earth;

Your saving power among all nations.

Lord, keep our nation under your care;

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

And revive us by your Spirit.

After a season of guided prayer, we close by saying:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants, give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made.

We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life, but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Depart in Peace

Having answered the call to worship, confessed and received assurance of pardon, and having heard the Gospel, the Church is to depart and serve, loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, and their neighbor as themselves.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (ESV)

Benediction

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen