Exposing the World

Introduction

I think the most significant battle we will face as Christians is the constant temptation to assimilate back into the world.

If we took a poll of our church, I think we’d find that most believers here would say they know that they are supposed to live different from the world.

But I would argue that most of us are ignorant of just how powerful the world’s pull is on us

· We don’t realize how seductive it is—it woos us without our knowing

· We don’t want to admit how appealing it can be—we might even want to partake

· We don’t recognize the ways in which it has infiltrated our lives already

We shouldn’t be surprised by this, considering the warnings that Scripture gives us:

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. bIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world-- athe desires of the flesh and bthe desires of the eyes and pride of life1-- is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 Jn. 2:15 ESV)

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and athe whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 Jn. 5:19 ESV)

James 4:4 Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? bTherefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jas. 4:4 ESV)

Our relationship with the world is complicated:

· We were once part of the world (Eph 2:1-2)

· But we were saved out of the world

· Yet here we are, still in it yet not a part of it anymore

Jesus’ high priestly prayer spells out our relationship with the world:

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but athey are in the world, and bI am coming to you. cHoly Father, dkeep them in your name, ewhich you have given me, fthat they may be one, geven as we are one. 12 aWhile I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have bguarded them, and cnot one of them has been lost except dthe son of destruction, ethat the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now aI am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have bmy joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 aI have given them your word, and bthe world has hated them cbecause they are not of the world, djust as I am not of the world. 15 I ado not ask that you btake them out of the world, but that you ckeep them from dthe evil one.1 16 aThey are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 aSanctify them1 in the truth; byour word is truth. 18 aAs you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And afor their sake bI consecrate myself,1 that they also cmay be sanctified2 in truth. (Jn. 17:11 ESV)

It should sober us to read those words

· We don’t belong to the world

· Yet we still remain in the world

· The world hates us

· The world is dangerous enough to our faith that Jesus would ask God the Father to protect us from it

The reason Christians fall prey to the seductions of the world is because they fail to recognize its power, it’s appeal, and its presence.

We need to regain a proper perspective on the world—we need to recognize it for what it is

John 3:1-21 does that. In this interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, we see the world exposed for what it really is.

Context: The point of this passage is to illustrate with a real life example what John told us at the beginning of his gospel:

John 1:9 aThe true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet athe world did not know him. 11 He came to ahis own,1 and bhis own people2 cdid not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, awho believed in his name, bhe gave the right cto become dchildren of God, 13who awere born, bnot of blood cnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn. 1:9 ESV)

All the key terms of this passage show up in the narrative we’re looking at:

· Light

· Darkness

· Flesh

· Receive

· Believe

· To be born

This passage is all about conflict:

· Conflict between light and darkness

· Conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities

· Conflict between God and the world

Proposition: This passage uncovers five truths about the world that we need to remember so that we can regain a proper perspective as Christians who are in the world but no longer belong to it.

1. It rejects God’s authority (vv. 1-2)

Nicodemus’ interaction with Jesus is perhaps not as innocent as we may assume it is

· A number of clues give this away:

· His introduction:

o Pharisee – part of a conservative religious political party

o Nicodemus – “conqueror of the people” – perhaps from a well-known family

o Ruler – part of Israel’s ruling aristocracy

o Perfect representative of the Jews

· His timing – night is part of the light/darkness theme throughout John

· His statement – seems innocent

o 2:25– Jesus knew what was in man – Jesus saw right through the flattery

John has established the setting of a semi-private challenge – for honor and authority

· Deut 18 – God promised to raise up a prophet like Moses

· Nicodemus connects Jesus’s teaching ministry with this passage

· But he doesn’t believe it because it challenges his own authority as a Pharisee and as a ruler of the Jews

The world does not accept God’s authority—it rejects it.

Psalm 2:1 aWhy do bthe nations rage1 and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his aAnointed, saying, 3 "Let us aburst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." (Ps. 2:1 ESV)

The great challenge that we as believers in the world face is to maintain allegiance to God as the one who has authority over us.

· The world has set itself up as God’s judge

· The world has established for itself a position of power and authority

· The world demands that we conform to its standards—that we accept its values

One of the keys to remaining distinct from the world is to remember that the world is not neutral towards God.

2. It is ignorant of its own spiritual condition (vv. 3-5)

Jesus’ response to the challenge uncovers another truth about the world

· “Kingdom of God” – only here in John’s gospel

· Only way to see it = “born again”

· Intentional ambiguity

o Time - “again” – “a second time”

o Space - “from above”

· Nicodemus understands the first option - thus the confusion, “how can this be?”

· Jesus amplifies this in v. 5

o “born of water and spirit”

o Draws upon a wealth of OT theology

Isaiah 44:1 "But now hear, aO Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! 2 Thus says the LORD who made you, awho formed you from the womband will help you: bFear not, O Jacob my servant, cJeshurun whom I have chosen. 3 aFor I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spiritupon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They shall spring up among the grass alike willows by flowing streams. 5 aThis one will say, 'I am the LORD's,' another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel." (Isa. 44:1 ESV)

Ezekiel 36:24 aI will take you bfrom the nations and gather you from all the countries and cbring you into your own land. 25 aI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from ball your uncleannesses, and cfrom all your idols dI will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you aa new heart, and aa new spiritI will put within you. aAnd I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 aAnd I will put my Spirit within you, zand cause you to walk in my statutes and cbe careful to obey my rules.1 28 (Ezek. 36:24 ESV)

· Water and the Spirit are intricately connected with the cleansing and spiritual renewal that God promised long ago

· It explains what Jesus means by “from above”—this is something God must do

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, awho believed in his name, bhe gave the right cto become dchildren of God, 13 who awere born, bnot of blood cnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn. 1:12 ESV)

· Seeing the kingdom happens only through birth from above—a birth that is supernatural

The world doesn’t understand this—the world doesn’t see its own problem

· The world will entice us to be distracted to solve all sorts of problems

o Our problems are because of poverty

o Our problems are because of oppression

o Our problems are because of racial inequality

o Our problems are because of the wealthy privileged

· Those aren’t the real problem—the real problem is sin and the world refuses to admit it

· Part of the way the church becomes worldly is when it begins to focus on these things to the exclusion of the gospel

· The world on its own is not spiritually capable of inheriting the kingdom of God

1 Corinthians 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: aflesh and blood bcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Cor. 15:50 ESV)

If we want to remain distinct from the world, we have to remember that the world does not know what the real problem is and so it will never have the right solution.

3. It does not recognize its own limitations (vv. 6-8)

Principle = like produces like

· All that the flesh in its weakness can produce is more weakness—more flesh

· Flesh can never produce anything spiritual—it is incapable

· Jesus illustrates that point with an analogy of the wind

o Wind is autonomous – the blows where it wishes

o It’s evidence is evident – “you hear its sound”

o It can’t be controlled or predicted – “do not know where it comes from/going”

· The Holy Spirit is the only one who can produce this new birth

What Jesus is uncovering is the powerlessness of the world

ILLUSTRATION: Recent hype over research into reversing aging genes—the world is trying to stop aging and stop death:

Scientific American: The study adds weight to the scientific argument that aging is largely a process of so-called epigenetic changes, alterations that make genes more active or less so. Over the course of life cell-activity regulators get added to or removed from genes. In humans those changes can be caused by smoking, pollution or other environmental factors—which dial the genes’ activities up or down. As these changes accumulate, our muscles weaken, our minds slow down and we become more vulnerable to diseases.

The new study suggests the possibility of reversing at least some of these changes, a process researchers think they may eventually get to work in living humans. “Aging is something plastic that we can manipulate.”

This just illustrates the world’s quest to solve the problem of life and death on its own—in the flesh.

It does not recognize its own limitations—that it cannot snap the chasm between the physical and the spiritual.

If we’re not careful, the we can become wooed by the hopes and aspirations of the world that promises that if we just apply ourselves more fully, we can solve our problems—problems like death.

Eternal life is reduced to a matter of biology—because that’s all that the world knows.

4. It does not comprehend spiritual things (vv. 9-15)

Nicodemus reveals his own ignorance – “how can these things be?”

Jesus indicts him—you should know these things if you are “the teacher of Israel” as you claim to be

If he doesn’t understand, how can the people whom he should be teaching?

The reason he doesn’t understand is because of his spiritual condition:

1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are afolly to him, and bhe is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14 ESV)

There is a chasm between earthly things and heavenly things that is bridged by one person—Jesus Christ—the one who came down from heaven and became flesh.

Jesus is the one who bridges heaven and earth, and that’s why Jesus centers on the gospel

Numbers 21 – the serpent provided deliverance for Israel

That act anticipated what Jesus would do for the world—offer eternal life for all who believe

But it happens when the Son of Man is lifted up—death on a cross

The cross is the perennial stumbling block to the world

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is afolly to bthose who are perishing, but to us cwho are being saved it is dthe power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV)

That’s why the temptation will always be there for us to lessen the cross, to change the message, the make the gospel more palatable so people will accept it.

That, once again, is the seduction of the world. The world won’t accept the gospel unless it can do so without being indicted by it.

That’s because…

5. It does not understand God’s love (vv. 16-21)

What the world doesn’t understand is that the gospel represents the love of God for the world.

When the world hears the gospel, it only recognizes hate and condemnation.

But what Jesus reveals is that the motivator for his coming was God’s love for the world, not his hatred.

1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that aGod sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, anot that we have loved God zbut that he loved us and sent his Son to be cthe propitiation for our sins. (1 Jn. 4:9 ESV)

1 John 4:14 And awe have seen and testify that bthe Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of cthe world. (1 Jn. 4:14 ESV)

The reason the world recoils at the gospel is because it exposes it for what it is—evil (v. 19-20)

Conclusion

Now, all this seems pretty dour and depressing.

And that’s true:

- The world does rejects God’s authority

- It is ignorant of its own spiritual condition

- It doesn’t recognize its own limitations

- It doesn’t comprehend spiritual things

- It doesn’t understand God’s love

And if that were all, then that would be a pretty depressing conclusion.

But the story doesn’t end there.

John 19:38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly bfor fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 aNicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus1 by night, came bbringing a mixture of cmyrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds2 in weight. (Jn. 19:38 ESV)

At some point during Jesus’ ministry, something changed for Nicodemus

The wind blew!

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that ain me you may have peace. bIn the world you will have ctribulation. But dtake heart; eI have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33 ESV)

None of these things is a barrier for Christ.

Listen to what Jesus says about us:

1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-- bour faith. (1 Jn. 5:4 ESV)

You want to have a lasting impact as God’s people in this world?

- Keep your eyes open—don’t be seduced by the world

- Live out your faith—display Christ’s love to each other (John 13:35)

- Be bold—you never know when the wind will blow