Religious—or Made New?

Text: John 3:1–21 Series: Learning Evangelism from Jesus Big Idea: Jesus came to give us new life that religious effort cannot produce.

John 3:1–21 ESV

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 are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, 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 the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the 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 goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 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. If I have 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 must the Son of Man 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. 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. 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. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 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.”

Prayer of Illumination

Father, as we open Your Word, open our hearts to Your truth. Holy Spirit, help us understand what Jesus means when He calls us to be born again. Show us where we need to trust You, and give us courage to respond in faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Introduction — When Being Religious Isn’t Enough

[Hold up a birth certificate.]

▸ What did you do to earn this? Fill out an application? Pass a test?

▸ Nothing! You received life before you could accomplish anything. Then you began learning and growing.

▸ Keep that in mind as we meet Nicodemus. He is religious, respected, and knowledgeable about Scripture. He even recognizes that Jesus has come from God. He is not someone we would expect to need a conversation about salvation.

▸ Yet Jesus tells him he must be born again. Nicodemus could not earn spiritual life through religious accomplishments. He needed life that only God could give. And his encounter with Jesus challenges us to examine where we are placing our own trust.

1. Religion Cannot Give Us New Life ( vv.1-3)

▸ Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and addresses Him as Rabbi. He acknowledges that the signs Jesus performs show that God is with Him.

▸ But Jesus moves immediately to his deepest need: unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

▸ That must have been startling for a man who had devoted his life to religion. His knowledge, position, and reputation could not give him the spiritual life he needed.

▸ You can know about God without experiencing the life only God can give.

That makes this passage especially challenging for church people.

Attending church, knowing Scripture, serving, giving, and trying to do good are valuable. But none of those things can take the place of trusting Christ.

Imagine standing before God someday and being asked, “Why should I let you into heaven?” We might point to our accomplishments: “I was a good person. I went to church. I helped others.”

But our hope rests in Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again. We come trusting Him, rather than presenting a record of what we have done.

▸ We can be close to religion and still need new life. So the question reaches deeper than “Am I a good person?” We need to ask, “Have I been born again?”

Nicodemus hears that invitation, but he does not yet understand what Jesus means.

2. New Life Is the Work of the Spirit (vv. 4-8)

▸ Nicodemus asks how someone can be born when he is old. Can he enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time?

He is thinking about physical birth. Jesus is speaking about spiritual birth—a work of God’s Spirit.

Jesus explains that flesh gives birth to flesh, and the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Our human efforts cannot produce the life that comes from God.

▸ The word we use to explain this is regeneration.

It means God gives us new spiritual life. He forgives our sins and changes us from within, giving us a new heart and a new desire to follow Him. It is what Jesus calls being born again.

▸ When Jesus speaks of being born of water and the Spirit, the emphasis is on the new birth God brings about.

Baptism publicly testifies to our faith in Christ and the new life He gives. Going beneath the water and rising again pictures sharing in His death and resurrection.

But the outward act points to an inward work that only God’s Spirit can accomplish.

▸ We can’t have a new spiritual life in Christ without the Spirit. He is God with us and in us and gives us our spiritual breath and heartbeat.

Jesus also compares the Spirit’s work to the wind.

We cannot see the wind itself or control where it blows, but we can recognize its effects. In the same way, we cannot manufacture new birth, but God’s work becomes evident in our lives.

That work reaches beneath the surface. Something my pastor told me years ago helped me understand the difference between covering a problem and addressing its source.

When I attended the Nazarene church in Pennsylvania, I talked with my pastor about a possible third back surgery for pinched nerves and herniated discs. He told me something that stayed with me: we can keep putting a Band-Aid over a problem without dealing with what is underneath.

Medications and injections can provide needed relief, but easing the pain and addressing its source aren’t always the same thing.

Spiritually, we can stay busy, put on a smile, or try harder to be good while leaving the root problem untouched. Jesus shows Nicodemus that more religious effort cannot meet his deepest need. He must be born again.

We need to rip off the Band-Aid—to stop hiding behind temporary fixes and bring our sin into Christ’s light.

Jesus offers more than temporary relief. He reaches beneath the surface to do the work we cannot do for ourselves, giving us new life and beginning a lasting work of healing and wholeness from within.

▸ And receiving that new life is the beginning of our growth.

Just as a newborn is meant to grow, we are meant to grow in the new life God gives us. The Lord doesn’t want us to remain spiritual infants forever. By His Spirit, He calls us to turn away from sin, follow His lead, and deepen our faith. As we walk with Him, we learn to trust Him more fully and surrender every part of our lives to Him.

▸ But how do we receive this new life in the first place? Jesus answers by pointing Nicodemus to Himself.

3. New Life Comes Through Jesus (vv.9-21)

▸ Nicodemus asks, “How can these things be?”

Jesus explains that He speaks with the authority of the One who came from heaven. Then He points Nicodemus to a familiar event from Scripture: Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the wilderness.

The people had sinned and were dying from snakebites. God provided a way for them to live: those who looked at the bronze serpent were spared.

▸ Jesus says that the Son of Man must also be lifted up, so that those who believe in Him may have eternal life.

He is pointing toward His death on the cross—the provision God makes for our salvation. Jesus would be suspended between heaven and earth so that we could look and live.

▸ This is why the cross is at the center of this sanctuary. It is more than a symbol, and its placement here is intentional.

It should also be at the center of our hearts and everything we do. We should look to what Christ accomplished on the cross for everything we need in this life, because His sacrifice is the bridge from this life to our heavenly home.

▸ That leads us to John 3:16

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

▸ Notice where salvation begins: with God’s love. He gave His Son because we needed rescue. Verse 17 tells us that God sent Jesus to save the world through Him.

John 3:17 ESV

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.

▸ We receive salvation by trusting what God has done for us through Jesus.

Today we often hear the idea that sincerity and good intentions will bring everyone to the same destination. Oprah Winfrey has expressed that belief in speaking about many paths to God.

But Jesus directs our faith to the Son God gave. John 3:16 makes the invitation wonderfully wide: whoever believes in Him can receive eternal life. Anyone can come, and Jesus is the One who saves us.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

▸ Verses 18–21 show that our response matters. Jesus speaks about belief and unbelief, light and darkness. People may resist the light because they do not want their deeds exposed.

▸ That brings this conversation close to home. Will we keep hiding, or will we bring our lives into Christ’s light? We can come honestly, confess our sin, and trust the Savior God sent for us.

Learning Evangelism from Jesus

▸ This encounter teaches us how to share the gospel with others.

Don’t assume religious people understand the gospel. Knowing Christian language or attending church does not mean someone understands the new birth. Someone can know about Christ without knowing Him as Savior and Lord.

Speak honestly and lovingly about spiritual need. Jesus took Nicodemus seriously enough to tell him the truth.

Depend on the Holy Spirit. We can explain the gospel and invite a response, but God gives new life.

Bring the conversation to Jesus. Help people understand who He is, what He has done, and what it means to trust Him.

Takeaway for the Week: You cannot earn new life; you can only receive it through Jesus.

Conclusion — Receive the Life Jesus Gives

▸ Nicodemus began this conversation by acknowledging who Jesus was. Jesus invited him to receive something he did not yet have: new life.

▸ That invitation reaches us today. We may respect Jesus, admire His teaching, and participate in church. But He calls us to believe in Him and entrust our lives to Him.

What are you depending on today? Your goodness? Your knowledge? Your years in church? Or Jesus Christ?

You do not have to hide what is underneath. Bring your sin and need into His light. Turn from your sin, trust in Him, and receive the life only He can give.

▸ If you are ready to take that step, you can come to the altar, and I would be glad to pray with you. You can also respond to Him right where you are.

▸ The words of a prayer do not save us; Jesus does. But if this prayer expresses your heart, make it your own and repeat it after me:

“Lord Jesus, I need You. I confess that I have sinned, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose again. I turn from my sin and place my trust in You as my Savior and Lord. Give me new life through Your Spirit, and teach me to follow You. I surrender my life to You. Amen.”

▸ If you prayed that prayer today and placed your trust in Jesus, please let me know. Find me after the service, or contact me. My information is in the bulletin and on the website. I would love to help you begin growing in your new life with Christ. If you still have questions, I would be glad to talk with you, too.

▸ If you have already received that life, keep walking in His light. Let the Spirit shape your choices, and ask God to help you share this hope with someone who needs it.

Prayer Following Sermon

Father, thank You for the new life You give through Jesus. Help us trust You fully, surrender what we have been hiding, and walk in Your light. Holy Spirit, deepen our faith and help us share Your love with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.