From above

PRAY…

Today, I want to start with a few quotes from Shakespeare. Specifically, from the play Hamlet.

To be, or not to be, that is the question.

This above all: to thine own self be true.

The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.

What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel!

And, perhaps the most famous quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.

But, wait, that last one is not correct. That line is one of the most misquoted lines ever. The actual quote is, Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him, Horatio. You can look up the line in the play to verify what I am saying.

Now, why would I start a sermon with an intentional misquote? Today, we are going to look at a story that is probably very familiar to you. It is one that I know I studied many times as child. But I want us to take a fresh look at this story. I don’t want us to lean on what we think we know about this story. I want us to take a fresh look at the Bible, the source book. Just like the persistent misquoting of that line from Hamlet may have led us to believe the line was actually in the play, sometimes we allow our previous learning on a Biblical passage over-rule what the text actually says.

With that short introduction, please turn in your Bibles to the 3rd chapter of the Gospel according to John. As you are turning, I’ll remind you of the context of the book. We call this the Gospel according to John because it is a first-person account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There are 4 Gospels in our Bible. The 1st 3 of those Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are usually referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. They provide a chronological account of Jesus. The tell the story of Jesus in the order that the events happened on earth. John, however, has no such intention. He makes no pretense about it. From the very beginning of the Gospel, John proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God. And then, near the end of the Gospel, John tells us why he wrote the whole thing.

John 20:30–31 ESV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Do you see? The whole point of this Gospel is for you to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing you might have life in Him. So, with that backdrop, I’ll remind you of the end of chapter 2. Jesus has purged the temple and then redefined the focus of worship from the temple to Himself. But John tells us that He knew the hearts of men and didn’t fully reveal Himself to them yet. We know that the full revelation of Christ comes after God raises Him from the dead. Yet, because of the miracles Jesus is performing and because of that temple cleansing, we find a leader of the Jews coming to inquire further of Jesus.

Do you see? The whole point of this Gospel is for you to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing you might have life in Him. So, with that backdrop, I’ll remind you of the end of chapter 2. Jesus has purged the temple and then redefined the focus of worship from the temple to Himself. But John tells us that He knew the hearts of men and didn’t fully reveal Himself to them yet. We know that the full revelation of Christ comes after God raises Him from the dead. Yet, because of the miracles Jesus is performing and because of that temple cleansing, we find a leader of the Jews coming to inquire further of Jesus.

John 3:1–2 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.”

1.1. Nicodemus comes to Jesus. He is trying to reconcile what he knows of Scripture with what Jesus is doing. Nicodemus recognizes something about Jesus is special because Nicodemus calls Jesus, “Rabbi.” This is a term of great respect. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, so he is supposed to be the teacher, yet he recognizes that Jesus also deserves the title. Then Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is doing things that only someone sent from God can do.

1.1. Nicodemus comes to Jesus. He is trying to reconcile what he knows of Scripture with what Jesus is doing. Nicodemus recognizes something about Jesus is special because Nicodemus calls Jesus, “Rabbi.” This is a term of great respect. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, so he is supposed to be the teacher, yet he recognizes that Jesus also deserves the title. Then Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is doing things that only someone sent from God can do.

1.2. Now, this is a spot where we might need to put our preconceptions on hold. There is nothing in this text that says Nicodemus came at night because he was ashamed or somehow embarrassed to talk to Jesus. There just isn’t anything here to confirm that. It could be that Nicodemus had many appointments during the day. Or that, during the day, Jesus had too many people gathered around Him for a deep conversation to happen. There are plenty of plausible explanations for why Nicodemus came at night. The problem is, when we focus on small details like that, we miss the point of the story.

1.3. So, what John has told us so far is that Nicodemus was a Pharisee. That he came at night and called Jesus, Rabbi. And Nicodemus acknowledged that only someone sent from God could do the things Jesus was doing. So we see a teacher of the Jews wrestling with what he knows of Scripture and what is happening in his world.

John 3:3 ESV

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus answers

2.1. Jesus’ answer is similar to the riddle we saw last week. Back in 2:19, Jesus answered the question about what He was doing by saying, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it. John tells us that Jesus was talking about His own body. In a very similar way, Jesus answers Nicodemus’ question with a bit of a riddle.

similar to the riddle we saw last week. Back in 2:19, Jesus answered the question about what He was doing by saying, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it. John tells us that Jesus was talking about His own body. In a very similar way, Jesus answers Nicodemus’ question with a bit of a riddle.

2.2. Here, again, is a place where we need to put our preconceptions on hold for a moment. Those of us who have been Christians for a few years have called ourselves born-again Christians. It is a term that is meaningful. It separates us from those who would continue to embrace sin and call themselves Christian. But the word translated “again” here could also be translated “from above”. It could go either way. We will see how Nicodemus interpreted the word. And in a few more verses, we will see why it is important that the word could be translated either way.

John 3:4 ESV

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?”

Born again?

3.1. Nicodemus interpreted what Jesus said in terms of physical birth. And IF Jesus was talking about birth like that, Nicodemus’ question makes perfect sense. Can a full grown man really crawl back into a woman’s womb and then re-emerge? The answer, of course, is no way! What Nicodemus heard was Jesus say, You must be born again. Now listen to how Jesus answers the silly question.

3.1. Nicodemus interpreted what Jesus said in terms of physical birth. And IF Jesus was talking about birth like that, Nicodemus’ question makes perfect sense. Can a full grown man really crawl back into a woman’s womb and then re-emerge? The answer, of course, is no way! What Nicodemus heard was Jesus say, You must be born again. Now listen to how Jesus answers the silly question.

John 3:5–8 ESV

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.”

Born Above

4.1. Jesus talks about being born of water and Spirit. He talks about entering the kingdom of God. He talks about flesh being fleshy and spirit being spiritual. There are contrasts in these verses, however, being born of water and Spirit is not a contrast. I really don’t think Jesus is talking about physical birth here. I also don’t believe Jesus is talking about baptism.

4.2. The grammatical structure here puts water and spirit as a compound object. I don’t want to get too technical, but the grammar makes water and Spirit to be referencing the same thing. Now, if back in verse 3, Jesus meant one had to be born from above, then this explanation begins to make more sense. You see, the birth from above falls like rain (water from the sky) and is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Jesus is calling attention to a radical birth. A birth that comes from heaven. A birth that is accompanied with the Spirit. And it is that birth that permits entry to the kingdom of God.

4.3. And, then, to kind of confirm this interpretation of verse 5, Jesus says, That which is born of flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. They are too very different things. They are so different Paul gave us lists of attributes in Galatians chapter 5. There are the deeds of the flesh contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit. Those who are in the kingdom of God have been born of the Spirit. They are different.

4.4. Then Jesus tells Nicodemus to really think about what He is saying. And I am asking you to do the same. Think hard about what it means to be born of the Spirit. Don’t be surprised that it requires a radical change to be part of the kingdom of God. That change comes down from heaven like rain and is accompanied by the Spirit. Rather than be surprised by this, Jesus reminds us that we can see the effects of the wind, but not the wind. We know when the wind is blowing, but we don’t know where it comes from. And we don’t know where it goes. It is like Jesus changes analogies from rain to wind. Both are common. We can’t disagree. We don’t know where the wind comes from nor where it goes, but we can hear it. It does what it does.

4.5. And that is exactly how the Spirit of God works. He comes and does the work. Rather than try to explain everything there is to know about the Holy Spirit’s work, we should simply pay attention to His effect on lives. Jesus tells us that we will know them by their fruit. We will know someone is born from above by the fruit of the Spirit in their life. It is not difficult to hear the wind. It is not difficult to feel the breeze in your face. It is not difficult for most of us to see the wind’s effect on branches and leaves. And, I believe, Jesus is saying we should be able to see the effect of the Spirit in someone’s life. I don’t believe we even have to squint to see it.

We will look at the rest of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus next week.

Matthew 7:16 ESV

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

But I want to make some very timely application to what we have looked at so far. I’m talking about the horrific mess that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. Friends, some of those screaming hatred based on race claim to be Christian. But hear me clear, if we can plainly see or feel or discern the Spirit in lives where He is working, these people are NOT born of the Spirit. They are not born from above. They do not know the Savior. Their message is exactly opposite the message of Jesus. I cannot overstate just how fleshy this mess is.

But I want to make some very timely application to what we have looked at so far. I’m talking about the horrific mess that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. Friends, some of those screaming hatred based on race claim to be Christian. But hear me clear, if we can plainly see or feel or discern the Spirit in lives where He is working, these people are NOT born of the Spirit. They are not born from above. They do not know the Savior. Their message is exactly opposite the message of Jesus. I cannot overstate just how fleshy this mess is.

Before He ascended to back to heaven, Jesus told the disciples to make disciples of ALL nations. The Gospel does not know any skin color. Jesus is no respecter of persons. Jesus saves with grace. To imply that one human being is less than another for any reason is to undermine the very salvation we enjoy. There is nothing Christian about hatred. Do you see the point I am making here? We cannot condone these actions. Now, I don’t want to make the mistake of going too far. These hate-filled bigots need Jesus. We need to pray that God will save them. Since there is no fruit from above in their lives, we can be reasonably certain they are lost. Which means as long as they draw breath on this planet, God can save them. But if they die in their sin, we also know they are doomed to eternal torment.

Therefore, I firmly believe the response from above to this kind of thing is to plead to God for the souls of those who are so deceived. We should pray that God will show them His mercy and grant them His grace. Oh, my dear friends, this is the hardest prayer I have ever prayed! I see the hatred and I want to hate back. I want to plead with God to send them to hell immediately! Is that not the ultimate expression of hatred? And that does not come from above. So, I must take captive those thoughts. I must pray for those that are advocating for a position that sickens me. Oh heavenly Father! We need you! They need you!

As I talked about being born from above, are you certain you are born from above? Do you know for sure?

- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.