You Must be Born Again

The Man who Initiated the Meeting

Who was this Nicodemus? Well to begin with, his very name meant "victory over the people” and by most people’s standards, it would seem as though he had obtained this stature. To start...

He was a Rich Man

Nicodemus was a very wealthy man. The Bible doesn’t tell us how he amassed his fortune but if you skip over to...

John 19:39 — And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

It has been said that this amount of myrrh and aloes could have cost upwards of one hundred thousand dollars and possibly even in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Only a very wealthy person would have been able to afford this amount of these costly ointments.

Rabbinical tradition holds that Nicodemus was one of the three richest men in Israel at this time.

Nicodemus wasn’t only a Rich Man but he was also a Respectable Man.

He was a Respectable Man

Ruler of the Jews – What it means here by referring to Nicodemus as a Ruler of the Jews is that he was a member of the Sanhedrin Council. The Sanhedrin Council was the 70-member supreme court of the Jewish people. It would be like taking our Senate and combining it with the Supreme Court of our day and time. This group had religious jurisdiction over every Jew in the world and dealt with anyone suspected of being a false prophet.

And not only was he a Ruler of the Jews but Jesus refers to him here in Verse 10 as a “Master of Israel”.

Master of Israel – The word translated "Master" here means teacher. Nicodemus was a teacher by profession, and not just any teacher but a very esteemed teacher as the word "a" before "Master" is in the Greek a definite article which emphasizes the excellence of Nicodemus as a teacher and says he was considered by Israel as one of their greatest teachers.

Here was a man who when he walked down the street in his robe and phylacteries people moved to the side and got out of his way. Here was a man who when he spoke, people listened, when he taught, people clung on to his every word, and no one would ever dare question a thing Nicodemus said for he was a Respectable Man.

Not only was Nicodemus a Rich Man and a Respectable Man, but he was also a very Religious Man.

He was a Religious Man

The Bible tells us here that Nicodemus was a Pharisee. The term “Pharisee” means first and foremost a “separated one.” The Pharisees were a sect of men who separated themselves from all ordinary life in order to keep every detail of the Law and the extra rules and regulations that were written by the scribes. Their zeal to obey God’s law was second to none!

Judaism teaches that the Old Testament has 613 commandments—248 do’s and 365 don’ts and these Pharisees, a religious group of around six thousand men who were known as “chaburah” or “the brotherhood”, were committed to obeying every single one of these commands. When one became a Pharisee, he pledged in front of three witnesses to uphold every detail of the law for the rest of his life!

You would have been hard pressed to find a more Religious Man in Israel than Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a Rich Man, a Respectable Man and a Religious Man.

He had anything and everything a person could want; power, prestige, preeminence and prosperity but there was something about this man named Jesus that his prosperity couldn’t buy, his prestige couldn’t afford, his preeminence couldn’t provide and so he comes to him to find out what it is!

Notice what happens next!

The Details of the Meeting — (Vs. 2a)

King James Version Chapter 3

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,

Now, I want to pause here for just a moment and bring something to the forefront of your minds.

The Bible says, that Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night.” Now there are many theories as to why he came at night.

He didn’t want people to see the great teacher of Israel being taught by someone much his younger.

He feared what might happen to his position, power if the Sanhedrin or High Priest found out he was talking with one whom they considered a blasphemer.

He could have simply been coming at night because being a great teacher in Israel he was a busy man and this was the only time he could get away to meet with Jesus.

Maybe in his mind this was the most opportune time for them to get together without any distractions.

The real reason behind his coming at night we will probably never know on this side of eternity but there is one thing we can know that I want to point out to you this morning....He came to Jesus!

Dear friend, if you find yourself in a situation where God is dealing with your heart, do as Nicodemus did and just simply come to Jesus!

It doesn’t matter if it’s at night time, morning time, while you’re driving down the road or standing on the assembly line at work; if and when God begins to deal with your heart just come to Jesus and He will give you all the answers you need!

Don’t get the idea that you have to come to this altar to be saved! This altar cannot save you! It’s just simply a place for you to come and get one on one with God!

The main thing to make sure you get right is to come when He calls!

Now that we’ve looked at the details of the meeting, next let’s look at the motive behind the meeting.

The Mistake in the Meeting — (Vs. 2b)

King James Version Chapter 3

Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God

Nicodemus begins by calling our Lord Rabbi which in the Greek means “teacher” but which is borrowed from the Hebrew word meaning “master or Lord” which I found to be very humbling. The great teacher of Israel has come to be taught by the “Master!”

But Nicodemus makes a grave mistake, one that many others throughout history have made, when referring to our Lord. He says, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God.”

You see, Nicodemus as of yet did not believe that Jesus was God but rather just a teacher who came from God!

Many people all across this world today and down through the ages have made and still make the same mistake! They believe Jesus was a great teacher, a great prophet, a great man! They will even admit that there are plenty of testimonies attesting to the miracles He performed but they won’t give in to the fact that the reason He was able to prophesy, the reason He was able to perform miracles, the reason He was the only “good man” to ever walk this earth was because He was God in the flesh!

Dear friend, your must make Jesus Lord or be lost for all eternity! He’s not

The Motive behind the Meeting — (Vs. 2c)

King James Version Chapter 3

for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Now, we come to the crux of the meeting! Nicodemus is essentially saying, “who are you? For we know that no man can do the miracles that you do unless God be with him!”

He had been hearing of the mighty miracles which Jesus had performed and undoubtedly even slipped out a time or two to see Him perform them. And this was something even the greatest in Israel could not do!

No amount of prosperity, power or prestige could do what Jesus had been doing so he had to find out where these powers came from!

Little did Nicodemus know, that God wasn’t only with Jesus but that Jesus was the one and only Son of God and therefore, God himself!

Nicodemus was sitting in the very presence of God!

Now let’s look at the Message of the Meeting.

The Message of the Meeting — (Vs.3)

Verily, Verily — “of a truth or truly”

Truly Nicodemus, I say unto you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God!

What does "born again" mean?

This phrase carries three meanings. It comes from the Greek word anothen {an'-o-then}.

1. It means "from the beginning, completely or radically."

2. It also means "again for the second time."

3. It means "from above, from God."

To be born again means that when a person puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, a complete and radical change from above takes place in that person’s life! They become a new creature in Christ Jesus and their life is now hid with Him!

They are born again from above!

1 John 5:1 — Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 — Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Titus 3:5 — Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

1 Peter 1:23 — Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

James 1:18 — Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1 John 5:18 — We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Oh dear friend the best part of being born again is right there at the end of 1st John 5:18…and that wicked one toucheth him not!

Praise God when a man, woman, boy or girl becomes born again from above that old devil has no more control over you amen! He may tempt you, he may test you, he may even trip you up but praise be to God he has no more dominion over you!

You are free by the blood of Jesus Christ and if the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed! You are no longer a slave to sin and Satan but a bondslave to Christ! You are now dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Your life takes on a new meaning, your walk takes on a new purpose, your desires take on new passions! That my friend is what it means to be born again from above!

And then notice what Jesus says to Nicodemus about this new birth!

He didn’t say, “you might not or may not see the kingdom of God without it” he said, “you cannot and will not see the Kingdom of God unless you’ve been born again!”

Now, here is Nicodemus, a man who thought he had everything figured out, a man who has spent his entire life following these 613 laws and making sure he looked good while doing it and here comes Jesus and just flips his theology upside down!

He is essentially telling Nicodemus here, take everything you’ve ever known about how to get to heaven and forget about it because it’s wrong!

Can you imagine Nicodemus reaction?

Nicodemus had been raised to believe as long as you were a Jew and weren’t blasphemous or exceedingly wicked and tried to follow the law, then you were guaranteed a spot in Heaven and Jesus comes along with a sledgehammer here and just crushes everything Nicodemus has ever stood on!

In His famous Sermon on the Mount Jesus even went as far as to say...

Matthew 5:20 — For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Nicodemus, your credentials aren’t good enough! Yes, you have money. Yes, you have fame. Yes, you have power. Yes, you have religion. But none of these things will get you into Heaven!

IF YOU INTEND TO MAKE IT, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN FROM ABOVE!

It’s not a work that you can do Nicodemus! This is a work that is reserved for God!

Everything that poor Nicodemus stood on was taken from him in this very moment. He had spent his entire life trying to follow the law, live right, and do the right things thinking this would gain him entrance into Heaven but now he is told that it’s not good enough!

He’s stunned. He can’t believe what he’s hearing. He doesn’t understand what Jesus is telling him must take place. This is evident in his response. Look at Verse 4 as we move into the Mystery of the Meeting.

The Mystery of the Meeting — (Vs. 4-8)

Vs. 4

With a little contempt in his voice he says to Jesus… “how is this possible? How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb?”

His entire life, Nicodemus had been worried about the physical things thus his same thought process continues and he doesn’t understand how a man can physically be born again.

Can I just say to you this morning friend, no one fully understands or comprehends how the regeneration process works. It’s a supernatural work that is initiated in a supernatural realm by our supernatural God!

How do you explain when one child receives the call of God upon their life at a very early age while others may be teenagers or adults or even possibly in the later stages of one’s life.

But just because we don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t true!

I don’t fully understand electricity but just because I don’t understand it, doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit in the dark. I also don’t understand how a brown cow can eat green grass and give yellow butter and white milk either but I don’t allow my shortage of understanding to keep me from drinking milk and having a bowl of ice cream!

Listen, we’re not supposed to understand all the ways of God. If we could, what kind of God would He be?

Maybe you’re like Nicodemus here and you’re struggling with understanding how the process of being born again works. Listen, don’t let your lack of understanding cause you to miss salvation altogether!

Jesus said if you want to see the kingdom of God you must be born again. Trust in His finished work and trust that God will take care of the rest.

Now, look at how Jesus responds to Nicodemus question in...

Vs. 5

Alan Carr - When Jesus says “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”, He is talking about physical birth and spiritual birth. He is telling us that for a man to get to heaven he must have two birthdays. There must be a day when he was born into the kingdom of men and a day when he is born into the kingdom of God!

Vs. 6

Jesus then explains the regeneration process to Nicodemus and says, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

As I was studying for this message, I came upon a very interesting thought and after doing some digging proved my thought true.

Jesus makes it plain here that these are two totally different births, right? Well when you do some studying of the anatomy you will find that when a baby is formed, it forms from the outside in. As the cells of the newly formed baby begin to merge, it’s outer frame and skin are formed first and then it begins to form it’s internal organs.

And as I began to think upon this, I couldn’t help but to think of how differently the spiritual birth works. God’s work starts on the inside and works its way out, doesn’t it?

Ezekiel 36:25-28 — 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

God takes the old stony heart out and replaces it with a heart of flesh and if that weren’t enough, He places His Spirit within us to lead us, guide us, direct us, and teach us!

That’s what it means to be born of the Spirit!

Vs. 8

Jesus gives Nicodemus an illustration here of how being born again works. He says, “you can’t tell where it’s coming from or where it’s going” but there’s one thing you need to know this morning friend, you may not be able to tell where it came from or where it’s going next but praise be to God, you’ll know when the Spirit’s been there, Amen!

I remember a few years back we had some tornadoes come through Watertown when we were still living down there and I drove down a road near our house and I couldn’t tell where the tornado came from or where it went but I could tell it had been there because of the impact it had left behind and the same is true when the Holy Spirit comes into one’s life!

There is a change that takes place in that person’s life that is evident and undeniable and dear friend can I tell you this morning if you are sitting here and claim to be saved but there hasn’t been a change take place in your life, there isn’t a desire to live differently than you used to, there isn’t a desire to draw closer to the one who bled and died for you, then chances are, you’re in need of being born again!

The story is told of a simple, illiterate man who was converted through the work of the Salvation Army. He went regularly to the Salvation Army citadel. One day he came home and just seemed down in the dumps. His wife said, "What's the matter?" He said, "I've just noticed that all the people in the Salvation Army wear red sweaters, and I don't have a red sweater." She said, "I'll knit one." So, she knitted him a red sweater. The next Sunday after he went to the citadel, he still wasn't happy. His wife said, "What's wrong this time?" He said, "I just noticed all their red sweaters have yellow writing." They were both illiterate, but she said, "Don't worry about it. I'll embroider some writing on it for you."

You see, the workers at the Salvation Army have a yellow circle, and in it, BLOOD AND FIRE which is their motto. The man's wife had no idea what the letters said, and she couldn't read anyway, so she decided to copy a sign from a store window across from their home and she embroidered the words of that store sign onto her husbands red sweater.

When he came back the next Sunday, she said, "Did they like your sweater?" He said, "They loved my sweater. Some of them said they liked my sweater better than their sweater." What neither of them knew was that the sign on the store window she had copied read, “THIS BUSINESS UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.”

Listen friend, that's what it means to truly be born again! There is a change that takes place in one’s life that comes from above, from God Himself and if you’ve never experienced that, then you need to today!

One night evangelist Canon Hay Aitken preached to a large audience in Bristol, England, on this same text, "You must be born again." There in the congregation was a brilliant young man named Horatio Bottomly.

He listened intently. He heard the preacher at the end of the sermon call all who were there to trust in the grace of Christ and to commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and he knew the call was addressed to him, too. He was deeply moved, but he said, "Not now, I'll run my own life," and he did.

He made a fortune and a name for himself as the champion of the people's rights. He was a lawyer; he exposed swindlers and prosecuted criminals with great vigor. When Bottomly was 63 years of age, this one who had exposed the crimes of others was himself convicted of a crime and sentenced to seven years in prison.

While he was there, another man visited him and asked to pray with him. Bottomly said that would be fine, and in the course of the conversation, the other man told his story.

He said, "Yes, many years ago, I was in Bristol, and I heard a preacher, Canon Hay Aitken, preach on the text: You must be born again. I was so deeply moved that I committed my life to Christ, and ever since then, Christ has been my all in all."

Bottomly was silent for some time, and then he said, "I, too, heard that searching message. I, too, was deeply moved. I knew my need of Christ, but I rejected him." And then he said remorsefully, "A life without God is a wasted life."

I’ve told you many times how I ran from the call of God upon my life and now I look back at those years I wasted and can’t help but think how much more could I have done for Christ if I’d just come when He called there in the beginning.

How many more lives would have been changed? How many more brands could have been plucked from the fire if I’d of just heeded the call of God upon my life from the get -go?

But I can’t change the past so now I do what I can to effect the future. I can attest to Mr. Bottomly’s comment that a life without God is a wasted life.

And if you’re here this morning and and God has been dealing with your heart, don’t make the same mistake I made. Don’t waste the precious time that God is giving you! Use it, every waking moment to live for Him!

It has been said that “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people” and the question I leave you with today is this…are you prepared?

You see, Nicodemus thought he was prepared. He had prosperity, he had prestige, he had power but Jesus informed him that none of these things had prepared him to enter into Heaven.

In order for him to enter the Kingdom of God he must be born again! And this same response from out Lord still holds true today! In order to make it to Heaven friend, you must be born again! Regeneration from above, not Religion from here below, is the only way for one to inherit eternal life.

Have you been born again?