“Covert & Confused”
John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 3 viewsRules and religion do not lead to true righteousness.
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There are many individuals who seem to be experts who have no experience. A classic example would be the Monday morning quarterback. That person knows all the right things that should have been done at the game the day before. However, if they were placed on the football field as the quarterback, facing several grown men weighing in around 300 pounds, running at him trying to tackle him or block his passes, his expertise would be very short-lived.
Today, we are going to look at an individual who was very intelligent. In fact, he was one of the top teachers in the Jewish community. However, he did not know all that he truly needed to know, for life itself. His situation was not much different from many in our world today. Often, there are people who know all the right words and can tell you all about what the Bible says. However, they do not have a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Not only in John, but throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus making certain that people understood exactly what it meant to have a personal relationship with him. He was not interested in quick responses or large numbers. Jesus wanted to make certain that people understood that it required a complete commitment to Him according to God's perfect plan.
Today as we look at John chapter 3, the first 10 verses, we will see that Jesus did not mince words. It did not matter what the position of this Pharisee was. What was important was that this individual truly understand what it was that God required. Rules and religion do not lead to true righteousness.
Nic at Night - 3.1-3
Nic at Night - 3.1-3
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 have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
These verses are actually a continuation of chapter 2. Nicodemus was not any different than those other individuals who claimed to have a profession of faith; his profession of faith was based on signs which had been seen earlier. We know this from reading verse 2. He recognized God’s hand upon Jesus.
Let's take a bit of time to understand who Nicodemus was. He was a part of the religious group known as the Pharisees. This group might be what some would consider a legalistic group as they were very much separated from the rest. Historians suggest that the Pharisees were also mostly from the middle class and were not wealthy individuals. They were very influential amongst the Sanhedrin.
It has been stated that too much focus on any one area can cause legalism. It seems that the Pharisees had truly become very legalistic and were very focused on formality and practice. As a result, the relationship with God was replaced with rituals about God. In addition, when reading through the Gospels, we observe that much of what they taught was not what they lived.
But Nicodemus was not the normal Pharisee. In verse 1, John states that he was a ruler of the Jews which would make him a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a group of 70, plus the high priest that would be like the Jewish Supreme Court. This information helps us to understand why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. It is possible that he did not want his conversation with Jesus to be known by the other members of the Sanhedrin. Also, by visiting with Jesus at night, he could ask whatever question he wanted and spend as much time as needed without interruption.
Nicodemus calls Jesus, Rabbi, which would place Jesus on an equal status as Nicodemus. This also shows that Nicodemus was not opposed to Jesus, but was genuinely seeking. One gets the idea that Nicodemus was probably wondering if Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.
It is interesting, that Jesus does not continue the conversation with small talk. Jesus goes directly to the real issue. Status has no bearing in salvation. A new heart is required for the new birth. So Jesus answers an unasked question. By his use of the term "truly, truly," Jesus lets it be known that what He's about to share is of utmost importance. And what is of utmost importance here? That no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. Jesus is dealing with the issue of the need for God to rule in a person’s life.
Rules and religion do not lead to true righteousness. Position and prominence can never obtain a position or place in God’s Kingdom.
Now if this is not enough, we are going to see in the next few verses how Nicodemus had his preconceived ideas blown away as Jesus talks to him about the wind and the spirit.
Blown Away - 3.4-8
Blown Away - 3.4-8
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into 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 be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In order for Nicodemus to have been on the Sanhedrin, he had to have been at least 30 years old. In addition, for him to be a ruler of the Jews, there would have to be several years under his belt. So when Jesus shares this very narrow path to get to heaven in these terms, one can just imagine how shocked Nicodemus was.
Now of course, Nicodemus was not ignorant about biology and physiology. He knew that Jesus was not talking about a literal rebirth from his mother's womb. We might want to reword this for our understanding in this form of a question: how can I start all over, all the way back to the beginning?
You see, that is actually what Jesus is telling him to do. Everything from his past will not get him into heaven. Simply adding more of what he is currently doing will not get him into heaven. He has to start all over again. But he can't start all over again and do the same thing. Nicodemus’ whole approach to God would require a totally different means.
In addition, by Jesus statement, He makes it clear that for a person to get into heaven is not something that is humanly possible. It seems that Jesus is making it clear that for a person to get into heaven would require a supernatural means.
So in verse 5, Jesus begins to elaborate a bit more. Rather than getting into all of the different possible understandings of being born of water and being born of the Spirit, let me attempt to keep this as simple as possible. Often in the Old Testament, water and Spirit refer to spiritual renewal and cleansing. This is seen most clearly in Ezekiel 36 when God states that he will "sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean." Later in that same chapter he states, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." In other words, unless the Spirit of God cleans out the soul, it is impossible to enter into God's kingdom.
Jesus elaborates further when he states: that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Everything that we do in our flesh can yield only fleshly results. However, if it is genuinely produced by the Spirit, then it will have supernatural results. Even if it were possible to experience another birth from one’s mother, the sin nature would still be there. Only the Spirit can cause us to experience the birth that is necessary to get into God's kingdom. As we learned in Chapter 1, those who are a part of God's kingdom are not born of human will or of the flesh.
Verse 8 speaks about the wind and the Spirit. The Greek word is the same word, pneuma, from which we recognize as being in pneumatic and pneumonia. Just as the wind’s origins, directions, etc., are a mystery to us, so is the working of the Spirit.
Rules and religion do not lead to true righteousness. Our methods and madness can’t save us.
Even with the incredible intellect which Nicodemus had; even with all of his religious experiences and outward uprightness, it seems that he still did not get it, as we see from the next two verses.
Amazed Academic - 3.9-10
Amazed Academic - 3.9-10
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
In verse 9, we see how ingrained Nicodemus’ past was in his life. He seems to recognize that this is a mystery that only God can reveal to him. Even today, it is extremely difficult to let go of legalistic, religious ways of thinking.
Even here, Jesus was not going to let Nicodemus off the hook. With all of Nicodemus' academic knowledge about the Old Testament, Jesus lets it be known how amazed He was with his lack of understanding. You see, even through the Old Testament, it was necessary for a person to surrender themselves to God and allow Him to regenerate them. Sadly, those who follow after a legalistic religion, miss the glorious wonder of salvation through God's amazing grace.
At this point, it seems that the most brilliant theologian on the planet seemed to have missed seeing the amazing truth that salvation cannot be bought, earned, or worked for; it must simply be accepted through Jesus.
Reflections
Reflections
This must have been mind-boggling to Nicodemus. All of his life, as a Pharisee, he had followed the law and all the rituals which had been laid down for the Jewish people. He was part of one of the most conservative religious groups that there was, the Pharisees. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. Now Jesus is telling him that that all of that is meaningless, unless he is born again. In other words, the whole religious system was of no value in getting him to heaven.
We can understand how Nicodemus would be blown away by these comments. He spent his entire life working to get to heaven. He spent his entire life doing whatever it took to be better than he was the day before. It seems that Jesus took that into mind when he shared about the wind and spirit. This is all beyond our control. The wind cannot be controlled nor can we can tell from where it comes. We have an idea as to where it is going, but even then it is purely an educated guess. There is not anyone alive who can predict or control God's work in our hearts. However, it is very obvious when the Spirit of God has been at work. It is seen by the transformed lives around us. When the Spirit of God has been at work, the spiritual landscape will be dramatically changed. One commentator states: First-century outside observers probably knew little of how Christians became followers of Jesus, and they understood little concerning their eschatological destinies. But what they could sense was the presence and work of these children of the Spirit in the midst of pagan and Jewish societies. What they saw and heard from the Christians who were present in their societies was telling as to how they formulated their understandings of Christianity. Their lives were a witness to an unseen reality.
At this point in the gospel of John, it seems that one of the most intelligent, religious people of his time still was unsaved. However, we get the impression later, in Chapter 7 and Chapter 19, that Nicodemus finally did experience that new birth. The Bible is silent as to when it took place; but from our reading later in John, it seems obvious that Nicodemus understood the reality that this was all of God for him to get to heaven.
Warren Wiersbe states: Being religious and moral does not make a man fit for heaven. In other words, Rules and religion do not lead to true righteousness. One must be born again by the Spirit of God. What we do will be changed by what Christ has done by His Spirit.
