(John 3:1)
�There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.�
With this weeks sermon we move into the third chapter of John. This chapter is one of the most well known, and beloved, chapters - alone with Psalm twenty-three - in the entire Scripture.
Even little children have grown up memorizing John 3:16. We see the verse at sporting events on placards held up by those seeking to witness. We heard the verse from pulpits as they affirm the glorious fact that God did, indeed, so love the world that He sent His Son.
We hear the verse at the funeral of the faithful and the profane. John 3:16 is a wonderful verse and a comforting reminder that God does love the sinner. In the verse we are reminded that God has provided all that we will ever need to come back from sin�s clutches and into fellowship with Him.
But, there is much more to this chapter than the simple, if we dare to use that word!, Gospel message that Jesus died in time so that we could live in eternity.
Today we are going to look at the conversation which brought that well known verse to the lips of the Savior. We are going to meet the man to whom Jesus said, �Ye must be born again.� (John 3:3)
We are going to see that Nicodemus was a special man. �There was a man of the Pharisees��
Back in the mid 1990�s President Bill Clinton came to the little town where Linda and I lived. I worked on the White House advance team as one of the local liaisons. Both Linda and I were allowed a �picture op,� and short greetings with the President.
Later in the day Linda and I went to the parochial school where our son attended. As we went into the school to gather up Ethan and his homework, we were stopped by one of the other parents. She shook Linda�s hand and said, �I just wanted to shake the hand that shook the hand!�
The people were impressed that we had met the President of the United States.
I guess that this was an honor. Still, any honor connected with meeting the President would fall far short of the honor which was that of Nicodemus as He met with the Creator of the Universe.
I was invited to meet the President because I had worked on the advance team. Linda, as president of the local Trades and Labor Unions, was invited because she occupied a place of eminence, herself, in the local political world.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was a �ruler of the Jews.� He was a high ranking religious official. But these were not the reasons for his audience with Jesus. Jesus spoke with Nicodemus because Nicodemus was a sinner. Jesus came to this earth to call sinners to repentance and to offer them (US!) free salvation based on His Own work on the Cross of Calvary.
The thing that made Nicodemus �special� was his need of a Savior. We, each and every one of us, have that same need. We need a Savior. Any time we are willing to meet in faith at the foot of the Cross of Calvary Jesus will hear us as well! We do not need to work for an audience with the Lord. That audience is ours, and that salvation is ours, simply because Jesus loves every single one of us.
I want you to notice that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.
There are probably several reasons why this is so. Nicodemus might have been worried about what others might think if they saw him speaking with Jesus. When we stop to realize that the entire earthly ministry of Jesus only spanned about three, maybe three and one half, years, we understand that this conversation took place only months before Jesus was crucified. It might have been dangerous for Nicodemus to be seen with Jesus.
Certainly the social, and professional, standing of Nicodemus would have suffered if he, a professional of the professionals, were to be seen with this itinerant preacher from Galilee. The certified professionals did not accept His ministry. The first question which Nicodemus asked would show us that he was not of the same mind as were they. Nicodemus saw the power of Jesus and understood that Jesus was more than a mere man or teacher. Nicodemus knew that God was with Jesus.
Oh, how we need to see that the message of God has power. Even when the �professional� cleric might try to explain things away, we must continue to trust in the God Who made Heaven and earth! The Bible stands as the Word of God despite anyone�s effort to discredit It. The Gospel stands as the only means of salvation despite anyone�s argument that it is an outmoded faith. Jesus stands as the Only means of Salvation for our souls despite the cry in our day to consider the faith of other voices as equally valid.
Nicodemus might have come to Jesus by night because the crowds would not be standing between him and the Savior at those late hours.
Likewise, we as Christians need to get alone with Jesus. We need to have our time of Scripture reading and private prayer when there are no distractions about us which would take our attention from the Savior�s voice.
Nicodemus might have come to Jesus be night because, in the hot climate of the area this would be a cooling and comfortable time. We also need to meet with Jesus in a manner of cool heads and comfortable surroundings. They best way to accomplish this is to be often in prayer. This simple �habit� will keep the heat of the daily problems from interfering. This will make us comfortable in a familiar surrounding.
Jesus is not a tyrant Who is looking for a chance to �catch us� in some foul act. He is a loving Savior Who is anxious to keep us from those sins which so easily beset us. If we will keep close to Him, He will keep us from the snares of the tempter.
Still, I think that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night because this was the situation of his soul. Spiritually speaking, humanity is in darkness. It is a thick darkness! There is no �night light� to keep us from stubbing our toe as we seek to move about. We need to turn on the light so we can traverse the rooms of our spiritual slumber. Jesus is that �Light of the World� which will lead us from the burden of sin and to the freedom of salvation.
Nicodemus might not have understood the full impact of his situation. But, he came to Jesus in need.
Nicodemus was not just a religious person, he was a religious leader. He was of the class of �Fundamentalist� of his day. He knew the Scriptures. He studied the Scriptures. He trusted the Scripture.
Nicodemus was a good and moral man. He paid his taxes to the Roman government and also paid his tithe to the Temple. People looked up to Nicodemus. He was respected.
But, Nicodemus was also lost in his sins. By looking at Nicodemus from his outward appearance, no one would have considered that he was spiritually lost and on his way to a Godless eternity. Nicodemus, himself, probably never considered this fact.
But, Jesus knew the need even more Nicodemus understood that need. It was that need that had put the conviction within his heart that he must seek out Jesus.
It is that same conviction, brought upon your own heart by the Spirit of God even as had been done those twenty centuries ago with Nicodemus, that will cause you to consider your own need of a Savior. Do you know why God bothers to send this conviction upon you? It is because He loves you.
Several years ago I went to a screening for the Veteran�s Administration health care. A nurse took my pulse and blood pressure. She then went to one of the doctors. The doctor came to me. This wasn�t happening with all of the applicants. The doctor said, �I want you in the clinic as soon as possible.�
I found that my blood pressure had been 210/125. The doctor came to me about my medical condition because he was concerned.
God has even more concern for us about our spiritual condition. My blood pressure was so high that I was a prime candidate for either a stroke or a heart attack. God understands that your condition of sin makes you, not a prime candidate but on a certain drift toward an eternity in Hell.
Neither of these is a welcome diagnosis. I understand that. The doctor gave me some medicine to control my blood pressure. God will give you the cure for your sin sickness. My little blood pressure pills will not do me any good if I fail to take them each day. Neither will God�s cure for your sin do you any good if you fail to accept Jesus. He is The Cure.
Nicodemus came to Jesus of necessity. �Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.� (Acts 4:12)
Good works can not solve the problem of sin in your life. Church membership can not solve the problem of sin in your life. Morality can not solve the problem of sin in your life. Mere �religion� can not solve the problem of sin in your life. The principles of Buddha can not solve the problem of sin in your life. The teachings of �the prophet� can not solve the problem of sin in your life.
Only Jesus, the Virgin Born Son of God, is able to offer the cure for what ails you spiritually. Only Jesus went to the Cross of Calvary as a payment for your sins. Only Jesus defeated Satan on the hill of Golgotha. Only Jesus rose from the grave defeating mortality.
To have any fellowship with God, to have salvation from your sins, it is necessary that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We might also notice that Nicodemus was a specific man. ��named Nicodemus��
For several years I worked in a couple of our local gas stations. For several years I delivered pizza to the residents of this town. For many years I pastored a local church. For about ten years I was on local T. V. teaching the Gospel. For a few years I was in charge of selling the advertising that supported the local Labor Day Parade.
There are a few people in this town who are able to recognize me. Unfortunately, I do not recognize everyone who recognizes me. I�ve been known to carry on many a conversation with my mind racing to, �Who in the world am I speaking with?�
Obviously, I�ve met many more people than I can remember. Some I only met for a few minutes late at night as I handed them a pizza. Some I only saw as they were sitting inside their automobiles. Some I never saw; they saw me from the screen on their television sets.
God has no such problem with knowing to whom He is speaking.
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He knew exactly to whom He was speaking. More than just this, Jesus knew all about Nicodemus. Jesus is the Creative Agent of the Godhead. He knows what is in the heart of man.
Jesus even knows all about you. There is nothing that you can hide from Him. And, He still loves you.
Consider that this Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was of the group that would shortly drag Jesus through a mock trial and demand His crucifixion. Yet, Jesus still loved this man.
At the beginning of the U. S. involvement in World War II there were often meetings held between the United States State Department personnel and those of the Japanese Embassy. Had these United States diplomats been aware of the coming Pearl Harbor attacks, would they have felt less anxious to meet with their Japanese counterparts?
If you knew that someone in your church was going to turn you in to the police on a false charge, how would you view that person the day after you heard of their plan? If you knew that your bank was going to �go under� next week, how would you approach them with your weekly pay check?
Jesus knew what would come to pass at the hands of the religious elite. He knew that Nicodemus was a member of this elite group. Yet, Jesus still spoke the Words of Life to this man.
Do you understand that you, also, are a certain person to Jesus? As much as He loved Nicodemus, He loves your soul as well. As much as He knew about the people with whom Nicodemus associated, He loves your souls as well.
You are something special to Jesus because you have need of His assistance. Only Jesus can give you salvation from your sins. He wants to do this. Jesus went to the cross for you. Yes, He did! True Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus. He wants you to turn to Him.
Jesus also saw that Nicodemus was a confused person. �Ye must be born again.� Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus meant by that statement. Nicodemus had no inkling of the concepts of sin and salvation. He was raised in a religious tradition that taught that works must be presented to God.
He felt that he must live in a certain manner. He felt that he must keep all the ordinances of his �church.� He felt that he must keep the feasts, and dodge the appearance of evil. He must keep all the commandments and pay all the assessments of his �church.� He felt that only then could he hope to be accepted by a Holy God.
He understood that concept of a �Holy God.� He had no illusions that he was as holy as was God. Honestly, he did feel he was more holy than others about him. After all, he did all the above. He was of the caste of the religious professional. He probably felt that he had a special relationship with God.
When Jesus came and suggested that Nicodemus� salvation was not centered in those religious works above, Nicodemus was confused. His training was telling him one thing and Jesus was telling him quite another.
Jesus explained to him that these were Heavenly concepts. Jesus explained that Nicodemus could not be expected to understand what he had never experienced. Jesus explained that salvation was not of man. Salvation was a gift from God. Salvation was in the work of the Son of God. Salvation was not something to be pursued. Salvation was something to be possessed.
Jesus used the illustration of Moses and the brazen serpent. The Israelites had been afflicted by poisonous serpents. People were dying from the bite of these snakes. God told most to put a bronze image of one of these serpents on a pole. �Raise the serpent on the pole. Tell people to look at the serpent. When they do as commanded they will be healed and not die.�
It was foolish. It was sheer madness. But, it was effective because is was an expression of faith in the Words of God. �But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.� (Romans 4:5)
Jesus explained to Nicodemus the spiritual principle that God desires faith in Him and His message. Obedience as an outworking of the faith is also expected. But an obedience with is not grounded first in faith is unacceptable.
With this realization Nicodemus became a convicted person.
Now, I obviously do not mean that Nicodemus was held in contempt under the law. What I mean is that the Spirit bore witness with his spirit that Nicodemus was in need of real salvation. He was under the conviction that he needed, himself, a conversion experience. He needed to be �born again� as Jesus had suggested.
As Christians we are commissioned to give forth the message that Jesus Christ died in time so that others could live in eternity. That is our charge. That is our duty. But, we are not saddled with the need to convince anyone of this spiritual fact.
Whoa, preacher! What you talking about! Just this: Our duty, as Christians, is to give out the Gospel message. Along with this we are to pray, by name whenever possible, for the one to whom we are witnessing. Then we exercise our own faith by trusting the Spirit of God to convict the person of his need or the Savior.
I can argue theology with a person all day. I can explain the sin nature in as much detail as anyone would desire. I can �beat people over the head with my Bible� and tell them that they need a Savior. Unless the Spirit of God is there, in His convicting power, it is all a useless exercise.
I think that I�m pretty smart. I really do. Of course, there ain�t one person on this green earth that would agree with me! But, even if I were a true genius, Satan is smarter. My best argument is worthless next to the argument of Satan.
But, the best argument which Satan can muster is worthless next to the power of Almighty God. We need to approach people with a witness that is grounded in the power of God. Our own power is a five watt bulb when we need the full power of the daylight sun!
Also, inviting one to experience salvation is asking that person to change his entire nature. It will take a miracle for that to happen.
If you think that you are probably a poor witness. If you think that your words will never convince someone to become a Christian you are probably right. It�s just too hard a task.
If I move my index finger up and down nothing at all will happen. If I make that same motion, but make contact with a light switch, the room will burst into light. The difference? One is simple movement. The other is movement connected to the power source.
Consider just giving what little you can to the power source which created the heavens and the earth.
Nicodemus began to realize that he was a sinner man. ��a ruler of the Jews.�
How could we say that Nicodemus was a sinner? After all, this man was a member of the Fundamentalist sect of his day. He was a Pharisee. He was even a �ruler of the Jews.�
Let�s just take a minute to extrapolate this out. As a Pharisee Nicodemus was one who was zealous about the Written Words of God. He had, it was the practice of this group, memorized more of the Scripture than probably any of us. His faith was rooted in the Scripture.
Nicodemus was also a �ruler of the Jews.� The Jews are the chosen people of God. It is from the Jewish people that we have the record of Scripture, both in the Old and the New Testaments. It would seem that a man who was a leader among these people would be a very religious man.
Therein was the problem. Nicodemus was a religious man. Nicodemus was trusting his understanding of both the Scripture and of religion. Nicodemus was trusting his own heritage. Nicodemus was trusting what he always knew to be right.
But, in all of this there was something nagging at the heart of Nicodemus. There was a gnawing at the assurances of his office and standing.
Nicodemus looked out form the office window of his nicely ordered world view. There was a disturbing sight on the horizon of the world. Nicodemus saw Jesus. The Spirit pricked the heart of the religious leader. It wasn�t a matter of doubt that Nicodemus felt; it was a matter of conviction that Jesus held all the answers to the dilemma of the ages.
Nicodemus was ready to be approached with the Gospel. He sought out an audience with Jesus. Nicodemus was ready to forsake his trust in religion and replace this with a trust in the Savior.
Accepting the words of the Savior that he must be born again, Nicodemus became a redeemed man.
Other religious leaders had questioned Jesus and not found this salvation. Why not? The reason is that these other religious men were not willing to accept the Savior. These others were willing to argue with Jesus. They were willing to question Jesus. They were even willing to try to correct Jesus. But, they were never willing to accept Jesus.
Nicodemus accepted the salvation which Jesus had to offer. Nicodemus accept the Person of Jesus as his own Savior. Nicodemus put aside his own power and prejudice so that he might accept salvation, freely offered and freely given, from the Only begotten Son of God.
What about you? Are you willing to accept Jesus as your own Savior? Today is the best day to make that decision. Trust the crucified and risen Savior. He will save your soul!