Latest / Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons / The New Life Jesus Gives Us Through the Spirit (John 3:1-16)- Dr. Richard Winston

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The New Life Jesus Gives Us Through the Spirit (John 3:1-16)- Dr. Richard Winston · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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We're gonna look at John chapter 3 if you like
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to turn there in your scriptures John chapter
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3 and Dalton one thing I forgot to ask after
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the benediction do I slip to the back to greet
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people or Perfect I'll plan on that All right,
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very good. I'll go to the back so I can shake
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your hand while you leave and greet you All right,
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John chapter 3. Let me read verses 1 through
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17 from Now there was a Pharisee, a man named
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Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling
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council. He came to Jesus at night and said,
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Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has
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come from God, for no one could perform the signs
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you are doing if God were not with him. Jesus
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replied, very truly I tell you, no one can see
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the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
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How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus
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asked. Surely they cannot enter a second time
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into their mother's womb to be born. Jesus answered,
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very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom
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of God unless they are born of water and the
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spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit
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gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised
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at my saying you must be born again. The wind
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blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound,
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but you cannot tell where it comes from or where
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it is going. So it is with everyone born of the
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Spirit. How can this be? Nicodemus asked. You
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are Israel's teacher, said Jesus. And do you
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not understand these things? Very truly, I tell
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you, we speak of what we know and we testify
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to what we have seen, but still you do not accept
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our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly
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things and you do not believe. How then will
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you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No
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one has ever gone into heaven except the one
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who came from heaven, the son of man. Just as
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Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,
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so the son of man must be lifted up so that everyone
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who believes may have eternal life in him. For
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God so loved the world that he gave his one and
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only son. that whoever believes in him shall
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not perish, but have eternal life. For God did
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not send his son into the world to condemn the
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world, but to save the world through him. And
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amen for the reading of God's word. Well, as
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we come to John chapter three this morning, I
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want you to ask yourself this question. How often
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do you look around and wish your world was different?
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It could be your community. It could be your
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home. It could be your church or the church as
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a whole. It could be the direction of your life,
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the nation in which you live or other places
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around the world. How often do you see things
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and things are not the way you would like them
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to be or things seem that they are not the way
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they ought to be and something in your heart
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longs for something to change and for God to
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be the one. to bring about that change. If you
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ever feel those things, take heart. You are in
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very good company. You are feeling things that
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most Jews in Jesus' day felt. You see, they were
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a nation with a great heritage where God had
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done wonderful things to them, to bring them
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out of Egypt, to enter into a covenant with them,
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to bring them into their land and give them good
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laws that would make them a shining light and
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a holy people. And yet, because of their unfaithfulness,
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they had gone into exile in Babylon. And people
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had died. And homes had been lost. And crops
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had been spoiled. And they had toiled in a foreign
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land where they couldn't gather like they used
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to do. And they couldn't worship like they once
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did. But God, in grace, brought them home. They
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returned home. They even rebuilt a temple. But
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if you've ever read some of those Old Testament
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stories, you know that when they saw the way
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things were this time around, something didn't
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seem quite right. It wasn't as good as it had
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once been. And Israel continued to operate under
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that sense of, it's like God did something, but
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he didn't do it all the way the prophets promised
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or we expected. It's as if you turned on your
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water spigot and it's just trickling out. Yeah,
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you've got water. But you're never going to be
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able to water the garden or fill a bucket with
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that. Something's just not quite right. And they
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longed for God to come and to show up and to
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do something, namely to bring in his kingdom,
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to keep all the promises he made through the
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prophets and to regather his people and to change
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their hearts and to give them a new covenant
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and all those kinds of throw out the Romans and
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do all the things that the prophets promised.
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And it's that longing that drives Nicodemus to
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Jesus in this passage. You could see that even
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in the opening language there where he's coming
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to Jesus and saying nice things about him. He's
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not just trying to butter him up. He's seeing
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something in Jesus. Maybe through this one, God's
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kingdom will come. But as we'll see throughout
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the passage, he was kind of right and he was
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kind of wrong. He needed to have some things
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retooled and recalibrate. And so I want us to
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go through that kind of process today as we work
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our way through this passage. To try to put ourselves
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in Nicodemus's shoes and hear what Jesus is saying
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afresh and understand what it is he's calling
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us to and make the kind of response that the
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text puts in front of us. And we'll do that by
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focusing especially on what Jesus says about
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this new birth, about being born again and considering
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then the kind of new life that Jesus will give
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us through his spirit. So let's work through
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the passage really just in two halves. First,
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verses one through eight. We focus here on our
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need for new life. from the Spirit. If we are
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going to experience God's reign, God's world,
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God's life, then we need new life from the Spirit.
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Let's look at Nicodemus and how these opening
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verses describe him. He is called a Pharisee,
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a member of the Jewish ruling high council who
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comes to Jesus As I've said a moment ago, if
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Nicodemus feels and believes what most Jews in
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his day did, then he is coming to Jesus because
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he recognizes some potential in Jesus. That's
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why he says to him, we know that you're a teacher
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who's come from God because no one could perform
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the signs you're doing if God were not with him.
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You're teaching. You're working miracles. You're
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demonstrating authority. Surely God is with you,
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or this wouldn't work out. Now, what kind of
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expectations might Nicodemus have? Well, as I
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said, he's a Pharisee, and I know we're used
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to reading the scriptures and somewhat seeing
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the Pharisees as the bad guys, and we should.
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They're presented negatively for a reason. Jesus
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has some pretty strong words for them. But understand
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also, in Jesus' day, the Pharisees were somewhat
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generally well -liked. They were viewed by the
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people of admiration. And they themselves, you
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could probably argue, maybe thought they were
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going about things the right way and trying to
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do something good. You see, the Pharisees developed
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during that time, as I've said, when Israel was
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in exile or coming home and trying to get their
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nation back on the right foot. So they were zealous.
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They wanted to keep the law. They wanted to keep
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the law rightly. I mean, we disagree at times,
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right, over what the Bible's asking you to do.
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So did people on that day. And the Pharisees
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tried to study it out and figure it out and say,
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OK, here's the right way to keep God's law. And
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not only were they zealous to do it the right
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way, they were zealous for the most people to
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do it the right way. The Pharisees took the rules
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given to priests and said, you know what? Israel
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is a priestly nation. We're all priests, everybody.
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should keep the purity rules given to the priests.
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The Pharisees also recognized, you know what,
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when Moses handed down the Ten Commandments or
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received them from God and gave all these laws,
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our land and our culture looked a little different.
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It was more agrarian then. Now we have more cities.
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All right, let's figure out how to update what
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God requires and make sure we're practicing it
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in every context of life. So here's a guy that
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wants to get it right. And so he says, all right,
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maybe Jesus is going to be the one who takes
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our vision and gets this thing across the finish
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line. Maybe he'll fulfill what we're all longing
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for in the way that we Pharisees are trying to
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go about it. And Jesus responds to him in a way
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that somewhat catches him up shore. It's a somewhat
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abrupt response. meant to get his attention and
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refocus his thoughts. So let's look at what Jesus
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says. He says in verse three, truly I tell you,
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no one can see the kingdom of God unless they
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are born again. Because the narrative, it reads
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so abruptly, you know, Nicodemus is saying nice
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things and Jesus, it's almost like as he cuts
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them off, hey, look, unless you're born again.
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You can't see the kingdom of God. That indicates,
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Jesus says, we need to take this conversation
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a different way. I know you want me to do what
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you're intent on, but actually we need to retool
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your expectations. Unless someone is born again,
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they cannot see the kingdom of. Notice Jesus
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there talking about the kingdom of God. This
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is God's reign. This is when God finally shows
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up. God's always God, right? Whether we can see
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it or not. But there is a day when God shows
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up and everybody knows it. There's no arguing
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with his power and his authority and his reign.
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This is what Nicodemus wants and this is what
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Jesus is talking about. You want to see the reign
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of God? You want to see God take his place as
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king? Well, there's no way to do that without
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being born again. Or as Jesus says in verse five,
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without being born of the water and the spirit.
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Now, if you've read John's gospel much, you've
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probably noticed before John likes to do some
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double meaning where he says two things with
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one word and really means them both. So when
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we read in English, you need to be born again.
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That's one way to translate the words. You need
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to be born a second time. And that's exactly
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what Nicodemus hears. But you can also translate
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the word again with from above. So Nicodemus,
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you need to be born a second time. And this second
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birth, it needs to be one from above. You need
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God to give you new life. Jesus expands on this
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in verse 5 you need to be born of water and the
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spirit and Jesus is probably there reaching for
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an Old Testament passage Ezekiel 36 where Ezekiel
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looks at Israel and he says well they're a valley
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of dry bones you probably read that passage before
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there there's this death everywhere spiritual
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death what's gonna bring these bones to life
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God says in the previous chapter, when I wash
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you with clean water and when I put my spirit
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within you. Nicodemus, if you want God's rain
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to come, there's no way you're going to participate
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in it. You're not going to see it and you're
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not going to enter it without God doing something
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to you on the inside. you need the Spirit of
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God to give you a new heart and to wash you from
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your sins and make you clean and I think what
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then Jesus is getting at here is he saying Nicodemus
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if I'm giving you a new way to enter the kingdom
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Then that implies you really just need to rethink
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everything you think you know about the kingdom
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And I get this from Nicodemus' response. Jesus
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says, you need to be born again. And Nicodemus
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says, how can someone be born when they are old?
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Nicodemus asks. You can't go back into your mother's
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womb a second time and be born. By the way, I
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heard a dad having this very conversation with
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his kid one time when I was at a restaurant.
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Went to the bathroom and washed my hands. I could
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hear a dad who would take his kid to the bathroom
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having this conversation. where he's talking
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about being born again, and the kid said, wait,
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you mean like I have to be born a second time
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from mom? It was so close to this text, I thought,
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are they faking it, like hoping I'll hear this
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and then they'll witness to me? So you can understand
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how somebody might hear these words and misunderstand
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it. That's why Jesus goes on in verse six to
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say, flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit
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gives birth to spirit. Nicodemus, there's something
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about your vision that's fleshly. There's something
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about your vision for the kingdom that's informed
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by the principles of this world That's informed
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by what's going on in your heart and Nicodemus
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the rain I'm coming to offer is So different
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it's so different that your strategy for bringing
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about is not gonna work That way will not lead
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to what God wants And again, you think about
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what I said about Nicodemus' strategy. If we're
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really zealous to keep the law, we'll get it
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right. And in fact, let's not just stop with
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the commandments. Let's make sure they get kept
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the right way. Let's codify some tradition around
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these commandments to make sure they get kept.
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Let's have everybody from top to bottom keep
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these commandments. And Jesus says there's something
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about that that's fleshly. Maybe it just puts
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too much stock in a human's ability to do the
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right thing. Maybe it doesn't put enough stock
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in how dark every human heart can be, that it
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won't do those things and can't do those things.
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And listen, Nicodemus's vision wasn't the only
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one. You've got the vision of the Sadducees as
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well, who maybe are reticent to embrace what
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the prophets have to say, or other parts of what
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we call the Old Testament, in enlarging their
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vision of what God is doing. You've got the Sanhedrin,
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which by the way is mentioned here, that Nicodemus
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is also a member of the Sanhedrin. This is your
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Jewish supreme core. A lot of people on this
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are from the more aristocratic classes of Israelites.
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They had rich people in Israel and a lot of them
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are on the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin's kind of
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modus operandi is let's just not get in trouble
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with Rome. We don't want to have their heat on
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us. We don't want to get in trouble with them.
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So let's just kind of negotiate some kind of
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relationship where they don't mess with us. and
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we won't mess with them. We've carved out a little
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space for ourselves where we've got some power
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and authority, and we're just gonna keep things
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that way. And so maybe they're a little too friendly
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with Rome. Maybe they don't care enough about
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what God says through the prophets it means to
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belong to the people of God. Wrong understandings
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of purity, too focused on earthly power, complicit
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with evil. It could be any of those things. And
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you can... Take a minute at some point just to
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look into your own heart, later today reflecting
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or during the week. Okay, what is it in me that
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sometimes confuses what I want with what God
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wants? Or what is it within me that sometimes
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wants to reinterpret what God says in light of
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what I want? That can just come from any kind
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of motive, any kind of place, and it's good that
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we reflect at times on what might be competing
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in our heart. for how we understand what God
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wants. And this is where Jesus challenges Nicodemus.
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Nicodemus, your way of going about things is
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off track, but good news, God offers you this
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opportunity to be transformed from the inside
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out by the cleansing of God's blood that will
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be shed on the cross, by the gift of the Holy
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Spirit and become a new creation that will participate
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in what God is doing in the world. That is the
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invitation Jesus gives Nicodemus. And it kind
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of drives it home with these words in verses
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seven and eight. Don't be surprised at me saying
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you must be born again. The wind blows wherever
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it pleases. You hear its sound, but you can't
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tell where it comes from or where it's going.
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So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
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You see the wind in the mind of Jesus's original
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audience. It has its origin in God. They didn't
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know where the wind came from back in Jesus'
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day. Now, by the way, don't take that the wrong
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way as if, oh yeah, people who lived a thousand
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years ago, 2000, they were so ignorant, they
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don't know what we know. I was just talking to
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somebody on my way in today where we got more
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rain I think than was expected or you get snow
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and ice predictions and they don't quite materialize.
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Like we still really don't know, do we exactly
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have this whole thing works nowadays with our
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fancy tools? Well, just imagine an ancient mindset
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that says, you know what? exactly how the wind
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works, I don't know. I know where it comes from.
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It comes from God. That's what Jesus wants Nicodemus
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to realize. Wind blows, you don't know where
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it comes from other than God does it and you
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can see its effects. So Nicodemus, don't worry
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about how this whole new birth thing works. Here's
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how it works. It comes from God. God, by his
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grace, by his spirit, by his cleansing blood
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will make you into a new creation. And you will
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then participate rightly in what God wants to
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do in the world. That's the invitation for Nicodemus.
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That's the invitation for all of us to become
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these new creations by God's grace. And we'll
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talk about how you become one in just a minute.
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But that's the challenge front and center. What
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kind of world do we want to live in? What kind
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of church do we want to participate in? Does
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it align with what God says or have we maybe
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made it align more with what we want from fleshly
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places? Jesus invites us to take a fresh look
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at the Word and bring ourselves into alignment
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with God's vision. That may mean just sitting
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down afresh with, say, the Gospel of Matthew,
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and reading the Sermon on the Mount, and asking
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yourself, when I read this passage, what resistance
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do I feel popping up in my heart that says, I
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don't know if I want to do that, or I don't know
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if that can be done, or where do you start negotiating
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all these excuses for why something can't be
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done? We all do this. My wife asked me today,
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she goes, you might want to look in the attic
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when you get home to make sure there's no problems
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with the roof. and there's no water getting it.
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Trust me, I had like three reasons at my disposal
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why I did not need to do that anytime soon. We
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do this when we're faced with things we don't
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want. We invent ways to get out of it. But we
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do that really to our harm because what Jesus
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is inviting us to is a wonderful experience.
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In fact, I'll say this and we'll go on to the
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next point. This word, this discussion about
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being born again, That word also pops up in Matthew
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where Jesus uses it to refer to the rebirth of
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the whole world. So you've ever heard people
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talk about spiritual rebirth or regeneration?
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Jesus says in Matthew, you know the day's coming
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and the renewal of all things when you will sit
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on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.
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Jesus is saying one day we're gonna make the
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whole world new and that's gonna be a good thing.
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It's gonna work the way it was supposed to. the
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way Adam and Eve should have participated in
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it. We've got badly off track, but Jesus says
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one day the whole thing's gonna be new. So take
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a fresh look at the scriptures and ask yourself,
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what does God's kingdom look like? What does
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Jesus bring when he encounters people? Are those
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the things I want? Are those the things I'm working
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for? And bring it into alignment with God's vision.
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And of course, Let me be sure to say this anytime
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looking at this passage where we think about
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being born again and people getting saved and
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those ideas. If God's gonna make a new world,
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He's gonna start with you. You're gonna become
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a new creation by God's grace when you call upon
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Jesus to transform you in that way. So if you've
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never experienced that, if you stiff -armed that
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or never realized I need that, Well, that's the
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invitation Jesus gives to become a new person
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from the inside out, cleansed of sin, full of
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the Spirit, connected to the Lord Jesus Christ,
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a gift of grace. Now let's look at our second
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idea today. The first part of this passage really
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focuses our attention on our need for this new
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life. The second half focuses us on how we get
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this new life. And it all centers around the
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Lord Jesus Christ. He invites us into and provides
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this transformative new life. Let's look at verses
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9 through 12 where we realize it's probably starting
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to dawn on Nicodemus, what Jesus is asking for,
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and he realizes how hard it may be to accept
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this vision of the kingdom. Jesus or Nicodemus
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asks how this be and Jesus says look you are
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Israel's teacher and Do you not understand these
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things for years? Nicodemus has been teaching
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people how to live under God's covenant But now
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he's facing a condition for covenant membership
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faithfulness that he's never faced before And
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Jesus says, but Nicodemus, you should have glimpsed
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these truths from the Old Testament. You should
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be able to connect God's vision there with what
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you see in me. Because again, Nicodemus kind
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of sees it. All right, you're doing great things.
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You are sent by God. But Jesus wants him to get
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even closer to the truth. And so he'll continue
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to instruct him because that's how good and patient
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Jesus is. He says in verse 11, very truly I tell
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you. We speak of what we know, and we testify
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to what we have seen. But still you people do
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not accept our testimony. Nicodemus, you're gonna
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have to clear out some of your resistance if
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you really want to grasp the nature of the kingdom.
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And in some ways, Nicodemus here is functioning
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as a representative of Israel. In other words,
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Nicodemus, just look at how people are responding
25:13
to my ministry. Jesus shows up and he throws
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a demon out of someone. It's dark satanic oppression.
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They get delivered. In some instances, there's
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even physical maladies connected with being demon
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possessed. People get liberated and healed. And
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what do people say? Well, he's just in league
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with Satan himself, or else he couldn't do that.
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Jesus goes into the synagogue. He heals someone
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whose hand is withered, which probably means
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that person also couldn't work the way they wanted
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to. And you think of how dependent you are on
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the well -being of your body and mind to work.
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Imagine losing that, not only being able to make
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money, but just the joy you might find from getting
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something done. Jesus heals that man with the
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withered hand, and they say, you've got six days
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to heal. Come back on another day. And friends,
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we go on. and on and on. He feeds people and
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there's resistance. The disciples can pluck grain
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on the Sabbath. That's not exactly Sunday supper.
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They pluck grain on the Sabbath and the Pharisees
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are like, well, you shouldn't do that. It's the
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Sabbath day. Jesus shows up. He's doing great
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things for people. And instead they resist by
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saying, nope, that goes against the traditions.
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Nope, that goes against what we think God wants.
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They're not willing. to rethink their categories.
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And that's why Jesus says in verse 12, look,
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if I've spoken to you of earthly things and you
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do not believe, how then will you believe if
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I speak of heavenly things? In other words, if
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I've given you the basics and you don't want
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to hear it, how are you ever really going to
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grasp the nature of participating in God's reign
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and being a part of His people? So this is then
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where Jesus drives home the whole conversation
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with Nicodemus look if you want to participate
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in this new life if you want to participate in
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this kingdom, then you've got to reorient your
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whole being your spiritual vision to me and focus
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yourself on me and bend everything that you want
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and hope for to Me and Jesus drives that point
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home in these final verses, verses 13 to 16.
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He says, no one's ever gone into heaven except
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the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man.
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I like the NLT here a little better, a little
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clearer, which reads, no one has ever gone to
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heaven and returned, but the Son of Man has come
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down from heaven. Nicodemus, if you want to get
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the source straight from the horse's mouth, I'm
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the only one. that's actually come down from
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heaven to reveal these things. So you can trust
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me when I tell you that you need the new birth.
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Who can give it to you? I can. Who can convince
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you that you need it? I can. Only the one from
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heaven, and that's me. So Nicodemus, stop thinking
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about your traditions, stop thinking about how
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you think you have it right, and focus on me.
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Bring yourself really under my authority. Lordship.
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And here's what I'll do for you. Just as Moses
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lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the
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Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone
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who believes may have eternal life in him." Nicodemus,
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you know that old story in the Old Testament
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where people grumbled and fiery serpents appeared
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and bit them? How did they get healed? They just
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looked up at this servant. So Nicodemus, on that.
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One to whom you need to look I'll be lifted up
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soon right on a cross and if you look towards
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me I know that can be vague language, but if
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you will fix your gaze on me if you'll look at
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me as the one who can cleanse you of that poison
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of the one who can give you life, and if you'll
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bring yourself under my authority and under my
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Lordship, and if you'll trust me to cleanse you
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and forgive you then I will give you eternal
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life because God loves his world. God has sent
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me not to condemn his world, but to save it.
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God has this purpose for humanity that leads
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to their transformation and their rescue and
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their healing. But there's only one way for it
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to happen. By you committing yourself to me,
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trusting me, experiencing this new birth, and
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living as a kingdom citizen in the way that I
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define it. And so friends, that is both the challenge
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and the good news that I would leave you with.
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Yes, it's challenging to rethink what we know
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about God's kingdom, but if we do it in this
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Jesus -shaped gospel -based way, then friends,
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you'll find yourself living with a better frame
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of mind and a better world and working for the
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good things that God's kingdom brings by being
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a servant of the Lord Jesus, one who trusts in
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him and one is shaped by him. That little growth
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in you can spread out into a church and a community
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and beyond. So let's ask God to do that for all
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of us today, to change us wherever we need it
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and to make that fruitful. Pray with me, friends.