Be Born Again
John 3:1-16
Message #13
We spent our last two messages on one subject, "Check Your Heart", and we tried to make it clear (in Part 1 and Part 2) that us checking our heart toward God and his Word is an eternal life and death matter.
And maybe you’ve said at some point, “Okay, Dave, I’ve checked my heart and my heart might not be in a place where I can really receive God’s Word… what do I do about it? What’s the first step to make my heart able to receive the life-transforming truth of God’s Word?”
The answer is… Be Born Again, and that’s exactly what we’re going to look at today.
Today we meet Nicodemus, and Nicodemus was a Pharisee. In fact, he was a leader of the Pharisees. He was a scholar of the Jewish Law. He was a judge on the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court of Jews) and he held one of the highest positions in the Jewish religious system.
But… there was something about Jesus that made Nicodemus risk everything to seek Jesus out. And so, under cover of darkness, this leader of the Jews set out to find Jesus. 1 Chronicles 28:9 says,
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)
9 . . . For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him . . .
Nicodemus went seeking Jesus… and he found him.
John 3:1–2 (NLT)
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
So, Nicodemus begins his clandestine conversation with Jesus by acknowledging the obvious, (verse 2) Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you. It seems like Nicodemus kind of wants to “set the tone” of the conversation. But Jesus won’t allow “religious philosophy” talk, because Jesus knows exactly what Nicodemus needs to hear.
Nicodemus doesn’t even know what he needs to hear, but he is about to find out because Jesus had just one thing to say to Nicodemus that night, and Jesus has just one thing to say to us today.
John 3:3 (NLT)
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Instead of entering some deep religious conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus just hit Nicodemus with a spiritual bombshell: (verse 3) unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
The problem was Nicodemus’ life was consumed with strong religious effort and sincere religious work, and he was sure all that religious effort and work were going to earn him a place in the Kingdom of God. But Jesus wants Nicodemus to know and Jesus wants us to know that no amount of religious effort is ever going to get anyone into heaven.
And maybe because this is such an important truth that Jesus starts the conversation with this earth-shaking statement – (verse 3) unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
And suddenly Nicodemus’ head is spinning. Jesus just threw all of Nicodemus’ religious effort and all his good-guy points right out the window. And it seems like this statement from Jesus shakes Nicodemus so badly that it kind of short circuits his brain and maybe a little smoke comes out his ears because at this point, Nicodemus says something ridiculous.
John 3:4 (NLT)
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Seriously, Nicodemus, that is what you come up with? This “teacher of the Jewish religion” is trying not to lose it completely. He’s been telling people his whole life how to earn favor with God by their religious effort and work. And now Jesus gives him one and only one requirement… unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
And Nicodemus wants to understand. But this is such a foreign concept to everything he’s been taught and so Jesus addresses the crazy “go back into your mother’s womb” statement from verse 4.
John 3:5 (NLT)
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
And people talk about what Jesus means here, but Jesus actually makes it perfectly clear in the next verse.
John 3:6 (NLT)
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
So, Jesus says, no Nicodemus, you cannot go back into your mother’s womb because that is being “born of the flesh” (as other translations call it). Humans can only reproduce human life (you don’t need any more of that) but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life (and that is what you need to enter the Kingdom of God).
And here’s why. Because your human birth comes permanently infected with the sin nature. That is why your “human birth” (being born of the flesh) cannot be “cleaned up” and made acceptable to God because no sin can be in the presence of God. And you were born with sin ingrained in your human nature! And so, you must be born again. You must be born of the Spirit.
Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth – a rebirth that comes from God alone.
John 1:12–13 (NLT)
12 But to all who believed him and accepted (received) him, he gave the right to become children of God.
13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
This is the supernatural rebirth that comes from God. THIS is being born-again.
And then I can imagine Jesus and Nicodemus sitting on the flat roof of a home in Jerusalem (a common place), and maybe a cool breeze blew across the two of them as they were sitting and talking, as so Jesus uses the wind as a perfect illustration.
John 3:7–8 (NLT)
7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
Jesus says understanding being born again is like understanding the wind. You may not understand where the wind comes from or where it goes. But you can understand the effects of the wind. So it is with everyone who is Born of the Spirit – (Born Again).
You may not understand exactly how being born again works, but you can certainly understand the effects of being born again. But Nicodemus (this respected teacher of religious law) is still baffled.
John 3:9 (NLT)
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Nic, my friend, you are just not getting this. And so, in response to this statement (verse 9) Jesus kind of sets Nicodemus straight (gets a little hard on him) because this is not a new concept. God had been preparing his people for a spiritual rebirth that comes through faith alone since God called Abraham in Genesis Chapter 12.
And so, after Jesus challenges Nicodemus a bit in verses 10-12, starting at verse 13, Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the incredible picture of salvation that God gave to the Israelites 1500 years earlier when they were wandering around in the wilderness.
John 3:13–15 (NLT)
13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
Jesus is taking Nicodemus back 1500 years to explain to him that this has always been God’s plan of salvation for all those who have been bitten with the sin nature.
So, write in your margin Numbers 21:4-9. Israel was in their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (which was brought on by their lack of faith in God), and they were grumbling, criticizing and complaining against both God and Moses – which God considered sin. And so, God decided to “motivate them” to repent of their sin.
In Numbers 21:6, it says, the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Now, since the Garden of Eden, the serpent has always been a symbol of sin. And so, the poisonous snakes represent sin and those who were “bitten” by sin were dying from it. And you and I today have been bitten by our sin nature and we are dying from it.
Then, in Numbers 21:8, the Lord tells Moses, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake (a replica of sin) and attach it to a pole. and All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” (Or, look TO it).
And so, Moses makes a replica of the symbol of sin and lifts it up high on a pole, and anyone who would look to that replica of sin raised up on the pole would be saved.
That is a radical illustration of God’s plan of salvation 1500 years before Jesus Christ came to this earth. Jesus is reminding Nicodemus this has been God’s plan all along. Just as Moses lifted up the replica of sin and all those who looked to it were saved, so Jesus was lifted up on the cross to pay the full penalty for our sin, and now all who look to Jesus in faith will be saved – will be born again. That is exactly what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus in verses 14-15. Again, we read:
John 3:14–15 (NLT)
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
And finally, Nicodemus is ready to hear the “how”. How can I be born again? And what comes next in John Chapter 3 is the most famous verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The God who created all that has been created loved the world – in this way… His love for each one of us is so radical that God came HIMSELF in the Person of Jesus Christ to pay (in our place) the full penalty that our sin justly deserves so that we could be born again – so that we could be freely given new life.
By us putting our full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are born again, we are made right with God – Not because we’ve earned it, not because we deserve it – but simply because we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Again, John 3:16.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish . . .
so that EVERYONE who believes
The word translated “everyone” means – each, every, any, or all. It genuinely and literally means who-so-ever. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done. God says, if you will truly believe (put your faith) in Jesus Christ as your Savior – you will not perish. And the word “believe” is where the line is drawn.
The line is drawn at what it means – to believe. Does it mean to believe that God exists? No, it doesn’t. This word “believe” means to put your full faith and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ as your Savior.
To put your full faith and trust in WHO Jesus Christ says he is, in WHAT Jesus Christ says he has done, in WHAT Jesus Christ says he will do. And if you will do that, then God promises that you will not perish, but instead, you will have eternal life.
Through our genuine faith in Jesus Christ, we are freely given eternal life with God in Heaven and we are saved from eternal separation from God in a place the Bible calls hell. And eternal life with God is what the end of the most famous verse in the Bible is all about.
Genesis 1:27 says we were made in the image of God. It’s referring to the eternality of our creation by God. We were created as eternal beings. God created a place for us to be with him but gives us the choice of whether we go or not. Again, John 3:16.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The word “have” here is a present possession word. It means we currently have eternal life. When we put our full faith in Jesus as our Savior, the work of God giving us eternal life – is finished, and we are born again.
And God promises us in his Word that this eternal life with him is very, very real. It is more real than this temporal life on earth. The world machine run by the enemy convinces us otherwise. This life’s what’s important. This life’s what’s important. No, no, no! No! You might not see the sun rise tomorrow. Eternity’s what’s important. And God made a way for us to spend it with him.
And it all happens by you putting your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, fully believing who he is and what he has done.
God has done it all for you, except for one thing. You must believe in Jesus Christ. You have to decide. Will I put my faith in him? Will I give him my life? Will I surrender my life to him? Will I believe in him?
You must put your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and God promises you in His Word, that when you do, that you will be born again. He will give you a new life. A new life now and an eternal life the moment you need it. An eternal life that is started now.
And when you are born again, your heart will be ready to receive the life-transforming truth of God’s Word.
I just want to inspire you, and I want to give you a minute to pray that prayer, right where you’re at. It’s you and God, for your eternity’s sake. Recognize where you’re at. And say, Lord, I need to be born again. I need your life to take over mine. I need to step into the new life that you have for me. I Believe. I believe, Lord. With everything I have in me, I put my full faith and trust in you. I make you my Savior. I make you my Lord. Take over. Not my way but your way. Thank you for saving me. Come into my life and be glorified. In your name, Jesus, Amen.
And maybe you’ve said at some point, “Okay, Dave, I’ve checked my heart and my heart might not be in a place where I can really receive God’s Word… what do I do about it? What’s the first step to make my heart able to receive the life-transforming truth of God’s Word?”
The answer is… Be Born Again, and that’s exactly what we’re going to look at today.
Today we meet Nicodemus, and Nicodemus was a Pharisee. In fact, he was a leader of the Pharisees. He was a scholar of the Jewish Law. He was a judge on the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court of Jews) and he held one of the highest positions in the Jewish religious system.
But… there was something about Jesus that made Nicodemus risk everything to seek Jesus out. And so, under cover of darkness, this leader of the Jews set out to find Jesus. 1 Chronicles 28:9 says,
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)
9 . . . For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him . . .
Nicodemus went seeking Jesus… and he found him.
John 3:1–2 (NLT)
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
So, Nicodemus begins his clandestine conversation with Jesus by acknowledging the obvious, (verse 2) Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you. It seems like Nicodemus kind of wants to “set the tone” of the conversation. But Jesus won’t allow “religious philosophy” talk, because Jesus knows exactly what Nicodemus needs to hear.
Nicodemus doesn’t even know what he needs to hear, but he is about to find out because Jesus had just one thing to say to Nicodemus that night, and Jesus has just one thing to say to us today.
John 3:3 (NLT)
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Instead of entering some deep religious conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus just hit Nicodemus with a spiritual bombshell: (verse 3) unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
The problem was Nicodemus’ life was consumed with strong religious effort and sincere religious work, and he was sure all that religious effort and work were going to earn him a place in the Kingdom of God. But Jesus wants Nicodemus to know and Jesus wants us to know that no amount of religious effort is ever going to get anyone into heaven.
And maybe because this is such an important truth that Jesus starts the conversation with this earth-shaking statement – (verse 3) unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
And suddenly Nicodemus’ head is spinning. Jesus just threw all of Nicodemus’ religious effort and all his good-guy points right out the window. And it seems like this statement from Jesus shakes Nicodemus so badly that it kind of short circuits his brain and maybe a little smoke comes out his ears because at this point, Nicodemus says something ridiculous.
John 3:4 (NLT)
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Seriously, Nicodemus, that is what you come up with? This “teacher of the Jewish religion” is trying not to lose it completely. He’s been telling people his whole life how to earn favor with God by their religious effort and work. And now Jesus gives him one and only one requirement… unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
And Nicodemus wants to understand. But this is such a foreign concept to everything he’s been taught and so Jesus addresses the crazy “go back into your mother’s womb” statement from verse 4.
John 3:5 (NLT)
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
And people talk about what Jesus means here, but Jesus actually makes it perfectly clear in the next verse.
John 3:6 (NLT)
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
So, Jesus says, no Nicodemus, you cannot go back into your mother’s womb because that is being “born of the flesh” (as other translations call it). Humans can only reproduce human life (you don’t need any more of that) but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life (and that is what you need to enter the Kingdom of God).
And here’s why. Because your human birth comes permanently infected with the sin nature. That is why your “human birth” (being born of the flesh) cannot be “cleaned up” and made acceptable to God because no sin can be in the presence of God. And you were born with sin ingrained in your human nature! And so, you must be born again. You must be born of the Spirit.
Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth – a rebirth that comes from God alone.
John 1:12–13 (NLT)
12 But to all who believed him and accepted (received) him, he gave the right to become children of God.
13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
This is the supernatural rebirth that comes from God. THIS is being born-again.
And then I can imagine Jesus and Nicodemus sitting on the flat roof of a home in Jerusalem (a common place), and maybe a cool breeze blew across the two of them as they were sitting and talking, as so Jesus uses the wind as a perfect illustration.
John 3:7–8 (NLT)
7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
Jesus says understanding being born again is like understanding the wind. You may not understand where the wind comes from or where it goes. But you can understand the effects of the wind. So it is with everyone who is Born of the Spirit – (Born Again).
You may not understand exactly how being born again works, but you can certainly understand the effects of being born again. But Nicodemus (this respected teacher of religious law) is still baffled.
John 3:9 (NLT)
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Nic, my friend, you are just not getting this. And so, in response to this statement (verse 9) Jesus kind of sets Nicodemus straight (gets a little hard on him) because this is not a new concept. God had been preparing his people for a spiritual rebirth that comes through faith alone since God called Abraham in Genesis Chapter 12.
And so, after Jesus challenges Nicodemus a bit in verses 10-12, starting at verse 13, Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the incredible picture of salvation that God gave to the Israelites 1500 years earlier when they were wandering around in the wilderness.
John 3:13–15 (NLT)
13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
Jesus is taking Nicodemus back 1500 years to explain to him that this has always been God’s plan of salvation for all those who have been bitten with the sin nature.
So, write in your margin Numbers 21:4-9. Israel was in their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (which was brought on by their lack of faith in God), and they were grumbling, criticizing and complaining against both God and Moses – which God considered sin. And so, God decided to “motivate them” to repent of their sin.
In Numbers 21:6, it says, the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Now, since the Garden of Eden, the serpent has always been a symbol of sin. And so, the poisonous snakes represent sin and those who were “bitten” by sin were dying from it. And you and I today have been bitten by our sin nature and we are dying from it.
Then, in Numbers 21:8, the Lord tells Moses, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake (a replica of sin) and attach it to a pole. and All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” (Or, look TO it).
And so, Moses makes a replica of the symbol of sin and lifts it up high on a pole, and anyone who would look to that replica of sin raised up on the pole would be saved.
That is a radical illustration of God’s plan of salvation 1500 years before Jesus Christ came to this earth. Jesus is reminding Nicodemus this has been God’s plan all along. Just as Moses lifted up the replica of sin and all those who looked to it were saved, so Jesus was lifted up on the cross to pay the full penalty for our sin, and now all who look to Jesus in faith will be saved – will be born again. That is exactly what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus in verses 14-15. Again, we read:
John 3:14–15 (NLT)
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
And finally, Nicodemus is ready to hear the “how”. How can I be born again? And what comes next in John Chapter 3 is the most famous verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The God who created all that has been created loved the world – in this way… His love for each one of us is so radical that God came HIMSELF in the Person of Jesus Christ to pay (in our place) the full penalty that our sin justly deserves so that we could be born again – so that we could be freely given new life.
By us putting our full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are born again, we are made right with God – Not because we’ve earned it, not because we deserve it – but simply because we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Again, John 3:16.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish . . .
so that EVERYONE who believes
The word translated “everyone” means – each, every, any, or all. It genuinely and literally means who-so-ever. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done. God says, if you will truly believe (put your faith) in Jesus Christ as your Savior – you will not perish. And the word “believe” is where the line is drawn.
The line is drawn at what it means – to believe. Does it mean to believe that God exists? No, it doesn’t. This word “believe” means to put your full faith and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ as your Savior.
To put your full faith and trust in WHO Jesus Christ says he is, in WHAT Jesus Christ says he has done, in WHAT Jesus Christ says he will do. And if you will do that, then God promises that you will not perish, but instead, you will have eternal life.
Through our genuine faith in Jesus Christ, we are freely given eternal life with God in Heaven and we are saved from eternal separation from God in a place the Bible calls hell. And eternal life with God is what the end of the most famous verse in the Bible is all about.
Genesis 1:27 says we were made in the image of God. It’s referring to the eternality of our creation by God. We were created as eternal beings. God created a place for us to be with him but gives us the choice of whether we go or not. Again, John 3:16.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The word “have” here is a present possession word. It means we currently have eternal life. When we put our full faith in Jesus as our Savior, the work of God giving us eternal life – is finished, and we are born again.
And God promises us in his Word that this eternal life with him is very, very real. It is more real than this temporal life on earth. The world machine run by the enemy convinces us otherwise. This life’s what’s important. This life’s what’s important. No, no, no! No! You might not see the sun rise tomorrow. Eternity’s what’s important. And God made a way for us to spend it with him.
And it all happens by you putting your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, fully believing who he is and what he has done.
God has done it all for you, except for one thing. You must believe in Jesus Christ. You have to decide. Will I put my faith in him? Will I give him my life? Will I surrender my life to him? Will I believe in him?
You must put your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and God promises you in His Word, that when you do, that you will be born again. He will give you a new life. A new life now and an eternal life the moment you need it. An eternal life that is started now.
And when you are born again, your heart will be ready to receive the life-transforming truth of God’s Word.
I just want to inspire you, and I want to give you a minute to pray that prayer, right where you’re at. It’s you and God, for your eternity’s sake. Recognize where you’re at. And say, Lord, I need to be born again. I need your life to take over mine. I need to step into the new life that you have for me. I Believe. I believe, Lord. With everything I have in me, I put my full faith and trust in you. I make you my Savior. I make you my Lord. Take over. Not my way but your way. Thank you for saving me. Come into my life and be glorified. In your name, Jesus, Amen.