Last week, as a part of our lent series leading up to Easter we looked briefly at the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. At how Jesus chooses a different way to the one the devil offers him... The devil offers power and security – Jesus chooses to take the risk of being vulnerable – a risk that leads him to the cross.
Jesus' choice reflects a completely different sort of mindset – he chooses vulnerability over power and awe… In so doing Jesus makes God's heart known to us. Jesus preached: "Repent," the Kingdom of God is near… and asks us to change our mindsets – learning to live in God's kingdom reality rather than the one we choose or are used to.
As part of this mind changing process we sometimes choose to give some of our habits up, or take up new habits… reflecting our willingness to make God's priorities our own.
We repent – we renew our minds. As Paul says in Romans 12:2 – "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…"
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In John 3 Nicodemus comes to Jesus – recognising that there is something different about Jesus… "No one could do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."
John writes later in his gospel (20:31) that he records these signs so that his readers may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God… and have life in his name.
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Nicodemus makes a statement of faith when he says:
"We know that you are a teacher who has come from God…"
Like us, Nicodemus needs to be instructed in how to respond to this truth…
Jesus explains to him…
"…no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." (3:3)
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The Kingdom of God
For Nicodemus the arrival of a teacher from God – one like Jesus – is a firm sign of God's coming reign – God intervening in the world in a powerful and unusual way. A sign for a person of faith – that God is going to begin to overpower the rulers of the day and establish himself as King…
(Just as we express frustration at our politicians so do the Israelites – in the Old Testament the people often speak of a day when God himself will reign… In that reign the poor will be treated fairly, there will be justice in the land, there will be no corruption.)
But Jesus challenges Nicodemus' and our way of thinking:
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No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above…
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The kingly reign of God doesn't begin out there with the government, it doesn't begin when God swoops down in power and overthrows the unjust (The Kind of Kingdom Nicodemus may see beginning in Jesus). It's not the responsibility of a bishop or a minister or a society steward or anybody out there.
The reign of God that has the power to transform the world has its beginning in each one of us. We will see the Kingdom of God when we allow God to transform us and adopt us as we are born again.
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Born Again
The phrase "born again" has gathered a lot of baggage.
How many of us have been asked by someone: "Are you a Christian?" and when we've said "yes" they ask: "But are you a 'born again' Christian?"
It's not a bad question to ask ourselves… It's something we should do everyday if we're living as children of God.
But often those who ask us whether we are 'born again' have taken Jesus words and reduced them simply to a spiritual and emotional experience that has little (something, but little) to do with what Jesus is talking about.
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For Nicodemus, being a leader of the Jews, the phrase: 'born again' refers quite simply to the conversion of foreign – non-Jews (gentiles) to Judaism.
Judaism was a national religion. Under normal circumstances (if you were Nicodemus) you would be born Jewish – on the eighth day of your life (if you were a boy) you would be circumcised… A sign that you belonged to the tribe and the tribe belonged to the religion.
When foreign people wanted to convert to Judaism they would be baptised, symbolising birth into a new family as the convert stripped naked, washed in a pool and came out to put on new garments…
Baptism signified a total break with the past – severing even family ties as the convert emigrated into a new nation.
For Nicodemus the concept is ridiculous – he was born Jewish – must he enter again into his mother's womb?
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The concept ties in with the concept of repentance which I spoke of last week… A total mind shift, a total transformation of the way in which we see the world, ourselves and our relationship to God… one that looks to a future in which we make God our King and become a part of God's Kingdom.
Even Nicodemus – a teacher of Israel, a leader of the Jews needs to change his mind about everything he thought he knew, being born again.
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The Spirit
This being reborn; without which we will never see the Kingdom of God is not something we do alone. Nor is it something which God does to us without our participation.
We work with God to be reborn…
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about being born of water and Spirit… The water part is something Nicodemus can do – he can go and be baptised, he can participate in the rituals and actions that outwardly symbolise what is going on inside… Go to temple, pray, fast, discipline himself… he can make an effort, Jesus blesses that.
But when we do our part we also need to be open to asking God and allowing God to do his part… Jesus reminds us in Luke 11:13 –
"How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
When we ask God to do his part Jesus guarantees us that God will be faithful, giving us his Holy Spirit. (If you're in any doubt about this, read Luke 11:9 onwards…)
For some this process of rebirth might be gentle, peaceful – stretching over a number of years as we allow God to work in us and transform us. For others the beginning of it might be a deeply emotional Damascus road type of experience… where we are suddenly changed.
But we should never get so caught up in the process of rebirth that we forget the Kingdom bringing result that this rebirth begins.
No one will see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.
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The Result
Those who are born again will see and experience the Kingdom of God because being reborn helps us to live in mind and body as true Kingdom citizens…
In John Wesely's sermon number 14, The Marks of the New Birth he points out three fruits of our being born of God… faith (the foundation of the other two), hope and love.
Faith
Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:26 that it is through faith that we become children of God. This faith is in Jesus identity as the Son of God and his authority to adopt us as God's children. When we are born again we are born as children of God – we have a new identity; a totally new relationship with the creator of the universe.
This faith assures us – by the power of the Holy Spirit that our sins are forgiven – we are made right with God. That we can put our trust into this relationship.
This faith enables us to conquer sin (Paul reminds us in Romans 6 in being born of God we are no longer slaves to sin.
Another fruit which comes out of this faith is peace. Peace in the knowledge that no matter what happens in this world – our identity as God's children can never be changed… With this faith we can persevere even through the darkest and most difficult times.
Hope
In 1 Peter 1:3 we read:
"…he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an ineritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
Because of our new birth we are ambassadors to the world – filled with hope because we believe that God's Kingdom reign is possible – things can get better, and that improvement starts here.
We have this hope because we are partners with God – working with God to fulfil God's plans… and when we work with God nothing is futile.
Love
Finally, and most importantly, when we become children of God we become like God and "God", according to the first letter of John 4:8, "is love."
When we are born again we begin to share that love with those around us. We will begin to feel a compassion that will not allow us to sit by when others suffer…
We will share in God's love for people – and learn to do what God would have us do for people…
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When we are born again… when daily we can ask ourselves: "Are we born again?" "Is this action appropriate for a child of God?" then Jesus tells us we will begin to see and experience the Kingdom of God.
The new birth is a gift which God gives us, through the person of his son… so that we will have eternal life.
This is a powerful gift.
In receiving this gift – we become God's children… a gift to the world.
When God calls Abram he says to him: "I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…"
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We, the children of God, born of water and of Spirit can be the blessing that God wants us to be for the world… only if we allow ourselves to be reborn and to live as the children of God.
Then – and only then – Jesus tells us, we will see the Kingdom of God.
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