[The following is a full manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 10th of June, 2018. Look for the video of the service on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
A couple weeks ago I introduced a little series based on statements Jesus made during His ministry. Now these particular statements are special in that Jesus felt it necessary to preface each by saying, “I tell you the solemn truth”.
We consider our Bible, as God’s word, to be holy, inerrant, and true… especially the things that Jesus tells us in it. And that’s why these particular statements are so important to us, because Jesus let us know right from the start that what He is about to say is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Today’s solemn truth once again comes to us as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account. So please listen and follow along as I read from the 3rd chapter of John, verses 1 through 15, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
We consider our Bible, as God’s word, to be holy, inerrant, and true… especially the things that Jesus tells us in it. And that’s why these particular statements are so important to us, because Jesus let us know right from the start that what He is about to say is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Today’s solemn truth once again comes to us as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account. So please listen and follow along as I read from the 3rd chapter of John, verses 1 through 15, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that You do unless God is with Him.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I tell you the solemn truth, We speak about what We know and testify about what We have seen, but you people do not accept Our testimony. 12 If I have told you people about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven — the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”
--John 3:1-15 (NET)
Let us pray… Father God, when Your Son Jesus came back to heave to be with You, He asked that You would send Your Holy Spirit to us, to be our Companion and our Guide. And You did just as He asked, sending Your own Spirit to live within us, to always be there for us. Help us, please Father, to live more spiritual lives, to allow Your Spirit to lead us. And help us, please, to understand Your message for us this morning. Touch our hearts, and show us Your way. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Although Jane was raised a Methodist, she started attending a Baptist church when she moved to a new community. One day she was helping a group of women clean the church kitchen. She emptied the large electric coffeepot and handed it to the lady washing dishes.
The lady washing dishes asked, “Can this be washed like everything else?”
“No,” Jane replied. “This is a Methodist coffeepot. It says right here, DO NOT IMMERSE.”
That could just as well have been a Reformed coffeepot, couldn’t it. Most of us prefer to be “sprinkled” rather than full immersion. And of course we’re talking about baptism here. Just as was Jesus, kind of, in His little discussion with Nicodemus.
There’s a little something we need to be aware of regarding Nicodemus. One of the neat things about our Bible is that we can read a passage in it and gain a lot of good information and insight. We can learn the things Jesus tried to teach us. But we gain even more when we read through it all and tie passages together.
For instance this man Nicodemus - who came to Jesus one night to question Him for his own reasons, to try to understand Him a little better – this man was a leader and teacher of the Jewish people. He was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling body, the Sanhedrin. Now this is the same Nicodemus that we read of in chapter 7 of John’s Gospel account, who tried reminding his colleagues in the High Council that their law does not allow them to convict a man without first hearing from him. When they were in fact condemning Jesus, Nicodemus tried to defend Him.
And then, in chapter 19 of John’s account, we read of how Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, asked for and received the body of Jesus after His crucifixion, to lay the body in a tomb he had recently had dug. But if you remember, there was also a man named Nicodemus mentioned, who brought a large amount of a mixture of myrrh and aloe to anoint the body. This is the same Nicodemus. Through this discussion with Jesus, this man ultimately became a believer.
So what is it Jesus really tried to tell Nicodemus? The man’s confusion is understandable, perhaps, because we know no one can be born a second time in the flesh. But Jesus wasn’t talking about physical birth, but spiritual birth. Being “born from above” is that spiritual birth.
God is a spiritual being, not a physical one, so to truly be closer to Him, we must become more spiritual in our lives, in how we live. Jesus said that it is the solemn truth that we must be born of water and the Spirit if we are to gain eternal life with God in heaven.
There are a couple of ways of looking at that “born of water” part, and one of them could be considered when we are physically born of our mother, and the amniotic sac bursts right before labor, releasing its fluid, or “water”. We all must be born into life, or we would not exist, and if we don’t exist we can’t believe.
Another aspect of the phrase has to do with baptism and the cleansing effect of water, both physical and symbolic. John the Baptist saw the connection between being born of water and Spirit and being baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. Listen to what the Apostle Matthew recorded for us in chapter 3 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 17…
John baptized with water, even baptizing Jesus. God baptized His Son with His Spirit, as we see the Spirit descending like a dove and alighting upon Jesus.
Our Lord Jesus also baptizes with God’s Holy Spirit. How? By asking God to send His Spirit to dwell in each and every believer, and by God granting that request.
But this isn’t really about baptism, neither by water nor the Spirit. It’s about living. Jesus is looking at two aspects of our lives: the physical, or the flesh, and the spiritual, that which gives life to our flesh. Here, He is trying to impress Nicodemus and us on the greater importance of living a more spiritual life.
Once we have been baptized by the Spirit, as believers, we need to follow the lead that the Spirit provides! We might not know where the Spirit will lead, where He will take us next, but God does, for God directs His movements, actions, and words. We need to follow, because God loves us and is trying to get us to do what is best for us!
The gift of the Holy Spirit is like the gift of faith. Both come from God, both are freely given to believers, and it is up to us to use them both to benefit from them. Just as we need to exercise our faith to keep it strong and vibrant, we need to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance to keep strong spiritually.
I said this wasn’t about baptism, but baptism is an important aspect of our spiritual life. If we are baptized as infants, that is the action of our parents saying they will guide us in our spiritual and Christian growth. At some point in our maturing process, we become capable of making the decision on our own whether to accept Jesus as our Lord and Master, to give our lives to Him, to do His will. At that time, we may wish to be baptized as an outward sign of our inward faith, our belief in Jesus as the Son of God – as a visible and public acknowledgement of our invisible and private baptism by God’s Holy Spirit.
This is the type of baptism Jesus spoke of, when He commissioned us to carry on His work here on earth. Listen to His command, from chapter 28 of Matthew’s Gospel account, verses 18 through 20…
We’re quite familiar with that command to go and make disciples. We are to make believers, teaching them all about Jesus, showing them what Jesus has done in our lives. And we are to baptize them, with water, to complement their baptism by God’s Spirit.
We don’t know if Nicodemus was baptized with water, but by the end of John’s Gospel account, we can see that he had been born from above, baptized by God’s Holy Spirit, for he served our Lord. We can’t see it in this morning’s reading, but he listened to what Jesus told him this day and took it all to heart, and perhaps especially the parts about the only way to heaven is by being born from above, the only way to the Father is through the Son. What Jesus said put this Pharisee on the path to redemption and everlasting life.
Will we take to heart what Jesus said? He spoke the solemn truth to us. We need to be more spiritual in our lives, and less concerned about things of the flesh. God will see to our physical needs, so we can attend to our spiritual needs.
Let’s exercise our faith more. Let others see that we have been born from above. Help them become disciples, followers of Christ Jesus. We’ll even baptize them if they want it. I’ll be happy to baptize anyone, if they ask, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Be born from above. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, on the day Your Son was baptized in the River Jordan, You blessed Him by baptizing Him with You own Holy Spirit. And then You send Your Spirit to baptize all who would believe in Jesus, to dwell within us and be our constant Guide and Helper. Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to take advantage of this wonderful gift. Forgive us when we refuse to follow His lead. Forgive us when we ignore His pleadings, His presence. Please help us to always be faithful, to listen to Your Spirit, to follow where He would guide us. Help us to live more spiritually, to live as truly born from above.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, when You returned to heaven, You asked our Father to send His Spirit to help us, so that we would never be alone, so that we need never be lost. Help us, please Lord, to take full advantage of our Guide and Companion. Help us to remember why You want us to receive this wonderful gift. Help us to understand the solemn truth of our need to be born from above, and to live like it. Help us to be more spiritual.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Although Jane was raised a Methodist, she started attending a Baptist church when she moved to a new community. One day she was helping a group of women clean the church kitchen. She emptied the large electric coffeepot and handed it to the lady washing dishes.
The lady washing dishes asked, “Can this be washed like everything else?”
“No,” Jane replied. “This is a Methodist coffeepot. It says right here, DO NOT IMMERSE.”
That could just as well have been a Reformed coffeepot, couldn’t it. Most of us prefer to be “sprinkled” rather than full immersion. And of course we’re talking about baptism here. Just as was Jesus, kind of, in His little discussion with Nicodemus.
There’s a little something we need to be aware of regarding Nicodemus. One of the neat things about our Bible is that we can read a passage in it and gain a lot of good information and insight. We can learn the things Jesus tried to teach us. But we gain even more when we read through it all and tie passages together.
For instance this man Nicodemus - who came to Jesus one night to question Him for his own reasons, to try to understand Him a little better – this man was a leader and teacher of the Jewish people. He was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling body, the Sanhedrin. Now this is the same Nicodemus that we read of in chapter 7 of John’s Gospel account, who tried reminding his colleagues in the High Council that their law does not allow them to convict a man without first hearing from him. When they were in fact condemning Jesus, Nicodemus tried to defend Him.
And then, in chapter 19 of John’s account, we read of how Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, asked for and received the body of Jesus after His crucifixion, to lay the body in a tomb he had recently had dug. But if you remember, there was also a man named Nicodemus mentioned, who brought a large amount of a mixture of myrrh and aloe to anoint the body. This is the same Nicodemus. Through this discussion with Jesus, this man ultimately became a believer.
So what is it Jesus really tried to tell Nicodemus? The man’s confusion is understandable, perhaps, because we know no one can be born a second time in the flesh. But Jesus wasn’t talking about physical birth, but spiritual birth. Being “born from above” is that spiritual birth.
God is a spiritual being, not a physical one, so to truly be closer to Him, we must become more spiritual in our lives, in how we live. Jesus said that it is the solemn truth that we must be born of water and the Spirit if we are to gain eternal life with God in heaven.
There are a couple of ways of looking at that “born of water” part, and one of them could be considered when we are physically born of our mother, and the amniotic sac bursts right before labor, releasing its fluid, or “water”. We all must be born into life, or we would not exist, and if we don’t exist we can’t believe.
Another aspect of the phrase has to do with baptism and the cleansing effect of water, both physical and symbolic. John the Baptist saw the connection between being born of water and Spirit and being baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. Listen to what the Apostle Matthew recorded for us in chapter 3 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 17…
11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
--Matthew 3:11-17 (NKJV)
Our Lord Jesus also baptizes with God’s Holy Spirit. How? By asking God to send His Spirit to dwell in each and every believer, and by God granting that request.
But this isn’t really about baptism, neither by water nor the Spirit. It’s about living. Jesus is looking at two aspects of our lives: the physical, or the flesh, and the spiritual, that which gives life to our flesh. Here, He is trying to impress Nicodemus and us on the greater importance of living a more spiritual life.
Once we have been baptized by the Spirit, as believers, we need to follow the lead that the Spirit provides! We might not know where the Spirit will lead, where He will take us next, but God does, for God directs His movements, actions, and words. We need to follow, because God loves us and is trying to get us to do what is best for us!
The gift of the Holy Spirit is like the gift of faith. Both come from God, both are freely given to believers, and it is up to us to use them both to benefit from them. Just as we need to exercise our faith to keep it strong and vibrant, we need to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance to keep strong spiritually.
I said this wasn’t about baptism, but baptism is an important aspect of our spiritual life. If we are baptized as infants, that is the action of our parents saying they will guide us in our spiritual and Christian growth. At some point in our maturing process, we become capable of making the decision on our own whether to accept Jesus as our Lord and Master, to give our lives to Him, to do His will. At that time, we may wish to be baptized as an outward sign of our inward faith, our belief in Jesus as the Son of God – as a visible and public acknowledgement of our invisible and private baptism by God’s Holy Spirit.
This is the type of baptism Jesus spoke of, when He commissioned us to carry on His work here on earth. Listen to His command, from chapter 28 of Matthew’s Gospel account, verses 18 through 20…
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.--Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
We don’t know if Nicodemus was baptized with water, but by the end of John’s Gospel account, we can see that he had been born from above, baptized by God’s Holy Spirit, for he served our Lord. We can’t see it in this morning’s reading, but he listened to what Jesus told him this day and took it all to heart, and perhaps especially the parts about the only way to heaven is by being born from above, the only way to the Father is through the Son. What Jesus said put this Pharisee on the path to redemption and everlasting life.
Will we take to heart what Jesus said? He spoke the solemn truth to us. We need to be more spiritual in our lives, and less concerned about things of the flesh. God will see to our physical needs, so we can attend to our spiritual needs.
Let’s exercise our faith more. Let others see that we have been born from above. Help them become disciples, followers of Christ Jesus. We’ll even baptize them if they want it. I’ll be happy to baptize anyone, if they ask, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Be born from above. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, on the day Your Son was baptized in the River Jordan, You blessed Him by baptizing Him with You own Holy Spirit. And then You send Your Spirit to baptize all who would believe in Jesus, to dwell within us and be our constant Guide and Helper. Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to take advantage of this wonderful gift. Forgive us when we refuse to follow His lead. Forgive us when we ignore His pleadings, His presence. Please help us to always be faithful, to listen to Your Spirit, to follow where He would guide us. Help us to live more spiritually, to live as truly born from above.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, when You returned to heaven, You asked our Father to send His Spirit to help us, so that we would never be alone, so that we need never be lost. Help us, please Lord, to take full advantage of our Guide and Companion. Help us to remember why You want us to receive this wonderful gift. Help us to understand the solemn truth of our need to be born from above, and to live like it. Help us to be more spiritual.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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