I invite you to please turn this morning to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. We will read together the first 21 verses. What I would like to do in this particular sermon is give you the bigger picture, and then after the first of the year, Lord willing, we'll come back, and we will focus back in a little closer on John 3, 16 and 17. But this morning, since we have built and set the context here, looking at this discussion with Nicodemus, we're continuing and looking at that whole story. So we'll pick up it at verse 23 of chapter 2 and read all the way to John 3.21. This is the word of the Lord. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them. because he knew all people, and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered him, are you the teacher of Israel? And yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen but you do not receive our testimony if i have told you earthly things and you do not believe how can you believe if i tell you heavenly things no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven the son of man and as moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life for god so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he's not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. And there ends the reading of God's Word. If you have ever wondered why there is such a struggle with people we know to believe the Gospel, well, you have the passage in front of you to explain that this morning with great clarity. Why that struggle is so great. why that struggle is so great as believers we take for granted how impossible a belief is if left to ourselves we just take that for granted it is absolutely unequivocally impossible for us to accomplish it and as we looked at last time the best if we could say well what is the best that we could do if it were left up to us. You have it in John 2 verses 23 through 25. A superficial fake following of Jesus. That's exactly what was shown to us there in those verses that we looked at last time. Fake belief. I'll come back to that. And that's why I titled the sermon. It seems to me that the context of this whole passage is Jesus speaking such wonderful things in the context of this artificial fake religion and he's addressing it he's going after it but nicodemus is a fascinating uh study because he's an absolutely and this is the point of the passage he's an absolutely confused person i think he's out he's sincere i think that's what marks him as somewhat different than some of the other pharisees who were just brutal to jesus but you you saw in this passage Jesus is not shy about telling him the real problem here is is you're an unbeliever Nicodemus you don't believe we've told you these things and if I tell you earthly things you still don't believe you don't believe he's perplexed he's confused he just he can't figure this stuff out there are endless questions that Nicodemus has endless questions well I think we have to stop for a second before we dive into this this morning and remember that Jesus is on a mission and if we forget that we'll read these passages as if Jesus is pressing people in a way that leaves it up to them that is not what he's doing Jesus is on a divine mission to come and cleanse many things and he's already cleansed the temple he's already told us and he's going to show us who the true temple is in his body as he's raised from the dead but for anyone to come to that temple and for anyone to be the temple of the holy spirit they're going to have a half to have the heart cleansed and jesus is is the is on this mission to to make that so to open that door for the cleansing of the human heart which is a wonderful section here to understand that and that's why the end of John 2 made that very clear. Jesus didn't have to find out what was the problem when he came to this earth. He didn't have to come here and figure this out with a wrong kind of, as some people talk about, foreknowledge. He came here with a full understanding of the problem. He knew exactly what is going on with the human heart. He knows exactly what's going on in your hearts right now. The problem is you don't. That's the problem. So Jesus opens this up, and before we get to this dialogue with Nicodemus, you'll remember that it said there that at the Passover, great feast time, many believed when they saw the signs. They saw his power unmatched. They saw what He could do. They saw what He could bring to them. John 6 will show this. This guy could feed us. They saw that He could bring a lot of things to Israel like the Old Testament prophets. And so it says they believed in Him. Problem? Jesus did not believe in their belief. He did not pistuo, entrust, it's the same word, believe in their belief on His part. And that was a massive problem. so that leads to the issue of all issues that we get to the heart of in christianity and we get to the heart of in life that we need and it is all about the human heart it is all about the human heart i need a new life you need a new life and if that's so you need to die and you need to be raised brand new that's the plain matter here and for anyone to be saved for any for this to happen to anyone in this building starting with right here at the pulpit for anyone to be saved that means that we have to have something the holy spirit does internally to us you don't manipulate that you can't control that you can't organize that you can't create that you can't even accept that the Holy Spirit must give you a true heart religion a heart washed to believe the gospel a heart that as was prophesied everywhere would come to know what it is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And when that happens, things change. Things change. Well, the issue then is how does that occur? How do we get there? Where do we get this? And that's what this text does now for us. It helps us to understand. If you missed last week, you really should take some time to go back on the internet and listen to that first section because it builds here to what Jesus is doing in this discussion with Nicodemus. And it leads us to that question, for Jesus now is about to explain how the new birth happens. And what you have in front of you, which is a remarkable moment, and I think that's what makes this text so unique, is a confused teacher, not just a teacher, but notice the teacher in Israel. This guy everyone listened to. This guy, everyone followed. This guy could parse out everything real well. This guy knew all the distinctions. And John wants us to look at him. And John wants us to evaluate ourselves through the struggle of this man, Nicodemus. Do we have life? Do we have life? How do we know? How do I know if I'm born again? And really, from above is the absolute right translation of that. How do I know that I'm born from heaven? How do I know that I'm given a new existence? Well, this becomes one of the most beautiful moments in the Scriptures for Jesus now unfolds this for us. And that's why this text is so important. I didn't want to leave it so quickly. After Jesus had spoken of the necessity, the absolute necessity for all of us to be born again, to be born from above, But Nicodemus comes and asks a question in verse 9 that is crucial to what follows. You always have to know that Jesus is often dealing with the questions that are proposed to him, and that's how we know how best to understand what follows. Nicodemus answered him when Jesus said, the wind blows where it wishes, you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes, so is everyone who's born of the Spirit. Nicodemus comes to him and says, how can that be? Are you a teacher, the teacher in Israel and don't know that? Most assuredly, I say to you, we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don't receive it. Well, isn't that just a remarkable moment? I want to spend a little bit of time on that. I think that's a really important response and section of Scripture here to focus on. It's a big moment. What was Nicodemus asking? How can these things be? I think you could make that a little more clear by translating it. How can this born from heaven happen? The key to understanding the question is Jesus' response. It shows the problem. We know. We know. Remember how Nicodemus came to Jesus at the beginning? Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God, but we know something that you don't know, says Jesus. Jesus is in his face here. Yeah, you say we know you're a teacher, but let me tell you, you can't figure this out because we know something that you don't. Jesus is using this to illustrate the point that the teacher in Israel knew things but didn't know the thing. Jesus has something to say about the very division that Nicodemus made. He had already said in verse 6 that there are those who are born of the Spirit and then there are those who are born of the flesh. That's a total distinction that's really important here. And then he says you're either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit making this crucial separation that we have to understand here between those who are alive in Christ and those who are dead. Those are the categories here. This is where I think Christianity gets confused today. There's no sort of middle ground where there's death and darkness and sin and then there's righteousness and life and the Spirit and here I sit in the autonomous, sovereign middle deciding which one I'll choose. Those aren't the categories that we have here. There's not a middle third category. You're either dead or you're alive. What are you? And the shocking thing is, he's talking to the teacher in Israel. Nicodemus is sincerely wrestling. I love it. I love that he is. And he's about to get something he never would dream. Some of the most beautiful statements in all of the Scripture are going to be given to this Pharisee. I don't even know what the new birth is. What are you talking about? Yeah, I know you don't. I know you don't. We do. I know you don't. But let me set in how important that is. You're teaching in the kingdom of God. You are a teacher in Israel and you don't even know how to enter the kingdom. It would be like saying to a pastor, you teach justification by grace. You've got it down, man. You've got the catechism memorized. You've got all the distinctions. Perfect. You are a leader in teaching everyone about that. You teach everyone about the right truth, but you don't have life. let that set in you don't have life you realize it's possible to know a lot not know life this is just as much a reform problem as anyone else Jesus is talking about heart religion how many say what is that i have no idea what that is how many have reacted against that because you don't know it is it a completely unfamiliar experience to you i'm not talking about experiential things in the wrong way nicodemus had just said to jesus he was totally unfamiliar with what the new birth is what being born from heaven is and what the evidences of that are i had to that's that's a remarkable moment here in front of jesus because jesus has no is is responding in such a way says how could you not know that his question was one of confusion how do i i don't even know how that's possible i haven't seen this how do i get this oh you could you could substitute all that in there there's been no evidence of what you're talking about what is that how much frustration is there on this point how much frustration is there on that point and there's the problem we've got to it we're right at the heart of the matter we're right at the heart of issues we're right at the most important issue to discuss we honor the law we go to church we do what we should do what are you talking about what are you talking about jesus says we know and we testify to it what is he talking about who's the we i think the commentators are all wrong when they start talking about the trinity here that's what they do this is the divine council we know that is not i do not believe that's right um you can see it in the way that jesus is responding here if i have told you earthly things and you don't believe how can you believe if i tell you heavenly things there are two kinds of people i have told you i have i have heavenly things to bring down and tell you and i'm speaking right now so plainly about earthly things using illustrations and analogies that you should get to understand these truths and you still don't understand it you still don't get it i was at the gym the other day and and two guys were standing there and I love telling gym stories because I get into all kinds of Bible stories over at the gym. It's a really strange phenomenon I never expected in life. But some guy comes up and says, Pastor, what are you preaching right now? I said, Nicodemus, you must be born again. Oh, great passage, great passage. Well, you should come, right? And that's what I said. And then his friend next to him says, I don't get any of that. You don't? No, it makes no sense to me. yeah that's great you guys have that but i don't get it i said well that's a that's too bad because what is your answer you how'd you get here what do you think you're doing here you bang together what let's let's start with the basics here and we we walked through it and he just could not understand it and he said you take for granted understanding he could not get it question question question question question never ends do you mean to tell me you've risen to this star teacher in israel and you don't get this you have never observed nicodemus the effect of a new life in someone we can tell you about it all those who have been changed can tell you about it it's as if jesus was saying here open up your eyes and look what my life-giving power by the spirit is giving to real people people being raised to life all around you he had all his disciples standing right next to him we know they had come the messiah we believe we know we're sinners we need to be safe from the wrath to come they believe we know what we're talking about and it's not that the old testament was silent about this the old testament showed us this everywhere you wondered if nicodemus started started putting things together there was this schemer called jacob and he was a rotten man he was a bad man to his parents and jacob did everything wrong and one day god gave him a new name and dislocated him all of that telling you He gave them a new heart. What do you mean you don't know this? Can't you see it in Israel? A bunch of people God brought out of Egypt and did overwhelmingly wonderful things. He brought them out. He fed them. He saved them from Egypt. He gave them everything that they could ever imagine. And what was their attitude in the wilderness? Stunk. They complained. They complained. They moaned. They complained. They didn't like this. They didn't like this. They didn't like his worship. I mean, just read it. This is the whole history. They didn't even like how he fed them. And the Lord said, you need to circumcise your hearts. It's what you need to do. And then the Lord said this, I know you can't. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to circumcise the four skins of your hearts. That outward act points to something that needs to happen on the inside. I'm going to circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to do what? To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live. That's what he's talking about. Regeneration. A new birth. A new heart. Implanted life there. That is basic to the Christian message. That is absolutely basic to our faith. It's a doctrine bound up with the promise of the covenant of grace of what he would do for us. When he told Abraham and his seed that he would justify by faith, this is exactly what he would give so that this would even be possible. You don't see this witness everywhere? You don't see it? Maybe we have an unbelieving young man or woman here in the church today. You don't see it in your parents? You don't see it in all these people who've come up to worship the Lord today with great joy? You don't see their new hearts? How they fought against living a certain way and how they've walked in a new life? Where do you think that originated from? How do you think they got there? When the world does whatever they want to do and lives in darkness and ruins their lives in such things. You can't see it? That's a remarkable thing. Which shows the problem. What a situation here. Nicodemus is totally void in his heart of life. The principle of life. He were dead, he made alive. It's not there. And he can't see his need. And he can't live. And yet all these people were coming all around him and believing and they were following upon Jesus and they were clinging to his garments and they were receiving mercy this is the problem just as much in the church today you see why it's a battle beloved you have those who've been born again by the spirit and you see the fruit in their lives you see the change it's not perfect i know that we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive. But that's the drive of their life. That's the bent of their life. That's the pursuance of their life. They've been born again and you see the change. And then you've got stony hearts who have not yet been given life. And that's where the conflict comes. It's a lot of fake following in the church today because of this. They follow for what they think they can get out of this. A great show. This is the Jewish problem. They want signs. They want better worship. They want all this stuff, and they don't have life. And the evidences are all around us. Look at some of these dear saints. I love looking at some of the dear saints. And I know it's hard, and this is not a pressure statement, I promise you. But I love looking at some of these 90-year-old saints get out of their cars on Sunday night when it was wet last week. And coming up with their Bibles in hand to worship the Lord. Look at it. It's right in front of you. It's right in front of you. You see them growing. You see them loving God's Word. You see them pursuing holiness. You see them changing. Sometimes it's slow. I realize that the Heidelbergs write that even the best in this life only make a small step, but there's a step. Nicodemus' twofold problem. No idea himself what this is, and he refused to see the evidence all around him, And John is a gospel of evidence, presenting evidence so that people would believe. Here's one of them. One of those evidences, one of those witnesses is, look around. It's right in front of you. So what does Jesus do? You see why this is a big moment to show how do we help somebody like this? What does Jesus do? Big moment. You can't change your heart. So what do we do? What does Jesus do? Billy Graham wrote a book years ago. I remember reading it when I was first, just years ago, How to Be Born Again. And I often thought, that's the absolute wrong title. You might write How to Be Converted because that's your experience. But there's no steps to being born again. But if I were to be pressed on that, How to be born again? How would I answer? How would you answer? Look at what Jesus does. You know what he does? He starts preaching. He starts preaching him. Verse 13. Nicodemus, no one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man who's in heaven. No one has ever been able, Nicodemus, to go up to heaven and get this new birth. That's why born from above or born from heaven is the right way to say it. You can't go up there and get it. This is what Paul says in Romans 10. Let no one say in his heart, how do I ascend into heaven to bring Christ down? You don't do that. You can't. But I come down to you. I've come down to give it. And then Jesus takes something that Nicodemus would have known very well to teach us how hearts are opened, how hearts are cleansed, how hearts see. He starts preaching Old Testament texts and he picks one. And here's the one he picked it. Here's the one he selected. As Moses, Nicodemus, lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Whoa, what a choice. Nicodemus is thinking, I've never understood that passage. Yeah, the Israelites complained. and they complained and they were miserable and God sent poisonous serpents to bite them and they couldn't be healed. They started to die because of the venom in them. And then Moses said, put a pole up and put a snake on the pole and everyone who looks to that pole will be healed. What was that? Jesus. Me, Nicodemus. When Moses did that, there was immediate healing. You all are full of venom. You're all dying. The only way you can escape is if one is lifted up from the earth and put on the pole. And the Lord said to Israel, don't you try to solve this problem yourself. Look at the poll. See, it required faith. It required a recognition of what the Lord had to do. And what a message before us this morning. They saw years ago the horror of the cross event set before their eyes. Where Jesus would come in the fullness of time and they would lift up the Son of Man and pin Him to the cross and He would die there. Why? Why? And Jesus in the next breath says this, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Nicodemus got more than he ever bargained for. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. but the goal is in raising up His Son that the world of people would be saved. We'll come back to all that in the next sermon, but stay with me here for a moment. I know that verse has lost all of its punch. This is the hardest sermon in some ways to preach. It really is. Because how do you revive it? How do you pick it back up after what we've done and slapping it on bumper stickers everywhere? But God so, in this manner, loved this fallen realm that He gave from heaven the best gift to this world that He could ever, possibly, ever, ever, ever give. Here's how He showed it. Here's the depths of His love to this world. Here's the breadth of His love to all people. Here's the length of His love. It extends to eternity. God did this to wicked, rebellious people just like the children of Israel. To the whole world, He announced to the ends of the earth how to escape the judgment and wrath to come. And He loved us so much that He would pin His own Son there and pour out His deepest wrath upon Him. so that you would be set free. Whoever looks to Him and believes will be saved. Did you hear me? Whoever looks to the cross and whoever believes will be saved. You see why studying Him is so important this morning? Jesus didn't say, ah, just don't worry about it, Nicodemus. You know, I have my elect and, you know, the Spirit blows where it wishes and it'll be to whom it will. No, He preaches the cross in the next breath. And that's why I'm telling you, have your kids here all the time. Because I, in conviction by the Lord, believe it's my duty to preach the cross to you and your children. And I believe He'll give them life. But when our attitude is, that was the attitude of Israel. where the Son of God is preached. Listen, this is so crucial. Where the Son of God is preached, there the wind is blowing. Where the Son of God is preached and the cross is preached, there the Spirit is regenerating. That's what Peter said when he said, you're born again by the word of truth, the gospel that's preached to you. There you see how desperate your situation is. And there you see the God you never understood. And there you see the God you've complained against your whole life. And there you see in that very place where He shows His Son the Spirit hovering over hearts as He did at creation over the waters. Nicodemus just had the Gospel preached to him. And I think this was the moment he was regenerated. All I know is wherever he was shown later in John's Gospel, I think it's twice more, it said he formerly walked by night. But I think it leaves it somewhat open-ended, doesn't it? For a purpose? You've heard the Gospel preached to you right now in the same way. What is your response? Why would God ever love somebody like me who my whole life has done everything against him. I've tried in every way to test him, to provoke him, to go and think that he doesn't see what I'm doing and do those things. I have spit in his face. I have hated him with perfect hatred. I have lived Galatians 5 in the works of the flesh in the worst kind of way, as we read. and he loved me this way. That's what wins people. That's what wins hearts. I want to close with this. I figure why not. It's my favorite conversion account, but it's Spurgeon's. And I think it's going to help somebody. His conversion story is a fascinating one. He stumbled into a small chapel. and a man was preaching. It wasn't even the pastor that day. I can't remember why the pastor was gone, and the Lord used, I think it was an elder. I can't remember fully, but he was preaching on Isaiah 45, 22, and these are Spurgeon's words. Here's the text. Look to me, and you shall be saved, all the ends of the earth. That should mean something to us right now. For I am God, and there is none else. Look to me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there's none else. He had not much to say. Thank God. For that compelled him to keep on repeating that text. Maybe I should just do that today. Look to the Lord, right? Nothing was needed by me at any rate except that text. I remember how he said it. It is Christ that speaks. I am in the garden in an agony pouring out my soul into death. I am on the tree dying for sinners. Look to me. Look unto me. That's all you have to do. A child can look. An idiot can look. However weak, however poor a man may be. And I'm going to add, however terrible things you've done and how much you have wrecked your life, he can look. he can look. And if he looks, the promise is he'll live. Then stopping, he pointed to me where I was sitting under the gallery and said, that young man looks very miserable. That's hilarious. Sometimes I've wanted to say that about some of you. You know that? He looked right at him as he's preaching and he said, you look miserable, young man. You've not come yet. You've not looked yet. You've not believed yet. Spurgeon said, I expect I did. That's just how I felt, miserable. Then he said, there is no hope for you, young man, or any chance of getting rid of your sin that's wrecked your life, but by looking to Jesus. and he shouted, look! Look, young man! Look right now! And he says, I did. I did. And I went home, and the words of David kept ringing in my ears. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Can you hear the call of Christ on your life? look right now. What are you doing? You've come up to church a long time. Have you really got on your knees and looked to the cross and looked to Jesus? Oh, Teacher of Israel. Jesus says, let's reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow. my joy will fill you and your bitter spirit will become a born again heart with a heart of flesh. So it's set before you today, death or life. Whoever looks to the Lord and believes will be saved. Whoever looks to the Lord and believes will be saved. Heavenly Father, thank You for such glorious words and a glorious text. You know just what we need and You know how to probe and search our hearts and try us and test us. And this is the greatest Christmas message that could ever be preached. Thank You for this gift. Thank You for Your love. May we relish and hold on to that today and look to Your wonderful Son and there receive forgiveness in life. And Lord, as the Spirit hovers over our hearts right now, I pray that if there's any who have not, that they would not be able to leave today without looking and believing the Gospel. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.