Born Again John 3:1-16
I read a story about a woman who during a burglary Murdered the family in the home she was robbing. Now, after exhausting all appeals, She was led to a solitary cell to wait for her death sentence to be carried out.
She sat there crying, thinking about what brought her to this place; the crowd she associated with, the drugs and alcohol she took, all led to the murder of two innocent people. She sat there as she wished, as she prayed that she could start all over again with a clean slate.
We may never be in this woman’s situation, but anyone ever wish you could wipe the slate clean? Maybe we said something we didn’t mean, acted out of anger, or perhaps we were just tired and short tempered. Usually in these circumstances we just give a heartfelt apology and the slate between us and another is wiped clean. But what if we keep acting in these ways against the same person? Eventually they stop forgiving us.
Think of our lives in relation to God. Can we ever really and honestly apologize for what we do? Like the state is going to exact punishment on the woman, God will exact punishment on us because like the woman in that jail cell, we just can’t wipe the slate clean and start over.
Today, through Nicodemus and Jesus, we learn that God gives us a way to do just that, a way to wipe the slate clean and start over. And we see the first step to accomplishing this in today’s reading’s verse 2; “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
First and foremost, we must believe God exists. If we don’t believe that, then we won’t believe we have done anything that has eternal consequences. If we don’t believe that, then we won’t believe Jesus came to be our redeemer. If we don’t believe that, then we have no hope. Nicodemus shows us that believing in God and in Jesus is what allows the coming of what’s next; verse 3, “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”
I’ve been asked several times if I am a “born again” Christian. I know they mean did I make a public confession and request for God to come into my life. It doesn’t have to be that dramatic, it can be, but belief is the key. Do you believe in God? Do you believe you sin? Do you believe Jesus died as punishment for your sin? If yes, it doesn’t matter how you came to believe this, you are a Christian. You are “born again.” The very definition of Christian is, “born again.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here.”
If you believe in Christ, you are like a newborn. A new life with a clean slate to build that life upon. Your spirit is renewed. Now a baby is new, without history. How does this renewal, this “born again,” work for those of us who are a little less new to life?
One thing is, we will be renewed in our thinking. A baby looks at the world with new eyes. And a baby’s first ideas come from watching its parents. If parents tend to ignore those in service such as never thanking the cashier at the grocery, the child will see this and follow suit. The child will learn to dismiss those they see as below them.
But in Christ, we see demonstrated a new way of thinking. Jesus heals the blind man, heals the bent over woman, he breaks bread with sinners, he forgives sins. Mark 10:45, “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve…” Each follower of Christ must learn this for themselves, “I am not here to be served, I am here to serve others.” I can renew my way of thinking about my place in the world.
Now we are not Jesus. Yes, we should get in the habit of doing deeds for others but we can also serve others by being grateful, by being thankful, by being aware of things like a sick neighbor and offering prayer.
Jesus forgave sins and only God can do this. But I can renew my thinking and not hold a grudge if someone does me wrong. This renewing of my thoughts is my rebirth into God’s way.
When we are born again, we are renewed in spirit. We can feel dejected, put down, feel like we’re being crushed by the weight of what we’re dealing with in life. We allow our spirits to be buried beneath the weight of our responsibilities and disappointments.
A baby is born, freed from the confines of the womb to grow, flourish, and live in the vastness of the world. When we are reborn in Christ, our spirits are released from the confines of our needs and our fears. With all that has been happening to me lately with jobs, I turned it over to God. I will accept whatever is going to happen. I am unencumbered by fear and uncertainty. I have a happy spirit.
When our spirit is renewed through our rebirth in Christ, the worst of what life hands out will not pull you under. You will see God in everything. And your spirit will not be trampled. Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Nicodemus was confused by this term, “reborn.” Even today Christians can be hung up by this term. But to be reborn in Christ simply means you believe in him, you accept Christ in your life, and you now have a clean slate.
Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love…his compassion will never fail. They are new every morning…” Nothing you have done, nothing you will do, will come between you and God.
Being reborn in Christ means you have the chance to renew; renew your thinking, and renew your spirit. Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you must also rid yourself of…these; anger, rage, malice, slander…since you have taken off your old self…and have put on the new self…”
John shows us by recounting the meeting of Nicodemus and Jesus, we have the ability and the chance to change the way we think about our place in the world, and the way we interact with others.
1 Peter 1:3-4, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth…into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.” Jesus and Nicodemus show us that being reborn in Christ releases your spirit from the chains of life and sets it free from disappointment and fear. And this freedom can never be taken away from you.
And finally, last week I mentioned the snake on a pole found in the Book of Numbers. Here Jesus mentions it; verses 14-15, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” This verse helps make John’s case that Jesus and God are one and the same. Everyone who trusted God and looked upon the bronze snake lifted on a pole, lived even though they were bit by vipers. Everyone who looks upon Jesus on the cross and believes will have eternal life in him even though they sin.
Be glad, by your faith you have been reborn. You have the ability to start over and realign your thinking with God’s.
Be glad, for by having faith in Jesus on the cross, you are reborn into eternal life. A life that can never be taken away.
Be glad, for your spirit has been set free. And because God’s mercy is new each day, your chance to renew is also new each day. The mistakes of today don’t affect the hope and promise of tomorrow.
God bless,
Amen.