John 3:1-15

Good morning, Foothills, that's my other church.

Christ Family, my other church, you know what I mean.

! Good morning, Christ Family Church, all you strangers.

Actually, some of you are strangers. I don't recognize some of you.

If you don't know me, my name is Zach Skilling,

and I used to be the assistant to the pastor, as I was affectionately called by many.

I think it was affectionate.

At CFC about a year ago.

And, yeah, Nathan asked me to come back and guest preach.

And I'm excited to be here.

It feels both strange and familiar all at the same time.

I'm going to break the rule and move this.

But, yeah, I'm glad to be here.

Our text today is John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

John chapter 3, verses 1 through 15.

John 3 · chapter mention

And I'll just tell you now, because I know how I think.

I'm somewhat, I don't know, I guess cynical maybe is the word.

I'm not sure.

But I'm always trying to figure out people's motives,

why they're doing what they're doing.

So, in case you're wondering why this text,

well, there's no motive other than just,

when you're a guest preacher,

what's better to preach on than Christ and the gospel?

And this seemed as good a text as any.

So, no secret agenda here or anything like that.

So, if you have your Bibles,

please turn with me to John chapter 3, verses 1 through 15.

John 3:1–15

And we will read together in full in just a moment.

John chapter 3, verses 1 through 15.

John 3:1–15

I will give you the outline ahead of time,

just so you can think about this as we read through.

And our text today, I'm going to divide in four parts.

And I'll repeat these as we go,

so if you don't get this now, it's okay.

But four parts.

Heading number one,

we're going to see the problematic posture of Nicodemus.

The problematic posture of Nicodemus.

Number two, we're going to see the nature of rebirth,

or you might call it regeneration or being born from above,

all kind of talking about the same thing.

But secondly, we'll see the nature of rebirth.

Number three, we'll see Nicodemus' fundamental problem.

And number four, we'll see the solution.

So, with that in mind,

please read with me John chapter 3, verses 1 through 15.

John 3:1–15

The Apostle John writes,

Now there was a man from the Pharisees,

his name 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 who has come from God,

for no one is able to do these signs which you do

unless God is with him.

Jesus answered and said to him,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born from above,

he is not able to see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to him,

How is a man, being old,

able to be born?

He is not able to enter into his mother's womb a second time and be born.

And Jesus answered,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born by water and spirit,

he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

What is born of the flesh is flesh,

and what is born of the spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I say to you,

it is necessary for you to be born from above.

The wind blows where it wishes,

and you hear its sounds,

but you do not know from where it came or where it goes.

So it is with everyone born of the spirit.

Nicodemus answered and he said to him,

How can these things happen?

And Jesus answered and said to him,

You are the teacher of Israel,

and these things you do not know.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

that which we know we have spoken of,

that which we have seen we testify,

and our testimony you did not receive.

If I speak to you of earthly things,

and you do not believe,

how, if I speak to you of heavenly things,

will you believe?

And no one has ascended into heaven,

but the one who has come down,

the Son of Man.

And just as Moses exalted the serpent in the wilderness,

so also,

or excuse me, lifted up,

so also it is necessary

that the Son of Man be lifted up,

in order that all who believe in Him

may have eternal life.

This is the word of the Lord.

Heading number one,

the problematic posture of Nicodemus.

So we're looking at verses one through two.

We're going to see this unpacked.

And just before we get straight to the problem,

I want to try and read this

as charitably as possible,

as if we are defending Nicodemus.

If you know the story,

you know he's not really worth defending

in this particular instance.

But I want to do this nonetheless,

just to get an idea of who we're talking about.

Okay, so,

Nicodemus, we learn,

verse one,

he is a man from

the Pharisees.

Now, as Christians,

we've read the Gospels,

so we know those are the bad guys.

So we're right away alert.

But again,

think about this in a first century context.

They didn't necessarily think of Pharisees

as the bad guys.

They were the super-duper holy people,

so to speak, right?

He's probably a good guy

is kind of the impression.

And because he's a Pharisee,

he probably knew his Old Testament really well,

probably paid zealous and critical attention

to keeping the Torah,

along with the traditions of the Pharisees

and so forth.

Now, we also see that he was a ruler of the Jews

in verse one.

So, this is a man of respect,

a man of means,

a man of influence.

And of course,

in our cynical age,

you might hear all that

and think he's got to be bad.

But again,

not necessarily the case.

He's prominent.

And so,

in some ways,

he's being set up as potentially

a great figure,

a significant figure.

And then in verse two,

we see him pay respect to Jesus.

And again,

this is kind of shocking

because John,

it's the last of our four Gospels written.

And if you read the Gospel of Matthew,

for instance,

that's notoriously the most critical,

maybe negative,

Gospel about the Pharisees.

I mean,

Jesus does not hold up

in saying what he thinks about them

and their hypocrisy,

their sinfulness,

and so forth.

And so,

you get to John,

and here Nicodemus says,

Rabbi.

Rabbi, right?

He's referring to him as a teacher.

Rabbi is a term of great respect

in this culture.

And so,

again,

this is kind of shocking

when you think about a Pharisee doing this.

And he seems sincere in it, right?

He's not trying to trap Jesus.

He's come to genuinely talk to him

as a rabbi.

And Nicodemus goes on.

He says,

We know you have come from God.

So, you know,

again,

just think of other stories

where the Pharisees accused Jesus

of doing things by Satan's power.

Well,

Nicodemus is not one of those Pharisees.

He's saying,

I know you come from God.

I know you to be a just,

good person,

a teacher,

a rabbi.

And then he adds,

We know God is with you.

So,

he doubles down.

So,

he's honoring Christ

to an extent that should be recognized.

And he even acknowledges

the uniqueness

of Jesus' abilities.

He says,

We know these signs you do,

you can only do if God is with you.

So,

he's not questioning those things.

He's showing respect.

So,

on a first glance of reading,

Nicodemus seems like

one of the,

quote-unquote,

good guys,

so to speak,

in the Gospel of John.

You may even think he is a Christian

or a baby Christian.

I've heard people say that about this text.

But,

when we look closer,

I think

this is so evidently

not the case.

Okay,

so again,

he is a Pharisee.

And so,

this tips us off,

as I already alluded.

Pharisees tend to be

extreme enemies of Jesus

in the Gospels.

And,

you know,

there are exceptions.

Some people think

Joseph of Arimathea

was a Pharisee.

And if you recall,

he did not want Jesus

to be crucified.

And he came and sought

Jesus' body

so that he could bury him

in his own family tomb.

Of course,

the Apostle Paul

was a Pharisee

who eventually

turned away from that

and came to Christ.

And so,

there's exceptions,

but by and large,

in the New Testament,

they're viewed

pretty negatively.

So,

right away,

our alert

should be going off.

Okay,

this is a Pharisee.

Further,

Nicodemus is a ruler

of the Jews

in verse 1.

Now,

in John's Gospel,

he often retells stories

that the other three Gospels

will tell.

But what John does,

one of the things he does

that's a little different,

is you might have a story

where in Matthew,

Mark,

and Luke,

it's specifically

the Pharisees

who come to Jesus

because they sought

to trap him

or to kill him

or something like that,

oftentimes,

in John's Gospel,

instead of saying

the Pharisees,

he'll simply say

the Jews.

The Jews came.

The Jews came.

And lots of people

speculate about

why that is.

And we don't have time

to get into all of that.

But I simply mention that

to point out that

when John says

a ruler of the Jews,

it's maybe not

as positive

as you might think

if you're trying

to be as charitable

as possible.

because it's the Jews

after all,

in John's Gospel

and the other Gospels,

along with the Romans,

that reject Christ,

that crucify Christ.

So,

John is really

showing us

that in a double sense

this man is identifying

with those

who reject Christ.

He's a Pharisee,

he's a ruler

of the Jews,

right,

and doesn't introduce

him as a follower

of Christ,

but as a ruler

of the Jews.

So,

this is more

of a negative

connotation

in John's Gospel.

And literarily,

not literally,

but literarily,

as in literature,

John is highly symbolic

and creative

in the way

that he writes.

And so,

here he's saying

by presenting Nicodemus

as this ruler

of the Jews

that Nicodemus

in a way

is personifying

all of Israel

in this story.

So,

this is a true story,

it's about an interaction

that happened

with Jesus

and Nicodemus,

but in another sense

Nicodemus

is representing

all of Israel

that rejected Christ.

So,

in a sense,

this is a conversation

between Yahweh

and Israel

much like you read

in the prophets,

right,

why have you gone

the way of the wicked?

That kind of thing.

And the other thing,

too,

to add to that

is this language

of we.

So,

if you know this story

well,

you know Nicodemus,

he comes by night.

We'll talk about that

in a second.

But he's clearly alone

and it's just Nicodemus

and Jesus

speaking.

But in verse 2,

Nicodemus says,

we know.

So,

who's the we?

Right?

Well,

some have said

it's the Pharisees

because he's a Pharisee.

Some have said

it's the Jews

in large,

right,

like all of Israel.

Either way,

though,

I think it covers both

because if you say Pharisees,

they're the leaders of Israel

in many ways.

If you say all the Jews,

well,

that certainly includes

the Pharisees.

So,

again,

Nicodemus is kind of

representing

Israel that rejected

the stone,

Israel that rejected

Christ.

And that is all just

background to who

Nicodemus is.

John,

in one verse,

masterfully,

quickly catches us up

to the political,

religious tensions

and dynamics going on

between Nicodemus

and Jesus

before they start

this conversation.

And then verse 2,

he adds,

this man,

Nicodemus,

came to Jesus

by night.

So,

again,

if you've ever read John,

you know he's highly symbolic,

highly metaphorical

in the way he writes.

And one of his favorite

go-to's

is this light-darkness

metaphor or symbolism.

For instance,

John 8, 12,

John writes,

again,

Jesus spoke to them

saying,

I am the light

of the world.

Whoever follows me

will not walk in darkness

but will have the light

of life.

So,

there's a clear contrast,

two ways of living,

one in darkness,

one in light.

John also wrote

1 John,

and in 1 John,

1 John 1:5–7

chapter 1,

verses 5 through 7,

John himself

says this,

he says,

this is the message

we have heard from Jesus

and proclaimed to you

that God is light

and in him

is no darkness

at all.

If we say we have

fellowship with him

while we walk in darkness,

we lie and do not

practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light

as he is in the light,

we have fellowship

with one another

and the blood of Jesus,

his son,

cleanses us

from all sins.

So,

again,

these are common metaphors

for John.

There's a hundred more

verses like that

in the literature

written by John.

So,

the wise reader

of the Gospel of John

is going to know

that in this story,

in chapter 3,

when Nicodemus

shows up by night,

John's not merely

telling us

when this conversation

happened.

He's telling us

where Nicodemus is.

Nicodemus

is in

darkness,

that he is not

in the light,

that he's not

in Christ.

And if that's

not clear enough,

let's look at

what Nicodemus

says to Jesus

more carefully

in verse 2.

So,

getting more at

the problematic

posture of Nicodemus.

So,

he says,

Rabbi,

that sounds good

and well.

We like that.

We call Jesus

teacher,

and rightly so.

And more than that,

we would say

Jesus is the teacher.

There's no teacher

greater,

and that's a good thing.

He certainly

is that.

But it would be

wrong to think of

Jesus as merely

a teacher,

just another teacher

like me,

or like Nathan,

or like MacArthur,

or whoever else

you might think of.

That he's just

another guy,

he's just another

dude teaching.

And it's that

latter sense

that Nicodemus

seems to

think of Jesus

as,

just a

teacher.

And notice,

he refers to

Jesus as teacher,

but never does

he say,

Lord,

King,

God,

Savior,

Messiah,

Son of Man,

Son of God,

or any of these

other titles

that would have

been good and

well and

appropriate

to describe

Jesus as.

He just

thinks of him

as a teacher.

Now,

for now,

we're going to

keep coming back

to Nicodemus,

but simply

understand

that it is

disrespectful

disrespectful for

Nicodemus to

approach Jesus

and minimize

who he actually

is,

however well-mannered

and well-intended

he may have been.

Right?

It is

disrespectful

to walk up to

the King of Kings

and just say,

Rabbi,

and that's all

you are.

You have

failed.

Right?

You have not

recognized

who's standing

before you.

King of

Kings.

And he goes

on and says,

we know you

come from

God.

Right?

Again,

that sounds

nice.

It sounds

flattering.

Right?

I'd love to

hear that.

That would

be probably,

you know,

it would be

complimentary

for somebody

like me.

But for

Jesus,

again,

this is

disrespectful

to say

to Jesus.

You come

from God.

In other

words,

you're not

God.

You just

come from

him.

The other

thing,

too,

is notice

Nicodemus

is consciously

distancing

himself

from

Jesus.

He says,

we know

this,

implying

there's a

you and

your people,

there's a

me and

my people.

We know

this about

you and

your kind.

Right?

And again,

I don't think

he's trying

to be rude,

but he is

careful to

draw that

distinction,

which,

in another

way,

is disrespectful

to the

King of

Kings.

Right?

And so,

he

consciously

distances

himself.

He

doesn't

recognize

that

Jesus

is

God.

And again,

as readers

of John's

gospel,

we have

the benefit

of knowing

this.

John

John 1:1–3

chapter 1,

verses 1

through 3,

so the

beginning of

John's

prolong.

John writes,

in the

beginning

was the

Word,

and the

Word was

with God,

and the

Word was

God,

referring to

Jesus.

He says,

he was in

the beginning

with God.

All things

were made

through him,

and without

him was not

anything made

that was

made.

And when

you jump

down to

John

John 1:14

chapter 1,

verse 14,

John continues,

and he says,

And the

Word became

flesh,

and dwelt

among us,

and we

have seen

his glory,

glory as

of the

only Son

from the

Father,

full of

grace

and truth.

So,

we have the

benefit of

knowing this.

By the time

you get

God incarnate,

and clearly,

when we see

Nicodemus say,

God must be

with you,

you must have

come from

God,

we immediately

recognize that

Nicodemus does

not believe

Jesus is

God incarnate.

So,

again,

Jesus,

however great

in Nicodemus'

mind,

is just a

great other

guy.

He's just

another guy.

That's all he

is to

Nicodemus.

And the

thought seemingly

hasn't even

crossed his

mind that

this is

God.

So,

John has

introduced us

to Nicodemus,

more friendly

and open

Pharisee than

maybe what

we're accustomed

to in the

Gospels,

but still

very much

in darkness

and alienated

from the

light and

life of

the world,

Jesus.

And so,

Jesus,

in verse

three and

on,

he's going

to take

the opportunity

to lovingly

talk about

the nature

of rebirth,

or if you

like systematic

theology,

this is what

theologians

often call

regeneration.

So,

he's going

to talk

about

rebirth,

being born

from above.

And this

leads to

our second

heading,

the nature

of rebirth,

the nature

of rebirth.

John writes

in verses

three through

eight,

and Jesus

answers

Nicodemus

and says

to him,

truly,

truly,

I say

to you,

Nicodemus

said to

him,

how can

a man

being old

be born

again?

Is he

not able

to enter

into his

mother's

womb a

second time

and be

born?

Jesus

answered,

truly,

truly,

I say

to you,

unless

one is

born by

water and

spirit,

he is

not able

to enter

into the

kingdom

of God.

what's

born of

the flesh

is flesh

and what's

born of

the spirit

is spirit.

Do not

marvel that

I say

to you,

it is

necessary

for you

to be

born from

above.

The wind

blows where

it wishes

and you

hear it

sounds,

but you

do not

know from

where it

comes or

where it

goes.

So it

is with

everyone

born of

the spirit.

Now in

these five

verses,

we see

at least

three aspects

concerning the

nature of

rebirth or

regeneration.

Three aspects

you could tease

out more,

but there are

three for

our purposes

that I want

to highlight.

A physical

earthly

rebirth,

and we'll

unpack that

and these

other two

more in a

moment.

But secondly,

we see that

rebirth

includes a

miraculously

transformed

life.

It dramatically

changes the

person.

And third,

we see that

rebirth is a

work of

the spirit,

not man.

So firstly,

rebirth is a

spiritual,

heavenly work,

not a

physical

rebirth.

So when you

look at verse

three,

admittedly,

at first

glance,

Jesus'

response seems

somewhat out

of left field.

Okay,

Nicodemus has

technically not

asked Jesus

anything.

So what

prompts Jesus

to respond

as he does?

Why start

talking about

rebirth?

What does this

have to do

with Nicodemus

and everything

going on?

Well,

clearly,

as I've already

said,

Nicodemus still

does not

really know

what to do

with Jesus.

Who is this

guy?

Nicodemus is

still kind of

wondering.

He's confused.

He's inquiring,

maybe even.

And so in

verse two,

Nicodemus is

essentially saying,

hey, we know

this much about

you.

That's kind of

the effect.

He's saying,

we know you

must come from

God.

Like, here's what

we've figured out

so far on our

own, even though

they're wrong,

partially.

But he's saying,

here's what we've

kind of figured

out, but what

aren't you telling

us?

Like, that's kind

of the vibe,

so to speak,

with Nicodemus

in this moment.

He's trying to

figure out,

who is this

guy?

And when we

look closer,

we see Jesus,

per usual,

he hits the

nail on the

head in a

concise manner.

So in Jesus'

response about

rebirth, which

again, at first

seems maybe out

of left field or

unrelated, in

talking about

it, Jesus

is actually

what to do

with Jesus.

Or better,

why Nicodemus

does not know

or understand

who Jesus

is.

It's related

to regeneration,

to rebirth.

This is why

Nicodemus does

not know who

Jesus is.

You see,

Jesus, as the

king, and as

God incarnate,

which again,

John 1 has

made very clear

for the reader

of John,

as the king,

as God

incarnate,

Jesus represents

the kingdom

of God.

It is not

wrong, in a

sense, to

say that

Jesus is

the kingdom

of God

because he's

the king.

In ancient

thought, the

king was often

the representative

of the kingdom,

so anywhere the

king went, you

could say the

kingdom went as

well, even

though the

villager, like

me, might not

go with him,

and I'm part of

the kingdom.

So there's a

sense, there's a

degree to which

Jesus is the

kingdom of God.

Just a quick

example of that,

you think of

Luke 17,

Luke 17:20–21

verses 20

through 21,

it's another

encounter with

some Pharisees,

Luke writes,

being asked by

the Pharisees

when the

kingdom of

God would

come, Jesus

answered them,

the kingdom

of God is

not coming in

ways that can

be observed,

nor will they

say, look,

here it is,

or there,

for behold,

the kingdom

of God is

in the midst

of you,

and I

understand him

to be referring

to himself,

I, the

kingdom of

God, am

standing in

your midst,

I'm right

here, but

you are

blind and

cannot see

it.

And so

when you go

back to

John 3,

John 3:3

verse 3,

the reason

Nicodemus

cannot see

Christ as

he truly

is, is

because he's

not been

born from

above, he's

not regenerate,

he is not

a Christian.

And so

what does

born from

above mean?

What are we

talking about?

I keep

throwing this

word rebirth

around.

Well,

clearly,

it's not

referring to

a second

physical

birth, as

even Nicodemus

understands in

verse 4,

right?

Verse 4,

he says,

how can

a man being

old be

born again?

Is he

able to

enter into

his mother's

womb a

second time?

Really not.

The way it's

constructed in

Greek, and I

won't bore you

with the

details, is

the question

expects the

answer no.

Like, Nicodemus

knows that's

not possible.

What are you

talking about,

Jesus?

That's his

question, right?

So he

doesn't get

it.

And he's

thinking about

it in an

earthly sense.

So there's

somewhat of a

wordplay going

on here.

So in verse

3, when Jesus

says, you

must be born

from above,

the Greek

term is

anothen.

And this

word can

mean either

again or

above.

And so

Nicodemus

seems to

understand Jesus

to be talking

about being

born again,

which is

ironic.

But really

what Jesus

is talking

about is

being born

from above.

And so

Nicodemus,

and you'll

see this

throughout this

entire

pericope,

this entire

story,

Nicodemus

is interpreting

everything Jesus

says in a

very earthly,

literal,

human way,

when Jesus

is constantly

speaking of

heavenly,

spiritual

realities that

have invaded

earth.

It's not to

say they're

separate,

but we are

talking about

two different

things here

between

Nicodemus

and Jesus.

So thus to

be born

from above

is at least

saying that

we require

heaven to

act in

some way

on our

behalf,

for God

himself to

intervene and

make things

right,

that we are

waiting for

God to do

something to

save his

people.

We must be

born from

above.

That is a

work of

God.

God.

And secondly,

we see that

the nature

of rebirth

includes a

miraculously

transformed

life.

So in

verse 5,

you likely

notice Jesus

switched.

So in

verse 3,

he talked

about being

born from

above.

In verse 5,

he talks about

being born by

water and

spirit.

Now some

have said

Jesus is

talking about

baptism in

this passage,

right?

We think of

water and

this kind of

thing.

I think

that's wrong

because one,

baptism to

enter the

church did

not exist

yet.

And so as

D.A.

Carson points

out, that

would have

been a

meaningless

thing for

Jesus to

say to

Nicodemus

when there's

no church

to be

baptized

into.

Like of

course Nicodemus

doesn't know

what he's

talking about.

And so I

don't think

he's talking

about church

membership and

baptism and

all that.

Others have

said perhaps

it's the

baptism of

John the

Baptist.

Now if you

recall that

baptism, which

is different,

is merely a

baptism to

express repentance.

There was

nothing powerful

within John's

baptism, however,

to transform a

life.

And so I

don't think

this is talking

about John the

Baptist's

baptism.

I don't think

he's talking

about baptism

at all.

I think this

has nothing

to do with

baptism.

I say that

as a Baptist

who cares

about baptism.

it's best to

see in Jesus'

words rather

an allusion to

the Old

Testament,

especially since

Nicodemus and

Jesus themselves

share that

text.

They both view

it as the

Word of God.

So I think

that's probably

a good place

to go and

look to see

what might

these words

evoke for a

first century

Jew who knows

his Old

Testament well

as a Pharisee.

And again,

throughout the

Old Testament

you will find

language of the

Spirit being

poured out.

Probably most

famously,

Joel 2,

Joel 2:28

verse 28.

This is the

prophecy about

the day of

Pentecost that's

fulfilled in

Acts 2.

And there,

Joel writes,

the Spirit will

be poured out.

So that very

verb,

you think of

water,

water being

poured out,

but it's the

Spirit being

poured out.

And so

oftentimes water

and Spirit

are connected

in some

symbolic,

metaphorical

way in

the Old

Testament.

But specifically,

I think John

probably has

Ezekiel 36

in mind.

Many would

say this.

In Ezekiel 36,

God is

foretelling

Israel of

things to

come,

realities to

come.

And specifically,

he's giving

them a word of

hope to tell

them that one

day God will

change the

hearts of

his chosen,

his elect,

in a way that

he hadn't

previously,

in a way

that's special,

in a way

that's unique.

And of course,

we don't have

time to teach

that,

but essentially

he's talking

about the

new covenant

era,

the era that

we are in

right now.

He's saying,

when that day

comes,

I will

transform their

hearts.

And let's

read it real

quick.

Ezekiel 36,

Ezekiel 36:25–27

verses 25

through 27,

God says,

so notice this

water and

spirit language,

he says,

I will sprinkle

clean water

on you,

and you

shall be

clean from

all your

uncleanness,

and from

all your

idols I

will cleanse

you,

and I

will give

you a

new heart

and a

new spirit

I will put

within you,

and I

will remove

the heart of

stone from

your flesh

and give

you a

heart of

flesh,

and I

will put

my spirit,

the Holy

Spirit,

within you

and cause

you,

I will

cause you,

God,

to walk

in my

statues

and be

careful to

obey my

rules.

And so I

think that is

what Jesus

is referencing.

He's talking

about this

transformed life

that comes

by this

cleansing water,

by this

act of the

spirit

indwelling

us.

Some have

said this

cannot be.

They'll argue,

well, if that's

the case,

Pentecost hasn't

happened yet

when Jesus

talked to

Nicodemus,

so why would

Jesus be

talking about

it?

But again,

D.A. Carson,

super helpful,

he said,

quote,

the charge

is ill

conceived.

Jesus is not

presented as

demanding that

Nicodemus experience

the new birth

in that moment

or in the

instant.

Rather,

he is forcefully

articulating

what must be

experienced

if one is to

enter the

kingdom of

God.

So Jesus is

simply telling

him,

this is the

condition in

the new

covenant era.

This is what's

about to unfold.

This is how

one enters

the kingdom

of God,

being born

again.

And so he's

letting Nicodemus

know that,

that that's

coming and

he needs

to be

born again.

And this

will lead

to this

transformed

life.

This is why

not everyone

who claims

Lord,

Lord,

and as you

think of the

Sermon on the

Mount,

will enter

the kingdom

of heaven.

Because

claiming the

work of

God in

their life,

and the

proof that

God has

worked in

their life,

is that

transformed

life,

a life that

is bearing

fruit,

a life that

is growing

in holiness.

And this

is why

Jesus says

in Matthew

7,

16,

you will

recognize

them,

true believers,

you will

recognize

them by

their fruits.

There will

be fruit.

And this

does not

mean we

live sinless

lives,

right?

We are

not morally

perfect by

no means.

After all,

John himself

writes in

1 John 1,

8-9,

he says,

if we

say we

have no

sin,

we deceive

ourselves.

In other

words,

of course

you have

sin,

of course

you sin.

We deceive

ourselves if

we say we

have no

sin and

the truth

is not

in us.

But then

he says,

if we

confess

our sins,

God is

faithful and

just to

forgive us

our sins

and to

cleanse us

from all

unrighteousness.

And so

he's not

talking about

moral perfection,

but he is

talking about

a radically

transformed

life.

And so

let me

just invite

you now,

you who

profess Christ,

to consider

your life.

Right?

Can you

point to

a transformed

life?

Not proudly,

but humbly.

Can you

point out

how God

has changed

you?

And do

you remember

when you

lived in

darkness and

understand how

different it

is to

live in the

light now?

Or does

life really

just seem

the same?

Right?

Are you

growing in

holiness?

What fruit

are you

bearing?

How have

you gotten

closer to

God?

And I

pray these

things are

true of

all of us.

And for

those of

you who

may be

visiting

today,

who do

not

profess

faith in

Christ,

I just

genuinely

want to

ask,

aren't you

tired of

the same

old,

same

old?

When I

was in

darkness,

that is to

say,

when I was

an unbeliever,

I remember

many hours

of just

kind of

this inbred

loop of

introspective

pain and

suffering,

just wondering

over and

over again,

why am I

the way that

I am?

Why do I

do the

things that I

know I

shouldn't be

doing?

Why do I

mess up so

many times?

Why do I

get angry?

Why do I

hate some