"Grace that Transforms"         2014

Ezekiel 36:24-28              John 3:1-21

 

Ezekiel 36:24-28

I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

 

John 3:1-21

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He 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 can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, 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 a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just 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, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

 

While going through some old business files recently,

            I came across a folder of  some group photographs

                        of our division sales and management team  that à

                                    were taken each year at the national sales meeting.

 

As I tried to identify faces and names of former colleagues,

            I was struck by how many   from one yearà

                        were not present for the group picture of the next year.

*   In that corporate world, poor performers were quickly replaced…

 

…and that highly competitive and aggressive environment caused us,

            to constantly wonder , am I good enough?, doing well enough?,

                        am I working hard enough to achieve my goals and quota?,…

*                                               … and am I going to make it? …

 

… which is also the issue of this Nicodemus text, John 3:1-2

            Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.  He 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 can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."

 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee.  He was a leader and a teacher ---

            -- all three of these titles are specific and technical terms

                        that point to a man very committed to following God's Law.

 

By definition, a Pharisee was one who had taken a vow to devote

            all of his life and effort    to study and obey God's Law.

Nicodemus also had a very important

            and respected position of national and religious leadership.

*  This was a man who was doing all that he could to gain God's favor.

 

In terms of good works, of being a faithful and godly  religious man,

            he was doing everything that a human possibly could …

               … and yet in his heart of hearts, he wondered if it was enough.

      He saw and recognized something in Jesus  he knew he lacked

              and so Nicodemus came to see Jesus late in the dark of night.

 

But why do you suppose, Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night?

            It could have been to avoid the crowds and noise of the day,

                        or as a religious leader, to avoid public attention.

 

On a deeper and symbolic level, in the gospel of John certain words

      such as light & dark, night & day  go beyond than literal meaning.

At night is poetic language or metaphor intended to infer

*           that Nicodemus was in the dark, in that he does not understand.

 

In the verses proceeding this passage, we read, vs. 23-24

            “… many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them…”

 

The point is,

            a faith that depends on signs and wonders is inadequate,

                            and there is more much to faith

                                    than just being impressed by miracles.

 

The author illustrates that point   with this Nicodemus story.

            As Nicodemus explained, he came because he was impressed

                by the signs and miracles that Jesus was doing.

    Nicodemus as in the dark concerning faith,  signs and miracles.

 

But on the other hand, at least he came trying to understand.

            Jesus begins by challenging this religious man   whoseà

                        life is totally committed to being a good and godly man,

                               and committed to obeying God's Law to earn God's favor…

   … because as things stand, he won't even see the Kingdom of God …

vs. 3

            Jesus said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

 

The phrase, 'born from above' is also often translated, 'born again'.

 

Born from above or born again   is a metaphor that means,

            the Kingdom of God is not about fixing,   but a whole new life,

                 that it is not achieved by our human efforts or good works.

 

Jesus is telling Nicodemus, God’s Kingdom is not something we do,

                  any more than our physical birth was something

                        that we did or accomplished on our own for ourselves.

 

You can check with your mother on this, concerning your birth,

            and that though it’s true     that you were present at the event,

                        she was the one doing all the work --

                                    --- your birth was entirely her effort --   not yours…

            … so too Jesus explains, the Kingdom of God,

                        being, 'born from above' or 'born again'

                                    is entirely by God's effort, and not by ours at all.

 

            It seems that Nicodemus was a bit confused by this,

                        and he didn’t quite get or connect

                                    with the metaphor and poetic language Jesus used.

 

So Jesus tried to explain it again

            this time using a different metaphor to make that same point.

vs. 5-9            

            Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.'  The wind blows where it chooses, 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?"

 

As a scholar and teacher of the Old Testament Scriptures,

                Nicodemus would have recognized the connection

                        Jesus was making to the writings of the prophet Ezekiel.

36:25-27a

            I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put my spirit within you.

 

In this Ezekiel passage, written during the Babylonian exile,

            God promises   that though Israel à

                        still can’t seem to get it together and be faithful to God,

                 yet God will show grace and mercy by the water and spirit,

                        and accomplish for them   what they had not been able to do.

 

By pointing to this Ezekiel passage,   Jesus was showing  Nicodemus

            from Scripture,   that entering the Kingdom of God

              is not a matter of religious good deeds,

*                                   but it is being born anew through the Spirit of God.

 

It’s not something we can make happen through our own human effort,

            any more than we can determine where or when the wind will blow.

 

When Nicodemus is still not seeing the connection,

            Jesus seems frustrated          that as a Pharisee, scholar & teacher,

                        he still doesn’t seem to be getting it…

… so Jesus tries again with another Old Testament story… vs. 14-15

            And just 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.

 

In the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers chapter 21,

            there is a story from their long wilderness journey to the Promised Land.

In that story, the Israelites complained

            and rebelled against having to eat manna every day.

                        So God punishes them, by sending deadly poisonous snakes.

 

Later, God had Moses mount a bronze snake up on a pole,

    and by looking up, the person bitten would be healed and restored.

The point was that they looked up to the “snake on a stick”

            to receive forgiveness, healing and salvation…

*                                   … to escape the consequences of their sin.

 

And to go a bit deeper, that phrase, “lifted up”

            makes a connection between

                        the healing of the bronze snake   lifted up on a pole,

                                    and the healing of Jesus   lifted up on the cross.

 

Just as the Israelites could not cure themselves on their own,

            but received healing from their sin

                        by looking up to the graciousness of God,

*                                               the bronze snake lifted up on a stick…

 

            … and so too   we cannot save ourselves on our own,

                        but we receive healing from our sin

                                    by looking up to the graciousness of God,

*                                               through Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross…

 

… which Jesus summarizes in these familiar verses:          vs. 16-17       

            For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

 

So, how do we receive eternal life?  -- As Jesus explained to Nic,

            not by our own efforts – not by our own  good and godly deeds.

 

Nicodemus is an example of the many who say and believe

            that we must be good enough to enter the Kingdom of God.

But that is not true;

        it’s not by our will, or our good deeds, nor by our own strength…

… it’s not a human achievement,  our efforts cannot accomplish it.

 

            Salvation comes only   as a gift of God through Jesus Christ,

                        which we choose to either accept, or we choose to reject.

            Its only the gracious love, the power and strength of God

                        which alone   accomplishes   what we ourselves  cannot do.

 

So, as believers,  what difference does all this really make?

  Is it anything more than just theological word play or semantics?

 

One of the most dangerous of all the many lies and deceptions of evil

            is the false idea that God’s grace is related to our being good…                               … or  as if it has anything to do with our own efforts.

 

Popular culture, TV, movies and Satan, they all seem to agree,

            that to be Christian is to be   a nice, kind and generous person,

                        living a good life, or at least being better than most,

                             going to church, always treating other people well,

                                        or working hard to obey God's Law and Commandments.

 

Now this may come as surprise,

            but Satan actually wants us to work really hard at being good,

                        to try to do our best, to be a nice religious good person…

… and to strive like Nicodemus by going all out

            to obey the 10 Commandments perfectly in every way,

                                    so that we can feel very proud about it when we do,

                                                and to feel tremendous  shame   when we do not.

 

If by our striving to do well, or at least better than those around us,

            if Satan can get us to compare ourselves to those other people

                        and to feel superior to all those who do fail and fall,à

 

  à then our pride and self-righteousness leading to arrogance

            will block our sense of truly needing God's grace and mercy,à

   à and that self-reliance will build a wedge of separation

            between us and enjoying an authentic relationship with God.                         

 

Or, on the other hand, if despite our striving to be good, we sin

            if Satan can churn up all sorts of guilt, regret and shame

                        that will consume and crush us when we fail and fall,à

 

à so that we see ourselves as unlovable and unacceptable to God,

                then that guilt and regret leading us toward shame

                        will block us from accepting grace & trusting God’s mercy,

                                      and that too will become a wedge of separation

                                                standing between us and the gracious love of God.

 

I believe that is a crucial warning and message of Lent.

 

I remember a time, as a determined young believer,

            when despite trying to live a faithful Christian life,

                        I had blown it completely  and messed up in a terrible way.

 

   I was so discouraged that my best efforts had meant so little.

            and I thought, how can God possibly forgive me, now?  again?

 

But then it struck me like a flash

            as I suddenly realized that my sense of guilt and shame

                  had really become an expression of my self-righteous pride.

            Surely if I just tried a little harder, a splendid guy like me

                        ought to be able to do better than that, if I really tried…

                              … and how terribly disappointed God must feel about me.

 

More than 2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross for my sins.

            He Knew and loved me back then, completely and without limit,

                        knowing full well   every sin that I would ever commit.

 

There is nothing that I can or will ever do, say or think 

            that can or will ever cause God to love me any more or any less…

**                     … God’s gracious love is a fact that doesn’t depend on me.

 

The Lenten question that today's passages raise is this:

 

            am I letting this amazing and gracious love of God

                        define and transform the way I see myself

                                    and all of those whom the Lord has placed in my life?

 

Are we really living as those who are   so precious to God,

   as those who are so deeply and intimately loved,   as indeed we are?

 

A young man, was the beloved son of a great and very successful man;

            but he never had anywhere near his father's abilities,

                        and he never seemed to succeed or finish anything,

                            never even coming close to achieving   as his father had.

 

This son could never measure up, so he finally gave it up.

            He left home, a frustrated failure,   never to return.

 

When his father died, a lawyer came bringing him an inheritance.

        Not expecting to be in his father's will, the son was surprised,

                   and so he asked, "But how can this be?

                                    My father knew what a loser and failure I was,

                                        and I even heard him say how disappointed he was.”

 

And the lawyer explained to this son,            

            "I don't think you ever understood.

                        Your father wasn't disappointed that you failed.

 

                        Your father was disappointed that you never realized,

                                    that you never knew how very much you were loved,

                                                and how truly precious you have always been.”

            … how truly precious  you  have always been.