This sermon on John 3:1–17 explores Jesus’ midnight encounter with Nicodemus and the mystery of being born again—born from above by water and the Spirit. It contrasts life in the flesh with life in the Spirit, emphasizing baptism’s power to renew us through Christ’s cross. Discover how God’s love in sending His Son enables us to live not by the flesh, but as heirs of eternal life in the Spirit.
Faith Lutheran Church in Pinellas County is located at 1620 Pinehurst Rd, Dunedin, FL 34698. It can be contacted at (727) 733-2657. https://faithdunedin.org
Transcript
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees and a member of the Sanhedrin, went to talk to Jesus at night.
He addressed Jesus reverently as Rabbi.
And as a teacher come from God, he knew that no one could do the signs that Jesus was doing unless God was with him.
He acknowledged Jesus’ teaching and his miracles.
Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
These very first words of Jesus to Nicodemus caused confusion.
And in part, it can be explained by an ambiguity in the Greek.
In our text, the word anothin is translated as again, to be born anothin, to be born again, which seems to be the way that Nicodemus understood Jesus.
However, the word can also be understood as from above.
With that, we get a bit of a different meaning from what Nicodemus understood.
We would have instead this, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
This helps to establish the two types of birth that Jesus taught to Nicodemus through the rest of the Gospel reading from this morning.
There is an earthly birth in the flesh, and there is a different heavenly birth from above, that is from the spirit.
Jesus begins with the birth that all mankind is born into, saying that that which is born of the flesh is flesh.
This isn’t a circular argument using a word in order to define itself.
It’s not like the false definition of woman that has been propagandized in recent years that says a woman is anyone who identifies as a woman.
Rather, that which is born of flesh is flesh actually teaches us that what is born of the flesh is concerned only with the things that impact the flesh.
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.
This path leads only to death.
The flesh we know is hostile towards God.
It does not love God.
It doesn’t want to love God.
In fact, it’s incapable of loving God.
We cannot submit to or keep God’s law, especially when it comes to the first three commandments.
It has contempt towards God and doubts His word.
In the flesh, we even sin when we do works that outwardly look good to our neighbor.
Nothing that man does from the perspective of the flesh can please God.
In fact, the desires of the flesh have us flee from God as we learn from Adam and Eve as they hide in the garden.
In the Old Testament reading today, Isaiah is in great fear because of his unclean lips.
He knows that man cannot come face to face with the triune God and live because of man’s impurity of the flesh.
Just like Adam, Eve and Isaiah, according to our flesh, we are guilty of all sin.
We cannot justify ourselves or come to live a holy and pure life.
The right punishment for this is eternal punishment and death.
We were unable to free ourselves of the guilt and sin of the flesh.
Often, we still live our lives as if we are born only of the flesh.
We set our minds on things of the flesh concerned most with ourselves and how we can get what we want.
One of these temptations of the flesh is a tendency towards laziness.
Many of you, I’m sure, are paid to do a job.
We are paid to serve those we work for, to help them to prosper in their vocation.
But regularly showing up late or leaving early or taking a long lunch is often out of laziness.
Your flesh tells you, it doesn’t matter.
You’re going to get paid anyway.
It’s not hurting anyone.
Also taking time during your workday to send personal texts or emails isn’t what you’re paid for either.
It’s also a form of laziness in doing the thing you want to do, rather than what your boss has instructed you to do.
Laziness, though, often extends to our homes as well.
Your wife nicely asked you to take out the trash two days ago, a task that takes about five minutes, and you still haven’t found the time.
We also neglect time we have with our family.
If you didn’t know, it’s the norm now in America to spend hours a day scrolling on social media, or watching TV, or playing video games.
Almost half of American teens say they’re on the internet almost constantly, and the average American spends almost four hours in front of their phone screen.
But no one seems to have the 12 minutes a day it would take to read or listen through the Bible in a year.
It’s not so much busy-ness as it is lazy-ness that keeps us from finding the time for God’s word.
The temptations of the flesh fight against the things of the spirit.
Diligence is needed in teaching the family the word of God, but the flesh tempts us to neglect our duty to our family and to do what’s easy instead.
We tell ourselves, well, I guess I didn’t have time for that again today.
I really want to start my devotions with my family, but I’m just so busy.
Sometimes maybe we really are that busy, and other times we throw our time away through temptations of flesh.
The habit of scheduling your time can certainly help prevent some laziness, but when temptations of the flesh come unexpectedly, don’t expect yourself to overcome them on your own.
Trying to do things on your own often makes things worse.
Instead, pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Pray, Dear Father, let me not fall into temptation.
He will answer, He has promised to help guard and defend those who call upon His name.
While we were still in a sinful and fleshly state, still hating God, still His enemies, the Father sent His only begotten Son.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and so we are not left without hope.
Jesus told Nicodemus, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Just as you are only conceived and born once in the flesh, you are also born of the Spirit one time in your baptism.
There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
In your baptism, you were born of water and the Spirit, washed to a new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
We have been justified by God’s grace.
Jesus further explained how the birth and the Spirit would become possible for those of us born of the flesh.
He said, and as Moses lifted up the servant in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Many in the time of the Exodus perished in the wilderness, having been bitten by fiery serpents as punishment for their disobedience to be healed.
They had to look upon a bronze serpent that Moses lifted up.
All in the camp, who looked upon that bronze serpent were saved.
In this way, the father loved the world so much that he sent his only son to be lifted up on the cross, that whoever looks only to the son of man for the forgiveness of sins and believes in him will have eternal life.
Christ’s death on the cross opened for us the way in which we could be born again.
In our baptism, we die with Christ on the cross and we are born of the Spirit and the water.
Therefore, we are not of the flesh, but of the Spirit because the Spirit of God dwells within each one of us.
Our bodies that were dead in the flesh according to our sin are given new life because of the righteousness of Christ.
We have been given new life through the Spirit who dwells within us.
Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit and are given life and peace.
The faith given to us by the Holy Spirit enables us to live spiritual lives.
As we have been reborn by faith and justified by Christ’s death, we can begin to fear God and love him.
We can begin to obey the first table of the law.
Being born of the Spirit, we can pray to our Father in heaven and expect him to answer and help us.
Just as an earthly father will answer and help and protect his own children.
Born of the Spirit, we come here to worship and praise God for his many great gifts to us.
Not only this, but in the Spirit, we’re able to begin to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Our hearts are turned toward spiritual and holy impulses and away from the desires of the flesh.
All this begins after we have been justified by grace through faith in the Son of Man who was given up for us by the Heavenly Fathers.
In our baptism, we have been reborn and gifted the Holy Spirit who enables us to live as those born of the Spirit.
Born of the Spirit, we are no longer flesh.
We are no longer children of the flesh, the children of the Kingdom of God, as children of the Heavenly Kingdom.
We are heirs of the hope of eternal life.
Amen.
