Nic at Night | Sunday, July 12, 2026

It is good to see what God is doing. I want to encourage you, as we are sending out these teams through the summer, to prayerfully consider that the Lord might invite you to be a part of a team like this in the future. I know that might be something that you're a little anxious or fearful about. I guarantee that for many of the people who are going on these trips for the first time this year, they were probably pretty anxious and fearful about it when they first started thinking about it. But God does amazing and great works.

Now, you might notice this morning that my voice sounds a little different than it normally does. That's because three of my family members—my wife, my daughter Evangelene, and my son Ethan—went to Argentina. When they came back, they brought some wicked virus from South America with them. We taught our kids to share, and they shared with me so graciously and kindly. So, my voice is kind of in the margins today, but we are going to be in the Scriptures.

We're doing a series through the summer, as you know, called "Fly on the Wall." Even though our fly is not on the wall today, our projector is not working. However, we are going to be in the Gospel of John. If you would take out your Bibles today, if you don't have a Bible, raise your hand, and an usher will bring you one in just a moment. The Gospel of John is in the last third of the Bible, among the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. John is the fourth.

It was this Gospel, the Gospel of John, that inspired this series we are doing this summer called "Fly on the Wall." Back in September of last year, I was on a walk with my wife in the morning, and I was thinking about this Gospel. It really brought about the idea of a series going through various passages of the Bible where we get to be a fly on the wall as we see two individuals interact. We see that a lot in the Gospel of John.

John, among the four gospels, is distinct and different. If you've ever read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you will notice that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very similar. They are referred to by theologians as the synoptic gospels because they give a brief synopsis of very much the same material. They provide a basic overview of roughly the same orderly account of Jesus's life and ministry. Textual critics of the New Testament often say that this similarity is because Matthew, Mark, and Luke...

They shared a common source material, which textual critics sometimes refer to as Q. Many believe that Mark was the first Gospel written, and that Matthew and Luke used Mark as the basis. Whether or not that's the case is somewhat beside the point. What is very clear is that John is distinct and different; it stands out.

It has been noted by some scholars that John contains somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 to 90% new material that is not found in the other three Gospels. John has a distinct purpose for which he recorded the life and ministry of Jesus. He tells us exactly what that is in the later chapters, specifically in John chapter 20. He writes in verse 30, "Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." This is John's purpose in this book.

He recorded and wrote down a series of Jesus's sayings and a series of His signs. There are seven "I am" statements of Jesus: "I am the bread of life," "I am the gate," "I am the shepherd," "I am the way, the truth, and the life," "I am the resurrection." These seven "I am" statements are spread throughout the Gospel. Additionally, there are seven validating signs or miracles. He turns water into wine, raises Lazarus from the dead, and multiplies food for the multitude. These seven signs or miracles validate the things He is saying.

John states that all these things were written down so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Messiah that the Jewish prophets pointed forward to, and that all the people were looking for. These things are written so that you might believe that He is the Messiah, the Christ. Not only that, He is the Son of God; He is Emmanuel, God with us, God incarnate. By believing, you would have life in His name.

In addition to the seven statements and seven signs, the Gospel of John includes no fewer than 11 private one-on-one meetings where Jesus interacts with just one individual. In John chapter 2, there is the conversation that Jesus has with a man named Nathaniel. In John chapter 3, there is the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. In John chapter 4, we find the woman at the well, and in John chapter 5, the paralytic.

In the Gospel of John, we see several significant interactions between Jesus and various individuals. For instance, in John chapter 5, there is the account of the pool of Bethesda. In John chapter 9, we find Jesus's conversation with a blind man. John chapter 10 features Jesus's dialogue with the woman taken in adultery, while John chapter 11 includes his conversation with Lazarus's sister, Martha. Throughout the Gospel, there are at least eleven interactions, and possibly even more.

In the early chapters, Jesus speaks with two of John the Baptist's disciples. There is also a moment where he has a conversation with his mother, Mary. Additionally, we cannot forget the significant exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate in John chapters 18 and 19. These individual encounters—whether it be Jesus and the woman at the well, or Jesus and Martha or Mary—serve as the inspiration for this series. This is the basis for why we are undertaking this study.

Over the next eight studies in our summer series, four of them will focus on the Gospel of John. The first one today will be in John chapter 3, so please turn there if you would. For many of you, John chapter 3 might be a familiar story. It is well-known because it contains, without a doubt, the most famous verse in the Bible. If you have ever watched an NFL football game, you may have seen someone in the end zone holding a sign that says John 3:16. This verse comes from this passage and is likely the most memorized verse in the Bible, often learned without any effort to memorize it.

The verse states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life." Not only is it the most famous verse, but it is also the most translated verse in the Bible. This well-known verse appears in a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, who was probably the most famous rabbi of his day. He was like the Leo Messi of the religious world; everyone would have known who he was.

Nicodemus is described as a great man who came to Jesus by night. As we will see when we read the passage shortly, he was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. Jesus refers to him not just as a teacher, but as "the teacher" in Israel. People recognized who this man was.

He was a prominent religious figure in the life of Israel in Jesus's day. He was a part of the ruling body of religion, Judaism, at that time called the Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus for a nighttime meeting, which many people have speculated about. Some suggest he was hiding, but whatever the case, he came to Jesus, and Jesus welcomed him. They had a conversation that is truly important, and there are many aspects we could focus on in these 21 verses. This passage could probably be turned into a whole series of Bible teachings, and I'm sure people have done that.

Today, however, we are going to look at three crucial takeaways from Jesus and Nicodemus's nighttime encounter in this passage. It would be good for us to read it, so if you would, please look at John chapter 3. Let's stand together as we begin reading today at verse 1.

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," which is to say, "Teacher, 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, "Most assuredly, 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, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of 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 cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus responded, "Are you the teacher in Israel and you do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, we speak what we know and we testify what we have seen, and you do not believe our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"

No one has ascended to...

Heaven, but he who has come down from heaven. That is the Son of Man who is in heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds might be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

God, I pray as we consider this text today that even as I'm reading it, some people already know this passage. But Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes, our hearts, and our ears to see, hear, and know maybe something more of you, your purpose, your plan, and your will through this passage. Continue to do the work that you're desiring to do in each one of us: opening blind eyes, opening deaf ears, opening hard hearts, and transforming us by the renewing of our minds, that we would not only be changed internally, but that our lives would be transformed externally. Lord, make us more and more like you. We ask this in Jesus' name.

And all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

Nicodemus was, by every external measure, probably one of the finest specimens of first-century Judaism that you could ever find in Jesus's day. We are told here in this passage that he was a Pharisee. It is important to understand exactly what that is. This was a religious body, a Jewish sect in the first century, that was extremely committed to their faith. The group called the Pharisees arose during the time of Ezra.

Nehemiah and Ezra are two books that you find in your Bibles. The individuals for whom these books are named were part of the group of exiles that returned to Jerusalem after the children of Israel had been exiled in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. When they were given the opportunity to go back to Jerusalem under the Medo-Persian king Cyrus, only a minority of those who had been taken captive to Babylon actually came back. Ezra and Nehemiah were among that minority who returned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, the temple, and their lives as those committed to their faith.

Among that group of people, there was a pool of individuals who were extremely committed to the Law of Moses and to the traditions of their fathers. They were the separatists, and this is the idea from which the Pharisees emerged. The word "Pharisee" is connected to this concept of separatism. These individuals were ardently committed to being righteous and to the works of the Law. There is no possible way to overlook their dedication. Anytime you meet someone who is extremely committed to their faith, their religious efforts, and their good works, you have to acknowledge that, at the very least, they are committed to it, and for that, we commend them.

Now, hundreds of years later, this group is well-known among the Jewish people in Jesus's day. Of all the different religious groups, they were the largest, scattered throughout the whole nation. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, likely lived in Galilee, where most of Jesus's ministry took place. This nighttime meeting probably occurred in Galilee. We also know that he was part of an elite group of religious rulers in Israel called the Sanhedrin. There were 70 members of this council, which made decisions on behalf of the nation regarding their faith and practices at the temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus refers to Nicodemus as "the teacher in Israel," using the definite article because he was one of the standout figures that people looked to for wisdom and counsel in understanding the Law of Moses. This man not only knew the Law; he probably had a deep understanding of it.

He had memorized large sections, if not the entire sections, of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That passage is one that many of you may have never even read through, or if you had, you sped-read through it. This guy was the teacher in Israel. If any human being could have been thought to be right and righteous by his religious credentials, this guy had the credentials. He had the proper moral effort and the proper theological expertise. He is the kind of person you would think of when considering someone who was truly holy and truly righteous.

Those within his peer group among the Pharisees believed that it was based upon their credentials, their CV, their resume, if you will. It was based upon that that they would be assured a privileged position here in this life and in the life that was to come. They expected that. In fact, another Pharisee writing about his background discusses this very thing in the book of Philippians. The man you know of, if you read through the New Testament, as the Apostle Paul, was known as Saul before he became the Apostle Paul, and he was a Pharisee.

In Philippians chapter 3, he gives us a little peek into his reasoning and the way he saw himself when he was a committed Pharisee. He says this in Philippians 3:4: "Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone thinks that they can have confidence or boast in their flesh, I more so." What is he saying? If you think that you're a good person, I'm way better than you. Talk about an audacious claim! How arrogant does that sound? You think you're a good person? Let me show you what good really is. That's what Saul is saying here.

Then he gives the credentials to back it up. It's one thing to say you're a good person; it's another thing to say, "Here's why I'm a good person." Why did Saul of Tarsus—and you could really think that Nicodemus saw himself in very much the same camp—believe this? Because he was a ruler in Israel, a member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He saw himself the same way Saul reveals himself to have been before his conversion to Christ and Christianity. He gives the credentials in verse 5 of Philippians chapter 3: "Circumcised the eighth day." Now, I suggest that probably none of you have ever thought that would be at the top of your list of why you're righteous. Circumcised? Really? That's what you're...

Going to go to? Well, you have to understand what that meant to a Jew in the first century. Circumcision was given to Abraham as the sign of the covenant. Here, this man, Saul of Tarsus, along with Nicodemus, is saying, "From my birth, I had parents who were committed to their faith. So much so that they made sure that I was circumcised on the proper day according to the law of Moses. I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel. I'm a part of that vine going back to Abraham. Not only am I part of the family tree of Israel, but I am of the tribe of Benjamin."

Saul of Tarsus could track his lineage all the way back to Abraham because Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob had twelve sons, the last of whom was Benjamin. Saul could say, "I know all of my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfathers all the way back to Abraham, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin." Note this: a Hebrew of the Hebrews. What does that mean? Saul says, "There are no Gentiles in my family tree." Do you realize Jesus couldn't even say that? There was a Gentile in Jesus's family tree. Her name was Ruth. Saul says, "Not me. A Hebrew of the Hebrews."

Concerning the law, he was part of this group, the Pharisees, the same as Nicodemus. Concerning zeal, he was persecuting the church. And here's the kicker: concerning righteousness, which is in the law, he was blameless. For Saul of Tarsus, and probably Nicodemus along with him, he says, "When you put your rules-keeping, law-following up next to mine, I kept it all point for point."

What does this mean for a Jewish person living 2,000 years ago or today? You see, the Jewish people look at you and me, if you're a Gentile today, and say, "Listen, the Ten Commandments, you know, the big ten, those are for everybody. But for the Jews, there are 603 more." Go through the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Jewish sages, scribes, and Pharisees did this. They went through and highlighted, if you will, every single one of the "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots." Every single implied command is all there, and they ordered out 613 commandments.

Nicodemus would say, according to the law, that he was blameless. He would claim to have kept all 613 commandments. For you and me, however, all 613 are broken. The audacity to even think such a thing, to say it, and then to write it down as being according to the law blameless is astounding.

Prior to his conversion to Christ, Saul of Tarsus, and probably Nicodemus with him, would be what we would call self-righteous—righteous according to their own good works and hyper-religious. If you detect a bit of arrogance there, it is understandably so. When you are convinced of your righteousness by your good works, you cannot help but be arrogant and judgmental. Those are the two outcomes of self-righteousness: arrogance, which says, "Look what I have done," and judgmentalism, which says, "Look what you have not done."

Many times, we gauge our righteousness, even if we're not Pharisees, in this fashion. We say things like, "Well, I'm a lot better than so-and-so. Maybe I'm not as good as Greg Laurie. I mean, who is? But I'm a lot better than so-and-so." Here we have the arrogance of self-righteousness.

This man, a ruler of the Jews, comes to Jesus by night in a very kind sort of way. He says to Jesus, "Teacher, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs unless God is with him."

How do you speak to or deal with a self-righteous, hyper-religious individual like Nicodemus? Notice what Jesus says. Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Here’s the simple and most challenging indictment: if you're taking notes, point number one is that your religious works do not make you righteous.

Going to see it is a very difficult one for a man like Nicodemus. In his view, in his belief, and in his teaching to other people, that's exactly how you become righteous. Jesus said your religious works don't make you righteous. This challenging indictment is a hard one for a religiously self-righteous individual to reckon with because, in their mind, righteousness is equivalent to doing good things and the right things. If you just do the right things, then you are righteous.

For a self-righteous person like Nicodemus, or like Saul of Tarsus, or like any self-righteous hyper-religious person in our day, the gospel—even the glorious verse that we find here, the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16—does not make sense. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Why? The self-righteous person thinks, "I don't need that." The gospel and this glorious 16th verse in John chapter 3 simply do not make sense to them. In some respects, it's an offense because it implies, "You think I need that? No, I don't need that. I'm quite good, thank you."

Paul identifies this clearly in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. For the message of the cross is foolishness to a certain group of people. It's foolishness. The good news of the gospel— and that's exactly what "gospel" means, good news—only becomes good against the backdrop of the badness of our sinful character. If you are hyper-religious and you do all the right things, thinking that your right works make you righteous, then you don't recognize your sinfulness. When someone implies to you that you're sinful and that you need a sacrifice for your sin, you think, "You've got to be kidding me." You do not recognize the badness of your sin, so it just doesn't make sense.

Paul's words in the book of Romans are nonsensical to those who do not see their need for salvation. What did Paul say? One of the most famous...

Gospel verses state that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The self-righteous person might ask, "What's that word all mean?" They believe it can't possibly mean them; it must mean everyone else because they consider themselves righteous. The word "all" does not register with the religiously self-righteous because, in their minds, other people are sinful, while they are righteous for doing the right things.

According to Jesus, the problem is that self-righteousness won't save you. You must be born again. This concept is difficult for Nicodemus, the Pharisee. His head explodes with confusion; he can't comprehend this idea. Jesus tells him that he will not see the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. This statement causes cognitive dissonance for Nicodemus. It does not fit with his understanding of life and religion, leading him to interpret it in entirely literal terms.

Nicodemus responds to Jesus, asking, "Can a man be born when he is old? How can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" To him, Jesus's words seem completely absurd. Two things strike him as absurd in this moment. First, Nicodemus believed he was a shoo-in for the kingdom. If anyone were to hear an angelic messenger say, "Well done, enter into glory," he thought it would be him. He had done all the things; he had checked off the list of 613 commandments and was willing to do even more if given another list.

The first thing that doesn't fit for him is the idea that he will not see the kingdom of heaven. The second is the requirement to be born again, which he simply cannot comprehend. He repeatedly asks, "How can these things be?" first in verse four and then again in verse nine. The words Jesus speaks to Nicodemus do not compute; he has no category for this in his religious framework.

In his view, the Jewish religion was a behaviorist religion, and it is still that view among committed Jewish people today. The name Dennis Prager may be familiar to you, or perhaps not. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, Dennis Prager has been going through some horrible physical challenges after an accident he had. Before that, he was a well-known political commentator, but he is also a very committed Jewish man. He is not a trained theologian or a rabbi, but he is definitely an amateur theologian. He has written commentary on the first five books of Moses. Today, if there is anyone in our culture who knows the books of Moses, it is Dennis Prager.

A few years ago, he was on a panel of public intellectuals and theologians, led by Jordan Peterson, where they discussed the book of Exodus. In that conversation, he made it very clear that the Jewish religion is a behaviorist religion. They do not care about your heart; they care about your behavior. This was also the view of Nicodemus. Today, Dennis Prager is a modern-day Pharisee. To him, it is all about what you do and do not do. As long as you perform the right actions that are considered good and right, then you are righteous. Conversely, as long as you avoid the things that are unrighteous, you are also considered righteous. It is all about your actions, your works, and your behavior. If you do good works, then you are good. If you behave according to the standards of the law, then you are righteous.

Nicodemus kept all the laws; he was just like Saul of Tarsus concerning the law—blameless, as stated in Philippians 3:6. Jesus says to this man, "Unless you are born again, you will not see the kingdom of God. Your self-righteousness will not save you. You must be born again." Nicodemus responds, "How can this be?" Thankfully, Jesus is full of grace and truth. Nicodemus asks an honest question, and Jesus provides a great answer.

Remember Nicodemus's question: "How can this be?" In verse 5 of John 3, Jesus answered, "Most assuredly." In the King James Version, "most assuredly" is translated as "truly, truly." Jesus continues, "I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Flesh, born of water, is flesh. That which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Jesus introduces Nicodemus to something that he apparently did not know. Even though he was the teacher in Israel, there is something here that he didn't recognize. Jesus isn't making something new here in Judaism; he is pointing back to something that Nicodemus probably did know but hadn't put together before. Five centuries before this conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus, there was a prophet named Ezekiel who talked about this very thing. In Ezekiel 36:25, God, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, says, "I will sprinkle you with clean water and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols, and I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you."

God, through Ezekiel 500 years before Nicodemus, says, "You need a new spirit." The concept of being born again didn't make sense to Nicodemus in his literal-mindedness. However, Jesus is not talking about a physical birth. He does mention a physical birth when he says that which is born of flesh is flesh. What is that? He talks about being born of water and being born of the Spirit. Most theologians will agree that being born of water refers to the physical birth that every single one of us here experienced. When you were in that amniotic sac, in that amniotic fluid, and the water broke, you were born of water.

We understand how that all works. We understand how babies are made, how the gestation process happens, and how birth takes place. That is being born of water; that is being born of flesh. We all have experienced that birth. But then he says you need not only to be born of water; you need to be born of the Spirit, a new birth. When he says you must be born again, the word "again" there is the Greek word "anōthen," which means born from above.

There is a physical birth; we all know this well. There is also a spiritual birth from above, brought about by God. That is essential if you are going to see the kingdom of God. You will not see the kingdom unless you are born from above. I love the fact that Jesus says to him, "Do not marvel about this," except that this is marvelous. It's miraculous. It's like, don't marvel about the most...

The miraculous thing that you could ever consider is the concept of being born again. Nicodemus is trying to understand this. He has already asked, "How can this be?" and he repeats the question, "How can these things be?" In verse 9, the word "be" (genomi in Greek) is really important because he is essentially asking, "What is the mechanism of action?" He understands how babies are made and how they are born, but he is confused about the mechanism of action for this new birth that Jesus is talking about.

As I mentioned, Jesus is full of grace and truth. He answers honest questions with honest answers. As we read Jesus's response to Nicodemus's second question, "How can these things become? How does it come to be?" we need to pay attention to what he is saying because his answer is clear. Notice the words that Jesus seems to be emphasizing. Jewish rabbis in the first century and before typically emphasized important points through repetition, so look for that in Jesus's answer.

Nicodemus asks, "What's the way? How can someone be born again?" Jesus responds, "Are you the teacher in Israel and you don't know these things? Truly, truly, most assuredly, I say to you, we speak what we know and we testify what we have seen, and you do not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven, but he who has come down from heaven, that is the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe in him is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Did you happen to catch the repeated word? It shows up seven times: believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe. Why did Jesus keep using this word? Nicodemus asked a question: "How can someone be born when they are old?"

"I must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven." You're saying that all these good things that I've done are not going to get me into heaven. They're not bad things; in fact, it's good to do good things. However, those things won't equal eternal, everlasting life. They won't get you into the kingdom of God.

So then the question is, how do I get there? Jesus says, "Believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe." But believe in what? To answer that question, what does it even mean to believe something? Is it just a mental acknowledgment, like a nod that says, "Okay, that's true"? No, what does it mean to believe?

Jesus uses an obscure story from the Old Testament that this man Nicodemus would have known because, as I said, he knew the Pentateuch. He references this obscure story, which only takes up about eight verses in the book of Numbers, chapter 21. Yes, Numbers. That's that book in your yearly reading plan that you kind of sped-read through. You don't even remember this story, but it was there.

When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land, Moses was leading them. At a certain point, they did what they do really well: they murmured and complained. We're getting ready to go on a family trip this next week, driving, and we'll hear it along the way with all our kids. We're going to take a fifth one with us just for good measure, and we'll hear, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I'm hungry. I need to go to the bathroom." Well, they're actually older now, so they don't talk like that. But anyway, you all know.

Can you imagine having maybe millions of people in the wilderness, hot, tired, and hungry, and all they ever have is this manna to eat? They're tired of it. And one day, as a judgment for their complaints, fiery serpents—venomous snakes—come and bite people. When they're bitten, they die. Now they're not upset about the manna; they're upset about the snakes. They come to Moses, saying, "You have to do something about these snakes."

Moses does what he always did: he went to God. God said, "Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to make a snake out of bronze." What? "Yeah, and you're going to put it on a stick and place it in the middle of the camp. If someone is bitten by a snake, if they'll just look at the bronze serpent, they will be saved."

That sounds absurd, nonsensical. That's going to save me? I guarantee, although the text doesn't say anything about this in Numbers 21, there were some people who thought, "I am not looking at that snake."

I am not looking. There's no way I'm looking at stupid bronzer, but that will not save me. Many people said, "Well, maybe just try." And there, whoever looked upon the snake was saved. Moses made a bronze serpent, put it on a pole, and so it was. If a serpent had bitten anyone, if they looked at the bronze serpent, they lived. This is found in Numbers 21:9. It's a weird story. Why is this even in the Bible? Well, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 that all these things were recorded in the Old Testament for our instruction as examples for us.

This is analogous to what Jesus is talking about here. It's what's called a biblical type; it's a foreshadowing of future things. If people were bitten by the serpent, which in the Bible is equivalent to sin, that's interesting. Bronze is the picture of judgment. So, the serpent represents sin, and bronze represents judgment. The serpent is lifted up, sin is lifted up, and if you just would look and trust, you'll be saved.

Jesus says, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up, and whoever believes, trusts in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Point number three: the born-again experience is wrought in God by the Spirit through faith. Nicodemus asks the all-important question, "How can I be born again?" Jesus responds, "Believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe, believe." Believe in what? Believe in the one lifted up. Trust in Him being judged there on the cross, on the pole, in your place for your sin.

Jesus says, "When you get to the gate, if you will, of the kingdom, there's not going to be someone there saying, 'Can I see your resume?' There's going to be someone there saying, 'Do you have the new birth certificate? Have you been made a child of God?'" How? By faith. By trust in Christ.

Now, Jesus in this passage is not saying, and this is so important to recognize, that good works are not good. He's not saying that religious effort is not good. Those things are good and they're kind of innate to us. There is...

Something in us drives us to try, and many times we say, "Just give me the list. Just give me the rules, even if it's 613 things; I'll do it all. Just give me the list." Some people find that they can keep the list better than others. We call them Pharisees. They're really good at keeping the list, and some of you are really good at keeping the list as well.

Here's the problem with the Pharisee: you're really good at keeping the list, and it makes you happy to look down at other people who are not as good at keeping the list. You might think, "Well, I don't know about you. I'm okay," but maybe not. It's not about the CV; it's not about the resume. It's about the birth certificate.

He wasn't saying that good works are not good; they certainly are. He's just saying they're not good enough to make you righteous before a perfectly holy God. He wasn't introducing anything new to Judaism here. He was only mimicking the words of the prophet Isaiah, who lived 800 years before this, when he said, "All of us are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags." Even my best works on my best day are never good enough because of the stain of sin. Therefore, my good works will never be enough to make me righteous before a perfectly holy God.

Thus, you must be born again. How is one born again? It is brought about by God, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, by our trust in Christ on the cross. Sin was judged on the cross. Just as the Son of Man must be lifted up, whoever trusts and believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Paul, in the New Testament book of Titus, chapter 3, says, "For we ourselves were all once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly: that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Do you see?

The order is clear: those who have believed maintain good works. Good works are not bad, but they don't make me righteous. What makes me right before God is trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ when He said, "It is finished" on the cross. This is the same order that is found in Ephesians chapter 2.

"For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God made beforehand that we should walk in them."

All of us, by nature, have this innate drive towards doing the right things. You give me the list, and I'll do the things. Some of us keep the things better than others, but all of us recognize, in the quiet and stillness of our own hearts, when it's just us and our conscience, that we don't keep the things right. We realize we miss the mark. Missing the mark is sin, and there's only one way to deal with sin.

It's not more good works, even though good works are good. It's not more church attendance, even though I think church attendance is good. I'm a church guy, but those things don't make me righteous. Every time I think that I might be righteous, I have a wife to let me know I'm not. Aside from my own conscience, we all fall short. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God in Christ Jesus is life.

By my religious works, I will not be righteous. My self-righteousness will not save me. I must be born again by God, by the Spirit, through faith. That's the good news of the gospel. That's the good news of the story.

Now, I will say, if you read John chapter 3 later and move from verse 21 to verse 22, you might feel like something is lacking. It’s like, "Well, what then? What happened with Nicodemus after the midnight meeting with Jesus?" The text just moves to the next thing from John 3:21 to 3:22, and it stops, leaving you wondering, "Wait, what? Where's Nick?"

He shows up a few chapters later in a very quick parenthetical break of this conversation with other Pharisees. He says to the group of people who are looking to try to kill Jesus, "Well, maybe we should actually hear Him before we make a decision on whether or not we should kill Him."

They don't show up again until the 19th chapter. In John chapter 19, after Jesus was crucified, we read this: John 19:38. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus but secretly because of fear of the Jews, asked Pontius Pilate if he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body of Jesus.

Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pounds. Joseph and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with spices, as was the custom of the Jews for burial. In the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden, a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. There they laid Jesus because of the Jews' preparation day, for the tomb was nearby.

Nicodemus saw Jesus lifted up on a cross, and I think in that moment, everything clicked. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. He saw Jesus lifted up, and in that moment, he had an overwhelming sense of his own sinfulness. He had a deep, overwhelming sense that he had been bitten by a serpent and needed a Savior. He trusted in Christ.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever trusts in him will not perish but have everlasting life. I'm so thankful we got to be a fly on the wall for this story, one of the most important stories in all the Bible.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? God, thank you for the opportunity to see and hear this conversation between you and Nicodemus. Thank you for what it reveals about your character. You loved us; you gave for us. Thank you for what it reveals about our own character, Lord, that even though we might want...

To do good and even try to do good, and actually effectively do good, was never good enough to make us right before You, a perfectly holy God. And so You came and accomplished what we could not accomplish. You died in our place on the cross that we might receive salvation.

Thank You, Jesus, that You who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made righteous by trust in You. We praise You and thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.