JUN 7, 2009  SERMON ARCHIVE

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our heavenly Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, AMEN.

The text for our meditation today is the Gospel Lson for ths Sunday, John 3:1-17. There we read these words:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, 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." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 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?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

In the name of Jesus, AMEN

Dear friends. There are two and only two religions in the world. One is the religion of the Law. The other the religion of the Gospel.

The religion of the Gospel is the love of the Father, the suffering of the Son and the new birth of the Spirit. On this Sunday of the Holy Trinity, you are instructed to put all your confidence in the one true religion given to you and for you by the blessed Trinity.

In the Gospel lesson for today, Nicodemus represents the religion of the Law. Scripture says he was a Pharisee. The Pharisees were the epitome of the Jewish religion in Jesus’ day. Pharisees worked hard at studying and memorizing the Law of Moses. They fasted twice a week, gave away 10% of all their possessions, attended the daily prayer services of the synagogue, worked hard at making converts and of course they were fastidious about Sabbath observance. They were the cream de la cream of the religious community.

In addition, Nicodemus was a member of the ruling council and not just another Pharisee. His fellow Pharisees thought enough of him to place him in the position of highest honor, the ruling council. He served both God and country with zeal. If Nicodemus were with you today, you would all look up to him as a fine Christian man and an outstanding servant in this community.

But religious and dedicated as he was, Pharisee Nicodemus was on his way to hell.

Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again......no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

In today’s cultural climate Jesus words to Nicodemus would be an outrage. How dare Jesus tell this man that he was damned. I can just hear the modern politically correct wags condemning Jesus as a narrow minded bigot. How dare anyone condemn another man’s religion.

Jesus dared to condemn Nicodemus because He cared deeply about the eternal salvation of this man.

Jesus cares so much about you that He dares to condemn your false religion of the Law. And how much of your religion is of the Law. Do you show up for worship to show others your zeal. Do you give your 10% or more to show others how good you are. Do you fast, pray, serve on community boards to show how zealous you are? "Are you well respected about town doing the best things so conservatively?" Well, in spite of all your show and go, you are like Nicodemus, a well dressed, well behaved mannequin.

Jesus says to you, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again....no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

No one, not even you, can enter the Kingdom of God or even recognize what it is.

I hear your protests. "But I am a Lutheran born of Lutherans. My parents and their parents and their parents before them were Lutheran." Yes, but flesh can only give birth to flesh, says Jesus. Even though your parents and theirs before them were Christians, they could only give birth to their own kind, namely, sinners. Being born to Lutheran parents only makes you a condemned child of Lutheran parents.

No one can enter the Kingdom of God......unless he is born again. Unless he s born again.

Thanks be to God there is an exception clause. No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again, born of water and of Spirit. The religion of the Law cannot give you this new birth. Only the true religion of the Gospel gives you new birth into the Kingdom of God.

The religion of the Law begins with you, what you must do for God but the religion of the Gospel begins with the love of the Father for you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Father loves you so much that He put His eternal Son in the body and soul of Jesus of Nazareth and turned Him over to His enemies for you. He sent the eternal Son into this world with a command, "show them my love by surrendering your body to be killed in their place for their sins."

As Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “Greater love have no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends,” but God the Son did not lay down his life for His friends, rather, for you, His enemies.

And as we read in John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

He should have been lifted high on the arms of people glad to receive Him but instead He was lifted high on cross by people who rejected Him.

He left the glory of heaven to suffer the agony of hell.

He left the comfort of His Father’s love to experience the discomfort of your rejection.

He laid aside His rights as God and had laid on Him your sins.

He became sin for you so that you who have sin might be righteous.

This is the one true Gospel religion. It is God the Father sending His Son. It is God the Son suffering in your place for your sins. It is God the Holy Spirit giving you new birth into the Kingdom.

"You must be born again", said Jesus. You must have the Holy Spirit enter you and put faith in your heart which trusts in the Love of the Father and Suffering of the Son. You cannot have just a change of behavior. You must have a change of heart. You must be born again by the Holy Spirit and you have been born again.

Each one of you were mannequins at one time, well dressed but quite dead religiously. you have been made alive. You have been given new birth by the Holy Spirit in the water of Holy Baptism and by the Gospel.

More than once I have been asked the question, "have you been born again." My answer is and your answer should be, "yes, I have been born again." The next question is usually, "when were you born again?" My answer is and yours answer should be, "on the day of my baptism."

On your Baptism day, the loving Father and the suffering Son gave you the new birth of the Holy Spirit. I know that because Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved"

It is a promise from the lips of Jesus and because it is a promise, it must be so. Do not doubt but believe that this amazing grace of new birth is yours and because it is yours, you have already entered the Kingdom of heaven. Of course today you are only in the foyer, the anti room of that Kingdom but on the day He calls you to heaven, you will enter the main living room, the room hand made for you by the Love of the Father, the Suffering of the Son and new birth of the Holy Spirit.

Christ Is Risen.

Amen.