“You Must Be Born Again” | John 3:1-21

Show Notes

Episode 709: 
In this episode, we dive into a lively discussion centered around the concept of being "born again," as presented in the story of Nicodemus from John chapter 3. We read through the passage where Nicodemus, a Pharisee, approaches Jesus at night, seeking answers about spiritual rebirth. We discuss the significance of this encounter, emphasizing Nicodemus's position as a respected religious leader and his struggle to understand Jesus's teachings about being "born again."

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You're listening to the Bible, guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome, Welcome, welcome, We're back. We are back, and we didn't really go anywhere. No, but we are back in what your phone? I guess most people listen by. Their phone, in your car, your on your favorite podcast. We can't say on my farm, your radio, No, that's right, you can't say that. That's right in your headphone, could be over your speaker, could be on TV. That's right on your screen, on your. Screen, that's probably the big Well, well we're coming out of your screen audibly anyway. So this last month, we've had sixty thousand and sixty something thousand views over the last thirty days. Oh, that's fun. And most of them are YouTube, but there's like twelve thousand views on the other listens on the podcast platforms and stuff. Wow, it's kind of neat. Yeah, it's very cool. So some people are listening to us through their headphones, others are watching us on a screen. But well, hey, we're back either way to the Bible, guys. We are in the middle of a series that is really designed around the idea that what if Jesus had his own podcast. He had a lot of things to say, He. Had famous quotes of Jesus. But before we get into that, we have what I think is a isn't this a brand news? It is? It is it is. It's a hot take showdown hot take show. So we're gonna take controversial statement. This is gonna be a new segment. Okay, yeah, yeah, Desire and A we're talking about this and I think this is gonna be a new one. We're going to take a bold, confrontational statement statement, and we have to take a side. Either defended or debunk it. That's right. Are you ready? And we take number one. We can't go middle ground. We have to go one of the other. It's all in on one side or the other. Okay, are you ready? Yes? Hot take number one. Breakfast is the most overrated meal of the day. Go disagree. It is not overrated at all. Breakfast is everything. Everybody says that it is everything. Everybody. What does everybody say it is? Well, there's experts that say that it is the most important meal of the day. Really, they will they will say it over and over again. There's not a person who does well nutritionists that doesn't say that, right, And so. What about all these people that talk about fasting. That's a different topic. A lot of people say the healthiest way to go is the you know, the what is it when you do then and fast? They say skip breakfast. Yes, but I'm saying of all the medals. Literally breaking the fast, and they're saying it's healthy for you. He's a terrible argument. No, it's terrible argument. It's true. A lot of people say, don't eat. Do you understand what I'm saying. You just made a c I'm saying, you made a comment that said breakfa the run, and I'm saying. And dinner, of those breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here's what you're saying. You're saying, what about eating nothing? That's not what I said. No, No, that's not what what I'm saying. Is you you made the claim that all experts agree. No, I said most, you said all. But that's okay. And I'm saying a lot of experts say don't eat breakfast, skip it. Yeah, being lunch no no, no, that this should be your lifestyle. No, no, no, no, that's. What fasting doesn't just skip a meal. It skips like it skips like a whole day. No it doesn't. Yes, no, no, no, no no no. Yeah. Yeah, yeah that They say that that's the healthiest of all the intermittent fastings, and it's a it can become a lifestyle, should be a lifestyle. So you should be eating three meals a day. Okay, here here's another thing. Here's a no thing. You eat three meals a day. Americans like me. Yeah, that's right. Okay, how about this angle? Then? I think that breakfast food is probably is good. Is good, The food is good. I've always wondered about that. God, thank you for this food? Right, God is great. God is good, Thank you for this food. It's as if there's rhyme, but they don't. Know anyway, It just looks right on the paper. The point is is that how about this one from the angle of why is it that breakfast foods are like most people like breakfast food around the world, of. Every culture comfort their comfort foods. Yeah, think about it. There's really no other category of food that the majority of all humans like except for breakfast food. Nothing beats breakfast food, right. You know, Indians love Indian food, but there's a lot of Americans that don't like Indian food, right, A lot of people in Africa that wouldn't like Sloppy Joe's. So, but it is interesting. You know, you go to restaurants for breakfast overseas and they don't do breakfast like we eat breakfast. They literally call it the American breakfast or a European breakfast, eggs, bacon, sausage, but. They like it. Yeah. I was just in an Indian I was just in India and I had the special order eggs. There were no eggs, you know what they had. They had beans and tomatoes and all these like like it was like dinner, chicken meals, chicken dishes, beef Dishessould there be another reason for it's it's how breakfast goes over there? Do you think that maybe chickens are rare, eggs are rare. They're everywhere. But anyways, yeah, yeah, so it's different. All right, here's here's hot take number two. You and I are in disagreement on the hot take number two. Cats make better pets and dogs. Oh absolutely, I agree with that one. That's that's not even controversial. Yeah, that's not controversial at all. Why now, why why do cats make better pets and dogs. Well, listen, First of all, let me distinguish the fact that I'm not saying that people like cats. More than dogs better pets. They're just better pets than dogs. Right, So you may enjoy dogs more. Dogs are hard to work, and it may be a better payoff. Yeah, my wife is going to be mad about my take on this. One loves dogs. But that's but that doesn't change the fact that dogs are more work work. Dogs need you. Cats don't need you. That's why they're great pets. Right right, So so better pets. Meaning like on dogs, you have to bathe them. Dogs, you have to walk them. Dogs, you have to clean up their poop with your hands and bags. Dogs are You can't leave a dog for days. You cannot ignore a dog. They need you. They go to Dogs don't ignore you. They dominate your space. Yeah, as far as a pet goes a pet owner. Cats bathe themselves. Cats take care of it in litter boxes. You don't smell anything. You don't need to walk a cat. Cats don't need you. You could leave cats for days. I mean, come on, it's not even a controversial statement. I'm going to agree with you. Now we don't have cats at our house because my wife is allergic. But oh yeah, so is my grandson. So anyways, all right, well, hey, two hot takes, we solve both of those ones. You and I are in a disagreement. We're in alignment on cats, and we're disagreement about breakfast. So although although I took the breakfast side only adversarially because I love breakfast. Yes, and I know you did because it was a stretch what you were talking about fasting, that's not true. I argued to your point that all experts agree with you, and they don't. Okay, then most do. Yeah, some breakfast is not overrated. Here we go. Are you ready? I am ready? John, chapter talking. About not being overrated? John? Chapter three is a very popular and you know what chapter, and it. Is everything that Jesus meant for it to be. That's right. So today we are in You know. By the way, you've done every single bad transition this week. I keep on forgetting, which is why last week when I was with Kyle and Wesley, or. The two previous weeks, you're just not committed to me, I forget. I forgot most of it. You're not committed. I bet you only did it one third of the time. You're just mailing it in, be honest. So so so today with the premise that, you know what, if Jesus had had a podcast today's episode, Jesus would say you must be born again. That'd be the whole theme behind the episode. So is that a statement for late you must be born again? You must be born again? Ye? So in John chapter three, we're just going to read I think the whole chapter here, but it says this. There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus Rabbi. He said, we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs their evidence that God is with you. Jesus replyed to tell you the truth. Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. What do you mean, exclaimed Nicodemus. How can an old man go back into his mother's woman and be born again? Jesus replied, I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy spirit gives birth to spiritual life, so don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you can hear the wind, but can't tell where it comes from or where it's going, So you can't explain how people are born and of the spirit. How are these things possible? The Kademus asked. Jesus replied, you were respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things. I assure you. We tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about eternal things, how can you possibly birth earthly things? I'm sorry? What did I say? You said eternal things? Oh? Yeah, I just didn't want that. This thing it says earthly things, Yes it does. Yes, I tell you about earthly things. How can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned, But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the son of Man must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only sons so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his son in the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him, but anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only son, and the judgment is based on this fact. God's light came into the world, but people love the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who did evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. Is that it there? It is? Okay, So I'm not reading the whole chapter, but I did get one to twenty one. Yeah, one through twenty one. The whole story of Nicodemus. Yeah, the whole story Nicodemus. So, first of all, Nicodemus is one. It's always whenever I think of Nicodemus. I always think of like the one who got away. Oh you know what I mean, the great thing that almost was. Don't you think of it that way. It's like it's like he was almost there. Here's this great prominent religious faires pharisaical pharisee. Yeah, I was gonna say pharisecal leader. How do I how do I use that note adjutive pharisee leader. Pharisee leader. Really I thought there. Was that that would be the title. Well, I know, I know, but it's like a football player. He's a pharisee leader, really, a leader of the Pharisees. I've heard it said other ways. Maybe I've heard it wrong. Well, there's fair phariseaical behavior. Oh, phariseical. That's the word I was looking for. Yes, correct, so, but but yeah, you're right, his title is pharisee. So uh. Anyway, the point is is that here he is, this pharisee and it wasn't he a member of the Sanhedron as well? Yeah? Yeah, so here he is, I mean, just the most prominent of influence in the in the religious world, and he's meeting with Jesus at Knight and Uh. And he's meeting them at night because he is a secret believer. Admirer. Admirer, I guess is probably the better word. He's very curious. He's not wanting to put g Jesus to death. He's actually very curious to see if Jesus is coming from God. And and so here he is just right on the edge. You know, I could just I picture I picture it going the other way. I picture it like he was like one step away of saying like, Okay, I'm done with being a pharisee. I'm all in. I'm going to follow you Jesus, and I'm going to become a believer in an influencer like the apostle Paul, right from one extreme to the other. And and yet he doesn't he doesn't really ever cross the line. And uh and uh. Anyway, as far as yeah, Christ follower. Yeah, but not a devoted follower enough to stop. I mean, he doesn't leave being a pharisee. Right, Yeah, well Jesus had to die. But but but that would mean that he was on the council when Caiaphas had had him voted to be put to death. Yeah, but he voted against it. Yeah, he voted against it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Well you know what I'm saying, right, Sure, what I'm saying is like, he didn't become. A pall right, he didn't leave, Yes, he didn't leave the Yeah, yeah, so is interesting. He comes to Jesus at night. The daytime interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees were always very antagonistic, Right, either Jesus is going after the Pharisees or the Pharisees are going after Jesus. Almost every day, it looks like, right, but then you've got Nicodemus. He comes at night. One, I think he doesn't want to be seen by the other Pharisees. Two, the day's work is done. This is much more casual. It's not the marching around the city preaching and healing, and it's not the you know, all the rituals and rules and regulations for the Pharisees. This is kind of a more casual, calm space. And it's one on one. It's not groups. So it's not it's not Jesus group against the Pharisees group. It's just he's one on one guys. So there's a lot of respect. I think in this there's also little bit of caution in that, but he's definitely impressed with Jesus. He calls him a rabbi, which gives him some respect, which is very impressive because being a member of saying he'd meant that he was a member of the Supreme Court. So for him to ascribe any kind of title to Jesus means I'm acknowledging you as nearly an equal here, right, And that speaks volumes, And he certainly says, your miracles have proven to me that you are who you're claiming to be, right, And then he says, so, I just think you're a good guy. And Jesus doesn't small talk at all on this one. He just goes straight as a yeah, let me tell you you need to be born again. But and this is the first time anybody's ever heard this phrase before, right, be born again? And so he's a smart guy, and he goes, what are you talking about? How do you go back and be born a second time? And Jesus said, really, you're a leader among the people, and you can't get the idea between a physical birth and a spiritual birth? Yeah right, Yeah, And it's interesting how he describes, you know, physical birth being born of water, and then spiritual birth, being born of the spirit. And he says, hey, you'll never be able to explain it, just like you can feel the wind, but you can't explain it. And so he says, you'll never be able to fully understand it. And yet this is what is required. And so Jesus's statement that you cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless you are born again indicates that every human being has a spiritual birth or excuse me, a physical birth, but you need a spiritual rebirth or to be born born in a spirit. Actually, really it's just born into the spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven. So you need to you know, and we use different terms as well, not just being born again, but Roman says to be said, which means to be rescued from your sins, and so to be saved or to be born again. Another word would say to trust Christ fully, to be become a fully devoted follower of Christ. But basically it all comes down to putting your faith in and your trust in and belief in the sacrifice of Jesus, because he lays it out John three sixteen. Is right here well, Verse fifteen, even before that fourteen and fifteen. Yes, he says, even as Moses lifted up the bronze snake or the serpent in the wilderness. Which, by the way, we're going to teach at heritage in a few weeks. Oh yeah, yeah, so I was. I've got a photo of that, by the way, Oh, I'd love it. Yeah, So you told me that in Jordan is where Mount Nebo is. Mount Nebo is where Moses died, and there's there's ben for a thousand years, more than a thousand years, fifteen hundred and seventeen hundred years, there's been various little churches and chapels right in that on that cliff that overlooks the Jordan Valley. God brought Moses to the edge of this mountain, and you can see everything. You see Jericho, you can see the Dead Sea, you can see the the River Jordan, you can see the plains that Joshua led the people across. You see it all. You can look all the way across and at nighttime you can see Jerusalem. Right. So it's just it's everything, and that's where Moses died. So an artist created this cross of a serpent in the form of a cross. There and it sits right on the edge of this cliff, looking over that valley there, and it has the whole story of as Moses left of the serpent. So here's the story painting. No, no, no, no, no, no, it's a giant art. Oh there's a physical cross. It's like a sculpture. Oh phenomenal. Yeah, it's fabulous, ten ft fifteen feet tall. Okay, so not but you can see it from a great distance. Yeah, and it's overlooking the big valley. I'll show it to you. Yeah, yeah, that's cool. But so the story that Jesus is referencing here, the Israelites had rebelled against God. God is done with them. He's just sick to death of these rebellious Israelites, and so he allows these snakes to come into the camp. And Moses goes to God, say, God, don't just wipe out all the people. And God said, okay, make this bronze serpent. Put it on this pole and lift it up. It's where we get the medical Have you ever seen the medical symbol? And it has the snakes on the symbol. That's where it comes from. It's from that passage, right, So that's what Moses does he lifts up this snake that's wrapped around this pole, and if the people would look to that in faith, God would heal them. And Jesus is saying, when I'm put on the pole, if people will look to me in faith, it'll have the same effect on a spiritual level that that faith had on a physical level, healing him from the snake bite. Well, we're all snake bit by sin, right right, right, Literally, this Satan was a serpent, is, you know, in the form of a serpent when he tempted Eve. We've all been snake bit ever since. And Jesus is saying, when I'm lifted up on the pole, when I'm put on the cross, if you look to me by faith, you'll be brought back to life spiritually in the same way that by faith when they looked at the snake, they were brought back to life physically from the snake bite. Which goes along with him saying born again, born physically, born spiritually, right right, right, yeah, which is great. Yeah. Yeah, it's actually incredibly rich, isn't it. Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, it's really rich. So then that leads into verse sixteen, which is where you were going in early. Yeah, which you know, it's for God so of the world that he gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. And then something that we don't read as often, we should read it often because the next verse is God sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. Yeah. Right, And so it's it's a it's a great invitation to be born again right now. Uh. I have to throw this in here just for fun, just because I'm me. But there are terms that over the years I always make make fun of a little bit because I say that they carry with it a little bit of baggage like uh and and and by the way, the Bible didn't give baggage to those terms. People did, right. So there's like, you know, when you hear somebody say born again, oftentimes that that particular term was dominantly used by a particular denomination and and could be a little by people who are just a little bit pushy and a little bit quite frankly, in my opinion, a little creepy and uh and so so a lot of times when you hear that term, you're like oh, you're one of those people, right, and uh and so so I always say this and and again people can disagree, and I'm completely fine with that. But when I'm on stage, on on a you know, behind the pulpit, a lot of times I try to avoid words that I call Christian eese because they carry with it just a little bit of baggage. And so when people hear those terms, you might say, well, it's from the Bible. Yeah, you're right, the Bible didn't give it baggage. People did. And so, like secretary is a perfectly good word, but we had to change it to administrative assistant because people gave it baggage. Right, It's sort of the same thing. And so anyway, the point is is that that's why I always like to say, hey, listen, if our goal is to reach those who are far from God, who don't go to church, don't know church culture, they have no knowledge of much of anything, I'm going to try my best to speak in layman's terms, non churchy terms, to make sure that they understand. So I prefer to say, you know, you must become a follower of Christ, or believe in Christ, or trust Christ with your whole heart. Because people can get behind that. Yeah, those phrases don't have the same impact of being a brand new life. You're right, those phrases don't. You're right. The other part of it too, I think that it's that's a leftover feeling from the eighties and nineties. And I think if you went and talked to a twenty five year old today and asked them what does it mean to be born again? They would go, I don't know, when have you heard the phrase? Most of them will go, I don't know. I think I think it's a fifty year old guy generation. It's a fifty year old guy opinion, not a thirty year old guy opinion. But there's fifty year olds that listen to the gospel. Sure, Sure. All I'm saying is it's not all of culture. And I think it's more relevant today to say be born again than it was in. The more relevant yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah. So it ebbs and flows with the with the cultural baggage, but the baggage doesn't last forever. And I think it's yeah, I agree, I agree with that. I agree with that. Yeah. But if I'm given the Gospel and there's only twenty percent that might carry that baggage. I would still prefer to describe another way, so that one hundred percent would be okay with the terms I'm using. Yeah, well, if you're if you're teaching it like we just taught. It, then you can and you can still say. Explain what the what being born again means. It's different than just the very phrase if you need to be born again. We just made We just did a series called made New now made news a great phrase. Right to be, to be to have a brand new life. Like those terms, you can give the same connotation. You just have to use more words, right, Yeah, yeah, I agree. And so so you must be born again? That that's the phrase for today. If Jesus we're doing his own podcast, he certainly wouldn't back away from that phrase. No, no, no, he would say you must be born. And I'm just a lot like Jesus. That's you. You don't want to be like I want to be like Jesus. You're more like Nicodemus. You're gonna come at night and talk about it. That's right, that's right, that's me. Wow, I can't believe it ended up there. I'm not you know what I am more I am a lot like Nicodemus, but I'm a lot like Jesus. Too, I haven't, Jeff, I'm joking with you. So hey, there is a note. You know how we always like to celebrate the life application study about it. We do. So there's a whole segment in here on Nicodemus and on his life, and it's really interesting how there's this progression. He's afraid of being discovered at the beginning, so he makes an appointment, comes and meets with Jesus at nighttime, right, and then he comes away with a different understanding of God and himself. He's acknowledging that Jesus does miracles. He comes away going, wow, what is this? Be born again? He's very intrigued. He doesn't dismiss Jesus. He wants to learn, and Jesus really unpacks this idea. Well, then you wonder didn't have any impact until you find out later on when he's the one who He appears at the High Council in John chapter seven, where Jesus is being prosecuted and he speaks up. It's the first time we see him speak up, and he speaks up publicly in front of his peers, spending Jesus. If it's from God, it'll succeed. If it's from man, it'll fail. Or is that Gamaliel, that's Gamaliel. Yeah, you're right. But he raises this question of justice rights, so he challenges the idea of justice and so it was overruled, but he spoke up. That's a big step from sneaking out at night to now publicly speaking in front of his peers. And then when Jesus is crucified, he and Joseph a Verimythea actually approach the governor pilot and ask for Jesus' body and they bury Jesus' body, and then church history tradition shows that he went on and became a leader in the church. And so there's this progression from coming at nighttime and checking things out to really hearing the gospel. It seems to have transformed him. He has more and more courage, and he keeps growing and growing and growing. And so don't be frustrated with your path. Keep making sure that there's forward movement. Just like Nicodemus and God, it'll use you. Yeah, that's great. That's a great place to end. So hey, hope you enjoyed that, and we will wrap up this week tomorrow on Friday, and we'll see you that on the Bible, guys,