By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, February 8, 2009 · Black History Observance
Sermon Text: John 3:1-16
Sermon Theme
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He’s obviously impressed with Jesus. He wants to learn from him. Jesus doesn’t respond directly to Nicodemus’ statement. He confronts him with the demand, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus doesn’t understand. “How can anyone be born after having grown old?” he asks. The phrase, “You must be born from above,” refers to at least three central themes in Jesus’ message. First, God is giving us a new vision of a new life. Second, we need to commit ourselves to that vision. Third, we cannot underestimate God’s vision. It may well be something that appears completely incredible to us. This theme of a new beginning applies to all of us but especially to those who are being ordained and installed as elders and deacons today. During this Black History month, the life and testimony of Super Bowl star David Tyree from right here in Montclair, gives us an inspiring and helpful example of new life in Christ.
Sermon Outline
- Vision. Jesus’ statement of being “born from above” is a bold, even daring, assertion. Jesus is not talking about making a few changes. He is talking about radically new life. Nicodemus was a “teacher of Israel,” yet his vision was limited. We, like Nicodemus, can assume that God is limited by the same things that limit us. Yet God is not limited. David Tyree, in spite of his athletic success, could not see beyond his own limitations. Yet God had incredible plans for him.
- Viewpoint. As long as Nicodemus sees himself as an expert, he cannot understand Jesus. Our biggest problem in acknowledging God’s vision is our assumption that we should be able to understand what God is doing. Yet how can we understand someone who turns water into wine, feeds thousands with a few loaves of bread, heals the sick and casts out demons? When we are called to serve God, whether as elders, deacons or simply as disciples, we need to realize that God is going to call us to do things we can’t even imagine. When David Tyree came to Christ as his life was falling apart, he never imagined the opportunities God would give him.
- Victory. The story of Nicodemus does not end in this third chapter of John’s Gospel. After the crucifixion, Nicodemus assists Joseph of Arimathea in helping prepare the body of Jesus for burial and in actually placing his body in the tomb. Nicodemus could have no idea of what God was about to do in raising Jesus from the dead. David Tyree could have had no idea of what would happen in last year’s Super Bowl and what opportunities he would have for sharing the gospel. We have no idea of what victories God has in store for us. This applies not only to elders and deacons but to all of us.
Questions for Us
- Why do you think Nicodemus has such difficulty understanding Jesus’ point about being “born from above”? How is his reaction (“How can these things be?”) similar to how we think about what the Lord can do?
- How does our assumption that we should understand what God is doing and why inhibit our ability to see radically new things in our lives and in our ministries? Why is humility such a difficult lesson for us?
- Why are we often not prepared for the amazing and surprising things that God is able to do? Nicodemus probably has no idea that his helping lay Jesus in the tomb is preparing for the resurrection.
- What lessons of faith can we learn from the example of Nicodemus?
