February 17, 2008

Born Again Into the Kingdom

by Rev. Dr. Jim Carlson

John 3: 1-21

Opening Illustration – Patient Visit at UK

Born Again – negative connotations in society. Exclusive claims.

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus – sounds quite judgmental.

Before you make up your mind – need to understand contrast John’s making.

First – Gospel of John and 1 John reflect a church split. Distinctions are drawn to reassure those who have stayed that they made the right choice. Slide

Second – Jesus makes strong contrasts between those who believe he is the Son of God and those who don’t. Slide

Third - Those who believe in Jesus will not perish, but they will die. John does no think people’s souls go to heaven. He expects Jesus to resurrect the dead at his return.

Does this passage tell us anything about how to be a Christian in the modern world?

First – We have to be open to wherever the Holy Spirit leads us.

Church has been a place of stability and refuge. Regulated by bylaws and traditions.

Nicodemus was an expert in religious laws and traditions – but he was blind to the new things God was doing in the world.

God may be calling us to do new things. Variety of worship experiences is evidence that we’re open – but we need to continue looking for new movements of the Spirit.

Second – Being born again involves being honest with God and yourself about the choices you make in life.

Some people resist church because they think it’s no longer relevant or because church people irritate them.

Some of us resist being a part of the church because we don’t want to be confronted with the reality of our own lives.

As long as you don’t think about it, maybe it’s not so bad.

But deep down inside we all want to have a clear conscience. Being born again means dealing with our dark sides and bringing it out into the light.

Final Illustration – If we’re going to identify our faith experience as being “born again”, as Jesus terms it in John, we’re going to face some real challenges.

This appeared on a blog - It has been MY experience that those labeled born again Christians are intolerant of others, very judgmental and dismissive of anyone who thinks differently then they do. It has also been MY experience that born again Christians are very argumentative.

Now maybe I have been reading, listening and/or talking to a small minority but I very seldom see, hear or read about the love for others they are suppose to have. What disturbs me is that it seems to invade every part of their life whether religion, politics, education, entertainment and so on. There also seems to be a lack of forgiveness on their part.\

Why viewed so negatively? Robert Price – Beyond Being Born Again - Ridiculous Claims – Being born again heals and prevents all emotional problems. Merlin Carothers - “Your feelings may tell you that you are lonely, but God's Word says He is with you. Which will you believe? If you aren't sure, you need to repent.”

Merlin Carothers - "My son, what I wanted you to know was that you never again have to worry whether anyone will overcharge you, hurt you, or mistreat you unless it is My will." Carothers goes on to affirm his belief that "if the chair collapses under me it is His will. If the coffee is too hot or the toast soggy, it is His will."

One day, "God was giving me [a] headache as an opportunity to increase the power of Christ in my life." He recommends his readers to thank God for letting someone steal one's parking place since God must have an even better one in store around the corner!”

We have to be careful what we’re saying and put God’s kingdom in the best light.

Being born again isn’t about thinking you’re better than everyone else, or living under the arrogant premise that everyone who doesn’t understand God the way you do is heading toward an eternity in Hell.

Being born again means living a life inspired by the Holy Spirit, wherever that life may take you.

Being born again means living a life you can live with, no secrets, no regrets. It means being honest with yourself and other and God about who you are.

Being born again means that your life is dedicated to lifting Jesus up so that everyone around you can see who he is.

Don’t be afraid of calling yourself “born again”. It’s a way we talk about life in God’s kingdom. Lots of people talk about God’s kingdom. But Jesus reminds us that unless we are born again, we really can’t see it.