Sermon Cloud

Have you seen the TV show, “Extreme Makeover” the home edition?  A family with very special needs or in a very unique situation is chosen for this show on ABC.  Their house is usually riddled with all kinds of problems—the plumbing doesn’t work, the roof leaks, or it’s just way too small for a very large family.  The house is completely demolished and then completely rebuilt in just a week! 

Last week’s show was just incredible.  A family of 9 lost a father due to an illness.  The kids sleep on the floor and Mom runs her catering business out of an old trailer in the driveway because conditions in the house are so bad.  They get their new house all right—complete with a commercial kitchen, bedrooms for everyone, and enough money collected from the community to pay off the mortgage!

There are two parts of the show that I like.  One is the look on the faces of the family when they first get a glimpse of their newly built house.  If you’ve seen the show, there is a huge bus (really a camper) parked in front of the house blocking their view.  The crowd starts chanting ‘Move that bus!  Move that bus!’ to which the driver moves the vehicle revealing the new house.  The house is extreme—and so are the reactions of unspeakable joy and heartfelt gratitude from this very lucky family. 

The other part of the show that I like is when the family is off on an all-expense paid vacation trip and they all gather around to watch a ‘live telecast’ of the demolition of their old house.  You should see the expressions on their faces as the walls come down and the entire property is leveled—perhaps expressions of peace and relief that the old is gone and no longer to return.  Ever.

A Bible version of an extreme makeover is told in the Gospel according to John chapter three.  Starting at verse 1:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.  For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."  In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  "How can a man be born when he is old?"  Nicodemus asked.  "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, 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.  You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."  "How can this be?"  Nicodemus asked.  "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?

Here is a prominent leader in the community who comes to see Jesus under the cover of darkness, perhaps to stay out the public eye.  To his credit, he acknowledges that Jesus is the real deal—the text says in verse 2 “you are a teacher who has come from God”.  You see, life must have been good for Nicodemus.  He enjoyed the amenities that come with the public office—fine clothes, respect, authority, power.  But I think that it is safe to say that something was sadly lacking in his life in spite of all the outward appearances of success.  Just think about it: Why would he even think of pursuing Jesus?  And why the covert approach?

I think that there was too much at stake—he’s got a reputation to protect.  He had to keep the paparazzi at bay.  I see a Nicodemus living a double life.  On the one hand life is good—by the standards of the day.  But at the same time he knows that life isn’t that great—by God’s standards.  And he can’t come to grips with this reality let alone come out and admit it publicly.  Therefore the text says that he comes to Jesus at night.

But Jesus sees right through all the muck and cuts right to the chase.  He exposes this man’s real condition and even tells him what he ought to do.  Verse 3: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  I just love this about Jesus.  You can come to Him with all kinds of excuses, beat around the bush, sugar coat the truth about yourself, and He wastes no time to tell you what’s really going on and what it will take to get out of it—straight up.

So, here’s what Jesus tells Nicodemus: You have to be born again!  Pretty extreme, huh?  Nicky still doesn’t get it because he fires back and says, “How can a man be born when he is old?  Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!”  He's thinking in human terms.  What he doesn't get is that Jesus is prescribing the only solution to his problem—the problem of sin—a solution that only comes from God. 

Here, check this out.  What chapter and what book of the Bible are we reading from?  We’re reading right out of John chapter 3, just a few verses before the widely-quoted John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son...” Jesus is leading up to this verse that identifies His sacrifice as the only hope for mankind.  In his human thought process, Nicodemus could not even begin to comprehend how hopeless and helpless his situation was.  He is looking for a human fix.  And here Jesus is just getting started.  He is about to unveil the most-publicized, most-prophesized, most-awaited event in history—His story—the story of the cross. 

But Nicodemus still doesn’t get it:  To be born again.  Yes, the impossible.  Rebirth.  Rebirth—also known as regeneration.  We’ve all experienced human birth.  But this Spirit birth—this is something new.  You start from scratch.  All your accomplishments—whatever successes you have attained so far—do not count.  Just like the TV show, you try to patch things up but nothing works.  Just like the TV show, you are ready to give up.  Just like the TV show, you are ready for something drastic—something extreme.    Just like the TV show, you get rid of the house that used to be standing on your lot and tear it down.  Unless the house is completely demolished, the new house cannot be built.  You move out, your house is bulldozed, and the construction of your dream house begins—a monumental task that you could never have done in a million lifetimes. 

Let’s face it: everything you have tried to make your life count has not worked.  Whether you are a follower of Christ or just checking out Christianity, it’s like hitting a brick wall.  We’re not talking about your own limitations, lack of abilities or resources to achieve success.  It’s way deeper than that.  It’s your sin problem.  And there is absolutely nothing—nothing you can do to fix it.  You need to start from scratch.  You need divine intervention—the “rebirth” Jesus talks about in the text.  In computer lingo, it’s more than just a “reboot”.  You need to wipe your hard drive clean and reinstall the operating system. 

The Bible calls this “forgiveness”.  It only comes from God.  It’s permanent—guaranteed.  Forgiveness is then followed by repentance—a 180-degree turn in the direction of your life.  This too only comes from God.  Then follows a life of unbelievable change and rebuilding.  This too only comes from above.  The Spirit of God takes over.  In our text, Jesus uses the wind to illustrate how His power works—you don’t see it, or know where it comes from, but you hear it and see what it does. 

Are you ready for this transformation?  Are you the Nicodemus type—look good on the outside but broken and confused on the inside?  The same force that spoke the universe into existence is the same God who is offering you this extreme makeover.  Take Him up on it—it’s the only way.  The next time you watch the show, think about this story in the Bible.  There is a whole new chapter in your life that awaits you.  No, let me rephrase that: There is a whole new story about your life that is waiting to be built.  I can hear the crowd chanting now, “Move that bus!  Move that bus!”  You’ll be amazed as to what God can do with your life—from scratch.  It will be pretty awesome.  You’ll see.