Hinsdale Covenant Church
11.17.24 - "Nicodemus: Going Public" - Lars Stromberg
Amen. Let's pray as we begin. Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen. So last week, in case you weren't here, we began a new story, the story of a biblical character in the New Testament Nicodemus in John chapter 3. This is a story of a Pharisee, Israel's great teacher, a member of the Jewish Supreme Court known as the Sanhedrin who visits Jesus under cover of night with his honest questions about who this man Jesus is. In this meeting, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again and he explains what it means to be born again by saying that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that all people might not perish but might have eternal life. The text never tells us how Nicodemus actually receives this word from Jesus. There is no indication of whether or not this moment in time, this conversation with Jesus led to a conversion or changed his life in the way that it has changed so many people's lives since who have read of this account. So we don't really know. But here's the good news. We get to continue the story of Nicodemus. Many people, maybe you're one of them, don't know anything about Nicodemus after this interaction with Jesus in John chapter 3. But his story actually continues in the Gospel of John. It's sort of a three-act story and we're an act to today. And it gives us an indication of how God is working in Nicodemus' mind and in his heart. So as you're able, would you please stand for the reading of Scripture. We're in John chapter 7 starting at verse 37 and going through the end of the chapter. On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who thirsts come to me and let the one who believes in me drink. All Scripture has said out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water." Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified. And when they heard these words, some in the crowd said, "This is really a prophet." Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, "Surely the Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he?" Has not the Scripture said that the Messiah is a descendant from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived? So there was division amongst the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. And then the temple police went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees who asked them, "Why didn't you arrest Jesus?" And the police answered, "Never has anyone spoken like this?" Then the Pharisees replied, "Surely you haven't been deceived too, have you?" Has any one of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which doesn't know the law, they are accursed. Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of them, asked, "Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?" They replied, "Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee." Then each of them went home. The word of the Lord, thanks be to God, can be seated. So what exactly is happening in this text? Well, John 7 happens in the city of Jerusalem during the feast of tabernacles, which means that there is six to nine months that have elapsed between when Nicodemus initially had his meeting with Jesus in chapter 3 and this time in chapter 7. The Pharisees were angry that Jesus had declared himself to be living water at the feast of tabernacles, a sacred rite that commemorated God's faithfulness in the desert during the Exodus. His claims of deity caused him to believe but also enraged many of the Pharisees, who considered this talk blasphemy. So the chief priests and the Pharisees send the temple police to go and arrest Jesus. But to their dismay, the police come back without Jesus and when they question him, the police only replied that they didn't arrest Jesus because they never heard anybody speak like that before. We didn't know what to do. And most of the Pharisees are really upset and be right the temple police for being taken in by this Jesus character, just as the common people have. But there's one Pharisee who speaks up with a different viewpoint. It's our old friend Nicodemus and he says to them, "But our law, we don't judge people in our law without first giving them a hearing to find out what they're doing, do we?" I'd like to walk through this part of Nicodemus's narrative verse by verse for us and make a few observations. Verse 50 to start, Nicodemus who had gone to Jesus before and was one of them. That's how he's introduced here. Note here that Nicodemus has noted as the same one, this is not a different Nicodemus, same one, who went to Jesus at night up in Galilee. And he's also one of them, that means the Pharisees of the Sanhedrin. I'm struck with that designation, one of them. We don't know exactly where Nicodemus was on his spiritual journey at this point, but God has clearly been working in his heart since that initial meeting with Jesus, but he is still one of them. He's still on the Sanhedrin, but we can also see that his encounter with Jesus is challenging him and it's changing him. Then verse 51, Nicodemus asked them, "Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they're doing, does it?" And Nicodemus is correct in this question. In Exodus, in a Deuteronomy, the law of Moses clearly indicates that Jesus or anyone is owed due process. Jesus by law does not deserve immediate condemnation, but rather a fair hearing. This is not merely procedural though for Nicodemus. He's not just going, "I don't really want to bring this up, but our law says this." He is clearly at this point, at least in some sense a Jesus sympathizer at the very least. And it's a bold move for Nicodemus to advocate for a man who is so clearly despised by his colleagues. And then in verse 52, it says, "They replied, 'Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you?'" You can almost hear the contempt in their voices, right? Search and you will see no prophet is to arise from Galilee. Here we get a sense of how blindly hateful the Sanhedrin is. They mock Nicodemus for even asking the question. Know here that this intense contempt among the urban Jewish ruling class towards more rural areas was common at the time. We've just sort of been through this in a way in an election cycle where the urban rural divide is pretty evident, right? But our divide pales in comparison to the same divide in Jesus' day. As this passage shows, Jerusalem's Pharisees considered themselves well above the common people. This was mostly by virtue of education. However, there was also a big cultural bias going on here. Most Pharisees instinctively saw people from surrounding areas, more rural areas, as backward, low-class peasants. Suggesting that Nicodemus is from Galilee too is the equivalent of calling him a hick or insulting his family. Then interestingly, they say something that I think they know is not true. No prophet could ever come from Galilee. The problem with this is that we already know of two of Israel's most prominent prophets are from Galilee. Surely these experts knew that Jonah was from Galilee and they knew that Nahum was from Galilee. They were from towns very close to Nazareth, Jesus, hometown. They were both Galileans. This is how hatefully arrogant the Pharisees are with respect to Jesus. They ignore their own laws and they ignore their history. And instead of reckoning with those things, they just choose to call names and incite violence instead. So that's the text of Nicodemus. And maybe this text is not all that inspiring for you. Maybe you were hoping for more in the second act of Nicodemus' story. But I think it should be compelling to you because it's an essential part of Nicodemus' renewal story. This is the moment when Nicodemus begins, albeit slowly, to go public in his advocacy for Jesus, to go public. I distinctly remember when I had to make that decision in my life. At 16 years old, I had an encounter with Jesus one summer through both Bible camp and my youth group. And Jesus became very, very real to me. I had always had belief in Jesus. I grew up in the church, never missed a Sunday from that I can remember from a very young age. But that genuine encounter with Jesus began to really change me. I realized that there were huge parts of my life that I was not allowing Jesus to touch it all. There were friendships that I had that were neither encouraging to my faith, nor God honoring in any demonstrable way. I was spending a lot of my time on a sport that was making me a less godly person. And I wasn't representing Christ in that activity in any tangible way. I saw my money, my stuff, my time as mine rather than God's. And I knew I needed to make some changes, to invite Jesus to come and invade those spaces in my life where he had not been welcomed in. This was a big deal for me. It was a significant risk that would set me on the course for the rest of my life. That's why I'm here today. And I think it's the same for Nicodemus in some way in this passage. I've got three observations from this second act of Nicodemus' story that I think may be helpful for us wherever we are in our journey. First is this. It teaches us that conversion is not always a moment in time. Again, we don't have any indication that Nicodemus became a disciple of Jesus after that initial encounter with him in John 3. And it's okay for you to ask, how is it possible that he didn't become a disciple of Jesus after that interaction? I mean, face to face with Jesus where Jesus is saying, you need to be born again. Let me tell you how explaining the gospel to you. I don't know if that didn't work. I don't know why. But all indications are that this was a gradual process for Nicodemus. Yes, we celebrate when anybody puts their faith in Jesus Christ, but it's worth noting that for many, many people, it's a lengthy process rather than a fixed moment in time. Maybe you're someone who does have a very definitive moment when you gave your life over to Jesus where you said, I'm trusting in Jesus. You had a dramatic sort of experience that you can put on the calendar. But I want to let you know that if that's not your story, and I know it's not for many of you, that is no less of an amazing testimony. It's how your heart responded to Jesus, and that's wonderful, and it's beautiful. For those of you who do have that definitive moment of crossing the threshold of faith, know that others have a different experience where that movement is going to be more gradual. So celebrate that too. I have a tough time pinpointing my conversion as a moment in time. I know I prayed with my dad when I was six years old, inviting Jesus into my life, but my teenage years were much more of a Nicodemus-esque kind of slow burn. I don't remember one conversation or journal entry or worship service that changed my life definitively on the spot, but it was just a series of these small moments compounding onto one another. I didn't really even realize that I had moved out of the shadows until I was truly standing in the light. Second observation, Nicodemus teaches us that going public with our faith can be a huge roadblock for some people. It's a big deal. In my years of doing ministry here, I'm aware that for a lot of people, the last real barrier to full-fledged discipleship following of Jesus is public confession of faith, or acts of faith where Jesus is clearly claimed. Many of you, I think most of you here, consider yourself to be faithful people, right? Christ followers. But maybe you've never stated your faith with your family or your co-workers or your neighbors or your classmates. Maybe you've never prayed out loud before. That can be a barrier for a bunch of people. Maybe you come here to worship, but you don't sing the worship songs. That can be a barrier for some people. This public move of faith that we see in Nicodemus, even if it's not full-fledged at this point, it is significant. It's a very important step in his faith journey. Ministry Guru Mark O'Stryker makes the point that we so often undersell the vital discipleship step of behavior, that oftentimes we have to try on Christ-like biblical behavior before we decide whether it really fits us. That if we never really embody discipleship and our choices, that we're selling ourselves short of the opportunity for a deep and abiding faith. My theory is I don't think Nicodemus has crossed the threshold of faith in Jesus at this point in his life. I think he's becoming a Jesus sympathizer, but he hasn't crossed it yet. But he begins in this text, I think, to sort of try on Christian behavior. It's almost as if he's saying, "What would it feel like for me to just claim Jesus here?" How would my heart respond if I publicly in front of these people advocated for Jesus? I don't know, let's try it. Friends, if you wait until everything is fully figured out or until you are fully confident to step out in faith in these places, you may well never do so. So try it out. Stand up for Jesus at school or at work. Try praying out loud for the first time if you've never done that. Sing in a worship song if you don't already. You could even lift your hands if you want to. Try it out. See if it fits you. See how God might use those small acts of courage. And then third observation that I want to make is that Jesus wants to invade all of our life. So there's no part of our life that he shouldn't touch. As we look at Nicodemus in chapter 7, I'm surmising that the evidence of the truth of Jesus, all of his gospel good news, becomes too much for Nicodemus to keep from his colleagues in the Sanhedrin. He's reached a point where he's realizing that he was resisting Jesus in that space and he couldn't any longer keep Jesus out of that space. Jesus wanted to be in his life when he was in the room with the Sanhedrin as much as he was in his private life. So I need for all of us to hear this this morning that Jesus is not interested in mere parts or portions of your life. He wants all of us. All of us. The whole of our lives under his lordship and direction. It would be wise for us to consider this morning what places and spaces in our lives we have not yet allowed Jesus to come in and take over. For you is it a certain relationship where Jesus is just pushed to the side? Is it your workplace or your school or your social circle or your neighborhood or your family or your extended family where Jesus just isn't a part of that? Or is it your life when nobody is watching? Maybe faith is easier for you when you have people watching you but when you get alone Jesus really isn't invited into that space. Is it a secret place of your life? A part of your life where you're clinging to control and you're afraid to let Jesus in? Well here's the truth. If we continue to push Jesus out of those places, if we've given him only part of ourselves, if we withhold our full selves from God, we are most certainly stunting our growth, stunting the work that God wants to do in our lives. We're closing ourselves off to the source of our renewal. So if you feel stagnant, restless in your faith, if you're not experiencing the fullness of God that he offers to you your withholding of parts of your life from God is likely the reason why. So take heart this morning in the developing story of Nicodemus. Like him, your story of faith is your own. There's no ironclad blueprint for a perfect faith story. It might be fast, it might be slow. That's not the important thing. The important thing is that you are aware of the movements of the Spirit of God in and around your life and you appropriately respond to them. So like Nicodemus, find those places in your life where you have not welcomed Jesus in to come and invade those spaces and for God's sake be brave. Try it out. Speak his name. Do what you know in your heart is true and right. Step out of the shadows, fling open the door so that the light of Christ might fill that place and see what happens. I think if you do so, it's going to set you on a trajectory much like Nicodemus' story, which will conclude next Sunday. You won't want to miss that. But for now, what part of your life is still in shadow? Let the light of Christ in. One last thing from this text that shouldn't be missed, we are surrounded on all sides by many forces that are in open opposition to Jesus in his ways. Not knowing what they're doing, they will mock him and those who are willing to identify themselves with him. I don't think that the Pharisees were evil men. I think they were upright law-abiding men who largely missed Jesus. If you're seeking the approval of everyone around you to confirm that you are indeed living your faith, you will likely find yourself disappointed. I know many people who have taken that courageous step to live out their faith to name Jesus, to let Jesus be part of their public life and then get scared away when they face resistance. This is understandable. But remember, Jesus did not promise us comfort and an easy road. He told his disciples, his followers, you will have troubles in this life. You will face resistance and hardship, but take heart because I've overcome the world. I have a theory of why Nicodemus was able to have courage in John chapter 7 to stand amongst the great resistance of his colleagues. I can't prove it biblically, so don't, you know, write a book on it or anything. Don't take it as gospel. But maybe take it as a really good educated guess. I think that Nicodemus had the courage to do this because he had begun in little ways to associate with the followers of Jesus. Remember, this is six to nine months after his initial interaction with Jesus. So perhaps that conversation sustained his faith, but I think it's much more likely that after that interaction with Jesus, he stayed in contact with the followers of Jesus, that maybe he even snuck into some of the crowds to hear Jesus, to watch his miracles. Maybe he was there for the Sermon on the Mount. Maybe he saw people receive the signs and wonders of Jesus. I think he maintained connections, maybe loosely, but nonetheless, I think that slow maturation of his faith story was made possible by the community of Christ followers. So if you're feeling motivated this morning to step out of the shadows in certain areas of your life, it will be hard. It was for me, for sure. It cost me friendships. I met a lot of resistance when I did so. But I was emboldened by other Christ followers around me who were following Jesus and encouraging me. Don't go it alone. Find yourself with followers, Jesus, just like you're doing this morning, and just like I believe Nicodemus did, even in small ways. So as we close this morning, I just want to pray for us and give us space to consider what places in our lives are still in shadow that have not been touched by the light of Christ. Let's identify those places. Let's commit them to the Lord. Let's ask for His light. Let's ask for courage. And let's consider how this may well be exactly where God is currently at work in our developing faith story, right here and right now. Would you pray with me? God, you are demanding. You don't want just a little part of us. You want all of us. Each and every part of our lives lifted up to your light. In you, there is no darkness. So Lord, the places in our lives where we have not yet allowed you in, we invite you this morning to shine your light upon those places. We welcome you to come and invade those spaces and places and relationships. We invite you to illuminate the secret sins in our lives where we have pushed you out, where we have claimed our own territory. Would you flood us with your light? Would you give us courage to enter into those places and spaces with the confidence that you are indeed with us and help us, Lord, to have no part of our lives that are hidden from you, we surrender them to you. Lord, may this be an important step in our developing faith story. We pray. Amen. We've just prayed that God may illuminate those places in our lives. Let's sing it now. Him, number 363, shine on me. Would you stand?
From John 7:37-53