Our Lord Jesus Christ said, you must be born again. And in response to Nicodemus's confusion about what that meant, Jesus said, are you the teacher of Israel and you don't know these things? Apparently there was an expectation in Jesus that Nicodemus would know what it was that being born of the spirit referred to. And there was an expectation that this would be something fairly well known to Nicodemus. And so tonight we want to look at the Old Testament background of that phrase born of the spirit because according to Jesus there was much that Nicodemus could have and should have known about what it meant to be born of the spirit and this is something that is what God wants for every human being. Have you ever seen an old barn or maybe a dilapidated house on the side of the road that maybe the roof is gone and maybe after a while you see that what used to be a fine residence becomes kind of a cave or a shell and maybe even a place where livestock live. There was once a farmhouse outside of Hannibal, Missouri that was quite a majestic home in its day, but after weather and the years had taken their toll on that farmhouse, it came to be a barn, and the cows went in there and made it quite a barn, and what used to be a home, a humming with life and light, became a barn, and the roof was gone, and the cattle were making their home in this barn. Well, that's a lot what it's like when a human being fails to know what they were born for. You know, with some people, it's fairly obvious. The basketball player, LeBron James, is six foot seven, about 235 pounds, and it's pretty clear what he was born to do. When he was 18 years old, they were already paying him $250,000 a week, because that's what he was born to do. It was pretty clear. He was obviously gifted for that. But you know, you and I were gifted to be the dwelling place of God's spirit. We were made to be the dwelling place of God's spirit. And this is something that the Old Testament makes plain in various places. If you would, turn with me back to John chapter three, and we'll look at the passage again before we go back to I want to make a few more comments about it before we begin looking at that background. And tonight, I'm just going to stop at verse 8. John chapter 3, verses 1 through 8. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, We know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the spirit. And the verses that follow, verses nine and 10, Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said, are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things? Now, what could Nicodemus have known about the necessity of being born of the Spirit? What did he know about the Holy Spirit? Well, as you may know, the Holy Spirit shows up on the first page of the Old Testament and all throughout the Old Testament. He's active in creation. And then we have that passage that most wise Bible interpreters go past rather quickly because it's so controversial, and that is Genesis chapter six, where you have that phrase about the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, they took wives of all whom they chose, and God said, my spirit shall not strive with man, for he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years. other smarter Bible scholars than I disagree about who those sons of God were. Now, I know you have your theory, and you can share it with me later. I'm just gonna skip those first two verses and go right to verse three, where something is said about the Holy Spirit that really should get our attention. What does it say? My spirit will not, what? Strive with man. Now, that word strive only occurs here in the whole Old Testament, and so sometimes it's good to see how the Greek-speaking Jews of the Hellenistic period interpreted things, wrote it in Greek, and when they came to that word strive, they translated it abide. They translate it at epimeno or abide, stay with, remain with. And we kind of get that idea with strive. If I'm not going to strive with you, I'm not going to keep arguing with you. I'm going to back off. And maybe that would be the street language is my spirit's going to back off. And if you look at the Old Testament over and over and over again, what does the spirit do? He comes, but then what? He was removed, he's backed off. And maybe the saddest verse of the book of Judges is, Samson did not know that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. He comes and he backs off. He comes and empowers the Gideon, empowers the Saul, empowers the Ajeptha to do something mighty, and then he is removed. And it bears noticing that most of the time that the Spirit is referred to in the Old Testament, he's not in, he's on. Now, there are some exceptions to that, and we'll look at a couple of them, but let's just notice that there is a qualitative difference to the believer's experience of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The New Testament believer, he's in, and he's not just coming and departing. He says in Ephesians 430, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. The Spirit comes and he stays. So in the Old Testament, what could Nicodemus have seen about the Holy Spirit? I believe that one of the most significant examples that Nicodemus should have thought of would be 1 Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 7, where we see David's experience of the Holy Spirit. I mentioned this morning that in 1 Samuel 10, we read that the Holy Spirit came on Saul and it says, he became a new man. 1 Samuel 10, I believe it's verses 3 and 4. Saul became a new man. But go over to 1 Samuel chapter 16 if you would. We're going to flip around quite a bit. So whether you're using a device or a Bible, not to say that a device can't be a Bible, but please get ready to turn to several places. Look at 1 Samuel chapter 16 and verses 13 and 14. There's a contrast here. 1 Samuel 16, 13 and 14, very near the beginning of the Bible. took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him." Now, did you notice the contrast there? What was David's experience of the Holy Spirit? He was anointed to be king of Israel, and as was often the case with Israel's military leaders and kings, the Holy Spirit was going to equip him to do that. And the Spirit came on him how long? From that day forward. Now, when David sins in the matter of Uriah the Hittite and with his wife Bathsheba, remember what his prayer was in Psalm 51? Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. What had he seen happen to Saul? seeing the Spirit depart. And so David has this experience of the Spirit where the Spirit comes on him from that day forward. Now, look over at the Davidic Covenant, or one of the main Davidic Covenant passages, 2 Samuel 7. Here is something that I think Nicodemus should have had alarm bells going off in his head when Jesus is talking about having God as your Father. This should have come to his mind. 2 Samuel 7 and verse 12, Just to give you the context, David has received victory over all his enemies, and David says to God, I'm going to build you a house. And God says, no, you won't. I'm going to build you a house, so to speak. He says, I'm going to do something for you, David. I'm glad that you want to do something for me, but I'm going to do something for you. Look at verse 12. God's speaking to David. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seat after you who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you." Question, just back from the passage we looked at right before this, What was the indication that God's mercy was removed from Saul? What was removed? The Spirit. The Spirit was removed, but God gives David this promise that his mercy will be sure. This is what Isaiah 55 refers to as the sure mercies of David. Now, keep flipping forward. We're gradually working our way up to Jesus. Look over at Psalm chapter 2, which is a psalm. It's a psalm of the Messiah, but also a psalm of the Davidic covenant. Psalm chapter 2. Here is another verse that I believe should have come to Nicodemus' mind. Now, maybe it was late at night and he was sleepy, but there are a lot of things that he could have thought of when Jesus said, you need to be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Look at Psalm chapter 2 and verse 7, I will declare the decree the Lord has said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you. You see, the sonship that was promised in the Davidic covenant was more than just an adoption, it was actually God putting his spirit on that descendant of David and the spirit remaining there. That's why it's so significant in John chapter one when John the Baptist is told, the one upon whom you see the spirit coming and abiding is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Now at this point you might say, well, you know, that's nice for David and his family, but I don't see anything for me. And I certainly don't see anything that tells Nicodemus that this was supposed to be the experience of everybody. Because after all, aren't we reading someone else's mail here? Aren't we reading about what God promised David and his descendants? Well, keep turning, we're working our way forward. Look at Isaiah chapter 55. Isaiah chapter 55. We're gonna connect these dots before too much longer. Do you like a dot to dots? Isaiah 55, and most people consider this a new covenant passage. We'll see how it pans out. Isaiah 55, and let's start out at the beginning. Verse one, ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come by wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance." Sounds like a good meal. Incline your ear, verse 3, and come to me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, what does he say next? The sure mercies of David. Did you read the first verse? What do you have to do to qualify to receive this offer from God? What offer? Offer of the sure mercies of David. Who is this offered to? Look at verse one. Who? Everyone who thirsts. Everyone who thirsts is offered the sure mercies of David. What were those mercies of David? I will be your father. You shall be my son. My mercy, and as that's expressed in the presence of the Spirit, I will not take away from you as I took it away from Saul. Now, the Bible is very clear that the gift of the Spirit could not be given in the full way until Jesus was glorified, until Jesus was lifted up on the cross and raised from the dead. The gift of the Spirit was not available to come and live inside of us, but the offer is right here. We're still working our way forward, and we're getting over halfway to the New Testament now. Turn to the book of Ezekiel, and this is the most important passage that Nicodemus should have remembered. Now, you know that Ezekiel writes as an exile. He's after the captivity. The temple is destroyed. This is probably sometime in the 6th century BC, so 600 years before Christ. And Ezekiel writes these words predicting the time when the nation of Israel would be raised from the dead. But he makes this prophecy that has a lot of the same terms from John chapter three, Ezekiel chapter 36, and go all the way down to verse 25. We'll start in verse 25. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them." So we've gone from seeing how the spirit says, I'm not going to strive with man, I'm going to back off. And we see in the book of Judges, he comes on Jephthah, he comes on Gideon, he comes on Samson, but he withdraws, he withdraws, he withdraws. We get to Saul and Saul gets made into a, quote, new man. He's changed by the presence of the spirit in some very fundamental way. I am one of those who believes that we're probably going to see Saul in heaven. I could be wrong. But I believe Saul will be there as someone who was judged and who experienced consequences of his sin. I may be wrong on that and stand to be corrected. But Saul has the spirit who is removed and then David gets this promise that God would be the father of his son and that the mercy would not be removed. And then we hear that this mercy, this sure mercy of David, is available to all who thirst. And now we see that this promise is offered to Israel, that God is going to take out the heart of stone and give them a new heart and a new spirit, and that actually he will give them his spirit. And you maybe say, That's good for Israel, and this is a great promise of the future revival and restoration of Israel. What about the rest of us unwashed goyim, us Gentiles? Well, turn to Joel chapter 2, and we could stop in Isaiah 32, 15 and Isaiah 44, 3, but we'll let Joel chapter 2 suffice. Now, I'm going to sing my song, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, so keep going forward from Daniel. And Joel is a couple books afterwards. And look at Joel 2 and verse 28. Joel chapter 2 and verse 28. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. And also on your men's servants and on your maid's servants, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." So what could Nicodemus have known? That throughout the Old Testament there is this experience of the Holy Spirit coming and not staying until you get to David. And then when you get to David, there is this promise that God won't remove his mercy. And then that promise gets broadened out and offered, and you get this prophecy in Joel, in Isaiah, in Ezekiel, that God is going to give his people his spirit in a way that's new, and it's going to be because they have been purified. Now, I don't know if you remember all of the articles of furniture that are in the tabernacle, But do you remember that several of them have to do, or several of the rituals and the furniture in the tabernacle have to do with purification. And when the tabernacle is constructed and when the temple, when Solomon's temple is built, there comes that time when God's presence comes in because the altar or the tabernacle or the temple have been sanctified, they've been purified, the sacrifices have been made, and then God comes and his presence is manifest, it's clear, and maybe in some cases even visible in those places. Well, we see something very similar in the New Testament when people are saved. Turn with me over to Acts chapter 10, and you may remember the context of Peter preaching the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time. Acts chapter 10, and we're gonna skip down to the high point of his message, Acts chapter 10, verse 43. Acts chapter 10, 43 says this. To him, all the prophets witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. And this is incredible, verse 44. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word, and those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, and as many as came with Peter because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? Did you see what happened in the space of three verses? They heard the gospel. If you believe on Jesus, he will forgive your sins. And the narrator, Luke, doesn't even tell us that they believed. But they believed. Because what happened next? The Holy Spirit comes. And it's very clear that these people are born of the Spirit. And at that point, it's so obvious that they ought to be baptized. Why? Because they've been cleansed on the inside. And God has made that plain through the gift of languages. He's made that clear that these Gentiles have been purified by faith. Now to make this even clearer, I want us to look at the two times that the apostles reflect back on this. Look over at one chapter later at Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11, skip down to verse 15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. as upon us at the beginning. Then I remember the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If therefore God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they became silent and they glorified God saying, then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. They received the gospel that was preached to them and the immediate sign of the Holy Spirit made it clear they've been purified on the inside and so let's give them the outer sign of that, the baptism that indicates that and skip to Acts chapter 15 where there's one more apostolic commentary on this scene. Acts chapter 15 where they are rehearsing this same scene. Look at verse 8, Acts chapter 15 and verse 8. Do you hear a little echo of Ezekiel there? What did God promise to Israel? He said to Israel, I am going to cleanse you from all your uncleanness. I'm going to cleanse you from all your idols. I'm going to give you a new heart, a new spirit, and my spirit within you. And lo and behold, it happened to these Gentiles. Their hearts were purified by faith, and the Holy Spirit came and indwelt them. Now, you might say, wow, that would be an awful lot for a Nicodemus to put together, to put together all this teaching from the Old Testament. But you know, I mean, this guy did this for a living. He was a teacher of Israel. He was a ruler of the Pharisees. And so Jesus is a little bit astonished that Nicodemus does not understand these things. Now, we know that the rest of the New Testament obviously comes after Nicodemus. But I'd like you to consider these other passages about the sonship that we receive as believers. Maybe you remember Ephesians chapter one. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, to the praise of the glory of his grace. You were made for that. you were made to be God's child by faith in Jesus Christ. Or maybe you remember Romans chapter eight. For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear, but a spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. His spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ. And Galatians 4, 6 and 7. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father, therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Now you might be sitting there tonight saying, well, this is an interesting Bible study that a Pharisee could have with Jesus and understand from the Old Testament that being born of the Spirit was God's plan all along. But do you realize that that's what you were made for as well? You were made for knowing God as your Father, for having the Spirit living in you permanently and enabling you to say, Abba, Father. that only comes about through faith in Jesus Christ, by believing in a way that results in your heart being purified. Thursday or Friday, I think it was, down on the corner of Gaston Avenue and Haskell Avenue, There was a man who was extremely sorry to see, or I should just say it was a hard sight to see. There was a man standing on the street corner there and his clothes were filthy. He looked like he was incontinent. His clothes were literally falling off him. He had a wound on his head. And as I drove by and turned onto Gaston, I looked back and he was staggering and actually fell over, just fell over backwards. And I saw his alcohol can fly out of his hand, his can in a bag fly out of his hand. And I just thought, you know, you were made for something. so much better than just to be a slave of your appetites. You were made to be able to call God Father, to have the Holy Spirit living inside, teaching you to call God Father. And, of course, I thought, too, you know, this guy's got an earthly father somewhere, he's got an earthly mother somewhere, and he was made for something so much better. But I thought, you know, That's really all of us right there. That's really all of us and what our sin does to us. We can look at him and say, oh wow, what a derelict. But you know what? That's the story of all of us. And the Bible tells that great story in Luke chapter 15 that when Jesus was criticized for receiving sinful men, he tells the story of the lost coin. He tells the story of the lost sheep. And then at the end of Luke 15, He tells the story of the lost son. And you know the end of the story, that as the father is out there watching for him, we read in Luke chapter 15 and verse 20, and he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to be merry." Now, I have to say that my dad in Dallas Seminary heard Lewis Sperry Chafer and his brother, Roland T. Chafer, argue about this passage. And Roland Chafer really loved his brother, Lewis Sperry Chafer, and he would say, and even my own brother misinterprets this passage. Because, and I forget who thought what, but one of them thought this was about unsaved people being saved, and the other one thought this was about Christians who are backslidden, coming back to their senses and getting right with the Lord. But regardless of which of them was right about it, notice that this is God's attitude towards the Son who is returning home. And Nicodemus hears from Jesus, it is necessary for you to be born again. And this is God's plan from ancient time. You see, that house, that I mentioned in Hannibal, Missouri, where the cows had come to live, actually was the dwelling place of the lead elder of our church. Now, the cows had been shooed out. The roof had been put back on. Electric power had been restored. And what the cows had left behind had been cleaned out. And it was a dwelling again, the dwelling of a family, where there was light and warmth and life And that's the story of every man who is not living what he was made to be. He was made to be a dwelling place of the Most High God. But to enter the kingdom of God, to see the kingdom of God, it is necessary for one to be born of the Spirit. How can these things be, Nicodemus says. And Jesus says, in answer to that great question, the most famous verse in the Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This was God's plan from the beginning. The one who would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, John indeed baptized with water. But there was one coming after who would give the Holy Spirit. And when he was crucified and the veil was torn away, there was this provision made for the purifying of our hearts by faith into a fit residence for the Holy Spirit and those who believe are born of the Spirit. Jesus says in John chapter seven, the one who believes in me out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the opportunity to think about all that had come before this conversation at night between Jesus and Nicodemus, and we pray, Father, that you would help each one of us, Father, to walk in the Spirit, or if we have not, put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to do that tonight. Thank you, Lord, for the example of Cornelius' household, how they heard the word that to Jesus all the prophets witnessed that whoever believes in him shall receive remission, forgiveness of all his sins. Thank you, Father, for sending your son so that we might know you as Father and call you Abba, Father. And Lord, I pray that we would walk in the fullness of that blessing and not in any way be prodigal or living in the far country. Lord, cause us, Lord, to live in close fellowship with you as our Father. And we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.