John 3:1-17, Revelation 7:13-17
We often smile at Nicodemus. When Jesus says, “You must be born again,” Nicodemus immediately thinks of biology and asks: “How can a grown man crawl back into his mother’s womb?” It sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it?
But before we judge Nicodemus, we should realize that many of us fall into the same trap. In some traditions and churches, there is a lot of pressure to point to the exact moment you were born again or saved. The idea is that if you can’t name the specific date or time, you aren’t seen as a ‘proper’ or committed believer.
But before we judge Nicodemus, we should realize that many of us fall into the same trap. In some traditions and churches, there is a lot of pressure to point to the exact moment you were born again or saved. The idea is that if you can’t name the specific date or time, you aren’t seen as a ‘proper’ or committed believer. Like Nicodemus, many of us today try to turn the deep, spiritual mystery into a simple, mechanical formula. Why? Because we often desire physical, visible, or even ‘scientific’ proof for our salvation moments. But the mysteries of God sit far beyond human logic. They are not math problems to be solved; they are meant to be experienced through the ministry of the Spirit in our daily lives.
For Nicodemus, the barrier was logic. For many believers today, the barrier is expectation. Many Christians today expect “being born again” to look like a lightning bolt—a sudden, dramatic explosion that changes everything inside out in a single moment.
Some might point to the Apostle Paul as an example—His previous life was like a religious policeman who would catch new believers and throw them into a jail, but after he encountered Christ, he changed dramatically, becoming one of the most committed disciples of the first century.
However, Scripture shows us that even Paul had to navigate seasons of struggle, doubt, and uncertainty in the years following his ‘born again’ experience.
Upon Nicodemus’ biological question regarding ‘being born again’, Jesus talks about the wind. He says, “The wind blows where it wishes… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Think about the wind. You cannot see where it starts or ends. You only see its effects—the leaves moving and the cooling of the air. This is how the Holy Spirit works. For some, the Spirit comes like a hurricane, like it did for the Apostle Paul. But for many others, the Spirit is like a steady, gentle breeze that blows through their lives for decades.
If we insist that a “true Christian” must have a dramatic moment on his or her salvation, we limit the Holy Spirit. But Jesus suggests that the new birth is a mystery that belongs to God, not a checklist that belongs to us.
The most important thing to remember about being “born again” is that it is a beginning. When a baby is born, that is a wonderful event, but the birth is not the person’s whole life. It is the entry point into a lifetime of growing, learning, falling, and getting back up. If a child were born and never grew, we would be deeply concerned.
Being born again is a part of faith journey. It is like you wake up every morning and choose to let God’s Spirit breathe new life into you. Being born again is a life-long process that occurs in your entire faith journey.
Another reading from Revelation chapter 7 this morning has a scene, where a great multitude is standing before the presence of God, and one of the elders asks, “Who are these people, and where did they come from?”
The answer is truly profound: “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This answer might sound a bit ambiguous to some of you.
But if I’m allowed to rewrite it more simply, it’d go like this. “These are the people who have survived the hardest seasons of life. They have walked through the fire, yet they stand here now, their spirits restored and made whole by their faith in Christ who had died for them.”
We often think that being ‘washed clean’ is something that happens once and then it’s finished. But the original Greek grammar here suggests it is actually a continuous process. It tells us that our faith journey is about walking through life’s toughest trials and constantly returning to the Lamb for a fresh start until we get there. Like what we do here on Sundays.
There is a story told of a village in the East known for its elegant hand-woven rugs. The master weaver would sit with his young students. Because they were learners, they would frequently make mistakes—using the wrong colour thread or missing a knot.
Instead of throwing the rug away, the master would simply adjust the pattern. He would take their mistakes and weave them into new, even more complex and sophisticated designs. By the time the rug was finished, the struggles of the mistakes weren’t visible anymore; they were part of the texture that made the rug uniquely beautiful.
Friends, your life is not a series of failures or mistakes; it is a masterpiece in progress, where even your hardest days are being woven into a design of eternal beauty. Your beauty isn’t found in a life that was never stained or tainted. Your glory is found in a life that was constantly handed back to your Master Creator.
Nicodemus asked how a man can be born again to start a new life. And Revelation 7 shows us the finished product. Those people standing before the throne in the Revelation reading are not people who had lived perfect lives from the moment of their birth. They are people like you and me, who brought their imperfect lives and mistakes back to the Lamb to be washed clean and made anew every single day during their lifetime. Their success resulted from a lifelong habit of returning to God’s grace.
In 1957, a scientist began studying a tree that was already ancient. When he drilled a tiny hole to count its rings inside, he discovered something staggering: the tree had begun its life nearly 5,000 years ago. That tree is called Methuselah Tree, a huge, gigantic pine tree in California, US.
Now, imagine if that tree had stopped growing the day it sprouted. It would have withered away in a week. Instead, for nearly fifty centuries, that tree has had to start again and again and again, every single spring.
Every year, it adds a new ring. Every year, it survives harsh winds and freezing snow by choosing to grow just a little bit more. The birth of that seed was essential, but its real glory is found in the thousands of rings of growth that came after.
A birth certificate is a wonderful document, but it is not the life itself. It only marks the start. In the same way, your ‘born again’ moment is your entry into the Kingdom life where you are meant to grow, mature, and eventually bear lots of fruit until you breathe your last breath.
Brothers and sisters, do not worry if you don’t have a “dramatic” story to share. Your “born again” experience is happening right now. Every time you choose love over hate, every time you choose compassion over selfishness, every time you seek justice, every time you trust God in the dark, you are continually being born again. It’s not just a spiritual event; it is your whole life.
Of course, we need money to live. We need homes, cars, and the security of a good retirement. But believe me. Those things can never lead you to the springs of life-giving water. Only God can lead you to the true source of life. Only God can wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Friends, you are never alone. God is your Father; He is your loving Parent. He walks right beside you every step of the way. He will always make a way for you.
