You’ve Entered the Kingdom of the Triune God!

1st Sunday after Pentecost, 5/31/15
John 3:1-17


You’ve Entered the Kingdom of the Triune God!
I. Because of the Father’s love
II. By the Son’s sacrifice
III. Through the Holy Spirit’s work


There are times in a conversation between you and another person when comments come right out of left field. Do you know what I’m talking about? You’re having a conversation with your spouse or a friend and things are moving right along when all of the sudden the other person starts talking about something which, at least at first, has nothing to do with what was just said. You get that puzzled look on your face, indicating you have no idea what this means. And, if that’s not enough to get them to stop and rephrase things or get back on track with the conversation, you may hold up your hands, give them the universal signal for stop, and you may even interrupt them and state, “Stop. I have no idea why you just said what you did.”

As I read today’s gospel from John 3 earlier, I didn’t see or hear any of you giving me the indication that you had no idea why Jesus said what he did. Perhaps that’s due to common courtesy. The rest of us would be mortified if one of you suddenly told me to stop reading one of the lessons. Perhaps you noticed it, but didn’t want to appear ignorant before your fellow worshippers, as if you were the only one who didn’t get it. So, to which words am I referring?

Today’s text is the familiar account of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. It contains what is likely one of the most-memorized passages in the Bible—John 3:16. Nicodemus opens the conversation with a couple sentences of praise for Jesus. But did you notice something at that point? Jesus didn’t thank Nicodemus for his complimentary words. He didn’t use those words of Nicodemus to segue into a deeper discussion of who Jesus was and is. No, listen again to what Jesus said, “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”

Why did Jesus do that? Those words seem to have nothing to do with what Nicodemus had just said. Because Jesus knew that’s what Nicodemus needed to hear. As a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus might have been under the mistaken impression that he was a member of God’s kingdom by his race, his standing in the community, his own good deeds, or his honest intentions. With this conversation, Jesus set him straight. Entrance into God’s kingdom is solely the work of the triune God.

What a blessed truth to celebrate on this Holy Trinity Sunday! The triune God has done that work for you. You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God! Let’s take the words of our Savior to heart and recall just how that happened.

Part I.

Summer is here—the time for vacations. But taking a vacation can be a lot of work. There are countless tasks to perform before you leave. Getting packed—especially if you have little children—can be exhausting. Driving for 8 to 12 hours can be nerve-wracking. And if you’ve flown recently, you know that traveling by air is no fun either. And then you get to your destination and you have to unpack, set up camp, get some food, and get acclimated to your new surroundings. Getting from point A to point B can take a great deal of effort.

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was likely under the impression that his own arduous efforts had gotten him to where he was now. He may have wrongly thought that his lineage made him a member of God’s kingdom. Jesus told him bluntly that he needed to be born again to enter God’s kingdom. That rebirth had nothing to do with human effort. It was all the work of the triune God.

Jesus told Nicodemus, “God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son.” It’s all due to the Father’s love for every sinner. The Father’s love for you is not some sappy, unreliable emotion. It’s not due to anything you have done or could do.

He loves you and all sinners because of who he is. He loves you knowing you perfectly, even all your faults and sins. His love for you moves him to action. It causes him to do something with a specific purpose in mind. He wants to bring you into his kingdom so that he can live with you forever.

One thing that makes his love for you and me so incredible is that he loves the unlovable. Read through Romans 3 sometime. In one Old Testament Bible passage after another, Paul tells us that there is no one righteous. No one understands or seeks God. All have turned away. All are worthless. Not a pretty picture. But God so loved the world anyway.

In fact, Paul tells us in another place that God’s love for us caused him to predestine us. Before he created the world he knew you by name and destined you for eternal life with him. Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God because of the Father’s love.

If you’ve ever wondered if God loved you, you weren’t the first to do so. In fact, life can become so unbearable, so cruel, so depressing, so unfair that many are the times we might wonder if God has stopped loving us. We might even be convinced he has. But it’s really due to our spiritual myopia. We’re so consumed by what we’re going through in the moment that we can’t see past it. We fail to see back at what the Father did for us in love. He sent us his Son, as unlovable as we are. There is no greater gift the Father could give you. There is no greater need than the one the Father filled for you when he sent you his Son. That gift is not simply something you’ll enjoy for a few days or years, but for eternity. You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God because of the Father’s love.

Part II.

There was a drowning this past weekend at Caesar’s Creek. Did you read or hear about it? A man and his adult daughter were having a picnic on shore when their boat drifted away. The man jumped into the water to try to retrieve the boat, but immediately struggled in the cold water. His daughter jumped in to help him, but when he realized he was just pulling her down with him, he pushed her away and went down for the last time. A real sacrifice.

But it pales in comparison to the one Jesus speaks about in his conversation with Nicodemus. He simply states, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus would suffer the agony of the cross. Death by crucifixion was cruelly painful. It was torture. But the greatest agony Jesus endured on the cross was hell. He was abandoned by God. That’s what hell is. Jesus suffered our hell.

And not just ours, but everyone’s. Whenever we read or hear of someone’s sacrifice, the scope is always limited. Often it’s only for just a few. But not Christ’s sacrifice. It’s the only sacrifice that was truly for the whole world, for every sinful human being in all of history.

And the effects of that sacrifice are unmatched. Because he sacrificed his life for us, we don’t merely get a few more years on this earth; we get eternal life. We don’t merely get the opportunity to continue living with our loved ones for a little more time; we get to live with them and with our God forever. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we’re completely new people, children of God, wrapped in the holiness of Jesus, God’s people, members of his holy Church where we find forgiveness, life and salvation. God used the sacrifice of Christ to accomplish his eternal goal for you.

You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God by the Son’s sacrifice.

Here’s a haunting question: “What do I mean to God?” We’ve all asked that question. In the grand scheme of things, what does God think about me? Does he even know me? Has he forgotten me? We’ve all asked those questions from time to time in our lives. What do you mean to God? Just look at the cross. That says it all, doesn’t it? The triune God thought so much of you that God the Son willingly sacrificed himself on a cross for you so that you could be with him in his kingdom. He sacrificed himself so that you could belong to him forever. He sacrificed himself to give you eternal purpose and meaning. You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God by the Son’s sacrifice.

Part III.

In an article in Market Watch from Dec. 1, 2014, it was estimated that $750 million dollars’ worth of gift cards purchased in 2014 will go unused. Senseless, isn’t it? What a waste!

God the Father plans our salvation out of his divine love. God the Son carries it out and wins eternal blessings for us. But those great gifts would go to waste if it weren’t for the work of God the Holy Spirit. He’s the one who delivers those blessings to us and makes them our own.

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus speaks about the need to be born again. Although Nicodemus doesn’t understand, you do. We are born spiritually dead. There is no spiritual life in us. And we can’t create it on our own.

That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and he accomplished it in every one of you. “The Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Jesus states exclusively, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” That’s a clear reference to your baptism when the Holy Spirit brought you into God’s kingdom.

You’ve entered the kingdom of the triune God through the Holy Spirit’s work.

The Holy Spirit wasn’t finished working in Nicodemus this night. He continued working in him, ultimately using him along with a man named Joseph to give Jesus a proper burial as Good Friday drew to a close.

The Holy Spirit isn’t finished working in you either. He keeps you in the faith through word and sacrament. He keeps you in the kingdom of the triune God, so that, like Nicodemus, you can serve the triune God with your life. What acts of serving others does he have in store for you in the week ahead? Grab the opportunities, all to the glory of the triune God, the God who has brought you into his kingdom! Amen.