The World is Changed

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 1 March 2026 at 10:00

Recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nupbxKd6dbo from 33:50 to 48:08

Prayer Father God, speak into our shifting world. Open our hearts, steady our steps, and make us ready for the change Your Spirit brings. Amen. Introduction: The Shifting Soil "The world is changed," the ancient Treebeard says in Tolkien’s The Return of the King. "I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air." If you believe all the hype around the Gorton and Denton by-election, you may think I’m referring to that, after all there is a sort of plumbing connection. Things may have changed, but by-elections throw up strange results, so we have to wait and see. For the person of faith, those words carry a different weight. When God enters a life, the world doesn't just "shift"—it is fundamentally rearranged. The coordinates are reset. Today, we look at two biblical figures—Abram and Nicodemus—who saw their lives dramatically changed. One walked into the desert, and the other walked into the night, but both found that once God speaks, staying the same is the only impossible option. Others have experienced similar things over the centuries, so we will look at three of those stories, and then ask how God may be speaking to us.

Abram: The Courage of the Departure In Genesis 12, we meet Abram. We know little about him at that stage. We can work out that he is a Bronze Age herdsman, and we are told that he is seventy-five years old, (that’s even older than me!). He’s settled and established in Haran. There’s nothing special about Abram, he will make some bad mistakes later in his life. Then comes the voice: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” The Radical "Went" The most staggering line in this text is verse 4: "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him." Just like that! In our modern world, we want a five-year plan, GPS coordinates, and a guaranteed pension. All Abram had was a command and a promise of blessing. Perhaps that’s what motivates him to leave. The Nature of the Blessing God promises to make him a "great nation," but notice the why. God says, "You will be a blessing... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Abram’s change is geographical and will be generational. He had to move his body because God was moving the history of the world. Without Abram’s obedience, there are no Jews, so there can be no Christians, and no Muslims. With his move the world is changed.

Nicodemus: The Crisis of the Night Fast-forward to John 3. We meet Nicodemus, a man who has everything Abram’s descendants were promised: they are living in the land , they have status, knowledge, and religious authority. He’s heard things, seen things, that have challenged his understanding of God. So, he comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He knows the world is changing again, and he wants to be following God’s lead. But, he’s also afraid of those who are protecting the status quo. Born From Above Jesus meets Nicodemus’s polite flattery with a blunt response: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” The Limit of Heritage For Nicodemus, or for any Pharisee, being a child of Abram was the ultimate "golden ticket." But Jesus explains that the blessing of Abram—the physical lineage—is not enough. To see the Kingdom, you need a spiritual change. The kingdom of God is not a country; to live there, you need a new nature. Snakes on Poles Jesus reminds him of the bronze serpent in the wilderness. When the people were dying of snakebites, they needed to look up at the snake on the pole, then they would live. It’s a forerunner of looking up at the crucified Jesus on the cross and accepting that His death has paid for our lives. Jesus tells this scholar: "Your degrees won't save you. Only looking to the One who will be lifted up—the Son of Man—can heal you." For Nicodemus, the world changed when he realized God doesn't want our "best efforts" or our "religious traditions." He wants our death and our rebirth. Result for Nicodemas We know that the conversation with Jesus changed Nicodemus’s world. After the crucifixion, Nicodemus provided about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’s body for burial.

Three Moments of Modern Rebirth God does not stop speaking. He continues to disrupt comfortable lives. Let’s look at how that "The world is Changed" moment looked for three people in the last couple of centuries. 1. Hudson Taylor: The Finished Work In 1849, teenage Hudson Taylor was bored in his father’s library. He picked up a gospel tract (a pamphlet), thinking he’d read the story at the start and skip the "sermon" at the end. But he was struck by one phrase: "The finished work of Christ." The Result He realized that if the work was finished, there was nothing left for him to do but accept it. That was the moment his World was changed. That realization eventually drove him to China. He didn't just go as a colonial missionary; his approach was revolutionary. He changed his clothes, his hairstyle, to look like a local, and lived as a Chinese man to reach the interior. Because of a pamphlet, the China Inland Mission was born.

2. Mother Teresa: The Thirst In 1946, Sister Teresa was already a nun, teaching comfortably in a school in Calcutta. On a train journey to Darjeeling, she heard a voice within her heart. It wasn't a call to become a nun—she already was one. It was a "call within a call." The word she heard was: "I thirst." The Result She realized Jesus was thirsty for the love of the poorest of the poor. She left the walls of the convent, traded her habit for a simple blue-bordered sari, and walked into the slums to care for the dying. Everything about her life, and the world's view of mercy, was changed on that train ride.

3. Brother Andrew: The Step of Yes In the 1950s, a young Dutchman named Andrew was recovering from a war wound. He picked up a Bible and began to read it like a man dying of thirst. In 1952, God spoke a simple invitation to his heart: "Yes." Andrew responded by saying, "Lord, as I take my first step forward, will you consider this a step towards complete obedience to you? I’ll call it the step of yes." The Result God then gave him a specific word from Revelation: "Awake, and strengthen what remains." (Rev 3:”) Then "God's Smuggler" began driving a Volkswagen Beetle full of Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. He changed the face of the persecuted church because he was willing to say "Yes" to a God who makes seeing eyes blind at border crossings.

4. Me Not all experiences that the Bible reports are for everyone, but this is one I can identify with. I didn’t warn you about this at the start, because I didn’t want you to leave. For me God’s word came through a “Gifts” survey, that Peter Sandberg ran. It was intended to help us, and the church, identify our gifts. The Result For me that came out as teaching. It set me on a path that led me to lead Explorers, then Pathfinders, and finally to offer myself to be trained as a Reader. Speaking to Us Today If the world is changed, and if God is still speaking, what does that mean for each of us? As an Individual You may be here today like Nicodemus—respected, "fine," but carrying a restless heart. Perhaps you’ve been relying on your "good person" resume. Jesus is whispering the same thing to you: It is not enough to be improved; you must be made new. What is the "pamphlet" or the "train ride" moment God is offering you today? Our world is changed when we stop asking God to bless our plans and start asking God to give us His life. Final Prayer Lord God, You who called Abram out of Haran and Nicodemus out of the dark, call us now. We confess that we often fear change more than we love You. Shake the foundations of our self-sufficiency. Give us the courage to go where You lead, the humility to be born anew by Your Spirit, and the heart to be a blessing to a world that so desperately needs Your light. May we leave this place knowing that because of Christ, the world—the whole world—is changed.

 References

https://desperatepreacher.com/texts/gen12_1/gen12_1.htm

https://www.preaching.lexiwiki.com/2025/03/sermon-on-nicodemus-let-us-seek-truth.html

https://www.quotes.net/mquote/120314

https://clip.cafe/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-2001/the-world-changed/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor

Commentry - expositor's bible Commentry vol 2 (Genesis)

Commentry - expositor's bible Commentry vol 9 (John)

 

Did you see the Sign? - So What?

Sermon preached at Chrich Church, Billericay 8 March 2020

Reading: John 3v1-17

Recording: https://youtu.be/v1T5jVDLaMA

Did you see the sign?

Did you see the sign this morning? What sign? The one in the foyer, the strange picture. No, go take a look later, if you didn’t my introduction is ruined. If you did, did you understand what it meant?

Nicodemus and signs

In our gospel reading this morning Nicodemus had seen signs and he wanted to know what they meant. Now, we are only 3 chapters into John’s gospel, and the first miracle that Jesus did was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The second chapter only covers Jesus Clearing the Temple, and the Jews demanding a miraculous sign – which Jesus promised them, but then completely failed to understand what Jesus was saying. Clearly more than that had been going on because Nicodemus says “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.”

Pharisee

Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. Pharisees and Jewish leaders are often painted in a very negative light in the New Testament. But here, Nicodemus comes to see Jesus and is very respectful. Jesus is addressed as Rabbi. Rabbi meant something like “My great one” in Jesus time and did not have the context or official standing that it does today. Nevertheless, it was not a term that was used lightly, especially by a member of the ruling council.

At Night

Nicodemus met with Jesus at night, there are endless theories why this might be – perhaps he was trying to meet Jesus in secret and was scared of the other council members, or perhaps he just wanted to avoid public gaze and not get into one of the big debates in front of a large audience.

It’s possible that he was just busy and the only time he could find was in the dark. Amazing things had been happening, especially the incident in the temple and he wanted answers fast. Before artificial light, work could not be done in the dark, but meetings and one-to-one conversations were possible.

He says ‘we know you are a teacher...’, implying that he is not alone in wanting to know more. It would be wrong though, to assume that ‘we’ implies that he was sent by the council to interrogate Jesus.

Jesus’ response

That’s enough about Nicodemus for now, let’s look at Jesus’ response. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” or, the footnote says “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above.” The word has either meaning. There are lots of word plays in this little passage, we will come to another one in a minute.

Nicodemus Response to Jesus’ Answer

It’s a bit too much of a stretch for me to follow the commentaries that suggest that Nicodemus is being anything but literal here. My reading of the sense in verse 4 would start with the words “Don’t be ridiculous ...” so “Don’t be ridiculous how can a man be born when he is old?” Whether that was really Nicodemus’ tone we can’t tell, but we can be sure he didn’t understand what he heard at all.

Spirit (Breath of God)

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” says Jesus. The word for spirit is more usually translated breath or wind. Jesus may be referring to John’s baptism of repentance when He mentions water, and when he mentions spirit or breath he may be referring to Genesis 2:7- “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Then He would be saying no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they repent and have God’s life breathed into them again.

Flesh

Flesh, our sinful selves, can only give birth to flesh. We cannot recover the spirit of God that Adam and Eve had before the fall, that life is ruined, broken and destroyed we cannot regain our innocence, we cannot unknow the wrong that we so easily do. Only God, the pure and holy one, untainted by sin can do that for us.

Nicodemus and Jesus

So there they are, Nicodemus and Jesus, sitting in the dark. If this is soon after sunset as seems likely there would most likely have been a gentle breeze. Jesus picks this up (not literally!) and uses it to help Nicodemus understand. In verse 8, He says “The wind blows wherever it pleases.” That’s the same word again – spirit, breath, wind. “You hear its sound” - in the trees, perhaps whistling past your ears, “but you can’t tell where it has come from or where it has gone” - That’s how it works when you have God’s breath – God’s life inside you.

Nicodemus still doesn’t understand

Nicodemus still doesn’t understand and Jesus does not attempt another explanation. Instead He shows Nicodemus how far from the things of God he is and tells him in a rather oblique way what His mission is.

There are some things to mention in those verses to ensure we have a good understanding.

Snake in the Dessert

The snake in the dessert (in verse 14) refers to Numbers 21:8-9. The Israelites were on their journey to the promised land, and complaining bitterly about the miserable food and lack of water. Then they began to be attacked by venomous snakes and some of them died.

Nu 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

It was, in a way, a test of belief. Jesus is saying that anyone who looks to him when he is lifted up, on the cross, and believes that He can save them, will be saved – will be given eternal life.

Creation is loved

In verse 16 we see that God loves his creation, the word translated world, can mean universe, world, or people of the world. So God loves His creation so much that He has sent His only son to put right all the things that His people have made wrong, not to condemn it as a lost cause. That requires that his Son will be crucified.

There are a few verses concluding what Jesus said to Nicodemus that we are not going to cover, but we have enough here to get most of the flavour of what Jesus is saying.

Nicodemus’ other appearances.

We might think that Nicodemus would have been given a lot to think about by a man who he recognised as being from God, but it does not appear that Nicodemus became a follower – certainly not at that time.

Later in Chapter 7, when the Jewish leaders have failed to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus tries to defend Jesus, but he fails and then the scene is set for Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion later on.

We don’t hear of Nicodemus again until after the crucifixion, where He is supplying myrrh and aloes as Jesus’ body is prepared for burial.

I suppose I would say that Nicodemus was a sympathiser rather than a follower. There isn’t a strong tradition of Nicodemus in the early church either. So it is clear that miraculous signs alone do not make converts, and that to become a follower you really do need to be born again.

Born Again

Many people will see the signs, whether that is within creation, or through the people of the church. Many will make enquiries and want to know what Jesus is about. This can be a first step towards being born again, or it can be the last step in a process that leads nowhere.

In the song “Son of the World” on the Adrian Snell album “The Passion”, Mary sings “Your ways are strange, your people change”. It’s that change that is the evidence of new birth.

That change will be different from person to person, but it will include at least some common elements:

• Sin will begin to decrease, many of the old ways of behaving that we were so comfortable will go.
• Love for scripture,
• Love for the church,
• and mainly love for People will increase.

Immediately after the experience of being born again many will report seeing the world as fresh and new like they have never seen it before. Others will not even realise that it has happened, but their lives will start to change anyway.

People may go in all sorts of unexpected directions – the wind blows where ever it pleases you can’t tell where it came from or where it is going, it is like this with everyone born of the spirit.

Michael Emmet

Here’s an example of a miraculous healing, though it isn’t even claimed as such.

Michael Emmet is an ex-prisoner who was interviewed by the Church Times in 2007, among other things he said: “It was the start of a journey. I had to change. I stopped the drugs overnight. (It’s amazing what you can get in prison.) But it’s a gradual process, really. I’ve always had real problems with women, money, and drugs, and it’s not been easy to sort. There have been some white-knuckle moments.”

Charles Colson

Another example leads to the foundation of a new charity:

Charles Colson was known as president Richard Nixon's "hard man, the 'evil genius' of an evil administration." He has written that he was "valuable to the President ... because I was willing ... to be ruthless in getting things done". Nixon's White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman described Colson as the president's "hit man". He was the first of the administration to be jailed by the Watergate trials.

His conversion in 1973 meant that his life changed direction completely, and he founded Prison Fellowship.

Lastly, and much less dramatically a terminally shy 20 something who couldn’t speak in front of three managers at work, after his conversion, felt called to Reader Ministry, it took another 20 years, but here I am.

Signs

The signs, miraculous, or simply visible changes, are there for all to see. Noticing the sign, enquiring about it, even talking to Jesus about it doesn’t make you born again. Only belief in Jesus, His death and resurrection, will do that. Then the changes in your life will become a sign for others. We must be prepared to talk about those changes openly and honestly if and when we are asked, so that those who are questioning us, can in turn believe in our Lord and saviour.

References
https://interruptingthesilence.com/2014/03/17/daytime-lives-and-nighttime-lives-a-sermon-on-john-31-17/
https://provokingthegospel.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/a-provocation-the-second-sunday-in-lent-march-12-2017-john-31-17/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneuma
https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/john-31-17-losing-your-religion-howard/
http://daledamos.blogspot.com/2012/07/arlene-kushner-on-romneys-tisha-bav.html
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-i-became-saved ??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Colson
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2007/16-november/features/interview-michael-emmett-ex-prisoner
https://www.biblestudynote.com/blog/my-born-again-experience/
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-i-became-saved
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/8/6/c/4/13348931831880016085Baby%20Boy%20Blonde%20Hair.svg.med.png