Choices Shape Who We Are. C. S. Lewis Said, Every Time You Make a Choice You Are Turning

Page 1 of 6

John 3.14-21

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Forth Sunday of Lent

Shelton, WA

Choice

Choices shape who we are. C. S. Lewis said, “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before.”

Well, some two thousand years ago on a clear night in the city of Jerusalem, as the people prepared themselves for the Passover, Nicodemus made a choice. That choice shaped not only who he was, but it gave shape to some of the most powerful words and thoughts in all the gospels.

Thoughts like: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Words like: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

You see, even though his friends and his colleagues considered Jesus a threat, even though it could have cost him everything, Nicodemus still went out that night and found Jesus. He chose to risk everything in order to meet with Jesus to find out the truth. It was a choice that eventually changed his life.

And you know, as Jesus met with Nicodemus on that particular night—perhaps in a garden, or in a courtyard, or on a rooftop—they talked about miracles… they talked about eternal life… they talked about God and God’s kingdom. And, you know, one of the very first things Jesus tells Nicodemus about God’s kingdom is that no one will ever see it unless that person is born again.

Now I realize that most of the time when we think about being “born again” we tend to think in terms of the un-churched. We make it evangelistic and apply it to thepre-Christian… to those who are yet to be saved. And,I suppose, there’s nothing really wrong with that.

But what if… what if that’s not what Jesus was talking about here? What if Jesus wasn’t talking about the un-churched? What if he was talking to the churched, to the religious? Now that changes things, doesn’t it? What if Jesus was talking to those of us whose primary focus in life is a relationship with God?

After all, when you really think about it, that’s who Nicodemus was. He was a Pharisee. And for all our negative thoughts and images of the Pharisees, they were still extremely religious and highly devout. Undoubtedly many of them were truly and honestly seeking after the kingdom of God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. As a matter of fact, Nicodemus probably would put most of us to shame in the quality of his spiritual life. That’s why the words of Jesus seemed so puzzling to Nicodemus.

Put yourself in his place for a minute. There you are sitting with Jesus, talking about church, your devotional life, your spiritual quest, your different ministries and your years of service to the church. Jesus pauses a moment, and then looks into your eyes with one of those looks that goes all the way to the deepest part of your soul, and he says, “All those things are nice, really nice, but they are meaningless, they count for nothing unless you are born again.”

Jesus can see the confusion. He can see the hesitation and the uncertainty. “You see, Nicodemus,” Jesus says,“the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

For Nicodemus—and for many of us—it’s a matter of control. While a relationship with God was the primary focus of his life, Nicodemus controlled the nature of that relationship. He established the guidelines. He wanted to meet God on his own terms. And even more importantly, Nicodemus wanted God to meet with him according to his perception of who God was… and his ideas of how God worked. But that’s not the way God does things.

God works according to his purposes. God works on his own terms. And God’s terms are not controlled by our expectations. God’s terms are not limited to how he has worked in the past. Speaking for God, Isaiah calls us to “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing anew thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” That’s what Jesus is telling Nicodemus.

Oh, Jesus isn’t questioning his sincerity. He doesn’t even question his motivation. All Jesus is saying is, “If you want to enter into a genuine relationship with God, you must let God have control of that relationship. You must let the wind of the Spirit blow your life along God’s path, not yours.”

That’s when Jesus begins to show Nicodemus what God’s path looks like. He tells Nicodemus that, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Jesus had a choice. He could have chosen his own path—one free from pain and suffering… one that didn’t go through Calvary. But if he did, than God’s plan would not be realized—humanity would be lost forever. We would remain dead in our sin—eternally separated from God.

But, if God’s path was taken, if Jesus was to choose God’s way over his, then Jesus must be lifted up. He must endure the cross. He had to go to Calvary. That was God’s path, and that was the path Jesus chose to follow. And he tells Nicodemus why. He tells him why he made that choice. It’s because of love.

You see God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son in order to bring us eternal life. You see the love of God would not leave us to struggle in our sin. The love of God would not hide behind the judgment and the holiness of God. The love of God was so great that no price was too much, no gift too costly… and so God sent his Son—his one and only Son—so that, in him, we might have eternal life. The only condition, the only requirement, is that we believe.

Here’s where Jesus’ words seem to speak to us—to the reader. He says, “Whoever believes… is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.” You see it comes down to a choice—it always does. Joshua said it, “Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve.” The choice of whether or not to believe is crucial. Our eternal destiny hangs on the outcome of that choice.

Remember what C. S. Lewis said? “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before.” Well, he goes on from there to says that, “taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a Heaven creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creature, and with itself.”

Of all the many, many choices we face in this life, none is more important than our choice to believe or not to believe. You see it affects not only our eternal destiny, but our present reality as well. That’s because to believe, to really believe, is to release both mind and heart to God. It is the consistent posture of actively turning our whole being over to God so that God’s presence, purpose, and power can be released through our lives into all situations.

Again, it’s a matter of control. Who really has control over our lives? Who really controls how our life is lived? If God is in control, then our lives are lived moment-by-moment in a state of active surrender so that God’s purpose can be fulfilled through our lives. If we are in control, then we may have a form of Godliness, we may look good to those around us, but we lack God’s power. We lack God’s purpose. We lack God’s presence.

Think of it like this: One violinist may be a master technician who plays a concerto with such flawless technical perfection that the audience is amazed by his performance. Another violinist, perhaps with less technical skills, allows the music to be played through her in a way that moves the audience to experience the music itself rather than simply appreciate the performance.

To believe, the kind of belief that relinquishes all control and all right to ourselves, the kind of belief that Jesus is talking about here, calls us to continually give ourselves to God so that God can be “played” through our lives in whatever circumstances we encounter.

Now that is what genuine freedom looks like. That is a quality of life that transcends anything this world has to offer. That’s what Jesus means when he said, “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Choices shape who we are. They also shape what we become. The question we need to ask ourselves today isn’t whether we believe in Jesus or not. The question we really need to ask is: does our belief continually and actively surrender all control to God? Have we chosen to let the wind of the Spirit blow our life along God’s path, or do we still have control of the rudder, carefully steering our own course? Choices shape who we are and what we become. The choice is yours. What will it be?

John GrantPage 111/17/2018