Why should one use Objects.requireNonNull()?

I have noted that many Java 8 methods in Oracle JDK use Objects.requireNonNull(), which internally throws NullPointerException if the given object (argument) is null.

public static <T> T requireNonNull(T obj) {
    if (obj == null)
        throw new NullPointerException();
    return obj;
}

But NullPointerException will be thrown anyway if a null object is dereferenced. So, why should one do this extra null check and throw
NullPointerException?

One obvious answer (or benefit) is that it makes code more readable and I agree. I’m keen to know any other reasons for using
Objects.requireNonNull() in the beginning of the method.