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John 3:12-21
We are going to start a new four week series today.
I borrowed this series title from another pastor, because I thought it was such a great idea.
This new series is going to be entitled, “Coffee Mug Christianity: Bringing Clarity to Cliches.”
I love coffee mugs.
I love to collect them when we go somewhere new.
I love funny mugs, beautiful mugs, even just plain mugs.
You will see mugs in souvenir shops that show the state, or cities motto.
You will see mugs with sayings, that the makers hope people will identify with so that they will buy their product.
Christians are no different.
We have our quips and sayings, and although we do not always put them on coffee mugs, we repeat them over and over until we lose the meaning of it.
In the next four weeks I would like to look at some verses and put them back into context to see what the Bible is truly saying.
The Bible is filled with passages that can be used to encourage, correct, and challenge.
However, we often struggle to give context to these passages, and that can lead us to confuse the message.
It’s not enough to place a verse on a coffee mug if we don’t understand it or let it affect our lives!
This sermon series could probably go for much longer, but we are just going to look at four.
Today we want to take a look at one of the most famous verses in the whole Bible, John 3:16.
When we misunderstand the context and meaning of this very popular verse, we miss the fullness of the good news that is found in Jesus!
Jesus is meeting with a Pharisee, Nicodemus, a Ruler of the Jews.
Nicodemus confessed that He knew that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, since no one could do the miracles that Jesus did without God’s power.
But he did not understand the point, Why Jesus came.
Jesus told him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
This threw Nicodemus for a loop, he asked how can a man be born when he is old?
Jesus tried to explain that this was a second birth.
He is born to his mother, but there must be a day when he is born of the spirit.
Nicodemus was used to following the law, following the traditions of the Jews and the Pharisees.
He was not used to this idea of faith.
In verse 14, Using the image of Moses raising the serpent in the wilderness as a visual, Jesus foretold of His own death.
Then he makes the statement of faith: “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus then speaks that famous verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Twice in two verses he speaks those same words - “whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
That is the main point of this dialog, for sure!
But there is much to this section of scripture than just the often quoted verse.
I believe it can be seen in three key words:
I. Separation
v. 13
Before we can ever be reunited by God’s love, we must first realize that we are separated from God.
There is a separation between man and God.
Verse 13 says, that no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.
This shows us the problem!
Every man throughout all the ages, and in every civilization has strived to go to heaven.
They may have called it different things because of lack of knowledge, but inside every man is built something that knows we are not home here among the sin and decay.
But Jesus says here there is a separation - no man can ascend to heaven, except the one who came down from heaven.
Why?
First because of...
A. Self-Defilement
The Bible tells us that we are defiled - we are sinners!
The Bible says that sin started with Adam and has passed to every man since.
We were born into sin
Down in verse 19 of this chapter we are told that “men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.”
We are sinners from birth ‘til death.
We have alienated ourselves from God.
The word separated here means to alienate, or separate, or divide.
There is no hope to fix this separation on our part.
There is this separation because of our self-defilement
Secondly, because of our
B. Self-Condemnation
We have condemned ourselves because of this willful sin.
Verse 18-20 tells us about our condition of self-condemnation:
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
God did not condemn us.
I have heard many times, “I can’t believe in a God who would send people to hell.”
God does not send people to hell - we send ourselves there, if we do not receive what He has offered.
We have condemned ourselves.
But God loves us!
He does not want to leave it there!
God is not satisfied with excluding us from Heaven!
So, yes, we there is a Separation spoken of in this passage, but there is also a...
II.
Reparation
God set into motion a plan, from the beginning, to repair the divide between God and man.
God lovingly created a beautiful untainted world, and a garden for man to live where all his needs would be met, and he could walk with God every day.
But man chose to disobey God and chose to sin.
Because sin came into the world, God could no longer be with man.
God is holy, there is no sin or wickedness in Him - He is righteous.
Because He is righteous, he cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness.
Light cannot have fellowship with darkness.
But God was not satisfied with separation.
So he made a plan, at the very beginning, God put into play a plan that would repair our relationship.
Speaking to the Serpent that deceived Eve, He said...
The promise was made, that the seed of Adam would bruise the serpent head once and for all.
This began the plan of salvation.
Through the ages a nation was chosen through Abraham, a tribe was chosen through Judah, A man was chosen through David, and a child was born…
This same Jesus now is speaking to Nicodemus.
This same Jesus is telling Nicodemus in verse 16...
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus three things in this one verse - probably more than that, but three we will look at...
This love…this plan…this reparation is first of all is ...
A. Deemed for All
For God so loved the world.
This word is speaking of the earth itself.
It is not the mountains, oceans, and valleys that He loves.
It is the people, it is you and me!
God sent His only begotten Son to give his life on the cross for us, not the earth, not the world system, but for the people.
Then he said, Whosoever…anyone, everyone that will believe, can be saved, can have the separation repaired.
God loved us, a people that he created, but alienated ourselves, separated ourselves, condemned ourselves.
He loved us who loved darkness better than light.
And he sent the light, despite our darkness…because He loves us.
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