Obey and Believe

Obey and Believe

John 3:34-36

May 28, 2023

READ THE TEXT John 3:34-36

Introduction

Mirror

As we get ready to see the image that our Lord wants us to see, we need to remember, John the Baptist is giving his closing arguments, his closing proof text to show that the way of salvation was found in Christ. John, in humility, is saying that his ministry is giving way to the subject of his message. What was the subject of his ministry? Christ Jesus, the Messiah for the lost. John had lived a life pointing to the climax of human history and now his mission had come to a conclusion in Jesus.

As we get into these closing comments from John, we are going to follow John the Baptist’s outline. In this text, we see three key actions or God the Father. John points to three actions of our Lord. 1. God sent, 2. God loved, and finally 3. God saves. The key to understanding the true Gospel of Salvation is found in three verses.

1. God sent.

(Vs): “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God for he gives the Spirit without measure.”

In the fullness of God’s plan, God SENT His son as a representation of the words of God. We talked about this last Sunday but only the top end. In vs 34 we see that God, the Father, sent Christ with the Words of God. He (Christ) embodied the fullness of the WORD of God. The Gospel we profess is revealed in the spoken word (Bible). It is impossible to be what it is without it. Sadly many have attempted to do just that. To make up their own version. But, the Gospel is the person and work of Jesus Christ, and how that relates to the lost. The two are inseparable.

That word “word” in verse 34 is NOT LOGOS what was in John 1:1. This word “word” is a different word.

ῥῆμα, rehma: (a) a spoken word, an utterance, the concrete expression (b) in a solemn sense, of a divine word, Lk. 3:2, Eph. 6:17, &c.; (d) the Christian teaching, the gospel, 1 Pet. 1:25 bis (cf. Rom. 10:8 ff.), (e) the Christian confession, ‘Jesus is Lord’, which leads to salvation, and precedes baptism, Eph. 5:26, cf. Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 12:3, Phil. 2:11.[1]

Christ utters: (I talk, chatter in classical Greek, but in N. T. a more dignified word) I speak; I say.[2] Christ was the one who spoke this Word. This rehma. The solemn, divine word of the Gospel. He had the very words of the Father in heaven. He uttered, spoke and showed what He had heard and seen. These are important truths that we can not miss

The next part of these verse has been a bit confusing for some. To be honest, it is tantalizing to overthink this and make the verse do more than it should. When truth in the Word of God is big, the very best way to interpret it is not try and make meanings and theories up to make it make sense.

Vs 34 “for He gives the Spirit without measure”.

We will employ an Augustine approach to understanding this verse more clearly. St. Augustin said we need to use scripture to understand scripture. So join me as we see what John the Baptist was referring to.

Turn to Isaiah 11:1-5

11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins. [3]

Rest means: נוּחַ (nûaḥ). vb. to settle down, rest. The action of stopping or cessation of activity.[4]

The Spirit of God stops and stays on Christ, whereas the spirit was non resting before Pentecost and the prophets had the spirit in measure, meaning limitation. They could only see what God revealed to them in the mirror. But Christ was different.

Isaiah 42:

42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations. [5]

Next, turn to Hebrews 1:

Heb 1:1-4

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. [6]

The writer of Hebrews uses the exact words necessary to understand what John the Baptist is trying to convey. In the OT, all of the prophets were looking at the message of God through a mirror over their shoulders. All were given a measure of the Spirit to share the intended message. BUT, “in the last days” meaning the time of Christ and post, He spoke THROUGH Christ because of who Christ is. Because of who Christ is, John says, God gave him the Spirit.

When he says, “he gives the Spirit without measure” Christ received and had the 100% dose of the Spirit of God. This should not shock us if we fully understand who Christ is. It should not shock us that His message has a different tone, different authority (we talked about that last week). His message was 100% clear, direct and first hand. Go back to Hebrews:

“…whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…”

Christ was the appointed heir of ALL things, It is no wonder that God uses the word “SON” to describe the relationship with the Father. A son is an heir. In the case of Christ, I struggle with the term “son” because it implies the son was “born”.

Romans 11:36 says “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen”

ANALOGY: a ray of light

It should not shock us that Christ is completely filled without measure with the third person of the trinity. Three distinct personalities wrapped into one person, Christ. Christ was the “radiance” of the Father.

Radiance means: ἀπαύγασμα, a light flashing forth (from), radiation, gleam[7]

The spirit in Christ is on display. When the author of Hebrews states that He is the radiance of the Father, that comes with it the radiance of the Spirit of God.

Col 2:9 “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

Christ embodied the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one. Going back to Hebrews, I want you to look close at this:

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world

I want to be very clear, with the closing of cannon (the scripture) now under the new covenant of Christ, there is NO additions. There are no more need for more prophets, revelation or insight. Anything that is “new” outside of this scripture MUST be approached based on this scripture. If it does not align, does not perfectly match, or adds more revelation, it is NOT of God and should be quickly discarded as fantasy.

We have the perfect impression, image and understanding of the Gospel message right here. To look in other areas will lead to distraction, division and eventually, damnation. The Son of God, full of the Holy Spirit is the revelation to the lost. His message is clear and closed. The message is found back in John 3. This is why we see the next action step of God. The message is so profound and important that it caused God to take the next step.

Let’s go back to John 3:35

2. God Loved.

We must ask, who did God love here in John 3:35. Is he referring to the lost? Is he referring to the saved? Not here. John is describing the Love between the Father and the Son. Not between humanity and the Father, yet. This is the most important part for me. This one point, I want to get right for you all. Because, if we miss this, we (as humanity) like to do is get the order wrong. You and I MUST understand that we Love God only by means what is demonstrated her in these verses.

In reference to this verse, I found that John Calvin had a great take on it:

“The love here spoken of is that peculiar love of God, which beginning with the Son flows from Him to all the creatures. For that love, with which, embracing His Son, He embraces us also in Him, leads Him to communicate all His benefits to us by His hand.”[8]

The love of the son from the Father is the conduit, connection, and link between the Father and us. God loves the son for some very specific reasons found throughout the gospel of John:

a. The Father loved the Son Eternally:

John 17:24 “Father I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”- The Father Loved from before time began.

b. The Father loved the son due to the Son’s obedience:

John 10:17 “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” God the Father loves the Son because Christ was obedient even to death for the sake of the Gospel (the plan from the start).

c. The Father loved the Son as a pattern for the Father’s love:

John 17:26 “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” This is the map for the Love flow. It started from the Father to the Son. Then because of the Son, we now have the last step.

d. The Father loved the Son as a pattern for Christ’s love for us:

John 15:9 “9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.[9]” This right here sums up the love flow. It is very clear how it ends up to us.

To make sure we completely get the gravity of this, the Love from the Father rests on the Son, the real Son. Now, where in that flow do I get involved? We are on the end of this flow and are the result of such great love. John the Baptist and because John the apostle is recording this spends great effort to make sure that God’s Love flows from Him to the Son. And BECAUSE of this, the adopted children benefit from this great Love.

This pattern is substantiated through other texts. I want you to see this next one. Please go to

Ephesians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, [10]

Look at how this flow works. From the Father, through the Son and then to the adopted sons/daughters. The flow is not backward. I do not contrive or work to perfect my love for God so that I can get saved. No, it is the other way around. God so Loves the Son that ALL things have now been given to Him.

ANALOGY: All the responsibility but no authority=misery

John 3:35b “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.”

God has loved AND authorized all things to the Son. This is the perfect pattern of Love from the Father in that because God loved the Son so much that HE GAVE all things to Him. That includes time, space, people, etc.

Given: I offer, give;. 2:23: I put, place, Rev. 3:8.[11]

All: Means all

Things: When with the word All actually reads “ALL, ALL” meaning everthing

Can I be a little more specific?:

I. Christ has All responsibility for the judgment of the lost “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son”(5:22)

II. Has Life in Himself “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in Himself” (5:26)

III. Possesses all believers in Himself “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out”(6:37)

IV. Authority over ALL people (both the believer and non) “…since you have given him authority over ALL flesh, to give eternal life to whom you have given him.” (17:2)

V. Title above all others “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me I have guarded them”(17:11,12)

VI. Glory over ALL “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one…Father I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”(17:22, 24)

This is such love considering the subject of this love. I would prefer to love things that first started loving me as a condition for my love. That is how petty I am. But not God. He loved, loves and will love the true Son and thus, because of Christ, loved, loves and will love those who hate Him. That love has such power. The Power to save.

3. God saves.

We have talked and taught this principle every Sunday and every message. I have sat in on most of your Sunday School lessons and heard what your kids are taught. I have preached it and will continue to preach it because it is the entire message of God’s Word. It is why John the Baptist was on earth, to pave the way for the good news in flesh.

John 3:36

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Although this verse looks a lot like John 3:16 there are some distinct differences and one must ask, is John dropping a new twist on the plan for salvation? What is with that word “obey” and why include the wrath part? We need to understand that these verses go together. We cannot build entire theology on pulling a verse out of the context of the text. Let’s dive into what John is saying.

Because of this great love we just described from the Father to the son, AND because Jesus owns everything in His hand, we have to see that two things are the result:

a. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life: Believers have life and will see the kingdom of God. Because of the love of the Father for the Son, all who believe in the Son see life. This is another way of seeing the weight of Christ’s authority and value in the eyes of the Father.

Kruse says: “The greatest thing we can ever do for God is to believe in the son whom he loves.

b. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. The wrath of God “remains” on him.

In response to this Kruse finishes by saying “The worst thing we can do against God is to reject the Son He loves and whom He gave for our salvation.”

ANALOGY: Name dropping

Again, I have said this repetitively. Two people are described. The fact is that there are those who will not believe and those who do. It is an individual and in no way a group decision. It is between the person and God. If we are believers, the verse goes on to say “who ever does not obey the Son”.

Obey actually means: I disobey, I rebel, I am disloyal.[12]

The Greek word is “Apeitheo”- meaning to disobey, be disobedient or REFUSE compliance.

John is not saying that this is a works based religion. He is saying that those who are “apeiteo” are refusing compliance (the plan of salvation). The plan of salvation is Christ. They are willingly looking a Loveing Father in the face saying, I hate you so much that the cost of your only Son on the cross is not good enough. Keep your charity and no thanks. It is absolutely no wonder that the next words are:

“…but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Remains: I remain, abide, wait; c. acc. I wait for, await.[13]

Sin comes with it a heavy price. One that will be paid.

Ephesians 2:1-4

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved[14]

Thank You Lord that “But God, being rich in mercy, provided His son for those who were dead in rebellion and hate for God saved people who definitely did not deserve such mercy.

UNBELIEVER:

I usually have a convicting pointed hard comment for the unbeliever. But today, I have been preaching the Gospel to you as clearly as I can make it. I have placed you at the foot of the cross of the One who has your fate in His hand. You are living in His kind mercy if you have breath in your lungs. But, I have said in the past, that has an expiration date. That mercy He is offering you will run out at the end of your life. What then? God is rich in mercy and has great Love from the Son. Are you going to believe and be saved? Or is it back to the “no thanks, not good enough” perspective? Believe on Jesus, be saved, and come to the Love of the Father through Christ.

Conclusion:

As we conclude John the Baptist’s ministry and the message of the greatest man born to women (Christ’s comment), we see one last-ditch effort to tell people that God sent Christ. He sent Him because He loved Him to people who needed to be saved. John and I are saying, believe and obey Him. Be willing to be saved from your sin and rebellion.

[1]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 227. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [2]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 143. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [4]Lookadoo, Jonathon. 2014. “Peace.” In Lexham Theological Wordbook, edited by Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, and Rebekah Hurst. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [7]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 29. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [8]Ryle, J. C. 1879. Expository Thoughts on John. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers. [9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [11]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 65. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [12]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 29. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [13]Souter, Alexander. 1917. In A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, 155. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [14] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.