High and Lifted Up
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Last week, I spoke about Nicodemus and the conversation between him and Jesus. Today, we continue that conversation, but we get Christ giving us a prophetic look at His death and what it means for our salvation. Plus, we get to really look at what is considered to be the most famous verse in the bible.
As most of you know, I am a huge college football fan. And if I can work a sermon illustration with some football, I get excited.
It was 2009 and Tebow was playing college football at Florida. He was weeks away from competing in the highly televised national championship football game when God led him to write John 3:16 under his eyes for all the world to see while he played. What happened next was no coincidence, but God working through a small act of courage that He used to do amazing things.
A lot of people do not know, but the games leading up to the National Championship, Tim actually had Philippians 4:13 on his eye blacks. It was about two weeks before the game, he actually felt the Lord tell him he needed to change it.
Tim has said in interviews that John 3:16 is "the essence of our Christianity" and "the essence of our hope". The verse is a summary of a central Christian doctrine, the relationship between God and Jesus.
According to multiple sources, 90–94 million people looked up John 3:16 in Google after Tim Tebow wore the verse on his eye black during the 2009 BCS National Championship Game where the Florida Gators beat the Oklahoma Sooners.
Tebow has said that he was humbled by the number of people who looked up John 3:16.
This happened all because a young man decided to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and not the world around him. All because he wanted to lift the name of Jesus Christ and not Tim Tebow. Something we should all strive for...not us...Him! He is the one who is high and lifted up.
Let’s get into the rest of this conversation between Christ and Nicodemus.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
John 3:16 is the very essence of our Christianity. It gives us a beautiful picture of who God is and the gift He gave to us, but we must also look at the full picture, the full context of what Christ is saying here. If we just stay on John 3:16, we miss out on so much. We miss out on understanding on the 4 things we will talk about today.
God’s Judgement
God’s Love
Man’s Condemnation
Man’s Choice
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Remember last week, I expressed that Christ is speaking to a Sanhedrin, someone who would know the Old Testament like the back of his hand. What Christ referencing here is actually something that happened to the Israelites in the desert. Let’s look at this story.
Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.
The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.
Christ is expressing to Nicodemus that God’s judgement, just like during Moses time, is upon man. There is no getting around it, man must be judged for their sins, but God...
I love a good, but God moment!!!
Like during Moses’ time, Christ is saying there is a way for even the most sinful of us all to have eternal life. It requires a sacrifice and an obedience.
Christ here is prophesying his upcoming death and how it will happen.
Let’s look at a picture here.
Notice a similarity here.
The Israelites were so entrenched in sin, that God sent in serpents, and the only way to survive was to look toward this bronze serpent on a poll.
We must look upon Christ on the cross, to remove the sting a sin and death.
It may seem cruel, but all sin must be atoned through the shedding of blood, hence through God’s judgement, we understand God’s love for us.
1. God’s Judgement
2. God’s Love
We look around and see this world. We see everyday the world that God created. The beauty, the awesomeness!
Then people look at God as some angry old grandpa, that just wants to punish and be mean.
This is furthest from the truth. And the most famous of verses tells us this.
If you ask most people to quote a verse from the bible, they would most likely quote John 3:16
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Christ not only tells Nicodemus how he would die, but he tells him why.
He tells Nicodemus, this God that you see as a set of rules, is love and loves you and me in this way, he gave us his one and only Son.
Ask any parent here that has lost a child, they would say they would take their place in a second so that they could live.
Do you not see the gift God has given this world. He gave his one and only Son! It wasn’t forced from God’s hands, it was given freely out of love.
Why? Because He loves you and me that much! He loves you and me and wants us to be in heaven with Him, for us to have eternal life!
And just like any gift, you must accept it. The last part of this verse is vital.
The sinner must believe in the gift of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to have eternal life, except through the gift that God has given this world, His Son Jesus Christ.
Now most people know this part of the context , but they do not know the rest of the verses that go along with what Christ is telling Nicodemus...The rest is very important! It tells us...
For without Christ we are condemned.
God’s Judgement
God’s Love
Man’s Condemnation
Guess what church? I do not say this lightly, we...me and you...are sinners.
There are so many that ask...If God is such a good God, why would he send anyone to hell? He doesn’t! We are predestined for hell, because of our sins! He isn’t sending us, we are already headed there.
Our loving Father, has given us a way out of hell.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
God could have easily sent His Son to destroy those that have gone against the laws that He placed on the Israelites.
But that is not what a loving Father does. A loving Father does not condemn, he saves that which he loves.
As I was writing this part of the message, I sat there with tears in my eyes thinking back on my dad.
The majority of you know I was adopted by my dad at a very young age. I was 1 when the adoption went through.
I did not know till I was 13 when I found out. I was so angry! I felt like I was living a lie.
It wasn’t till the age of 25, that I truly understood what my dad did for me...the love that he had for me.
My mom could not have any more children. I was it! My dad still married my mom, and gave me his name.
He could have easily have said, nope!!! I want my own flesh and blood.
But he didn’t, and he gave me an amazing life, even through my stupidity, he loved me with a love that only a dad can give.
It took me forever to believe that, but I eventually did.
So when I see these verses, they hold so much meaning to me when it comes to love.
God saw me, a sinner destined for death, hell and the grave, and said...no this is my child...I will send my flesh to be a sacrifice, to cover him with the blood so he can be sealed as mine. And all I have to do is believe in that sacrificial lamb that will be lifted up high on a cross.
Judgement/Love/Condemnation...
God’s Judgement
God’s Love
Man’s Condemnation
Man’s Choice
Like a loving Father does, he gives you the choice to do what is right.
This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
Light or dark. Truth or evil.
Friday, the advanced bible study class discussed how people fall away from the faith. We were finishing up in 1 Timothy, and it discusses how people will be deceived by false teachers and prophets.
As I was praying over that lesson, my heart ached.
It was like I could see that a lot of those who will fall away will not be because of deception, but because people love the dark and do not want to truly come into the light.
People will choose the dark over the light.
And God will know those who are just checking a box saying oh i went to church, but live in the dark the other 6 days.
I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
Let me put it another way.
On that day, two will be in the pew, one will be taken and one will be left.
Which one will you be?
Which do you choose? Light or dark. Truth or evil.
Which ever you choose...make it a life decision, not just a Sunday to do check box.
