Love Leading to New Life
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 7 viewsIn love, God gave everything so that we would not be condemned but have eternal life in His name.
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TITLE: Love Leading to New Life
TEXT: John 3.16-21.
LAST WEEK: John 3.1-15, Born from Above
This past Sunday, we began John 3 together where we saw the beginning of an interaction between Nicodemus and Jesus. Coming by night, Nicodemus was ashamed. As the primary leacher of Jewish theology, he came to Jesus seeking to understand if He was indeed from God.
The Inquisitive Nicodemus
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ words concerning being “born again” are the centerpiece of this entire discussion. Given his background, Nicodemus had no concept of what this could mean. He was an Israelite born into the covenant people of God and now he was “the teacher of Israel” (v.10) leading them to obey the Law of God completely, earning their righteousness and way to heaven. Jesus then proceeds to blow His mind, opening his eyes to the Truth.
13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
No one has ever ascended or earned their way into heaven. Only He who has come down from heaven has the authority to say what is the way to the Father.
Today, we will see that Jesus continues this conversation with Nicodemus… expounding more on this idea of eternal life that is rooted in the Love of God.
THIS WEEK: John 3.16-21,
It certainly is somewhat nerve-racking to be teaching one of the most (if not the most) recognized singular texts of the Bible. At the same time, it is such an honor to teach from a text that has been used by God throughout the ages to open the eyes of spiritually blind people.
With this famous verse given in context of this discussion with Nicodemus and with the importance of the following verses that are often overlooked, I pray the Spirit opens our eyes this morning to the glorious truths of this text as a whole instead of just a singular verse.
INTRODUCTION:
Quick Illustration - What does true love look like?
It is true that I did not waste much time considering such a question in my youth. I was way too preoccupied with playing sports, hanging out with friends, and keeping up with what was cool at the time. But in time… I did and I think we all do begin to consider what does love really look like.
The problem - When it comes to answering this question, it has become easy and far too common for us to cast our gaze upon the culture (people and production alike) for our answers.
The reality - When it comes to expressing and explaining what true love looks like, our culture at large does not have the eternal state of your soul and your spiritual well-being in mind.
This idea of LOVE is not something for us as a people to seek to define for ourselves as if it is a new concept of our own intellect. WHY? Because it is an ancient idea that comes from the Ancient of Days (Dan 7.9), God himself.
God is Love
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
So… since the Scriptures define God as love, He alone gets to determine what true love looks like since it flows from who He is in all His perfection.
What is Love?
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
In this portion of John 3, we see the love of God and the proclamation of truth concerning eternal life are inseparable. Jesus’ love for Nicodemus was displayed in His proclamation of the truth.
MAIN IDEA:
The love of God the Father is perfectly displayed in the giving of God the Son so that we might receive eternal life.
OUTLINE:
In His love…
1. We receive eternal life in the Son (v.16)
2. We are rescued by the Son (v.17-18)
3. We are revealed in the light of the Son (v.19-20)
4. We are saved for the glory of the Son (v.21)
PRAYER - Spirit’s work, Equipping of the Body, Reflect the Love of God
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
In His love…
1. We receive eternal life in the Son (v.16)
1. We receive eternal life in the Son (v.16)
Let us not so quickly divorce John 3:16 from the previous 15 verses! Do not forget that this is an ongoing conversation with Nicodemus regarding what it means to be born again.
Jesus’ reference in v.14-15 back to Numbers 21 would have been well known to this primary teacher of the OT law and the Prophets. He shows Nicodemus that just like the serpent was given and lifted up for the healing of all in Israel who would look upon it, so the Son of Man must be lifted up for our healing.
SON OF MAN
This phrasing used often to describe Jesus or His ministry is sometimes overlooked in its importance. It finds its roots in in the OT but specifically in Daniel 7 where it “denotes a human-looking figure who is given privileges normally reserved for God: authority, glory, sovereign power, the worship of men of every language, and an eternal kingdom (Dan 7:14) (The Lexham Bible Dictionary).
In the NT, this phrase is used by Jesus to refer to Himself, to describe His authority and ministry, to speak of his suffering and death, and finally to highlight his future exaltation and glory (The Lexham Bible Dictionary).
This Son of Man… whoever believes in him would have ETERNAL LIFE.
ETERNAL LIFE
This idea (Eternal Life) is mentioned 17 times across the Gospel of John, and for the first two times here in v.15 and 16.
Eternal Life is both our present and our final rest. He is with us (his church ) now, but we will be with Him one day in the new heaven and new earth. Yes, it is an eternal amount of time with Him (quantitatively) but it is also eternal in quality, meaning perfect.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
We are citizens of heaven presently! And we await the day when He returns, when God’s plan set forth in Christ for the fullness of time to unite all things in Him is finally complete.
The Question - How does someone receive Eternal Life?
This is exactly what John 3.16 answers for us in such a clear and God glorifying way.
John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Breakdown of the Verse
“For God…”
The path to eternal life begins with God, it does not begin with man. Though in our flesh, we want it to begin with us. We so much want to boast in the decision that we made to follow Jesus that we blow right past this reality. If the path to eternal life relied solely on mankind’s initiation of it by his own power, then heaven would be a vacant place. Praise the Lord this is not he case!
“For God so loved the world…”
The path to eternal life is rooted in His love.
Ephesians 2:4–5 “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—”
“World” here is the Greek noun kosmos, meaning the created world or all created things. Thus God’s great love here certainly is centered on mankind’s redemption and restoration, but it also extends to include the redemption of all things, for all things will be made new in Him.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The word “so” here in v.16 is not really meant to convey that God’s love was soooooo big.
ILLUSTRATION: Guess How much I Love you?
This reminds me of a children’s book that our boys, especially Gus, have really enjoyed. It is a short story of a father rabbit and son rabbit, where the son’s whole purpose is to show his father how much he loves him. Every time, the father’s love proves bigger.
As high as he can hop…
As high as He can reach…
As high as he can hop…
As far as he can see…
In a similar way… I think John 3.16 has largely been taught from this view. Though it is completely true that God’s love for his creation is infinitely vast and immeasurable, I think that perspective leads us away from the original text’s meaning.
The word used here actually means “in this way”. Again… this is where knowledge of the original language is crucial for us. So John 3.16 is not really telling us of God’s immense love for the created world, but instead it says: For God loved the world in this way.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”
God’s loved for all creation, for sinful humanity who stand in rebellion against Him in our nature, His love is displayed perfectly in the giving of His Son. God the Father, with the great love with which He loved us all, did not even spare His own son but He sent Him to die on our behalf.
From the beginning of time, it was ordained for God Man, Jesus the Christ, to die and be raised again. It was for this purpose that He was given.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
In steps the responsibility of man. Yes, salvation begins by His hand, and in stems from the depths of His immeasurable love, but at the same time we are responsible. Salvation is a work of God from the moment of our regeneration to that future moment of out glorification… and yet the call graciously lands at the figurative doorstep of our life: REPENT and BELIEVE.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
In Him alone there is no perishing. The fear of death does not hover over our heads any longer, for we know the moment we pass from this world into eternity, we will see His face.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
APPLICATION:
Are you walking through a season of doubt in your faith? Do you hear the flaming darts of the Evil One throughout your week leading you you more into questioning things and further away from the Word?
First of all and most importantly - be encouraged today that if your hope is in Christ alone than your salvation is secure. His promises are still true. He who promised is faithful to forgive all our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
Secondly - your pastors are praying for you. If you need encouragement, we are here for you. If you need guidance or wisdom, we are here for you. If you need prayer, we are here for you. In all these things, we will simply point you to the Word where He has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
2. We are rescued by the Son (v.17-18)
2. We are rescued by the Son (v.17-18)
It is clear from John’s words here and also in previous chapters that Jesus came into our world to solve a problem. This is a problem that we naturally do not see, but ironically enough we walk in this problem daily and actively contribute to the problem.
We do not see of understand this problem because our nature is centered on seeing and thinking in physical terms instead of considering spiritual realities.
Our problem is SIN and in our fallen natures we are blinded to its presence and effects.
ILLUSTRATION: You are so dramatic.
Several years ago, Logan and I were having a conversation at home and proceeded to tell me that I am a dramatic person. Naturally, I objected. This was absurd in my mind. How could I be dramatic???
I decided to bring my work friends in on this discussion since we spent a considerable amount of time together during the week. Surely they would come to my defense! Instead…they agreed with Logan.
In surprises me even now how blind that we can be to things, even things about ourselves. In a much greater way, when we consider our sin we find satisfaction in it, purpose in it, we despise our Creator, and we naturally do not consider that the problem with the world is us.
(v.17) Not Condemned in Christ
In the perfect work of the triune God, the Son was sent to us! The initiation of our salvation finds itself in the will of God when we chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, and continuation of our salvation comes from His hand as He sent the Son into the world to take on flesh, suffer, and die on our behalf.
Jesus’ first advent was an effort of RESCUE and not one of CONDEMNATION.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
What pleases God is sinners being saved by the truth of the Gospel! Though we are evil and wicked people in our nature and through our transgression, God takes no pleasure in the perishing of those apart from Him.
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
God’s desire is that we should turn from sin and live! His desire is that all should reach repentance, realizing that the only way back to true life now and eternally is to join Christ in His death. We lay down our lives, we deny ourselves, we take up our cross by the strength and power of the gospel, and we follow Him.
God the Father did not send Christ for our condemnation but for our salvation.
APPLICATION:
For those who have heeded the command of Christ to repent and believe in the Gospel, this is a great comfort and peace that is never ending in this life. What I mean is that the assurance of your salvation is solely based on the person and work of Christ! This alone brings us peace and a hope that does not fade.
Jesus came to save and not condemn, and that is exactly what He has done. Take heart today church! In times of doubt concerning your faith, rest easy that your salvation does not remain in balance waiting for you to mess it up.
When He saves a sinner from the depths of their sin, He saves fully and completely and nothing will ever snatch you out of His hand. We are rescued from our sin and from ourselves solely by His grace.
Reach HG conversation (no names)
Salvation in Christ alone. None of us. All of Him.
(v.18) Condemned Apart from Christ
Though Christ did not come to condemn the world, the world already stands condemned.
CONDEMNED - This is a Greek word used to describe the act of carrying out a judicial process or making a judgment.
Such a judgment is carried out by the judge based on the evidence that is presented. And the evidence against all of mankind before the just judge of the universe is overwhelmingly against us. Describing the sinful state of man, Paul describes it in this way to the Ephesians.
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Evidence - We in our nature are alienated from God because we have exchanged the Truth about God for a lie, hardening our hearts against His love. In our sin, we stand condemned before Him as spiritually callous people.
APPLICATION: In Adam or In Christ?
In the most basic way I can think of explaining it, there are two types of people in our world - those that are in Adam and those that are in Christ.
I’m not saying that God does not love all people, of course He does. He has made all people in His image to reflect certain aspects of His person and glory in this world! But… it remains that those who have not believed in the name of the only Son of God have an eternal problem that needs to be addressed.
You see, sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and with him as our representative in some mysterious way death spread to all of us because all sinned in Adam (Rom 5.12). This is a condemning reality for every person that has graced this earth, and furthermore it is a reality that cannot be escaped by the efforts of man.
My encouragement to you today is this:
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
There is new life in Christ that awaits you. It was ordained from the beginning of time for you to be seated hear today hearing the Good News of freedom and rescue from the condemnation that awaits you, so I plead with you to receive it now. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ today in prayer and you will be saved!
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
3. We are revealed in the light of the Son (v.19-20)
3. We are revealed in the light of the Son (v.19-20)
John finishes verse 18 with reality of present condemnation that remains on those who have not believe in Jesus, the Son of God. This condemnation is of God who judges all things perfectly and with no partiality. Starting in verse 19, John peels back another layer and exposes the true nature of mankind.
The term used here for JUDGEMENT is also a judiciary term, but here it specifically is used to describe the evidence that is brought forth within a trial.
So John, carried along by the holy Spirit is saying - this is the evidence at hand to support the just, present condemnation that remains on those who have not believed.
“...the light has come into the world”(v.19a)
The Source of Life and the Light of Men has come! The glorious Creator of all things, things in heaven and things on earth, has stepped down into time and became like us in every human way apart from our sinfulness. He came at the perfect time and purposefully in the Father’s will to rescue those whom He has already called his very own.
46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
“...people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light...” (v.19b-20a)
This is all of us. In our nature and apart from the truth of the Gospel, the condemnation and just judgment of God rests on us not because He is an angry and unloving God, but simply because we love our sin that blinds us from the Light.
The Scriptures describe us as slaves to our sin… Sin being the evil intentions of our hearts of stone and the thoughts of our ignorant minds that give birth to words and actions that do not honor God or His word.
In our nature, we are on a spiritual path that has no bearing or propensity to move towards the light. We love the darkness that enslaves us spiritually, and we do not have anything in us that desires something better.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
“...lest his works should be exposed.” (v.20b)
Light is an amazing thing. Put the smallest light in a room of thick darkness, and what is present will be revealed.
ILLUSTRATION: Cathedral Caverns
On a class field trip to Cathedral Caverns, we walked the marked path with my class all the way to the end of the cave. Part of the tour at the end of the cave is when they turn off the lights for 15-20 seconds.
As a young kid, this is somewhat terrifying even if someone who you know is standing right next to you because the darkness is consuming.
From a spiritual perspective, the true Gospel is very offensive in the sense that it reveals who we truly are - Wretched, evil, selfish, hateful, prideful, lustful, and idolatrous people. It is for this very reason that those who remain steeped in darkness hate the name of Christ.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
The world knows that the Light exposes what is true, and because of this it runs from the Light so it could continue in the passions of the flesh and the desires of the body and mind as they unknowingly build up greater wrath and condemnation for themselves on the day of our Lord’s return.
APPLICATION:
The bad news of the Gospel message does not sit well with anyone who hears it truly. BUT...when the Holy Spirit of God regenerates our hearts and gives us eyes to see and ears to hear, we stand in amazement that the Light of mercy and grace would shine upon us as undeserving sinners. Yes, it exposes our uncleanness before the Holy and pure God but it also cleanses and renews completely.
In our our corporate gathering of COTV, in our family worship, in our evangelism, in our discipleship… let us use the Word of God to shed light on what is not honoring to the Lord. The exposing of our sin will always be uncomfortable, but that is His will for us as His church.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
4. We are saved for the glory of the Son (v.21)
4. We are saved for the glory of the Son (v.21)
Our text today ends with a glorious conclusion. We have been discussing the condemnation or judgment of the Lord remaining on those who continue to reject the name of the Lord… BUT here we see the picture of someone that does respond to the truth of the Gospel.
This person is described as someone who “does what is true and comes to the light”.
This doing and coming is not of their own initiative or based on some ascent of knowledge, meaning they did not wake up one day and say “You know what, I need to start seeking the Lord.”
Do not forget, this is the same conversation with Nicodemus!
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
What part role did we play in our birth, making ourselves come alive in this world? Nothing. One moment we were not born and the next moment we were. It is clear from this entire conversation with Nicodemus that Jesus is not calling Nicodemus our of a works based belief (Judaism, where the belief is one must personally keep the entire OT Law and earn back God’s favor) into another works based religion where our position in eternity relies solely on ourselves.
Yes, in a mysterious way God is sovereign over all things including our saving from sin AND we are also responsible for our sin and our response to the Good News of the Gospel.
John says here that when someone is made new in Christ and the condemnation of their sin no longer hovers over them, that great work of God is SO THAT it may be clearly seen that this person’s works were carried out in God.
Meaning - God deserves the glory for our salvation and not some decision we made.
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Mankind’s greatest problem is sin, a problem which has resulted in spiritual death and separation from God. We need to be born again!
And that new birth in Christ is a glorious and gracious work of his hand from beginning to end. We receive eternal life in Him when we are revealed in the light of the Son and rescued by the life, death a resurrection of the Son. And all of this is so that the Son, Jesus the Christ, might be glorified.
16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
MAIN IDEA:
The love of God the Father is perfectly displayed in the giving of God the Son so that we might receive eternal life.
