Look and Live

Passage: John 3:14–21 Big Idea: God gave His Son to save condemned sinners, and everyone who turns from darkness and trusts in Jesus receives eternal life. Bottom Line: Look to Jesus and live. Target: 18–22 minutes

Introduction: Religion Cannot Give You Life

Nicodemus was the kind of person everyone assumed was close to God.

He knew the Bible. He believed in God. He lived a religious life. He was respected by the people around him.

But Jesus looked at this deeply religious man and said:

John 3:7 NIV

You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Nicodemus did not merely need better behavior.

He needed new life.

His religion could not give him that life.

His Bible knowledge could not give him that life.

His reputation could not give him that life.

Only God could give him that life.

And that means it is possible to grow up around Christianity without actually belonging to Christ.

You can:

attend church,

know Bible stories,

sing worship songs,

get baptized, a

nd repeat a prayer

and still not be trusting Jesus.

Those things cannot save you.

You need Jesus to give you life.

To explain how that life is possible, Jesus takes Nicodemus back to a strange story from the Old Testament.

1. You Are Dying and Cannot Save Yourself John 3:14–15

Jesus says:

John 3:14–15 NIV

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus is referring to Numbers 21.

The Israelites had been:

rescued from slavery,

provided for in the wilderness,

and repeatedly shown God’s faithfulness.

But they rebelled against God.

They rejected His provision and spoke against Him.

In judgment, God sent venomous snakes among them, and many people began to die.

Let’s discuss what this guilt looks like, first...

The people were guilty

These were not innocent people experiencing meaningless suffering.

They had sinned against God and were experiencing righteous judgment.

That is also our condition.

Romans 3:23 says:

Romans 3:23 NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin is more than making mistakes.

Sin is rebelling against the God who created us.

It is refusing His authority and choosing our way over His way.

Every one of us is guilty.

The people were helpless

Once someone had been bitten, they could not remove the poison.

They could not promise to behave better and make it disappear. They could not compare themselves to someone who had been bitten more severely.

They could not save themselves.

Neither can we.

You cannot erase your guilt, remove God’s judgment, or give yourself spiritual life.

You do not merely need to improve yourself.

You need God to rescue you.

God provided the remedy

God told Moses to make a bronze snake and lift it upon a pole. Anyone who responded to God’s promise by looking at what He provided would live.

The bronze snake was not magical, and looking did not earn their healing.

God provided the remedy. They had to trust His promise.

Then Jesus said:

“So the Son of Man must be lifted up.”

Jesus was telling Nicodemus:

“That story was pointing to Me.”

They were guilty. They were dying. They could not cure themselves. God provided the only remedy. The remedy was lifted up. Those who trusted God’s provision lived.

We are guilty. We stand condemned. We cannot save ourselves. But God has provided His Son.

The bronze serpent was lifted upon a pole.

Jesus would be lifted upon a cross.

Look to Jesus and live.

2. God Gave His Son to Save You John 3:16–18

Jesus continues:

John 3:16 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Do not let the familiarity of this verse cause you to miss its wonder.

God loved a guilty world

“For God so loved the world…”

The world God loved was not innocent.

This is the same world Jesus describes as condemned and in love with darkness.

God did not love us because we deserved His love.

The wonder of John 3:16 is not how lovable the world was.

The wonder is how loving God is.

Your best behavior does not make God owe you salvation.

Your worst sin does not place you beyond the reach of His grace.

Salvation begins with God’s love, not our goodness.

God gave His Son

“…that he gave his one and only Son…”

God demonstrated His love by giving His Son.

Jesus is not merely a religious teacher sent to help us improve. He is God’s eternal Son who entered the world He created.

Jesus lived the sinless life we have failed to live.

But He was rejected, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross.

Why?

Second Corinthians 5:21 says:

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus did not die because He was guilty.

He died in the place of guilty sinners.

On the cross, the sinless Son bore the judgment our sins deserved.

God did not ignore our sin; Christ willingly took our place.

That is why Jesus said He must be lifted up.

Our sin had to be judged.

But in His love, God gave His Son to bear that judgment for us.

Jesus died and was buried, but He did not remain dead.

First Corinthians 15:3-4 says:

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NIV

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Jesus is alive.

The Savior calling you to believe He is not in a grave.

He conquered sin and death and is able to save everyone who comes to Him.

Whoever believes receives eternal life

“…that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“Whoever” means that anyone may come.

Your sin does not disqualify you.

Your past does not place you beyond Christ’s reach.

You have not pretended too long, failed too often, or wandered too far to come to Him.

But notice what the verse says:

“Whoever believes in him…”

Salvation is freely offered to everyone, but it is found only in Jesus.

Believing is more than knowing that Jesus existed or agreeing that Christianity is true.

Saving faith means placing the full weight of your trust upon Jesus.

You stop trusting your goodness, religion, baptism, family, or ability to fix yourself.

You confess:

“Jesus, I cannot save myself. You are my only hope. I trust who You are, what You accomplished on the cross, and that You rose from the grave.”

Without Jesus, you remain condemned

Verses 17–18 say:

John 3:17–18 NIV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Jesus did not enter an innocent world and make it condemned.

He entered an already-condemned world to save it.

Notice both the promise and the warning.

The promise:

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned.”

When you trust Christ, your condemnation is removed because Jesus bore it in your place.

The warning:

“Whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”

You are not spiritually neutral while deciding whether Jesus deserves a place in your life.

If you reject Christ, you remain under the judgment your sin deserves.

Jesus came to save condemned sinners.

He took the judgment. He died in their place. He rose from the grave. He offers eternal life to everyone who trusts Him.

Look to Jesus and live.

But why would anyone reject that offer?

Jesus answers that question next.

3. Stop Hiding and Come to the Light John 3:19–21

Jesus says:

John 3:19 NIV

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

We hide because we love darkness

The problem is not always that people lack information about Jesus.

Sometimes people reject Jesus because they do not want Him exposing or ruling their lives.

Jesus says:

John 3:20 NIV

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

Darkness gives us somewhere to hide.

It allows us to protect the sin we do not want Jesus to confront.

That resistance may sound like:

“I will deal with Jesus later.”

“I want forgiveness, but I do not want Jesus controlling my life.”

“I want people to think I am a Christian, but I still want to live however I choose.”

You may have honest questions, and we want to help you work through them.

But you should also ask:

Are my questions really the only thing keeping me from Jesus, or is there something in the darkness I do not want Him to expose?

What are you protecting?

What are you afraid Jesus will ask you to surrender?

Jesus already knows what is in your darkness. You are not successfully hiding it from Him.

“Coming into the Light” pictures repentance and faith

Verse 21 says:

John 3:21 NIV

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,

Coming to the Light does not mean cleaning yourself up before coming to Jesus.

If you could cleanse yourself, you would not need a Savior.

Coming to the Light means you stop hiding.

You agree with God about your sin. You turn from trying to rule your own life, and you come honestly to Jesus for mercy.

That is the response of repentance and faith.

Repentance turns from sin and self-rule.

Faith turns to Jesus and trusts Him completely.

You do not clean yourself before coming to the Light.

You come because Jesus is the only one who can forgive, cleanse, and change you.

God’s work becomes visible in a changed life

Verse 21 ends:

John 3:21 NIV

so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

A changed life does not earn salvation.

But when Jesus saves you, He begins changing you.

Good works are not the cause of salvation. They are evidence that God is at work.

That does not mean Christians become instantly perfect.

Christians still struggle with sin.

But darkness is no longer their permanent home.

When a Christian sins, the Spirit draws that person toward confession, repentance, obedience, and the Light.

The question tonight is not whether you have ever failed.

The question is:

Will you continue hiding, or will you come honestly to Jesus?

Conclusion and Invitation

The Israelites in the wilderness were guilty.

They were dying.

They could not cure themselves.

But God provided the remedy.

Jesus says that story was pointing to Him.

We have sinned against God.

We cannot erase our guilt or give ourselves spiritual life.

But God loved this guilty world and gave His one and only Son.

Jesus lived without sin.

He was lifted upon the cross and bore the judgment sinners deserved.

He died, was buried, and rose bodily from the grave.

And Jesus promises:

“Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Believing means turning from your sin and placing the full weight of your trust upon Jesus.

You do not need to clean yourself before you come.

You come because He is the only one who can cleanse you.

So stop hiding.

Stop trying to save yourself.

Stop trusting your religion.

Stop telling yourself you will deal with Jesus later.

Look to Jesus and live.

Walking forward cannot save you.

Raising your hand cannot save you.

Repeating certain words cannot save you.

Jesus saves.

But if you are ready to trust Jesus, you can call upon Him right where you are:

“God, I have sinned against You. I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus died for sinners and rose from the grave. I turn from my sin and trust in Jesus alone.”

Those words are not magical. A prayer does not save you; Jesus does.

But if that expresses the genuine response of your heart, Jesus promises that everyone who believes in Him receives eternal life.

If you are ready to trust Jesus, or if you need help understanding what that means, please speak with one of our leaders tonight.

Do not remain in darkness because you are embarrassed.

There is no shame in admitting that you need the Savior. Every Christian has had to admit:

“I cannot save myself. I need Jesus.”

God has provided His Son.

Jesus was lifted up for sinners.

He rose from the grave.

Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Look to Jesus and live.