God's Grand Plan - John 3:9-21

© October 18th, 2020 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Gospel of John

This week we continue the story of the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus. If you recall, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to ask him some questions. When Jesus told him that in order to be saved he must be born again, Nicodemus was terribly confused. He didn’t understand what that meant or how it was possible. Jesus tried to explain it to him, but Nicodemus simply couldn’t grasp the idea of a spiritual rebirth—because he hadn’t experienced it.

Today we will look at the second half of that conversation, where Jesus lays out God’s grand plan of salvation and His reasons for doing so. It is a passage rich in wonderful gospel truths.

Nicodemus’ Confusion

Even after Jesus’ initial attempts to explain the concept of being born again, Nicodemus was confused. So this time Jesus takes a different approach.

9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (John 3:9-12, NLT)

Jesus chastises Nicodemus for his lack of understanding. As a Jewish religious leader, one would have hoped Nicodemus had a good understanding of God’s plan for humanity. But he didn’t. He was not alone. The group Jesus chastised the most was the religious leaders of the day. They were unwilling to hear Jesus’ message even though He was the Messiah they claimed to be waiting for.

Jesus said, “We tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony.” There is debate about who this “we” refers to. Some believe Jesus was referring the trinity, though he didn’t typically speak that way. Others think it refers to Jesus and his disciples. Most likely, however, Jesus is talking about the witness of both himself and the Old Testament prophets. In truth, probably all three options have merit. The point is the religious leaders refused to listen to anyone’s testimony but their own. This was their major issue—it wasn’t that Nicodemus or the other religious leaders were unable to hear the truth, it was that they were unwilling.

We should take note of this. We can study God’s Word without actually listening to it. That is what the Jewish religious leaders were doing. They knew the Old Testament forwards and backwards. And yet, even though the Old Testament prophets spoke clearly about the nature of the Messiah, they were blinded by their own preconceived notions. They only heard what they wanted to hear as they read the scriptures.

We must be careful not to make the same mistake. We must allow the Bible to speak to us rather than attempting to read our agenda into it. Many people are led astray because they form their conclusions and then search the Bible for validation rather than looking to God’s Word for insight and basing their conclusions on that.

Jesus spoke directly to the major issue for Nicodemus—an unwillingness to believe. Jesus pointed out that if Nicodemus wouldn’t even listen to anyone but himself about earthly things (which are of ultimately little importance), then there is no reason to expect he would listen to Him about heavenly things (which are of utmost importance)!

Jesus and the Snake

Jesus makes one more effort to help Nicodemus understand God’s overarching plan.

13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. (John 3:13-15, NLT)

Jesus references a story that is obscure to most of us but would have been well-known to Nicodemus. He said just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole, so the Son of Man (that is Jesus) must be lifted up. To understand the analogy Jesus is making, we have to go back to the Old Testament to get some background.

The story Jesus is referencing is recorded in Numbers 21. It occurred when Moses and the Israelites were still wandering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Once again, the Israelites began to complain to Moses, and they doubted God’s provision for them. God’s response was to send a plague of poisonous snakes among them. Many died, and the language used suggests that the venom of these snakes caused an extreme burning pain before it killed the people. Eventually the people came running back to Moses (and the Lord) and asked Moses to pray for God to take the snakes away. Instead, God gave Moses a different, seemingly odd solution.

God told Moses to craft a replica of one of these poisonous snakes in bronze, and then mount it high up on a pole. God’s instructions were that when anyone was bitten by one of these poisonous snakes, they should look at the bronze snake on the pole and they would be healed. That’s basically the end of the story.

Jesus compares himself to this snake on the end of the pole. What did He mean by this? I think there are several parallels.

First, the snake represented sin, and Jesus became sin for us. The snakes were sent as a judgment for sin, and snakes are often symbolic of sin. Even in the garden of Eden, Satan spoke to Adam and Eve in the form of a snake. Jesus, by dying on the cross for us, took on himself our sin—He became sin for us.

Second, the snake was lifted up, and Jesus would also be lifted up. The snake was elevated so everyone in the camp could see it and be saved. Jesus would be lifted up on the cross and crucified as a spectacle for all to see. And we are told that later Jesus will be exalted so that everyone will worship before Him.

Third, Jesus and the snake both offered salvation. If the people looked at the snake they would be saved from the effects of the venom, which would ultimately kill them. Jesus, in an even fuller way, offers salvation to those who trust in him. He offers salvation from the venom of sin in our lives, which will lead to not only physical death but also spiritual death.

Fourth, faith is required to receive the salvation offered by both Jesus and the snake. It would have been tempting to scoff at the idea that simply looking at the bronze snake would bring healing, especially after seeing so many others die from their bites. It would have been easy to turn away from the snake and search out a doctor or someone who seemed to have success in treating snakebites. But the only way to be saved was to turn to the snake and trust that God would bring healing as He had promised to do.

In the same way, the gospel message seems almost too good to be true. Jesus offers forgiveness if we will trust Him. The temptation we face is to turn to all sorts of other gurus, teachers, or acts of religious devotion in the hopes that those things will save us. But our only hope is to stop trying to solve the problem on our own and instead look to Jesus, who has been lifted up, once again trusting that God will deliver on His promise. Jesus told Nicodemus he was like the snake in the wilderness because everyone who trusted in Him would have life—they would not merely be spared from dying of a snakebite, but they would be given eternal life.

God’s Plan

Jesus follows this up with what is probably the most famous verse in the Bible.

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)

There is a reason John 3:16 is the most well-known verse in scripture. It is a succinct and rich explanation of the entire gospel summed up in a single verse. There are a couple things we need to see from John 3:16.

First, God’s actions are motivated by love. John tells us the reason Jesus came into the world is because He loves the world. When we talk about judgment and condemnation, sometimes people fail to see that God loves the world. He loves all people. He will indeed judge and punish sin, but He still loves the people He has created. Because of that, He made a way for us to be forgiven of our sin. He could have abandoned us and let us reap the just rewards of our sin (condemnation), but He chose instead to make a way for us to be forgiven. The reason for that is His love for the world. God loves you and wants to save you!

Second, God had a plan and took the initiative. God sent Jesus into the world for this express purpose. The amazing thing is Jesus coming into the world to save us was always God’s plan. In the book of Ephesians, we read that God had this plan in place before He even created the world! God was not surprised by our sin. God didn’t cause our sin, but for a reason only He fully knows, He allowed it to happen. And He sent Jesus to save us from the penalty we deserved. Sending Jesus was not God’s Plan B. There was only ever one plan—salvation through Jesus. One our own we have no hope. Without God taking the initiative to save us, we would be left dead in our sins. But praise God, He took the initiative to save you and me—just as He had planned from the beginning!

Third, this sacrifice was costly. John uses the analogy of a father sacrificing His only son for another. That’s what God did. Some have gotten the wrong idea when we speak of Jesus as God’s son. This doesn’t mean God literally had a child (like in some ancient mythologies), and it doesn’t mean that there was ever a time when the Son did not exist. Rather, this is intended to give us a picture of the kind of love God has for us. He was willing to sacrifice the One who was most dear to Him in order to save the people He loves. Jesus’ sacrifice shows us the magnitude of God’s love for us.

Fourth, it accomplishes much. There is a promise associated with Jesus coming into the world: anyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. This is an astounding statement. This does not mean believers will not experience physical death. Rather, it means we will not experience spiritual death. It is a reminder that there is life beyond this life—and those who trust in Jesus will experience that life (a life redeemed from the curse of sin) forever. What an amazing promise!

Fifth, the promise is for those who believe. There is a popular belief called Universalism. Universalists believe God will ultimately save everyone from their sin. They conclude that God’s love will cause Him to save everyone, regardless of belief. There was even a popular book written a few years ago called Love Wins that espoused this belief. But that is not what the Bible teaches. These verses say eternal life is for those who believe. Those who do not believe will not experience eternal life.

So, what does it mean to believe? I think the clearest explanation of belief is a conviction that results in a changed life. We can say we believe in lots of things, but what we do reveals what we really believe. Not long ago I installed a zipline at my house. I looked at it and felt confident it was safe. I believed it would hold my weight and allow me (and my girls) to travel safely over the ground (and the creek in my backyard). But if I said I believed it would hold me yet refused to get on it, you would say I didn’t really believe it was safe. True belief is shown by what we do. True belief results in me getting on the zipline and entrusting myself to it. (For the record, the zipline holds me just fine…and Jesus will deliver on His promises as well!)

Genuine belief in Jesus is about more than just saying we believe there was a real man named Jesus. It’s more than just saying we believe He rose from the dead. If we really believe in Him, it will change how we live. Real belief causes us to live for Him, follow Him, and seek to honor Him in our daily lives. We don’t do this in order to be saved (because that doesn’t work), we do it because we believe His way is best. And if we really believe that our lives will show it.

Light and Darkness

The last verses of this section are a sober reminder to examine ourselves as well.

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:17-21, NLT)

These verses reiterate that those who believe are spared the judgment we deserve. But those who do not will be condemned. The reason is simple: God provided a way of salvation, but they have chosen to reject it.

Jesus gives us some insight into the human heart in these concluding verses. He said the issue is not that there is not enough light to see the truth, it is that we love the darkness more than the light. We avoid the light because we don’t want to see the truth.

People who reject the gospel message are choosing to avoid the light of Christ. Jesus says they love the darkness more than the truth. But Christians can run from the light at times too. We all have areas of our lives we would prefer stayed in the darkness. The true believer in Christ wants to live in the light. Sometimes that is uncomfortable, because we see our sin clearly, but it is also the only way we can be healed. If we seek the truth (even if that truth is painful) it will set us free.

But we must be careful. We can convince ourselves we are living in the light even as we hide in the darkness. Here’s some examples of ways we might do that.

We become crusaders for what is “right”. We focus all our energies on trying to draw attention to all the problems we see in the world around us…while ignoring the problems inside of us. When we do this we are actually hiding in darkness.

We spend time reading the Bible, but only read the parts that seem to confirm what we think. We skip over the parts that are hard or the parts we don’t like. I love devotionals, but one of the downsides of devotionals is that they often don’t focus on hard or uncomfortable passages of scripture. Ones that focus on happy thoughts and God’s blessings tend to sell much better than ones that address the hard stuff. So don’t rely only on a devotional. Make sure you’re actually getting into the Bible. We must spend time studying God’s Word and allowing it to challenge us. Enjoy the fun, happy, and blessed parts, but also study the hard stuff. Wrestle with the hard truths rather than running from them.

We distract ourselves from our sin by reminding ourselves of all the good things we do. This allows us to ignore the areas we need to be working on. We focus on how much we’re giving to others so we can gloss over our greed. We justify our sinful speech by reminding ourselves we also talk to others about our faith. We justify our partying by focusing on the fact that we’re still in church on Sundays. We tell ourselves we’re not perfect, but we’re still pretty good. These things can be excuses to stay in the dark. Don’t let the good things you do blind you to the areas of your life where God wants to shine a light.

St. Augustine once famously prayed, “Lord make me good…but not yet.” Our natural tendency is to love the darkness because the light is scary. We persist in sin because we don’t know what we’re missing. We think we’re doing ok the way we are. But Jesus says His followers seek out the light because it helps us become who God wants us to be. We seek out the light because Jesus tells us it is far better than stumbling in the darkness. Yes, it may be uncomfortable to deal with the ugliness inside us, but God’s way is better. And the even better news is, He promises we don’t have to do it alone.

Conclusion

There is so much in this passage that it’s easy for us to get bogged down and miss some things. So, let me remind you of a couple important points as we close.

First, the gospel is for everyone—even you. This passage reminds us that Jesus came into the world to save sinners because he loves us. He loves you. He knows the ways you have messed up, and he loves you still. Jesus has made forgiveness possible for everyone. You can have forgiveness and eternal life, but you must believe in Him.

Second, real belief results in real change. The kind of belief Jesus talks about in these verses results in a changed life. It causes us to change our focus, to start reorienting our lives around Jesus rather than ourselves. It causes us to seek out the light rather than hiding in darkness. It causes us to do the hard things in life because we believe God’s way is better, and in the end, the hard stuff will be worth the effort.

Third, we need to keep moving toward the light. Nicodemus was convinced he was on the right track, but Jesus showed him he wasn’t. We are often more like Nicodemus than we’d like to admit. We try to distract ourselves from the fact that we are walking in darkness by focusing on everything else. Even Christians can love darkness without realizing it. So it is critical that we spend time in the light of God’s Word. If we do, God will use that to help fashion us into who He wants us to be.

These verses give a concise summary of the gospel message. God loves us even though He knows how sinful we are. And He has given us a way to be reconciled to him and have eternal life. The greatest gift of all time is the gift of Jesus Christ. We face a choice. If we reject Him, we are left in our sin and we will receive the condemnation we deserve. If we believe, we receive the greatest gift ever, eternal life. And that has been God’s plan all along.

© October 18th, 2020 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Gospel of John