REAL LIFE - JOHN 3:16

BIG IDEA: JESUS CAME TO GIVE US LIFE ETERNAL!

FOR NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, WE’LL BE DEALING WITH THE THEME OF LIVE - AND SHOWING THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES HOW JESUS CAME SO THAT WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE, SO THAT WE MIGHT LIVE!

A YOUNG WOMAN HAD BEEN ABUSED - NEGLECTED - TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF - SO MUCH SO THAT SHE LIVED HER LIFE WITHOUT ANY REGARD FOR HER LIFE OR FOR OTHERS…AS SHE DESCRIBES HERSELF: HER BLOOD WAS BLACK - HER HEART WAS BLACK...

BUT ONE DAY, SHE MADE HER WAY TO A SMALL GATHERING WHERE SOMEONE TOLD HER ABOUT JESUS, AND HOW HIS LOVE FOR HER COMPELLED HIM TO DIE FOR HER.

HEARING OF HIS LOVE BROKE THE CONCRETE OF HER HEART, AND SET HER ON THE PATH TO RELATIONSHIP - FORGIVENESS - REDEMPTION - NO MORE BITTERNESS TOWARDS THOSE WHO MISTREATED HER - NOW HER LIFE HAD MEANING - PEACE & PURPOSE! SHE NOW LIVED TO DEMONSTRATE GOD’S LOVE IN PRACTICAL WAYS! WOW...

FROM PAIN TO PEACE.

FROM WANDERING TO PURPOSE.

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT.

NOTHING MORE. NOTHING LESS. NOTHING ELSE - JESUS!

AWWW BELOVED, THAT’S WHY WE’VE MADE OUR WAY TO JOHN 3:16… IN THIS SINGULAR VERSE, WE DISCOVER HOW ONE CAN BE TRANSFERRED

FROM DEATH TO LIFE -

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT… HOW ONE WHOSE HEART AND BLOOD ARE BLACK CAN BE TRANSFORMED TO ONE WHO’S COMPASSIONATE - FORGIVING - PURPOSE-DRIVEN!

JOHN 3:16 IS ONE OF THE MOST QUOTED VERSES IN ALL OF THE BIBLE.

IN THIS ONE VERSE, WE SEE THE ENTIRE GOSPEL STORY “THE GOOD NEWS” - WE SEE THE CREATOR’S LOVE FOR ALL OF HIS CREATION (THE WHOLE WORLD), AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE HIS “ONE AND ONLY” TO CREATE A PATH TOWARDS KINGDOM AND A PATH AWAY FROM PERISHING - FROM SEPARATION. (((REAL LIFE)))

NOW, I CAN’T EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH JOHN 3:16, WITHOUT FRAMING THE CONTEXT OF JOHN 3.

JESUS HAS BEEN APPROACHED BY A PHARISEE (NICODEMUS) A RULER OF THE JEWS, AT NIGHT. WHILE JOHN DOESN’T CLARIFY WHY NIC CAME AT NIGHT, IT APPEARS TO BE SO THAT HE COULD HAVE UNINTERRUPTED TIME WITH JESUS....

NIC ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE’S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT JESUS - WITH HIS MIRACLES AND ALL, BUT NIC FALLS SHORT OF FULLY UNDERSTANDING WHO HE IS TALKING TO…SO, SINCE HE DOESN’T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHO HE IS TALKING TO, JESUS NEEDS HIM TO KNOW HE’LL HAVE AN EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW JESUS DOES WHAT HE DOES AND WHAT HIS OVERALL OBJECTIVES ARE…IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND KINGDOM WHEN YOU’RE TETHERED TO RELIGION!

JESUS SAYS (IN VS. 3) YOU CAN’T SEE ME OR MY PURPOSE UNLESS YOU ARE BORN AGAIN OR BORN FROM ABOVE...

AND THAT VERY PRINCIPLE IS CAPTURED IN JOHN 3:16...

TO BE BORN AGAIN OR BORN FROM ABOVE IS WHEN A REDEEMING EXCHANGE TAKES PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO RESPOND TO THE FATHER’S GIFT: CORINTHIANS SAYS THE OLD IS PAST AWAY - BEHOLD, ALL THINGS BECOME NEW. EPHESIANS SAYS IT’S A GRACE GIFT THAT WE SIMPLY RESPOND TO IN FAITH - IN BELIEF...

VS. 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.

WE’RE ALL ON THE PATH OF THE PERISHING!

THIS PRINCIPLE IS THE “WHY” TO THE FATHER’S GIFT! IT’S THE WHY TO OUR HEARTS AND BLOOD BEING BLACK...

WE ARE PERISHING...

WATCH THIS: YOU CAN LOOK GOOD AND STILL BE PERISHING!

PERISHING CUTS TO THE CORE OF OUR EXISTENCE...

EPHESIANS 2:1 - YOU WERE DEAD...

AND HERE’S THE ULTIMATE TRAGEDY: SOME ON THE PATH OF THE PERISHING (DEAD), WILL REMAIN ON THAT PATH AND ULTIMATELY EXPERIENCE (ETERNAL SEPARATION)…TO KNOW THAT THERE IS A PLACE WHERE GOD WILL WITHDRAW HIS PRESENCE...

THIS IS WHAT SIN DOES: IT BLINDS US TO THE POSSIBILITIES WITH GOD! Not long after a wealthy contractor had finished building the Tombs prison in New York, he was found guilty of forgery and sentenced to several years in the prison he had built! As he was escorted into a cell of his own making, the contractor said, "I never dreamed when I built this prison that I would be an inmate one day."

WE’RE ALL ON THE PATH TO THE PERISHING - IT’S IN OUR NATURE - WE WERE BORN INTO IT!

THAT’S WHY THIS RESURRECTION SEASON AND PREACHING SERIES IS SO CRUCIAL: WE MUST ENGAGE THOSE IN OUR LIVES - THOSE IN OUR CIRCLE - THOSE TO WHOM WE LOVE WITH A MESSAGE TO “LIVE!” A MESSAGE TO RECEIVE THE EXCHANGE THAT’S BEEN MADE AVAILABLE…

WE’RE ALL ON THE PATH OF THE PERISHING:

WE INHERITED IT! ROM. 3.23

CHRIST OVERCAME IT! ROM.5.8

SO, WHILE BEING ON THIS PATH TO PERISHING, WITH NO HOPE OR HELP IN OUR OWN MIGHT, GOD, THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF THE UNIVERSE, TAKES ACTION: (SECOND MOVEMENT) -

GOD’S SON SAVES PEOPLE FROM PERISHING!

GOD, MOTIVATED BY HIS LOVE FOR HIS CREATION, GIVES US A PATH OUT OF PERISHING, WHICH IS HIS SON - JESUS!

VS. 14-15 - JESUS’ OWN WORDS, AFFIRMS THAT HE HAS TO ENDURE A SACRIFICIAL DEATH, IN ORDER FOR THE PATH TO BE LAID TOWARDS “REAL LIFE.”

THERE IS NO LIVING WITHOUT (FIRST) SOME DYING…THIS IS GOD’S ECONOMY!

JUST AS THEIR IS NO REAPING WITHOUT SOWING…THERE IS NO LIVING WITHOUT DYING!

BUT THE ONLY DEATH WHO QUALIFIES - THE ONLY ONE WHOSE DEATH COULD PAY REDEMPTION’S PRICE IS GOD’S ONE AND ONLY (MONOGONESE) - JESUS CHRIST!

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

6 who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider equality with God

as something to be exploited.

7 Instead he emptied himself

by assuming the form of a servant,

taking on the likeness of humanity.

And when he had come as a man,

8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient

to the point of death—

even to death on a cross.

9 For this reason God highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow—

in heaven and on earth

and under the earth—

11 and every tongue will confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

JESUS - GOD’S SON - HAS TO BE LIFTED (UP ON THE CROSS) IN ORDER FOR US TO BELIEVE IN HIS FINISHED WORK ON THE CROSS!

OUR BELIEF IS SIMPLY A RESPONSE TO HIS ACTIONS…GRACE SAVES - OUR FAITH RESPONDS & RECEIVES!

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

LOVE DID IT!

CHRIST ENDURED IT!

JESUS AS SAVIOR (see also CHRIST and SAVIOR)

D.M. Stearns was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don't like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example." Stearns replied, "If I presented Christ in that way, would you be willing to follow Him?" "I certainly would," said the stranger without hesitation. "All right then," said the preacher, "let's take the first step. He did no sin. Can you claim that for yourself?" The man looked confused and somewhat surprised. "Why, no," he said. "I acknowledge that I do sin." Stearns replied, "Then your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example!"

WE’RE ALL ON THE PATH OF THE PERISHING!

GOD’S SON SAVES PEOPLE FROM PERISHING!

FINAL MOVEMENT:

OUR BELIEF ACCESSES GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR FLOURISHING!

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.

JESUS’ DEATH SAVES…WHICH IS A GRACE GIFT!

OUR RESPONSE IN BELIEF OF JESUS’ ACTIONS, ACCESSES GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR SAVING AND FLOURISHING!!!

LISTEN TO ME CLEARLY AND CAREFULLY! THIS ACCESS IS AVAILABLE TO (((EVERYONE))):

BELIEVE JESUS IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS...

BELIEVE JESUS DID WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS HE DID...

BELIEVE HIS ACTIONS CAN PERFORM WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS THEY CAN PERFORM...

VS. 17 - FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM...

JESUS CAME TO SAVE! HE DIED TO SAVE…AND HE’S RETURNING TO GATHER THOSE TO WHOM HE SAVED!!!

THOSE HE SNATCHED FROM THE PATH OF THE PERISHING...

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Salvation, Day Of

Salvation, Day of

The story is told of a time when Satan held a strategy session for subverting those who were close to salvation. “What shall we do?” asked Satan. A daring demon stood and shouted, “I have it! I know what we can do! We can tell men that there is no life after death, that they die like animals.” Satan’s face fell as he answered, “It will never work. Man is not ignorant; even atheists admit of times when they sense a tomorrow after death.”

Another demon spoke, “Here’s the solution! Let’s say there is no God or if there ever was, he is dead—because even if he started the universe, he has left it now.” Satan replied in dismay, “That won’t work either; most of them know there is a God, even though they don’t seek him.”

Other ideas were presented, but none brought hope to Satan and his underlings. Finally, as they were about to give up, one demon leaped in glee, “I have it! A sure solution!” The other demons crowded around to hear the plan. “Go tell them that God is real and the Bible is God’s Word.” A gasp came from the audience as the demon continued, “And tell them that Jesus is God’s Son and frees men from sin.” The other demons were horror-stricken, thinking that their associate had gone bananas, until, with a smile, he added, “Then tell them that this is not the best time to choose Christ. Help them make excuses for delaying their decision. Tell them there is no hurry!” The demons danced in delight, realizing a workable plan had been discovered.1165