Love (Advent 2021)

Introduction |

If you turn on Hallmark this time of year you seem to find the perfect formula for love.

High school Sweethearts, one moves to the big city, the others stays home for a selfless job, the big city heartbreaker returns around Christmas to rekindle the unforgotten romance.

The story of Christmas really gives a different picture of true love. The love that spills from the heart of God for his people.

John 2:23-3:17

v. 23-25 - Nicodemus was most likely seen as one of these types of people. Curious, concerned, interested, but not full convinced that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.

Many believed in what they saw, but they were unwilling to truly believe in whom they saw doing the signs.

John 4:48 - So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

Here it is important to recognize that Jesus will not be manipulated.

The Gospel according to John (4. Inadequate Faith (2:23–25))

Unlike other religious leaders, he cannot be duped by flattery, enticed by praise or caught off-guard in innocence.

v.24 - Even among this group of people who were drawn in by miraculous signs, Jesus did not entrust himself to them. He did not reveal himself fully.

This should alarm and comfort us at the same time. Jesus is not looking for half-hearted amazement or devotion, but those who trust fully in him .

(Jn. 10:14,15) “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…”

John 3: 1-9 - The Longing of Mankind (To be a part of something bigger while still being in control)

Nicodemus is curious, concerned, at least deeply interested in what Jesus is doing and who he is.

v.2 - “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.”

Teacher, we know that you are from God. Nicodemus was not sure what this meant, but there was something about Jesus - he knew that no mere mortal could do what he had done.

“We” - Nicodemus is probably speaking on behalf of the Pharisees, or at least asking these questions based on discussions the religious ruling class were asking about him.

v.3- Jesus answers Nicodemus - “ [U]nless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This would have been shocking to Nicodemus, as you can see from his response.

“How can a man be born when he is old?”

But, Jesus knew exactly what he was talking about, and he knew that Nicodemus would need to understand too in order to move from simply knowing about God to seeing the kingdom of God.

v.5 - Truly, truly… this is the second time (of 3) that Jesus starts his sentence with this phrase.

Ex. Seriously, let me tell you…, or “Honestly…

Jesus is drawing attention to the seriousness of what he is saying! This is not merely a human enterprise, but a spiritual one.

Nicodemus‘ entire worldview was being challenged!

One must be born again (water and spirit) to see/enter the kingdom of God.

A lot of ink has been spilled trying to figure out what Jesus is saying here. What does it mean to be born of water and spirit?

From the context you should take the two (water and spirit) together to describe a spiritual work that cannot be accomplished through human effort.

So, for our purposes today, we will simply rest in knowing that Jesus is explaining that there is a God given birth that must be experienced for one to see/enter his kingdom.

v.8 - The working of God in the new birth is so mysterious, Jesus says it is like the wind.

There has never been a person who has seen the wind. We can see the effects of the wind, but not the wind itself.

Ezekiel 37 - “breath” (v.5) “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.”

John: An Introduction and Commentary Additional Note: Being Born of Water and the Spirit

Just as people cannot see where the wind comes from or where it is going but can hear its sound, so too people cannot understand how they are born of the Spirit but nevertheless experience its reality in their lives. This is a reminder for us not to tie the experience of being born of the Spirit to particular evangelistic formulae, but to recognize the ways of the Spirit with different people may be different, though always, as this Gospel makes abundantly clear, connected with faith in Jesus Christ.

v.9 - “How can these things be?” Nicodemus could not understand the very scriptures that he had dedicated his life to. He could not see the kingdom of God!

He was full of knowledge, expereiences, he had even witnessed and discussed the miracles of Jesus, and he had come to talk with him, but that was not enough - the wind of God had not moved upon him.

How can this be?

John 3:10-18 The Love of God

At this time, you can see that Nicodemus becomes silent. He doesn’t ask or answer anymore questions. Jesus breaks into a monologue to describe the depth of the love of God.

Jesus, very directly, asks Nicodemus “Are you not the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?”

Remeber, Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin, he was a part of the most elite religious circles, conversations, and teachings. However, Jesus’ teaching on being born again was outside of his understanding.

Remember, many followed Jesus and were curious about him because of his signs and wonders - things they could see, but what Jesus just told Nicodemus was unable to be seen.

The Gospel according to John (5. Jesus and Nicodemus (3:1–15))

Nicodemus had approached Jesus with a certain amount of respect (v. 2), but he had not even begun to appreciate who Jesus really was. At bottom, Nicodemus’s failure was not a failure of intellect but a failure to believe Jesus’ witness: you people do not accept our testimony. The failure to believe was more reprehensible than the failure to understand, since it betrayed a fundamentally inadequate appreciation of who Jesus is.

v.13 - Jesus, knowing Nicodemus’ inability to understand, turned the conversation to something that he would have known quite well. The O.T.

First, Jesus establishes his credibility to interpret heavenly things because he came from heaven.

v.13 - No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

This title is used of the Messiah, and having come down from heaven he had come to do more than declare heavenly things. He came to reveal them…

v.14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man (Dan. 7) be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Numbers 21 - The Israelite people were frustrated with the plans of God. They felt that he had brought them out of Egypt only to see them die of dehydration and starvation. They hated the manna that he provided.

So God sent judgement upon them in the form of biting venomous snakes. Many Israelites died.

The people, knowing that they had sinned against God, went to Moses and asked him to pray for them.

Moses does, and God shows compassion on them. He told Moses to make a fiery serpent and put it up on a pole so that when the people look at it they will live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it up on the pole and if they were bitten by a snake they would look to the top of the pole and be saved.

Nicodemus would have known this amazing story very well.

But, what Jesus says next would have blown him away.

The Son of Man who descended, will be lifted up just as the serpent was lifted up to save.

Jesus, in this one conversation has revealed the longing of man for that which we can never get, and he would show the love of God which we can only receive.

Generation after generation has looked to the things of this world, to science, the supernatural, to relationships to meet their deepest desires. But, what mankind is truly longing for is the love of God. This is something that you and I can never win on our own.

Just as the Israelites had cursed God and the venom of God’s judgement ran through their veins. All of mankind, in our sin, are under the judgement of God and the venom of sin runs through our veins.

Like Israel we need the grace of God to provide a way of salvation, and here Jesus tells Nicodemus that he too, the Son of Man, would be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Nicodemus would not have had a category for this. He, like Israel, was looking for a king that would be lifted up, but not unto death. The savior Nicodemus was looking for would be an earthly king above all others.

v.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.

We can’t take this verse in isolation, it is connected to Jesus conversation with Nicodemus. For God SO loved the world…that he gave his son so they mankind can be born again, can see and enter the kingdom, so that they would not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus came to express the love of God for his people unto death.

Roman 5:6-8 - For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If you ever want to grasp God’s love for sinners look to the cross - He so loved you that he killed his son that you might live.

You see, every one who will believe in him will have eternal life.

Pink - In relation to the serpent in the wilderness, he states “No matter how many times he may have been bitten; no matter how far the poison had advanced in its progress toward a fatal issue, if you but looked he should live. Such is the gospel declaration: “whoever believes in him should not perish, bug have everlasting life. There is no exception. The vilest wretch on the face of the earth, the most degraded and despised, the most miserable and wretched of all human kind, who believes in Christ shall be saved by Him with an everlasting salvation. Not sin but unbelief can bar the sinner’s way to the Savior.”

In the first responder world there is a mental state called “normalcy bias.”

This is when there is a threatening situation taking place but those involved don’t realize it because they subconsciously focus on what seems normal to block out the threat.

As you can imagine this is dangerous!

I think many are living in the Church with a form of spiritual normalcy bias.

We don’t see the threat of sin, the consequence of a broken relationship with God, the rejection of his love toward us in Christ.

We would rather operate as if everything is okay, like we are good enough, “I mean, the venom hasn’t spread too far.”

The thing that separates us eternally from the love of God is not one specific sin, but the sin that encompasses them all - UNBELIEF!

We need to stop looking at your discontent, your lust, your pride, your lying, your coveting, and understand that all of these are symptoms of the greater problem of unbelief and look to Jesus.

v.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.

Here we see further into the heart of God. Just like he didn’t tell Moses to hold up the serpent to condemn the Israelites, Jesus did not come to condemn but to cover all who will believe in him.

Today, is the day that we move from normalcy bias to look through our sin, our doubt, and temptations to the love of God in Jesus.

He was not crucified to torment you, but to make a way that you can understand the love of God for you.

John Piper - “The love of God provides escape from the wrath of God by sacrificing the Son of God to vindicate the glory of God in forgiving sinners. That's the Gospel.”

Maybe you have questioned your belief. Have I believed enough or believed in the right things?

Friends, God does not ask you to believe in your belief, but in Jesu Christ!

God’s love is not something that you can earn, it is something that God has given in Christ - his love can only be received.

Pink - “In that great crowd of snake bitten Israelites there would have been some with a clear view of the bronze serpent, others who were further away, and others who could barely see it because of their condition, but the scriptures record “It shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looks upon the serpent, shall live.” And so it is today, God doesn’t describe the method or the manner of belief, so even if a poor sinner comes groping, stumbling, falling, yet if only he will believe there is a warm welcome into the eternal love of the Father for you.

May you look upon Christ and receive the love of God, not through your perfection, but in his.