The Good News

For many they imagine some sort of grandfather like figure sitting in the heavens that is happy when you obey his teachings and ready to smite you when you disobey.

He is a

God’s love is not fickle.

God’s love is not trite.

God’s love is not fleeting.

God’s love is perfect, holy, and readily available.

This is probably the most well known verse in all of Scripture.

It’s on bumper stickers, t-shirts, necklaces, and even Football players paint it on their eye black.

For most of us this was the first verse of Scripture that we memorized.

It has been used to remind us that God loves us and to show others that God loves them too.

And this is an important statement in the New Testament b/c it summarizes the Gospel message in just a few short statements.

And yet unfortunately the meaning and impact of this verse can become somewhat dull for us.

Not because we don’t believe it. But because we become desensitized to it’s meaning, depth, and richness.

Also, many times we stop with verse 16, when the following verses are just as important to the message being presented.

Let’s look at it today with fresh eyes.

John 3:16 CSB

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.

God’s Love

Before we get into it too deep, I want to let you in on a few secrets about the original languages that the bible is written in.

Specifically, for our text today, Greek.

In Koine Greek, or the Greek that the bible was written in, they didn’t have quotations marks or any of the modern day styling of writing that we do today.

They don’t have red letters.

They don’t have any punctuation.

So when people translate the words into English they have to make decisions.

There are stylistic choices that need to be made.

Well here in these verses most of the English bibles attribute v. 16-21 as being spoken by Jesus.

That was a choice made many years ago, and is still followed today.

However, most scholars and theologians don’t believe that this is actually Jesus talking to Nicodemus, but rather John commenting on what had just been said.

Now there are specific reasons as to why that is, but it has to do with grammar, syntax, and phraseology.

I say all that to say this.

God’s word is good.

God’s word is perfect.

God’s word is inspired.

and these stylistic choices are helpful, but they are not perfect.

They are good, but not Inspired.

Just like the verse numbers and chapter divisions the red lettering is helpful, but not inspired.

Yet regardless of if this is John’s commentary on the Jesus conversation or these were actually Jesus’ words the truth of the Word’s remain the same.

So don’t get bogged down or overwhelmed, b/c the truth is still there.

The statement begins with a simple word that is often overlooked.

The word “for”.

This comes right after Jesus explaining to Nicodemus about what he came to do.

If we look back for a second to John 3:14-15 “14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

We talked about it last week.

God desires to save people.

He wants people to have eternal life.

But the only way to have eternal life is to look to Jesus.

The only way this life is given is through the gift of the Father.

So b/c God wants people to have life he provides that life for us through the giving of the Son.

God shows us the extent to which he will go to provide salvation to his creation.

God’s love is unearned.

He provides it for us if we look to Jesus.

Just like those Israelites in the wilderness as they were bit by the venomous serpents they were saved by looking up to God’s salvation.

We are all infected with the venom of sin.

The only cure.

The only remedy is looking to Jesus.

We can ask the question why does God love us.

We can pontificate.

We can speculate.

We can bloviate, but the reality is God loves us b/c he loves us.

And it is unearned.

And God’s love is the only kind of love that is truly unearned.

I remember when I was chasing after Corrie.

I was trying to earn her affection.

I was trying to earn her love.

I was trying to prove to her that I was worthy to love back.

But God isn’t like that.

He loves his creation simply b/c it exists.

He loves you simply b/c you exist.

This is demonstrated by John’s use of the word world here in this verse.

We can miss the glory of this word here in John.

B/c most of the time we think about God’s capacity to love.

The world is so big. There are so many people here.

God must be big if his love is big enough for the world.

But what is really going on here is much more glorious.

When John talks about the world.

He is talking about the falleness of the world.

He is talking about the rebellion of the world.

He is talking about the wickedness of the World.

Yes God’s love is wide.

But what’s most astounding is the depth of God’s love.

That God would stoop down to love a creation that hates his guts.

That God would have compassion on the people that Shout in his face “I hate You”

That God would save people that would rather live in their sin.

That’s what’s so amazing about God’s love.

Paul puts it this way.

Rom 5:8 “8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love is the backdrop by which he does everything.

God loves this rebellious world.

God loves you in your rebellion.

That is great news.

God’s love is demonstrated to us.

God’s love is tangible.

God’s love is sacrificial.

“For God loved the world in this way: That he Gave his one and only Son”

God’s love is not a thought experiment.

God’s love is not a philosophy.

God’s love is self-sacrificing.

God’s love is not sentimental.

God’s love is not a feeling.

God’s love is demonstrated.

This is the problem we have in our time and culture.

For many Love is fleeting.

We can fall out of love.

Love is mostly emotive.

Meaning that Love is ever shifting.

That my love for you is dependent on how you love me.

How I feel.

How I am treated.

It’s all about me, myself, and I.

But we have to learn from God what real love is.

Love is not a feeling.

Love is not emotion.

Love is not self-serving.

Love is not selfish.

1 John 4:8 and 4:16 tell us that God is love.

His very character, attributes, and demeanor towards his creation demonstrates love.

In the ‘90s, Christian Rock band DC Talk came out with a song that sums this up: Love is a Verb.

Love comes with action.

Love is demonstrated.

God shows us what love is by giving his one and only son.

For many of us the way we know this verse is “For God So loved the world”

But if you notice in this translation its worded differently.

“For God loved the world in this way”

The word translated “so” into most English translations makes us think that God’s love is quantitative.

Meaning when we read for God so loved the world, we translate it in our minds to God loved the world sooo much that he gave.

But the Greek word here is not meant to be quantitative, but qualitative.

So how did God love us in this way that he Gave.

This should strike us to our core.

What did we deserve nothing.

But What did God give…everything.

That’s love.

And that’s the kind of love that we are called to imitate.

A love that is self-sacrificing.

A love that gives all that we have, are, and hope to be.

A radical love that loves those that despise us.

If we go back to those verses in 1 John where it talks about God is love it should challenge us.

1 John 4:8 “8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:16 “16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.”

1 John 4:19 “19 We love because he first loved us.”

Do you love like Jesus?

This isn’t just a cute phrase.

This is at the heart of the gospel.

This is at the heart of being a follower of Jesus.

Are you demonstrating love to the world?

God does not hold back when it comes to his love of the world.

God gives good gifts to his children.

James 1:17 “17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

And here he gives the best gift.

He gives the most important gift.

He gave his one and only son.

Here we hear the Echos of Gen 22.

This should remind us of Abraham and his sacrifice of Isaac.

Isaac was spared, but our Father didn’t spare his Son for us.

Jesus endured death.

There wasn’t a ram in the thicket to save Jesus, because he is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Why did God give Jesus?

Why did God surrender Jesus to death?

the simple answer is love.

The Gift of Jesus is so great that we should not ever question God’s love for us.

Romans 8:31-32 “31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?”

I want to reassure you that God’s love for you doesn’t change because of your circumstance.

Even if God feels far away…he still loves you.

Even if the pain, sorrow, and heartache is too much to bear…he still loves you now.

The Cross of Jesus is the assurance of the promise that God still loves you now.

He gave the greatest gift to you then.

Don’t you believe that he will give you what you need now.

All of our hope.

All of our joy.

All of our assurance that God loves us is demonstrated in the cross of Jesus.

He’s solved our greatest problem.

He conquered Sin.

He defeated death.

He assures us of life with him.

Regardless of what has happened to us, what is happening now, and what will happen in the future, we can rest assured that God demonstrated his love to us when he gave the most precious gift he had to give in Jesus.

Here’s what we have to remember and recognize, the promise of Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t something that we just rest on in the future.

It’s something that we can bank on right now.

Jn 3:16 “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.”

If you believe in Jesus, if you have looked up to the Exalted one and are healed John promises us that we have eternal life.

But this eternal life isn’t just and endless number of days when you die.

This eternal life is about a quality of life right here, right now, and forever more.

Your eternal life is present right now.

You have been transformed into a new creation.

You have been made complete.

Made whole b/c of Jesus’ sacrifice.

You have the capacity to love like Jesus loves.

You have been made alive spiritually.

You are now eternal.

You have been justified now.

You have been called now.

If you believe in him.

This isn’t simply a generic belief in anything which is popular in our culture today.

There is only one belief that makes you spiritually alive.

And that is belief in the Son.

And belief is not just an intellectual understanding or confirmation.

Belief is to be lived out.

Are you conformed or being conformed to the image of Jesus?

Are you walking in his footsteps?

Are you demonstrating love, mercy, compassion, and grace?

Belief in Jesus is faith in what he’s done and commitment to what he’s doing.

We were studying on Wed. Night 1 Peter 2. And I joked that I was just going to come up here and read one of the passages and then sit down b/c it is so powerful.

And it’s true for all who are in Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Those are all true of you right now.

Not in the future. Right now.

if you believe.

But what about those that don’t believe?

John 3:17–18 CSB

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

God’s Grace

Jesus came to save the world not condemn it.

God looked down on the world.

The wickedness.

The Brokenness.

The Selfishness and the Sin and said that he wants to save it.

So Jesus was sent to save it.

He had every right to condemn it.

He could have come and wiped it all away.

But instead he came to pave a way to salvation.

God’s love for sinners caused him to send his Son to save sinners.

We can sit here and argue about what it means to be chosen.

What it means to be the elect of God.

What it means that God saves some and doesn’t save others.

But here’s what we have to understand…No one deserves to be saved.

The question isn’t why does God save some and not save others.

The question is why does God save any at all.

Listen, God is patient with us.

And this is why I can get so frustrated with some Christians.

They want God to rain down judgement.

Look, I am disgusted with what is happening in our World.

I am heartbroken about what is happening in Ukraine.

But I don’t want Putin to be murdered.

I desire that he would be saved.

But we can be so quick to cast judgment.

We can be so quick to condemn.

Are their wicked people in our world that do wicked things.

Absolutely.

If they don’t repent will they face the wrath of God? Undeniably.

Should we desire that they get their “just deserts”? No.

We should desire that they would be saved.

Because we all deserve condemnation but for the grace, mercy, and love of God.

Here’s what we see here in this verse until someone trusts and believes in Jesus they are under condemnation.

Meaning that at one point in time you were under condemnation.

I was under condemnation.

Condemnation is our default position.

It isn’t until we are born again and place our faith in Jesus that we are no longer condemned.

That’s when we are transferred from death to life.

Condemnation isn’t a future judgement it is a reality now for all who outside of Jesus.

Just like if you are in Christ now you are already saved.

If you are outside of Christ now you are condemned.

But that is also a future reality.

If you die condemned you will stay condemned.

If you die saved you will stay saved.

These are present realities

So all those people that you wish, hope, or think that God should condemn were so special to God that he sent Jesus to die so that they could be brought out of condemnation.

It’s so easy for us to forget that we were once there too.

Here’s the great news about the love of God is that we can go from condemned to not condemned.

We can go from covered in sin and shame to being washed clean.

We can go from enemies of God to children of God.

We can go from living in darkness to basking in his light.

God can remove the judgement of condemnation off of you right now b/c of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

You can be made right in the eyes of God.

You can be justified by the blood of Jesus.

If you believe and trust in Jesus’ redemption you are no longer condemned.

Rom 8.1 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,”

God’s intention is that people are saved.

That’s why he sent Jesus.

God wants to save sinners.

God wants to redeem people.

But not all people want to be saved.

Not all people want to be redeemed.

Not all people want to be saved.

Not all people want Jesus.

Just as God’s love drives him to provide salvation what we love will drive us to either submit to God or live a life of self-indulgence.

Many years ago, I used to train dogs.

One of the things that most people struggle with when owning a God is getting the dog’s attention.

Especially when they take the dog on walks.

I would always tell them that where their dogs nose goes so goes the dog.

What they are following with their nose is going to dictate where they go.

So I would train people to help their dogs keep their noses off the ground and to have their attention focused on where they are going.

It’s like that for us.

Except its not where our nose goes, but where our hearts go that guide us.

What we love, truly love will dictate what we do.

Notice its not what we say we love, but what we actually love that moves us.

And John is going to hit that hard in the last 3 verses of our text today.

John 3:19–21 CSB

19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

People’s Reaction

We talked about this a few weeks ago when the light of Jesus is shown on the lives of sinners some are drawn to it like a moth to a flame and some flee from it like cockroaches.

Here’s the thing we have friends and family members who don’t understand what we find so intriguing about getting up to worship Jesus.

They don’t understand why we believe.

But what is evident by people’s reaction to Jesus is what they love.

Do they love their sin more than Jesus?

Or do they love Jesus more than their sin?

Because what we love is going to drive us.

The light of Jesus has come into the world.

His power, presence, and prestige are all over the place.

But unfortunate many love the darkness more than the light.

Why because the light exposes them.

The light exposes their evil deeds.

The light exposes our selfishness.

The light exposes everything that is an affront to God.

And when our deeds, selfishness, and rebellion is exposed there is pain, shame, and anger.

We don’t want to get exposed.

You see, we love to think that we are better than we actually are.

We don’t want our flaws to be exposed.

We want the world to look at us and see that we are good.

Here’s the reality, even those of us who are followers of Jesus can shamefully admit that we love our sin.

Sin brings pleasure.

Sin brings temporary happiness.

Sin brings us what I want, when I want it, and how I want it.

But at the same time, we know that Jesus loves us more than our sin.

That his surpassing and abounding love can conquer our sin.

That love for Jesus bring Joy, satisfaction, and wholeness.

But for those outside of Jesus they can’t see that something is greater than their sin.

They don’t recognize that Jesus’ love, acceptance, and grace is better than selfishness, pride, anger, gossip, slander, and greed.

When we are outside of Jesus we don’t believe that the light is good.

We don’t want God to reveal our brokenness, rebellion, and sin.

So we run from the light.

Because we love the darkness.

And then for some of us God’s love, grace, and mercy are so persistent that he chases us until the light can’t be avoided.

And when all our wickedness is exposed we see that there is not condemnation, shame, and guilt, but rather love, mercy, and grace.

But coming into the light, having your life exposed is painful.

Because we aren’t as good as we want to believe we are.

Especially when we are measured against a holy and perfect God.

But if we love the truth and we live by the truth we are made new.

We are born again.

We are transformed.

Our desire to love the darkness more than the light shifts and flips.

Because we are brought into his marvelous light.

If you belong to the light.

If you have said yes to Jesus.

I want you to know that you have no room to boast.

This hasn’t happened because you are better or more superior to someone else.

This has happened because of God great love.

You should never look at someone outside of God’s light and cast your own condemnation on them.

But for the grace of God you would still be where they are.

Notice v. 21

jn 3:21 “21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.””

The works of the one who has come into the light are not accomplished because of you.

They are shown to be accomplished by God.

The belief that you have, the life that you have, the new birth that you experienced was because God has opened your eyes.

We can look at the sin of those around us and cast judgement, shame, and condemnation on them.

Or we can show them the love of Jesus.

What separates people from God isn’t simply their sin, it’s their unbelief.

They don’t believe that God is good.

They don’t believe that they can be forgiven.

They don’t believe that their life can have meaning when serving God.

They don’t believe.

So they need to be saved out of their unbelief.

When they believe, their sin will be exposed and then God will work on them.

God will cleanse them.

God will purify them.

God will change the desires of their heart.

But first belief, then change.

So I want to ask you

Where are you today?

Do you believe in Jesus?

Are you living a life submitted to his Lordship?

That is the call of Jesus.

Believe in Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Christian, don’t doubt Jesus’ love for you.

He loves you tremendously.

He loves you more than you can imagine.

He loves you so much that he spread his arms apart and died for you.

Sally Lloyd-Jones “The Jesus Storybook Bible”

"So you're a king are you?" the Roman soldiers cheered then you'll need a crown and a robe. They gave Jesus a crown made out of thorns. And put a purple robe on Him. And pretended to bow down to Him. "Your Majesty!" they said. Then they whipped Him. And spat on Him. They didn't understand that this was the Prince of Life, the King of heaven and earth, who had come to rescue them. The soldiers made him a sign—“Our King” and nailed it to a wooden cross. They walked up a hill outside the city. Jesus carried the cross on His back. Jesus had never done anything wrong. But they were going to kill Him the way criminals were killed. They nailed Jesus to the cross. "Father, forgive them,” Jesus gasped. “They don't understand what they're doing.” "You say you've come to rescue us!" people shouted. “But you can't even rescue yourself!" But they were wrong. Jesus could have rescued Himself. A legion of angels would have flown to His side-if He'd called. “If you were really the Son of God, you could just climb down off that cross!" they said. And of course they were right. Jesus could have just climbed down. Actually, He could have just said a word and made it all stop. Like when He healed that little girl. And stilled the storm. And fed five thousand people. But Jesus stayed. You see, they didn't understand. It wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love. (The Jesus Storybook Bible, 302–6)

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