Jesus Saves

John 3:13-21

Introduction

Although most people in church are followers of Jesus and the preaching that we hear is most often directed at helping people follow Jesus, once in a while it is good to proclaim the simple gospel message and that is what I would like to do today. Many of you have accepted this a long time ago and I hope as we review it that it will encourage you. There may be some here who have heard this message before and who may be very familiar with it, but have not fully embraced it. I would invite you today to consider accepting the good news of Jesus Christ. There may also be some here today for whom this is new information. I would invite you to listen with an ear to hear what God may be saying to you today. I speak from my heart today because Jesus is the one I love above all and He is the one who has given me life, peace for today and hope for all eternity.

It is not unusual to see John 3:16 in public places. I have seen it at golf games, on hats, bumper stickers and so on. I guess some people think is that if try to express the message of Jesus with one verse, this is probably one of the best. Although I am not sure quoting this reference is a very good witnessing tool because too many people in today’s world have no idea what it means, it is a very good verse for us to learn about the good news of Jesus Christ. So let’s take a careful look at it.

I.                God Loved and Gave

A.               God is Love

Jesus gave this message to Nicodemus who was a man who had a lot of religious knowledge, but not a lot of knowledge of God. The first thing that Jesus said was the good news is that “God so loved the world.” In saying this Jesus did not start with our need, or some desire that we have. His starting point is not a religious establishment or a human quest for God. The good news begins with God and not with God’s power or sovereignty, but it begins with God’s love. That tells us right from the start that whatever this good news will involve it comes from a place of love.

Why does God begin at the point of love? Because that is the nature of God. He is love. This means that love is at the core of every aspect of God’s being and every part of His interaction with people. God is a judge, but to know that He is judge and is love means that he is not judgmental. We associate being judgmental with making a judgment without knowing all the facts or assigning motives that may not be accurate. God’s judgment is accurate and fair because He is love. When He calls us sinners it is because we are sinners.

God is also all powerful, but because He is love it means that His power is not used to bully anyone. His power is used to create but also to punish all evil in a way that is right.

God knows all things, but He is not a know-it-all. His love means that His knowledge is used to bless and encourage and help.

God is sovereign over all things, but because He is love, it means that He is not controlling. That is the main reason why we have not been destroyed. The sovereign God has allowed us as human beings to make our own determination about what our life will be all about. He loves us enough to let us go and when we blow it badly, His love provides a way back.

That is what the love of God which initiates good news means. God understands us, since He created us and made us in His image. He cares about us and wants to help us. This love is the starting point of the good news of the gospel.

B.               God Gave His Son

If you love someone, how do you show that love to them? How is love communicated? Family therapists talk about the five love languages. Every person experiences love in different ways. Some feel loved primarily through words of affirmation others through acts of service, through gifts received, through quality time or through physical touch. Which of these communicates love most clearly to you?

God has used all of these to communicate His love to us through His Son. He prophesied the coming of Jesus to redeem His people and declared His love through those words of prophecy. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. God came into this world in the person of His Son and was physically available to us. But the greatest way in which God demonstrated His love was through the gift of His Son who came to live among us, to die for us and to rise again for our salvation.

We notice that the text says that He gave His “only” Son. This tells us that the gift which God gave was one that was very precious to Him. It was a valuable gift given to us sacrificially. Included in the phrase, “He gave His only Son” is all that Jesus did. In this phrase we recognize that Jesus left the glories of heaven. He was willing to leave that wonderful place and come to this not so wonderful place. He left perfection to enter into the world of sin. He left a place of trust, love, holiness and beauty to live in a place of mistrust, hatred, sin and brokenness. He left being God to become a child and live a completely human life.

As a human, Jesus lived on earth and came to know all about what it means to be human. God’s love includes the willingness to identify with every aspect of the human condition with all its struggles, pains and temptations. He came to know all about us. Yet as a human being, He lived without ever giving in to the sin that has its hold on every human being. He lived without sin. Those who hated Him could not accept Him and so they sought to kill Him. They succeeded not because they were more powerful than He was, but because He permitted them to put Him to death. Yet because death is punishment for disobedience to God and since he had never been disobedient to God, the death He died, He died in our place. In verse 14, Jesus talks about the Son of Man being lifted up. He was talking about Himself and knew that He would be hung on a cross. This is what happened. That is where Jesus died, and although He died and was buried, He did not stay dead. Three days later, Jesus was raised from the dead and in doing so was victorious over sin and death.

The Bible speaks in many different ways about what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Each of them helps us understand a different aspect of the meaning of the good news.

Romans 1:16 says, “…the gospel…is the power of God for salvation…” Salvation means that we were headed for trouble. We were on our way to being destroyed, but God provided a way out of it. He saved us from destruction.

In Matthew 9:2, Jesus proclaimed to the man he was healing “Your sins are forgiven…” The good news is that the guilt and punishment which we feel in the presence of God because we are guilty and worthy of punishment is removed and we are guilty no more and we will not be punished for the things we have done wrong.

In I Corinthians 5:17 we read, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” Through Jesus, God has renewed us so that we become people capable of following Him and capable of walking in holiness and love.

There are many more ways we can describe what Jesus has done for us. What a gift of love which has been given to us in Jesus!

               The other thing that we notice about this gift is that it is given to the world. There is no one excluded from this gift. It is given to everyone. It was given to the Jews who lived in Jesus day and is given to the children of Africa who have not yet been born. It was given to the pagan tribes of Northern Europe who became Dutch Catholics and then Mennonites and is for each one of the multitudes of people in China. It was given to the followers of Muhammad in the Middle East and is for the Catholic Pope who was born in South America. What Jesus did is for everyone on this entire globe. Morris says, “It is a distinctively Christian idea that God’s love is wide enough to embrace all mankind.”

II.             So Believe in Him

Yet although Jesus has given this gift to everyone and it is for everyone, not everyone accepts it. Twice in this passage, we are told that it must be believed. In John 3:15 we ready, “whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” In John 3:16 it says, “…everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

This is a key phrase. This gift must be received and it is received by belief in Jesus. What does it mean to believe in Jesus?

A.               Understanding Truth

Believing includes understanding certain truths. What is the truth we need to know? Do we have to know everything that a well-educated Bible teacher knows? Then this is not good news to most people who have never read all the books written about Jesus and have not studied theology! In verse 18, we have a summary of what needs to be believed. There we read that “those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  This tells us that belief must be belief in the name of Jesus the only Son of God. To believe this is to believe that Jesus is God who has come down to earth. Of course it is great to know much about Jesus and we can spend our life getting to know Him better, but what we must believe in order to believe in Him is that Jesus is God who came to earth.

This is the core belief because we must understand that Jesus is not just a moral teacher nor just a good moral influence in the world. He is God Himself who has come down and belief in Jesus begins with the recognition of that truth. And if we understand that truth, what does that mean?

B.               Accepting Jesus

To understand that truth means that we believe that God has come to earth for us and that we need Him in our life. The truth that Jesus is the Son of God who came from heaven to earth, must be personally embraced and accepted. Can we really say that we believe in Jesus if all we do is have an intellectual understanding of the truth that Jesus is the Son of God? There are many who recognize the truth about who Jesus is, but it does not impact their life in any way and they do not experience all of what God wants to do in their life because the truth about Jesus remains an abstract concept not a truth relevant to their own life.

To say we believe in Jesus must involve an understanding that He is God’s Son and that He has come into the world for us.

C.               Entering Relationship

When we accept that, it is clear that we must also enter into a relationship with Him. Believing in Jesus cannot be merely the understanding of an intellectual truth nor can it be merely receiving a gift from God. Believing in Jesus must also include inviting Jesus into our life. Believing in Jesus means that we accept Jesus not merely as a historical figure or as a God who is in heaven. It means accepting Him into our life as the one who has died in our place, who has forgiven our sins and has given us eternal life.

If we invite Jesus into our life we begin a relationship with Him and then we begin to truly understand what it means to believe in Him.

D.              Submitting to His Lordship

And if we do that, then we will also accept Him as Lord. To believe in Jesus means that we understand and submit to His Lordship in our life. It means that we understand that He is God and that He has given His life for us. It means knowing that what He has done, He has done for us. It means accepting Him into our life and it means that from that day on He is the Master of our life. If Jesus is God, which is the starting point of believing and if we have allowed Him to come into our life, then everything changes. Then the primary relationship in our life is a relationship with Jesus. Then we no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Him. Then we no longer follow our path, but rather the path He has set out for us

How many of us have stopped short of believing in Jesus. How many of us have acknowledged certain truths about Jesus, but have never recognized that those truths are meant for us personally? How many of us have recognized that those truths are for us personally, but have never allowed Jesus to enter into our lives? How many of us have allowed Jesus into our lives, but continue to fight His rule in our lives? To believe in Jesus is all of this - understanding the truth, accepting Jesus, entering into relationship with Him and submitting to His Lordship.

III.           And Receive Life

The verse concludes with two promises of what will happen if we believe in Him.

A.               You Will Not Perish

The promise is that those who believe “will not perish.”

Yet the first thing we wonder about is, “Why is Jesus talking about perishing?” If a young child makes a move to run out into traffic, the parent is terrified and quickly grabs the child. The parent knows that there is terrible danger, but the child is oblivious to the danger. Like that child, it may be that we are not aware of the mortal and eternal danger we are in. Verses 18-21 explain why we are in danger. There we are told that apart from Jesus we are under condemnation. We don’t have to do anything to “run out into traffic” because we are standing in the traffic already. Verse 18 says, “…those who do not believe are condemned already.”

How did we get under condemnation? We stand under condemnation because we have rejected God. The coming of Jesus revealed that rejection. Verse 19 says “people loved darkness rather than light.” When Jesus came into the world, He was absolute purity and perfection because there was no sin in Him at all. The brightness of his perfection revealed the sinfulness of everyone around Him. In Luke 5:8 Peter perceived that and said to Jesus, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” His perfection causes us to shy away from His light because we don’t want our sinfulness to be exposed. Who likes to be embarrassed with a revelation of the things they have done wrong? The sinfulness in us is revealed in our rejection of Jesus and in our self-centeredness when compared with His sinlessness and self-sacrifice. This is what it means when it says in verse 20, “all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light so that their deeds may not be exposed.” Because of that, we are all under condemnation. Matthew Henry says, “…they hate the light because it robs them of the good opinion they had of themselves.”

The problem is that we don’t realize this. I had worn glasses for many years and had not had them updated for some time. Then they broke and it was time to get new ones. I went to the optometrist and he tested my eyes and prescribed new glasses. After I picked them up, I was driving home and I looked at my fingers. I commented to Carla, “I have finger prints.” My old glasses had been so bad that I never noticed them until I looked through the new ones. If we look through the darkened eyes of our own life or even the eyes of those around us, we may not think that we are in darkness, but when our life is brought near to the life of Jesus, our sinfulness is revealed and we understand that we stand under condemnation.

Being under condemnation, we are subject to the punishment of death – physical death and eternal separation from God.

The blessed promise of this passage is that we will not perish. The death of Jesus on the cross is the basis of forgiveness for all our darkened thinking and living and is also the foundation for renewal that God gives to all who believe in Jesus so that the sin soaked life we had before can become a life of holiness when submitted to Jesus.

John 3:17 is the word of God’s love which shows us that God’s intention is not to condemn, but to give life and to save us from condemnation. When we realize that we are under God’s condemnation the good news of God is that He wants us to be saved.

B.               You Will Have Eternal Life

The other promise is that we are given eternal life. If we are no longer under condemnation, then we are worthy to have life forever in God’s presence. If condemnation is equal to separation from God, then the absence of condemnation is being in the presence of God.

This eternal life is something we “have” which means that it is not only something we will have, but something we have now already. Eternal life does not start after we die, but starts right now for all who are in Christ. If we are under condemnation, then physical death separates us further from God and from everyone else who lives on earth. If we have eternal life, death only separates us from those on earth, and only temporarily in regards to those who also belong to God. It does not separate us from God, but actually brings us closer to God. That is why eternal life begins now already. It is life with God now under His love and guidance that will never end.

Eternal life is life that will last forever, but it is also life that is like nothing we have ever experienced on earth. If some of the days we have here on earth would go on forever that would not be such good news. But eternal life is not only a quantity of life, but also a quality of life. It is all the best of life forever. There are some days when we say, “I wish this day could go on forever.” The quality of eternal life is that those days will go on forever. It will be life with God’s face always smiling down on us. It will be life without pain or sorrow or crying or guilt. It will be life in perfect relationship with everyone. It will be true blessing forever.

Conclusion

This verse is a great description of the good news God has for us. It is rooted in the love of God that has given us all we need. It is ours not because of our good deeds or supposed perfection, but because of belief in Jesus that fully embraces Him and submits to Him because what He gives us is a gift. It promises hope that is ours for today and for all eternity.

If you had gotten a trip to the Grey Cup – flights, hotels, good seats and all the food you want – you would not have as good a deal as this verse declares. If you were promised three wishes granted by a genie if you rub a magic lamp you would not have as great a blessing as God gives through Jesus. This is good news! This is the best news!

As we recognize this good news, we know that we must respond to it in some way. If you have already received Jesus, then this is an invitation to give thanks and to rejoice in the hope and blessing that is yours. It is also an invitation to declare this good news to others. If you have listened to the offer from God which is yours in Jesus, and have wondered about it and have been intrigued by it, but have delayed or have backed away from it, then this is an invitation to accept it and invite Jesus into your life. If you have never understood this good news before, then this is an invitation to acknowledge the gift for the first time and give your life to Jesus. I would encourage you not to delay, but to accept it today.

Following the service, if you would like to receive Jesus for the first time or renew you commitment to Him, there will be a few people in the front of the church who will be glad to talk to you and help you if you have any further questions. One thing I would encourage you to do and that is don’t make this decision and keep it secret. Satan would like nothing better than to have you keep it secret because that way he can tempt you to forget about it.

May the good news of Jesus lead all of us to fully accept the life God has given to us.