John 3 (2)
- Read John 3:14-21
It is 2020, a new decade, a new year full of new opportunities and new possibilities. Judging by what I’ve seen on Facebook and other social media, it doesn’t appear that much has changed for most people since Wednesday. Few have changed their priorities. Few have taken advantage of new opportunities. Few have changed their approach to life. Few have consciously thought about what things are worth investing their lives on.
We have just celebrated the Christmas season, remembering the birth and arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was only physically alive and physically present on the earth for a short 33 years. What did He invest His life in? What things did He say it was worth spending you time on?
Look there with me again please at verse 14.
- Read John 3:14-17
1. Invest your life in saving instead of condemning.
If you spend any time at all on social media, you know that there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions about a lot of things. Many are angry that others do not agree with them, or about the direction they see this country heading; and I’ll admit, there are things happening I do not agree with and things I am not happy about, but condemning people and dwelling on the negative all the time will neither save a person, nor influence them.
At the time Jesus lived on the earth there were crooked, unjust, and even evil politicians. If you doubt that, you have to look no further than at Herod, who had a bunch of babies murdered to protect his position as ruler over Israel.
You think abortion is bad? And I do. It is a vile, evil concoction of the Devil. But Herod was worse. He had babies taken out of their mothers’ arms and killed, just so he could keep his political position.
Sexual immorality, drunkenness, covetousness, and blatant paganism was rampant in Jesus’ day, and yet the Bible tells us in John 3:17 that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
Let there be no doubt, there will come a day when Jesus will condemn. There will come a day when Jesus judges.
> Acts 17:31 . . . because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
God will have His Son Jesus Christ judge the world.
> 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
> Matthew 25:31-34 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
> Matthew 25:41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
There will come a time when Jesus will return and when Jesus, the Perfect and Holy will judge. But now is not the time. For now He is waiting and working through HIs followers, not willing that any should perish but wanting all to have eternal life.
In Luke 4, we have an account of the sermon Jesus preached in His home church in Nazareth. Beginning in verse 16 we read, “He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
All around us are people who are spiritually blind. All around us are people who are captives to one addiction or another, and the Lord has given us the assignment to help them.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus, speaking to Peter said, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.
What are gates for? Gates do not attack. They protect and hold in. They hold captives.
Jesus has called the church, He has called you and me to storm the gates of Hell, to tear down the ignorance, blindness, and spiritual bondage that is holding people captive, and to help them escape.
As the old hymn encourages:
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing,
care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
( Rescue the Perishing, Fanny Crosby, 1869)
Oh my friend. Don’t waste your life. Don’t waste the limited time you have been given. This year, do as Jesus did. Invest your life in saving folks instead of condemning them.
2. Invest your life in learning and sharing the truth.
In John 18, Jesus is on trial before Pilate. Pilate is asking Him questions. In verse 37 we read:
> John 18:37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.
“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
One of the reasons Jesus said He came into the world was to testify to the truth.
There are so many lies in the world. The Devil shared a lie in the Garden of Eden and destroyed paradise, and he has been spreading those lies ever since.
So many lies. There are lies about sex.
a) Lie about sex - In Proverbs we read, “Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?” (Proverbs 6:27-28). The Scripture refers to lust. Lust means if you had the opportunity, you would commit immorality. Many people fantasize in their thinking.
b) Second, the devil lies about drugs. And it’s interesting that the words drugs and witchcraft come from the same root word in Greek. Drugs are one of Satan’s great lies. He tells you that you will soar to Heaven and have great, wonderful experiences. But, you end up in trouble.
c) Third, there are lies about religion. “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe. Or, all religions are the same. We’re all heading to the same place, we’re just taking different paths. These false religions and counterfeit Christianity bring no lasting peace. Millions of people attend church services without having a personal relationship with Christ.
d) Fourth, there’s the delusion that peace is just around the corner. If we make the right laws, and if we have the right people in power in the right places there will be peace in the world. We just have to get everything balanced out right.
Oh my, I can remember watching some politicians in the past who were lying, evil people, and thinking to myself that as soon as they pass, or out of government, that things will be ok and that things will go well. If we just got rid of the wrong people that things would be great and that we’d have peace. Foolishness of youth. There is always another greedy, lying, snake to take their place. There is no peace around the corner.
This is a lie. Jesus Himself said that at the time He returns there will be wars and rumors of wars, so what in the world makes us think we will have peace before He arrives? There will not be peace in the world until the Prince of Peace comes.
We find deception, delusion and lies on every hand. The credibility gap is everywhere. What is the answer? What can people do?
Turn to Christ—to the truth. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). He said, “I am … the truth” (John 14:6). Jesus did not say, “You shall know a truth” or “any truth” but “the truth.” He’s the embodiment of all truth. Jesus said, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). If you don’t believe that and don’t accept Christ, you will die in your sins and you’ll be lost. Jesus Christ claimed to be ultimate truth. Are you willing to face the truth?
The Bible tells us the truth about God and the world.
> Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible tells us the truth about sin.
Sin is pleasurable for a season. But, the wages of sin is death.
The Bible tells us the truth about love
For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but hath everlasting life.
The Bible tells us the truth about judgment.
Jesus told the truth about judgment. He warned people to “flee the wrath of God” (Cf. Matthew 3:7). Yes, God is angry with the wicked. Jesus said, “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Every idle word, all your thoughts, all your words, everything you have ever done, will be at the judgment. And you will be condemned by your own words.
The Bible tells the truth about repentance.
Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will perish” (Cf. Luke 13:3). Have you repented? Repentance means change. I change my mind about God, about myself, about my fellow man. I change my way of living. But on my own I don’t have strength to change. I can’t change. I can’t become a Christian. Why? Because I’m “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). God has to help me change. He has to help me repent. And I have to say, “O God, help me to repent.”
Not only do we have to repent, but by faith we must receive Christ into our hearts as Savior and Lord.
The Bible tells the truth about conversion.
Jesus said in John 3:3 we have to be born from above, born again (John 3:3). The process is called conversion.
This year, commit to studying, learning, and sharing the truth.
Invest your life in saving, not condemning. Invest your life in learning and sharing the truth.
Invest your life in living abundantly.
3. Invest your life in living abundantly.
> John 10:10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Jesus didn’t come to condemn. He didn’t come to share a bunch of rules to help us clean up our lives. He came that we might live more abundantly, more joyfully.
Let me ask you, would you describe the life you’re living as abundant? Could it be that we are filling our time with things that bring no lasting joy? Could it be that we are just killing time?
So many of us cheat ourselves out of joy, and peace, because we settle for living like everyone else does; drifting from place to place with no goal or purpose in life.
The other day I saw a picture of a graduating student. On top of his Cap he had written, we won’t know where we’re headed until we get there.
While we do need to seek the Lord’s direction and He can lead us to places and in ways we never expected. That’s no way to live.
There was a song that came out a number of years ago. The lyrics said, “I don’t want to be a casual Christian. I don’t don’t want to live a lukewarm life. I want to light the night, with an everlasting life. I don’t want to live a casual Christian life.
Oh, how many of us are missing out on being all we could be. Oh, how many of us are missing out on making the difference we could because we have settled for good enough.
We’re like Children who turn down a trip to the beach because we are too bust playing in mud puddles.
This year, let there be no compromise. Don’t settle for second. We don’t get any do overs. Invest your life in living abundantly.
How do you do that?
4. Invest your life in doing God’s will.
> John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
a. Pray - Ask His will
> James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
b. Study His word.
Don’t say God doesn’t speak to you if you’re not reading your Bible.
c. Do what He tells you when He tells you.
CONCLUSION - I got a phone call Friday from a friend I grew up with. . . .
