John, Part 12
Series: The Truth About Salvation, Part 3
John 3:16-21
- Welcome to Seasons – intro – we are thankful you’re here today; dismiss kids
-- RE: Thursday: What questions do you have? Come to discuss together …
- Continuing mini-series: “The Truth about Salvation”; halfway through this series
-- One of the most important passages before us / incredible depth and wisdom
-- Keep in mind: John is less focused on timeline but on purpose (redemption)
-- So, the route/means of redemption is exactly what we will unpack today
- Read John 3:16-21 / Pray
Point 1 – The Truth about God’s Work
1. The foundation: God loved the world (v16)
? SEE: He loved the entire world (critical: It is His only motivation!)
? APP: Love is an action – it is expressive – it has a reaction or response
? The response to love us is who He is: A picture of love! 1 John 4:8
2. The Evidence? He gave His Son!
? He showed His love in the most implausible way: Offered up His Son!
? Gave Him up to be separated from Him (to come to Earth)
? Gave Him up to suffer for us (dying for our sins) Isaiah 53:5
? Gave Him up to take the initiative to save us Why? ? Jerem 31:3
3. Why would He do this?
? To free His creation; we were created to fellowship (Genesis 3:8) with God!
? To save us because He knew that we were not reliable to do it John 2:24
? To save man from spending eternity without Him (fact: hell not made for us)
4. How can we trust Him? Response: He came not to judge! (v17)
? IMP: Christ was not sent to condemn the world; this is later …
? Rather, He was sent to rescue us from a coming judgment Heb 9:27-28
5. IMP: He invites you to receive salvation!
? There is only one mediator between man and God – Jesus 1 Tim 2:5
? RE: It is not Jesus + “our whatever” that makes us worthy to God!!
? This is not a work that we can do; cannot counterfeit it 1 Tim 1:15
- We need to see that contrasted to the “Good News”, is difficult news (real truth):
Point 2 – The Truth about our Future (Re-Read v18)
1. Who is condemned? The unbeliever!
? Receiving Jesus is what stops God’s judgment; security of His work
? The unbeliever is one who has rejected Christ; has denied gift of hope
? SEE: Yes, believers are guilty of sin (even today) – but we have HOPE!
2. When is he/she condemned? Right now! (v18)
? Q: How can we already be condemned? We are born into it! Rom 5:12-15
? We stand guilty of refusing to repent of our sin; refusing to obey the Law
? RE: The LAW shows us our need for a Savior (no one can live up to it!)
3. BIG Q: If God is love, why are we condemned? (vv18-20)
? Because we refuse to believe His way is “enough”! Eph 5:3-6
? God has given us a clear path (lit up by light) that we willingly refuse; why?
? Because we like our sin, control, we choose it daily (love the darkness)
? We refuse to come into the light and expose the darkness Eph 5:11
4. SEE: Who can escape God’s condemnation? (v21)
? The one who practices the truth given by Him 1 John 1:6-7
? Anyone who comes into the light: re-read John 3:21
? How? Receiving and living a life openly FOR the Lord Matt 5:16
The Point:
- God loved; called creation “good”; yet we ruined it with our sinful decisions
-- To show His true love for what He made, He gave His Son to pay for our sins
-- If this the truth … we have only two responses to Him: Yes or No
? Yes we accept His Son: that brings us eternal life with Him
? No we reject His Son: that solidifies the condemnation already in place
-- Right now, God is still calling you to Himself; but when you die, it is too late
-- Check yourself: That stirring inside that tells you to change is Him calling you
-- How do I know? It is what He gave all of us (Spirit) to draw you (John 6:44)
-- Pray
