Sermon Central
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The Truth About Salvation, Part 3 Series
Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Oct 27, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: While we are alive, we still have an opportunity to know the God who sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. It is in that truth that we must be willing to see, recognize, and repent of our sin and come to Him for salvation.
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
