Why Christmas Series

John 12:32 (NKJV) And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

To be lifted up did not mean to put on a pedestal for all to admire and worship. Quite the opposite. To be lifted up meant to be lifted up in execution, lifted up on a cross to die for all the world to see and witness the same of it all.

You see the whole purpose of Jesus coming was to die on a Roman cross. To be the Suffering Servant as prophesied by Isaiah.

Now we come to John 3:16, perhaps the most well-known and memorized verse in the Bible. Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but for verses 16 through 21, these words were probably not spoken by Jesus but a commentary by John. In ancient Greek, they did not have quote marks like we do today. But that doesn’t lessen the impact of these verses for it all was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is truth whether Jesus spoke it or John wrote it.

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God so loved the people of this world that he gave Jesus to be sin for us, if they would only believe. Make careful note here, God is the initiator in salvation. We had no ability to come to Him because of our sin nature, so He came to us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is what Christmas is all about. God sent Jesus to be our sin offering.

John 3:17 (NKJV) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Jesus came as Savior. His coming by humble means, was to save humanity, humanity from itself. Humanity had not the means to save itself, but only through Jesus is there salvation. Jesus is not a way to God and eternal life. Jesus is the only way. And knowing Jesus is the very definition of eternal life.

John 17:3 (NKJV) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

But make no mistake. This first coming was as our Savior. Jesus is coming again, but this next time he comes, he is coming as Judge.

John 3:18 (NKJV) “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There are only two kinds of people in the world:

Believers and unbelievers.

The saved and the condemned.

Everyone has been given a choice. Jesus or no.

Eternal life which is Jesus, or eternal death, which is eternal torment and eternal separation from Jesus.

Many refuse to believe. Why?

John 3:19–20 (NKJV) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

John frequently uses the light and dark contrast. And we get it: Light is good, darkness is bad. Men loved darkness, not for the darkness itself, but because of what it hides. Contrary to what the world says, belief is not an intellectual problem that keeps them from trusting, it is a darkness problem, one of being blind. People are bumping around in the dark and cannot see. It is a moral and spiritual blindness that keeps them in the dark, loving their sin. And people will run from the light. Why? Because the Light, which is Jesus, will expose them for who they really are. But those who do come to light will have their sin exposed.