John #10

“What Do You Believe?”
August 2, 2009
John 3:16-21
Pastor Ben Fleming

Turn to the Gospel of John chapter 3. At this point in John’s letter we find Jesus is still talking to the religious leader Nicodemus who came to Him at night with questions. Jesus told him that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus was confused and did not understand when Jesus said, -- “Flesh give birth to flesh and spirit gives birth to spirit”. It is God who causes someone to be born again and it is God who gives a person spiritual understanding. Today we are going to read and study perhaps what is the most famous verse in the church and outside of the church. Few people are unfamiliar with this verse in the bible – we are going to read it in context starting from verse 14 -21. Please stand with me: ………
John 3:14 - 22 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.£ 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,£ that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.£ 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” Please be seated.

Did you notice that John used the word believe 5 times in this section? You ought to circle the word in your bible. We said at the beginning of John the reason he wrote this gospel account was found in 20:31 “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” That is the reason I have kept the theme of this SERIES “What Do You Believe”. It matters what you believe. It matters what you believe about God and your relationship with Him. Romans 10:9 says “if we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts” we shall be saved.” Doubting Thomas said to Jesus – “Lord – I believe – help me in my unbelief”. Believing does not mean that you understand it all but it is a starting point. You have to begin to believe – to have a mustard seed of faith. Believing begins to change your life – it gives you new birth. In 1 John 5:14 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Now in our key verse 16 – this is the first time John uses the word eternal life – he is going to use it 14 more times in this letter. Look with me at eternal life. What Is Eternal Life?-----

Eternal life = it is the believers participation in the blessed, ever lasting life of Christ because of his or her new birth with Him. It is not something that you get when you die. If you are born again…. you participate with God on this earth and you continue that participation in heaven. Jesus put it this way in John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” When you are born again – you begin the journey of knowing God. You begin the journey of participating with Him – in His kingdom on this earth as it is now and as it will become. You do not have eternal life if you are not born again. You do not have eternal life without coming to Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you………… and you believe that He died for your sins – that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day……………….

Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life – their lives are miserable with pain – hunger – poverty – disappointment after disappointment – they say to themselves “why would any one want to live forever?” Eternal life is God’s life given to a born again human found in the life of Christ. Without Christ – you make choices as if this is all there is to life --- nothing else matters – but when you are born again --- choices in life do matter – your choices matter for eternity. ---- OUTLINE

2 Corinthians 5:10 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
The non believer will be judged and sent to hell – the believer will be judged by how they participated with God while on this earth. Choices do matter. Look with me at our text today………..

THE LOVE OF GOD (vs.16-17) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him”

The entire gospel or good news comes together in these two verses. Everybody believes that God is love and that God for some reason is obligated to love everybody. That is false. Man never obligates God. These verses tell us that God does not just love one group of people or one nation of people. He offers His love to the entire world. He does not just love those who are easy to love and those who are good people – He loves the evil sinful people. He sent Christ not to condemn man but to save man. Think with me about The Love of God. I’ll give you 4 points….

* God’s love is not static or self centered; it reaches out and draws others in. John wrote, “for God so loved the world that He gave”. God’s love is giving. God’s love is other centered. Man’s love watches out for and thinks about self. It is only possible for a man or woman to love with the love of God when they are born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and reflecting the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. 2nd point

* There was nothing in man or about man that attracted God’s love. God loved because He sovereignly determined to do so. 1 John 4:7 says “God is love.” Man cannot do anything to deserve the love of God – man cannot get more of the love of God or loose the love of God. Man does nothing or is nothing to even deserve the love of God.

Titus 3:4 - 5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.” “The mercy of God flowed out of the love of God.“

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” ----- for many in the church today this really does not have that much of an impact upon them. J.I Packer in his book Penal Substitution Revisited, puts it this way, “It was with Christ’s own will and His own love mirroring the Father’s will and love,…. therefore, that He took the place of human sinners – exposed Himself to the divine judgment of God and laid down His life as a sacrifice for them – entering fully into the state and experience of death that was due to them.” 4th point on God’s love

* God loves and expects that there will be nothing given back to Him in return. The love of God means that a sacrifice is made for the object of His love. The sacrifice costs Him – His only Son. God paid the highest price that He could pay and He expected nothing back from man. However, if you are born again – If you have believed – you can demonstrate and live out this love of God in and through your own life. You can do it in your home – you can do it in your church and in your community. David – you can love your mom with the love of God. The love of God requires sacrifice. It requires giving up your rights --- it requires giving up your time. It requires giving up your gifts --- it requires reaching out to others.

For some --- it is has required giving up their very lives. Christopher Legget - a missionary teacher was murdered last month – he had led several Muslims to faith in Jesus Christ and he had talked many times with his wife and 4 kids that staying in the country where they lived might cost him his life. They stayed because of their love for the people of the country where they lived. Love cost them Chris’s life. I thought about that when I read the intro to John Piper’s new book “Filling up the Afflictions of Christ” – “More and more I am persuaded from Scripture and from the history of missions that God’s design for the evangelization of the world and the consummation of his purposes includes the suffering of his ministers and missionaries.” As a born again believer – you are a minister and you are included in that statement……… Example: Because believers in the past loved and gave like God gave in John 3:16 – you and I have the Word of God in our hands that we can read because of love that sacrificed….

In 1526 William Tyndale translated the New Testament from the Greek to common English. This was the first time in history that the English speaking world could have the bible to read. For a thousands years the world only had the New and Old Testament in the Latin Vulgate. He did this knowing that the Catholic church would brand him as a heretic – have him arrested – strangled and burned at the stake which they ended up doing in 1536. God used his translation as God had already raised up Johanne Gutenburg to invent the printing press – thousands of English bibles were printed and spread across Europe. Martin Luther had already written his 95 thesis – which Guttenberg printed as well and the Protestant Reformation spread like wildfire across Europe. In the face of death and because of the love God – Tyndale wrote. “I defy the Pope and all his laws…. If God spare my life for many years, I will cause a boy that drives a plow, he shall know more of the Scriptures than do most.”

Application: You most likely will never be called upon by God to give your own life – but if you are born again you can give and sacrifice your rights – your can give up your comfort – your time – and your talents. You can love your wife or husband with the love of the Lord. You can love your children with the love of the Lord – you can love others in your church family who are excruciating difficult to love with the love of the Lord. Because God gave His only Son – as a born again believing follower of Christ – you can give and love with His love. Think of one person in your life right now that you could love with the love of Christ this week………………………..………………………………

THE RESPONSE OF MAN --- not all people will believe. The bible clearly says “whoever believes”. Not all people will believe and not all people who think they believe are born again.

(Vs.18 – 21) “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that what may be send plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” Look at these verses with me – they tell us how a person responds to God’s offer.

1. Whoever believes is not condemned and he who does not believe is already condemned. (vs.18) Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” If you are not in Christ Jesus you are condemned. Those who believe are not condemned – those who do not are already condemned. To be condemned means to be judged or punished for what you have done. It means to be declared incurable or to pronounce unfit for service but “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He or she who does not believe is judged – condemned and declared unfit. William Barclay put it this way……

“If when people are confronted with Jesus and their souls respond to that wonder and beauty – they are on the way to salvation. But if when they are confronted with Jesus they see nothing lovely, they do not respond, they stand condemned.” -- William Barclay

That is the first response to God’s offer: You believe…….. 2nd response…………

2. He who does not believe hates the light and runs from it. (vs.19 – 20) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” The New Testament uses the word light many times to refer to Christ. Jesus said of himself “I am the light of the World”. Light means that Jesus is the absolute source of truth. Men and women run from absolute truth – they construct their own truth according to how it suits them. Jesus Christ condemns sin – no one wants sin condemned – you have to be tolerant of sin today.
Jesus Christ gives light for daily life and He gives light so that we may learn more of God. But John says that men loved darkness instead of light because they fear that their deeds will be exposed.

Who wants to walk down a dark alley – what do you fear? Evil. We do not want light around when we are doing evil --- we want it to be dark. Most people do not want their lives exposed to God’s light because they are afraid of what will be revealed or because of the demands the light places on them. They really do not want God to change them or convict them. Even in the church you should not be surprised when people are threatened by the desire of others or the rebuke of others to obey God and His Word – they are afraid the light will expose the darkness in their lives – they run. I have seen this year after year. People come and sit and think they are apart of a church family – they play music – they go on a missions trip - but when there is the light of God’s Word spoken to them either publically or privately they run. I used to think that it was something that only happened here at Silver Hills but I hear the same thing from pastors all over. It is maturity that allows one to receive the light of the Word of God. It is a born again believer who is honestly pursuing holiness who can receive a rebuke from a fellow believer. When we come into the light our tendancy is to go back towards the darkness but if we are a genuine believer Proverbs tell us “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” COMMENTS 3rd response to God’s offer

3. He who believes lives by the truth and comes to the light. (vs.21) “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John writes what happens to someone who believes – they come into the light so that what has been done in them can be seen to be done by God. When you believe you come to the truth – you are drawn to the truth – you pursue the truth. That is one of the main ways you know that you have believed – you have a hunger and desire for God and the things of God and to live a holy life. He who believes does not run to the darkness although we can drift to the darkness but if we live by the truth and have come into the light --- he who believes confesses their sin and does not hid sin.

TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS --- LED FLASHLIGHT – NORMAL ONE – FLORESENT TALK ABOUT

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So – the question is who are you following? When you follow Christ you walk in light. If you are following Christ and you find darkness coming into your life – it is not because of Christ it is because of you. You take your eyes off of Christ. You are not following Him. Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Christ the author and perfecter of our faith.

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

When you see me – you should see a reflection of Jesus Christ. When I see another born again believer who has believed - there has to be some reflection of Christ. My life – your life has to bring glory to God. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. TURN OUT OTHER FLASH LIGHTS -- PUT ONE ON THE STAGE -------- TURN AROUND AND READ THE SLIDE

SLIDE ONLY Matthew 5:14 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Let us pray………….