Transcript

G • R • A • C • E

John 3:16
Sunday, September 22, 2002
Pastor Randy Smith

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The account between Jesus and Nicodemus in John chapter 3 spans a distance of 21 verses. Last week we studied the first 10 and logically I intended to conclude this week with the final 11. However, in preparing this message and mediating on this text, I ran into a problem. The problem was verse 16.

Though all Scripture is equally inspired by God, John 3:16 is without a doubt the most popular and most beloved verse in all of the Bible. How was I to take this well known verse packed with theological truth and devote only 5 minutes to its explanation. One commentator said, "The rest of the gospel should be painted on the canvas of 3:16."

This week I heard a very misguided preacher congratulating his congregation for their spiritual maturity. He praised them on their hunger for the meat of the Word. And he was thankful that they "refused to settle for John 3:16." That smelled funny. I felt very uncomfortable with that statement. My discomfort was not against longing for the meat of the Word. My discomfort was against the assault on the milk of the Word in a believer's life and the use of John 3:16 as an example.

I hope my spiritual appetite requires more than milk to satisfy, but I also pray that I never grow tired of hearing the foundational truths essential to my faith. In my quest for theological growth, I am thankful for a God who reminds me of the simple truth that I am loved and I am forgiven and I will spend eternity with Him in heaven. Though this preacher might disagree. I'm grateful for a verse like John 3:16 to provided that essential nourishment for my soul.

John 3:16 is spiritual milk at its finest. The verse is simple enough for a young child to both comprehend and then explain to others. But the verse is also meat. Even greatest theologian has yet to plummet the depths of John 3:16.

So this morning I would like to give you a fresh look at a well-known verse. I hope that the new believers will savor the milk it has to offer. I hope that mature believers will be encouraged by the milk and chew on the meat they never recognized in the past. Since Martin Luther called this verse "The gospel in miniature," I've naturally decided to entitle this sermon "Grace." The first letter in each of the 5 main points will complete the acronym.

G • God Exists

R • Radical Love

A • Amazing Gift

C • Confessing Christ

E • Eternal Life

1. G • GOD EXISTS

Let's begin with the first point. Someone once said that if the first verse in the Bible does not convince you on the existence of God, you might as well close the Book. The Bible never makes an apologetic for the existence of God; it simply assumes that He already is. Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God!" Or as John 3:16 begins, "for God!" Now, is that good or bad news?

Tragically, the fact that there is a God serves as a great fear for many people. All humans intuitively know that if an all-sovereign, righteous, omnipotent power exists they must submit themselves to His authority. But rather than bow the knee Romans 1 says they "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Every time they look at a sunset they say, "There is no God." Every time they sense an inner need for justice they say, "There is no God." Every time they feel their conscience convict them of sin they say, "There is no God." Oh, they may believe there is a "god," but it is not the God of the Scriptures. They don't want that God because they don't want accountability. They don't want an Authority in their life that tells them how to conduct their sexual activities or how to love their enemies or how to spend their money or how to use their time. They prefer to remain on the throne. They prefer to be the master of their fate. They reject the God of the Scriptures and surround themselves with idols to meet their religious fancy. Though God makes Himself evident (Rom. 1:19), they suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

After all that God does to reveal himself to humans, it takes great effort to suppress the truth. Much like attempting to hold a beach ball under water, humans restrain the revelation of God with all their might. Rather than admit that their lack of accountability deserves judgment, they suppress the truth with lies such as: God didn't make me, I evolved or God knows that I am a good person or God doesn't expect the Bible to be taken literally or God wants me to have fun or God is too loving to send people to hell. These lies enable them to live in a false sense of peace as they continue to reject their Creator.

Though it is easy to view others with such a mindset, the Scriptures say that this thought pattern is true for all human beings. Theologians call it the depravity of man or total depravity. Listen to what the Bible says. Genesis 6:5, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Psalm 14:1, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good." Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." Isaiah 64:6, "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" Mark 7:21-22, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness." John 3:19, "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil." Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Ephesians 2:1, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins." Colossians 1:21, "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds."

Search the Bible, cover to cover. You will not find anything flattering about the heart of a human. This inspired Book makes it clear that every individual has turned his back on God and prefers to life in willful rebellion. Like Adam and Eve they have chosen independence rather than dependence on Him. They have gone after the shadows rather than the sun. They have ascribed to Him a vote of "no confidence." They have demonstrated the most ultimate sin, they have rejected the living God for the gods of their own choosing.

2. R • RADICAL LOVE

Because of their sin, all humans in the world deserved an eternal separation from God for their actions. They have no hope in themselves for salvation. They are totally dependent on the mercy of God. Let me take you to the second point, "Radical Love." "For God so loved the world."

The mere fact that love is an attribute of God should not be surprising. Throughout this gospel we hear of His love for Jesus Christ. But what is surprising is how He can "so love" fallen humankind that refuses to acknowledge Him. That great theologian G.K. Chesterton once remarked, "All men matter. You matter. I matter. It's the hardest thing in theology to believe." It's hard to believe because there is nothing that God sees in us that makes us lovable! Therefore our only hope does not lie within ourselves, but within His nature and the fact that He is the epitome of love. 1 John 4:8 says, "God is love." His love is to be admired not because the world is so big, but rather because the world is so bad!

Fort Hancock is on the farthest tip of Sandy Hook about 20 miles north of us. During World War II Fort Hancock was a military training center. A civilian of the area was eager to bring the good news of Christ to the thousands of young men stationed there, but the military authorities would not permit him to enter in person. Not to be denied, he asked a firm that specialized in novelties to make several thousand mirrors about three inches in diameter. On the back of each mirror he had printed the words of John 3:16. Beneath these words he had this direction, "If you want to see whom it is that God loves, look on the other side." As each soldier looked at himself he saw the person whom God loved.

However, at this point we come to a theological dilemma. We just read that God loves humans (Jn. 3:16). But as we spoke of earlier and as it is testified 20 verses later (in the gospel of John) that God's wrath abides on humans because of their sinfulness. So which is it? Can we have both? In other words, God is madly in love with all humans but sends them all to hell when they die? If we conclude that God is just wrathful then we must question as to whether He is truly loving. On the other hand, if we conclude that God is just loving, we must question as to whether He is serious about a violation of His holiness. God must love. God must punish sin. How do they come together?

3. A • AMAZING GIFT

Let's move to point 3, "Amazing Gift." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."

God's love for the world was not sentimental love; rather it was costly and sacrificial love. His love was demonstrated at a great price. He gave His most precious treasure, the life of His very Son. Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all."

The world was in a predicament of peril. Sin accrued due to her inability to meet God's righteous expectations. And the wages of sin are payable only by eternal death (Rom. 6:23). All humans fall short of God's glory. All humans are desperate for divine help. All humans deserve hell.

God must punish sin, but instead of punishing our sin, He chose to vicariously punish it in His Son. He gave His Son be the substitute in our place. He gave His Son to bear our punishment. He gave His Son so that we might be the righteousness of God. The holiness of God is vindicated and the love of God is demonstrated. Or in other words, the love of God sent the Son of God to bear the wrath of God so that we might be the children of God.

The reason I am so strong on the depravity of man and the holiness of God is because the better we understand both of these doctrines, the more we will appreciate our need for the Savior. And the more we appreciate our need for the Savior, the more we will praise God for His unfathomable love. That is the point of John 3:16. If my self-esteem tells me I am a good person, I may pick Jesus because He is the best of many options. But if the Holy Spirit tells me I am a filthy sinner, totally in desperation of God's saving grace, I will fall down at the feet of Jesus and praise God for His unfathomable love. Just as a diamond shines more brightly against black velvet, the love of God shines more brightly against my depravity. I can't appreciate His love until I understand how lost I was.

The love of God is greater fat than tongue or pen can ever tell,

It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned all from sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made,

Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

Let me ask you, would God show Himself more loving if He simply ignored the integrity of His name and let sinners "off the hook?" Or would God show Himself more loving if He upholds His name and then sends His own Son on a rescue mission to die and bleed for lost sinners like your and I living in rebellion? "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 Jn. 4:10). "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:1-6). "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6-8).

As a group of college students toured the slums of a city, one of the girls, seeing a little girl playing in the dirt, asked a guide, "Why doesn't her mother clean her up?" "Madam," he replied, "that girl's mother probably loves her, but she doesn't hate dirt. You hate dirt, but you don't love her enough to go down there and clean her up. Until hate for dirt and love for that child are in the same person, that little girl is likely to remain as she is."

God loved the world. God hated the filth of sin. He sent His only begotten Son into the world to clean the world from all her dirty impurities.

4. C • CONFESSING CHRIST

Due to the sin of Adam the Bible makes it clear that all are born in original sin. But just as the first Adam led the world into sin, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, led the world out of sin. However there is one difference. All are united to the first Adam whether they like it or not. But only those who truly believe are united with the second Adam. Even though Jesus died for the sins of the world, Salvation is only found when people believe in His work on the cross. John Piper said, "Belief is the vital link between our soul and God's rescuing love." Let's move to our fourth point, "Confessing Christ." "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him."

Since we covered true biblical belief in a recent sermon, I will not expound on that theology here. I trust that all of you understand that the term "believe" is not speaking of mere intellectual faith. James 2:19 says that "the demons also believe." Two weeks ago we learned from John 2 that "many believed in His name," but Jesus knew that their faith was spurious and precarious. I trust that you also understand that believing in Christ is not a one-time action or decision. The word "believes" in John 3:16 is in the present tense. God calls for a belief that starts at a point in time and then continues throughout ones lifetime.

The Greek verb translated "belief" (pisteuo) means to "rely upon," or "cling to" or "place confidence in." When God calls us to "believe in Jesus," He is commanding a complete surrender, an unwavering allegiance, a total trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Biblical belief is not adding Jesus to all that you have; rather it is forsaking all to have Jesus. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Mat. 13:45-46). Biblical belief is not esteeming yourself; rather it is losing yourself for Christ's sake. "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me' (Lk. 9:23). Biblical belief is not clinging to your righteous deeds; rather it is finding all of your merit in the cross. "Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16)

The demands of discipleship are very high because the gift that God gave was very costly. God will not allow His love offering to be mocked under the deception of "easy believism" or "cheap grace." The gift may come with high expectations, but nevertheless, the gift is available to all. The Bible uses that wonderful word, "'whoever,' whoever believes in Him." God will accept all who truly believe in Christ regardless of what they may look like on the outside and regardless of what they may look like on the inside. The vilest sinner will be accepted if he comes with true faith.

This week I received a letter from a gentleman in our church that came from a very sinful background. He began by saying, "I just want to thank you for welcoming me to your church, I have had a rough time lately and nothing has been working out for me, (that's OK it just builds my faith). When all other doors have shut in my face, Grace Tabernacle stood with the doors wide open." He then preceded to quote two verses: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" (Psm. 23:1) and "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they" (Mt. 6:26)? God accepts all who truly come to Him through Christ. He forgives all their sins and takes them under the shelter of His wings. He transforms their thinking and puts a new song in their heart. And our response is eternal gratitude for His love, mercy and grace.

5. E • ETERNAL LIFE

All who put their faith in Christ are justified and adopted and forgiven. Because of this they are able to share in the great promise that concludes John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Our final point is "Eternal Life."

Let's first look at the negative side. John says we "should not perish." The obvious implication is that all apart from faith in Christ will perish. Jesus said in John 8:24, "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." All who continue to live in their sins, all who forsake the living God for idols, all who reject the love offering of Jesus Christ, will, according to this verse, be eternally separated from the benevolence of God. John Piper said, "Therefore rejecting Him, and distrusting Him, and disobeying Him and neglecting Him and enjoying other things more than Him - - all these are the infinite insults because He is an infinite treasure. And an infinite insult - - or a lifetime of infinite insults - - deserves infinite punishment."

The word "perish" might not sound very dreadful, but elsewhere we know that the torments of hell consist of conscious and ongoing suffering. Revelation 14:10, "He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." 2 Thessalonians 1:9, "And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."

On the positive side, the verse teaches that those who trust Christ will experience "eternal life." As Paul says in Colossians, they were "delivered…from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). In other words, Christ covers us from God's wrath by justifying us with His blood. Our sins have been forgiven. We experience no condemnation and we gain the blessedness of eternal life. Naturally John is speaking of heaven, but eternal life for the Christian actually begins the moment he or she trusts Christ. For those of you in Christ Jesus, the apostle John wants you to know that you have the assurance of eternal life. Elsewhere he said, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 Jn. 5:12-13).

And though we long to see the streets of gold and the reunion of our loved ones and our battle with sin consummated, our greatest hunger for heaven should lie in the opportunity to see God face-to-face and praise Him and glorify His name for an eternity.

Jonathan Edwards once spoke of this heavenly experience. "The fountain that supplies [the] joy and delight, which the soul has in seeing God…is infinite…The understanding may extend itself as far as it will; it doth but take its flight into an endless expanse, and dive into a bottomless ocean. It may discover more and more of the beauty and loveliness of God, but it never will exhaust the fountain. We can never by soaring and ascending come to the height of [the love of God]; we can never by descending come to the depth of it; or by measuring, know the length and breadth of it…Let the thoughts and desires extend themselves as they will, here is space enough for them, in which they may expand for ever. How blessed therefore are they that do see God, who are come to this exhaustless fountain!…After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever."

God saved us for His glory. Those who fully understand the depravity of their sinfulness and the their state of desperation will begin at the point of salvation and praise God into eternity for His great gift of love by sending His only Son into the world to die for their sins. They will understand that they deserved to perish, but now have received the grace of eternal life where they can praise their God forever.

My friend, this verse is very clear. There are only two options. All human souls will live forever, the question is, where will you spend your eternal life? Will you perish or will you have eternal life in heaven?

"God"...The greatest Lover

"So loved"...The greatest degree

"The world"...The greatest number

"That He gave"…The greatest act

"His only begotten Son"…The greatest gift

"That whoever"…The greatest invitation

"Believes"...The greatest simplicity

"In Him"...The greatest Person

"Shall not perish"…The greatest deliverance

"But"....The greatest difference

"Have"....The greatest certainty

"Eternal Life"…The greatest destiny

What a great God! Only an eternity will enable us to fully praise His name!