Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Advent 2022: Love - John 3:16-17

Transcript

Advent 2022: Love - John 3:16-17 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  Good morning. Please turn in your copy of God's Word to John chapter 3. John chapter 3.
• 0:08
  ! In the past couple of days, my voice has been going in and out.
• 0:15
  ! And so I've tried Thieves Tea, I've tried Elderberry, I've tried Firesider,
• 0:24
  and if you know what those three things are, that tells you a lot about who you are.
• 0:31
  So, including myself and my wife. So, today we'll be looking at John chapter 3. I'll be reading 1
• 0:40
  through 17, but there are only two verses in this time that we'll be taking a look at.
• 0:48
  So, join me and I will be reading in chapter 3 of John, verse 1.
• 0:53
  Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came
• 1:01
  to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God.
• 1:08
  No one, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him,
• 1:16
  truly, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
• 1:23
  Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old?
• 1:28
  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
• 1:33
  Jesus answered, truly, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
• 1:39
  he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
• 1:47
  of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows
• 1:54
  where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
• 1:59
  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus said to him, how can these things be?
• 2:06
  Jesus answered him, are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
• 2:13
  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen,
• 2:19
  but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe,
• 2:26
  how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except
• 2:32
  he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
• 2:42
  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so
• 2:51
  loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have
• 2:59
  eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the
• 3:05
  world might be saved through him. So really, if you're going to shrink this thing down from 13,
• 3:15
  where it says, no one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
• 3:20
  14 and 15 explain that, and so do 16 and 17. So you have recurring words. In just 16 and 17,
• 3:32
  what we'll be looking at specifically this morning, you have God, and you have Son, the Son,
• 3:39
  and you have world and those who believe, and you have these recurring themes. And John, what makes
• 3:44
  John's gospel so easy to read is because he uses the same words, same characters over and over and
• 3:49
  over again. There's repetition, there's patterns, and we'll even see that as we go through 16 and 17.
• 3:56
  So if you have your notes, if you write things down, on the back of the bulletin, there's actually
• 4:01
  some space to write something down if you want, because if you write it down, you'll see that 16 and 17
• 4:09
  flow very beautifully, and they preach themselves. So that's our goal this morning. But if you're
• 4:16
  holding a baby like I usually am, I'm going to repeat myself, just like John, so that you will get
• 4:22
  the main point and outline just by repetition. So if you're writing something down, I'll end with this.
• 4:29
  B, there's three points. God loved, and that's his, God loved the world. That's the first point, God loved.
• 4:40
  Two, God gave his Son. Second point, and the verses under that would be that he gave his only Son, that
• 4:47
  whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That's the second point, God gave his
• 4:52
  Son. Third and last point is God sent his Son, and that includes all of 17. So the Gospel of John,
• 5:05
  and John specifically, uses the word for love more times in his Gospel than all the rest of the Gospels
• 5:13
  combined. So it's an easy pointing to, you can point to the Gospel of John, the first John, for the advent of
• 5:21
  love this morning. Pretty easy, but this is a major theme in his Gospel. And John reuses the same words
• 5:29
  over and over again, as seen in our text. Again, to remind you, there's repetition here. I want you to
• 5:34
  catch that. And for context, before we begin, know that it's Jesus talking to Nicodemus, and that will
• 5:42
  become more and more important as we go on. Because my goal for this is that for you to not look at,
• 5:50
  especially verse 16 as a bumper sticker, or a billboard. I want you to have a fresh take on
• 5:59
  John 3.16. And part of this is I want you to take John 3.16 together with verse 17. So instead of a
• 6:07
  period at the end of 16, I want you to put a comma. And I'll show you why I do that as we go on.
• 6:15
  So first off, first thing that you may, may, maybe not disagree with me, but for God so loved the world
• 6:27
  is where it begins, right? Well, if you notice, if you have an ESV textbook, Bible, there's a footnote.
• 6:39
  It's like a textbook, right? They have footnotes. And the footnotes are very important.
• 6:44
  Example, perfect example of this, is there's a footnote after the world. Because they say,
• 6:52
  for this is how God loved the world. And so maybe for God so loved the world that that emphasizes the
• 7:00
  intensity of God's love, which may be a part of it, but it's not the main emphasis that should be
• 7:08
  in the text. It's, for this is how God loved the world. So that's, that's an important point,
• 7:14
  because it's linking, that word is linking back to 14 and 15, describing verse 13. Hopefully it makes
• 7:22
  sense. But it's, I propose to you that is, for this is how, or for in this way. It's not intensity,
• 7:31
  but it's a manner in which, or a way something has been done.
• 7:38
  So what this is, is in the, if we look at 14 and 15, he talks about a serpent.
• 7:43
  And he talks about Moses. And this comes from Numbers 21, verses 4 and 9, or 4 through 9,
• 7:50
  about the bronze serpent. And so for background, for story, for the background, I'll read you
• 7:54
  that story. You can turn with me if you want. But for Numbers 20, chapter 21, verse 4 through 9,
• 8:03
  there's a small story in Numbers that John, or that Jesus uses to lead to what he says in our text
• 8:13
  today in 16 and 17, to point to himself. So it's important for us to get that context. So Numbers
• 8:19
  chapter 21, verses 4 through 9. From Mount Hor, they set out by the way to the Red Sea to go around
• 8:31
  the land of Edom. This is Israel. And the people became impatient on the way, and the people spoke
• 8:38
  against God and against Moses. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For
• 8:44
  there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents
• 8:51
  among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to
• 8:58
  Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord
• 9:05
  that he take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses,
• 9:13
  make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. And everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.
• 9:21
  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the
• 9:29
  bronze serpent and live. And flip back to John chapter 3, 14 and 15. And as Moses lifted up the
• 9:39
  serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have
• 9:46
  eternal life. So that's all introduction to the next two verses, 16 and 17. So for our first point, God
• 9:54
  loved. God loved the world. We already said, For in this way, that's an introduction. First point,
• 10:04
  God loved. God loved the world. This is the heart and the center of the text. We could say the next
• 10:09
  few points are sub-points of this main point, is God loved, which is our theme for Advent this morning,
• 10:18
  is love. The Advent of love and God loved. And we'll see how and why God loved. So talk about grammar
• 10:26
  here. You have, for a sentence, you have a verb and you have a subject and you have a direct object.
• 10:30
  You don't have to have that direct object, but you have a verb and a subject. And we have that here.
• 10:35
  The verb is loved. And I, again, this is a popular word for John to use. He uses it over and over.
• 10:46
  And this describes what God did and what he continues to do. He loved. And that's connected to the subject,
• 10:54
  God. God loved. The God of Moses is the same God here. In Numbers 21, John chapter 3 is the same God.
• 11:06
  And this is important for Nicodemus because he's speaking to a specific person. And that's easy to
• 11:11
  be lost in. We can always forget about that because there's a break here, but it's in a conversation with
• 11:16
  Nicodemus. And he is a ruler of Israel, and that's important. And the direct object is the world.
• 11:23
  So very simple. It's very basic. And it's no wonder why this verse is so popular.
• 11:29
  But it's God loved the world. So we have to ask, who is the world? So this gets, the world is pretty
• 11:41
  vague, right? So we have to do work to define the world well. And does the world mean
• 11:52
  everyone in the world without exception? Is it without exception? Everyone ever? It doesn't seem
• 12:02
  that way because in the exact same verse, there's a limitation. That would mean that Christ died for
• 12:10
  everyone without exception. And as we get into the verses, even in 16, later half 16 and 17,
• 12:20
  we'll see that cannot be true because you have this idea of potentially true and actually true.
• 12:28
  Potentiality and actuality. And we'll see this a couple more times before the end.
• 12:35
  Those who believe in Christ are secure by his blood because this doesn't mean all without exception.
• 12:43
  That means all without distinction. All without distinction. It's important to note that.
• 12:54
  So D.A. Carson in his John commentary defines world as created human order in rebellion against its
• 13:02
  maker. See how specifically John uses it. And he takes that. How does John use the world in other places?
• 13:11
  It's never positive. It's almost always negative. Sometimes it's neutral. The world, when he uses that.
• 13:20
  That's important. So what this means is for Nicodemus, notice that what he doesn't say, what Jesus doesn't say,
• 13:28
  Jesus doesn't say God loved Israel. He does not say that. He says God loved Jew and Gentile alike.
• 13:37
  That's what that means. That is a big pivot for not only Nicodemus, but for the gospel as we see
• 13:47
  this transition from Israel to the Jew and Gentile alike. That's important. So the questions we should ask,
• 13:57
  how should we love the world? Or how should we love our neighbor? We should mirror the character of God,
• 14:05
  and we can use this text as a model for that. We can look at how God loved, and we likewise preach the
• 14:14
  gospel to all people without distinction. Careful to preach the gospel to all peoples without distinction.
• 14:25
  The world needs to hear God loves the world through his son. The world needs to hear the gospel.
• 14:33
  And so as we move on to the second point, we have God loved. God gave. Second point. So that he gave his only son.
• 14:49
  This could be rendered so that he gave his only son.
• 14:52
  But this shows how God loved the world. This is the how portion. We'll get into the why in the next
• 15:02
  portion. But this is how God loved the world. And so another thing that you should note about your
• 15:09
  text is it could only, or you may have in your text, only begotten.
• 15:14
  God emphasizes the uniqueness of his son. Has uniqueness in mind. So that's the key word there.
• 15:24
  Only, only begotten emphasizes uniqueness. So only his unique son he gave.
• 15:33
  Because he loved the world. It was then God gave the serpent to Israel in
• 15:42
  Numbers 21. That was then. And then now God gave his son to the world. See the shift that's happening?
• 15:53
  Even in Nicodemus' interaction, like this is towards the end of his interaction with Jesus,
• 16:00
  you never know what Jesus is going to say. If you just read through it on your own,
• 16:06
  he doesn't have, Nicodemus doesn't come to him with a question. He comes with a statement.
• 16:12
  And then I'm sure Nicodemus is super confused where he's going, and especially where he ends up
• 16:20
  in our verses here. So then it was Israel God gave the serpent to, but now God gave his son to the world.
• 16:28
  It's important to see that shift. And then now to the why.
• 16:34
  That whoever believes in him, that's the why.
• 16:39
  The why God loved the world.
• 16:42
  And so it could be rendered in order that everyone who believes in him
• 16:46
  could be rendered that way.
• 16:48
  The why of loving God, of God loving the world.
• 16:52
  Remember, it's not everyone without exception, but it's in him.
• 17:01
  That's an important connection, because that's connecting in him with the last words of 17.
• 17:10
  In him, now, through him at the very end.
• 17:14
  Now verse 17.
• 17:15
  In Christ alone.
• 17:20
  The display of the love of God to us in Christ alone.
• 17:26
  And now there's a point and a counterpoint set where it's not this, but that.
• 17:32
  That's next.
• 17:33
  Should not perish, but have eternal life.
• 17:36
  This is not this, but that.
• 17:39
  There's another point and a counterpoint set later.
• 17:43
  But here's the first one.
• 17:45
  Again, a repetition.
• 17:47
  Not perish, but have eternal life.
• 17:52
  And that's hinging on believing in Christ alone.
• 17:59
  Not destruction for those who believe, but eternal life for those who believe.
• 18:06
  Not this, but that.
• 18:08
  Again, this is not a potentially true statement.
• 18:13
  It is a certainly true statement.
• 18:17
  It is not potentially true.
• 18:19
  It's actually true that whoever believes in Christ alone will have eternal life.
• 18:25
  Those who believe in Christ are secure by his blood.
• 18:31
  And we can say this with certainty.
• 18:36
  So we could go many different directions in the application of this point here that God gave his son.
• 18:43
  But let's just take husbands.
• 18:46
  I'm talking to you.
• 18:47
  So does your love reflect the kind of love God has demonstrated?
• 18:54
  Do you love your wife in a way that glorifies God?
• 19:01
  This could feel overwhelming.
• 19:04
  And I know it does for me to live up to this high standard.
• 19:09
  But we think about even we are always thinking about, it seems like in speaking about Ephesians 5.25,
• 19:17
  where Paul writes the command from Paul to love your wife just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
• 19:26
  It seems overwhelming.
• 19:27
  But I'm giving this to you husbands, using and thinking and meditating on John 3.16 and 17,
• 19:37
  to use this as a model and encouragement that we should look to God for the way we should love our neighbor and our closest neighbor, our wife.
• 19:47
  We are called in the testament to love our wives and our wives to respect their husbands.
• 19:54
  So it's not love, love.
• 19:57
  It's for us to love our wives.
• 19:59
  And that's important for our text today.
• 20:02
  And so this is a reminder of the triune God's sacrificial love to his people, John 3.16 is.
• 20:12
  And so we as husbands are commanded to sacrificially love our wife and our children as the triune God has loved us.
• 20:24
  And 3.16 is a model for that and how we can do that.
• 20:28
  In Stuart Scott's massive book, talking about overwhelming, but it's big, The Exemplary Husband, he defines love.
• 20:40
  And I'll give you his definition of love.
• 20:41
  Biblical love is a selfless and enduring commitment of the will to care about and benefit another person.
• 20:52
  By righteous, truthful, and compassionate thoughts, words, and actions.
• 21:00
  Think about that.
• 21:01
  I'll repeat it.
• 21:01
  The book of love is a selfless and enduring commitment of the will to care about and benefit another person by righteous, truthful, and compassionate thoughts, words, and actions.
• 21:19
  It reminds me of looking to God and his son in the giving and the love.
• 21:26
  The hymn, there's a hymn, it's titled, Though a Church is One Foundation.
• 21:31
  And they have this line.
• 21:33
  It's beautiful.
• 21:34
  I love it.
• 21:35
  There's a line that says,
• 21:37
  From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride.
• 21:43
  From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride.
• 21:47
  Husbands, let our love reflect the way God has loved us through his son.
• 21:56
  All right, third point.
• 21:59
  God sent.
• 22:01
  God sent his son.
• 22:03
  And under this point is all of verse 17.
• 22:06
  And this entire verse is a point, counterpoint.
• 22:10
  Not this, but that, set.
• 22:12
  And it's another, it's the second how God loved the world.
• 22:18
  This is a second how.
• 22:20
  For God did not send his son.
• 22:23
  This is the how.
• 22:26
  For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world.
• 22:32
  Or it could be rendered into the world in order that he might condemn the world.
• 22:37
  But in order that the world might be saved.
• 22:42
  He did not send his son into the world to condemn the world.
• 22:46
  But in order that the world might be saved.
• 22:51
  In order that the world might be saved is the second why God loved the world.
• 22:59
  There's two hows and there's two whys.
• 23:03
  And again, but in order that the world might be saved.
• 23:08
  Now this is a potential.
• 23:11
  There is potentiality here.
• 23:14
  The might be saved is a potential.
• 23:17
  But the last two words.
• 23:20
  Through him.
• 23:22
  This makes what was potential into actual.
• 23:29
  Only through his son.
• 23:31
  Through Christ alone.
• 23:33
  Can the world be saved.
• 23:35
  And so the potential.
• 23:38
  The potentiality has crossed over into actuality.
• 23:41
  Through the blood.
• 23:43
  Of Christ.
• 23:45
  Those who believe in Christ.
• 23:47
  Are secure.
• 23:49
  By his blood.
• 23:51
  By the son's blood.
• 23:52
  By Christ alone's blood.
• 23:54
  By the son's blood.
• 23:55
  So in conclusion.
• 23:59
  God loved the world.
• 24:01
  God gave his son.
• 24:04
  And God sent his son.
• 24:06
  Because God loved the world.
• 24:10
  Pray with me.