Bible Study for Sermon on March 18, 2012

Scripture:  John 3:14-21

"The Goal of New Life is for each person to be born from above."

Prior to this weeks verses Jesus has been talking with Nicodemus (3:2-10) and is now in the midst of a private conversation that begins at 3:11.  As 3:14-21, opens, a marked contrast has been established between divine and human perspectives.  John has already emphasized this by playing off the double meaning of the words "born."  For John Jesus is talking in terms of being spiritually born "from above," while Nichodemus is talking in terms of being born physically again.  This divine and human perspective is reiterated when Jesus talks about "earthly things" and "heavenly things."

John 3:14 continues this contrast with the phrase "to lift up" and "to exalt." Moses lifting up the serpent and the Son of Man being exalted.  When Moses lifted up the serpent the people could look upon it and survive being bitten by the poisonous serpents.  When God lifted up Jesus on the Cross people could look upon him and survive sin.  This looking upon the Son of Man on the Cross has a drawing experience that implants eternal life into the observer. 

There is a sense of urgency found in the verses articulating that the Son of Man must be exated for salvation to be made possibe to the observer.  It is necessary to believe in order to receive eternal life.  However, the greater necessity is God's first providing the opportunity and the means for belief and eternal life through Jesus Christ.  The crucifixion is necessary.  John is specifically saying that God's redemptive work is done only through Jesus Christ.

Verse 3:16 builds on 3:15 by tandemning belief and eternal life; and how God and Jesus are tandemning for human salvation.  The superabundance of God's love in revealed in Jesus' death and that it is not God's intention that any believer is lost.  3:17 makes clear that God's intention is salvation of the world and not condemnation.  But by including the word "condemned" into the conversation it sets up the consideration of how judgment figures into God's redemptive purpose, which is taken up on 3:18-19. 

Again, it is clear that God does not wish for believers to perish nor the world to be condemned.  Hence, 3:18 presents the understanding that condemnation eventually rests in our response to God's giving/sending Christ.  Those who respond by believing in Christ avoid condemnation.  Those who respond to Christ by not believing do not avoid condemnation.  It is that simple and stark.

But the starkness is due to people's unwillingness to respond to God's love as revealed.  3:19 returns to the contrast but in light and darkness.  Hence, those who love darkness invite their destiny of darkness, which is the result of evil.

John 3:14-21 delivers John's conclusion to people initial and life choices.  The delineation is pretty straightforward.  Those who look on Jesus on the Cross are seeing God's love, grace, and option.  Accepting it beings God's blessings.  Rejecting it brings curses.  Doing good is symptom of accepting Jesus.  Doing evil is symptom of rejecting Jesus.  The ease is accepting Jesus.  The disease is rejecting Jesus.  Those who do what is good are accepting what God has done.  Those who are doing evil are accepting what Satan has done.  Light exposes.  Darkness hides.

Encountering Jesus is stark.  It will jar our familiar parameters.  It will upheave our lives.  Like Nicodemus we find ourselves thinking at the crossroad of life with cross purposes of which master will we serve.  Which way will be more beneficial to us?  This is where you may be right now.  Panning our lives which is more beneficial.  As we walk past Jesus on the Cross how will we respond?  Is he lifted up or exalted?  Is he the condemned criminal that the Romans made him or the exalted LORD that God made him?

Judgment is right now!  How we respond to Jesus exalted?  God is offering the cure to your disease.  In the crucifixion God is approaching you.  Who are you?  What have you decided?  Right now you know your destiny.  You know how you are reponding  to Jesus on the Cross.  Everyone else knows, or someone knows from the fruit that you are bearing what you decision is. 

Here is the crux of the matter!  As I mentioned in Wednesday Night Bible Study, in Greek thinkings as it blends with Hebrew thinking in the Early Church there is a connection between "light" and "truth."  Those who do the truth will come to the truth.  Literally "truth" means "out in the open," transparent, unconcealed.  It has been used to mean "knowing better,"  and "not forgetting."  I want you to plan on joining New Life in the viewing or reviewing the DVD entitled Passion of Christ.  I want you to see for yourselve how much God loves you.    I hope you will stop lurking in your sin.  I hope you will come out of your secretive life and live in the light.