For God so Loved the World... John 3:16-21,

John 3:16-21 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Hello, Ridge Church! We all know John 3:16, right? It's perhaps the most famous verse of scripture in the modern day. And there's good reason; John 3:16 is an excellent wrapped up presentation of who Jesus is, why He was sent into the world, and how His life effects us.

However, have you ever considered that v.16 is actually in the middle of Jesus's answer to the religious leader, Nicodemus? When we read scripture in context, (which means knowing the whole story surrounding a particular verse or passage), we gain a greater understanding of what scripture is trying to teach us. If we want a more clear picture of what Jesus' point was to this famous teaching, then we need to continue on through v.21.

So, if you haven't yet, read John 3:16-21 written above (or for bonus points, read all of John 3).

Now that is some straightforward teaching! And let's remember, Jesus had just finished telling Nicodemus about how, to be saved, one needs to have faith from a genuine heart, and also about the new birth of the Spirit which comes with that faith (you can read more about that in my previous post). So, in this conversation, Jesus naturally moved from teaching about the need for genuine faith and new birth, to detailing that, to experience this new birth, we must make a decision either for or against Jesus.  Did you catch that reason? The reason why we need to make a decision about Jesus is because God loves us. 

If God were inconclusive concerning His feelings towards us, then perhaps we, too, could be inconclusive towards Him. But that's not reality (thank God!). The fact is that God does love you, He loved you before you even knew about Him. God did send Jesus, who is the Way to life and light. And so, we can choose either to embrace God's love, which means to live in surrender and obedience to God, which is actually to live in freedom from sin, and to live in the light. Or, we can choose to live in sin, which is to remain in rebellion against God, which is to live in darkness as a spiritually dead person; and not only darkness, but a darkness which seeks to kill and destroy our very souls. Not desiring that fate for any of us, the Father sent His Son to bring salvation from the weight and effects of sin! All we must do to receive that salvation, is believe in Jesus as our Lord and our savior from sin and death. 

And lest we think that faith is just our emotions and thoughts, Jesus goes on in verse 19-21 to explain that those who live in the light actively act out their genuine faith.

You see, Jesus expects that, when we receive his life-giving, reality-altering Holy Spirit, we are changed by it! Once we lived in darkness, in secrecy, doing whatever pleased our flesh, emotions, and mind. But when we make the choice to surrender to Jesus, and become his disciple, his follower, his love and liberation causes us to live in the light. We come out of hiding because we no longer have anything to hide, for there is no more condemnation in a right relationship with Jesus. Jesus expects us to be so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that we live in a way that puts God on display, and he wants us to do that together. We come together in community as the Church to strengthen one another and hold one another accountable to the way of our Lord.

I don't know where you're at right now. Maybe you are feeling discouraged by actions you are taking that, if you're being honest, don't display the power of the Spirit in your life. Maybe you want to hide away, or be left alone, ashamed of how you have been behaving. Or perhaps you don't feel good enough to come to Jesus, or to the Church. I want to encourage you to remember that God sent Jesus into the world even while we were sinning (Romans 5:8). God loved us before we ever loved him, and that love has not ceased. I want you to live in the light, to experience the freedom that Jesus offers you. The only way to do that, according to Jesus, is to have faith in Him to give you freedom from the sin that ensnares you, and to come out from the dark. 

Or, maybe, you are living in the light, and you are close with the Lord. Be encouraged by Jesus' words to live out your faith in the light, in the open, putting His power and perfection on display! Come alongside someone who you have noticed is receptive to, or at least curious about, Jesus. Unashamedly let them see and feel His work in and through your life.

So today, let's give God praise for how He has loved us. Let us praise Him for giving us a living hope in Jesus, and active strength and encouragement in the Holy Spirit. Let us live in the light.

Until next time beloved,

Pastor Andrew