For God So Loved
John 3:14-21
 
Jesus and Nicodemus
 
Our Scripture comes right at the end of a conversation between Jesus and a man called, Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a great Jewish leader, yet he sensed something in or about Jesus that led him to come and speak with Jesus.
 
But because of his reputation, and the fact that Jesus was not very popular among the Jewish leaders, Nicodemus came at night. It was there and then Jesus taught Nicodemus the truth about how a person must be saved or redeemed – brought into a right relationship with God.
 
Jesus even scolded Nicodemus for not already knowing this since he was a great leader of the Jewish people.
 
Moses and the Snake
 
As Jesus finished up his lesson to Nicodemus, he referred to an event in Jewish history that Nicodemus would have known well. Referencing Numbers 21:4-9, Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:14-15,
 
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
 
It is an interesting story, but the short version is this: after God graciously and lovingly rescued his people from bondage in Egypt, they began complaining. They started speaking against God and Moses, suggesting they had been brought out into the wilderness just to die.
 
Therefore, God sent poisonous snakes among them and the snakes began to bite the people. Many died. As you can imagine, this got the people’s attention, and they began repenting for speaking against God and Moses and pleaded for deliverance and healing from the snakes.
 
Thus, God told Moses to make a snake, put it on a pole, and then lift it high above the people. And so Moses did just that. He made a bronze snake, put it on the end of a pole, and when the people looked with faith to the image of the snake lifted up, they were physically healed.
 
After retelling the story, the last point Jesus made to Nicodemus was this: just as Moses lifted up the snake, Jesus himself would be lifted up. By “lifted up” Jesus was referring to his death on the Cross to be sure, but also his resurrection, and ascension into heaven.
 
And Jesus added, that everyone who looks to him – trustingly believes in him – will have eternal life.
 
The Bible’s Most Popular Verse
 
That brings us to the most widely known verse in all the Bible, John 3:16,
 
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.
 
John 3:16 is the most succinct summary of the Gospel in all the Bible. In one verse John tells us God gave his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to live, teach, heal, perform miracles, but ultimately, to die on the Cross.
 
By doing so, those who look to him in faith, as the Israelites looked to the bronze snake, would be forgiven and delivered from the guilt and power of sin. They would be reclaimed and reconciled to a right and eternal relationship with God. And they would be empowered to live the lives for which they were created.
 
The Front Door
 
John declares to us in this beautiful verse that we must reach out to God with our hearts and minds to receive this free gift of eternal life.
 
John 1:12 says,
 
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…
 
We receive Christ by placing our faith in him. Trusting belief. This is more than mere head knowledge or vague acknowledgement. It is to give our very lives to him. To give him ourselves. To be sure, it involves trust, repentance, submission, commitment, obedience, and following him.
 
But the front door is faith. We must enter through that front door and say, “Yes Lord, thank you. I believe.” Then, what follows, is a life of getting to know him better – following him wherever he may lead. It means desiring to become more and more like him. It means telling others about him, even as we serve them, along our journey through this world.
 
According to John, those who do respond in faith in this way receive eternal life. Those who do not respond in faith, do not receive eternal life. John says they stand condemned already because they prefer darkness instead of the light that Christ brings into the world.
 
God’s Love
 
Now, if you have been paying attention up to this point, perhaps you noticed I left out the central, governing purpose of all that God did through Jesus on our behalf.
 
John tells us that, “God so loved.”
 
That phrase, “so loved” means, God loved “in this way,” which involves everything mentioned so far about Jesus being “lifted up” on our behalf.
 
And please notice, John says God so loved the world. Not just the Jews, but the Gentiles too, which is a way of saying, everyone. God is not only the covenant God of Israel. He is the God of all. He sent Jesus for all. That is why John said, “everyone who believes” and not just the Jews.
 
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:12-13,
 
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Emphases mine)
 
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
 
And this is because, “God so loved.” God’s love expressed in this way, John reminds us in his first epistle, flows from the fact that God is love. It is who God is.
 
But here is where we need to be careful. We must not go to movies and music, or Hollywood and Hallmark to get our definition of love and then read Scripture through that lens. Instead, we go to Scripture to learn what love is and then look to see how worldly views compare with what the Bible says (and therefore, what God says) about God’s love. This is how we practice the art of spiritual discernment.
 
The founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, seldom talked about God’s love without referring to it as a “holy love.” Each of God’s attributes relates to all the rest. God’s attributes do not exist in separate, isolated compartments in which they have nothing to do with one another. Furthermore, God’s attributes are not partial. He is not a 10% one attribute and 15% another and so on. He is 100% each of his attributes, and as I mentioned, they all interrelate and influence the others.
 
This led A.W. Tozer to write,
 
From God’s other known attributes we may learn much about his love. We can know, for instance, that because God is self-existent, his love had no beginning; because he is eternal, his love can have no end; because he is infinite, it has no limit; because he is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity…”
 
Charles Wesley beautifully captured a glimpse of God’s love in his hymn, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”…
 
Love divine, all loves excelling
Joy of Heaven to Earth come down
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling
All Thy faithful mercies crown
Jesus, Thou art all compassion
Pure, unbounded love Thou art
Visit us with Thy salvation
Enter every trembling heart
 
Your Response
 
That is the love of God. And so how do you respond to that? This idea that God sent his Son to come and save, not a world that was cheering for him, but just the opposite. As the words of the Holy Communion liturgy in the United Methodist hymnal, borrowing from Romans 5:8 put it,
 
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Emphasis mine)
 
How do you respond to that? How does that impact you emotionally? Does it fill you with awe? Humility? Reverence? Joy? Gratitude? Indifference? Distaste? Fear? The Apostle John suggests that all those seem to be ways people respond to the glorious announcement of God’s love in Christ.
 
How about you? Is the good news of God’s love for you in Christ an announcement of indescribable beauty to you? Of horror? Of Indifference?
 
I want you to know there is a God in heaven who loves you and who went to the greatest lengths to act on your behalf – to win you to himself. To enable you to become the person he created you to be.
 
He loves and rejoices over you so much he sings. Zephaniah 3:17 says,
 
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
 
He loves you so much he offers you eternal life in his presence. But he will not force you to respond in faith, to give your life to Christ. He will not override your will and desire. To those who would prefer not to spend eternity in the presence of God, God replies, “thy will be done.” And yet, like the Father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, he waits and watches for you. More than that, with his Spirit he lovingly calls you and draws you to himself. And he is doing that today.
 
The Ultimate Gift
 
And what is the gift that awaits you when you trust in Christ? The gift is God himself. “Life of abundant joy and immeasurable blessing in the presence of God forever.”
 
At the end of The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis writes these words about some of the characters in his books,
 
“All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
 
Don’t you want to be a part of that Great Story?
 
If you have never put your trust in Christ before, reach out to God today and call to him. Trust in him. Enter his Great Story and become a part of it. If you do know Christ, then give thanks and continue to love and follow him. Tell others about him. Invite them to join you in the Greatest Story ever told.
 
Thanks be to God for the love of God.
 
Walking Points

• What are some ways our culture defines love? (Think about how your family, friends, television shows and movies, songs, greeting cards, etc., express it.)

 

• Which of those definitions do you think is closer to a biblical understanding of love? Which of those definitions is further away from a biblical understanding of love? Explain why you think that.

 

• Based on this week’s Scripture, how would you describe the “love of God” to a friend? What are the key characteristics of God’s love? Give examples of your understanding from this week’s Scripture. (Also, read Romans 5:6-8 and 1 John 4:7-12 for further guidance.)

 

• As you reflect upon God’s initiating, self-giving love for you, what feelings and emotions do you experience? Why do you think that is?

 

• In what ways should your love for God and others be tweaked (or completely overhauled) by a richer understanding of God’s love for you?

 

• What are some ways you continue to experience the love of God daily in your life?

 

Born for This
Matthew 1:21
 
A Christmas Baby
 
On a Christmas day, 55 years ago, I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Two nuns cleaned me up and brought me to my mom and dad in a Christmas stocking.
 
My birth meant a lot to my mom and dad (or so they have led me to believe). But our country didn’t rejoice at my birth. The state of North Carolina didn’t rejoice at my birth. In fact, the city of Asheville didn’t rejoice at my birth. My birth didn’t make the national papers. It didn’t even make the local paper. There were no geopolitical implications that came from my being born into this world. 
 
Royal Pardons
 
But there were huge implications when Princess Lalla Salma gave birth to a daughter named, Lalla Khadija. Her husband, King Mohammed the 6th of Morocco, was so excited when his daughter was born, he wanted to celebrate in a big way. Instead of giving out cigars, he pardoned 8,836 prisoners and reduced the sentences of 24,218 others. The Justice Ministry said the pardons were a humanitarian gesture. (from the Preaching Today website).
 
Talk about setting the captives free.
 
What the Birth of Jesus Did Not Mean
 
Well, the birth of Jesus also had a few implications. A few major implications, in fact. The problem was, it just wasn’t what the people were expecting.
 
The first part of the beautiful words from Isaiah 9:6 reminds us,
 
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
 
You see, the promised Messiah was supposed to ride in on a mighty horse, bearing a sword, to overturn the political and military structures and put Israel back on top. At least that’s how many first century Jews understood that text and others like it.
 
What the Birth of Jesus Did Mean
 
Let’s take a look at one verse in Matthew’s Gospel to see what it says about why Jesus was born. Matthew 1:21 says,
 
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (emphases mine)
 
Joseph’s Marching Orders

The Gospel of Luke records the angel’s announcement and conversation with Mary about giving birth to Jesus. But in Matthew, the angel is addressing Joseph. This is important because it was prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be a descendent of King David. 

Luke gives us Mary’s genealogy to show us she was a biological descendant of David. But there’s something a little different going on in Matthew’s Gospel. In that Gospel, Joseph is never called Jesus’ father. Joseph is his adoptive father, so to speak. Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus was a great miracle of the Holy Spirit. And so, God was the Father of Jesus.
 
But the key to this part of verse 21 is this - by giving Jesus his name, Joseph was accepting responsibility for raising Jesus as his own. “YOU shall call his name Jesus…” In that culture, the act of naming a baby gave the child legal status in the family. And so, Jesus was biologically linked to King David through Mary and legally related to David through Joseph.
 
Name Him “Jesus”

Now here’s what didn’t happen: God didn’t say to Mary and Joseph, “Go down to the Bethlehem Barnes and Noble and pick up a baby name book. The couple didn’t consult Great Baby Names of Hebrew History, 3rd Edition. 

God, through the angel said, You shall, you will, you must, you are to call this baby boy, “Jesus.” And so, God told Mary and Joseph what to name their son.
 
Something About That Name
 
In a recent children’s Christmas Eve service at the church I serve, the service featured a story called, “Operation: No More Tears!” It began with Isaiah foretelling God’s “rescue plan” to save his people. Well, we find the fulfillment of that prophecy in the birth and naming of Jesus.
 
The name, “Jesus,” was the Greek form of the name, “Joshua.” It was a common name in Israel. It literally means, “Jehovah is salvation” or “God saves.” The angel told Joseph the baby boy was to be named “Jesus” because he would save his people from their sins.
 
Again, however, the salvation most of the first century Jews had in mind was a national liberation. They wanted to be freed from those who oppressed them. In this case, it was the Romans. They wanted a kingly figure in the style of King David to ride into town, with sword drawn, and take out their enemies.
 
But the prophecy that best points to the kind of salvation Jesus would bring is found in Psalm 130:8, which says,
 
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

The salvation Jesus would bring would primarily be spiritual, though it would certainly have implications for every sphere of life. As the words to an old hymn remind us, there is something powerful indeed about the name of Jesus.
 
The name, “Jesus” represents our deliverance from sin and our reconciliation with God. Acts 4:12 says this about the name of Jesus,
 
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
 
The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:10, puts it this way,
 
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (emphasis mine)

His People

And who did Jesus come to save? “His people.” “His people” certainly meant Israel. We know he came first to “his own” as John 1:11 puts it. “His own” meant the Jews. 

But we also know there’s a wider context. Undoubtedly Matthew, the same Gospel writer who gave us the Great Commission, which commands us to go into all the world to make disciples of every nation, understood it was not only Israel Jesus came to save.
 
The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus came for Jew and Gentile. Paul writes this in Romans 1:16,
 
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
 
For a Jew, the word “Gentile” or “Greek” simply meant everyone else… everyone who’s not Jewish. In other words, Jesus came to save everyone who would believe… Jew and Gentile alike.
 
Now think about that - Jesus came to save his people from their sins. “His people” would have included a lot of very, so-called, “religious” people, not just those who were described as “sinners.” Jesus came to say that no one can be delivered from their sin by their own religious works, no matter how good. We’re all born in sin and our sins can never be atoned for by our religious works, whether they’re Jewish or Gentile good works. 
​
The Question
 
So, here’s the question for us. Maybe you’ve asked this yourself. Why couldn’t Jesus just parachute out of heaven as an adult and go straight to the Cross. The answer: because he had to be truly God and truly human. 
As God, he would be able to atone for the infinite transgression of sin and bridge the infinite gulf between God and us. As human, he would live a life, be tempted just like the rest of us, yet remain without sin.
 
And as a sinless human, a lamb without blemish, as John the Baptist called him, he could die in our place and take the punishment we deserved. You see, his life of perfect righteousness was just as important as his sacrificial death. Because if he were a sinner like the rest of us, then his death would not have even saved his life, much less ours.
 
By taking on human flesh and living among us, God revealed just how much he loves those he came to save. In one of my favorite hymns, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley reminds us of this piercing truth,
 
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
 
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
 
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that we may no more may die,
 
Born to raise us from the earth,
Born to give us second birth.
 
Read Matthew 1:21 again,
 
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
 
Jesus was born for this. Talk about implications!
 
The birth of Jesus has eternal implications. It has temporal implications. It has implications for every sphere of your life.
 
Have you called out to Jesus to save you from your sins? And have you entrusted your life – given your whole existence to him? If not, let today be the day.
 
Thanks be to God for his holy and sacrificial love.
 
Walking Points

• What are some of the eternal implications of the birth of Jesus? How have those implications impacted your life, personally?
• What are some of the temporal implications of the birth of Jesus? How have those implications impacted your life, personally?
• What parts of your life are you still holding back from God? Why you think that is?
• What one thing will you do this week to turn those areas over to God so you can experience his transforming power in them?
• Spend some time this week praising and thanking God for the coming of Jesus. Find some hymns in a hymnal or online and sing or read them to celebrate what the birth of Jesus has meant for our world and for you personally.