John: The Only Son
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Exegetical Point: To have eternal life, one must be born again by the Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ.
Homiletic Point: To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
Intro
Intro
Kids memory verse?
How many of you can recite for me John 3:16?
Very memorable.
Very simple call of the Gospel.
The trap, to equate my belief with spiritual rebirth - the birth comes from God, and then we can believe!
Christianity 101 - Very familiar to many of you, laying some groundwork for others.
Hard words! Hard to hear the condemnation of those outside Jesus, and hard to hear the utter inability you have.
Keep it all together as one section, despite the way it is densely packed. Let God’s word do the talking!
This passage answers the question: How can I have eternal life?
It will tell us To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
So lets look at those three things as Jesus unpacks them in this passage. Birth, Behold and Believe. If you’re keeping note, go ahead and prepare for three points around these ideas.
You need Birth by the Spirit (v1-8)
You need Birth by the Spirit (v1-8)
We’ve been working our way through John’s gospel as John writes to help us believe in Jesus. Jesus went up to clear the temple and do other signs.
Link from v2:25. Still at Jerusalem.
Meets a guy who has that surface level belief, but is an enquirer
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Pharisee - serious about doctrine and life. Like Puritans but without Jesus.
NIV incorrect - A “ruler of the Jews” which means he is likely part of the Sanhedrin ruling council. So like a member of parliament. A leader. A learned man.
Came at night, probably to protect his reputation. Nico… is mentioned in three places in John, and each time it is mentioned that he came to Jesus. It was a signifying feature of his approach to Jesus, one that moved him from secret enquirer to open supporter!
What does he say? He has been seeing the signs, and he has a burgeoning faith! You must be from God!
But Jesus cuts to the chase - it is not enough to believe that Jesus was “a” prophet or “a” messenger, in order to enter God’s kingdom a person must be born again.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“see” the kingdom, a turn of phrase - like I would like to “see” Scotland, or see my Mum and Dad again. Not just behold their faces, but enter into a sweet fellowship.
Unless - This is a mandatory step! There is not alternate paths to God’s kingdom.
Nico. confused. What do you mean Jesus? Jesus fleshes it out:
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Jesus is teaching Nico. about a heavenly birth. Literally a “birth from above” which in context also mean born again. So a little pun here.
You are born into the physical earthly life, and you need to be born into spiritual life in order to be part of God’s kingdom.
Born of Water and Spirit. Spirit makes sense to us, we understand that God is spirit and we are spiritual beings that need to be aligned with him. But why reference to water?
Baptism? Yes, but no. Only indirectly.
It points back to the OT prophetic hope of cleansing as expressed in Ezekiel:
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
God had promised to cleanse his people from their impurities, revive their hearts and actually put His Spirit in them.
Jesus is teaching Nico. that what was prophesied back then is a pre-requisite to coming into God’s kingdom. It was anticipated, but now it needs to take place!
God needs to spiritually reanimate his people so that they can serve God properly and faithfully. Naturally we are spiritually dead!
Jesus goes on to explain something about the operation of the HS. It’s mysterious.
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Take of your meteorology hat, and put on your earthly experiences hat - the wind seems like it comes out of nowhere. You can hear it’s effects and you can see the effects, but you cant capture the wind and you can’t see it.
Wind & spirit are the same word. The spirit blows where it wishes.
Hard truth, that the spirit goes where he wants, not where we want.
The spirit mysteriously comes to do the work of regeneration in our hearts. To makes us born again! You can’t see Him come or go, but you will hear him on the toungues of people bursting into new spiritual life and confessing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God come in the flesh!
You will know that someone is born again by the evidence of the Spirit’s presence in their life!
In some sense we should understand ourselves as Nico. in this story. Even though we are far removed by time and space, we too must come to Christ and be instructed by him. That’s what we’re doing here now! We come to hear what Jesus says to us so that we can respond well.
But, we’re taught here that is order to respond, God must first do a work in us - make us alive!
Birth is passive - You cannot choose your earthly birth and neither can you choose your heavenly birth. It is from outside influences that brings life. The spirit blows where he wishes to bring the spiritual birth.
Like dead people, we cannot make ourselves alive! The spirit must do it’s work in us. God must cleanse and regenerate us so that we can take up faith!
(some implications of that that need to be worked out! we can talk more...)
To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
You need to Behold the Son (v9-15)
You need to Behold the Son (v9-15)
Nico. stunned by this teaching. As are many people when they come face to face with these marvelous truths of scripture. Our minds are blown wide open while we try to come to grips with what we’re learning.
Jesus responds to the lack of understanding:
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
Nico. is a bible-college graduate and civil/religious leader. But his understanding is clouded. Of all people he should be most ready to see.
Jesus speaks truth to Nico. pressing home the fact that Jesus is talking about things he knows about and understand in a way that is beyond us.
Like going to a mechanic - most of us will know something about our cars - there’s an engine in the front and wheels etc. But we do not have an intricate working knowledge of the car, The mechanic does, and so they can speak with authority about what goes on under the bonnet even if it seems a little far fetched or strange to us.
Jesus know what he’s talking about, why? Because he has spent time in the spiritual realm! That’s his turf!
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Jesus, the Son of Man, ans he likes to call himself, has authority to speak on these matters.
Jesus now moves to use another earthly example to teach Nico. a heavenly reality!
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
We read the story before - Israel was afflicted with serpents and suffering, and God’s provision was to provide rescue through looking up to the embodiment of their judgement.
Jesus would be like our snake in the wilderness. All of us afflicted by the poison of sin and under the cloud of death, we must look upon Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be healed of our spiritual sickness and become righteous like God.
Jesus, the son of man would be lifted up on a cross, bearing all the guilt of sinful people to make atonement in our place.
We behold him. We look to him to provide the rescue from the dire need that we have.
You need to know you are infected, that you have the venom coursing through your veins. Look up to the Son of God to find the spiritual healing you need!
To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
You need to Believe in the Son (v16-21)
You need to Believe in the Son (v16-21)
As Jesus started to say in v15 - you need to believe!
Unlike the spiritual rebirth which is passive, Belief is active. Having been brought to spiritual life, we are now enabled and freed to put our faith and trust in Jesus.
Now we see the comparison of that faith which leads to eternal life, with disbelief which leads to condemnation.
Is this section Jesus words? Either quote or John’s commentary, either way it’s from Jesus!
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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This isn’t a passage about how God loves everybody - it doesn’t say that! Nor is it a soppy verse about God wanting to avoid judgement. It doesn’t say that!
Lets look at it! A few key words:
Loved - Literally “Loved the world in this way” i.e. This is how God showed his love. If i say For Samuel so loved his church that he came to church on Sunday, the main point isn’t that I love my church, rather, it is the action itself which is the focus. It is not a comment on the level of Love i have for the individuals, or where I love you all in the same way. What’s the important action here? God sent his Only Son.
Only - We talk about humanity as sons of God, and spiritual beings and Israel - all variously described as son or children of God. But there is a special One and only Son. The only begotten. The second person of the trinity. God himself as the Son. Not any old mediator, but God sent his son to be the one lifted up.
Whoever - All who believe on Christ will have eternal life. This is the simplicity of the Gospel - trust in Jesus - be saved. But, we remember the preceding verse that have told us that this active action of believing has to follow the passive rebirth after God’s spirit has been at work. If you believe in the Son, confessing he is Lord, that's the sign of the wind at work in you!
Perish - What we are saved from. There is eternal death as the natural progression when outside Jesus. There is condemnation. Jesus first coming is not Judgment Day, but it is obvious that everyone who rejects the avenue to eternal life will not reach it. It is self condemnation.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Disbelief is signing your own death warrant. Like someone who refuses to take the antidote to poison - they have consigned themselves to death. They have condemned themselves even before Christ comes on Judgment Day.
Worse still John says in one of his letters that by refusing Jesus you’re calling God a liar! You’re essentially says that what God has said is untrue! That’s so prideful!
The light has come into the world, so you can see and believe in Jesus. But still many will reject Jesus, and John said in the prologue.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
There are people who will want to keep and cover their evil rather than expose it and deal with it.
It’s our tendency to hide in shame, like Adam & Eve in the garden.
Those who have not had the spirit at work to rebirth will not have the effects - they will be doing evil.
On the other hand, the believer, the HS re-birthed person does good and it is exposed by the Light as God honoring. The belief is manifested in practice - it naturally is worked out.
Believe and receive eternal life!
God sees your sin, and sent Christ anyway! Don’t resist him.
To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
What now?
What now?
To have eternal life you must be Born again by the Spirit, Behold Jesus, and Believe on Jesus the Only Son of God. If not, you are condemned.
Born Again by the Spirit,
Behold the Lifted up Son of Man
Believe in the Only Son
References:
Carson’s Pillar Commentary on John.
Hutcheson’s commentary on John
Hendrickson’s commentary on John
Sermons by Richard D. Philips,
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005.
Phillips, Richard D. John. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. 1st ed. Vol. 1 & 2 of Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014.