Cornerstone PLUS

John chapter 3. 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 1 could could perform the signs you are doing, if god were not with him. Jesus replied, very truly I tell you, no 1 can see the kingdom of god unless they are born again.

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 1 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. 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. How can this be?

Negodemus 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? No 1 has ever gone into heaven except the 1 who has who came from heaven, the son of man. 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. For god so loved the world that he gave his 1 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.

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 1 and only son. 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. Thank you very much.

Please do keep that Bible verse, past open in front of you. As Paul said, my name is Tom Sweetman. I'm on the staff team here, and, it's great to have you with us this morning. It is Christmas Eve, eve, and that is actually a thing now apparently Christmas Eve Eve. And if that explains why you're here, in other words, you've come to visit family over the Christmas period, then you're very welcome.

I see Dean and Chris's family is expanding by the week as more and more arrive, and, it's great to have you with us. Last week, we concluded our series in Romans that we've been doing for the last few years, and, next next year, lord willing, we'll be starting a whole load of new series, but, as it's so close to Christmas and we've got this session together, we thought we would do a, a 1 off in this amazing Christmas chapter, John 3. I've called it Christmas in 26 words. Somebody remarked to me, and I think they're right that this could be the shortest sermon ever preached. In Cornerstone, which wasn't what I had in mind when I chose the title, I have to say.

So if you were hoping for something very short this morning, I'm afraid you might be disappointed, It's, because there are actually 26 word words in John 3 16, and that is a wonderful Christmas verse, John 3 16. And if you can possibly hold on from counting to double check, while we pray, that would be good. Let's power heads and pray. Father god, we know that these verses will be familiar to many of us here, and familiar verses can either be a wonderful blessing or a bit of a curse. They can be like a good friend which we return to time and time again for comfort and encouragement and joy.

And they can also sadly become over familiar to us and the wonder is lost on us the more that we read them. And we pray that you might guard our hearts from that this morning. We pray for a fresh work of the Holy Spirit that we might understand this glorious Christmas summary again and that we might just be amazed at how you, our father, have loved us and given your son for us. And we ask it in his name. Amen.

Okay. I want you to imagine yourself, as an overseas missionary. More specifically, you're serving a jungle tribe in Columbia, and you discover that they don't speak a word of English or Spanish, they have their own language, which you have now learnt. You also happen to be a scholar in biblical Hebrew and Greek. You've been living among this tribe for 5 years to understand their customs and their history and their spirituality, and now you're at the position when you want to start explaining the gospel and translating some of the scriptures into their own language.

And for you, John 3 16 is about the best place to begin. Martin Luther famous church, figure in history, he said that this verse is the gospel in miniature. That's what he called it, the gospel in miniature. And so where else should we begin? Now you discover that god is a concept that they understand who that is and what that is is gonna need clearing up, but they understand god.

That is a concept that they can get. Living with god forever is also something that they can imagine. They can imagine the idea of living with this god forever. God sending his son to earth is a little bit more complicated for you, and it's gonna take some time, but believing in him is where you have real problems, trying to explain what it means to believe in Jesus in a saving way. Because you know that it's more than just admitting that he exists.

So you couldn't use an illustration with a tree and say, Do you believe that tree exists? Yes. Okay. Now close your eyes. You can't see it anymore.

Can you? Is it still there? Yes. You know it's more than that. It's more than just admitting something might exist even if you can't see it.

It's a kind of trust and confidence and a resting in the son of god as your lord. But how to explain it? Of all the words this could be the most challenging 1 for you to explain. So how would you do it? How would you explain it?

Now, this was the challenge that faced a man called Bruce Olsen in the 19 sixties. He's an American missionary. He's still alive. But in the sixties, god called him to work with the Motalone tribe in the Columbian rainforest. And his story is absolutely fascinating and well worth a read if you haven't yet chosen your Christmas book It's called BRuchko.

His story is in this book called BRuchko, which was his nickname because they couldn't pronounce his real name, Bruce. And so they're called in BRuchko, and that's where the book takes its name. Fascinating story. And what you discover is that being a missionary was not his first choice. He wanted to be a professor of biblical languages and ancient languages, that was where he thought his life was heading, he knew Hebrew Greek and Latin by the time he was 19 years old, and, you know, I don't know what kind of childhood he had, but, a lot of time spent alone, I would imagine.

And, he was destined, for, for teaching. He wants to be a teacher, but he felt that god was calling him to put those gifts that he had to work for the sake of those who didn't know the lord Jesus. Like we've been learning from romans and like we've been learning from the life of Paul, he wanted testimonies, not titles. He wanted to work for testimonies. And not titles.

And so eventually after going to meet with the Motalone tribe and living among them, he ran into that very problem that I just put to you. After 5 years of living among them and learning about their customs and their spirituality, how was he going to translate? The idea of saving faith in Jesus to a culture that had no understanding of those kind of phrases. Well, here's how he did it. This is him in the middle of a conversation, with a guy called Bobby, who is not his real name.

That was 1 of the tribe members, and he too couldn't pronounce his real name, so they had nicknames for each other. And, this is Bruce talking to to Bobby about this idea. He says, do you remember that I was afraid to climb into the high hammocks and sing. That was 1 of their traditions. That I was afraid to climb into the high hammocks and sing for fear that the rope would break.

And I told you that I would only sing if I could have 1 foot in the hammock and 1 foot on the ground. Yes, BRuchko. You did. And what did you say to me? He laughed.

I told you that you had to have both feet in the hammock. You have to be suspended then, I said. Yes, you have to be suspended. That is how it is when you follow Jesus, Bobby. No man can tell you how to walk his trail, only Jesus can, but to find out you have to tie your hammock strings into Jesus and be suspended in God.

And I thought that was just a wonderful way of describing something of saving faith. If you wanna be saved from perishing, he's saying, you need to tie yourself into Jesus. You need to rest in him as if he were a hammock, letting him take the burden of your weight, not 1 foot in, 1 foot on the ground, letting him fully take your burdens, letting him lift you above the dangers that exist all over the forest floor. If you trust in Jesus in that way tying into him, then you will be saved, and you can certainly sing. John tells us that god so loved the world that he gave his 1 and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

That's how he translated that idea. And the reason I tell you that story is because this idea of tying into Jesus like a hammock I think is at the heart of this wonderful verse. In chapters 1 and 2 of John's gospel, there's been a lot about life and testimony, life and testimony. Those are the big ideas that have been repeated. The life has appeared The word has been made flesh, the eternal life has come to dwell amongst us, and since then, profits and miracles have been testifying to the life.

The life has come and there has been testimonies to the life. But now in chapter 3, it's all about the need for people, you, and me, us, everyone, to believe in that life for salvation. We have heard the testimonies and now we must respond, we must believe. And that's what it's all about. And so today, as we look at this verse again, this wonderful verse, this gospel in miniature, this summary of everything that Christmas is about, I hope that this simple truth is going to be very refreshing for us.

I hope that as we look at it together, we might fall in love with it all over again and that ultimately whether for the first or for the thousandth time we might tie in to the lord Jesus Christ. For god so loved the world that he gave is 1 and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life The first point I want to make this morning is this, the love of god is universal. The love of god is universal. And as you can see from the reading that we had Jesus is in the middle of a conversation with a man called nicodemus. He is a respected senior religious figure, and he's come to Jesus under the cover of darkness in order to speak with him.

And in the conversation, Jesus has introduced some things that are boggling his mind There's no other way of saying it. He's talked of a new birth of the need to be born again. Of the kingdom of god, of his own coming from heaven, of Moses, and the scriptures of his death that he's going to be lifted up upon a cross and that all who believe in him will be saved. So there is a connection that is starting to build up in Jesus' teaching. There is a connection between being born again and the work of the spirit and entering the kingdom of god and faith in the son of god.

In some way, those ideas are all connected And then comes verse 16 in order to put flesh on the bones, if you like, and to start expanding and deepening and enriching all these ideas that Jesus has been saying. Here comes John 3 16 to explain the the grand motivation behind all that Jesus has just been saying. For god So loved the world. Why has the son of man come? Why is he gonna be lifted up?

Why must we believe in him for because God so loved the world that he gave. And it sounds almost too obvious to say, but in this verse, world means the world. Literally, it is the cosmos. Cosmos. It means cosmos.

Now that includes the creation, but really refers to every person in the world. That's what god is saying. It refers to every person in the cosmos. And that was already clear back in verse 15. If you have a look at that, we are dealing with very big picture affections here.

Verse 15, the son of man is to be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. It's not someone or those ones or most ones, it's every 1. Doesn't matter. Who you are, or where you're from from coast to coast, north to south, pole to pole, wherever there are people, there is the love of god, and Jesus has come for them all without exception. God's love fills the cosmos.

But even more impressive, than the vastness of his love is the object of his love. Many times in this gospel, and actually even in his letters, John uses the the word world to describe wickedness. In fact, usually, you might say, the world stands for man organizing himself in rebellion against god. It's a kind of catch all description for corporate wickedness It describes the way we put our differences aside and unite in our rebellion against god. That's what the world means.

It's the rebellious world. And yet, still, he loves and still he sends. We're gonna see this a bit more in our next point. The son is the father's gift to the whole family of Adam. He is the father's gift to this great mass of fallen humanity to the countless numbers of perishing people.

He loves the world despite our wickedness. And so you see the love of god is not only awesome in its scale, it is amazing in its grace. It is cosmos love for the world but not a neutral basically okay world for a wicked world. That is the world that god loves. And I have to say for some reason, it it's just so easy for me to forget that simple truth or to kind of recreate god in my own image in my mind and way over complicate things to the point that this is just forgotten.

And and I and I know it is very simple by way of application. I'm afraid, but it has been refreshing for me this week and in some ways quite a correction just to remember that that this is god's feeling towards the world. He loves the world, and he loves everyone in the world. And his main desire, if you can put it that way, is not that they might be condemned, but that they might be saved from perishing. He's a wonderful, kind gracious god and his love is for all.

In this wicked world. Here's a quote from a man called Cornelius PRunk, which is an amazingly strange name. It sounds like a Harry Potter character, doesn't it? But it it's not. He is real apparently.

And, he said he said this, not that I've read Cornelius PRunk. He was quoted in another book. I've never actually heard of him. But, he he says this. I thought it was really good.

He says that the gospel of god's love is addressed to sinners, not elect sinners, not humble sinners, not contrite sinners, not seeking sinners, but simply sinners. We preach to sinners. Now, I'm sure mister Frank knows that within that wonderful statement and within all of this, it is true that god has a kind of special affection and love for his church. We are his bride. We are the apple of his eye.

When Solomon looks upon his bride in the song of song, He says how beautiful you are my darling. Oh, how beautiful. That is the kind of affectionate love with which Jesus looks upon his bride. Oh, how beautiful you are, my darling. Oh, how beautiful.

And yet what a distortion it would be of this verse to say that god only loves this elite select group of people and the rest are just fodder waiting to perish, fodder waiting to die, that he cares nothing for. The lord Jesus Christ is for every person. No matter how wicked they are and how far gone they are, no matter what country they live in, the love of god sends the son for every single soul. Does he delight in the death of a wicked person? No, rather that they would turn and live.

God our saviour wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. 1 Timothy 2. That is his desire that sinners everywhere from every tribe would come and know his love. The love of god is cosmos. And so what a great gospel that we have?

What a great gospel and what a great privilege to be able to make this free offer to all. The love of god is cosmos wicked though it is, perishing though it is. That is the truth. The love of god is universal. Says John 3 16.

Secondly, the love of god is generous. The love of god is generous. Now at the beginning, we talked about this word, believe, and how we would translate it, but we also mentioned briefly this idea of the son of god coming to earth. How would you begin to describe that the son of god came to an came to earth to a culture that doesn't think in those categories at all. In some ways, it might be an easier idea to explain, but in a very foreign culture, at the same time, it's not obvious exactly how you would go about that.

But when it came to the Motlone tribe, for this word, the lords gave Bruce the most incredible foot up to mean that actually it was no problem at all. It just so happened that this tribe, which had had no outside contact before, really. This tribe had a legend about a man who became an ant. It was already in their history and and been a story told for generations. And the story goes that this man was a warrior, and he came home 1 day after taking part in a in a battle, presumably victorious, and he came to her home, and he was sitting down, and he was resting, and he was looking at some ants, and he noticed that they were struggling to build a decent home for themselves.

And he knew that the best homes in all of the world were built by his tribe. And so in that moment, he found himself as an ant and he was able to communicate with them and eat with them and walk with them and talk with them and he showed them how to build houses before being transformed back into his warrior like state. And the legend goes that the reason ants build their homes like they do today is because they chose to model them on ancient model own villages. How helpful is that story for translating? So good, isn't it?

And the thing is because of it, he was able to explain to them in categories they could understand how god became a man in order to help us. It's amazing, isn't it how the Lord had gone before them if you like and prepared them in some sense? To understand this great gospel truth with a myth like that. And I actually went this week onto Bruce Olsen's website because I was gonna try to contact him and find out what the word was for becoming an ant to sort of tell you tell you and share it with you. But here's what I found in the about section on his website.

I am still in the jungles of the Hi Katatumbo working off solar energy on a portable computer with a mini satellite antenna. This page is under construction. Please bear with us. Isn't that great? It's just wonderful, isn't it?

He's not retired yet. He's still out there as close as he can be. Doing his bit for the gospel. And the reason I think this translation really matters, and the reason why you can't just talk about belief or the love of god without talking about the coming of the sun is because god becoming a man in order to save us is the way he expresses that cosmos love. That is the demonstration of it.

That is the evidence of it that the son of god has been given for our salvation. John 3 16, for god so loved the world that he gave his 1 and only son. The love of god is not a theory. It's not something that is theoretically true but can't be known. That is how many philosophers have thought about god.

Well, There is no way that we can say anything about god, who he or she or it or they is, because no one's ever experienced them, him, them who her. Now, a horse, well, I've seen a horse. I haven't seen every horse, so I can't describe hoarseness in a definite way, but I've at least experienced a horse and so I can say something about hoarsiness because I've had an experience of it. Yeah? But god, no, you can't because nobody has ever experienced god and you can say nothing about him.

Nothing at all. We can't be known. Anything that is said about him is theoretical at best. Because it can't be experienced. But the argument just collapses when you come to Jesus.

He is god, and people experienced him. They saw him, and they ate with him, and they looked on his death and they saw him in resurrection glory. And not just the first witnesses, we have experienced the risen Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The love of God is not a theory It is something to be experienced. It is something that has been demonstrated in the giving of Jesus Christ.

Not only at Christmas, but at Easter, not only in his birth, but in his lifting up. Romans 5 verse 8 tells us that god demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And that order is just so important because to say that that god loves us, because Jesus was lifted up, would be a subtle and yet very, very dangerous wrong turn. As if to say, Jesus came into the world and died, and because of that, god loves me.

Before he was pretty neutral towards me. Didn't have any feelings 1 way or the other. But after Jesus was lifted up, well, then he loves me. That is not the order of things. God so loves the world, that's his feeling towards it, that he gives his only son.

That's the evidence of that love. God demonstrates his love for us. It already existed. God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. So you see Jesus doesn't come in order to twist the father's arm and convince him to love us through his lifting up.

Jesus is the demonstration that god loves the cosmos. And so by way of application, we've got to draw near to this old story again and marvel at Christmas generosity, from god to this world. It is a marvel, isn't it? That the son of man, the 1 who in Daniel's visions, was led before the ancient of days and given all power and authority emptied himself of all but love and gave himself to a cross. It is a wonder that the son of man who formed the mountains and spoke the waves who breathed into dust and made it live, who smashed his enemies, who led his people by fire, who thundered from cyanae, who stood with his people in the furnace, comes as a baby and surrenders himself to nails to take the curse of our sin.

What an amazing demonstration, what an amazing love that god has for a wicked world like this. It is amazing, isn't it? That god should love such a rebellious world, but that he should love it enough to provide a way of salvation is just outstanding. But that he should love it enough to provide salvation, not in the best of angels or in any created being, but in his priceless son, is just gospel. It's no other word to describe it.

It's why we have the word because it's such good news that it needs its own word Gospel. Cosmos's love is not a theory. It is a generous display. And so if you are in any doubt this Christmas about the father's feelings towards you at the end of a year, then come near to this old story once again. God loves you, and he became a man to save you and me from our sin.

And that leads to the last point. We've had a universal love, a generous love, but the love of god saves. It's a saving love. Let's read on a bit from 3 16. For god so loved the world that he gave his 1 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. 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 1 and only son. Bruce Olsen said to the tribe that if they were to tie into Jesus Christ, that he would take them away from the dangers on the forest floor. In other words, they wouldn't perish.

They would be safe. And it's another reason I think why that translation just works because the love of god is connected with rescue. Without that, we don't have a gospel. All we've got is interesting news. It's interesting news.

God loves the world. Well, if he exists, that's great. How kind of him? God loves you, Or what are the chances? I love me as well.

Isn't it good that we're on the same page? Me and God, we both love me. God has a plan for your life or so do I? What are the odds? I've got a plan for my life.

God gave Jesus to the world again. If he did, that's great. It's interesting news, but it's not a gospel. To actually appreciate this love. We need to remember that first point that the world is not basically a collection of fairly decent, upright religious people It is a collection of shockingly wicked god hating sinners.

That is who is in. That's who populates the world. Shockingly wicked god hating sinners. And by nature, that includes me and it includes you. It includes us all.

And so if we're actually gonna treasure and embrace this saving cosmos love. We need to know that without it, we will face the just condemnation of the living god. Jesus is so clear in verse 18, isn't he? If a person remains in unbelief, they are condemned, and they will be condemned. Or in Paul's language, the wrath of god is being revealed, Romans 1, and will be revealed Romans 2.

They are perishing, and there is a day of perishing, 3 16. Of course, as we know, That will not just be a 1 time event, a final day of perishing and then no more. If the life is eternal, then so is the perishing. These things must go together, or we have no good news. To refuse the son is to refuse the love of god is to refuse eternal life is to remain in unbelief is to be condemned to hell.

How will we possibly gonna treasure the love of god if we don't see that it comes to wicked people like us. Who need rescuing at all costs. The love of god saves. It saves from perishing, but it does so much more. It doesn't just save you from a negative.

It brings you into the most wonderful positive. For god so loved the world that he gave his 1 and only son that whoever wherever anyone who believes who ties in to Jesus and rests in him shall not perish but have eternal, never ending, everlasting, life in all of its fullness. And here is the thing, if you will tie into Jesus Christ this morning and trust in him as your lord That experience will begin right now. You will actually cross over into the life of the sun. You will be born again with the life of the spirit.

And after death, that life will become better and brighter and richer forever and ever and ever. So way more than just avoiding perishing This salvation brings us into the life and the love of the son of god, forever and ever and ever and ever. World without end. And so at the end of this Christmas verse, We are left with a choice. We are responsible for what we do.

In the first part of this chapter, the emphasis was very much on god's work. The spirit goes where he goes. The spirit is sovereign in the salvation of sinners, but just a few verses later, the command to believe Rings out god's sovereignty, our responsibility, Jesus puts them side by side without discussion or argument, both are true. And so if you're not a believer this morning, can I say very clearly that your destiny is in your own hands? Reject Jesus, and the consequences will be devastating.

Receive him and you will live forever. At the end of all things, when we are gathered together before the great white throne of god, you will not be able to say, oh, but I couldn't I couldn't I couldn't believe I wasn't able because god will just respond in the words of John 3 16. I loved you. I sent my son for you for whoever would believe. I offered you eternal life, but you would not you would not tie in and so you sealed your own eternity.

Thai up your hammock Get away from danger, rest in Jesus and ask him to be your lord. And if you are a believer, how can we reapply this to ourselves in 2 brief ways? Firstly, it should make us very grateful, shouldn't it, for what god has done for us. John Newton, sailor slave trader who gloriously became a Christian said this. If I ever reach heaven, I expect to find 3 wonders there.

Firstly, to meet people, I had not thought I would see there. Secondly, to miss people, that I'd expected to see there. And thirdly, the greatest wonder of all to find myself there. What makes this love so wonderful is that it is so thoroughly undeserved. It is a great wonder that god could love us in such a generous, sacrificial, tender way.

And Christmas time is another opportunity for us to treasure it again. It would be sad, wouldn't it? If reading our Christmas novels and watching our Christmas thrillers on TV produced more wonder and fear and joy than this story. We won't be able to say, oh, I wasn't capable of those emotions, God. We were.

But it was the things of the world which provoked them. And this story had lost It's beauty and amazement for us. Let's pray that that wouldn't happen. But secondly, we ought to follow god in his self giving. When Bruce Olsen went to the Columbian rainforest, he didn't go because he fancied a new challenge in translation.

If that was all that he wanted, he could have worked from his computer in on, at home and sent the fruits to the tribe. But he knew that god loved the peoples of the world and so he went to the peoples of the world. He knew that god had a message for the peoples of the world and so he went to the peoples of the world. In a sense, he he enacted John 3 16, didn't he? He laid down his life to bring a gospel And in whatever context we find ourselves, the commission is the same.

God doesn't just bellow from the heavens I love you. He gives himself. God's love is incarnated in Jesus. It's a word made flesh. It comes as a person.

And so in the same way, we are to incarnate god's love to others. To show them what it looks like to be a gospel in the way that we live and in the way that we speak. And that's why I'm sure John wouldn't mind if we translated his great verse this way. For god so loved the world that he gave you to the world to share his 1 and only son and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. What a privilege it is to carry this news to the very many perishing people all around us.

It's 1 of the reasons we put that course on in the new year tells of the unexpected because people are perishing but god loves them and Jesus can save them. And so we wanna do what we can to try to get people along to hear that good news. With me to ephesians chapter 3, and we're gonna use Paul's prayer as our prayer. Ephesians chapter 3 in verse 14. Some page 1 1 7 4 right at the bottom.

And in this prayer, Paul makes 2 wonderful requests. He requests that we would be established in god's love And he requests that we might have power to grasp how awesome god's love is, and I think that's appropriate for us to pray. After John 3 16. For this reason, I kneel before the father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the full measure of all the fullness of god. And now to him who is able to do immeasurably more then all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Oh, man.