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They turn in your Bibles to John 
3. I know I announced this morning we'd be looking at Revelation 
12, but we're going to look at John 3. If you think you've been 
subject to false advertising, then please take it up with Pastor 
Kim. And they can let me have it. 
John 3 just seemed to go better with what we studied this morning. 
Long story short, with reference to Revelation 12, The dragon 
behind the scene tries to stop the incarnation of our Lord Jesus. He does that most visibly, of 
course, in the first century with Herod, as I mentioned this 
morning. But as well, way back in redemptive 
history, in 2 Kings chapter 11, there was a woman by the name 
of Jehoshaphat. And there was another woman by 
the name of Adaliah that was trying to kill the rightful heir 
to the Davidic throne. And what Jehoshaphat did was 
hide Joash. While it was Adaliah trying to 
destroy this rightful heir to the throne, ultimately it was 
the dragon behind the scenes trying to stop the line of David 
lest this Messiah come. So Revelation 12 indicates that 
there are unseen powers working behind, working invisibly to 
move and guide men in their wicked assault upon the kingdom of Christ. Maybe another time we will look 
in more detail at Revelation 12, but tonight, John 3, 16. 
I'll just pick up reading in John 3 at verse 1 and read to 
verse 21, as that is the larger context in which we find this 
most popular verse in all of Scripture. John 3, beginning 
in verse 1. There was a man of the Pharisees 
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus 
by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher 
come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless 
God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, 
most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can 
a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into 
his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, most assuredly 
I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot 
enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh 
is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not 
marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind 
blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot 
tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone 
who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to 
him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, 
Are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things? 
Most assuredly, I say to you, we speak what we know and testify 
what we have seen. And you do not receive our witness. 
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will 
you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to 
heaven, but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son 
of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent 
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal 
life. For God so loved the world that 
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His 
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world 
through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not 
condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, 
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten 
Son of God. And this is the condemnation, 
that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness 
rather than light. because their deeds were evil. 
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not 
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who 
does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly 
seen, that they have been done in God. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, we come to a very familiar 
portion of Holy Writ. We pray for that glorious spirit 
to guide and instruct us in our study tonight. We pray that we 
would know fresh cleansing in the blood, that we would not 
have anything darkening our minds or our hearts, that we would 
appreciate afresh the impact of John 3.16, how we bless you 
and how we praise you for the truth stated, the truth declared 
in this passage, how we praise you that you so loved the world 
that you gave. You didn't just say it, but you 
actually expressed that love at Calvary. In this, God, we 
rejoice, we praise you, we thank you, we bless you, for we know 
that this passage truly does depict us as we are. We love 
darkness. We hate righteousness. We hate 
the light. We don't want to come to the 
light, lest our evil deeds be exposed. But you reach down in 
sovereign grace and in sovereign mercy. In your power, you brought 
us forth by the word of truth so that we might believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ. We truly do rejoice in sovereign 
grace, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well this 
morning as we looked at Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7, we saw that 
Jesus Christ is the Son given unto us. I mentioned in comparison 
with Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7, John 3.16. When we get to this 
statement that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten 
Son, hopefully we make that link between what was anticipated, 
what was announced, what was prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 
9, 6, and 7, and what has been realized in what Paul calls the 
fullness of the time. We ought to appreciate in John 
3.16 the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. And 
basically I want to take up the exposition of John 3.16. After 
looking a little bit at the context surrounding it, I want to take 
up the exposition under one main thought with six points to validate, 
or six points to confirm that. And that main thought is simply 
this, the cross manifests the love of God. The cross manifests, 
sets forth, declares, demonstrates the love of God. And I want to 
argue that proposition, or I want to provide six lines of support 
for that particular proposition. But if you notice the context, 
it's very important that we appreciate what's going on. Of course, in 
John 3, verses 1 to 10, we see this man Nicodemus come to the 
Lord Jesus Christ. He says, Rabbi, we know that 
you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs 
that you do unless God is with him. Jesus, not one for small 
talk, gets right to the point. He goes right to the issue. He 
deals with Nicodemus' desire. He says, most assuredly, I say 
to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God. We need to appreciate the new birth. We need to understand 
something about regeneration. That's what Jesus is speaking 
about in this section, verses 1 to 10. He says, this is the 
Spirit's work. Man does not cause himself to 
be born again. The verb that Jesus uses is what's 
called a passive verb. I don't want to confuse anybody 
with grammar, but it's very important that we understand something 
about the verbal form that's used here. There is an active 
verb or an active voice in a verb. If I punch someone, I am the 
subject and I'm acting upon that someone. In Greek, there's a 
middle voice. That means when the subject is 
being acted upon, and so that would be I punch myself. Hopefully 
we don't do that. And then there is the passive 
voice. That's when the subject is being 
acted upon. In other words, I got punched. So when Jesus says you must be 
born again, he is not speaking in the active voice. He would 
absolutely disagree with any approach to soteriology that 
teaches that man has the ability, in and of himself, to cause himself 
to be regenerated. This is not an active voice. 
Jesus is not saying there are certain steps that you do and 
then you will be born again. Notice the flow of the text. 
Regeneration precedes faith. What happens when a man is born 
again by the Spirit of God is that he believes on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. This is not a middle voice. Jesus 
isn't saying you must act upon yourself to create yourself born 
again. It is the passive voice. Jesus is telling Nicodemus, something 
outside of you must happen to you. It isn't a command. It isn't 
an imperative. It isn't a lesson. It isn't Billy 
Graham's book, How to be Born Again. Jesus is saying there 
is a supernatural power. Literally, you must be born from 
above. Something must transpire Godward 
toward you in order for good things to happen and for you 
to enter into the Kingdom of God. Notice how Jesus then illustrates 
this point of the Spirit's work. He uses the wind. He says there's 
analogy in the wind. You don't know where the wind 
comes from, you certainly don't know where the wind is going, 
but you know the effect when the wind blows through. He says 
so is the Spirit. What does that mean? That means 
that man, unaided, man in his sin, cannot snap his fingers 
and cause the Spirit to blow upon him. It is something outside 
of him. It is something that must take 
place by the power of God Most High to the elect. Regeneration is what Jesus is 
speaking about in John chapter 3 verses 1 to 10. And then what 
follows is man's response. Now we need to understand, man's 
response here is by the grace of God. Because God regenerates, 
because God causes us to be born again, it is by virtue of that 
reality that man can then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody 
with me? Everybody following me? We're 
doing a bit of soteriology because this is absolutely crucial. Regeneration 
precedes saving faith. Not just in the flow of the narrative, 
but soteriologically. regeneration, God quickening, 
God making us alive. This stands to reason. Dead men 
don't believe Gospels. Dead men don't repent from their 
sin. You must be made alive and then 
you believe and then you repent. This is the great discriminating 
fact between what's called Calvinism or Reformed theology and Arminianism 
or Pelagianism. Those two systems teach that 
faith precedes regeneration. In other words, when I believe 
the gospel, then I'm born again. But that's not what Jesus teaches. Jesus says you must be born again 
by a power from outside of you. He says it is the Spirit's work, 
and the fruit of that, or the result of that, or the indication 
of that, is that you will now, by the grace of God, believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't know where the wind 
comes from, you don't know where the wind is going, but you certainly 
see your sheet on the ground when the wind has blown it off 
of the laundry line. The Spirit's work as He blows 
through a man, as He regenerates a man, I'm speaking inclusively, 
as He does that powerful work, the first response from that 
person who's been born again is with the grace of faith. Don't 
miss that. It is a gift given by God. He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ 
and he is saved. Justification is attached to 
or justification is by grace through faith. It is faith that 
is the living response and expression that God the Lord has regenerated 
a sinner. So that's the context. Note the 
situation or note what Jesus says concerning the object of 
faith. Obviously it's Him, but note 
the parallel or the analogy that He gives in verse 14. As Moses 
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the 
Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should 
not perish, but have eternal life. So just like that situation, 
Remember that time, out in the wilderness, the people murmured, 
the people grumbled, the people complained. I know it's hard 
to believe. Just amazing to entertain the thought that the people of 
God would actually complain. I know that's stretching all 
manner of credulity here, but that's what they did. And what 
does God do? He says, well, you know, that's 
okay. You just go ahead and vent. Why don't you get some pillows 
and punch them? Why don't you express yourself in some humanistic 
therapy? No, God sends serpents to bite 
them. Well, that seems a bit harsh. You don't sin against 
the living and true God. There are repercussions to that. 
I know man doesn't like that reality, but there are repercussions. He sends these serpents. Moses 
is given the instruction to craft this brazen serpent. He lifts 
it up in the wilderness. All those who look, live. So when a man is regenerated 
by the power of the Holy Spirit, the work of God's supernatural 
grace, what he then does, by grace, I don't want you to miss 
that, In fact, if you learn anything tonight, please learn regeneration 
precedes saving faith, and saving faith itself is a gift given 
by God. Dead men do not have it. They 
must be regenerated, they must be equipped and given those particular 
gifts. So when we look by the grace 
of God unto our Lord Jesus, the truth of justification by faith 
alone becomes ours. The pardon of iniquity, the imputation 
of righteousness, and then of course we start the path of sanctification 
and live our lives hopefully, hopefully for the glory of God 
Most High. So that's the context. Let's 
focus in on John 3.16. The first point that I want to bring our 
attention to is that the cross is God's appointed remedy. The cross is God's appointed 
remedy. Notice how verse 16 begins, It follows from verses 14 and 
15. As Moses lifted up the serpent 
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. 
Now we have read the rest of John. We know what that means. We understand the import of that 
particular passage. He is going to be hoisted up 
on a cross. He is going to be nailed to a 
cross. He is going to be raised up on 
Calvary in a very horrific manner, in a very horrific way. He says, 
so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Note the language that he 
uses. There is a divine necessity behind 
the atonement. You see, God saves in conjunction 
with His own holy character. He doesn't just snap His fingers 
and in we go. There must be substitution. There 
must be curse bearing. There must be the expenditure 
of God's holy wrath and revulsion against sin. This is why Jesus 
says, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up? There is a 
divine necessity behind the atonement. Remember when Jesus says, if 
it is possible, let this cup pass. Nevertheless, not my will, 
but thine be done. It is at the cross, it is in 
this way alone, that God can be both just and the justifier 
of the one who has faith in Jesus. It is at the cross alone that 
God can be said to justify the ungodly. There is divine necessity 
behind the atonement. So Jesus says, as the serpent 
was lifted up, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that 
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal 
life. And then verse 16 amplifies or 
elucidates or shines a light on that particular reality. And 
this for here, And what follows behind this is an indicator that 
the cross is God's appointed remedy. This is God's plan. You know, there's this idea in 
theology. It's very unfortunate that there 
was, you know, this bad, mean, not bad, but an angry, wrathful, 
vengeful God in the Old Testament. And Jesus is the God of love 
in the New Testament, who's come to appease the wrath of His Father. 
He's come to appease the wrath of His Father, but it was born 
out, or it flowed from, the love of the Father. Robert Raymond 
quotes a couple of brothers. One, P.T. Forsythe. He says, 
the atonement did not procure grace. It flowed from grace. The atonement at Calvary doesn't 
earn or garner or gain God's grace. The atonement at Calvary 
flows from God's grace. M. A. C. Warren says, in the 
cross, we are not to see an attempt to change God's mind, but the 
very expression of that mind. The cross is God's remedy. In Romans 3, 25 and 26, it says 
that God set forth His Son. The Father set forth the Son 
in order to bruise Him, in order to put Him to grief, in order 
to save us from our sins. In Ephesians 1, The Father chooses 
us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And then it says, 
in love, having predestined us unto adoption as sons. It wasn't 
that Jesus at the cross secured God's love for us. It's that 
Jesus at the cross expresses God's love for us. It's a beautiful thing. The cross 
is God's appointed remedy. Secondly, the cross manifests 
God's immeasurable love. I'm taking at least three of 
those words from B.B. Warfield in his classic sermon 
on John 3.16. That's what he entitles it. God's 
immeasurable love. Notice, God so loved the world. His love. It's amazing, isn't 
it? It really is amazing. But when we see the Father's 
love for His Son, His approbation of His Son, His delight in His 
Son, it really doesn't perplex the mind. What's the target of 
God's love in this passage? God so loved the world. Now that is amazing. That is 
perplexing. Romans 5.8, Paul says, God commends 
his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ 
died for us. The cross manifests God's immeasurable 
love. May I suggest that when you see 
world in John 3.16, it doesn't mean all men without exception? See, there's only two ways to 
approach the text. Either the Reformed are right, 
and particular redemption is the truth, or the Universalist 
is right, and every man is going to be saved. The people that 
have a real struggle are the hypothetical Universalists. World here does not mean all 
men without exception. I submit it means all men without 
distinction. When John writes the book of 
Revelation, He says that before the throne, the saints of Christ 
praise God Almighty. They praise the Lamb. They praise 
Him and they say, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open 
its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by 
your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. World in John 3.16 does not mean 
all men without exception. Look back at John 1.10 for just 
a moment to see the self-same word world used three different 
ways in one short verse. John 1.10. He was in the world. What's that mean? He was on planet 
Earth. He didn't go to Saturn. He didn't 
go to Pluto. Of course, that's been declassified. 
It's no longer a planet. He didn't go to Mercury. He didn't 
go to Venus. He didn't go to Mars. He was 
in the world. When you hear that language, 
cosmos there means planet Earth. He was in the world. Notice, 
though. And the world was made through 
him. Out there, it's probably more 
comprehensive. Not just planet Earth, but Mercury, 
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Say no science. That's one thing 
I remember from grade school. It's amazing. And Pluto's not 
even in there anymore. John's already told us, verse 
2, I'm sorry, verse 3, all things were made through him. And without 
Him, nothing was made that was made. So you see, we've already 
seen the selfsame word kosmos used two different ways in John 
1.10. But then notice this third way. 
And the world did not know Him. World there has the ethical sense 
of the unbeliever, the ones who reject God, the ones who despise 
the man of sorrows, who is acquainted with grief. John doesn't mean 
John's part of the world. John doesn't mean Paul's part 
of the world in that third sense. There is an ethical sense wherein 
the world is looked at as those who are outside of God's saving 
grace. John later, in his first epistle, 
says that the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one. 
Does that mean every Christian calls the evil one Lord and Master? Certainly not. See, the word 
world is a little more elastic than the opponents want to make 
it sound. When someone says in John 3.16, 
world means world, and that's all it could possibly mean, it 
doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean all men without 
exception. It means all men without distinction from every tribe, 
every tongue, every people, every nation. Another interesting expression 
of this comes in Samaria. Remember in John chapter 4, Jesus 
has dealings with that woman by the well. He talks about this 
living water. If you drink this water, you'll 
never have need for it again. She says, sir, I want this water. 
Go call your husband, bring him along, and I'll talk to you. 
I don't have a husband. You're right, you don't have 
a husband. You had five, and the one you're currently with 
isn't your husband. She's blown away, isn't she? What does she say when she goes 
back to her village? Come see a man who told me all 
things that I ever did. Surely this is a prophet. Then when they come into saving 
contact with him, look at chapter 4 verse 39. This is important. You need to understand. People 
get freaked out when they see certain words like all and world 
and they think the particular redemption is somehow unbiblical. 
It is biblical. God saves from every tribe, every 
tongue, every people, every nation. Remember that Samaritans were 
not looked upon favorably. They were not included in the 
Commonwealth of Israel. They were a mongrel hybrid. They 
were people that were looked down upon And in verse 39, many 
of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the 
word of the woman who testified. He told me all that I ever did. 
So when the Samaritans had come to him, they urged him to stay 
with them. And he stayed there two days. 
And many more believed because of his own word. Then they said 
to the woman, Now we believe, not because of what you said, 
for we ourselves have heard Him, and we know that this is indeed 
the Christ, here it is, the Savior of the world. Were they universalists? Did they think all men without 
exception? No! They're rejoicing that the Christ 
of God has come, not only to the tribes of Jacob, but for 
the Samaritans as well. This is how you're supposed to 
understand 1 John 2, 1 and 2. He is the propitiation for our 
sins, and not ours only, but also for the world. If Christ 
propitiates for the sin of all men without exception, then all 
men without exception are saved. If He appeases the wrath of God 
for a sinner, that sinner doesn't have to enter in to the wrath 
of God. Universalism isn't true, so what 
John is indicating there in 1 John 2, again, same author, using 
the same word in various contexts, he is saying that the blood of 
Jesus Christ, his Son, avails not only for the Jew, but for 
the Gentile as well. It's beautiful. And when it says, 
God so loved the world, I love what D.A. Carson says on this. He says, God's love is to be 
admired, not because the world is so big and included so many 
people, but because the world is so That is the customary connotation 
of cosmos. When we see God's immeasurable 
love manifested at the cross, when we understand the target 
of that love, it is a bad world. It is sinful people. It is vile 
offenders of God's holy law. Christ died to save them from 
their sins. God's love is beautiful, not 
because the world is big, but because the world is bad. There is, in God's plan, the 
design to save a great multitude, which no man can number, from 
every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Warfield says, through 
all the years, one increasing purpose runs. one increasing 
purpose. The kingdoms of the earth become 
ever more and more the kingdom of our God and His Christ. The 
process may be slow, the progress may appear to our impatient eyes 
to lag, but it is God who is building, and under His hands 
the structure rises as steadily as it does slowly. And in due 
time the capstone shall be set into its place, and to our astonished 
eyes shall be revealed nothing less than a saved world. You 
see, we need to guard against the tendency as well not to think 
big. It doesn't mean all men without 
exception, but it certainly means a great multitude that no man 
can number. So the cross, first, is God's 
appointed remedy. Secondly, the cross manifests 
God's immeasurable love. Thirdly, the cross displays God's 
gracious gift. We already saw this this morning 
in Isaiah 9, 16. He is the Son given unto us. God so loved the world, verse 
16, that He gave His only begotten Son. Beautiful. You ever struggled 
with somebody who said, I love you, and they didn't live like 
that? They didn't act like that? Oh, not me, Pastor. We just have 
happy, holy, wonderful marriages all the time. The proof is in 
the pudding, isn't it? When you grab that bushel of 
weeds that have pretty flowers on it and you hand it over to 
your honey, that's something tangible. Now, I don't think 
that's the only way to express this. Flowers is what I mean. Don't get weeds. That's not a 
good idea. Well, Pastor Brother said to 
you. You got to shine it because your wife punched you. Pastor 
said. Don't listen to me when it comes 
to that sort of thing. There is a tangibility about 
the love of God. There is a concreteness about 
the love of God. There is a display. There is 
a manifestation. There is the setting forth of 
God's gracious gift at Calvary. God so loved the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son. He gave his best. He gave the 
choices. You see, in the Levitical system, 
men were guilty of looking out at their flock and finding the 
maim, or finding the lame, or finding the blind, and then schlepping 
that over to the temple and offering it as if it was something worthy 
of our holy God. When God comes to provide sacrifice, 
when the Father comes to do the deed, He sends His only begotten 
Son. He sends His unique One. He sends 
His eternally begotten One. He sends the Lamb of God to take 
away the sin of the world. I alluded to Genesis 3.15 this 
morning. God to the serpent says, and I will put enmity between 
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall 
bruise your head, you shall bruise his heel. And this cross sets 
forth that reality in terms of God's gracious gift given to 
mankind. It's a beautiful thing. If you 
ever doubt the love of God, study Calvary. If you ever doubt God's 
heart for this bad world, study Calvary. If you're ever in a 
perplexity about where God is at in terms of His love for you, 
go to the cross. We ought to be often at the cross. 
I'm a firm believer that Christians need the gospel pretty constantly. Christians need to continue to 
hear the glorious truth that Christ came, Christ lived, Christ 
died, Christ rose again. Christians need a steady diet 
of that reality because we lag, we falter, we disbelieve, and 
it's the cross that sets before us God's immeasurable love and 
it displays God's gracious gift. Fourthly, the cross held the 
object of man's belief. You see, faith is crucial. Faith 
is the instrument by which we are brought into saving contact 
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But you know, there's 
this idea today that faith is good in and of itself. Doesn't 
matter what your faith finds as its target, as long as you 
have faith. Right? Whatever works for you. In other words, if you really 
pour your belief into that rock, there may be some redemptive 
benefit in that rock. It's not the object. It's the 
act of faith. You ever see that? Anybody? Ever 
hear that? They've got great faith in what? In humanity. That's not a good 
thing. Faith is only as good as its 
object, and the cross held the object of man's belief. This is what the text says. That whoever believes in him, 
you see it is faith. Romans 3 from 21 through the 
end of chapter 4. Galatians 2. Jesus' teaching 
Throughout the Gospels, it's faith in Christ. Faith is only 
as good as its object. You mustn't ever forget that. 
Religious pluralism teaches different. Pluralists like to think that 
it's faith as it is that's okay. That's what's ennobling. That's 
what's dignifying. That's what renders man happy. 
healthy, whole, and redeemed. No, it is Jesus who does that. Faith is the instrument that 
God has given us to believe in Him and in His plan. That is what we're justified 
by. Faith belongs to the ministry 
and miracle of the Spirit. Remember, he's already taught 
you must be born again by the power of the Spirit. And now 
he directs Nicodemus to where man must believe. We have to 
conclude that it's that work of the Spirit putting that gift 
of faith within the heart. This is what Ritterbaugh says. 
Faith belongs to the ministry and miracle of the Spirit. Faith 
is always the way in which and the means by which the new life 
comes into being. And it's just here, with the 
language that is employed by John, at least by our translators, 
that seems to give some rise to the universalist interpretation, 
where it says that whoever believes in him... You see, the Greek 
text doesn't read that way. It's actually what's called a 
participle. It says, the believing one. The believing one in him 
should not perish. You know, this text teaches a 
blessed redemption. This text teaches a blessed salvation. But it equally teaches condemnation, 
because we can invert that statement and say, whoever's not believing 
in Him, shall not have everlasting life. It is not a universalistic 
proof text, it is a specific participle that is geared to 
indicate that it's the believing one who does not perish. J.C. Ryle says, he that has faith 
has life, and he that has it not has not life. Nothing whatever 
beside this faith is necessary to our justification, but nothing 
whatever except this faith will give us an interest in Christ. 
We may fast and mourn for sin, and do many things that are right, 
and use religious ordinances, and give all our goods to feed 
the poor, and yet remain unpardoned and lose our souls. But if we 
only come to Christ as guilty sinners and believe on Him. And it's just here that people 
want to make belief more than what belief is. Seven times the 
verb is employed in this very section. Belief means believe 
the truth of the gospel. John Calvin explains it this 
way in his commentary, to believe the gospel is nothing else than 
to assent to the truths which God has revealed. Now when one 
does that, by the grace of God, he believes the true propositions 
concerning Christ, then certainly the life of sanctification begins. There's obedience in his life, 
there is perseverance in his life, there is growth and grace 
and all of that, but justifying faith. is when that thief on 
the cross says, remember me, Lord, when you come into your 
kingdom. He believed that this Jesus could 
save him, and he was saved. It's belief. It's faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus. That 
strikes carnal man in a bad way. He thinks he has to do something. 
He thinks he has to perform. He thinks he has to add to. But 
Paul says very clearly in Galatians 2.21, I do not set aside the 
grace of God if righteousness comes through the law, even my 
obedient faith when Christ died in vain. You see, faith, belief 
in the truth is what is absolutely crucial. A lot of times people 
fall here. What does it mean to believe? It means to believe 
what the Bible says. Right? Well, there has to be 
more. What is that more? Obedience. That's the life of sanctification. That's working out our own salvation 
with fear and trembling. For it is God who is at work 
in us, both to will and to do, according to His good pleasure. 
But that look and live. When Moses lifted up that serpent 
in the wilderness, he didn't say, now look at that, and then 
suck the poison out of your arm. Look at that, and then low crawl 
over to kiss it. Look at it, and then seek out, 
look and live! That's what we tell sinners. 
Look to Christ. Live! Everyone believing in Him. That's what the point of the 
passage is. Fifthly, the cross is the source 
of God's promised blessing. Everyone believing in Him, what? 
Receives eternal life. You want to go to heaven? Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. It just sounds like, well, there's 
got to be more. Doesn't that bother non-Christians? I don't 
know what non-Christians you guys deal with or talk to, but 
I've had discussions about, what do you mean you're saved by believing 
on Jesus? That's offensive. You need to 
go out and do good. Do good? What? Do good? The best things I do 
are filthy. My righteousnesses are like filthy 
rides in the sight of a holy God. There's not enough good 
I can do to mitigate my sin problem. I need a good Savior to shed 
His blood, to wash me, to purify me, to pardon me from my sins, 
and to impute that righteousness received by faith alone. The cross is the source of God's 
promised blessing. When that thief looked to Christ, 
Christ says, you will be with me today in paradise. Jehovah's Witnesses are amazing 
with that passage. They don't teach that the soul 
departing at death enters into the presence of the Lord. So 
they put the comma in a different place. Truly I say to you today, 
you will be with me in paradise, way in the future. Really? He needed him to tell him that 
he was talking to him today? I think the thief on the cross 
probably surmised that because it was today after all. Why would 
Jesus say, I tell you today? No, I tell you that today you 
will be with me in paradise. That thief who woke up that morning 
to be executed for his crimes ended the day in the presence 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's offensive to people who 
want to work their way to heaven. I've tried so hard. I've done 
so well. Most people sound like the older 
brother in the story of the prodigal son. It's not fair. I've been with you all these 
years. You've never slayed the fatted calf for me. You've never 
put a ring on my finger. You've never put a cloak on my 
back. This son of yours who wasted all your money, he comes back 
and he gets all this. That's how carnal man responds. Isn't it? When Jesus says to 
Zacchaeus, hurry down from that tree, I'm going to eat at your 
house tonight, what's the response of all the people on the ground? 
Praise God for sovereign grace. Praise God for belief in the 
truth. Praise God for a glorious Savior. Now they murmured, they 
grumbled, they complained, why is he going to eat with this 
sinner? That's the response of carnal man. The gospel blows 
people's minds. If we ain't blowing minds, we're 
not preaching it properly. The cross is the source of God's 
promised blessing. You need to understand that all 
too well. Your believing in Jesus Christ 
means that you're going to spend eternity with God Most High forever 
and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. We could keep 
saying that and I think you get the point, right? That's what 
we have to look forward to. I know I need to remember that. 
I think it would put a spring in my step. I love when Mr. Bolt 
has prayed that. Spring in the step. I need more 
of a spring in my melancholy step from time to time. I think 
John 3.16 is a good place to go for that. And then finally, 
the cross alone is the means that God has provided. There's 
an exclusivity implicit in the text. God so loved the world 
that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in 
him should not perish but have everlasting life. What is the 
implicant? What is the necessary implication? This is the only way. God doesn't 
send his only begotten son as a competitor. God doesn't send 
his only begotten son as one way among many. God doesn't send 
His only begotten Son, so you happen to like that particular 
approach, choose Him. If you happen to like Allah, 
choose that. If you like Hinduism, choose that. If you like Buddhism, 
choose that. If you like atheism, choose that. I mean, after all, you're a pretty 
good guy or girl. It's all gonna pan out in the 
end. There is an exclusivity taught here. Apart from the cross, 
we are dead. This is the implication of verse 
17. When he says God did not send 
his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world 
through Him might be saved, you need to understand something. 
Later on in John 5, Jesus says that He will judge. The obvious 
implication of verse 17 is that God didn't send His Son into 
the world to condemn the world because the world is already 
condemned. Jesus didn't come here to say, 
you filthy, rotten sinners. We're already filthy, rotten 
sinners. He doesn't come to render that 
judgment. The judgment has been made and 
the way of salvation is by Him and Him alone. That's what is 
developed in verses 19 to 21. There is a fundamental problem 
with mankind. Do not read verses 19 to 21 as 
if it pertains to everybody else. If you haven't seen yourself 
in verses 19 to 21, it is questionable whether you understand anything 
of the Christian message, whether you understand anything of what 
we say with reference to depravity and sin. This is the condemnation. Light has come into the world. 
Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were 
evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does 
not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But 
he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may 
be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." The cross 
alone is the means that God has provided for the salvation of 
sinners. Well, those hopeful six observations 
will help us to appreciate The thrust of John 3.16. Luther called 
this passage the Bible in miniature. I quite like that. The Bible 
in miniature. It has all the elements of the 
Christian gospel. God's provision, God's remedy, 
the way of salvation, belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything 
a sinner needs is on that sign that that guy with the rainbow 
hair holds up every time he sits behind home plate. If you've never watched a baseball 
game, not that I'm some big baseball fan, but there's a guy that always 
goes to games. I don't know if he still does. Cam, does he still 
go to the games? Guy would paint his hair with 
rainbow paint, and he'd always get a seat. Always got the best 
seats. He's right behind home plate. So that whenever Major 
League Baseball, whenever they're pitching, that guy's standing 
there holding this sign that says John 3, 16. It's probably 
the most familiar passage in the entire Bible. We need to 
suck the sweetness out of it and find great encouragement 
and great comfort for our souls. God is good in his provision 
of his only begotten son to save us from our sins. If you find 
yourself here tonight not believing in Christ, look at what verse 
17 says. You didn't come to condemn, you're 
already condemned. You need to flee to Him. You 
need to believe on Him. You need to look to Him. You 
say, well, how do I know if the Spirit's regenerated? How do 
I know if I've been born again? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
That is your instruction. That is what you are called to 
do. That is what gospel preaching directs sinners to. Believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. Well, let us 
pray. Father, thank you for this Bible 
in miniature. Thank you for this great text 
that displays a great God and a wonderful Savior in Jesus Christ. We thank you as well for the 
power of the Holy Spirit who regenerates, who causes the new 
birth, who gives the graces of faith and repentance, everything 
that sinners need to close with Christ. Again, our hearts desire 
that this gospel would be proclaimed and that sinners all over the 
earth would believe on him and would know the joy of everlasting 
life. Go with us now, we pray, Lord 
God, in Jesus' name, amen.