Jesus Came Down And Was Lifted Up For Our Salvation (John 3:9-21)
There is only one way to have your sins forgiven. And it is through the One who came from Heaven for our salvation. The method for receiving forgiveness of sins came to us from this One that came down.
I have been told that I am arrogant for believing that there is but one way to God. And maybe you have as well. But who is the arrogant one? The person one, the person that believes the message delivered to us by the One that came down to us and accomplished our redemption for us or the person that thinks they can make it up on their own?
And what about our own actions in this life. Even as Christians that know the gospel message, why do we so often think that we must earn our own forgiveness? Why do we think that if we just do enough good things God will be happy with us, as if we could earn that on our own?
Today we will dig into the very heart of what we believe as Christians. Here, in the second half of Jesus’s discussion with Nicodemus we see the message that is central to the Christian faith. We see that Jesus came down and was lifted up for our salvation.
Jesus came down and was lifted up for our salvation.
Jesus Came Down (John 3:9-13)
Remember back to last week and you won’t be surprised that Nicodemus is still lost in this conversation. And then Jesus begins to speak of the very heart of the Christian message (John 3:9). As we spoke of last week, the teacher of Israel didn’t understand the link to Ezekiel 36. Therefore, he did not understand this discussion of the New Birth.
But that is not all that Nicodemus did not understand. Jesus would soon preach the cross to him in a powerful way and he didn’t understand that either. In this entire conversation, Nicodemus finds himself very lost and seemingly struggling to keep up. And so far, Nicodemus has not received Jesus’s testimony even though he believed Jesus to be sent from God.
Remember, Jesus understands this about Nicodemus. He knows what is in Nicodemus’s heart (John 2:23-25). And here, Jesus told him “earthly things” (John 3:12) and he didn’t believe it. How would he believe if he was told “heavenly things”?
There is a little debate as to what “earthly things” and “heavenly things” means. But if we just follow the conversation, it all seems to make sense. It seems that “earthly things” would be “the new birth” that Jesus has already been expounding for Nicodemus. And this would mean that “heavenly things” would be what Jesus is about to tell him.
“Heavenly things” is the gospel. And the beginning of that message is that Jesus came down.
Why does Jesus say that He knows “heavenly things”? It is because Jesus came down to Earth. God the Son came to Earth and He alone is suited to fully give this information to humanity.
How do we know these things? How do we know that eternal life is found in Jesus Christ?
We know because God the Son who took on flesh for our salvation came to us and told us.
We know this because God told us and, as we saw last week, caused us to be born again to know, understand, and embrace what we’ve been told.
Nicodemus stands here befuddled by the entire dialogue. He doesn’t seem to understand at all which way to turn. He had not yet embraced the truth found in Christ and Christ alone. He was stuck here trying to figure it all out. And it was beyond him.
God the Son came down and took on human flesh. He came down and told us. He came down and declared our sinfulness before Him. He came down and showed us the tremendous holiness of God as He walked on this Earth.
This is not something that your Uncle Bob can figure out while he’s sitting in a tree stand waiting for a deer to cross his path. This is also not something that a Hindu man trying to become one with nature can figure out on his own either. Philosophers digging deep into human learning cannot figure this out. Neither can a Native American loaded with drugs to make him see visions.
This is something that has to be shown to us from above. And God the Son, who revealed this to Nicodemus and to us, also accomplished this salvation for us.
And He accomplished our salvation for us. He descended from Heaven for us.
God the Son took on human flesh, was born of the Virgin Mary. God the Son came down. And He did this for our salvation.
Jesus Was Lifted Up
God the Son came down, but here Jesus says that He must be lifted up (John 3:14). I am sure that Nicodemus was baffled by this. And Jesus used an Old Testament story to help give him some clarity.
Jesus says that it is like when Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). At first glance this is a strange thing to say. But as we look at this event in Numbers 21:4-9 it makes sense and is very informative.
The Israelites occasionally grumbled. And on one such occasion, God sent judgment upon the people of Israel. It was poisonous serpents. The people were dying of this and pled with Moses to ask the Lord to take away the serpents. And the Lord told Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. If anyone was bit by the serpents, they had to look at the bronze serpent on a pole and then they would live.
Why does Jesus use this passage to teach about the crucifixion?
It was a picture of faith. The people had to believe God’s promise and look at the bronze serpent and then they would be healed. And today, we look by faith to Christ who was crucified for us and receive eternal life. We believe and are saved (John 3:15-16).
God the Father sent God the Son into the world so that we would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). It is a beautiful passage that we’ve heard over and over again and for good reason. Martin Luther even called this the message of the Bible in a single verse.
God’s wrath was poured out upon the people of Israel for their grumbling. And He gave them the bronze serpent. God’s wrath is poured out upon us and He made a greater way. He sent His Son for our redemption.
“23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (Romans 3:23-27 ESV)
Jesus was lifted up on the cross for us. God’s wrath was paid for on the cross by Jesus Christ. And because of that, and nothing that I have done, I am washed, cleansed, and justified.
Now, we must understand why this sacrifice was so effective. It is because Jesus was and continues to be special. He is God’s only son. “Μονογενής” is the Greek word for “only son” that we find in this passage. “Mono” means one. You probably knew that. “Geneis” can mean a few different things, “offspring, kind, class, race”. But if we look at what John has already said about Jesus, and what is said about Jesus in other parts of Scripture we understand what is meant here.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV)
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” (Colossians 2:9 ESV)
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV)
When we look at all of the information, we get a full picture of the meaning of “Μονογενής”. We understand it to mean “one of a kind” Son, because He is God the Son the second person of the Trinity. And God gave Him up as a sacrifice for sin because He loved sinners and wanted to rescue them.
As JC Ryle stated,
“The truth before us is the very foundation stone of the Christian religion. Christ’s death is the Christian’s life. Christ’s cross is the Christian’s title to heaven. Christ ‘lifted up’ and put to shame on Calvary is the ladder by which Christians ‘enter into the holiest.’ And are at length landed in glory. It is true that we are sinners;–but Christ suffered for us. It is true that we deserve death;–but Christ has died for us. It is true that we are guilty debtors;–but Christ has paid our debts with His own blood. This is the real gospel! This is the good news! On this let us lean while we live. To this let us cling when we die. Christ has been ‘lifted up’ on the cross, and has thrown open the gates of heaven to all believers.” (J.C. Ryle p. 102)
God the Son took on human flesh and was lifted up for us.
We had earned God’s wrath and justice and He was lifted up for us.
We had no way to reach Heaven, but God made a way. And it was through the sacrifice of His Son.
We look to Jesus and see our redemption.
The only response to this is to turn from attempting to do it ourselves and to turn to Jesus.
God the Son took on human flesh and was lifted up for you. There is no other salvation for sin. There is no other way to be cleansed. There is no other way to be justified. There is no other way to be brought into the presence of God. It is through Christ and Christ alone. He was lifted up for you and I.
You have sinned and earned God’s wrath. Jesus was lifted up for you.
You may be here today and see the wretched life that you have lived. You may feel the very gates of hell below your feet and think that you could soon fall into that pit. Jesus was lifted up for you.
You may be listening to this and think that you’ve lived self-righteously and spurned Christ’s salvation. Jesus was lifted up for you.
Those Who Look To Jesus Have Eternal Life (John 3:17-18)
Why was Jesus sent into the world? He was sent into the world so that we could be saved through Him, so we would not be condemned.
Why did God the Son take on human flesh?
Why did He make Himself killable?
Why did He live a perfect life and die on the cross?
So that you could have eternal life.
Turn from ruling your own lives and trust in Jesus. Trust in Him.
If you will but look upon Him in faith, you will be saved.
Those Who Do Not Believe Are Already Condemned (John 3:17-21)
A person that does not believe is not condemned because of their unbelief. This is something that people say quite often today. But the truth is that they were already condemned (John 3:18). The sinner doesn’t stand at a neutral position casting his vote on whether he goes to Heaven or not. He is a sinner that has the wrath of God hanging over his head. If he were to die today he would find himself in a place called Hell where he would pay the punishment of his sin forever. He stands condemned right now.
God the Son came into the world and was rejected. But why was He rejected? It was because they were of the darkness. They loved their wickedness (John 3:19). And this is an important bit of information to log away. Why do people hate the light? It’s because it reveals their own wickedness.
Why do so many people hate the message of Christ?
Because they love the darkness.
Why are Christians so often the worst of the worst for people in this society?
Because they love the darkness.
Why is it that we can deliver this message of the gospel to a lost and dying world and they hate us for it?
Because their works are evil and they love the darkness rather than the light.
If I go to a Pride Parade and say, “I have good news! You have rebelled against God and earned His wrath. Homosexuals will not enter the Kingdom of God. But God made a way for you to be brought into His Kingdom. You must repent of your homosexuality and believe in Jesus Christ!”
What will the overwhelming response likely be?
And why will they be so angry? I just told them how to have eternal life.
They will be angry because they love the darkness rather than the light.
But the same is true for the man that just hates to hear about church or Jesus. Maybe he’s lived a pretty good life. He’s been good to his wife and children. He’s worked hard and cares for them. Why does he hate to hear about Jesus or church?
Because he loves the darkness rather than the light. He likes being his own king and not submitting to the rule of King Jesus. He loves not having to repent for his sin. He loves not having to admit that he is a sinner, because he loves the darkness rather than the light.
Conclusion
What we have discussed today is the very heart of Christianity. We rebelled against God and He could have left us to die in our sins. He could have left us to die and face the wrath of God without a way of salvation. But praise be to God that is not what happened! Praise be to God that Heaven has been opened to you today!
How does a person receive eternal life? It’s not through works. It’s not through doing enough good deeds. It’s through faith in Jesus Christ. Look to Him and be saved! Look at the blood and water flowing from His side and see your forgiveness full and free.
When you fail this week and feel guilty about it, don’t think that you must go do good in order for Jesus to love you. Look to Christ and see the salvation that has been given to you full and free. Look to Him and see your forgiveness as water and blood flowed from His side.