John 3:11-15 Why Did Jesus Come To Earth?

28.12.08 John 3:11-15 (NASB)

Audio Sermon: John 3:11-15 (file incomplete)

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Why Did Jesus Come To Earth?

The last time when we were in the gospel of John, we met a very well known religious man. He was a prominent teacher of God’s law named Nicodemus. We found out that despite his outward devotion and morality, his life was spiritually bankrupt. He was good man, but he was not saved from above…he was not born again….he was not going to heaven. Jesus knew this because He could see into his heart condition… it was devoid of spiritual regeneration. From Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus we were challenged to look at our own claims to Christianity. Are we genuine believers, are we born again, through the work of the Holy Spirit? This week we continue with Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus from chapter 3, verses 11-21:

11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

v.11 Our passage today once again starts with the phrase - ‘Truly, truly.’ So once again something important is to be stated, and we the readers are alerted to this fact. Our passage deals with this theme - the reason why Jesus came. But it is not left just at that, but presses us further - to think about the importance of believing in Jesus Christ for eternal life.

Jesus speaks and makes this important statement - we should note that Jesus speaks using the plural ‘we’- that Jesus is part of the body of reliable witnesses to the reality that to be born again (3:7) - that is to have true spiritual life, it must come from above. God is the One who saves the sinner, and spiritual regeneration does not come through what man achieves. Despite Jesus’ authority in what He does personally know, and what He has personally seen, in respect to the working of God…..Nicodemus, and in general, the people do not accept this testimony. They chose not to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, even though Jesus was stating objective truth.

v.12 Jesus further explains by contrasting earthly things with heavenly things. Jesus says that the things that must take place on earth - like being born again - that if Nicodemus can’t understand these fundamental issues then how can he expect to grasp the deeper issues that relate to heaven? Yet Jesus will continue in dealing with these issues.

The whole emphasis of verses 11 and 12 really focuses on the idea that unbelief in Nicodemus and the nation of Israel is the cause of ignorance. Nicodemus was a very intelligent man, but he still did not believe in Jesus’ authoritative witness, which lead to his spiritual ignorance. This emphasizes the reality that spiritual regeneration is wholly a work of God. God is the One who opens our eyes to see truth - it is not based on how smart we are.

v.13 In verse 13 Jesus states No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. Through this statement Jesus clearly states His authority in being able to make these claims of truth. No man has ever been to heaven and has come back to tell others about the things which Jesus knew and saw. Even the apostle Paul was taken into heaven and saw great things, but he was not to speak about what he saw (2 Cor. 12:1-4). So it is only through Jesus that we receive special revelation concerning spiritual heavenly realities. Jesus is the Son of Man and therefore is the One who descended from heaven.

Let’s take a little detour for a moment. There are so many different religions claiming to be the pathway to God, claiming to be the source of truth. Have you ever wondered about this? Have you ever questioned why Christianity is the only way? If you have had any questions or doubts, then we need to examine the impact of this verse. As a point of interest this verse states clearly that no one - except Jesus has special revelation from God. Despite the claims of other religions, no one but Jesus has direct access to God. Other religions’ key figures say that they have direct revelation from God, but in this verse Jesus out rightly rejects that false notion - therefore making other religions to be false systems of belief. This verse indirectly reveals who Jesus is…that He is pre-existent and that He is Deity, affirming once again the facts about His nature and character as it was done so clearly back in chapter 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

v.14, 15 Jesus now begins to give us the reason why He came to earth. Jesus turns to something that Nicodemus would have been very familiar with as a Pharisee, the Old Testament. Jesus provides Nicodemus with an analogy to illustrate His purpose in coming to our world …to earth.
Jesus looks to Numbers 21:4-9, where the Israelites are in the wilderness and are being judged for their complaining. What happened was that God sent fiery snakes in judgement of their sin. The snakes - bit the people, so that many people of Israel died (Num. 21:6). When the people confessed their sin they asked Moses to intercede to God on their behalf. As a result God asked Moses to - ‘Make a fiery [serpent], and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’ (Num. 21:8). If anyone wanted to live, this was the means that God chose to heal the people. As we find out from this afternoon’s passage, this is a foreshadowing of Christ on the cross. And this is what Jesus does, He comes to our world to be lifted up, as God’s sole means of healing us from our sins. Jesus lifted up on a cross for the sins of the world, is the sole means of salvation from the penalty of sin. The people in Moses’ time made a willful decision of faith to look upon the lifted up serpent as God’s means of being saved physically from death. In essence the people through faith were looking to the Lord and trusting in His instruction - so it was not the image of the snake that saved, but it was the act of belief in the Lord. Likewise with Jesus - all those who look to Christ, who was ‘lifted up’ on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the world, will live spiritually and eternally.

The purpose for Christ’s death is laid out. Whoever believes will in Him - that is believes in Jesus Christ alone, will be saved from their sins and have eternal life. What is eternal life? It is the same term as everlasting life. A life that not only refers to a duration of time, but also to the quality of that life experienced. Literally eternal life means - ‘life of the age to come.’ It refers to the believers future resurrection and existence in heaven with Christ, which will be in perfect holiness and fully realized glory. Not only is eternal life something to be experienced in the future, but it is also something that believers benefit in now. Christians benefit from fellowship in Christ, the eternal Word of God - and the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God operating in your life. So we find from this passage the reason why Jesus came - Jesus Christ came to this darkened world from heaven as a testimony that God is working in peoples’ lives. What is God doing through Jesus Christ? He is saving people from their sin. God does this by offering forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. Jesus Christ was lifted up on a cross to die for our sins.
The basic answer to today’s key question - Why Did Jesus Come To Earth ? - is this - Jesus came to earth was to settle the issue of sin in your life.

So what is sin? Why is it so damaging to our relationship with God? Let us take some time now to examine this basic question:

What is Sin?

The use and reference to the word, "sin," is minimized in today’s society. The word itself brings to mind a negativity that is shunned and is regarded as being politically incorrect. It is a word that people do not want to deal with, yet it applies to all mankind. So what is sin? Sin may be defined as follows: Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. What follows is a brief survey of the nature of sin and its entrance into humanity.

The Bible does not reveal the origin of evil in the universe, but focuses upon sin and its origin in man. In no sense is God the cause or agent of sin, nor does He provoke, condone, authorize, approve, or consent of it. God only permits Satan and his demons to act, yet He overrules evil which does not fit His purposes, which are always good. Sin is one-sided, for it is a contradiction of what God is, and He will never be indifferent to sin for it would go against His very nature as being completely holy. God is unable to contradict Himself.

Sin is expressed in the Bible by many words, but there are several which are significant. These words when translated from the original languages, provide us with the scope of its meaning which includes: "rebellion," "transgression," "perversion," "impiety," "missing the mark," "unrighteousness," "lawlessness," "depravity," and "evil desire." The first expression of these terms can be found in the beginning events of creation.

The entrance of sin in man is traced back to the garden of Eden when man was tempted by Satan (Gen 3:1-6). Sin was not an isolated event for Adam and Eve and limited to them only. But its consequences are apparent in their succeeding offspring and generations. It appears in each one of us. As a result of the presence of sin in man, man has a different attitude towards God.
Man’s fellowship with God is replaced with emotions of shame and fear and thus he desires to hide from Him and no longer wants to be in His presence. Gen 3:8 - states ‘They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.’

God’s attitude towards man also has been affected and now man’s sin evokes His wrath, displeasure, reproof, and condemnation. Adam and Eve are sent out of the garden (Gen 3:23). Sin also resulted in affecting the world we live in. The whole of creation is affected by sin. Gen. 3:17b-19 summarizes this reality - ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.’ Instead of man having dominion over creation, the ground is cursed and man now must toil and at the end of it all will die separated from God’s blessings forever. The ultimate end result of sin is that it brings about the penalty of death. The warning was first given by God as He commanded the man not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). The result of death is that it brings about fear and terror in man as he confronts its inevitability, which will culminate in eternal separation from God. The sin of Adam and Eve abounds through their children and culminates in the near destruction of mankind. As sin proliferates in the growing number of people upon the earth, God judges man by sending a worldwide Flood (Gen 6-7).

This is what God reveals to us in the Bible about the condition of people as sin permeated the earth - ‘Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually’ (Gen. 6:5). Despite the flood and the grace that was shown to Noah’s family, the sin nature continues through him, and thus to all mankind.

From Adam and Eve and this point on, man is born in a sinful state and condition. Sin permeates our innermost being and is at the core of the human soul. Jesus tells us this - ‘"But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders’ (Matt. 15:18-19).

The root cause of sin is man’s rebellion against God. Sin places man at the center of all activity and removes God from His rightful place as Creator and Lord. It affects our intellect (2 Cor 4:4), conscience (1 Tim 4:2), will (Rom 1:28), and heart (Eph 4:18). Sin is not just failure and lack on our behalf, or even a deficiency of some sort, but it is the lack of true knowledge which would include the exchange of truth for falsehood (Rom 1:25). The scope of sin would also consist of acts of omission and commission - things which God desires for us to do but we don’t - and thing s which God teaches us not to do but we do them anyway. The result of sin is that man is totally depraved (Eph 2:1-3). A Christian named Charles Ryrie explains what total depravity means:
‘Total depravity does not mean that everyone is as thoroughly depraved in his actions as he could possibly be, nor that everyone will indulge in every form of sin, nor that a person cannot appreciate and even do acts of goodness; but it does mean that the corruption of sin extends to all men and to all parts of all men so that there is nothing within the natural man that can give him merit in God’s sight.’
Sin is the violation of God’s divine command and may be pictured by a person going beyond a set boundary. The sign stating "trespassers will be prosecuted" is ignored and the person proceeds only to find that he faces a penalty for his decision. Likewise sin in our lives is marked out by disbelief, denial, and rejection of the divine truth of the Bible. It is a willful act of disobedience to God’s revealed truth. It is the absence of righteousness in one’s life and the presence of enmity towards our Creator.
Sin is also the rejection of God’s right to impose divine standards and the denial of His supremacy over mankind. By doing so God’s right to be all that He is, is denied and His Lordship diminished. Sin is the failure to live according to, and the failure to attain to the divine standard. This failure on man’s part may be pictured by an archer failing to hit the bull’s eye - we constantly miss God’s holy standard in what we do each day. The reason that this takes place is that man has intentionally transgressed God’s bounds; therefore, deviating from His will, and producing a shortcoming that ultimately ends in eternal death.
It should be noted at this point that because man’s condition at birth is in a sinful state, he cannot achieve the divine standard. Man’s life is therefore marked by his separation from God, rebellion against Him, and the chaos that ensues. Yet man lives in this state and even strives for it, and he does not acknowledge what sin really is.
The corruption of sin is delineated by the following characteristics. Sin is a lie, which began in the Garden of Eden propagated by the father of lies, Satan. Sin has man in its grip by inviting him to believe a lie. The falseness of sin is expressed through terms like seduction and deception.
Christ establishes sin’s nature stating that Satan "does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him (John 8:44)." Sin deludes, which is complete in a cunningness and craftiness which betrays man. Sin deceives us, it lures us to that which is false - false religions, self worship, nature worship. Sin also offers us the promise of much pleasure - sex, money, success - which in the end are empty and void. Sin is darkness, which covers up the truth that God is Light (1 John 1:5). It is brought forth by the prince of darkness, Satan, inspiring man to evil deeds and love of darkness and evil (John 3:19-20).

Sin is iniquity, which perverts and distorts our thoughts of God and His law (Isa 64:6). As it operates in us, sin leads to the pollution and destruction of our soul and mind. Sin is bondage, for indulgence in sin results in a captivity which tragically grips man to Satan’s dominion. Man thus rejects serving God and prefers to serve himself and Satan, only to find in the end that ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Rom 6:23). Sin is vanity, for it leaves us in confusion and emptiness.
It promises much, but returns short-lived pleasure and over our lifetime, the pleasure of sin will be outweighed by defeat and dissatisfaction. Sin leads you astray, onto paths that seemingly prosper you, but over time you will discover that you fall prey to the enemy, Satan (Isa 53:6). Sin affects our minds and causes it to think in ways that are in contradiction to God’s will (Rom. 12:2). Sin causes the body to react in physical ways - it saps our strength, causes breakdowns, brings about sickness, damages our health, brings about physical death (Ps. 32:3-4, 38:3, 1 Cor 11:30). Sin is separation, for it isolates you from a right relationship between yourself and others. Sin separates you from any form of personal relationship with God. Without God’s initiative of reconciling you back to Himself - the forgiving of your sin, you will die in this state. And when you die in this state you will realize the wages of sin - the horror and anguish of being eternally separated from God and His grace(Rev 20:15).

The results of sin are many and the Bible confronts us with the hard truths that we do not wish to deal with. Sin foremost brings about a verdict of guilty upon your soul by God, which leads to a deserved penalty - the wrath of God. The Bible makes this clear for it states, ‘The soul who sins shall die’ (Ezek. 18:20). Sin produces in you, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, a state of wickedness. This state of wickedness is propelled by evil and the end result is that you will be judged by God, and sentenced to an eternity in hell (Ps. 9:17). Sin produces an existence that is empty of hope for it brings ruin and brokeness to your life. Sin produces distortion in your view of the dangers of indulgence, and drives you away from the path that leads to God’s holiness, righteousness and true spiritual life (Matt. 7:13). Sin brings upon you a defiling influence on your life with its fruit of moral corruption. Sin corrupts you and therefore in your soul you reject God and His holiness, and you diminish the sinfulness of sin (Ps. 14:1). A known theologian wrote this - "Sin ensnares the soul . . . blinds, deludes, deceives, defiles, then destroys. If unforsaken, sin results in irretrievable ruin."

If we do not understand our own sinfulness - if we fail to see sin as God does - if we try to hide or deny the reality of the presence and impact of our sin - or if we deny responsibility for our own guilt, we cannot discover the only way that God establishes to deal with our sin - once and for all.
Until you humbly realize that your sin is utterly loathsome, you will never know God, you will never have any relationship with Him, but the only reality that you will realize one day is the terrifying consequences of eternal damnation in hell.

Next week we ask you to come back, because through God’s Word we will discover that God does not leave us in judgement due to sin….but He offers to us His only plan to rescue us from our sin. Next week we will unfold the gospel - the Good News that we can be free from the penalty of our sins - forever.

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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