Jesus Loved and Gave

In John chapter three a seeker named Nicodemus came to talk to Jesus.

Nicodemus was:
A Pharisee
A Ruler of the Jews
He was a very religious man.
He was a very outwardly righteous man.
He was a very respected man.

But Nicodemus was seeking something more than he had known and experienced up to that time.

In John 3:2 Nicodemus said, “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.”

Nicodemus saw something in Jesus that made him want to talk to Jesus and maybe find the something more he was looking for.

Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus about being born again.

In explaining what it means to be born again, Jesus shares some insights about God’s love and the consequences of accepting or rejecting that love. He also shares some insights about the nature of man and evil.

God’s Love

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

God loved.
God gave.
We benefit.

God’s love is not based on who we are or what we do.
God’s love is based on who He is.
God’s love moved Him to give. He gave Himself.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6-7 that Jesus didn’t hang on to the form of being God, but emptied Himself. That is love in action.

Jesus gave up all the perks of being God so He could become one of us and die for us.

God did all of this so we (you and I) could have eternal life.

God sent Jesus to save the world.

John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

Jesus was for, not against.
Jesus came to save, not condemn.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

The church is the Body of Christ. And because we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today, we are be for and not against.

The world knows what the church is against. The world needs to know and see what the church is for.

The church is for marriage as God defines it.
The church is for the family as God defines it.
The church is for people as God’s creation.
The church is for freedom in Jesus.
The church is for peace from Jesus.
The church is for joy centered in Jesus.

The church is for hope because of Jesus.

Condemnation comes not from God but from our own choices.

John 3:18
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Condemnation does come not from God.
Condemnation comes because we make bad choices.

James 1:14-15
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Temptation ® Wrong Desire ® Sin ® Death

Every choice we make has a consequence.

The consequence of rejecting Jesus is condemnation.

God’s desire is that no one reject Jesus, that no one be condemned, or that no one perish.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

God wanted people to come to know, experience and love Him and He sent Jesus to illuminate our minds and hearts so we could.


John 3:19a
And this the judgment: the light has come into the world.

Jesus is the light. He has come to show us God. He has come to show us our sin. He has come to be God’s provision for our sin. He has come to show us how to experience forgiveness and eternal life.

1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

The result of God being light is found in 1 John 1:7. It says, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

God is light and He wants us to walk in that light with Him. The consequences of that are living in community with God and His people and forgiveness and cleansing.

Just as there are consequences to walking in the light with Jesus, there are consequences to not walking in the light.

John 3:19b-20
And people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

When we don’t walk in the light, it indicates that we hate the light. Remember God is light, so we are hating God. It also indicates that our works are evil and we are trying to keep them hidden.

Jesus came to teach us the truth and glorify the Father.

John 3:21
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Truth ® Light ® Jesus

Jesus came to be:
Our Savior
Our Encourager
Our Light
Our Truth

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is us, the people of God, knowing Jesus as our Savior and proclaiming Jesus as THE SAVIOR.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is us, the people of God, looking to Jesus as our encourager and proclaiming Jesus to others as THE ENCOURAGER.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is us, the people of God,walking in the light and proclaiming Jesus as THE LIGHT.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is us, the people of God, living out the truth and proclaiming Jesus as THE TRUTH.

With The God Who Loves Us Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
                                               Joe