FAITH IN JESUS, THE DOOR TO HEAVEN
John 3:11-21
THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS
V.11."Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness."
A. Verily=ameen= firm, trustworthy, truly, faithful
1. You can believe that the Words of Jesus are true.
2. He said "verily" twice meaning that it is absolutely true, and there is no doubt.
B. The "We" may refer to the Holy Trinity.
1. Only Jesus can know the things of heaven.
2. Only Jesus can testify to what is in Heaven.
3. Jesus knows the plan of the Father.
C. The witness of Jesus was not accepted by those who were teachers of the Word.
1. The teachers should have been the ones most capable of discerning the truth of the
earthly ministry of Jesus.
2. They should have been able to recognize that the Jesus in the flesh before them was
the Jesus in the scriptures.
3. The teachers of the Word did not accept the one who was the Word.
a. They purposely blinded themselves to the Word.
b. They refused to see any man as God even though they had the Word which
prophesied Jesus coming in the flesh.
4. We have to be careful to accept the entire Word, not just what we agree with.
a. Every verse in the Bible supports every other verse in some way.
b. We cannot take any of God's Word for granted.
MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
V:12. " If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell
you of heavenly things?"
A. We have to be able to recognize the glory of God before us.
1. Nothing that was made was made without Jesus.
2, The Glory of Jesus is present all around us.
3. If we cannot understand Jesus in creation which we can see, we will not appreciate
Jesus fully in heaven.
a. The unlimited power of Jesus is manifested in creation.
b. His authority over the world is constant and consistent in the operation of the
world.
B. To follow Jesus requires blind faith in every word in the Bible.
1. We must stand on His promises for our daily living.
C. The Jews practiced religion, but they didn't always practice godliness.
1. They baptized for ritual cleansing on the outside, the earthly thing.
a. They didn't understand that this was symbolic to the cleaning on the inside, the
heavenly thing.
b. They didn't understand the spiritual baptism into Jesus death bought eternal life.
2. The Jews practiced doing good to those they love, the earthly thing.
a. It was difficult to do good to those who hated them, the heavenly thing.
3. The Jews knew that the spirit returns to the Father at death, the earthly thing.
a. They didn't understand that the spirit is positioned with Father when one believes
in Jesus as their savior, the heavenly thing.
4. The Jews understood spiritual life with Father, the earthy thing.
a. They didn't understand the spiritual life with Father came through faith in Jesus,
the heavenly thing.
V:13. "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
even the Son of man which is in heaven."
A. This is a testimony to Jesus' divine and human nature.
1. "And no man"
a. "No man"= oudeis= not even one, none
2. "Ascended up to heaven", a reference to His resurrection, His victory over death.
3. "He came down from heaven", His incarnation, His human nature
4. "Son of man", His anointing as the Christ
a. Son=houis= child
b. "Man"= anthropos = human being, a certain man
c. Son of man = messianic title
4. "Which is in heaven", His equality with the Father, His omnipresence
B. The only one who fits this description is Jesus, the Christ.
1. The only man who came down from heaven is Jesus.
2. Enoch and Elijah was taken up into heaven, but they did not come down from
heaven.
3. Christ is the only man who came from God who can testify to the things of heaven.
FAITH IN JESUS, THE WAY TO HEAVEN
V:14. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man
be lifted up".
A. The people of Israel spoke against Moses and God on their journey to the promise
land. God sent snakes to bite them and many died. They repented and Moses
interceded for them. They were required to look upon a Bronze Serpent that Moses
lifted to live.
1. Jesus used this to symbolized man 's required faith in His death on the Cross for
redemption of sins.
2. Man must believe in Christ and His death on the Cross to obtain the free gift of
eternal life.
B. "Even so "Must" the Son of be lifted up"
1. Jesus came down from heaven for one purpose; to die on the cross.
2. Nothing could change the purpose of Jesus.
3. His purpose had to be fulfilled.
4. Jesus' purpose was the will of the Father.
5. The will of the Father was all men would see the cross of Jesus and be
brought to a point of decision; accept or reject Christ as their personal savior.
6. The love of the Father for His creation was manifested in the death of Jesus on the
cross.
C. The story of the raising of the Bronze Serpent before Israel is a reminder of the Will
of the Father to save some and not all. Numbers 21:5-9
1. Some perished before the serpent was raised.
2. Some were spared to come to repentance and faith in the "lifted up" of the serpent.
to bring salvation.
3. Jesus was "lifted up" on the cross because some would come to faith in Him
and receive eternal life.
4. God is in control of salvation.
5. It is by the grace of God that we were allowed come to a point where we accepted
Christ as our personal Savior.
V:15. "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
A. Faith in Jesus is the prerequisite to eternal life.
1. The "whosoever" is the decision of each person.
2. The "whosoever" indicates that some will choose Christ and some will not.
B. The "whosoever" indicates the two eternal states of man.
1. Eternal life with the Father.
2. Eternal separation from the Father.
C. It is by the Grace of God that we believers are included in the "whosoever".
1. This reason to give God our highest praise.
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
V:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
A. Salvation begins with God's love for His creation.
1. God's love for His creation is the cause of His forgiveness of the sin's of man.
B. Salvation is through faith in Jesus and Jesus only.
C. The "Way" to salvation is faith in Jesus and faith in Jesus alone.
D. Salvation is a choice that God gives to man.
1. The "whosoever indicates divine "Choice"
2. The "whosoever" indicates divine "Election"
3. The "whosoever" indicates the divine "Called Out"
4. The "whosoever" indicates individual responsibility.
5. The "whosoever indicates God's divine "Judgment".
6. The "whosoever" indicates the sovereignty of God.
7. The "whosoever" indicates the Grace of God.
THE GRACE OF GOD
V:17. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved."
A. Jesus the Son, was sent by God the Father to save the world.
1. Two of the persons of the God Head appear together in this verse.
2. The two persons of the God Head are distinct; God the Father and God the Son.
3. There is one God, existing in three persons. The third person is the Holy Spirit.
4. Perhaps it is the Father's plan of salvation executed by the Son.
B. Jesus was sent to save the world.
1. All men have the opportunity to be saved.
2. Jesus came to reconcile the world to God.
a. After Adam all men are born in sin.
b. Jesus death on the cross atoned (paid in full) for the sins of all men.
3. All men are made savable through Jesus.
4. Those who believe in Jesus are not judged by God for their sins.
CHOICES BRINGS CONSEQUENCES
V:18. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God."
A. Those who come to Christ have their sins forgiven.
1. Believers can forget about their past.
2. Believers can let go of the guilt of past sins.
3. Salvation cannot be lost for sins past, present or future.
4. The believers position in heaven is secure.
B. Those who reject Christ are "already " condemned.
1. Already= edee= everywhere of time, time preceding another point of time,
implying completion.
2. Those who will reject Christ have been predetermined by the Father long before
they were born.
3. It is by the Grace of God that believers were elected by the Father to believe
in His Son. John 6:37. John 6:44.
V:19. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
A. Those who love evil will not come to the light, therefore they are condemned.
1. Those who love darkness will not come to the light because their evil deeds
would be exposed.
2. Those who love the dark are sealed in the dark and cannot be delivered.
B. The two states of man are presented.
1. The state of darkness. Those who are ignorant of the Word of God.
2. The state of light. Those who come to Jesus and study to be like Him.
V:20. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved."
A. Evil men practice to be evil.
1. They study to keep their evil deeds from being detected.
2. Some practice deception to appear to be in the light.
B. Evil men hate God because they hate His ways.
1. One design of the gospel is "to reprove" men. It convicts them of sin in order that
it may afford consolation.
2. Men by nature "hate" the gospel. No man who is a sinner loves it; and no man by
nature is disposed to come to it, any more than an adulterer or thief is disposed to
come to the daylight, and do his deeds of wickedness there.
3. The reason why the gospel, is hated is that men are sinners. "Christ is hated because
sin is loved."
4. The sinner must be convicted or convinced of sin. If it be not in this world, it will be
in the next. There is no escape for him; and the only way to avoid condemnation in
the world to come is to come humbly and acknowledge sin here, and seek for pardon.
JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
V:21. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God."
A. Those who love what is right will come to a knowledge of God.
1. Those who love what is right will confess their sins before God and receive
forgiveness.
B. Those who love what is right will find peace and joy in the Lord.
1. Those who love what is right will study the Word to understand the truth.
2. Those who love what is right will put their trust in Jesus.
3. Those who love what is right will put their hope in the promise of eternal life.
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