The Main Point - Finding Jesus Part 6

What is the most popular Bible verse you can think of? Remember when Tim Tebow put John 3:16 on his face and then threw for 316 yards? If there is one Bible verse that everyone knows, it is this one.

We have been walking through the Gospel of John, and today we have arrived at John 3:16. Let's start by reading this passage together:

John 3:16-21: 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. 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. 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. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 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.”

This passage is filled with God's mercy. There has been no passage up until this point as personal as this one. It is these types of passages that remind me of:

1 Peter 1:12: 12 “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

Some translations say even the angels marvel or long to look into it. It is not eschatology, Calvinism, ontological debates, inerrancy, or any other big theological word that the angels long to look into. It is the good news sent to a rebellious people from the God of creation that draws their attention. The thesis of the Bible is the good news of Christ. Bold Point: John 3:16 is the thesis of the Bible. The truth is, this is the crux of our faith. Regardless of your denominational upbringing or whatever theological high you enjoy, this is the one concept that unites us as Christians.

I always tell people I can work with bad theology, but I cannot work with bad personalities. I don’t mean to disregard the importance of theology. I believe theology is critical to the development of the Christian walk. However, sometimes we become so theologically constipated that we lose sight of the primary aspect of our faith. It is entirely possible to live, serve, and fellowship with other believers who share different viewpoints on different passages of scripture, with the exception of tonight's topic. There is no room for error on the soteriology and Christology of scripture. These are two theological subjects we cannot negotiate.

Soteriology is the study of sin and Christ’s redemptive work, and Christology is the study of Jesus and his work and claim as God. These are the only non-negotiables in the Christian faith. There is an obvious assumption that there are other major theological discussions to be had in the Christian faith. This is not to disregard their importance. However, the primary point that is non-negotiable in the Christian faith is this:

Starting with just verse 3:16 alone:

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.”

This pivots into the absolute of the Christian faith. Jesus demands our faith. It is through faith alone that we are saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9: 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Romans 10:9: 9 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

But what about the innocent man in Africa or the deep jungles of South America who has never heard of the gospel? From the great words of David Platt, the innocent man who has never heard of the gospel no doubt will go to heaven. Only one problem: there is no such thing as the innocent man in Africa.

Romans 3:23 for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But how does God send people to hell who have never heard of the gospel? Think of Romans 1; it is through his creation that they will be held accountable. The very creation of God gives evidence to a God. So this, as followers of Christ, should not set a “Why did you decide to send innocent people to hell?” But “How could you decide to save a guilty man like me?” None of us are innocent, and we have all inherited sin.

For if the man in Africa who has never heard of the gospel, the cruelest thing we could do is go and share the gospel with him. Giving him a choice that if he chose wrong would condemn him to hell. No, there is no innocent man in the world; we are guilty and in need of a Savior. This is why it is called the good news. This is why it says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who go.”

With this information, it makes it our primary responsibility to go and share the gospel with others. Here in Bentonville, we have thousands of Hindu Indians living among us and hundreds moving in all of the time. What type of Christians would we be if we did not fully embrace loving, befriending them, and sharing the good news of Christ with them?

There is no other way to enter into a relationship with Christ apart from our faith in him. So, what about the prayer of salvation and repeating after me to be saved? Nope, that’s not in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible will you find a salvation prayer that saves you. It’s completely about a faith and relationship with Christ.

Growing up, there was a passage that many pastors liked to use. The preachers using it always had good intent, but I believe their good intent often did more harm than good. It had me confused.

Matthew 7:22-23: 22 “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

I have never prophesied, cast out demons, or done mighty works. If these men cannot make it to heaven, then who can? This passage was terrifying for me as a kid. The pastor would often preach this passage, followed up by the words, "Repeat after me if you want to be saved." Suddenly, I was putting my faith in this sinner's prayer to keep me out of hell. Because who wants to burn for all eternity where the worm never dies? If a pastor could scare people out of hell, I know some who tried. The problem is this often gives us the wrong incentive to want to go to heaven and disillusions us to the reality.

This is a great passage, and there are four words that change everything in this passage: “I never knew you.” That’s it. When this clicked for me, the burden was lifted, and everything changed. What changed is I stopped trying to get saved by saying a silly, made-up prayer. It was about a relationship—He never knew them. All Christ ever wanted from you was a relationship. Christ did not come here to set an impossible standard that none of us could achieve or make getting into heaven an impossible task. Just as the next verse states:

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.”

Then, to make things even better, He simplifies the entire salvation process:

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.”

I truly believe lots of people want to go to heaven; they just don’t want Jesus to be there when they get there. The point of heaven is not escaping hell. The point of heaven is, who else would you want to spend time with more than the one who came and laid down his life for you? The more life I experience, the more I realize the true value in this life is not riches but relationships. That’s why here at The Well, we say we exist to connect people to God and others. But the bottom line is: relationships. We want you to experience an intimate relationship with God, and for all eternity, the angels will marvel at what Christ did for you.

Let's keep reading:

19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 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.”

I have the perfect analogy for this section of scripture. So when I was serving as a student pastor over the past 10 years, I would do what was called light checks. What I mean by this is, anytime I had to take students on road trips and it got dark on the bus, without warning, at a random point in time, I would flip on all the lights. Now, I know you understand why I did this. What happened? Those who were doing evil hated the light because it exposed the truth. Sin loves darkness. When I say this, I mean sin wants to be done in secret. Why? Because it’s wrong. "Oh David, how does what I do in secret hurt anyone else?" See, that’s one of the great illusions of the destruction of sin. Sin affects not only you but those around you. You might think your sin is only affecting you, but that’s not true. Hear it from me. If you have a sin in your life that’s in the dark, it’s not just about you. Your children and loved ones will pay for your sin. So before you decide to indulge in that pleasure, ask yourself, "Is this worth losing my family?"

I don’t care if it’s alcohol, drugs, sex, or something else. No temporary pleasure is worth your family.

Here is the truth about sin: We are guilty of it—every last one of us. And the consequence of that sin, the Bible says, is death (Romans 6:23). This is eternal separation from God. Had it not been for Christ, we would have remained in our sin, and God would have been justified in sending every one of us to hell. But He did not. But while we were still sinning, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Then the good news:

Romans 10:9: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

It does not get better than this. The truth is, you do not need a pastor, priest, or anyone else to lead you through some secret salvation prayer. You need the Word of God. You need Romans 10:9. Look at what it says: Do that, and you will be saved. Confess, admit, and believe. No sin is worth your eternity. Choose Jesus today.