Hold the presses! The Good News is being declared! What is the Good News? It’s Jesus Christ! The Lord has come to save us from Sin and no longer must anyone be condemned to the pits of Hell. Jesus came to take the punishment for our sins because God so loves us that He didn’t even spare is one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
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Key Verse: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I. The Good News Is Cosmic in Scope.
A. Consider the use of “everyone” ( v. 15) and “whoever” ( v. 16).
B. Consider that “world” appears four times in verses 16-17.
C. Consider the encounters that Jesus had in these first chapters in this Gospel. The gospel is wide enough to include:
1. A religious leader ( chapter 3).
2. A morally-wounded woman ( chapter 4).
3. A Roman official ( chapter 4).
4. A lame man ( chapter 5).
5. A host of hungry people ( chapter 6).
6. An array of enemies ( chapters 7, 8, and 10).
7. A blind man ( chapter 9).
8. A family in grieving ( chapter 11).
II. The Good News Is Warm in Appeal.
A. The warmth is seen in God’s love ( v. 16) and God’s heart ( v. 17). He doesn’t want to condemn the world.
B. But the warmth is not sticky and mere sentiment. The verses that surround the golden text of Scripture deal with the wrath of God ( v. 18-20). Maybe this is the only way to appreciate the love of God—i.e. see it against the backdrop of His justice.
C. This warmth must be retained as we share the message. Let us not only win the war of argumentation but also the battle of presentation. For how we share the message is almost as important as what we share. Augustine said, “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.”
III. The Good News Is Available Through Belief.
A. Belief is a key term in John’s Gospel (cf. 20:30-31). It is used numerous times and always—with one exception—as a verb. From John’s perspective, belief is something one does.
B. Belief is simple and profound at the same time. It astounds the scholar, but the little children can understand.
C. Belief, in the final understanding, is the commitment of one’s life to Christ in unconditional loyalty.
IV. The Good News Is Eternal in life.
A. Life is also a key term in John’s Gospel (cf. 20:30-31).
B. Life is viewed from two perspectives in John:
1. In terms of quality ( 10:10b). This is life lived at the highest level.
2. In terms of duration ( 5:24). God’s glorious future has invaded our present through the Christ-event.
C. Life is not the accumulation of stuff nor the storing up of things. That which was forfeited in the garden is regained through Christ.
Conclusion
No doubt this all sounded astounding to Nicodemus (cf. v. 4, 10).
But he would later appreciate its truthfulness ( 19:39).
Perhaps that’s how it sounds to post-modern man. The only objection might be that it is too good to be true.