It has nothing to do with us…but everything to do with Jesus Christ… No greater love exists.
1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
GRACE… Amazing grace.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Matthew 20:28 says of Jesus, “The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
Jesus assures us, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We can put our hope in His capabilities and His care for us even when life doesn't make sense.
We may not understand today, or even tomorrow, all the things God does or does not do. But someday we'll understand more (1 Corinthians 13:12). When we get to heaven and see Jesus in all His glory, our questions will all fade away as we worship the One who holds all power and wisdom. First5
“Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted—a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul,” Rabbi Harold Kushner reminds us. Sabbath Moments
As a young boy, I read a Russian fable about a master and a servant who went on a journey. Before they reached their destination they were caught in a blizzard and lost their direction. When they were found the master was frozen to death, face down in the snow. When they lifted him they found the servant, cold but alive. The master had voluntarily placed himself on top of the servant so the servant could live.Jesus did the same for you.
Jesus wears a sovereign crown, but he bears a father’s heart. The King who suffers for the peasant, the Master who sacrifices himself for the servant. He is the Son of Man who came to serve and give his life as a a ransom for you. Max Lucado
John 3:12-17
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The New King James Version
Jesus is alluding to His heavenly origin. Since He comes from heaven, He is qualified to speak authoritatively about heavenly things. Jesus’ made an explicit declaration that no one else has ascended into heaven. The implication is that no one has both ascended to heaven to receive divine revelation and descended to earth to give an account of that revelation in the same way that Jesus has as the incarnate Word of God.
Verse 3:16 presents a concise summary of the gospel message, tying the events of Jesus’ death to God’s love for the world He created.
The statement is remarkable in its depiction of divine care for the entire world—not just His chosen people, Israel.
John prefers to refer to Jesus as the “Son” and God as the “Father”. Jesus’ reflection and representation of the Father is complete. As one sent by God, Jesus fully represented Him on earth. Faithlife Study Bible
Earthly things refers to things that occur on earth, like the new birth, the wind, and perhaps miracles. Heavenly things refers to events like Christ’s ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus may have believed in Jesus’ miracles the majority of the Jewish council did not In verse 9, Nicodemus, referring to the new birth, asks, “How can these things be?” Here Jesus answers the question. New birth is by the Son, by the Cross (v. 14), and by faith (v. 15).
Every time the words lifted up occur in the Gospel of John there is a reference to Jesus’ death.
When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers. 21:9), those who looked at it lived. So it is with the Son of Man.
This is the first time eternal life is mentioned in John’s Gospel. When a person trusts Christ, he or she is born again and receives eternal and spiritual life, God’s kind of life.
God’s love is not restricted to any one nation or to any spiritual elite. World here may also include all of creation. At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus comes again, He will come in judgment upon those who refused His offer of salvation. The NKJV Study Bible
Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
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