Sin, Sorrow, and Salvation

In one paragraph

This message was the third week in a series on John 3, and the pastor took the congregation on a detour before reaching John 3:16. He worked through the strange Old Testament episode of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 to show what Jesus was pointing Nicodemus toward in John 3:14-15, and he closed with communion as the invitation. Jesus does not go straight from the born-again conversation with...

Read together

1. John 3:1-2 Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, calling Him a teacher come from God
2. John 3:3 Jesus tells Nicodemus no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again
3. John 3:4 Nicodemus asks how a man can be born when he is old
4. John 3:5-8 Jesus explains being born of water and the Spirit, comparing it to the wind
5. John 3:9 Nicodemus asks how these things can be
6. John 3:10-12 Jesus challenges Nicodemus as a teacher of Israel who does not know these things
7. John 3:13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, the Son of Man
8. John 3:14-15 Just as Moses lifted up the snake, the Son of Man must be lifted up so everyone who believes may have eternal life
9. Numbers 21:4-9 Israel complains against God and Moses, venomous snakes are sent, Moses makes a bronze snake on a pole and those who look at it live
10. Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about the Israelites calling manna 'detestable' after God had supernaturally provided it for nearly forty years. When have you found yourself ungrateful for something God was clearly providing in your own life?
2. The pastor described sorrow as neutral, saying it can either lead to worldly sorrow that produces death or godly sorrow that produces repentance. What is the difference between those two kinds of sorrow in your own experience?
3. The people in Numbers 21 had seen God provide repeatedly, yet they still complained and turned away. What makes it hard to trust God's provision even when you have seen Him come through before?
4. The pastor pointed out that God's way of saving the Israelites, a bronze snake on a pole, made no logical sense, yet it was divinely appointed, suitable, and effective. How do you personally wrestle with accepting God's ways when they do not make sense to you?
5. Alan Levi said in the clip that God could have issued a blanket pardon but instead required a just payment from the very beginning. How does understanding the cross as divinely appointed rather than just one option among many change the way you think about salvation?