When a Jew informed John that everyone was going toward Jesus rather than John, John answered, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven" (John 3:27). 

John's popularity was declining, while Jesus' popularity was increasing. John could have understandably become jealous and discouraged, seeing everyone go toward the new guy. John could have made excuses for himself. Jesus could do miracles, but John could not. Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit, but John had to settle for water. Jesus could eat and drink with all manner of people, but John had a restricted diet of locusts and honey. 

That is not what John did. And that is not how he felt. Instead, John rejoiced in Jesus' growing popularity. John's mission was not to exalt himself but to point people to Jesus, the Messiah. He readily embraced the decline of his ministry (John 3:30) and testified to his fullness of joy in Christ (John 3:29).

Friends, if we had John's attitude with respect to our life calling and purpose, we would be free from jealousy, discouragement and anxiety. We would instead embrace the lot God has given us and focus simply on being faithful to His calling (1 Corinthians 4:2). We would not be jealous of our peers when they are successful. Instead, we would rejoice with them, that they are employing God's gifts and calling to good effect. A man plans his ways, but the Lord orders his steps (Proverbs 16:9). God controls every outcome, but we are accountable for our motives and our actions. 

Therefore, let us not compare ourselves with anyone else but discern what God's will is for us (Ephesians 5:17). Let us not strive beyond what measure God reveals, neither envying those with great influence nor disparaging those with little. Instead, let us rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Luke 10:20), and let us seek God's wisdom, strength, providence, and grace to faithfully discharge all that God has called us and gifted us to do in this life (cf. Luke 17:10). 

My friends, remember this, God is glorified most in our suffering, hardship and loss. Consider Job. Though he was an upright man, his witness is greater on account of his suffering and loss than all the years of his prosperity. How many of us today look to Job to find encouragement. The writer of Hebrews makes a point of the fact that none of the Old Testament saints received any of the promises God made to them during their lifetimes (Hebrews 11:13,39). Even the Son of God "learned obedience from what He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). 

Therefore, do you have a physical handicap? Don't complain to God and demand, "Why?!" Do you find it difficult to make ends meet from week to week? Praise God that you do make it from week to week by His grace. Does sadness and misfortune keep you up at nights? Give thanks to God that heaven is just around the corner, where the only tears shed will be tears of joy. Declare with Job,

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
     And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

“Even after my skin is destroyed,
     Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

Whom I myself shall behold,
     And whom my eyes will see and not another.
     My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27)

Listen to this beautiful rendition of this passage by Nicole Mullen, and rejoice in Jesus! (Youtube Link).

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

John 3:16 is well-known: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in HIm shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:17 is also known well: "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:18, cited above, is not so well known, particularly the part that reads, "He who does not believe has been judged already."

Every person who is not trusting in Jesus for their salvation is standing in a state of condemnation until the moment they come to faith. They are not in a neutral place. They are in route to hell, dragged along by the devil himself (Ephesians 2:1-3). What is more, lawlessness is no longer the only standard for judgment. Now, belief in Jesus is the standard.

Every one of us lives in a burning house, ready to collapse. There is only one safe place that a gracious Host has made available. It is sufficient to house everyone, but only some go to it. All the others seem content to wait and see if their burning house will indeed collapse.

Friends, I told my little girl that her grandmother and her aunt have not trusted in Jesus. She asked if this means that they will go into the Lake of Fire. I said that if they continue in their unbelief, that is where they would go. Since then, she has not ceased to pray for them. I have prayed for them as well and shared the Gospel with them. But then, I just got tired of keeping it up. Yet, how much energy would I exert to keep my daughter from falling off a cliff or into a firey pit? And these are only temporary. I am ashamed.

Have we lost our sense of the eternal? This morning I was distressed that I may need to sell my stocks for a loss to pay bills. In France I just discovered that over 100 people have been killed by Islamic terrorists. Where is my sense of proportion? I also know that every day thousands of new souls are entering an eternity without God where they await their hopeless final judgment in the Lake of Fire. Where is my sense of perspective?

There is a kind of insanity that blinds us to proportion and hides perspective from our minds so that we live only in the meaninglessness of our moment. I recall the charge of the apostle Paul:

Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14).

Friends, let us wake up! Who will wake us all up?

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34).

Jesus fulfilled the command of Scripture recorded by Moses:

Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Throughout His life Jesus was concerned with the singular mission of doing God's will, namely, fulfilling God's prophetic word about Him. Thus, even though He desired to be delivered from crucifixion, He nevertheless prayed that God's will would be done. When the soldiers from the Sanhedrin came to arrest Him, He told His disciples to put away their swords, for He knew that His capture was necessary for God's Word to be fulfilled.

Friends, even though Jesus knew much more about His immediate fate than we do, the priority of submitting to God's will is the same. Jesus commanded His disciples, "Seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Even if we do not have new revelation from God today, we do have His Word, which is sufficient for us in doing everything God requires to please Him:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The question is, are we committed to obeying God's Word? He's already told us how to live and on what to focus our lives. He's already commanded us not to be anxious but to simply trust in His promises. He's already given us moral imperatives that apply to our personal, home and work lives. There is more there than one can digest in many lifetimes. 

Let us simply seek to understand God's will in His Word. Then, let us humbly and diligently obey His will in keeping with His providence and grace. And may this knowing and doing be as natural and critical to us as our daily meals.

If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.(John 3:12-13).

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night to inquire about Jesus' teaching. Twice Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is telling him (cf. John 3:4,9). Nicodemus does not understand the nature of the new birth by the Spirit because he is trying to comprehend it within the parameters of logic and natural experience, yet the truth does not fit either of these because it must be spiritually discerned and accepted on the basis of the testimony of what is known and what has been seen. The message of new birth would not be explained through human wisdom but by the demonstration of the Spirit's power. Paul spoke of this manner of witness:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

People would not believe in the Gospel because it made good logical sense but because it was accomplished by the power of God. 

Jesus tried to explain spiritual truths to Nicodemus using earthly analogies, like birth and wind, but Nicodemus still did not believe. He might have understood the analogies, but he could not believe because these analogies did not fit his human logic and experience. Since Nicodemus could not accept these spiritual truths when spoken using earthly analogies, how could he accept them if Jesus were to speak plainly and without any figures of speech? In the same way, Jesus initially used figures of speech with His disciples:

Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father (Jon 16:25).

Jesus spoke this way to them because even the disciples needed to receive the Holy Spirit to both truly understand and believe Jesus' words:

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth (John 13:12-13). 

Likewise, Nicodemus sought to be told plainly about the kingdom and eternal life, but Jesus told him that if he could not believe when Jesus spoke in language that he could understand ("earthly things"), how would he believe if Jesus were to speak plainly to him about heavenly realities, which no one had ever before gone into heaven to receive and come back to report it? This is why Jesus said,

No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man (John 3:13).

Jesus was the only One who was privy to these heavenly truths. He was the only One who could faithfully reveal the true nature of God:

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John 1:18).

Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father (John 6:46).

He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me (John 12:45).

Jesus said to him,“Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9).

Jesus was, therefore, the only One qualified to reveal these heavenly truths. 

Now, here is a remarkable observation. In this entire dialogue with Nicodemus, including the famous verse, John 3:16, nothing whatsoever is said of Jesus dying for the sins of the world. In this respect, even John 3:16 is not by itself a good evangelistic (i.e. Gospel) verse, for it says nothing of Jesus' death for our sins and His resurrection. But the astute student will observe that in the course of Jesus' three-year ministry, He would first reveal the nature of salvation through His death and resurrection to His immediate disciples. And even then they would not immediatly understand until after Jesus was glorified and came back to open their minds to understand (cf. Luke 24:44-47).

Nevertheless, Jesus hints at it on several occasions, particularly when He speaks of the Son of Man being "lifted up" (cf.  John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32). So also in our present text, Jesus gives a hint to Nicodemus about how God would accomplish salvation for those who believe:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (John 3:14 NKJV).

Every modern translation that I know of translates the first words of John 3:14 as "And..." or omits it altogether. While rare, the Greek word kai, which is at the front of this verse, can also be translated as "yet". In fact, it is perhaps translated "yet" in John's Gospel more than anywhere else. Thayer's Greek Lexicon has this entry on the term:

e. with a certain rhetorical emphasis, it annexes something apparently at variance with what has been previously said; so that it is equivalent to and yet (cf. Stallbaum on Plato, Apology, p. 29 b.); so the Latinatque (cf. Beier on Cicero, de off. 3, 11, 48): Matthew 3:14 (καί σύ ἔρχῃπρός με); Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:29; Mark 12:12; John 1:5 (καί ἡ σκοτία κτλ.); John 1:10 (καί ὁ κόσμος); John 3:11, 32; John 5:40 (καί οὐ θέλετε); John 6:70; John 7:28;John 8:49, 55 (καί οὐκ ἐγνώκατε); John 9:30; 1 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 6:9;Hebrews 3:9; Revelation 3:1 ( ... ζῇς, καί νεκρός εἰ), etc. when a vain attempt is spoken of:Matthew 12:43 (ζητεῖ καί οὐχ εὑρίσκει); ; Luke 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:18.

I believe it better fits the flow of thought and immediate context of what Jesus is saying than to simply read the kai as a conjunctive "and". Consider verses 13-14 with "yet" in place of "and":

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. Yet, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (John 3:13-14).

This possible translation shows that verse 14 stands somewhat in variance to what was expressed in verse 13, namely, that the Son of Man, who came down from heaven, alone has authority to reveal heavenly truth. Even though Jesus came from heaven, and has the authority to reveal heavenly truth, he would have to be "lifted up" as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wildnerness. 

Now, Nicodemus would not understand at this point what Jesus meant by "the Son of Man must be lifted up," yet this does not take away from the fact that Jesus was clearly alluding to the manner and nature of His death. This is consistent with what Jesus would say just a few verses later:

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, fortheir deeds were evil (John 3:19). 

It is also consistent with John's introductory thesis for his gospel:

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11).

Friends, I hope I have brought out some perspectives here that have strengthened your appreciation for even the less popular texts of Scripture. Understanding these texts will help solidify the important teaching with respect to human depravity, even our inability to believe in the Gospel apart from the working of the Holy Spirit within us. Perhaps you will also recognize that John 3:16 is not sufficient in itself to proclaim the Gospel but simply points to the centrality of the Son in bringing eternal life to those who believe. In it we learn who to believe but not yet what to believe, namely that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. 

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God (John 3:21 NIV 2010).

This is a very rare translation of John 3:21. It is more interpretative than the NIV is normally known to be. Most modern translations do not go so far. Here is a more literal translation of the verse:

But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God (NASB).

What is more the 2010 NIV seriously departs from its own original 1984 translation of this verse:

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God (NIV 1984).

It is very different to say a work has been done "in the sight of God" versus it being done "in God" or "through God." Now, if we look at the Aramaic New Testament, there is no ambiguity of meaning here:

But he who does The Truth comes to The Light, so that his works may be revealed, that they are performed by God (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

Why am I making such a point of this? I am doing so because the translation of this verse not only determines one's understanding of the verse but also of the entire passage, which it concludes. It is a passage that holds evangelical Christianity's favorite verse, namely, John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Most people know this verse, but they do not understand it in the larger context of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.

Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus the heavenly truth of salvation through faith in Christ by an earthly example of new birth by water and the Spirit, which Nicodemus, a Pharisee, could more easily understand (John 3:12). But he still did not understand (John 3:9-10). Jesus connects Nicodemus' lack of understanding to his unbelief (John 3:11-12). 

Jesus explained to Nicodemus that a new birth, a spiritual rebirth, was required for salvation. Why? Because without it, people could not understand and would not believe. Even without a direct answer, Nicodemus' own confusion and unbelief, though he was Israel's teacher (3:10), provided the very evidence that a new birth was necessary. 

Then Jesus spoke directly of the need for people to believe in the Son to have eternal life. He does not go into detail of what the Son would do, only that people should believe in Him.

But while faith in the Son was required, it was a faith that exposed the evil in people's hearts, and so people would refuse to believe because they did not want their wickedness exposed (John 3:20). Thus, Jesus has this assessment about people:

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." (John 3:19-21).

Now, we should ask, how is it that Jesus follows this verdict that people loved darkness instead of light with the words "but whoever lives by the truth" in verse 21? A verdict suggests a decided fact. What room, therefore, would there be for anyone to live by the truth? Since people love darkness, how and why would they choose light? 

Now, this is where a correct translation of verse 21 is vital. If, as the 2010 NIV has it, we interpret the Greek words ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν (literally "that in [or by] God has been done") as "has been done in the sight of God," not only does this take unwarranted liberties in translating the text, our conundrum remains unexplained. How can people, who are said to love darkness, live by the truth? 

But, if we follow just about every other modern translation, and translate this more literally as "has been done in God" or "has been wrought by God" then we not only remain true to the original text, but we also find a solution to our conundrum. And if we follow a possibly more original Aramic translation, namely, "that they are performed by God," the meaning becomes even clearer. 

Here then is the meaning. Even though people loved darkness, there are those that will choose light because God will bring it about in them. This is consistent with Jesus' words to Peter, who asked Him, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus answered, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). God's grace trumps the verdict of all people's rebellious rejection of God. 

So now we can understand that God is the one that makes faith in the Son of God possible. This is why John 3:19-20 follows John 3:6-18. The condition of people keep them from saving faith, so that they are trapped in a state of condemnation. However, John 3:21 reveals that what people could not do, namely believe, because they loved darkness instead of light, God enabled them to do. How? He accomplished it through the new birth by the Holy Spirit. 

This goes back to Nicodemus' question in John 3:9, "How can this be?" Jesus did not just leave Nicodemus hanging. He answered the question by explaining to Nicodemus that God made a provision for the salvation of all people through His Son; however, since people would not believe in Him because by nature they were evil and loved darkness, God had to accomplish it. This is why a new birth by the Holy Spirit was necessary for their salvation. 

What I have shared here is the exact same argument presented by John at the beginning of this Gospel (cf. John 1:10-13). Jesus was the light that came into the world. The world did not comprehend it, and those that did comprehend it, rejected it. Yet, people received Him. Why? Or more appropriately, how? They were born again, not by natural means, nor by social contract, nor by personal decision, but they were born of God. 

Friends, if you are a true believer, you have come into the light of Christ (John 3:21; 1:4-5). You have not come into the light by your free will. Your free will would have left you condemned before God, because our free will loves darkness instead of light. You have come to Christ because God drew you supernaturally (John 6:44). He enabled faith in you through a new birth by the Holy Spirit. And because the Spirit has enabled you, you can both understand the Gospel and believe in Jesus for your salvation (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Praise God for His sovereign and irresistible grace!

John the Baptist was ordained to "prepare the way for Christ" - his purpose was seek repentance from the Jews and Baptizing them as a symbol of their rebirth (as a Child of God).

(John 3:22-30)

"After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less"

When I read this passage this morning I thought about the humility of John and his desire to give God the glory - he says "He must become greater, I must become less". While those serving with John are concerned about Jesus' receiving the recognition, as he baptizes many. John is at peace with "what heaven has given him" - the role of preparing the way for the messiah, and his joy is knowing that the Bridegroom (or Messiah) has come - "that joy is mine and it is now complete".

As Christians we seek to serve God faithfully, serving at our Church, in the community or telling others about Christ. Often though we look for recognition, or acknowledgement in our efforts if not by man then by God. We expect that God will bless us as we serve faithfully and when things don’t go well we become bitter or disappointed. While I know that God blesses us as we serve faithfully, when we try to tie our works with His blessings we make God beholden to us - "God owes me". Our works should simply be an expression of our love for Him, and our blessing is knowing that we serve a good and faithful God.

Jesus told that no one but God knows the time of his return, and not to believe those who claim to be him.  If this holds true, how are we to know when the one and true Christ returns?  I was reflecting on the miracle of officials son and Jesus saying ⁴⁸ “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”

Today and in the past people have claimed to be prophets and/or Jesus (David Koresh is my most recent memory of someone ACTUALLY claiming to be Christ), and we know most of them to be loons.  However, if Jesus were to return tomorrow, would I know it without having to ask for a miracle?  Would it be obivous that He had returned, or would I chalk it up to just another loon?

Yujin responds... Great questions, Aaron! How will you know? You will not need to know, because you will be raptured to heaven the instant He comes (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). It will not be so much you who needs to know Him at His coming, but He will know you when He comes. It is sufficient that you be found faithful when He comes. 

Now, after the rapture and the seven years of great tribulation, Jesus will come again. At that time the evidence of His coming will be supernaturally evident:

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:24-26; Matthew 24:29-30).