“The Gift of Christ: The Object of Our Faith” (John 3:16–18, 36)

“The Gift of Christ: The Object of Our Faith” (John 3:16–18, 36)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, December 16, 2018

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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16–18, NIV)

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:36, NIV)

1. It is not how much faith you have, it is the object of your faith: Jesus.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:25–27, NIV)

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24, NIV)

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29, NIV)

⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47, NIV)

²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” (John 8:24, NIV)

2. Faith in Jesus is an Exclusive Faith.

a. Exclusive of other objects of faith.

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, NIV)

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NIV)

b. Exclusive of other means of salvation (e.g., works)

²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. (Romans 3:28–30, NIV)

3. Faith in Jesus is an Abiding Faith.

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (John 8:31, NIV)

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1–5, NIV)

4. Faith in Jesus is an Active Faith.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14–17, NIV)

5. Faith in Jesus is a Graciously Given Faith.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:9–13, NIV)

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV)

"Nothing human, however great or excellent, can bring about the birth of which he speaks. Over against this John sets the way people are born into the heavenly family. The new birth is always sheer miracle. All human initiative is ruled out. People are born “of God”; they can be born into the heavenly family in no other way." (Leon Morris)