From Darkness to Light
📖 Scripture Focus
John 3:16-21
This is the last group of verses that concludes Jesus’ and Nicodemus’ conversation.
Verse 16
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
possibly the most famous verse in the Bible
Shows the Amazing grace of God, that while we were all still sinners, rebelling against God, he made a path through his son to be back in right standing with him.
This isn’t just a verse. It’s the veil being torn open so you can see the heart of the Father. He didn’t shout His love from heaven, He sent it, embodied it, crucified it, and then resurrected it… for you.
Verse 17
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
this is significant because the Jewish community had several ideas as to how the see Messiah was coming back and how he was going to institute his rule.
Some thought it would be a political take over, others thought it would be a military takeover
Needless to say, Jesus didn’t look like much of the ideas they had.
This is a reminder that it’s ok to have thoughts on what God is doing, but be humble enough to adjust when God himself sets the record straight.
Jesus didn’t come to hand out verdicts, He came to rewrite stories. The King didn’t carry a sword—He carried a cross. If your internal voice sounds like accusation, it’s not Jesus.
*DISCUSSION BREAK*
Question 1:
When you think about how God sees you, does it feel more like judgment or rescue and what might that reveal about the lens you’re living through?
Question 2:
Are there areas in your life where you’ve mistaken God’s invitation for condemnation and if so, what’s He really trying to offer you there?
What parts of your heart still believe you need to earn the love God already gave you for free?
Verse 18
There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
EXAMPLE: walking down a road. You’re warned of a lethal gas leak further up, and they offer you a gas mask
The reality of the situation is that the “Ship” is sinking whether you like it or not, so you have to decide what you’re going to do. Get on the life raft or go down with the ship, complaining that the ship shouldn’t be sinking does nothing for you.
Congratulations, you judged yourself.
Unbelievers literally sentenced themselves to death.
Judgment isn’t a future event, it’s a current condition of rejecting the cure. Jesus is not the punisher. He is the path to freedom. The question isn’t “is God angry?” The real question is “will I receive the invitation?”
Verse 19
And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
because their actions were evil > they loved darkness so that their evil was covered
Evil doers love the darkness because it’s easier to maneuver
Darkness isn’t just a setting—it’s a system. It creates illusions, offers hiding places, and masks pain as comfort. But light? Light doesn’t shame you. It reveals what you no longer need to carry.
*DISCUSSION BREAK*
Question 1:
Is there a place in your life where the comfort of hiding has become more familiar than the freedom of healing?
Verse 20
All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
Is this verse talking to believers? Why would an unbeliever be fearful of sin being exposed.
This could be a warning to believers that when we allow secret sins to be common in their lives, we are essentially showing hate/irreverence for the presence of God
Why? Because exposure feels like punishment when you don’t know the kindness of the One doing the revealing. This verse isn’t about guilt, it’s about grace. The fear isn’t of the light, it’s of being seen without a mask.
Verse 21
But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
when we expose our sins to the light of his presence, we allow God to do his perfect work in us
Living in truth isn’t about being flawless, it’s about being free. It’s the choice to bring your process into His presence, where transformation happens in plain sight. It’s not perfection, it’s permission for God to be seen through your life.
*DISCUSSION BREAK*
Question 1:
Have you ever resisted God’s presence not because He was harsh, but because it felt easier to hide? What was really going on in your heart in that moment?
Question 2:
Where in your life can you move from hiding to being seen, not to prove your worth, but to reveal His work?