God’s Indescribable Gift! – Sept 17, 2017

John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible. It is the little Bible. It is the gospel in a nutshell.

John 3:16 declares what every human heart—whether it knows—wants to hear and needs to hear: God loves you! God loves each of us as if there was only one of us to love.

The Divine Source of the Love

John 3:16 declares God is a lover. The Agape Love Just Gives (1 Corinthians 13)

Mercy is God’s forgiving love.
Grace is God’s undeserved love.
Peace is God’s comforting love.
The will of God is God’s perfect, flawless, faultless, error-free, impeccable love.
Providence is God’s caring love.
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s proven love.
Sanctification is God’s nurturing love.
Heaven is God’s rewarding love.
Eternity is God’s unending love.
God does not love just certain groups, races or nations.

God loves everybody.

God doesn’t exclusively love Christians.

God loves the world.

Romans 5:7-8 says: ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

 

 

The Infinite Worth of the Gift

It is bad manners to give a gift to someone and leave the price tag on it, but this is exactly what God did when He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. God wanted us to know what it cost Him to purchase our salvation. So he left the price tag on the gift. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.” That is, He gave His only begotten Son.

There is nobody like Jesus. Nobody was born like Jesus. Nobody lived like Jesus. Nobody died like Jesus. Nobody resurrected like Jesus. Nobody is coming again like Jesus. Jesus is God’s only Son.

When John 3:16 says God loved us by giving His only begotten Son, it is telling us Jesus Christ is what God sent when He cared enough to send the very best. How did God say I love you? He gave His only begotten Son.

He who had glory before the world began, came down from glory…

I know God loves me because I know He gave His only begotten Son—Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!”

 

The Redeeming Purpose of the Gift

Here is the good news: God is love. “For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Imagine you are a criminal. You have lived your life breaking the law. It finally has caught up with you. You have been arrested, charged, tried, convicted and sentenced. Your penalty is death, which is a just punishment for the crimes you have committed. So there you sit on death row, waiting for your day of execution.

You play games to keep your mind occupied, but nothing can hide the reality you face. You feel it every time you hear footsteps outside your cell. However, one day, the footsteps stop outside your door. It swings open, and in walks the judge who sentenced you to death. He has come personally to let you know you are being released. You don’t understand, but you don’t argue. You get your stuff and get out of there. While they are leading you out, you notice them leading someone else in. You ask who he is. The judge explains, “Well, when I tried your case, my heart went out to you. I know justice has to be served, but I wanted to help you. When I told that man about your situation, he shared my concern and volunteered to take your place. So, here he is; but know he is not here because he has done anything wrong. As a matter of fact, he is the best person I have ever met; and I should know because he’s my son.

 

The Eternal Benefits of the Gift

The closing portion of John 3:16 states the eternal benefits of God’s gift to us: “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The benefits of God’s gift are only received through faith.

You cannot know God’s love if you do not believe in His Son, Jesus Christ;

John 3:18 says, “Whoever believers in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Did you get that? Those who do not believe are condemned already. You only can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. If you believe in Him, you will have eternal life.

Eternal life begins the moment you put your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. It introduces you to a new quality of life. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” If you are a believer, you have eternal life right now.