Extravagant Sacrifice

EXTRAVAGANT SACRIFICE

1 John 3:1

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Boudreaux had a friend who bet him $5 that he couldn’t eat the man’s 50-pound watermelon. Boudreaux was silent for a few minutes looking at the watermelon. Then he said, “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

2. After that time Boudreaux returned and said, “I’ll take you up on that bet.” And he began eating the watermelon. As he was eating it the man asked, “Where did you go during that 30 minutes you were gone?”

3. Boudreaux said, “I remembered that my uncle Burcey had a watermelon under his porch about the same size. And I said to myself, ‘If I can eat uncle Burcey’s watermelon, then I can eat his watermelon!’”

B. TEXT

In 1 John 3:1, John talked about the “lavish love” of God. What God did, is so over-the-top, that the only word for it is “extravagant.”

C. THESIS

1. “Extravagant” means: “strange, curious; exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; unreasonably high in price.”

2. We’re looking at Jesus’ extravagant sacrifice for us, His call for us to make the same sacrifice, and that souls are worth that sacrifice. The title is, “Extravagant Sacrifice.”

I. JESUS MADE AN EXTRAVAGANT SACRIFICE FOR US

A. JESUS’ SACRIFICE FOR US: 7 WONDERS

Jesus sacrificed for us! He suffered more than anybody else ever suffered! It causes ME wonder! Here’s 7 wonders I have:

1. WONDER #1: THAT GOD WOULD DECIDE TO SAVE MAN

a. It’s not a wonder that God would make man. But it was a wonder that God decided to redeem man. If I had been God when Adam & Eve disobeyed and fell into sin, I would’ve looked ahead and seen all the misery in store for the human race, and I would’ve taken that opportunity to pull the plug on the human race and quit while I was ahead.

b. But God didn’t do that!

2. WONDER #2: THAT JESUS WOULD VOLUNTEER

a. Why in the world would Jesus, the Prince of the Universe, who stood to gain nothing and to lose everything, volunteer to die in order to save the depraved human race?

b. What was in it for Him? We didn’t even know Him yet.

3. WONDER #3: THAT THE FATHER WOULD LET JESUS SUFFER SUCH EXTREMES.

a. The extreme of becoming human; of suffering such horrible abuse by us – I can’t imagine.

b. Jesus had to experience all sin! He had to be immersed in filth; all the rapes, murders, and all the evil in history, all descended on Him.

4. WONDER #4: THAT GOD WOULD LET HUMANS LIVE IN HEAVEN.

a. Letting humans live in heaven, forever, is like having rowdy company move into your house – not for a day or week or month, but for eternity.

b. Jesus agreed to let Heaven be altered by our rowdy crowd. Why would God do that?

5. WONDER #5: THAT HE WOULD LET US EAT FROM THE TREE OF LIFE.

a. If I were God, living forever, and had the human race, living only short life spans; and knowing how bothersome they are, would I want to give them a lifespan equal to my own?

b. God had it right the first time by placing an angel at the gate of the Garden of Eden to keep humans from reentering the Garden and eating of the Tree of Life and living forever. Why would He change His mind now?

6. WONDER #6: THAT GOD WOULD PUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE US.

a. That’s getting too close for comfort! I like to be around people, but as evil as most people are in their hearts (Paul said that he “inwardly burned”) how could God subject the Holy Spirit to people who are often actively sinning?

b. Undoubtedly there was no other way; we had to have the Holy Spirit inside us to transform us from the inside out.

7. WONDER #7: THAT GOD WOULD LOVE US!

I John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…” NIV. This is the greatest love story of all time. Why?

a. It’s an incomprehensible love. According to Eph. 3:19, “Christ’s love is greater than any person can ever know....” ICB

b. It’s an undeserved love. Rom. 5:8

c. It’s a constraining love. 2 Cor. 5:14

d. It’s an everlasting love! Jer. 31:3

B. NO GREATER LOVE

1. Paul said, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Rom. 5:6-8.

2. Paul points out that virtually no one would die for a criminal or profligate, yet that’s what Jesus did for us. While we were “sinners” and “enemies,” Christ died for us.