Series- 3:16 - God In A Box
John 3:16; Hebrews 10:19-23
“3:16 INTRO VIDEO”
WOW, what a powerful description from author Max Lucado of the most powerful Scripture in the entirety of the Bible. Today, we are a beginning a series entitled- “3:16”.
How fitting it is that this Sunday, which is PALM SUNDAY Falls on March 16th or rather 3:16.
It is the most Well Known scripture in the entire Bible. You see on Billboards, at Sporting Events, on Bumper Stickers, and on T-Shirts.
We learn it from a very Early Age. We Sing Songs- referencing it’s contents.
And yet those Words, when TRULY PONDERED- never loose their Potency or Power…
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.
We could spend hours pondering the first SIX words alone!
“For God So Loved The World.”
What a powerful thought, that the God of the universe would love a Fallen world. A world that rejected Him.
And yet the Bible declares that “While we were yet sinners, Christ Died For Us.”
But then the Scripture Goes on to say that He not only Loved us. But, His Love Compelled Him To Also GIVE TO US…
~ One thing that I am thankful for in my upbringing is that I had Parents that were Givers.
~ I saw them give sacrificially not only to us children- but to anyone in need that they had the means to help.
~ It is Largely due to their example that God has allowed me to be a person who enjoys being a giver.
BUT CAN I BE HONEST WITH YOU? SOME PEOPLE ARE EASIER TO GIVE TO THAN OTHERS.
~ It is not difficult at all to give to those I love.
~ Wife, Son, Family, Anyone in this Great Congregation.
~ But, you do me WRONG- and it becomes a little more difficult.
~ There has been a number of occasions in my lifetime that God has required just that of me…
~ Someone who had treated me wrongly or hurt me, He required me to Give to them.
~ SPECIFIC ILLUSTRATION
~ Been Hurt
~ Did not feel at the time it was my fault- probably was more than I would like to admit
~ Had harbored it inside for a long time
~ GOD REQUIRED ME TO GIVE A GIFT TO THEM.
~ It was a gift that cost me a lot of money at the time.
~ It was a gift that I wanted for myself but could not afford to get for myself at the time.
~ It was DIFFICULT To Give that Gift.
~ It was a gift of Great Value To Me.
~ AND GOD REQURED ME TO GIVE IT AWAY-
~ That is an inadequate picture of what God did for Us. But, He did not have to be prompted to Give to us His Love Compelled Him.
And His Gift Was of The Utmost Of Value.
~ Far greater Gift than anything we could ever part with.
The scripture goes on to describe the Greatest Gift Ever Given.
“For God So Loved The World. That He gave His one and only son”
THE GREATEST GIFT EVER TO THE MOST UNDESERVING RECIPENTS EVER.
And who where those RECIPENTS? You and you and you, and Me- THE WHOSOEVERS OF THE WORLD.
“For God So Loved The World. That He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes In him ...”
Seems Too Easy Doesn’t It…
~ Whoever Believes…
If I were AWARDING SUCH GREAT A GIFT, Surely the requirements would have been more significant…
~ Whoever SHOWS HIM/ HERSELF DESERVING
~ Whoever GIVES THE GREATEST GIFT IN RETURN
~ Whoever Has SOMETHING TO OFFER…
But not the case- WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM…
~ We come to Him With our Nothingness and He Gives Us His EVERYTHING.
~ Think of it- WHAT OF VALUE CAN YOU GIVE THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE?
ILLUSTRATE- BUYING a gift for the person with EVERYTHING…
~ TALK ABOUT GETTING A GIFT FOR THE ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING.
~ We don’t have anything to offer but:
OUR BROKENESS
OUR FAILURES
OUR HURTS
OUR PAIN
And He Says- “I’LL TAKE IT, SIMPLY BELIEVE!!!
Then the verse goes on to say…
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.
Eternal Life!!! What An Offer!!!
If He would have stopped there it would have been MORE THAN ENOUGH…
But, I want you to skip forward a few chapters to John 10:9-10. I want you to listen to the words of JESUS.
John 10:9-10. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Another translation says- MORE ABUNDANTLEY…
I want us to take some time to truly understand what that means to you and me this morning…
You see, many of us in this room this morning know Jesus the gift of the Father as Our Savior. GET OUT OF HELL FREE CARD…
But too many times we are not walking out the ABUNDANT LIFE THAT CHRIST PAID FOR.
LET ME ASK THE GUYS IN HERE A QUESTION… “IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED RESOURCES AND COULD BUY ANYTHING YOU WANTED- HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE AN ULTIMATE DREAM CAR/ MOTORCYCLE?
RAISE YOUR HANDS…
I SEE THAT HAND, I SEE THAT HAND…
“JUST WANTING TO SEE WHO ALL IS GOING THROUGH A MID-LIFE CRISIS…”
KIDDING- Truth is, we all would love to have that dream car wouldn’t we.
~ Hummer, Ferrari, Viper, Bentley, Rolls, you name it…
Imagine being able to go into the dealership and plop down the payment in full for your favorite car.
And you are so excited as you wait for the salesman to go to the back and bring the car around.
~ Can’t wait to try out all the BELLS AND WHISTLES.
~ put the convertible top down.
~ Check out the Sound System.
~ Play with the Navigational System.
~ Test out the HEATED SEATS IN TEXAS…
And as you are waiting and watching the Salesman pulls around in a 2001 base model Geo Metro.
~ You Would NOT STAND FOR IT….
THIS IS NOT WHAT I PAID FOR…
~I JUST PAID A HIGH PRICE, I WANT ALL THAT IS COMING TO ME.
~ FOR $300,000 I WANT THE BEST NOT THE BASE
~ THE PROBLEM WITH SO MANY CHRISTIANS IS THAT THEY ARE LIVING WITH THE BASICS OF SALVATION… When Christ PAID A HIGH PRICE For So Much More…
~ DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME- IF ALL THAT GOD MADE AVAILABLE TO US THROUGH THE CROSS WAS SALVATION- THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH.
~ But BY HIS OWN PROCLAMATION He not only Came to give us Life But LIFE TO THE FULL!!!
As I was preparing this message this week, it occurred to me that…
There is perhaps no greater picture of What Christ’s death has afforded us than what we see in the Illustration of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament…
The Bible tells us that before Jesus came to this earth to become our RECONCILER TO GOD…
That because of Man’s Sin there was a separation.
Adam had willfully sinned and caused humanity to be separated from it’s creator.
Before Adam’s fall- God literally dwelt among man. The Bible says, that God would come down in the cool of the evening and walk and talk with Adam and Eve.
But through the deception of the devil that relationship was severed. Adam and Eve were placed out of the Garden of Eden and there was a separation between God and Man.
But thankfully, God had already had a plan in place “From the foundations of the world” to restore that relationship.
He would do so through the promise found in JOHN 3:16.
But until Christ came there was this separation. TO A CERTAIN DEGREE- GOD WAS PUT IN A BOX. ACT OUT
In the Old Testament GOD’S DWELLING PLACE AMONG MAN was in what is called the “TABERNACLE”.
This is where He chose to allow his Presence to Abide.
And if you are familiar with this tabernacle you know that it was comprised of 3 Parts…
~ The Outer Courts, The Inner Courts, and The MOST HOLY PLACE…
~ Well it was in the MOST HOLY PLACE or the HOLY OF HOLIES… that the ARK OF THE COVENANT rested BEHIND A THICK VEIL…
This was the Place where God’s presence dwelt. And it was a place where not just anyone could enter.
ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST AND ONLY ONCE A YEAR…
The ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat Resting On it was the only thing in this room.
The Ark of the Covenant was a box of approximately 4ft long 2 ½ ft tall and 2 ½ ft wide.
In side of this ark- were 3 contents.
~ Tablets of Stone containing the 10 commandments- Moses
~ Golden Jar Of Manna- God’s provision in the wilderness
~ and Aaron’s Rod That Budded- God’s Miraculous power
And above this Ark was the Mercy Seat…
And for all of the years in the wilderness. And all of the Years until Christ came as A sacrifice- This is where the Presence of God dwelt among man.
There was a Veil of Separation… NOT ONLY KEEPING MAN FROM GOD… BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF MAN’S SIN KEEPING GOD FROM MAN…
But thankfully the Bible Tells Us that… the WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US…
Jesus came on the Scene and offered us a WAY OF RESTORATION…
Because of Jesus’ death on the Cross. We now have access again to God and God HAS ACCESS TO US…
Turn to Hebrews 10:19-23 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Vs. 20 We can enter by “A new and Living Way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body…”
When Jesus Breathed His Last Breath on the Cross- What does the Bible say happened?
THE VEIL IN THE TEMPLE/ TABERNACLE WAS TORN IN TWO FROM TOP TO BOTTOM… GOD BURSTS OUT OF THE BOX
The VEIL that separated God and Man was opened through a NEW AND LIVING Way- Christ’s Death…
Now We have access again to God and He has access to us… JESUS- DEFEATED DEATH, HELL and THE GRAVE
NOT JUST TO GIVE US LIFE BUT “LIFE TO THE FULL”…
NOW WE CAN GO TO GOD FOR HIS MERCY “MERCY SEAT”
THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT NOW WE CAN “HAVE HIS LAWS WRITTEN ON OUR HEART”- Tablets of 10 Commandments
NOW WE CAN ANTICIPATE HIS PROVISION- GOLDEN JAR OF MANNA.
NOW WE CAN EXPERINCE THE MIRACOULUS… ARRON’S ROD THAT BUDDED…
BUT, TOO OFTEN- WE PUT GOD BACK IN A BOX…
~ “God I need your Mercy- But I have drifted to far away from you…” LET GOD OUT OF THE BOX
~ “God, I know I need to follow your commands- but it is just too difficult…” LET GOD OUT OF THE BOX
~ “God, I need your Provision- I know you have some manna- but I am not sure You can provide what I need…” LET GOD OUT OF THE BOX
~ “God, This situation will require a Miracle- I am just not sure I can trust you…” LET GOD OUT OF THE BOX
Why did Christ Die? To Give You Life and Life To the FULL- LET GOD OUT OF THE BOX… JOHN 3:16
