The Greatest Verse in the Bible
Reading: John chapter 3 verse 16.
Ill:
Bill Cosby Story.
• A couple went to see the American comedian in concert;
• They enjoyed the concert so much they decided to get his autograph.
• Not for themselves!
• But for their little baby who was at home with the babysitter.
• They hung around the stage door;
• Soon an employee of the theatre saw them and asked them what they wanted?
• They explained they wanted Bill Cosby to autograph their child’s development/scrapbook.
• The theatre employee took it from them and they waited.
• 10 minutes later he returned and gave them the book back,
• They opened it up and it was blank, so they left very disappointed.
• A few weeks later as they were flicking through it,
• They saw that the development/scrapbook had been written in.
• Under the section; our child’s first words;
• Read the following; “I like Bill Cosby!”
Ill:
• Muhammad Ali plane story.
• “I am the greatest” & “Superman, him don’t need no seat belt….”
Quote:
“The heart of the Bible is the New Testament.
The heart of the New Testament is John’s gospel.
The heart of John’s gospel is chapter 3.
The heart of chapter 3 is verse 16!”
(1). Outline:
This verse is built around ten key words:
• (1). "God".
• (2). "Loved".
• (3). "World".
• (4). "Gave".
• (5). "Son".
• (6). "Whoever".
• (7). "Believes".
• (8). "Perish".
• (9). "Have".
• (10)."Life".
These ten words go together in five pairs:
• (1). "God & Son".
• (2). "Loved & Gave".
• (3). "World & Whoever".
• (4). "Believe & Have".
• (5). "Perish & Life".
The five pairs teach us five Essential truths:
• (1). "God & Son" - The ultimate giver and the ultimate gift.
• (2). "Loved & Gave" - The two expressons of God’s compassion.
• (3). "World & Whoever" - The two-fold direction of God’s loving and giving.
• (4). "Believe & Have" - The two things human beings are invited to do.
• (5). "Perish & Life" - The two final destinies.
Quote: Dr. Charles Garfield
“Not everything that counts can be counted.
Not everything that can be counted counts.”
I believe this book the Bible:
• Clearly teaches in regard to life an eternity,
• That which is worth holding on to and pursuing and that which is worth letting go off!
Look at the five pairs
(1). The ultimate giver and the ultimate gift.
"God and Son"
(A). God.
Ill:
• David Watson who was lecturing at Cambridge university;
• When he was rudely interrupted by a student who shouted out.
“Dr Watson, not only do I not believe in God, I know that there is no God!”
David Watson replied:
“What sum total of the knowledge of universe do you think you know?”
Let me help you,
Einstein said he knew 0.5% of the sum total knowledge of the universe!”
“How do you know that God is not in the other 99.5% you don’t know,
or even in the 5% you claim to know, but as yet is unrecognised?”
(b). Son.
Ill:
• Coventry cathedral.
• “Look down to see what is above”.
(2). The two expressions of God’s
Compassion. "Loved and Gave"
Loved and Gave.
• Actually don’t miss the little word “so” that is hidden in there.
• It gives the verse an added emphasis!
We all know that talk is cheap!
• True love is always proved by actions!
• That is the greatest test!
Quote: Oxenham
Love ever gives.
Forgives, outlives,
And ever stands
With open hands.
And while it lives,
It gives,
For this is love’s prerogative -
To give, and give, and give.
Quote:
There is nothing you can to do make God love you more!
There is nothing you can do to make God love you less!
His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, Perfect!
Ill:
• A monk who lived in medieval times, announced to the people;
• That he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.”
• The following Sunday evening the congregation gathered.
• It was the end of the day and the light no longer came in through the cathedral windows,
• In the darkness of the altar,
• The monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix.
• First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns,
• Next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound.
• In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel.
• There was nothing else to say!
God is the ultimate giver and Jesus is the ultimate gift!
• God the Father expressed his love perfectly.
• When he gave the ultimate gift, the one he loved the most.
Ill:
• I mentioned my home city of Coventry once,
• Let me tell you something else about it you might not know!
• During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice.
• The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and they informed Churchill;
• That the Germans were going to bomb Coventry.
• That left Churchill with two alternatives:
(1) To evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or
(2) To take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives.
Churchill had to make a painful choice:
• History records for us that he opted for the second course of action.
• He allowed 100’s of innocent people in the city of Coventry to be killed.
• So that ultimately he might save many more lives.
• A sacrifice was made, so that others might live.
Now in a far greater way:
• God had a choice.
• Humanity or Jesus!
• Wages of sin is death!
• Someone had to pay!
(3). The two-fold direction of God’s loving
and giving. "World and Whoever"
World and whoever
Jesus often gave an open invitation for anyone to him - no-one need be excluded:
• Old or young.
• Men or woman.
• Rich or poor.
• Religious or the non-religious.
• Black or white.
• Those intellectually gifted or those intellectually challenged.
• Man United fans or the rest.
• When Jesus said "Anyone" he meant anyone!
• Ill: Shown in his teachings - good Samaritan.
• Ill: Shown in his actions - Roman officials slave.
• Ill: Cross - wrote a sign in three languages (Hebrew, Latin, Greek). .
• Ill: The fact we are here, different language, culture, 200 years later.
Not one of a number:
Ill:
• Knock on the door and the little girl in the house opened it.
• It was a man doing a survey who asked her; “How many people live in your house?”
• Little girl replied, “Well there is George, and Lucy and Mary and..”
• The man interrupted her and said; “I haven’t got time for names, I want numbers.
• The little girl replied;
• “Sorry we don’t have any numbers living here, only people!”
ill:
• 145,000 hairs on a blond persons head.
• 120,000 on a dark persons head.
• 90,000 hairs on a red (ginger) haired person.
• Matthew chapter 12 verse 7:
• Jesus said God knows them all!
(4). The two things human beings are invited
to do. "Believe and Have"
believe and have.
• In the Bible the word believe is always active, never passive.
• It is a doing word not a knowing word!
Ill:
• Chales Blondin was born in France in 1790.
• He was one of the greatest fun-am-bul-ists (aerialists/tightrope-walkers) of all time
• June 30, 1859
• A large crowd of 100,000 people watched him walk on a single three-inch hemp cord,
• He walked 1,100 feet across;
• And 160 feet above the falls at one side and 270 feet at the other.
• When the Prince of Wales visited in September,
• 1860, Blondin carried his assistant, Romain Mouton, across.
• The prince, like other spectators,
• Was left breathless and asked Blondin never to do it again.
• Imagine the Prince’s reaction when;
• Blondin offered to carry him across on his back or in a wheelbarrow!
(5). The two final destinies. "Perish and Life"
(a). Perish.
ill:
• Hot Water bottle that has perished.
• Does not cease to exist, but remains in a useless state.
(b). LIFE:
Ill:
Titanic.
John Harper was born into a Christian family May 29, 1872. He became a Christian 13 years later and had already started preaching by age 17. He received training at the Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, and in 1896 he founded a church, now known as Harper Memorial Church, which began with 25 worshipers but had grown to 500 members at the time he left 13 years later.
In 1912 Harper, the newly called pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, was traveling on the Titanic with his 6 year old daughter. After the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink, he got Nana into a lifeboat but apparently made no effort to follow her. Instead, he ran through the ship yelling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" Survivors report that he then began witnessing to anyone who would listen. He continued preaching even after he had jumped into the water and was clinging to a piece of wreckage (he had already given his life-jacket to another man).
Harper’s final moments were recounted fours years later at a meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, by a man who said: I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. Harper of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. "Man, he said, "are you saved?" "No," I said, "I am not." He replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
The waves bore him away, but, strange to say, brought him back a little later, and he said, "Are you saved now?" "No, I said, " cannot honestly say that I am." He said again, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.
