Credit:
I used a lot of Jeff Strites material
I used some from Chatgpt
I used Logos.
I didn't document what came from where, so I hesitate to share this but I think it's worth sharing.
“Love’s Ultimate Sacrifice”
John 3:16-17
In the Holy Land there is a cliff:
- outside Jerusalem that looks like the face of a skull:
? You can see indentions in the rock
? that look like the eye sockets of a skull.
Even after twenty centuries of erosion:
? the cliff still resembles a skull. And
? many believe it is the very place
? where Jesus was crucified
Dr. R. G. Lee was visiting Jerusalem for the first time and:
? his group entered the grounds of the Garden Tomb
? where skull hill can be seen.
Suddenly, Dr. Lee:
? broke away from his group and ran ahead
? to the place where you can see
? the face of a skull in the rock face.
When the guide and the rest of the group:
? caught up to Dr. Lee,
? he was on his knees in prayer.
The guide said:
? “Dr. Lee, have you been here before?”
? Dr. Lee looked up with tears in his eyes and said,
“Yes, I was here 2,000 years ago because I was on the heart and in the mind of Jesus when He died for me.”
The Message for you this morning:
- is that God loves you right now where you sit
- He cares for you and has gone to great lengths,
- for you to RECEIVE His love
This message of LOVE is for all the world to hear:
- loneliness & sadness are so common these days
- leaving many souls wondering does anyone care?
- Does anyone LOVE me?
The message for you today is that God cares, and He loves you!
Let us read John 3:16-17:
- in the light of the CROSS of Christ
- the one who paid our debt with His body and blood
- and all that is born out of HIS LOVE for YOU!
“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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
- John 3:16-17 (NIV)
That is the GOSPEL in a nutshell:
- simple enough a child can understand and
- so profound that it is the foundation of our salvation
Two weeks ago we left off with:
- Jesus visiting with the Pharisee Nicodemus.
- Nicodemus was searching for some answers
- about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus taught that a person must be born again.
This week we are going:
? to finish the conversation
? between Jesus and Nicodemus.
Nicodemus is a Pharisee:
- which means that he was an
- influential religious man
- in religious in Jesus’ time.
He was also a member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin:
In the text this morning… Nicodemus learns of God’s GREAT LOVE for the world…
1. The MAGNITUDE of God’s LOVE
"For God so loved the world," John 3:16
It is important to recognize:
- that salvation begins with God;
- it was God’s idea to save us
- He is the first to say to YOU
“I LOVE YOU” - God
God’s love for you has no limitations:
- He withheld nothing when
- He freely gave up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins
- God’s love is the foundation of our salvation
How God could possibly love the world???
- someone who has cheated on their spouse
- a person who in addiction or the adulterer
- struggles with same sex attraction
- how could God love the child abuser, prostitute, thief, alcoholic.
1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
In 1944, C.E. Goodman of Hallmark Greeting Cards wrote a slogan:
"When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best."
Ever since:
? that motto has been used to sell greeting cards.
? When we look at Jesus Christ,
? we know that God cared enough to send the very best.
It takes a deep love to give up your best for another.
God loved us before we were His children:
- God loved us when we were at war with Him
- God loved us at our worst
- God loved while we were still dead in our sin
Another thing that we learn about God’s love is the COST of that LOVE.
2. The COST of God’s SACRIFICE
The next part of the verse says God loved us so MUCH:
"that he gave his one and only Son," John 3:16
The Greek word for “one and only Son”:
- is the word “monogenes”
- meaning “one of a kind”
- Jesus is God in the flesh
The purpose of the Gospel of John:
- is to prove that Jesus is God
- and to move people to believe in His name
- so they can have salvation in the name of Jesus
Salvation is FREE to US, but it COST God everything
It was in 1937, when this true story took place.
John Griffith had a job caring for one of those great:
? huge railroad bridges that cross the mighty Mississippi.
? His job was to raise and lower the bridge
? so boats could travel up and down the river
For the first time John Griffith:
- brought his 8-year-old son, Greg Griffith,
- to work with him
- to see what Daddy did all day.
The little boy was wide-eyed with excitement, and:
? he clapped his hands with glee
? when the huge bridge went up
? at the beck and call of his mighty father.
He watched with wonderment as the huge boats steamed down the Mississippi.
Twelve o’clock came, and his father put up the bridge:
? There were no trains due for a good while, and
? they went out a couple of hundred feet
? on a catwalk out over the river to an observation deck.
They sat down, opened their brown bag, and began to eat their lunch:
? His father told him about some of the strange,
? faraway lands that some of these ships were going to visit.
? This entranced the boy.
The time whirled by, and suddenly:
? But they were brought back to reality
? by the shrieking of
? a distant train whistle.
John Griffith quickly looked at his watch:
? He saw that it was time for the 1:07,
? the Memphis Express, with 400 passengers,
? which would be rushing across that bridge in just a couple of minutes.
He knew he had just enough time:
? so without panic he told his son to stay where he was.
? He leaped to his feet, jumped to the catwalk,
? ran back, climbed the ladder to the control room,
? went in, put his hand on the huge lever that controlled the bridge,
He looked up the river and down to see:
? if any boats were coming, and then looked down
? to see if there were any boats beneath the bridge. And
? suddenly he saw a sight that froze his blood and
? caused his heart to leap into his throat.
His boy!
? His boy had tried to follow him to the control room and
? had fallen into the great, huge gear box
? that had the monstrous gears that operated this massive bridge.
His left leg was caught between the two main gears, and:
? the father knew that as sure as the sun came up in the morning,
? if he pushed that lever his son would be ground by
? eight tons of whining, grinding steel.
His eyes filled with tears of panic:
? His mind whirled.
? What could he do?
? He saw a rope there in the control room.
He could rush down the ladder and out the catwalk:
? tie off the rope, lower himself down,
? extricate his son, climb back up the rope,
? run back into the control room and lower the bridge.
No sooner had his mind done that exercise than he knew:
? he knew there was not time.
? He would never make it, and
? there were 400 people on that train.
Suddenly he heard the whistle again, this time startlingly closer:
? he could hear the clicking of the locomotive wheels on the track, and
? he could hear the rapid puffing of the train.
? What could he do? What could he do!
There were 400 people, but this was ...
? this was his son; this was his only son.
? He was a father! He knew what he had to do, so
? he buried his head in his arm, and he pushed the gear forward.
The great bridge slowly lowered into place:
o His son was tragically and painfully killed
o So that many more people could live…
Nobody looked in the control room.
o Nobody looked at his tears.
o Nobody, nobody looked down to the great gearbox.
(woo)
Have you ever considered:
- the price God paid to save your soul?
- He sent His Son Jesus to die in OUR place!
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
God’s sacrifice through Jesus was a demonstration of the highest form of love.
God didn’t just offer a portion of His resources or a symbolic gesture;
? He gave His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice.
? This was not a small or easy decision
? it was the ultimate price.
3. The PROMISE of ETERNAL LIFE John 3:16
The verse continues,
"that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven! Me too!
Then you must believe upon the name of JESUS
To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God:
? It means putting our trust and confidence in him
? that he alone can save us.
To perish is to receive God’s final and eternal judgment
God will PUNISH those who reject His Son:
? Jesus accepted our punishment and
? paid the price for our sins so that we would not perish.
Perish does not mean physical death:
? for we all will eventually die.
? Here it refers to eternity apart from God.
? This is the second death
Later in John’s gospel Jesus declared,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life”
John 5:24
Imagine you are a weary traveler:
? carrying a heavy backpack
? after a long, difficult journey.
You have faced rough terrain and endless hills, feeling like giving up.
Finally, you reach a beautiful house at the top of a hill:
? The door opens, and
? the host greets you warmly,
? offering rest and comfort.
As you step inside:
? you’re overwhelmed by its beauty
? everything feels like home, and
? your burdens melt away.
This is a picture of heaven:
? Our earthly journey can be tough, but
? heaven is our ultimate destination,
? where we find peace, joy, and
Rest in God’s presence:
? far beyond what we could ever imagine.
? It is the place where we are meant to be, finally home.
This is the promise that transforms despair into hope, and death into life.
Through faith in Jesus:
? we are granted the gift of eternal life
? a life that begins now and
? continues forever in the presence of God.
4. The MISSION of CHRIST
Finally, John 3:17 tells us,
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Why did Jesus:
- leave heaven and come to Earth?
- He was not bored.
- He came to seek and to save the LOST
Many people misunderstand God:
- they think He is out to send people to Hell.
- and that if they want to go to heaven they just have
- score better in terms of total moral behavior
That is not how it works:
- The unrighteous sinful person
- the one outside of Christ and His Kingdom
- Go to Hell against God’s will
God’s plan has been to reverse the human problem of SIN:
? The CROSS provides a way for the world to be saved
? God’s desire is that all might be saved.
? God desires all people everywhere to be saved
It all hinges on our belief:
- God is not going to force anyone to go to heaven
- if a person refuses the offer of Salvation
- God will respect that persons free-will
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”
John 3:18
Imagine a firefighter rushing into a burning building:
? The goal is not to point out
? the mistakes of those inside but
? to save them from the flames.
Jesus’ mission was similar:
? He came to save us from
? the destructive consequences of sin and
? offer us a path to SALVATION.
John 3:16 presents the:
? clearest, simplest statement
? of the GOOD NEWS
? Christ came to bring to the world.
What is that good news?
1. First, that God loves you.
2. Second, that God’s love was so great that He sent His only Son to tell the world about God’s love.
3. Third, that anyone who will believe in God’s Son will never die but will live forever with God.
Jesus says that there are limitations:
? on who will receive the rewards and
? blessing of God’s great love.
You see everyone can have:
- forgiveness of sins
- YOU can have the gift of the Holy Spirit
- WE can all spend eternity in Heaven
But YOU MUST BELIEVE
Mark 16:16 tells us, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved."
Today, I invite you to embrace this promise.
? If you believe in Jesus and
? have not yet been baptized,
? take this step of faith.
Baptism is a:
? declaration of your commitment to Him and
? marks the beginning of a new life in Christ.
For those unsure about their faith:
? know that Jesus welcomes you with open arms.
? Do not let hesitation hold you back.
Come and speak with us:
about how you can start or
deepen your journey with Him.
This is your moment—will you respond to His invitation for salvation today?
