That’s What They Say…
John 3:16; Romans 5:8
INTRODUCTION:
Everyone, no matter how hard-hearted or how cold blooded they may be, seeks for and wants love at some point in their life.
Lev. 11:45 tells us that “God is holy.”
Mal 3:6 tells us that “God is immutable.” [never changes]
Isa. 9:6 tells us that “God is the everlasting Father.”
1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.”
1 John 4:8
… God is love.
[5 facts—some can’t get past #1…feel like God hates them, based on their circumstances!]
1. God loves all people. (John 3:16)
2. All people are sinners. (Romans 3:23)
3. Sin must be paid for. (Romans 6:23)
4. Jesus paid for your sins. (Romans 5:8)
5. Trust Jesus as your Savior. (Romans 10:13)
God’s not responsible for our circumstances…our sin is! He wants to save us FROM our circumstances!
One day He will be the judge and send multitudes to hell, not because He didn’t love them, but because they wouldn’t accept that love!
Love is an attribute of God just as is His holiness, His immutability, or as is His eternality. That means that He will always be “love”. He cannot change from being “love” and still be God. He will always be “love”.
By that I know that God will always love me. He will never cease from loving me. He will never cease from loving you. His love is eternal.
Rom. 8:35-39 tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.
Listen to the voices today…they say very loudly and clearly, “I love you”.
I. GOD SAYS, “I LOVE YOUR SOUL”
Texts:
John 3:16
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God says, I love your soul…
II. THE CROSS SAYS, “I LEAN TOWARD SINNERS”
Showing love requires action. Some wives say, I wish he’d stop saying He loves me and start showing it!
The cross was a tangible action…proof positive of what God said [I love you].
I want you to know today that the Cross says, “I lean toward sin.”
Roman crucifixion crosses were set in the ground at a slight angle, preventing those hung upon them from resting against them. This means the cross leaned toward those gathered there, those sinners…both those who crucified him and those who watched…those who kept their distance and those close by…those close to Him kneeling beneath that cross were likely spattered w/ blood drops which spattered, and soldiers which walked around that cross and brutalized Him no doubt wore shoes stained from pools of Christ’s blood which was poured out there!
Listen to the words of this great hymn:
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that bro’t it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span At Calvary!
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary.
1 Pet. 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree...”
He took my sins on His body, and in so doing He leaned toward me, as He leans toward you! His body leaned toward me, His blood leaned toward me. [one verse of hymn says…]
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so di-vine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
The Bible says when we sin willfully [on purpose], we trample under foot Christ’s body and blood.
Hebrews 10:29
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
This is why we observe communion, and why we should all take it very seriously! God says, the way you treat my body and blood is how you feel about me! [so make sure you come out for it…Jesus said, “This do!”…in remembrance, so do it!]
The cross leaned our direction, and communion is a most solemn chance to lean back in God’s direction, and demonstrate where our priorities are!
As you and I stand at the foot of the Cross we can only see the fact that Jesus loves us.
God says, I love your soul, the cross says, I lean toward sinners…
III. JESUS SAYS, “I LONG TO SAVE”
bookmark/picture…
I asked Jesus, “How much do you love me?”
He stretched out His arms and said, “This much.”
And He stretched out His arms and died.
Every person in this room was taught the nursery hymn, “Jesus Loves Me.”
“Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.”
John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
A much misunderstood verse…the Bible concept of “the elect”…and a subject for another message, but suffice it to say that the word “chosen” DOES NOT mean “chosen without choice”. We each have a free will. There are those who attempt to tell us that we had no choice in the matter of being saved. That is a false understanding. Some say it means He only chose some to be saved…no! God so loved the world! He’s not willing that any should perish but ALL come to repentance!
He saved you on purpose, and for a purpose!
He knew I would choose to be saved, and so…
He chose me on purpose.
He saved me on purpose.
He meant to do it. It wasn’t an afterthought with Him. I didn’t have to earn it in some way.
It was an act of His love.
This fact -that He chose me and saved me tells me that He loves me.
Because:
A. I am Unlovable.
But I am worth something to God. He would have died just for me!
He knew what I was.
He knew that I was a sinner, choosing to sin and reject Him…yet He chose me and changed me knowing all there was to know about me.
My wife would probably have passed me up had she known all about me, but not Jesus.
Because I was a sinner, there was nothing about me that was lovable. Yet, in my unloveable condition Jesus loves me anyway.
“While I was yet a sinner Christ died for me.” He didn’t require me to change my life first. That comes afterward.
Unlovable…
B. I am Undesirable.
There was a popular gospel song out a few years ago called, “Who Am I?” It told of the undesirable part of man.
When I think of how He came so far from glory
Came to dwell among the lowly such as I
To suffer shame and such disgrace
On Mount Calvary take my place
Then I ask myself this question
Who am I?
Who am I that The King would bleed and die for
Who am I that He would pray not my will, Thy Lord
The answer I may never know
Why He ever loved me so
But to that old rugged cross He’d go
For who am I?
I’ll tell you who I am. I am an undesirable. There is nothing about me that would warrant the attention of a king. Why would the Lord of glory even look my way the first time, let alone leave Heaven and die for me?
Psa. 8:4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
All that I have and all that you have is because He loved us and saved us and chose us on purpose.
Unlovable, undesirable…
C. I am Undeserving.
Alas and did my Saviour bleed?
And did my Sov’erign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Each of these statements in this blessed old hymn are asking a question:
Why do all this for me? Because He loves me!
And He loves you.
God says, I love your soul, the cross says, I lean toward sinners, Jesus says, I long to save…
IV. THE SPIRIT SAYS, “I’LL LIVE INSIDE”
Rev. 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Col. 1:27
… Christ in you, the hope of glory.
John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
So don’t sin against the God that is in you!
Isaiah 63:10
But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
Eph. 4:30
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
God says, I love your soul, the cross says, I lean toward sinners, Jesus says, I long to save, the Spirit says, I’ll live inside…
• WILL YOU SAY, “I’LL LIVE TO SERVE?”
This kind of love demands we respond in like manner, Christians! Can you stay home from church in the face of this love? Withhold the tithe?/continue in that habit?/tell that joke?/hold that grudge?
Or will you say, “I’ll live to serve!”
Whether you/I will or not…
V. THE BIBLE SAYS, “I’M LITERALLY A SON”
John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
A. He Made Us His Children, “the sons of God.”
We’re adopted, and we’re a blood relative!
2 Cor. 6:18, “And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
Because He loved us He made us His Children.
B. He Gave Us His Name.
When a man marries a woman, he gives her his name. She becomes an heir to his estate. [other way around if she’s big into ketchup!]
He gave us His name. We are Christ-ians.
A person from Texas is a Texan.
A person from Florida is a Floridian.
In this area we are Decaturians, Forsythians, Oreanians, Maconians, and Cerro Gordians! We even have some Mt. Zionians!
Most of all, we are Christians. We are what we are because of Christ.
C. He Gives Us An Inheritance.
Gal. 4:7, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Acts 20:32, “...which is able to…give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
Rom. 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ...”
Satan tries to tell us that He does not love us, that we are wrong in our theology, and that Christ did not love us like we think. We know He loves us because He gives to us an inheritance.
D. He Seals our Future
He sealed our inheritance with a promise of earnest money.
Eph. 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
[I’m so sure this one will make it…/in the family!]
I know that God will always love me. He will never cease from loving me. He will never cease from loving you. His love is eternal.
Rom. 8 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus…
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] …Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He wants us to be around Him forever. If He didn’t love us He would not keep us with Him forever.
Ever had extended company over? [B. Franklin--fish and company are the same, both stink after about 3 days!]
Single friend from college stayed longer than 3 days…we watched thru the blinds as he finally left… “yes!”
God never gets tired of us. He will never tell us, “It’s time for you to leave for a while and come back some other day.”
When Kimberly and I got married, her mother and father made me part of their family. I became the wonderful son they never had! I am important to them. I know they love me because they made me part of their family.
Let me assure you that God loves you.
Listen to the voices! God says, I love your soul, the cross says, I lean toward sinners, Jesus says, I long to save, the Spirit says, I’ll live inside, the Bible says I can literally be a son!…
SO WHAT DO YOU SAY? Need to be saved? Choose to be saved, choose to accept the love…He chose to die for you so you could live!
CHRISTIANS: WHAT DO YOU SAY? God says, I love your soul, WILL YOU SAY, I’LL LIVE TO SERVE?!
...the cross says, I lean toward sinners,
Jesus says, I long to save,
the Spirit says, I’ll live inside,
the Bible says I’m literally be a son!…
