Series: Seven Steps to Spiritual Fitness.
Sermon #1 "How to Put John 3:16 into Practice."
A few years ago the Surgeon General released a report on the Physical Fitness and Health of Americans. He said that most Americans are overweight and out of shape. And he stressed that the key to good health and physical fitness is plenty of exercise, a balanced nutritional diet, and a proper amount of rest. I’m glad that the Surgeon General’s Office is telling people that it’s important to stay Physically Fit, but their report is lacking. They didn’t mention that we have a body AND a soul - therefore, there’s a spiritual side to us as well. And it’s even more important to stay Spiritually Fit. The Surgeon General tells us how to stay physically Fit, while the Bible tells us how to stay spiritually fit.
For the next few weeks, I want us to look at, what I call "The Seven Steps to Spiritual Fitness." We’ll look at these seven steps one at a time - beginning with the first.
If you want to get Spiritually Healthy and stay spiritually fit then you must, first of all, put John 3:16 into practice. If you don’t do this, then everything else you do will be wasted. You’ll never be spiritually healthy, you’ll never get your soul "in shape", and you’ll die in your sins. So this is the first and MOST IMPORTANT key when it comes to staying spiritually fit.
John 3:16 reveals three important truths that will change your life for the better. Please notice . . .
I. The LIFE God Offers.
He offers . . .
A. Eternal Life (John 3:16)
That is, a life that lasts forever, a life that never ends, a life that death can never take away.
That’s how it will be in Heaven. You’ll face each day knowing that you and those around you will never grow old and die - because God gives eternal life.
Somebody says, "Who wants to live forever? It’ll eventually get boring." Not the life that God offers. He offers eternal life and he offers . . .
B. An Exciting Life.
Matthew 25:31 tells us that on the day of judgment, Jesus will say to faithful believers, ""Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (NIV)
"Come and share your master’s happiness." That’s one of my favorite descriptions of Heaven. God doesn’t tell us everything there is to know about Heaven, but He does tell us, over and over, that it is a place of happiness, celebration, and festivity - and it will be an exciting life.
Somebody says, "That’s good and fine, but I need something that will help me in the here and now." Then you need the kind of life God offers. He offers eternal life, an exciting life, and . . .
C. An Abundant Life.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (NIV). In other words, "I have come to give you life and to help you live it to the fullest." That’s exactly what happens when you come to Christ and you start following Him. He helps you make the most out of life and to live it to the fullest.
What kind of life does God offer? In essence, He offers the kind of life you and I need.
Somebody says, "That’s good, but tell me why. Why does God offer this kind of life?
I’m glad you asked that question because it brings us to the second truth . . .
II. The LOVE God Has.
Why does God offer this kind of life? Simply because He loves us. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world . . ."
This is one of the greatest truths in all of the Bible. The Creator of the Universe, the Greatest Person in Existence, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob loves the world.
The word "world" doesn’t refer to our planet. It refers to the people on our planet: you, me, and everyone else!
Keep in mind that God doesn’t love us because we deserve it. Heavens no! We are sinners and the Bible says the wages of sin is death! We don’t deserve God’s love and eternal life. We deserve His wrath and eternal death. But thankfully, He loves us, even though we don’t deserve it.
God doesn’t love us because of who we are. If you want to get a good picture of the what the human race is really like, then read Romans 3:9-18. But I warn you, it isn’t pretty. It paints a picture of a wicked and evil people. God doesn’t love us because of who we are. He loves us because of WHO HE IS. God is love - and that’s why He loves us. He loves us because it’s part of His nature!
You say, "Preacher, I don’t think God loves me." Oh yes He does! For one thing, He says He does. Right here it is, chapter and verse (John 3:16).
For another thing, He demonstrates and proves that He does (". . that he gave . . "). Wow! If you ever doubt that God loves you, then look to the cross and see Jesus suffering and dieing in your place, and you’ll find proof positive that He loves us.
It’s kind of like this. I can look every single one of you in the eye and say, "I love you." But I don’t love you as much as I love my little boy. In fact, if you and my little boy were dangling over the side of a cliff and I could only save one of you, do you know who I would save? I’d save my little boy! I love you, but not to the point where I’d sacrifice my son for you. I don’t love you that much, but God does! John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only son . . ." (NIV)
Dear people, God offers the kind of life we need simply because He loves us.
"Preacher, that’s good, but tell me how. How can I receive the kind of life God offers? I’m glad you asked that question because it brings us to the third truth . . .
III. The FAITH God Demands.
A. How can I receive the kind of life God offers?
Keep reading. John 3:16 says, ". . . that whoever believes on Him shall not perish (that is, be separated from God forever in Hell) but have eternal life ([that is, enjoy fellowship with God forever in Heaven)(NIV).
If you want that kind of life, then what must you do, according to John 3:16? You must believe on Jesus.
B. And what does it mean "to believe on Jesus?"
It means to place my whole confidence and trust in Him as my own personal Savior. Or let me put it another way. Saving faith involves three steps. We can make an acrostic out of these three steps. We can take the first letter of each word and spell "hat".
1. Step # 1, I need to HEAR the gospel (Rom. 10:17).
Before I can believe in Jesus, I must hear about His work on the cross. Someone needs to tell me, or show me from the Bible, that He died on the cross and rose from the dead in order to pay my sin debt and purchase for me a home in Heaven. I need to hear. But I can’t stop there . . .
2. Step #2, I need to AGREE with the facts of the gospel.
Having heard what Jesus did for me on the cross, and being told that He loves me and wants to save me, I then agree with that. I say within my heart, "What I have heard is true." But I can’t stop there . . .
3. Step #3, I need to TRUST.
That is, I take Him at His word and trust Him to do what He says He will do. He says, "Trust me and I’ll forgive your sin, change the way you live, and give you eternal life." I hear that, I agree that it is true, and then I take Him at His word and am confident that my sins have been forgiven, my life is being changed, and I’m going to Heaven when I die, all because of what Jesus did for me. That’s the type of faith John 3:16 is talking about!
Suppose you are left a fortune and you do not know where to place it for safety. Then a friend tells you about the "Quite Safe Bank." You hear what he says and you check it out. You check out the bank and agree that is a quite safe bank. Then you deposit your fortune into the bank, trusting them to take care of it. You hear . . . Agree . . . and trust.
Or suppose you suddenly collapse with appendicitis. Your friend tells you about a good doctor who operated on her for appendicitis, relieved her of pain, and made her perfectly well. You hear what she says, you agree with what she says, and then you go the doctor and trust him to bring you through the operation.
That’s the way saving faith is! You hear that Jesus is willing and able to save you. You agree that it is true. Then you commit your life to Him, trusting Him for salvation.
What about you? Have you put John 3:16 into practice? If not, then I encourage you to do so now and then demonstrate the sincerity of your faith by making it public and by being baptized. If so, then I encourage you to get your soul "in shape" and stay spiritually fit. How? You’ll have to come back next Sunday for an answer. But remember, you’ll never get into spiritual shape until you put John 3:16 into practice.
Note: All Scripture references are from the NIV
