Where is the love?
It was the American band the Black eyed peas who had the best selling hit of 2005 in the UK entitled "where is the love?" It real is the growing cry of people from all walks of life noticing the futility and horror of life not just globally but individually. More and more people are asking the question where is the love? The cry in their song is for guidance from God... The good news is that there is guidance and help from above. Found in Jesus Christ alone who took on flesh and it is He who demonstrates a real love towards humanity and gives the opportunity to all to respond in an appropiate way.
So where is the love? Its right here found in the most famous verse in the Bible. But this is not just love which is in words only the Word also manifested itself in the flesh and demonstrated real love which we can encounter and embrace as a reality in our own lives John 3:16
1. “For God so loved”
Martin Luther in regard to John 3:16 says “Here we have the Bible in Miniature” This is the message of the Bible in a nut shell.
But what is love? We sing endless pop songs about it, spoken of more than anything and yet it appears to be in short supply with marriages breaking up along with families torn in two.World wars etc the rise of terrorisim. We see that we live in a world under the grasp of immense evil and rather than love between one another as Christ taught evil is rampent and with that comes hatred.
"If I told you I had found the magic formula for love and Ive bottled it and I’m selling it down at K-Mart or Tesco I would be a very rich man right now. Just go and buy a $1 bottle sprinkle it over your marriage and Hey presto everything is rosey in the garden."
Of course I havent found it in that way, but I’ve found it in a person. It’s not a dollar or a pound its free, but it wasnt cheap it cost one His whole life. He demonstrated real love and if you were the only person in the world, He still would of done it! Just for you....
Firstly lets look at the Worlds love, what its not....
Often found as selfish (sexual experience) “Love is God” if it makes you happy do it. Sex is often mistaken for love!
I do not believe for one minute that love is just fulfilling ones own desires or fulfilling the desires of others. (You scratch my back, I will scratch yours) The world is lacking in real love today.
Unloved lives today.
A Spanish Philosopher said “It is sad not to be loved, but it is much sadder not to be able to love.”
Billions of people today cannot love! The divorce rate is going through the roof people are self intrested its there own needs above all others they consider its a selfish love. Even at the expense of their own children.
The Good news is You can be loved and love at the same time and its found in this verse John 3:16.
For God so loved.
A Mount Gambia there are a number of volcanic sink holes symologists have tried to measure the depth of them ....They have found that they are bottomless the depth is immense and so is Gods love for this world its bottomless.
The entire Gospel comes together in this verse, Gods love is not static or self centered it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships. When you love someone dearly you are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice.
Pictures of love in action From time to time we see love in action within humanity?
Sept 11th 2001 will stay in our minds forever, I remember seeing an amazing documentary about the New York firefighters going up into the twin towers as others were coming down one way or the other. Yet those firefighters continued going up. Why? Because they get well paid no! Because they demonstrated what it really is to love others. The Bible says "no man has greater love than this that he should lay down his life for his friends."
Agape love.
The Bible says 1Jhn 4.8.God is Love. Love is Holy, love is just and love is perfect. Agape expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect being towards entirely unworthy objects.
Rom 5.8.Read God does not love us because some how we have merited his love in some ritual or act.
Deut 7; 6-9.Gods constant love and promise not human merit.) Covenant of love.
God doesn’t love us because Jesus died for us no! God loves us full stop! God loved us before time began. Gods Love sends Jesus to die upon the Cross-for us.
£50 illustration whatever happen to this note whether I crumble it up, jump on it, soak it in water, its still of worth and you probably still take it from me and so it is with human beings no matter how much we are marred by sin we are still of great worth to God we must always remeber that every single human being on this planet is made in the image of God and thats important to Him and it should be to us ... It should make us reach out in the same sacrifical love that He has done for us.
2. The Greatest Gift.
“That he gave His one and only Son.”
Have you ever received a gift because you have been bad? Sending Jesus is the result of Gods love towards us and not the cause of Gods Love.
And yet there are those who still reject him and others who receive him?
Imagine spending all you could on a gift for somebody you loved and then when you tried to give it to them they just snubbed the offer..How can we ever do it to the most wonderful gift you could possible recieve?
Jhn 1;11,12. He came to that which was His own, but his own did not receive him. But to all those that receive him he gives them the right to become children of God.
What is the purpose of this gift from God? To deal with our greatest need: The Problem of sin.
Remember that God is not the offender but the offended and yet.
(Sacrifice system)
Gen 3v21 God presented the first sacrifice in the garden as a covering and ultimately its God who provides the final sacrifice. All in between this was man bringing the sacrifice it can never suffice time and time again they would have to offer sacrifices, in Christ its finished!
Rom.3.25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.
God presented His Son the final sacrifice.
(illustration: Propition water drink the lot, totally absorbed ) This Sacrifice absorbed Gods wrath and bore our sin in his body and was set forth; to save you, this is real love. This is why He gave His Son. A GIFT FREELY TO RECEIVE
3. The greatest offer “Whosoever”
Incredible offers DFS sale prices time and time again we all know theres no offer its a fix. I remember winning a holiday for two to France! I had to phone a number to recieve my prize that phone call cost me £18 and the holiday was for two foot passangers accross the channel to france for a day. I could have paid for it myself for £10. I failed to read the small print it was’nt a real offer it was deceptive.
Whosoever
This would have blown Nicodemus mind away “ only Israel are Gods Chosen people!”
Whoever key word
Ezek 18. 32. No pleasure in the death of anyone
Psalm.145. 8.9.13 read. not referring to elect here only!
Cosmos the universe here it includes its inhabitants and that includes you!
Here we see something of the extent of Gods love and choice it’s for the entire world.
God sent Jesus for the entire race of Adam, and for everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. That is what this verse says whosoever.
Have you received this offer?
God will fulfil this offer he will not let anybody down who calls upon His name in repentance and faith. Nobody is to bad or to good to take up this offer we all need it!
Application; Whosoever! Muslim to Sikh from Hindu to Buddhist, all spheres, from criminals to lawyers from Atheists to agnostics!
Church is a diverse bunch 1Cor 6. 9- 11.Read.
No one is too bad for Jesus, the Dying thief
Gal 3; 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there in neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. God is calling you today?
4.The greatest step. “Believes in him”
Neil Armstrong quote. "This is one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."
There is a far greater step, THE STEP OF FAITH.
What must you believe? That Christ died for your sins. And believe in him that He alone has the power to forgive you and give new life! To believe
( Grk Pisteuo) is to be persuaded of and hence to place confidence in, to trust. Signifies relevance upon, not mere credence to doctrine.
We are trusting (believing) in a person
Many people think that Jesus (faith) alone is not sufficient to save us and people begin to add there own structures: Good works, lifestyle laws and regulations. They begin to put their trust in themselves and others
Trusting in a person.
Have you ever been let down by family, neighbors, politicians so often its the case, that those closest to us let us down when we have trusted them.
Marriages have come together and then the trust is broken. In business trust is broken. Nations have come together in trust and have fallen
Oswald chambers said” If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness towards everyone. If I put my trust in human beings, I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what person can ever be absolutely perfect and right.”
This man is different. (The perfect man without sin) Trusting Jesus is sufficient.
The sufficiency of Christ.
Sir Christopher Wren and St. Pauls:
When Sir Christopher Wren designed St Pauls Cathedral they reviewed his drawings and they wanted to put a central pillar in the building he told them that it wasnt needed but they insisted and the central pillar went in. In the late 19th century renovations were being carried out on the cathedral when a startling feature was found in regard to the central pillar. It actually never reached the top of the dome in fact it stopped short by about a centimetre. In fact this pillar which they thought was so needed, supported nothing. Wren’s original structure was sufficient after all.
The finished work of the Cross!
This story illustrates what can go wrong with our thinking about God, and especially our understanding of the Christian doctrine of Salvation. God has designed the way yet we are trying to add to it this is a insult to God Christ Jesus is sufficient.
How can I believe in something I cannot see?
Electricity provides light, the air we breathe gives us life, and gravity keeps us fixed to this earth, the wind that drives turbines. Jesus changes your life millions of people all over the world testifies to the very fact.
Heb10V1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
Oliver Holmes said. “The great act of faith is when man decides he is not God.”
Faith and trust are closely linked.
Faith is the trust in a person Jesus, the truth of his teaching, and the redemptive work he accomplished at Calvary. Faith is not to be confused with a mere intellectual ascent to doctrinal teaching, though necessary. It includes a radical and total commitment to Jesus as Lord of your life, brought about by the Holy Spirit.
5.The greatest loss . “Perish”
There is a painting in a museum in Amsterdam called “The Meditation” Painted by the master Spes Nostra it depicts four people praying at the edge of an open grave. The decaying corpse is clearly visible. In the background, by contrast are scenes from everyday life, happy blissful snapshots such as children playing, minstrels singing and young women adorned in all their beauty. It is the contrast almost surreal in its effect, which shocks the viewer, that of a sharp clash between everyday joys and the gloom of a funeral scene.
The artist is urging us to reflect on the reality of our own mortality and not to be fooled by how good life may seem to be on the surface while we are still young. We are meant to
Meditate on the transitory nature of life
We are slowly see the signs of perishing all around us. The aging and decaying process in this life is evertwhere (entropy laws) but this is nothing to eternity outside of Jesus Christ, Hell and eternal separation from God.
I don’t want to major on this point but it has to be spoken off as much as Gods love. They go together. To ignore this warning would be tragic.
On Sept11th a number of people recieved phone calls to get out of the twin towers but sadly many ignored those calls through one reason or another and would lose their lives. many people were ignited with aviation fuel reaching temperatures of over 2,000 degrees made into human fireballs its horrific thinking about it. I dont want to undermine the horror of Sept 11th but a far greater loss is to ignore the Love of God in Christ because if ignored hell awaites and that is eternal. And the only wauy I can talk about hell is with tears in my eyes, it makes me weep!
Jesus said in John 3.36.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son shall not see life, but Gods wrath remains on him.
Ghenna, Hell was named after the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where children were sacrificed by fire to the pagan gods Molech.
2 King 23.10. 2Chr 28.3. This is the place of eternal fire this is where you will perish forever where the fire will never go out!
On many gravestone are the letters R.I.P. rest in peace. Friends how can there be peace for those who reject Christ? Its horrific when really considered.
Bertrand Russell said “Death is a night of nothingness.” How mistaken is that, its eternal and you will be more alive than you ever were...
Jesus said, Matt.10v28. Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
6. The greatest Gain. Eternal life
But have eternal life!
This is in the present tense to have possession of eternal life is something we can receive today some people are repulsed by this because they think that eternity will be just an extension of this life with its suffering and pain. But that couldnt be farther removed from the truth, its bliss with no more pain, suffering, death, tears or sin its over, we will have new bodies, new names we shall be perfected in Christ. And that work can start today.
Eternal life starts today;
Christ lives in believers today and He gives peace and assurance a double backed guarantee seal of the (Holy Spirit) that they have received eternal life and that they will live forever in a most extraordinary place in the presence of the God who is love!
Friends where is the love? Look to the cross, see Jesus with His arms outstretched for you. It was’nt the nails that held Him there that day but His love for each one of us.
I want you to read this verse John 3:16 again but where it says, World and where it says whosoever, put your name.... Make it a prayer and encounter and embrace His love. The Black eyed peas asked Where is the Love? They asked for guidance? The love and the guidance have been shown to all... All that’s left is for this world to respond and it starts with you.
