Sermon Central
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God So Loved
Contributed by Johnny Small on Mar 12, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Because of God’s love, we have hope for all eternity. We are to show this love to others by telling them of God’s love.
God So Loved
Those three words are more important than all the rest of the words in Webster’s Dictionary. If it weren’t for the love that God has for His creation, we would have no hope. Our future is determined by those three words. "God So Loved". I thank God every day for His love, because without it I am dead.
I want to paint a picture for you this morning. Picture yourself arguing with a friend and you really lose it. You pull out a gun and kill your friend. You are caught and arrested. You receive your day in court and found guilty of your sin of murder. You are sentenced to die by lethal injection. With all of your appeals exhausted you are lead to the execution chamber, where they lay you on a table. A heart monitor and an "I V" are hooked up to your body. You watch as the attendant makes ready the poison that will be placed into your "I V". You glance at the clock and see that you only have 1 minute left for a stay of execution. The phone is silent. Is this the end? As the attendant readies the lethal poison, the door swings opens. In walks a young man of about 33 years old. He says "Stop, set this man free." He then looks at you with love and compassion and says, "My father loves you so much that I have come to take your place. I will take on not only your sin of murder, but also all of your sins. I will die in your place. You are set free if you choose to be." You say "yes" and you watch as this young man lies on the table in your place. The "I V" is inserted into his arm. You watch as the lethal poison is injected into the "I V". You listen as the young man says "Forgive them Father". You then watch as the man with his last breath says, "It is finished". Then he dies.
If this would actually happen to you, would your life be changed? Would you live a different life? Would you be indebted to this man and his father forever?
This has happen to you. It has happened to each and every person here today. It has happen to every person that lives. We are all guilty of sin and we all have a choice that we must make.
16 "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.
(NIV)
God so loved the world. He loves you, He loves me and He loves those that reject Him. He loves us so much that He sent His one and only son to take our place. Because of the sins in our lives, the law has convicted us and found us guilty. We are so guilty that we deserve the death penalty. This death penalty is spending eternality in hell. Christ loves us so much that He willfully allowed himself to be crucified on that old rugged cross. He took on Himself all the sins of the world. It was my sins and your sins that nailed Jesus to that cross. He didn’t deserve to suffer and die. He lived a life here on earth without sin, something that we cannot do. Because of our sins, we are condemned. Because of Jesus Christ we have a second chance. All we have to do is to believe, and we will have eternal life. Who wouldn’t accept this offer? Well, there are many, who refuse and will perish.
Rom 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(NIV)
Many people believe that if they live a good life, then they will go to heaven. Others believe that if they confess their sins to a priest, then they will be saved. Others believe that since they were baptized as an infant they will be saved. Other religions believe that they can get to heaven by worshipping Mohammed or Buddha. With world events today, many believe that all religions worship the same god. None of these are true.
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(NIV)
There is only one way to receive eternal life. We must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We must make Him the Lord of our lives. This means we must repent from our sins and let Christ lead us wherever He takes us. I accepted Christ as my Savior at the age of 12, but it took me 40 years to accept God’s calling into His ministry. How many people could I have told about Christ in those 40 years? But because I didn’t accept God’s call at the age of sixteen, I missed many opportunities to witness to others. I missed the peace that I could have had over those 40 years if I had allowed Christ to be the Lord of my life. Since I have given total control of my life over to Christ, I now have a peace that I never had before. Don’t make Christ a back seat driver. Give Him the keys and let Him take control of your life. Let Him take you where He wants you to be.
