Grace Baptist Church of Springs Valley

THE LOVE OF GOD is revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and is shed abroad in our (Christians') hearts" (Rom 5:5). Jesus loves us and gave His life on the cross that all men everywhere might have eternal life. Life without end, the Bible declares, is in Christ and that life is the light of men (John 1:4).

As noted above the text of this message, THE LOVE OF GOD, is found in John 3:16. This great verse of the Bible has most fittingly been called "the Gospel in a Nutshell" and is generally known as the golden text of the entire Bible. This verse has been memorized by countless thousands of people throughout the whole world. If you haven't already done so, I heartily recommend that you memorize it, too.

This verse speaks of four very important things which are produced by God's love yet without which His love would be incomplete:

• The Grace of God,
• The Gift of God,
• The Gospel of God, and
• The Glory of God.

Before discussing these four great Scriptural facts, let us consider the background of our text, John 3:16, first by reading from the Bible and then by comment. We are reading from the Gospel according to John, chapter three.

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no
man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?
can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:
so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest
not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that
we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe,
if I tell you heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man
be lifted up.
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

One evening this great man, Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews and a member of the religious sect known as the Pharisees, went to see Jesus. Since we are given these two facts (he was a ruler of the Jews and he was a Pharisee), we know quite a lot about him and can pretty well ascertain just what kind of man he was. He was sincere, honest, and upright before men. I believe he was a highly respected man and had undoubtedly received the highest degree of education available. It is very possible that he was a leading teacher of that day. We may also safely assume that he was a man of wealth.

At the time he called on Jesus, Nicodemus had not yet believed on Him as the Son of God. He did, however, recognize Jesus to be a great teacher. He also confessed that he believed the miracles performed by Jesus and that Jesus had come from God. His words indicate that he believed the power by which Jesus did those things was divine power.

Why did this high official go to see Jesus? What did Jesus, who was poor and without formal education, have that this man needed? Nicodemus already had most of the things many people can only dream of: education, social position, wealth, respect, knowledge, etc. Surely he had all that the world could offer! But the abundance of these things can never satisfy the soul of man. Nicodemus had never tasted of "the peace of God which passeth all understanding" (Phil 4:7). Neither had he experienced the joy of sins forgiven. I believe he went to see Jesus that night for two reasons: first, he believed Jesus came from God and second, because of a great emptiness down deep in his heart.

Their recorded conversation begins abruptly with Nicodemus' confession as to what he believed about Jesus and (just as abruptly) Jesus told him that unless he was born again he could neither see nor enter the kingdom of God. The heart of man must undergo a complete change if he is to see heaven upon leaving this world. This change is a new heart and a new life and is effected by the working of God's Spirit in man's heart.

THE GRACE OF GOD

The very first phrase of our text, John 3:16, is "For God so loved the world". Perhaps it is too simple just to say "Love is Grace"or "Grace is Love", but the fact that He loved the world so much reveals His grace, because the world (mankind) has done nothing to deserve that love. The little phrase "so much" speaks of the greatness of His love and grace. To help us understand the magnitude of God's love and grace, let me illustrate with God's own greatness. Whenever we think of some great person we almost immediately associate his greatness with something he has done. If we wish to better understand the greatness of God we can do no better than to consider His work of creation.

The Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen 1:1).

God's creation includes all that we can possibly think of - and more, too: the sun, moon, and the stars; the earth and all that is in and on it; and space - yes, everything!

I am sure your knowledge of science greatly exceeds mine. Nevertheless, let us simply and briefly consider some scientific facts about God's creation. Science says, Light (God made it, too) travels at a speed of 186, 000 miles per second. With the use of the most powerful telescopes afforded by modern science man is able to see objects so far away that more than 140, 000, 000 years pass ere their light reaches the earth's surface. This is truly great! It is far beyond that which I am able to comprehend yet it speaks of but a small portion of Gods creation. Moreover, with the passing of time man builds more and more powerful telescopic instruments and can see objects farther and farther away. But he discovers no end to God's creation.

Science also says, The sun is 1,000,000 times larger than the earth and 300,000 times heavier. Yet placed in the midst of God's creation that huge object becomes as insignificant as a grain of sand on the seashore. This is God's creation! But God's great creation merely symbolizes His great love and infinite grace.

God loves us and gives us grace. His love and grace are wonderfully manifested in His compassion and mercy for sinners. He is concerned for us and just as a father wants the best for his children so God wants only the best for us. God says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end " (Jer. 29:11)

THE GIFT OF GOD

God took His only begotten Son and presented Him to us as a free gift. The second phrase of our text reads, "He gave his only begotten Son". God presented this gift to us in the form of a sacrifice offered upon a cross. Jesus was that sacrifice! The Gift of God both reveals His love and manifests His grace. In the course of their conversation Jesus told Nicodemus that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so He (Jesus) must also be lifted up. Nicodemus, being a Jew, knew the story of Moses and the serpent. In order to receive the greatest blessing from this passage, let us briefly review the account of that wilderness experience (Num. 21:6-9).

The Jewish people, although greatly and wonderfully blessed by God, often failed to go God's way and were frequently punished for their disobedience. After God had miraculously brought them out of the bondage of Egypt, and as they were in the wilderness, they mumbled and grumbled against God. On that occasion God sent poisonous serpents into their camp. Multitudes of people were bitten by the reptiles and as many as were bitten did die. This became very grievous to them, and realizing that it was a result of their sin, they repented and sought Moses for relief from that terrible plague. It looked as if the entire camp would perish from the bites of the invading snakes. Moses, the man God, interceded on their behalf and God gave him a plan by which, if its only condition were met, those who were bitten would be saved. This plan made no provision for the removal of the serpents, but made it possible for those bitten to live. Moses was to make a serpent of brass and erect it in the midst of the camp. Afterward those who were bitten had only to look to that brazen serpent to live. And it was so!

Thus Jesus told Nicodemus that He (Jesus) must be lifted up on the cross symbolized by the pole upon which the serpent was mounted. All mankind has been infected with the poison of sin which is sure death. This death is eternal separation from God which means that man has no hope of going to heaven but that his eternal destiny is hell. But now all who look to the cross of Christ and believe upon Him receive the gift of eternal life and shall never die. The Gift of the Living God to dying man is eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

THE GOSPEL OF GOD

The next phrase of our text, John 3:16, is "whosoever believeth in him should not perish". The whole world - all mankind - is bogged down in the mire of sin. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death" (Rom.6:23). Because of this and due to His marvelous love and grace, God gave the world His only begotten Son and nailed Him to a cross where He received the wages of sin in our stead. Thus The Gospel of God, the Good News, is that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish".

The result of sin, then, is eternal separation from God. It is endless suffering in hell and those who go there suffer bitter anguish for evermore. There is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth without end but there is no exit. Souls there cry out loudly and continuously for just one drop of water with which to cool their burning tongues. But it is too late. Once a soul enters that terrible place of torment there is eternally 'no way of escape. There is no one to help.

But there is hope now for you. Truly, you do have a way to escape the eternal bitter suffering of hell's flames. The way of escape is by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. We are saved as we place our faith in Jesus and, also by faith, accept the salvation of God which He prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

This great Gospel of God is to all nations, all men, each individual, so it certainly includes you and I. Christ's death on the cross made it possible for each sinner who believes in Him to receive the gift of eternal life and to escape death and hell. This is the Gospel of God!

THE GLORY OF GOD

Now let us read the final phrase of our text, "but have everlasting life". How does this speak of God's glory? Let us also read Hebrews chapter two verse nine, and a portion of verse ten:
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory".
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels when He left heaven and was born into this world. He came for the express purpose of dying in our stead and by His death bringing "many sons unto glory". The sinner not only has the opportunity of escaping hell but also is privileged to receive eternal life as a free gift. As our faith is placed in God's Son and we receive Him as our personal Saviour we are immediately taken by Him "unto glory", even the Glory of God. True, the sinner is not in the least worthy of God's love. But God's love showered upon the sinner reveals His grace which has been defined as unmerited favor. God's grace manifests His .Gift, which is His Son, Jesus Christ. In accepting God's precious Gift, we are obedient to His Gospel and are brought "unto glory" and God is glorified in His Son.

God's work of creation is great! It is infinitely greater than anything man is capable of doing. But now, think about this: God's work of salvation is immeasurably greater than His work of creating the heaven and the earth. Simply by confessing our sins and believing in Jesus our soul is saved! We escape the penalty due us and at the same time receive life everlasting. As we place our faith in Christ our sins are all blotted out; the bonds of sin are loosed never to bind us again; and God will remember our sin no more. This is The Love of God, The Grace of God, The Gift of God, The Gospel of God, and The Glory of God!

Dear Friend, please do not doubt God's love. His love for you is unsurpassed. For you God sent His only begotten Son into the world. For you Jesus left His heavenly home and came into this sinful world. For you He gladly went to the cross and for you He was willingly nailed to it. Can you neglect such love? Please accept it now! The Bible tells us very clearly something we all know in our hearts,
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).
The Bible also says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"(Rom. 6:23).

By believing and responding to the four points given below you will avoid hell and receive forgiveness of sin with eternal life.

1. Because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) Jesus calls all men to repent: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel," (Mark 1:15). It goes without saying that repentance results in and is accompanied by confession of sin to God.

2. Repentance brings one to faith in Christ as noted above. But let us also read John 3:16 again: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

3. Genuine faith results in acceptance of Christ as personal Saviour for we read in John 1:12: "But as many as received him (Christ) to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"

4. Having received Christ as personal Saviour, and becoming God's child, we should tell others of our salvation experience for we read in Romans 10:9,10: "That if thou shalt confess with thine mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation".

So we see that to be saved man needs only to:

• Repent of his sins,
• Believe on Jesus, Christ,
• Receive Christ as personal Saviour,and
• Confess Him before men.

How is it with you? Are you saved? If not, please bow before God right now and in obedience to His plan of salvation, Repent, Believe, Receive, and Confess Christ to be both your Saviour and your Lord.

Dear Christian Friend, just one thought for your prayerful consideration: Is the love which God has shed abroad in your heart flowing ever outward exhibiting the grace of God and revealing the gift of God to the world?


Dale H. Breeden, ©1974, 2007
used by permission of owner