************ Sermon on John 3:16 ************
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on December 25, 2004
John 3:16
Christmas Day 2004
Introduction
As we have celebrated advent and Christmas we've been asking the same question over and over again: why did Jesus come, why did the second person of the triune Godhead take on our human flesh, why the incarnation?
The first Sunday of advent we were reminded that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim 1:15). The second Sunday of advent we were reminded that Christ came to humble himself. The third Sunday of advent we were told that Christ came for sick sinners. The fourth Sunday of advent we were told that Christ came to show compassion. And, today – Christmas Day – we learn that Christ came to save us from perishing.
Most Christians know John 3:16 by heart. And even if you are not a Christian, even if you do not read the Bible or go to church, chances are you are at least acquainted with it. It is hard to miss this Bible text. Just watch a football or baseball game on TV sometime, and you will almost always see someone in the crowd holding up a poster that says "John 3:16."
I God's Love
A "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." Just about everyone loves these words about God's love. People love to hear about love, they want to hear about love, they need to hear about love. More than one pastor – including me – has been told by members and others to emphasize the simple message of God's love. Tell people, I've been told, that "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."
At the heart of Christmas, at the heart of the incarnation, lies God's love. If it wasn't for God's love there would be no incarnation, no taking on of human flesh, no coming of Jesus, no Christmas. God's love is so wondrous and awesome. And, we celebrate that love today.
B "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." When the Bible tells us that God "gave" His Son, it means that God gave sacrificially. God's whole purpose in sending His Son was to give Him up to suffer and die. God's whole purpose in giving His Son was for the Son to suffer the punishment for sin. Imagine, sending your only son to die upon the cross. That takes love – a love far greater than any of us can ever show.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." At the center of Christmas lies God's love. But at the center of God's love lies a sacrifice. We need to remember that this Christmas season.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." People tend to trivialize these words or become sentimental about them. But there is nothing trivial or sentimental about the first Christmas gift. There is nothing trivial or sentimental about a love that ends at the cross and the grave.
People become excited this time of the year about Santas, presents, parties, presents, lights, presents, candy, presents, programs, presents. But all this excitement should be very small next to the excitement of knowing God's love. I am not saying that all the things we do this season are wrong. But, more than anything else, we should remember and realize and celebrate God's love in sending us His Son to die.
II The Why of God's Love
A "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." John 3:16 not only tell us about God's love in sending His Son, but it also tells us why God sent His Son to earth – namely, so that everyone who believes "shall not perish." SHALL NOT PERISH. Think about those words. It means hell and hell-fire and eternal death. Jesus came so God wouldn't have to send all of us to hell. Jesus came so not everyone will perish. That is the message of John 3:16.
How come we don't see this on Christmas cards? Hallmark's Christmas cards say things like:Peace on Earth
Joy to the World
Glory to God
Season's Greetings
Happy Holidays
I dare say you will never find a Hallmark Christmas card that says, "SAVED FROM HELL."
Many people today would rather not think about hell, and many preachers do their congregations a disservice by never talking about it. Hell is not a pleasant subject. But that does not mean we should avoid talking about it. In fact, God commands me to tell you about hell rather than silently watch you go there.
You and I need to know about hell. Only then will we know how to avoid it. Only then will we know how much God really loves us. Only then will we know what God has done for us in Christ. Only then will we know what Christ has saved us from. Only then will we realize why Christ has come.
B I want you to think, for a moment, of John the Baptist. God chose him to prepare the way for Christ's coming. God chose him to tell people to get ready and be ready for God's one and only Son. But what was John like? He looked wild and acted weird. To hear him people had to go out of their way to a forsaken part of the Jordan River. And, his words were unsettling, to say the least. If he were around today, his words would be something like this:You bunch of snakes. Who told you that you could escape God's judgment? You need to repent and your heart needs to be changed. Don't fool yourself into thinking everything is okay just because your parents and grandparents and great grandparents all went to church. God could take these rocks and turn them into good churchgoing people. You had better change or you will be cut down and thrown into the fire. [See Luke 3:7-9.]
What biting, hard-hitting words! John's words don't make for good Christmas cards.
After telling us about John the Baptist and his message the Bible adds this comment: "And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them" (Lk 3:18). Did you catch this? What John the Baptist preached was "good news." You may wonder, how can such fierce language be good news? Where is the comfort and love in such language?
"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." We look at these words and we realize that John the Baptist's hard-hitting language flowed out of God's love and God's mercy and God's grace. John the Baptist said what he did so people would seek salvation. He told the people about their sins so they would seek repentance. He warned of eternal darkness and death and fire so the people would turn to God's one and only Son. That, my brothers and sisters, is the language of comfort and love. That, my brothers and sisters, is the language of Christmas.
Someone is dying and you don't tell them the cure. Is that showing comfort and love? Someone is lost and you don't give them directions. Is that showing comfort and love? Someone is drowning and you don't throw them a life-jacket. Is that showing comfort and love? Someone is in danger and you don't warn them? Is that showing comfort and love?
The Apostle John, like John the Baptist, shows comfort and love. "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." Jesus came to save us from hell.
C On this Christmas Day, my brothers and sisters, I need to warn you about hell. Someday – unless Jesus returns first – you all will die. And, unless certain things happen in your life you – because of sin – will perish, you will end up in the fires of hell, you will experience eternal darkness.
What is hell? The Bible gives us many descriptions – none of them nice, none of them pleasant to think about, all of them the stuff of nightmares. The main Biblical description has to do with fire. Hell is a place "where the fire never goes out ... and the fire is not quenched" (Mk 9:43,48). Jesus told a parable about a man who died and went to hell; there, "he was in torment" and cried out, "I am in agony in this fire" (Lk 16:23-24). It is especially the book of Revelation that describes this fire:(Rev 20:10) And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
(Rev 20:15) If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Rev 21:8) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
In another place the Bible describes hell as a worm that never stops its gnawing (Mk 9:48).
Fire and worm and second death and darkness. These are all ways to describe how horrible hell really is. It is a place beyond imagining. It is a place of pain and punishment. It is place of ruin and loss.
It sounds horrible – so horrible that most people cannot bear to think it is real. So horrible that many people insist a God of love would never send anyone to such a place. But I want to tell you, my brothers and sisters, if hell is not real, then heaven is not real either. If God's place of death doesn't really exist, then His place of life does not exist either.
"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." If God – out of love – did not send Christ, then hell would be the fate of this world and of everyone in it. There would be no possibility of escape. But God did send Christ so we do not have to end up in hell. That's the good news of the Gospel for you and me this Christmas Day.
D "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." You might wonder why anyone would perish? Why did Christ have to come to save us from hell? Why did God send His Son to die?
The reason has to do with sin and God's wrath against that sin. Except for Christ Jesus, every person who has ever been born or will be born is a sinner. And, sinners deserve only one thing from God – wrath, judgment, hell-fire. "The wages of sin is death," says the Bible (Romans 6:23). It means physical death and eternal death.
Because we are sinners who deserve hell's death from God's hand, God sent His one and only Son. That's the meaning of Christmas.
III Do You Believe?
A "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." But now the big question of this Christmas Day: has God sent Jesus to give you eternal life? Has God sent Jesus to keep you from perishing? Has God sent Jesus to keep you from experiencing hell's punishment? That is the biggest and most important question you can answer today.
That depends on something in your life. That depends on certain things happening in your life. That depends on certain changes taking place.
What is this something? What needs to happen? What needs to be done? What changes need to take place?
"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."
Do you hear what is needed? You need to believe. You need to put your faith in Jesus. You need to ask Him to forgive your sins and change your life. Then you will be saved from hell. Then you will have eternal life.
B Now, let us ask the opposite question. In order for you to go to hell, what must happen? Nothing! Nothing at all! If nothing happens to you, if you just keep on being your normal self, then you are ready for hell and on the way to hell just the way you are. Jesus said:(Jn 3:3) "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
And John writes:(Jn 3:18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
If you don't believe in Jesus, if you have not been born again, if you have not repented of your sin, then hell is your fate. You need to know this truth so you, by grace, can avoid it.
Do you believe? Have you been spared from hell? Does the good news of Christmas apply to you?
A poll was released last week by "Newsweek" magazine. It reveals some surprising statistics on how Americans view Jesus and His birth:-93% of all Americans believe Jesus really lived
-82% see Jesus as God or the Son of God
-79% say they believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary
-67% think the entire Christmas story is historically accurate
People believe in Jesus – that is great! But do they believe He came to save them from their sins? Do they believe He came to save them from hell? Do they believe that apart from Jesus everyone ends up in hell's fire?
C "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." Do you know what is the most beautiful word in this entire text? It is the word "whoever." Jesus can save you, whoever you are. Whoever – no matter who you are. Whoever – no matter what you have done, no matter how evil and godless you have been, no matter how richly you deserve hell. Whoever – no matter what your nationality or skin color or ethnic group. Whoever – no matter if your are male or female, young or old. Whoever you are, you can be saved, you don't have to perish, if you – by grace – repent and believe.
Believe in Jesus. Trust Him today. And you will not perish in hell. Instead, you will have eternal life in heaven.
Conclusion
"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." That is the good news of Christmas.
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