The Greatest Gift | John 3:16-21; John 15:12-17
“The Greatest Gift”
Today we’re starting a new 6-week teaching series called Something To Give, and it’s about how everybody gives their life to something. The question isn’t, are you giving your life to something? It’s what are you giving your life to?...What are you giving your life to, and are the things you’re giving your life to worth it?...You can’t opt out of this. You can’t choose to give your life to nothing. If you’re a skeptic or a believer, you’re giving your time, your energy, your life to something. You don’t have a choice in that, but you can choose what you’re giving your life to. Some people choose to give their lives to their careers or bank accounts. Some people choose to give their lives to their hobbies or extracurricular activities. Some people choose to give their lives to their sports, their kids’ travel ball, or wasting their lives away on video games. What are you choosing to give your life to?...What have you been giving your life to this past week?...What does your weekly schedule reveal you’re giving your life to?...
The point is we’re all giving our lives to something. But we don’t always pause to examine if the things we’re giving our lives to are worth it. We wake up every morning and choose to sacrifice the one resource we can’t ever get back—it’s our lives...You know what Jesus chose to sacrifice his life for?...You know what Jesus chose to give up his life for?...You...Jesus chose to make sacrifices, to give up his entire life for you, and that’s our starting place in this series. Before we discuss a few things to consider giving our lives to, we want to look at what Jesus was willing to give his life to, which was to save you and me. So let’s turn to John Ch. 3 and get into it. If you open the Bible to the middle and keep turning right, you’ll find John. We’ll be in John 3:16-18 and 15:12-13. The title of the message is The Greatest Gift, and the big idea is God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give...God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give...
Here’s your context. Jesus is talking to a guy named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee, which was a Jewish religious leader similar to a pastor. But Nicodemus isn’t just any Pharisee; he’s a part of an elite group of Pharisees called the Sanhedrin. To be a Sanhedrin meant he was considered one of the most respected, intelligent, holiest leaders in Israel. Well in John Ch. 3 he starts thinking Jesus might actually be from God. He says in John 3:2, “Rabbi, we know you’re a teacher who’s come from God, for no one can do the signs you do unless God is with him.” He says he knows Jesus has come from God, because nobody can do the signs, the miracles, the things Jesus is doing. Jesus responds to Nicodemus by teaching him about God’s love and how to have eternal life in heaven with God. As we study this text Jesus will teach us the following three things about God’s love: 1st The Reality of God’s Love, 2nd The Reason for God’s Love, 3rd The Response to God’s Love. It’s The Reality, The Reason, and The Response to God’s love. Let’s check it out.
John 3:16-18 states, “For God so loved the world...” Most of us have heard that verse before, because it’s often displayed at football games and other sporting events. It’s an incredible verse declaring 1st The Reality of God’s Love.Jesus is teaching us several things about the reality of God’s love, and one of those things is how massive God’s love is. Jesus doesn’t say God loved the world; he says God SO loved the world. That little word (so) expresses quantity. It expresses God doesn’t love the world a little. He loves the world (so) much; he loves the world massively!
Now the kind of love Jesus is talking about here is much deeper than our culture’s view of love, which is primarily rooted in happiness. A love rooted in happiness alone is a shallow, selfish love, that only lasts as long as the person makes you happy. As soon as the person doesn’t make you happy anymore, you’re ready to dip...We’ve also cheapened the word love by how loosely we use it. We’re like “I love Taco Tuesday. I love Jeremiah’s Ice. I love my dog, my cat, my family and friends.” We’ve put our family and friends in the same love category as food and Fluffy the Cat...We’ve used the word love so loosely and applied it to so many things, that it has very little depth anymore. But the kind of love Jesus is talking about in John 3:16 is much deeper than that. Back then they used different words to describe different kinds of love, and the word Jesus uses here is the Greek word agape. Agape love is a deeply committed love that’ll never dip out on you. It’s a deeply committed love that’ll still be there for you in times of unhappiness, or even when you sin. It’s the kind of love where Jesus says, “I’m not happy you sinned and I don’t want you to keep sinning. But I’m still here and I’m not dipping out on you.” Why? Because God so massively loved the world, with a deeply committed love, far greater than our shallow cultural view of love.
Again vs. 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son...” I love this part of John 3:16, because love is a verb that requires action. If you really love someone, then you’ll demonstrate that love with your actions. Jesus says God so loved, that he gave. That little word (so) we just discussed also refers to the demonstration of God’s love. It’s why the CSB translation says God loved the world in this way. In other words, he demonstrated his love in this way. It was by dying for our sins on the cross. The cross is the greatest demonstration we have of God’s love, and it proves his love isn’t just verbal; it’s physically tangible. He loves us so much, that he gave his life for our life on the cross. This action, this demonstration of God’s love, teaches us another thing about the reality of God’s love. It teaches us that God’s love is extremely generous! God’s love is massive, but also extremely generous, because the reality is he doesn’t have to love any of us. Jesus isn’t talking about God loving a world that deserves it; he’s talking about God loving a sinful world that doesn’t deserve it. So God’s love isn’t just massive; it’s also extremely generous.
I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. Bill Gates is currently 70 yrs old, and worth over 114 billiondollars. That means he could spend 10 million dollars a day for the next 20 yrs, and still have over 42 billion left...I’m getting bitter just thinking about it...He could spend 10 million dollars a day for the next 20 yrs, and still have over 42 billion left. That’s how wealthy Bill Gates is. But he’s also known for his generosity, giving over 60 billion dollars to charities. Now as generous as that is, it’s nothing compared to the generosity of God. I say that because of who God extends his generosity to. He extends his generosity to a world sinning against him. He extends his generosity to his enemies. You know who Bill Gates isn’t extending his generosity to?...Apple...Bill Gates isn’t giving billions to Apple, ready to bail out Apple if they get into trouble...Yet God (so) loved the world, he (so) massively and generously loved the world, that he gave even to those sinning against him. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” City Awakening, let’s never doubt God’s love for us, when Jesus demonstrated his love by dying for us while we were still sinners.
Again vs. 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the worldthrough him...” After teaching us several things about 1st The Reality of God’s Love, Jesus is now teaching us about 2ndThe Reason for God’s Love. Jesus says the reason he came to demonstrate God’s love the way he did, wasn’t to condemn the world—it was to save the world. He came to save us, to rescue us, because we needed rescuing. Our sins separated us from God and wrecked our relationship with God. But instead of coming to condemn us like we deserve, he died for us so we could enjoy the eternal salvation and restoration with God we don’t deserve. The cross demonstrates the severity of our sin, but also the depth of God’s love. Tim Keller states, “We’re more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. Yet at the same time, we’re more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope.”
Now to be clear, Jesus loves us, but that doesn’t mean he won’t lovingly discipline us with temporary consequences for our sins. He uses temporary consequences to discipline and grow us, just like a loving parent uses temporary consequences to discipline and grow their children. Hebrews 12:6 says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves.”So believers still experience loving discipline with temporary consequences, but not eternal condemnation with eternal consequences. The reason Jesus came wasn’t to condemn—it was to save. He came not because we deserved God’s love; it’s because we desperately needed God’s love. We desperately needed God’s grace. He came to offer us not just a better life, but a greater eternal life in a restored relationship with God. It’s a greater eternal life in heaven with him, rather than eternal life in hell without him. The good news is God so loved, that he gave us a way out of the eternal hell we deserve. God so loved, that Jesus came to suffer for our sins on the cross, so we don’t have to suffer for our sins in hell.
Again vs. 17, “God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him isn’t condemned, but whoever doesn’t believe is condemned already...” Jesus teaches us about 1st The Reality of God’s Love, 2nd The Reason for God’s Love, and now we’re learning about 3rd The Response to God’s Love. Jesus says we have to respond to God’s love by believing or not believing. He says whoever believes in him isn’t condemned, but whoever doesn’t believe in him is condemned. In vs. 16 he says whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life. That’s an invitation for everyone, because it’s an invitation for whoever believes. The sad thing is many people don’t believe, because we live in a tolerant culture where many people think it doesn’t matter what you believe. They think if you’re a good person and do good things, then you’ll get to go to heaven. But Jesus says it does matter what you believe, because what you believe determines where you’ll spend eternity. Remember Jesus is talking to the highly respected Nicodemus, who’s known for his holy living. But Jesus is saying his good deeds aren’t good enough to get him into heaven. He’s saying our salvation isn’t achieved; it’s received. Our salvation isn’t achieved through our good works; it’s received through belief in Jesus good work on the cross. Jesus says it’s about whoever believes, not whoever does.
Now when people don’t believe, it reveals the condition of their hearts. It reveals they’ve rejected God’s love and his way for salvation. It reveals they’re condemned, because they would rather live their lives without God instead of with God. C. S. Lewis states, “The damned are in one sense, successful rebels to the end. The doors of hell are locked from the inside.” Jesus gives everyone an invitation to enjoy eternal life in heaven with him, instead of eternal life in hell without him. If we reject that invitation for salvation, it’s on us, not him. You can’t blame the lifeguard for drowning if you refuse to grab the float he’s giving you. People go to hell not because Jesus didn’t throw them the float; it’s because they refuse to grab the float. They refuse to grab his hand for salvation. But whoever grabs the float, whoever believes in him, will not perish, but shall have eternal life in heaven with him. Our response to God’s love is to believe in him and what he did for us on the cross. Once we put our faith in Jesus, we should desire to follow Jesus. Remember love is a verb that requires action. So if we love Jesus, we should act on that love. If we love Jesus, we should want to give up our lives for Jesus in response to him giving up his life for us. God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give. This is what Jesus says in John Ch. 15.
John 15:12-13 states, “This is my command: Love one another as I’ve loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus is speaking to his disciples here on the night before he’s crucified, and he tells them to love on another, as I’ve loved you. That’s a command for his disciples back then and for his followers today. We’re to love as Jesus loved us, meaning we’re to follow his example of sacrificial love. The cross is our salvation, but it’s also our example. We’re to sacrifice our time, talents, treasures, entire lives for the God we love, and to help others know the God we love. The Christian life is about what Jesus has done for us, but it’s also about what Jesus wants to do through us. It’s like my pastoral friend and mentor J.D. Greear says, “God is like a spiritual tornado. He’ll never pull you in except to send you out. He’ll never bless you except to be a blessing. If you get sucked into the vortex of his power, it’s because he has a plan to powerfully send you out.” City Awakening Jesus doesn’t just save you; he also sends you out to reach more people with his love. Like our mission statement says, he sends you out to Reach People and Reach The World with the life-transforming message of Jesus.
This brings us back to the question we’re exploring in this series. What are you giving your life to...What are you giving your life to, and are the things you’re giving your life to worth it?... Jesus is teaching us something that’s worth giving our lives to—it’s loving people...It’s loving people as he’s loved us, and the reason that’s worth it is because people are eternal...Your career isn’t eternal. Your bank account isn’t eternal. Your hobbies, travel ball, video games aren’t eternal. But people—they’re eternal...Your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, they’re all eternal, and God so loved them, just like he so loved you!...There’s nothing wrong with having a career, making wealth, enjoying hobbies, travel ball, or even playing video games. Just don’t give your life to those things as if they’re eternal. Instead give your life to Jesus and to building his eternal kingdom, in response to Jesus giving up his entire life for you. Over the next several weeks we’ll be exploring what it looks like to do that. We’ll be exploring what it looks like to give our lives to Jesus and his eternal kingdom. We’ll be exploring that while keep John 3:16 as our foundational verse, reminding us God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give.
The big idea of the message is God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give... God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give...City Awakening you’ll give your life to the things you love, and Jesus was willing to give up his life for you, which means he loves you. If you love Jesus, then be willing to give up your life for Jesus. Be willing to give up your time, your talents, your treasures, your entire life to Jesus and building his kingdom, in response to Jesus giving up his entire life for you. God so loved that he gave; we should so love that we give...
If you’re a skeptic, the same invitation Jesus gave to Nicodemus back then, is the same invitation he’s giving you today. It’s an invitation to have eternal salvation and restoration in a loving relationship with him. But you have to believe to receive his loving invitation. The question isn’t does God love you, it’s are you willing to receive his love?...Are you willing to put your faith in Jesus, believe in him and what he did for you when he died on the cross for your sins, or will you keep living your life without him which eventually leads to eternal hell?...He’s throwing you the float today, don’t reject it…If you’re a believer, what are you doing with the life he's given you?...Are you giving your life to things that aren’t worth it, or giving your life to Jesus because you know he’s worth it?...God so loved that he gave; will you so love that you give?...In the words of C.T. Studd, “Only one life, will soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ, will last.”