Jesus Loves Me

John 3:1-17

Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” His love for you never fails and His mercy endures forever. This truth can give you strength when you have no strength, and peace, when you have no peace. God loves you and we see it all throughout the Bible.

I. The Love of Jesus:

a. (John 6:5-9) We never fully know the depth of God's love until we run out of our own resources. Child-like faith is all it took.

b. (Isaiah 6:5) Isaiah came to the same realization in a vision before the throne of God. In the presence of a holy God, he saw his own unworthiness and lack of resources. Yet cried, "Here am I, send me!"

c. (Mark 4:38-40) When Jesus heard their cries, He stood up and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” Why do we so often wait until the ship is going down before we cry out for God?

d. (Luke 7:11-13) The city had turned into a place of hopelessness and despair. For this woman had no husband, her son was her hope, her provision, her safety, her future, but now he’s gone. But Jesus had compassion on her and raised her son from the dead.

II. Choose Life:

a. (Deuteronomy 30:19) We can choose to live, or we can choose to stay dead. We can choose to just say, "There's no strength in me, there's no life in me, there's no hope in me, and there’s no future."

b. We can make the choice to stay there if we want. We can say, "The need is too great, and the resources in my life are too small." After all, what is the point if just making heaven is your goal? Here’s why: Jesus loves you. He loves this city. He loves the lost. He loves the homeless and the hungry. He loves the widow and the orphan. He loves YOU!

c. You can do as the disciples did – look around at the great need, check your pockets, see your limited resources. Or you can be like that little boy who said, "Jesus, such as I have, I give it to You. Lord, I know that You can multiply it to feed this generation." You will never know what God can do through your life until you make the step to let Him prove Himself to you.

d. Jesus came and touched that casket in Nain and commanded the dead to come to life. But He did it for the mother. Jesus saw her and had compassion on her. He does the same for us today. He blesses us, and heals us, and gives us what we could never hope to possess. It is because He loves us, but also because He loves those whom we will reach for His Namesake. If we can get hold of this truth and give God what little we have, He will bring us to life for the sake of the hopeless, the weeping, and the hungry in our city. And it is all because of His great love! YES, JESUS LOVES ME!