I John 4:9
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Whosoever Will....
Whosoever Will....
Good morning my friends!
Jesus is Risen....
Jesus is risen Indeed!
What a joy to worship today, to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
There is not a greater day in the Christian community that we can celebrate as the church than Easter.
For it is here, that we remember the love of God, that He not only sent Jesus into the world, but through Jesus, God the Father has redeemed us, reconciled and restored us.
Wow, He loved us, the world!
This morning we will concentrate on this truth, Jesus has reconciled US to himself though the cross.
So this morning I want to take you to 1 John 4:9
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
So I want to begin with the message John shares here, that God sent his only Son into the world.
1.God Sent His Son...
This must be the first truth we recognize today as we take in the great blessing of Easter. In Love, God sent His Son into the world.
It is hard to comprehend God’s love for us my friends, we are sinners, but God loved us, humanity. And it shouldn’t surprise us, it is part of His very nature, God is love. And we are partakers, participants of this love.
And God sent His Son to help us. The word “sent” in this verse is one that indicates the idea of "Someone, who represents another, sent on a mission with a purpose..”
Jesus came to this world with a purpose my friends, He came to redeem us.
Why? Because the world had fallen into sin. Adam’s sin, His disobedience in the garden brought about a world epidemic, a sin problem that made each person a sinner, deserving of death.
So we enter this world with a sin problem, a nature, a condition that has one effect on us. It leaves us hopeless and helpless, separated from God.
But God knew, in his omniscience, He knew man would fail, he knew man would fall into sin, but that didn’t stop God. Oh no! In His perfect nature and plan, He had prepared for our failure all along.
His answer to our sin, was His own Son. God knew he would have to send his own Son into the world for our sin.
Its the love of God that drives that type of action.
How do I know? John tells us… John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Did you see those first 4 words? “For God so loved...” God’s love drove His actions, God’s love was the power behind his act. He sent Jesus to the world.
The world was dead.. But in Christ there is life. How do I know this. Go back to 1 John 4:9
“9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
The word “live” there in verse 9, tells the ones to whom the Son was sent were in a condition of “spiritual death.” And the mission of the Son was to impart life to them.
Oh my… to give them life… remember the ending of John 3:16? “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Did you see it, we who were dead, spiritually dead, in Christ, in Him will have life and life eternal.
All this, because God sent his Son...
At the right time, “...in the fulness of time...” the Scriptures says God worked through humanity and what seemed like their failures, came the Son.. At the perfect time Gal 4:4...
This is where the love of God began my friends, in our sad, wretched and terrible condition, God sent His Son into the world.
And Jesus came, He left the wonder and blessedness of the Father’s presence to become flesh and dwell among us.
Listen to John’s testimony.... John 1:14
“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Who is the Word? John 1:1
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus is the Word, and He came into the world at God’s command.
And here upon this earth he grew in stature and grace before God the Father.
He walked with man, called them to come and follow Him and he continues today, He calls people to come and follow the one whom God sent into the world to change the life and history of humanity.
God in love sent His Son into the world.
Secondly this morning there was a purpose for sending the Son.
2. God’s Purpose...
God sent His Son into the world with a purpose. A purpose to complete the will of the Father who sent Him.
How do we know this, listen to Jesus himself in Mark 10, verse 45 Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The one who is called King of Kings and Lord or Lord’s in the Scriptures, when He came to this world, he came not to be set up on a pedestal and be served as a king.
But instead chose to take the form of a servant and Jesus served others, ultimately, giving His life as a a ransom for many.
So lets consider what Jesus says here. “He came...not to be served but to serve and to give His life, as a ransom for many.” What does this phrase mean?
When you think of the idea of “to serve” the verb itself referred to menial services, like waiting on tables, and cleaning up after others…
So when we apply this to Jesus we see that He walked with a spirit or attitude of a servant, ministering to others, to many each day even when as he grew tired and weary.
He came to serve....
And then Mark tells us Jesus said, “...not only to serve, but to give..” Now the word “give” in the Greek is the word didomi, and it means to transfer possession of something to another.
Jesus came to serve and to give… to pass something wonderful to another life.
Remember what we looked at in 1 John 4:9
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Do you see that , God gave his love to us, that we might have what? Life through him… life through Jesus.
Jesus is the means of that life.
That faithful morning, they took our Savior and led him out of the city to the place of the skull called Golgotha and listen to the tragedy that takes place this day...Luke 23:33-34
33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
They crucified our Lord, driving spikes into each hand and then placing one foot upon another they pinned it to the cross and then they stood that cross up and dropped it into its whole.
And there our savior hung… with criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
And do you remember, one of those thieves, one of those criminals as he hung there called out to Jesus making one request of Him… and listen to it.
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Wow, Jesus, even there upon the cross serves.. He served him and gave to him life… Alistar Begg, the great Scottish pastor said of that man… The man in the middle said I could come...”
Jesus calls for all who would believe, who would call upon the Lord, regardless of your past.. believe me, he is aware of our past, he knows our guilt, our sin and still he tells us we can come.
God’s purpose was to send the Son that we might have life and have life eternal..
Now that faithful day asJesus hung upon the cross, they didn’t kill Him, the Scriptures declare that He gave up his life. Listen to Luke 23:44-46
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
God sent his Son into the world to be lay down his life as a ransom for sin. Remember what we looked at in Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The word ransom there is “lytron” in the Greek and it refers to a payment for release of a captive.
It was humanity that was held captive by the power of sin and death. We had no hope and there was no one to help us until Jesus came.. and he bought us back.
A great picture of this ransom is the Old Testament prophet Hosea. Do you remember his wife, Gomer.
She was unfaithful to him, she had many lovers and finally found herself as a captive, a slave and was about to be sold into slavery and God’s word to Hosea was to go and by her back, Pay her ransom and forgive her.
Oh that was a picture of Israel,and humanity itself. Israel chased after many God’s. they commited idolatry. Yet God never stopped loving them and paid the price to purchase them back from their sin. He gave his Son as a ransom for sin.
He freed both Jew and Gentile from the penalty of sin, and the testimony of Scriptures tell us that whosoever would come, whosoever would call upon the Lord would be saved.
Oh I tell You, I am glad I was a :whosoever’ and he saved me.
Do you know Jesus today? Do you know that He has saved you and given you eternal life? If not the Scriptures tell us there is no hope in ourselves, but in Jesus there is life.
Giving life is the purpose of God.
Now just one last thought today… Victory...
3. God’s Victory
That day as the evening was approaching after the death of Jesus, they, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus from the cross, , they prepared his body as best they could for time was getting away from them, they had to have the dead buried before the Passover began that evening at 6 pm. These men, these faithful disciples, placed him in a new tomb that had never been used and a stone was rowed over the entrance of tomb
And everything seemed bleak, dark and hopeless..
But God....
The Scriptures tell us that on the first day of the week, 3 days after Jesus crucifixion and burial.
The Greek word ‘Herma” refers to a day and doesn’t have to be 24 clocked hours.
Mary and Magdalene and Mary the mother of James came to finish the task of preparing His body..
And listen to what they found...Listen to Mark 16:1-6
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
Those ladies came seeking to serve, but they found the greatest blessing of all time, They found an angel with a message that would change their lives, and the lives of all humanity.
“He is risen; He is not here, see the place where they laid him...”
Wow,
What a testimony the angel brought…
That is the victory, God’s victory my friend...
Jesus not only laid down his life, not only was His body placed in a tomb, but on the 3rd day Jesus rose from the dead , forever changing this world.
Peter testified in Acts 2:24
“ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
Oh death could not hold Jesus,
The grave could not keep him and His resurrection will ensure that all those in Christ will rise as well.
Jesus would appear to those two ladies, and later he would appear in the Upper Room, the last place he and his disciples had gathered…
He appeared to them, alive and well, both body and mass and spoke to them and taught them..
They touched him, handled him and testified of his life. and we know that He appeared to more than 500 before returning to the Father in heaven.
Jesus laid down his life as a ransom for sin, to reconcile us to the Father, making us right but also rose from the dead to remind us that his life means we will have eternal life as well.
Do you know Jesus… That is the great question my friends, Do do you know - Jesus as your Lord and Savior today?
Has there been a time in your life when you stood before God and placed yourself in His hands, repenting of your sin and asking him to forgive you, to give you eternal life?
That is the most important thing we can do today...
It is not about what you can or cannot do, it is not about anything other than making sure you will see Heaven as your him and Jesus as your Lord....
Listen to the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:11
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Do you know Jesus...
God will give you the same victory, He will give you eternal life.
One of my favorite verses is Jesus in John 10:10 “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Abundant life...
That is what I want… what about you today..
Pray...
