Untitled Sermon

This morning, we are concluding our “Gifts of Christmas” Advent series. We have looked at some of the gifts that came with Jesus in his Incarnation in to the world. We have looked at the gift of Hope, Peace, Joy and now this morning I want to speak about the gift of Love. I have titled our chat this morning, “Extravagant Love”.

I found it rather difficult, coming up with an adjective to the word Love that could really evoke some kind of emotion in our hearts. The reality is, is that Love is a very complicated word. It is a complicated word because of the way it is used and experienced, or not experienced in our world. What do I mean? For starters, we use the word Love to in so many ways- we Love: movies, music, food, cars, trips, pets, sports, shopping, and then we also say we Love people, friends, family, spouses, kids, and then for those of us that are Christians, we love God.

Now of course, we know that we don’t mean the same things when we say we love food and when we say we love our kids. We assume the difference, but I still feel like because we use this word so flippantly and regularly, that it loses that spark or emotion that we should have. Then there are also those, specifically pertaining relational love, that maybe never experienced a healthy form of love… For example my father- in-law, grew up as an orphan and so it was hard for him and I would still say, it is still hard for him to give and receive love because he was never shown it. Then you add the ups and downs of life, growing up in this culture and the kinds of issues and things that arise, that impact us.

This morning, we are concluding our “Gifts of Christmas” Advent series. We have looked at some of the gifts that came with Jesus in his Incarnation in to the world. We have looked at the gift of Hope, Peace, Joy and now this morning I want to speak about the gift of Love. I have titled our chat this morning, “Extravagant Love”.

Then if you add all of these things together-the over use of the term Love and the pain that may be associated with Love, then when we come to church and you hear the pastor or someone say “God loves you”, it can be nearly impossible to receive or understand. Our theme verse, our launching point this morning is probably the most famous verse in the Bible:

I found it rather difficult, coming up with an adjective to the word Love that could really evoke some kind of emotion in our hearts. The reality is, is that Love is a very complicated word. It is a complicated word because of the way it is used and experienced, or not experienced in our world. What do I mean? For starters, we use the word Love to in so many ways- we Love: movies, music, food, cars, trips, pets, sports, shopping, and then we also say we Love people, friends, family, spouses, kids, and then for those of us that are Christians, we love God.

Then if you add all of these things together-the over use of the term Love and the pain that may be associated with Love, then when we come to church and you hear the pastor or someone say “God loves you”, it can be nearly impossible to receive or understand. Our theme verse, our launching point this morning is probably the most famous verse in the Bible:

Now of course, we know that we don’t mean the same things when we say we love food and when we say we love our kids. We assume the difference, but I still feel like because we use this word so flippantly and regularly, that it loses that spark or emotion that we should have. Then there are also those, specifically pertaining relational love, that maybe never experienced a healthy form of love… For example my father in law, grew up as an orphan and so the it was hard for him and I would still say, it is still hard for him to give and receive love because he was never shown it. Then you add the ups and downs of life, growing up in this culture and the kinds of issues and things that arise, that impact us.

- “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”.

My prayer is that the reality and truth that God (trine God) SO loves you would completely overtake you and impact you. That when we hear these words, we would be completely undone! But again, often times, this is not the case. But I want to point out attention to something in this verse, that I think gets overlooked sometimes. We always hear the beginning part quoted, “For God so loved the world”. And then we quickly skim through the next part and get to the “whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. The part I want to highlight is the part right in the middle, “that he gave his one and only Son”. This entire verse is just massive. The implications and theological messaging and truth is huge, but what we see in the middle part of the verse is that Love requires action.

Then if add all of these things together-the over use of the term Love and the pain that may be associated with Love, then when we come to church and you hear the pastor or someone say “God loves you”, it can be nearly impossible to receive or understand. Our theme verse, our launching point this morning is probably the most famous verse in the Bible:

My prayer is that the reality and truth that God (trine God) SO loves you would completely overtake you and impact you. That when we hear these words, we would be completely undone! But again, often times, this is not the case. But I want to point out attention to something in this verse, that I think gets overlooked sometimes. We always hear the beginning part quoted, “For God so loved the world”. And then we quickly skim through the next part and get to the “whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. The part I want to highlight is the part right in the middle, “that he gave his one and only Son”. This entire verse is just massive. The implications and theological messaging and truth is huge, but what we see in the middle part of the verse is that Love requires action.

- “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”.

- “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 says, its not enough to just say you love someone, you have to show it. Real love requires action. If I tell my wife I love her, and then I do nothing to show her, she has every right to question the validity of my love. God held himself and holds himself to that same standard! The Apostle Paul says it this way in

My prayer is that the reality and truth that God (trine God) SO loves you would completely overtake you and impact you. That when we hear these words, we would be completely undone! But again, often times, this is not the case. But I want to point out attention to something in this verse, that I think gets overlooked sometimes. We always hear the beginning part quoted, “For God so loved the world”. And then we quickly skim through the next part and get to the “whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. The part I want to highlight is the part right in the middle, “that he gave his one and only Son”. This entire verse is just massive. The implications and theological messaging and truth is huge, but what we see in the middle part of the verse is that Love requires action.

- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

- “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”.

- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

This morning, I want spend the rest of our time expounding upon how God shows us and has shown us that he loves us. A lot of times people often question God’s love for them because of difficult things that they may have gone through and experienced. They wonder “Where was God in that?” If God loves me then why did this happen?” To be honest, that is a fair question, especially coming from those who really don’t know what God has done for them in Christ. And even those of us that have been around the church a long time, just like we overuse the word love, we have lost the weighty reality of not just that God loves us, but how he shown us that he does.

John says, its not enough to just say you love someone, you have to show it. Real love requires action. If I tell my wife I love her, and then I do nothing to show her, she has every right to question the validity of my love. God held himself and holds himself to that same standard! The Apostle Paul says it this way in

- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

BIG QUESTION:

I want to answer that question this morning, “How has God shown us that he loves us?” and I want to answer the question by looking at this statement: “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”.

This morning, I want spend the rest of our time expounding upon how God shows us and has shown us that he loves us. A lot of times people often question God’s love for them because of difficult things that they may have gone through and experienced. They wonder “Where was God in that?” If God loves me then why did this happen?” To be honest, that is a fair question, especially coming from those who really don’t know what God has done for them in Christ. And even those of us that have been around the church a long time, just like we overuse the word love, we have lost the weighty reality of not just that God loves us, but how he shown us that he does.

BIG QUESTION:

I want to use this statement to illustrate how much God has shown us that he loves us. My prayer is that by the end, our hearts will be encouraged and that you will experience and understand in a deeper way, the Extravagant Love of God.

Most of us that have spent time in and around church will have heard the word ‘gospel’. For those that haven’t, the term ‘gospel’ means “good news”. When we here the phrase “The gospel or good news of Jesus”, it should actually be some kind of “Good news”. Pretty simple. However, for there to be good news, there had to be bad news. Trust me this is gonna be a good message, but to appreciate and understand the good news, we have to see what was bad.

I want to answer that question this morning, “How has God shown us that he loves us?” and I want to answer the question by looking at this statement: “God (triune God) didn’t have to do anything, but he did”.

Most of us that have spent time in and around church will have heard the word ‘gospel’. For those that haven’t, the term ‘gospel’ means “good news”. When we here the phrase “The gospel or good news of Jesus”, it should actually be some kind of “Good news”. Pretty simple. However, for there to be good news, there had to be bad news. Trust me this is gonna be a good message, but to appreciate and understand the good news, we have to see what was bad.

Going back to our statement, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”, so, what didn’t God have to do? First and foremost, I would say, God didn’t have to save us. If we go back to the beginning of the book, specifically in , we see a few rebellions that took place-beginning in . We have a divine rebellion and human rebellion taking place with Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. God gave Adam and Eve some instructions and he also explained the consequences of not following the instructions. Most of us know the story, Adam and Eve do what they were not supposed to do and a few things happen.

I want to use this statement to illustrate how much God has shown us that he loves us. My prayer is that by the end, our hearts will be encouraged and that you will experience and understand in a more deeper way, the Limitless Love of God.

Going back to our statement, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”, so, what didn’t God have to do? First and foremost, I would say, God didn’t have to save us. If we go back to the beginning of the book, specifically in , we see a few rebellions that took place-beginning in . We have a divine rebellion and human rebellion taking place with Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. God gave Adam and Eve some instructions and he also explained the consequences of not following the instructions. Most of us know the story, Adam and Eve do what they were not supposed to do and a few things happen.

First, they get kicked out of the Garden (which was literally the point where heaven and earth joined. Eden was not just some lush garden type place, but it was where God lived and where his presence dwelt). They were removed from that, they were physically separated from God’s presence-there was a gap, a gulf, if you may, separating them and God. Second, they lost access to the tree of life, therefore, their physical bodies lost access to immortality, the death clock began ticking for their physical bodies. Third, they were separated spiritually from God. The Apostle Paul uses terms like “alienation”, “separation”, and even “children of wrath”. When they sinned against God, it wasn’t that they just did something bad, by sinning, their allegiance shifted from God to Satan. This allegiance began to expand throughout the nations and the centuries that followed.

Most of us that have spent time in and around church will have heard the word ‘gospel’. For those that haven’t, the term ‘gospel’ means “good news”. When we here the phrase “The gospel or good news of Jesus”, it should actually some kind of “Good news”. Pretty simple. However, for there to be good news, there had to be bad news. Trust me this is gonna be a good message, but to appreciate and understand the good news, we have to see what was bad.

Going back to our statement, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”, so, what didn’t God have to do? First and foremost, I would say, God didn’t have to save us. If we go back to the beginning of the book, specifically in , we see a few rebellions that took place-beginning in . We have a divine rebellion and human rebellion taking place with Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. God gave Adam and Eve some instructions and he also explained the consequences of not following the instructions. Most of us know the story, Adam and Eve do what they were not supposed to do and a few things happen.

Then we see hints of this in the O.T. and then revealed in the N.T- the reality of the place called Hell. Those that participate in the great rebellion against God (which all humanity has done), this is what awaits.

In our own day, we love ‘justice’. This is why there are so many tv shows and movies that are all essentially the same: you have good guys and bad guys and the hope is that good guys catch the bad guys and bring them to justice and then we cheer! The murderers get sent to jail, the thieves get sent to jail etc… or whatever!

First, they get kicked out of the Garden (which was literally the point where heaven and earth joined. Eden was not just some lush garden type place, but it was where God lived and where his presence dwelt). They were removed from that, they were physically separated from God’s presence-there was a gap, a gulf, if you may separating them and God. Second, they lost access to the tree of life, therefore, their physical bodies lost access to immortality, the death clock began ticking for their physical bodies. Third, they were separated spiritually from God. The Apostle Paul uses terms like “alienation”, “separation”, and even “children of wrath”. When they sinned against God, it wasn’t that they just did something bad, by sinning, their allegiance shifted from God to Satan. This began to expand throughout the centuries that followed.

But, what happens when someone commits wrongdoing against the God, the creator of the universe?! They get Hell. Hell is the cosmic and divine prison. That’s divine justice. This was and is the condition of humanity for those who are not in

Then we see hints of this in the O.T. and then revealed in the N.T- the reality of the place called Hell. Those that participate in the great rebellion against God (which all humanity has done), this is what awaits.

But, what happens when someone commits wrongdoing against the God, the creator of the universe?! They get Hell. Hell is the cosmic and divine prison. That’s divine justice. This was and is the condition of humanity for those who are not in

Christ. This is the bad news. God had every right to judge and condemn humanity and he would be right for doing so. But that’s not exactly what he decided to do. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. God could have just done nothing! Why didn’t he? Because of his Extravagant Love. Love requires ACTION! This is what I want to spend the rest of our time talking about.

In our own day, we love ‘justice’. This is why there are so many tv shows and movies that are all essentially the same: you have good guys and bad guys and the hope is that good guys catch the bad guys and bring them to justice and then we cheer! The murderers get sent to jail or whatever! What happens when someone commits wrongdoing against the God, the creator of the universe?! They get Hell. That’s divine justice. This was and is the condition of humanity. This is the bad news. God had every right to judge and condemn humanity and he would be right for doing so. But that’s not exactly what he decided to do. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”.

Christ. This is the bad news. God had every right to judge and condemn humanity and he would be right for doing so. But that’s not exactly what he decided to do. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. God could have just done nothing! Why didn’t he? Because of his Extravagant Love. Love requires ACTION! This is what I want to spend the rest of our time talking about.

During Christmas, growing up, my three sisters and I we would ask for lots of things for Christmas. But there was always ONE big gift-the most expensive gift. So Christmas morning we would start with stocking (which I loved ), then move onto the smaller gifts and then end with the big one!

As we shift now from the bad news and focus on the good news, as we focus on how God has shown us how he loves us, I am gonna start with ‘smaller gifts’- the smaller ways (they are not small, to even say that makes me feel weird) that God has shown us his love and then finish with the “big gift” the main way he has shown us his love! I also want to show this purely from the Scriptures. Why do I say that? Everyone here has a different story, everyone here may have a different opinion and different experiences regarding love, but no matter what your upbringing was like, no matter what you have gone through, the Scriptures put us all on a level playing field. I want to show that in the Scriptures, God has shown us his love for us the exact same way.

I would love to walk through the whole Bible, showing how God has shown us his love, cause remember, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. But for sake of time, I am just going to focus on the life of Jesus. There is enough demonstration of God’s extravagant love in the life of Jesus for us think about, ponder about, meditate on for eternity!

I would love to walk through the whole Bible, showing how God has shown us his love, cause remember, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. But for sake of time, I am just going to focus on the life of Jesus. There is enough demonstration of God’s extravagant love in the life of Jesus for us think about for eternity!

I would love to walk through the whole Bible, showing how God has shown us his love, cause remember, “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. But for sake of time, I am just going to focus on the life of Jesus. There is enough demonstration of God’s extravagant love in the life of Jesus for us think about, ponder about, meditate on for eternity!

“How has God shown us that he loves us?”

#1- The Incarnation

We are in the Advent season, where we talk about the Incarnation. Here is quote that I found…

We are in the Advent season, where we talk about the Incarnation. Have we really thought about this?- Think of what we are claiming to believe: Jesus himself, left the realm of eternity, left his place of authority and rule and allowed himself to enter the womb of Mary as a human. Think about what were saying here. God impregnated a young girl who then was to give birth to God in human form. Scholars call this part of “the humiliation of Christ”. The eternal one, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the great I AM, so lowered himself and allowed himself to go through the human birthing process, putting on human flesh and becoming one of us. This is crazy!

“God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Let’s just go back to before time began. Scholars call this “Eternity Past”. However that looked and whatever was happening within the Trinity, when they were thinking about creation and thinking about what was going to happen, they could have set up things anyway they wanted. They could have designed things to go any number of ways, they could have set things up where the Incarnation not be the way it was. Whats crazy is that God was not and is not passive in his dealings, but rather active. He was active in the Incarnation and fully embraced this idea and reality before time began. I mean that is Extravagant love. A God, a Saviour who would come in human form, bound with all the limitations, temptations, difficulties, issues, that humans face and not only come but CHOOSE to come. HE choose the method, HE choose the “humiliating” aspects of it. I simply call that Extravagant Love.

“The incarnation is a kind of vast joke whereby the Creator of the ends of the earth comes among us in diapers… Until we too have taken the idea of the God-man seriously enough to be scandalized by it, we have not taken it as seriously as it demands to be taken.” – Frederick Buechner

Have we really thought about this?- Think of what we are claiming to believe: Jesus himself, left the realm of eternity, left his place of authority and rule and allowed himself to enter the womb of Mary as a human. Think about what were saying here. God impregnated a young girl who then was to give birth to God in human form. Scholars call this part of “The humiliation of Christ”. The eternal one, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the great I AM, so lowered himself and allowed himself to go through the human birthing process, putting on human flesh and becoming one of us. This is crazy!

#2- Signs, Wonders, and Miracles

“God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Let’s just go back to before time began. Scholars call this “Eternity Past”. However that looked and whatever was happening within the Trinity, when they were thinking about creation and thinking about what was going to happen, they could have set up things anyway they wanted. They could have designed things to go any number of ways, they could have set things up where the Incarnation not be the way it was. What’s crazy is that God was not and is not passive in his dealings, but rather active. He was active in the Incarnation and fully embraced this idea and reality before time began. I mean that is Extravagant Love. A God, a Saviour who would come in human form, bound with all the limitations, temptations, difficulties, issues, that humans face and not only come but CHOOSE to come. HE choose the method, HE choose the “humiliating” aspects of it. I simply call that Extravagant Love.

This another way that puzzles, confuses me but in a different way. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. When Jesus was about 30 years, he began his public ministry. In , Luke records Jesus, right after he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, goes to Nazareth and enters the Synagogue. Then in 4:17, Luke records that Jesus stood up, grabbed the scroll of Isaiah, opened it up to and began reading, (Luke records here from the Sept. )

“God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Let’s just go back to before time began. Scholars call this “Eternity Past”. However that looked and whatever was happening within the Trinity, when they were thinking about creation and thinking about what was going to happen, they could have set up things anyway they wanted. They could have designed things to go any number of ways, they could have set things up where the Incarnation not be the way it was. What’s crazy is that God was not and is not passive in his dealings, but rather active. He was active in the Incarnation and fully embraced this idea and reality before time began. I mean that is Extravagant Love. A God, a Saviour who would come in human form, bound with all the limitations, temptations, difficulties, issues, that humans face and not only come but CHOOSE to come. HE choose the method, HE choose the “humiliating” aspects of it. I simply call that Extravagant Love.

#2- Signs, Wonders, and Miracles

Then the second way “God has shown us that he loves us” is through…

, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, on account of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal those who are crushed in heart, to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,”

Jesus reads, then drops the mic and walks away. Question: How many ‘poor people’ did he have to preach too; how many healings of the heart did he have to do; how many captives did he have to release; how many blind eyes did Jesus have to open for this verse to be fulfilled? Jesus is saying to everyone at the Synagogue that this verse is about him and this was written hundreds before Jesus ever came on the scene. How many of these things did Jesus have to do to fulfill this verse? What was the divine quota? . “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Would one of each been enough?

#2- Sinless Life of Jesus

This another way that puzzles, confuses me but in a different way. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. When Jesus was about 30 years, he began his public ministry. In , Luke records Jesus, right after he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, goes to Nazareth and enters the Synagogue. Then in 4:17, Luke records that Jesus stood up, grabbed the scroll of Isaiah, opened it up to and began reading, (Luke records here from the Sept. )

In , “John specifies the purpose for which he wrote his gospel and I would even suggest that same is true for other three gospels (Matt., Mark, and Luke). John writes,

, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, on account of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal those who are crushed in heart, to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,”

, “To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (22) He committed NO SIN, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

Jesus reads, then drops the mic and walks away. Question: How many ‘poor people’ did he have to preach too; how many healings of the heart did he have to do; how many captives did he have to release; how many blind eyes did Jesus have to open for this verse to be fulfilled? Jesus is saying to everyone at the Synagogue that this verse is about him and this was written hundreds before Jesus ever came on the scene. How many of these things did Jesus have to do to fulfill this verse? What was the divine quota? . “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Would one of each been enough?

, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet WITHOUT SIN.”

John 30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31) But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have lifer in his name.”

How does the sinless life of Jesus demonstrate or prove that God loves us? Well, you see the reality is that Jesus lived the life that we could never live. God’s standard is perfection. If we go back to the garden of Eden, God’s standard was that Adam and Eve obey his instructions. God’s standard throughout the entire O.T. was that Israel obey God’s instructions, and then into the N.T. God’s standard is that the Church obey his instructions. Not only obey, but obey them perfectly. But the problem was that nobody could do it. Humanity was incapable of perfectly fulfilling God’s instructions.

In , “John specifies the purpose for which he wrote his gospel and I would even suggest that same is true for other three gospels (Matt., Mark, and Luke). John writes,

In John’s gospel, he records 7 signs or miracles. So I guess if you were to ask John, the answer to what was the divine quota that Jesus had to meet, he would have possible said 7. John states that Jesus did more than he recorded, and we can see that the other gospels recorded more miracles, but to John, these 7 should be enough.

But John just messes me up all the more. John states his purpose for writing his gospel in chapter 20- that everyone would believe that Jesus is who he says he is, then in chapter 21 (the last chapter) John records the story of how Jesus restores Peter and its this beautiful moment, then John records this funny dialogue between Jesus, Peter, and himself, and then the very last, verse 25, for apparent reason, John randomly ends with,

John 30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31) But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have lifer in his name.”

Jesus comes onto the scene and he lives his entire life perfectly obeying the instructions of God. To me, this is so crazy that Jesus never sinned ONCE! He never, not ONE time entertained a sinful thought, never acted out with an improper motive or attitude, never acted out in selfishness, never lied, etc.. the list could go on forever! Let the reality of that sink in. He never sinned!

In John’s gospel, he records 7 signs or miracles. So I guess if you were to ask John, the answer to what was the divine quota that Jesus had to meet, he would have possible said 7. John states that Jesus did more than he recorded, and we can see that the other gospels recorded more miracles, but to John, these 7 should be enough.

, “ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”.

And then what he does is on the cross (we will go into this more in detail in a few minutes) he gives us his perfection and takes our sin. In other words, he imputes to us his perfect life of full obedience and takes our sinful life. Now, in Christ, it’s as if we have not ever sinned. The biblical word for this is “Righteousness”. We now have right standing with God. This could only happen through the perfect, through the sinless life of Jesus. If Jesus sins one time, then all is lost! Even ONE sin is to many when dealing with a perfect and Holy God. This is what Jesus did for you and for me.

This verse is so random that it puzzles many theologians and scholars because it doesn’t fit. Some believe that it was put in later by an editor. There is some debate and confusion. Why say this? More than that, why the Spirit inspire the writer to write this? Back in 20:30, John already stated that Jesus did more things then was recorded.

But John just messes me up all the more. John states his purpose for writing his gospel in chapter 20:30- that everyone would believe that Jesus is who he says he is, then in chapter 21 (the last chapter) John records the story of how Jesus restores Peter and its this beautiful moment, then John records this funny dialogue between Jesus, Peter, and himself, and then the very last, verse 25, for no apparent reason, John randomly ends with,

“God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. He came and lived a perfect life because we couldn’t and then imputed to us his righteousness! That is Extravagant Love!

Again, you could spend a lifetime on each of these aspects of Christs life and I encourage you in your own time to take these and meditate on each one!

To me this is so dramatic! It doesn’t change anything? There were still thousands of people who didn’t believe, despite Jesus doing all of these thing. It’s not like Jesus had to do all of them so ALL would believe. That didn’t happen. He was murdered by these very same people. Why bring it up??

, “ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”.

#3- Signs, Wonders, and Miracles

This verse is so random that it puzzles many theologians and scholars because it doesn’t fit. Some believe that it was put in later by an editor. There is some debate and confusion. Why say this? More than that, why does the Spirit inspire the writer to write this? Back in 20:30, John already stated that Jesus did more things then was recorded.

We all know the story of the feeding of the 5000, but the story of the 4000 gets less press in Church. There is something about this story that confuses me just like Johns inclusion of the 25.

Let me quickly explain… This crowd of people had followed Jesus out in the middle of nowhere and for three days they listened to him teach and perform signs and wonders. But since it had been three, Jesus was concerned because they hadn’t eaten and once he dismisses the crowd, he feared that they wouldn’t make it back to their homes. So just like in the story of the 5000+, the disciples don’t know how these people are gonna be fed. The disciples realized they had few small fish and bread and Jesus did his thing again. The disciples are handing out the food and everyone eats and eats til they are stuffed! The miracle is done! Jesus multiplies a little bit of food to feed 4000 people! Its amazing! It’s a wonder and a sign!

This another way that puzzles, confuses me but in a different way. “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. When Jesus was about 30 years, he began his public ministry. In , Luke records Jesus, right after he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, goes to Nazareth and enters the Synagogue. Then in 4:17, Luke records that Jesus stood up, grabbed the scroll of Isaiah, opened it up to and began reading, (Luke records here from the Sept. )

Think with me.. Jesus didn’t have to do anything, but he did.. Therefore, he could have done 1 miracle, or did one sermon, or did one of each kind of healing. But instead Jesus does more things then could ever be recorded.. In other words, the nukber is incalculable! WHY say that? It’s not like we have any record of them. We don’t know what they were. According to John, 7 miracles were enough and then we have some more contained in the other gospels. I think there is something like 35 total miracles recorded in the 4 gospels. Why mention it at all. Not only that, but look at the language, look at the hyperbole that is being used. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”.

To me this is so dramatic! It doesn’t change anything? There were still thousands of people who didn’t believe, despite Jesus doing all of these thing. It’s not like Jesus had to do all of them so ALL would believe. That didn’t happen. He was murdered by these very same people. Why bring it up??

, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, on account of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal those who are crushed in heart, to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,”

Then Jesus asks the disciples to go and pick up and gather the leftovers. This is the part that gets me. The disciples go and gather the leftovers and they end up with 7 basketfuls. These are not little wicker basket, but some scholars state that they could have been big enough to fit an average size human. Think big basket. They had 7 of these full! Why mention this detail? Its not like it makes the miracle that much more amazing! IT’s not like we read are like, “well 4000 people is alright, but the fact that there was more leftover, now its amazing!” That’s not what we do! Why mention this detail? Furthermore, why have leftovers? If I was Jesus, the miracle would have been just as amazing as if as I was multiplying the food, the food runs out once the last person was fed. That would have been just as awesome!

Jesus reads, then drops the mic and walks away. Question: How many ‘poor people’ did he have to preach too; how many healings of the heart did he have to do; how many captives did he have to release; how many blind eyes did Jesus have to open for this verse to be fulfilled? Jesus is saying to everyone at the Synagogue that this verse is about him and this was written hundreds before Jesus ever came on the scene. How many of these things did Jesus have to do to fulfill this verse? What was the divine quota? . “God didn’t have to do anything, but he did”. Would one of each been enough?

Why does the Spirit lead John to write verse 25 of chapter 21, and why does Jesus create leftovers, I want to suggest that its because of his Extravagant Love. God didn’t have to anything, but he did. We serve a God that goes way beyond what he had to do. His love for us is excessive, its limitless, its extravagant. Look at all of the miracles and things that are recorded. Jesus did so much more than he had to- so much that the world could not contain all the books that would need to be written. I feel like these details that we see, point us to the reality that, God is so much more amazing then we could imagine.

We all know the story of the feeding of the 5000, but the story of the feeding of the 4000 gets less press in Church. There is something about this story that confuses me just like Johns inclusion of verse 25 in chapter 21.

Let me quickly explain… We see this story in . This crowd of people had followed Jesus out in the middle of nowhere and for three days they listened to him teach and perform signs and wonders. But since it had been three, Jesus was concerned because they hadn’t eaten and once he dismisses the crowd, he feared that they wouldn’t make it back to their homes. So just like in the story of the 5000+, the disciples don’t know how these people are gonna be fed. The disciples realized they had few small fish and bread and Jesus did his thing again. The disciples are handing out the food and everyone eats and eats til they are stuffed! The miracle is done! Jesus multiplies a little bit of food to feed 4000 people! Its amazing! It’s a wonder and a sign!

The Incarnation, the signs, wonders, and miracles really are not “small gifts”. But in comparison to “Big Gift”, and third way that God has shown us that he loves us, the “big gift” is

In , “John specifies the purpose for which he wrote his gospel and I would even suggest that same is true for other three gospels (Matt., Mark, and Luke). John writes,

#3- The Cross and Resurrection

John 30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31) But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have lifer in his name.”

Then Jesus asks the disciples to go and pick up and gather the leftovers. This is the part that gets me. The disciples go and gather the leftovers and they end up with 7 basketfuls. These are not little wicker basket, but some scholars state that they could have been big enough to fit an average size human. Think big basket. They had 7 of these full! Why mention this detail? Its not like it makes the miracle that much more amazing! IT’s not like we read are like, “well 4000 people is alright, but the fact that there was more leftover, now its amazing!” That’s not what we do! Why mention this detail? Furthermore, why have leftovers? If I was Jesus, the miracle would have been just as amazing as if as I was multiplying the food, the food runs out once the last person was fed. That would have been just as awesome!

In John’s gospel, he records 7 signs or miracles. So I guess if you were to ask John, the answer to what was the divine quota that Jesus had to meet, he would have possible said 7. John states that Jesus did more than he recorded, and we can see that the other gospels recorded more miracles, but to John, these 7 should be enough.

Why does the Spirit lead John to write verse 25 of chapter 21, and why does Jesus create leftovers, I want to suggest that its because of his Extravagant Love. God didn’t have to anything, but he did. We serve a God that goes way beyond what he had to do. His love for us is excessive, its limitless, its extravagant. Look at all of the miracles and things that are recorded. Jesus did so much more than he had to- so much that the world could not contain all the books that would need to be written. I feel like these details that we see, point us to the reality that, God’s love is so much more amazing and real and deep then we could imagine.

- “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”.

The Incarnation, the signs, wonders, and miracles really are not “small gifts”. But in comparison to “Big Gift”, and third way that God has shown us that he loves us, the “big gift” is

- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

But John just messes me up all the more. John states his purpose for writing his gospel in chapter 20:30- that everyone would believe that Jesus is who he says he is, then in chapter 21 (the last chapter) John records the story of how Jesus restores Peter and its this beautiful moment, then John records this funny dialogue between Jesus, Peter, and himself, and then the very last, verse 25, for no apparent reason, John randomly ends with,

, “ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”.

#3- The Cross and Resurrection

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

This verse is so random that it puzzles many theologians and scholars because it doesn’t fit. Some believe that it was put in later by an editor. There is some debate and confusion. Why say this? More than that, why does the Spirit inspire the writer to write this? Back in 20:30, John already stated that Jesus did more things then was recorded.

God could have just set things up before time where he didn’t have to die, where he didn’t have to suffer, where he didn’t have to carry the sins of the world. Yet, he did. God choose to demonstrate his love for the world, that while we were at our worst, that while we were sinners, while we were in a sense hating God, it was then, that Jesus willingly came and took our sin upon himself, and died in our place. See, you cant have Christmas without Easter. Without Easter, without the death and resurrection of Christ, Christmas is just about unfulfilled promises.

- “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”.

Think with me.. Jesus didn’t have to do anything, but he did.. Therefore, he could have done 1 miracle, or did one sermon, or did one of each kind of healing. But instead Jesus does more things then could ever be recorded.. In other words, the number is incalculable! WHY say that? It’s not like we have any record of them. We don’t know what they were. According to John, 7 miracles were enough and then we have some more contained in the other gospels. I think there is something like 35 total miracles recorded in the 4 gospels. Why mention it at all. Not only that, but look at the language, look at the hyperbole that is being used. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”.

- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

Jesus death on the cross is infinitely priceless. If Jesus never preached one sermon, never opened one deaf ear, never opened one blind eye, never raised anyone from the dead, if the Holy Spirit never inspired any O.T. prophet to write any prophecies about Jesus doing anything miraculous, and instead, Jesus just came and died, that would have been infinitely enough!

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

To me this is so dramatic! It doesn’t change anything? There were still thousands of people who didn’t believe, despite Jesus doing all of these thing. It’s not like Jesus had to do all of them so ALL would believe. That didn’t happen. He was murdered by these very same people. Why bring it up??

This is where we here in the West, where we can pretty much buy what we want, do what we want, go where we want, have what we want, need to grasp the reality that Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only thing that matters and its priceless and even if we may never get the dream car, or dream house, or dream job, or get married, things that are good, but in comparison to our salvation, in comparison to knowing God, as the Apostle Paul wrote, when he was listing all of his credentials, it is all rubbish.

God didn’t have to anything, but he did. He didn’t have to do anything, yet he came and died in our place. God SO loved the world that he gave what was most precious to him; and Jesus being our Saviour and Rescuer, willingly came to give his life as a ransom for the world- for you and for me.

We all know the story of the feeding of the 5000, but the story of the feeding of the 4000 gets less press in Church. There is something about this story that confuses me just like Johns inclusion of verse 25 in chapter 21.

God could have just set things up before time where he didn’t have to die, where he didn’t have to suffer, where he didn’t have to carry the sins of the world. Yet, he did. God choose to demonstrate his love for the world, that while we were at our worst, that while we were sinners, while we were in a sense hating God, it was then, that Jesus willingly came and took our sin upon himself, and died in our place. See, you cant have Christmas without Easter. Without Easter, without the death and resurrection of Christ, Christmas is just about unfulfilled promises.

Let me quickly explain… We see this story in . This crowd of people had followed Jesus out in the middle of nowhere and for three days they listened to him teach and perform signs and wonders. But since it had been three, Jesus was concerned because they hadn’t eaten and once he dismisses the crowd, he feared that they wouldn’t make it back to their homes. So just like in the story of the 5000+, the disciples don’t know how these people are gonna be fed. The disciples realized they had few small fish and bread and Jesus did his thing again. The disciples are handing out the food and everyone eats and eats til they are stuffed! The miracle is done! Jesus multiplies a little bit of food to feed 4000 people! Its amazing! It’s a wonder and a sign!

This is Extravagant Love. This is a love that is beyond words, beyond speech. This is a love that demonstrates, that validates, that brings the phrase “God loves you” to life. There is no greater example of love in all the earth, in all of history, then the love that God has shown us in the cross.

Jesus death on the cross is infinitely priceless. If Jesus never preached one sermon, never opened one deaf ear, never opened one blind eye, never raised anyone from the dead, if the Holy Spirit never inspired any O.T. prophet to write any prophecies about Jesus doing anything miraculous, and instead, Jesus just came and died, that would have been infinitely enough!

Then Jesus asks the disciples to go and pick up and gather the leftovers. This is the part that gets me. The disciples go and gather the leftovers and they end up with 7 basketfuls. These are not little wicker basket, but some scholars state that they could have been big enough to fit an average size human. Think big basket. They had 7 of these full! Why mention this detail? Its not like it makes the miracle that much more amazing! IT’s not like we read are like, “well 4000 people is alright, but the fact that there was more leftover, now its amazing!” That’s not what we do! Why mention this detail? Furthermore, why have leftovers? If I was Jesus, the miracle would have been just as amazing as if as I was multiplying the food, the food runs out once the last person was fed. That would have been just as awesome!

This is where we here in the West, where we can pretty much buy what we want, do what we want, go where we want, have what we want, need to grasp the reality that Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only thing that matters and its priceless and even if we may never get the dream car, or dream house, or dream job, or get married, things that are good, but in comparison to our salvation, in comparison to knowing God, as the Apostle Paul wrote, when he was listing all of his credentials, it is all rubbish.

The fact that God became Incarnate, put on human flesh is beyond my comprehension; the fact that Jesus did so many signs, wonders, and miracles than he ever had to do confounds me; the fact that he gave his life should show us beyond a shadow of a doubt how much God loves you and me. This is just looking at the life of Jesus on the earth, and not taking into account the rest of the Bible!

God didn’t have to anything, but he did. He didn’t have to do anything, yet he came and died in our place. God SO loved the world that he gave what was most precious to him; and Jesus being our Saviour and Rescuer, willingly came to give his life as a ransom for the world- for you and for me.

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

Why does the Spirit lead John to write verse 25 of chapter 21, and why does Jesus create leftovers, I want to suggest that its because of his Extravagant Love. God didn’t have to anything, but he did. We serve a God that goes way beyond what he had to do. His love for us is excessive, its limitless, its extravagant. Look at all of the miracles and things that are recorded. Jesus did so much more than he had to- so much that the world could not contain all the books that would need to be written. I feel like these details that we see, point us to the reality that, God’s love is so much more amazing and real and deep then we could imagine.

This is Extravagant Love. This is a love that is beyond words, beyond speech. This is a love that demonstrates, that validates, that brings the phrase “God loves you” to life. There is no greater example of love in all the earth, in all of history, then the love that God has shown us in the cross.

He did because of his Extravagant love.

The Incarnation, the signs, wonders, and miracles really are not “small gifts”. But in comparison to “Big Gift”, and third way that God has shown us that he loves us, the “big gift” is

#4- The Cross and Resurrection

- “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”.

The fact that God became Incarnate, put on human flesh is beyond my comprehension; the fact that Jesus did so many signs, wonders, and miracles than he ever had to do confounds me; the fact that he gave his life should show us beyond a shadow of a doubt how much God loves you and me. This is just looking at the life of Jesus on the earth, and not taking into account the rest of the Bible!

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

- “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 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

He did because of his Extravagant love.

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

- “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”.

God could have just set things up before time where he didn’t have to die, where he didn’t have to suffer, where he didn’t have to carry the sins of the world. Yet, he did. God choose to demonstrate his love for the world, that while we were at our worst, that while we were sinners, while we were in a sense hating God, it was then, that Jesus willingly came and took our sin upon himself, and died in our place. See, you cant have Christmas without Easter. Without Easter, without the death and resurrection of Christ, Christmas is just about unfulfilled promises.

Jesus death on the cross is infinitely priceless. If Jesus never preached one sermon, never opened one deaf ear, never opened one blind eye, never raised anyone from the dead, if the Holy Spirit never inspired any O.T. prophet to write any prophecies about Jesus doing anything miraculous, and instead, Jesus just came and died, that would have been infinitely enough!

This is where we here in the West, where we can pretty much buy what we want, do what we want, go where we want, have what we want, need to grasp the reality that Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only thing that matters and its priceless and even if we may never get the dream car, or dream house, or dream job, or get married, things that are good, but in comparison to our salvation, in comparison to knowing God, as the Apostle Paul wrote, when he was listing all of his credentials, it is all rubbish.

God didn’t have to anything, but he did. He didn’t have to do anything, yet he came and died in our place. God SO loved the world that he gave what was most precious to him; and Jesus being our Saviour and Rescuer, willingly came to give his life as a ransom for the world- for you and for me.

This is Extravagant Love. This is a love that is beyond words, beyond speech. This is a love that demonstrates, that validates, that brings the phrase “God loves you” to life. There is no greater example of love in all the earth, in all of history, then the love that God has shown us in the cross.

The fact that God became Incarnate, put on human flesh is beyond my comprehension; the fact that Jesus did so many signs, wonders, and miracles than he ever had to do confounds me; the fact that he gave his life should show us beyond a shadow of a doubt how much God loves you and me. This is just looking at the life of Jesus on the earth, and not taking into account the rest of the Bible!

God didn’t have to anything, but he did.

He did because of his Extravagant 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”.