The Plan of Salvation - The Master's Master Plan

Introduction

Over the last couple weeks we have been working our way through a series I entitled “Back to the Basics.” And as I was meditating on this passage of scripture here in John Chapter 3 this week, God helped me to understand that this is probably the most important set of scripture in all the Bible when it comes to explaining just life in general and our need for salvation.

As I was studying this week, God broke it down to me like this...

Verses 1-8 give us The Purpose of Salvation

Verses 9-15 tell us of The Person of Salvation

Verse 16 gives us God’s Plan of Salvation

Verses 17-21 show us The Problem of Salvation

Now, don’t hear what I didn’t say there at the end. I didn’t say there was a problem “with” salvation but “of” salvation.

The problem of salvation is that it’s a free gift, given by a loving God but rejected by foolish men! And we will look more into this final subject next week.

Today though, I want us to look at the most famous, most quoted, most powerful verse in all the Bible. If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with me to the Book of John Chapter 3 and today we will be looking at only Verse 16.

A man by the name of Gaylord Kambarami, the General Secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe, tried to give a New Testament to a very belligerent man. The man insisted he would roll the pages and use them to make cigarettes.

Mr. Kambarami said, "I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it." The man agreed, and the two went their separate ways.

Fifteen years later, the two men met at a Methodist convention in Zimbabwe. The scripture-smoking pagan had found Christ and was now a full-time evangelist. He told the audience, "I smoked Matthew and I smoked Mark and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn't smoke anymore. My life was changed from that moment." — Mattoon’s Treasures

The scripture before us today has changed, is changing and will continue to change people’s lives until God puts an end to this road we call life.

The power behind this verse comes from what’s contained therein. No other verse in all the Bible in my opinion has as much packed into it! God’s master plan for man’s salvation is explained here in just 25 words!

And when you study it and break it down, when you soak it in and let it speak to your heart word by word, you won’t find a sweeter, more informative, more powerful, more life-changing verse in all of God’s word.

So, with no further adieu, let’s dig into the most famous verse in all the world and take a look at The Master’s Master Plan of Salvation.

From an Unending God, comes an Unending Love shed abroad to an Unending # of People!

For God so loved the world!

A. God-Unending, Everlasting, Unchanging, The Great I Am!

First off, we need to understand just exactly who the Master is behind this Master Plan.

Jeremiah 32:17 — Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Psalm 33:6 — By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Isaiah 40:25-26, 28 — 25 To whom- then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up your, eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Psalm 145:13 — Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

Revelation 22:13- I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Hebrews 13:8- Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

The God we serve this morning friend has no limits! And if the God we serve has no limits, then His love has no limits either! God’s love knows no boundaries which is brought to light in the next section here...

B. So Loved-“Agape”, Unending, Everlasting Love

The word “so” here is the Greek word (houtōs) and it helps us to understand the degree to which God loves us. It explains God’s love to us in 2 different ways.

First, the word means “in this manner or in this way.” It shows us how He loved us and what He was willing to give for us to understand that love.

Romans 5:8 — But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

2. Secondly, the word speaks of the intensity to which God loves us. It shows us to what extent God was willing to go to express His love to us.

Jeremiah 31:3a- The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love

1 John 4:8b- God is love.

And best part of understanding God’s love for us is this...when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, nothing can ever separate you from His love again!

Romans 8:38-39- 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

C. The World-Without End!

When the Bible says here, “For God so loved the “world”, it’s speaking of every race, every nationality, every creed and color under the sun! Red, yellow, black & white every single human being is precious in His sight, Amen! The Bible says in...

1 John 2:2- And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:14- And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Dear friend, when Jesus drew His last breath on Calvary it wasn’t for just the Jews. It wasn’t for just the gentiles. It wasn’t for just the white man and it wasn’t for just the black man! It was for every man!

Jesus died so that any man, no matter the color of his skin or what status of family he was born into, might come to know the one true God, Amen!

So the next time you get this idea in your head that you’re better than the person sitting next to you because of your skin color, or because of your raising, or your job title remember, Jesus died for them the same as He died for you!

For God so loved the world! It is an Unending love that originates from an Unending God shed abroad to an Unending number of people! Not only is it an Unending Love but it is also an Unconditional Love! Notice what comes next in our verse here!

Unconditional Love!

That he “gave”

Ephesians 2:8-9 — 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

· It’s Free

· You can’t do enough good works to earn it.

· And once you have it, you can’t sin enough to lose it.

· There is no contract you have to sign to get it, it’s without terms and conditions!

· Dear Friend, the price has already been paid on Calvary and the only thing you need do today is accept this Unconditional Love that God is offering!

If you are to be saved, it’s all you can do for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, Amen!

It is an Unending Love and an Unconditional Love and it’s also an Unconventional Love!

Unconventional Love!

His only begotten Son

A. He Gave his Son

God’s love was shed abroad in our hearts, not through just any old gift but the perfect gift!

a. 1 John 4:9-10 — 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

One day a young lady asked her boyfriend, "Do you love me?" He replied, "Yes dear I do." Then she said, "well would you die for me?" He replied, "No my dear, my love is an undying love." — Mattoon’s Treasures

But praise be to God, the love wherewith He loved us was a dying love! And the one who paid the price was His one and only Son, Jesus!

You see friend, the Bible says in...

1 John 3:18 — My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

And that’s exactly what God did! God’s love was not just shed abroad through His words but was shown forth in His actions! He gave His most prized possession, His one and only Son, to die for a world of sinners like you and I who despised and rejected Him!

On a cross at Calvary God gave the very best He had for us, don’t you think He deserves the same from us in return?

How many of us this morning are giving the very best that we have to Him?

Did you know that there are 25 words in John 3:16? Do you know what the middle word is? The word "Son" is right there smack dab in the middle of it all!

Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t believe in coincidence this morning friend. I believe in the divine sovereignty of God! And I believe the Holy Spirit moved upon John to write these very words in such a way that for all eternity we might know that Jesus was and is and is to always be at the center of everything for in God’s eyes everything centers around His Son. Everything in all of creation centers around Jesus the one and only Son of God!

Colossians 1:12-19 — 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

All of creation centers around the one and only Son of God, Jesus the Christ, and this is a great reminder to us that Jesus should be at the center of our lives too!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him...

It’s also an Unconventional Love in that anyone can obtain it!

That “whosoever” believeth in him

B. It’s for Anyone – Drunkards, Drug Addicts, Harlots, Thieves, Murderers, Rich & Poor

Romans 10:13- For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:14-15- 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

There’s no one so good that he need not be saved and no one so bad that he cannot be saved!

We are all “Whosoever’s” in need of God’s Unconventional Love, Amen!

Not only is it an Unending Love, an Unconditional Love and an Unconventional Love, but it’s also an Uncompromising Love.

Uncompromising Love

Should not perish, but have everlasting life

a. 2 Peter 3:9- The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

b. 1 Timothy 2:3-4- 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

If you will come to him, he promises that he will not cast you out!

c. John 6:37- All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

d. 1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God’s Love Never Fails!

Close

John Griffith grew up with one dream in his heart—a dream of travel. He wanted to travel to faraway places and see exotic sights. Those strange-sounding names of strange-sounding lands—that's what he dreamt about and read about. That was his whole consuming passion of life, but that dream crashed with the stock market in 1929.

The Great Depression settled like a funeral cloak upon the land. Oklahoma, his native state, was turned into a swirling dust bowl by the dry winds, and his dreams were swept away with the wind. So he packed up his wife, his tiny baby boy, and their few meager belongings in an old car and drove away to find greener pastures.

He thought he might have discovered those on the edge of the Mississippi, where he got a job caring for one of those great, huge railroad bridges that cross the mighty Mississippi. It was in 1937, Dennis Hensley tells us, when this true story took place.

For the first time, he brought his 8-year-old son, Greg Griffith, to work with him to see what Daddy did all day. The little boy was wide-eyed with excitement, and he clapped his hands with glee when the huge bridge went up at the beck and call of his mighty father. He watched with wonderment as the huge boats steamed down the Mississippi. Twelve o'clock came, and his father put up the bridge. There were no trains due for a good while, and they went out a couple of hundred feet on a catwalk out over the river to an observation deck. They sat down, opened their brown bag, and began to eat their lunch. His father told him about some of the strange, faraway lands that some of these ships were going to visit. This entranced the boy.

The time whirled by, and suddenly they were drawn instantly back to reality by the shrieking of a distant train whistle. John Griffith quickly looked at his watch. He saw that it was time for the 1:07, the Memphis Express, with 400 passengers, which would be rushing across that bridge in just a couple of minutes. He knew he had just enough time, so without panic but with alacrity he told his son to stay where he was.

He leaped to his feet, jumped to the catwalk, ran back, climbed the ladder to the control room, went in, put his hand on the huge lever that controlled the bridge, looked up and down the river to see if any boats were coming, as was his custom, and then looked down to see if there were any beneath the bridge.

Suddenly he saw a sight that froze his blood and caused his heart to leap into his throat. His boy! His son had tried to follow him to the control room and had fallen into the great, huge gear box that operated this massive bridge. His left leg was caught between the two main gears, and the father knew that as sure as the sun came up in the morning, if he pushed that lever his son would be ground in the midst of eight tons of whining, grinding steel.

His eyes filled with tears of panic. His mind whirled. What could he do? He saw a rope there in the control room. He could rush down the ladder and out the catwalk, tie off the rope, lower himself down, extricate his son, climb back up the rope, run back into the control room, and lower the bridge.

No sooner had he ran the scenario through his mind that he knew there wasn't time. He'd never make it, and there were 400 people on that train. Suddenly he heard the whistle again, this time startlingly closer. He could hear the clicking of the locomotive wheels on the track, and he could hear the rapid puffing of the train.

What could he do?! There were 400 people, but this was his son, his only son.

As bad as he hated the thought of it, He knew what had to happen, so he buried his head in his arm and he pushed the gear forward. The great bridge slowly lowered into place just as the express train roared across.

He lifted up his tear-smeared face and looked straight into the flashing windows of that train as they flashed by one after another. He saw men reading the afternoon paper, a conductor in uniform looking at a large vest-pocket watch, ladies sipping tea out of teacups, and little children pushing long spoons into plates of ice cream.

But no one looked in the control room. Nobody looked at his tears. Nobody looked down at that great gear box where his son had just lost his life so that they might live!

In heart-wrenching agony, he beat against the window of the control room, and said, "What's wrong with you people? Don't you care? I sacrificed my son for you. Don't any of you care?" But no one heard and nobody looked his way. Not a single soul heeded. Then the train disappeared across the river.

As heart wrenching of a story as this is, the truth is, this very thing happens every single day. God gave His Son in our place. He died an excruciating death for you and I, yet people are so caught up with their day to day activities that they miss the price that was paid on a cross at Calvary so that they might have eternal life.

Please don’t let that be you this morning friend. The Master’s Master Plan is for you to be gloriously saved through the shed blood of only begotten Son. And the way you get saved is by looking unto Him and believing upon Him with your whole heart.

No hoops, no gimmics, no tricks. Just simply believe that you are a sinner, lost and undone and in need of a Savior and that Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, died for you to take away your sin and become that Savior we speak of.

That’s all it takes. Just simply believing that Jesus died for you and putting your trust in His finished work on Calvary to give you eternal life.

Romans 3:10- As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:23- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 10:9- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

If God is dealing with you, Harden not your heart (Psalm 95:8) today friend for now is the accepted time and today is the day of salvation (2nd Cor. 6:2).

Why don’t you come during the invitation here in a second and put your trust in the Master’s Master Plan!