Sermon
The Best Known Scripture of the Bible
August 19-20, 2000
Pastor Donald Sheley

Let's take our Bibles. Maybe you'd like just to take your notes because I have printed for your convenience the Scripture portion that we're going to talk about today, or at least, a couple of phrases from this vast reservoir of great spiritual truth. If you're new with us today, we have been for some months now studying the Gospel of John. We're really not in much of a hurry because we're just taking it almost word for word, phrase for phrase because it's a priceless, precious portion of God's word and we want to learn as much as we can. But we've come now, if you're going to use your pew Bible it's page 715 in the pew Bible. We've come to a verse that almost everyone here can quote by memory. "For God so loved the world, John 3:16, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish that have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Now in our notes I make the observation that verse 16 is one of the great treasures of the Bible. Probably it would be true to say that more has been written or said on this verse than any other in the entire Bible. One of the great men of just the past decade or two, a great godly man, he had an encyclopedic mind. He had one of the largest personal religious libraries of any human alive. His name was Wilbur M. Smith. Wilbur Smith wrote some great books, but he had this ability and this grasp of the history of Christian writing and theology. Dr. Smith says in one of his books that when he went through all of his resources he counted over 6,000 sermons in his resources on John 3:16. Possibly the most written loved verse by the vast multitude of Christians. And he makes the observation that most of the writers followed a similar outline, such as:
A GREAT LOVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . For God so loved the world, 
A GREAT GIFT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . That He gave His only begotten Son,
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. . . . .That Whoever believeth in Him 
A GREAT DELIVERANCE. . . . . Should not perish, 
A GREAT POSSESSION. . . . . . .But have everlasting life! 
Almost all would follow a similar pattern as they make an exposition of this passage.

Now it's also agreed that from time to time in this Gospel we have the meditations of the Evangelist. But it is difficult to know where these begin and end. Here's what I'm saying. Some of us have Bibles where the words of Jesus our printed in red. You may have one. But, there is a difference even in those because some publishers put the words of the third chapter of John verses 10 through 15 in red and 16 through 21 in black. Now my Bible has all of the verses in red, but there is this problem and I only bring it up because there is this difference in the printing by certain printers. Notice, back to our notes, in the first century there were no devices such as inverted commas to show the precise limits of quoted speech. The result is that we are always left to the probabilities, and we must work out for ourselves where a speech or a quotation ends. And in this passage it's obvious that Jesus begins to speak in verse 10. He's having His discussion with Nicodemus, and it's very obvious from the text that these are the words of Jesus. But John does not tell us where this speech ends. The dialogue form simply ceases, and most will agree that somewhere we pass into the reflections or the thoughts of the writer, John the Evangelist. Now perhaps the dividing point comes at the end of verse 15. The sentence which ends there has a reference to "the Son of man".

In this observation if we went through the Gospels in our Bible we would find that more frequently than any other title, Jesus uses the title "Son of man". Where did He get that title? He went back into Daniel's prophecy, chapter 7:14, and Daniel makes reference to the Son of man, and Jesus, to identify with that prophecy, many, many, many times refers to Himself as the Son of man. So in reading the text in John, when we come to the end of verse 15 that reference, that title is used by Christ. But, in verse 16 the death on the cross appears to be spoken of as past. For God so loved the world that He gave. And thus, it seems quite obvious that there is a change in tense, and even in style, and maybe as you have read the portion over and over again in your Bible reading, you'll notice that difference. You can understand where Jesus would, maybe, conclude His conversation in verse 15 and then John, himself, picks up his meditation on the death of Jesus Christ. It would seem that the evangelist as he records Jesus' words about His death, is led to some reflection on his own on the same subject. That death is God's gift to deliver men from perishing. If, after all, they do perish, it's because they prefer darkness to light. They bring it upon themselves. And thus, I only make the observation because there is a variation in the translations and in the printers. The truth is still the same - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Now just before verse 16, Christ had just made mention of His death, and had affirmed that the Cross was an imperative necessity; it was not "the Son of man SHALL be lifted up, "but "the Son of man MUST be lifted up." There was no other alternative. If the claims of God's throne were to be met, if the demands of justice were to be satisfied, if the sin was to be put away, it could only be by some sinless One being punished in the stead of those who should be saved. The righteousness of God required this: the Son MUST be lifted up. And we learned from a previous lesson that the lifting up identifies Christ as hanging on the cross.

Page 2, but there is more in the Cross of Christ than an exhibition of the righteousness of God; there is also the display of His wondrous love. And verse 16 takes us back to the very foundation of everything. The great sacrifice was provided by love. Christ was God's love gift to mankind. Now this at once refutes an error that once obtained in certain quarters, namely, that Christ died in order that God might be induced to pity and save men. Let's stop just for a minute. When you study the development of theology down through the centuries, you'll find that at certain courses of history that certain areas of theology becomes very muddled, and when you get into the Puritan writings you'll find that some taught that God - coming back, in order that God might be induced to pity and save sinners, Jesus had to die. But the very opposite is true. Christ died because God did love men, and was determined to save them that belief. The death of Christ was the supreme demonstration of God's love. It was impossible that there should be any discord among the Persons of the Godhead in reference to salvation. The will of the Godhead is, and necessarily must be, one.

You don't find Jesus appeasing God and inducing Him to save sinners, and so He died for that reason. He died because He loves us. The Atonement was not the cause, but the effect of God's love. In this, John writes, was manifest the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins". What other source could have proceeded the giving of Christ and the source of love? In the next statement I write, It is commonplace in our day to say that God loves men and women. But many who say this fail to recognize that we know this is so only because of Jesus Christ.

Question. How do we know that God loves us? Not because of creation certainly, for evidence of creation is ambiguous. There are tidal waves and hurricanes as well as gorgeous sunsets. You can't look at the creation as beautiful as it is and as magnificent, and prove beyond the doubt in many minds that it's an evidence of God's love. Because if your home is located in front of fires that are raging over in Montana, and you're standing there watching weather and the tragedies of life take all you have because of the dryness of the weather, you can't stand there and say this proves the love of God. In fact, you see some of the pictures of people standing in desperation and they simply are asking the question, where is God? Those whose homes have been swept by the tides of high water, and have them stand and say this is evidence of God's love. It's hard to say that. Creation doesn't prove exclusively, and sometimes not at all, the love of God. Well you say, then the love of God can be shown in the things that we have, name them? And as soon as you name them, they're gone. The love of God is not demonstrated because we've got good health, because you may go to the doctor tomorrow and he may tell you otherwise. The love of God is not demonstrated because you've got a dollar in the bank today, you may have nothing tomorrow. Here's my point, there's only one object, one event, that stands on the horizons of time and eternity that without question prove the love of God, and that's His cross. There it stands, and He says herein I demonstrated My love.

Back to our notes. Not because we value love, for not all of us do. Not because love is wonderful or grand or it makes the world go ground. We know that God loves us because He's given His Son to be crucified for us and thereby to bring us back into fellowship with Himself. Thus, if the love of God is one of God's greatest attributes, then the gift of Christ is most certainly His greatest gift. The love of God. There are many passages in the Bible that men who have stood in the pulpit, written great books, all of us as Christians select a passage which we call a life verse. Something that, a verse of God's word that at one moment in our life became so very real it stamped its truth indelible across our spirit and it's always there. So I went on a search and I found some very interesting things. Do you know that John Wesley once said that his favorite verse was Zechariah 3:2. And in the front of his Bible this is what he wrote: "Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" When Brother Wesley, the founder of Methodism, picked up his Bible each time he opened its cover he saw himself as that stick just waiting to be cast into hell, and God rescues him. Is not this man, he says, a burning stick snatched from the fire?

David Livingston was the great missionary to Africa. Dying in a little tent, written in the front of his Bible was his verse Matthew 28:20: "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John Newton, who wrote that beautiful hymn "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me", John had as his favorite verse Romans 5:20: "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."

Luther had Romans 1:17 as his life text: "The righteous will live by faith." And while writing those I thought to myself, if I were asked the question what would be my life's verse? What could I tell you that has been a verse that has really been a blessing to me? And I went back in my ancient past and I noticed in my Bible school days when the picture was taken they asked us to select a verse to put under our picture, and I selected one out of Proverbs 4 and it was this, The path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the end of a perfect day. Now that was nearly 50 years ago, and I was trying to figure out the other day of why my young mind would have selected that particular verse, the pathway of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto the end of a perfect day. But I reason this way, maybe it was that that verse said to me if I keep my eye focused on what is right, what is just, and what is godly my life will be a light that when I get to the end of the journey it will be much brighter than it was when I started the journey. I'm almost there. But, you know, the verse that I think has been the charge that has gripped my soul is, For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation - Romans 1:16. I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What's your verse? We all have different verses that have been strong motivations to us, but I think you'll agree with me that John 3:16 is a favorite of the vast multitudes.

Back to my notes. In the early 1960s, the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth was in this country for a series of lectures, and at one of the discussion groups someone in his audience asked this question: "Dr. Barth, What is the greatest thought that has ever passed through your mind?" Barth paused for quite a long time as he obviously thought about his answer. Then he raised his head and he said with grace and childlike simplicity: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." A brilliant mind, a great theologian, but he said the most profound truth that ever crossed his mind was that Jesus loves him. That's the theme of this verse. But after finishing these notes on Tuesday evening, I spent the rest of the week thinking - it's wonderful, it's a wonderful verse, and the theme the love of God is a marvelous theme, but there's also the God of love who said it. And if I understand and can love the God who said it, and know Him better, then that verse becomes much more powerful in my life. And I want to take just a moment to talk to you about the God of love, and we'll conclude our thoughts today briefly on the subject - the love of God.

Probably one of the great sermons ever preached on the theme the love of God was preached on Sunday morning, January 7, 1855. It was preached in a little church in downtown London England and the preacher was only 20 years of age. He's the new pastor, and his name, Charles Hayden Spurgeon. Now what is an amazing thing to me, he's only 20 years of age, listen to his sermon as he starts it. It has been said by someone that the proper study of mankind is man. I will not oppose the idea, but I believe that it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God, and the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father, the God who said, I love you so much I'll send My Son. That young preacher understood the heart of the matter that the greatest theme that can engage a human mind is a study of the greatness of God.

Massive volumes have been written about God and many speak of His attributes and there are many on His all-powerfulness, His omnipotence, and His omniscience, His all-knowing, but when I think about God that attribute that thrills me beyond measure is what is known as His immutability. What's that Pastor? Well when we say that God is immutable, we say that He never changes. Everything else changes, but God never changes. One of the great classics of our day J. I. Packer's book written entitled "Knowing God". J. I. Packer says I'll tell you six things about God that never changes. Number one, His life never changes. He's from eternity. He's the immortal God. He will always be. Before the mountains were born, or you were brought forth, the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, You're God. The God who said I love you is the God who has always been, and will always be. Secondly, the God who says I love you, His character never changes, as the Bible reveals Him so He is and He will always be. He is not any more perfect than He is today because He's perfect, never changes. Thirdly, God's truth does not change. Isaiah says the grass withers, the flowers fade, but God's word stands forever. The God who says I love you is a God whose word has never changed.

Fourthly, Dr. Packer says God's ways do not change, and this is something that really is thrilling to me. If you want to understand how God reacts just watch through the Scriptures the situation, the condition, the persons involved, and watch the way God reacts in each given situation and you'll find that it's always consistent. Love, patience, mercy, forgiveness, warning, and if the warning is not heeded, judgment. He's always consistent, never changes. Fifthly, God's purpose does not change. God never revises His judgment. He never needs to. His plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extend to all things past, present, and future so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unexpected developments to take Him by surprise. His purposes never change. What are they? To love us so much that He draws us into fellowship with Him. And lastly, God's Son doesn't change. Hebrews says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The God of love is the God who flung this world into space. The God who made everything. The God who loves from everlasting to everlasting. The God who never changes. The God whose truth never deviates. The God whose love is without limits. That's the God who said I love you.

In one of the services today I had three men who just got out of prison - criminals sitting right over here. And I watch those men as I said God loves you, and one started crying. After the service he walked up and said, Pastor, even an old criminal like me, God loves me, doesn't He? I said, yes He does. The God of love. Let's take a moment and talk about the love of God. Go with me to page 3 of your notes. I tell the story here of old D. L. Moody. D. L. Moody was a pastor of a great church in downtown Chicago. He built Chicago Memorial Church and Moody Bible Institute. And a great man of God, but in his early young years he went to England, and when he went to England he met this man by the name of Henry Moorhouse. Now Henry Moorhouse was a young man and Henry Moorhouse started preaching at the age of 16 and he preached till he was nearly 40, and he only had one text in all of his sermons - John 3:16. It never changes. So Moody didn't hear him preach but Moody said, you know Henry if you ever come to America, come to my church and I'll let you preach. Not thinking for a minute that he'd ever come, but he did and Moody got a telegram and the telegram says arriving in America, Moorhouse. So Moody said what am I going to do? Here I'm going to give up my pulpit to somebody I've never heard preach, and he said by the way I'm going to go away for a weeks meetings, and he said I'll be away and if things go wrong I won't be there to control it. He talked to his wife and he talked to the elders of the church, and he came to the conclusion I'm going to let this young Henry preach once. And so Moody went away for his journey and when he got back, I'm down at the middle of the page, it says, Moody was gone for a week. When he returned he said to his wife, "How did the young preacher do?" Oh, she said he's a better preacher than you. He's telling sinners that God loves them. You say why didn't Moody tell people, sinners, that God loves them? It's interesting, again, during that time in church history old Charles Finney, a great attorney from New York, at the age of 29 gave his life to Christ. He had a brilliant mind. The theologies of Charles Finney are tremendous reading material. And he was a very interesting man. He was brilliant. He thought as an attorney and he reasons this way, if I can help people thoroughly understand the decision they're going to make with regards to their faith, their faith is going to last. And thus, he would go into a community, rent the biggest auditorium and for five weeks normally he preached every night, never have an altar call, but he just laid out the gospel systematically - the truths of the Bible just like an attorney would. And when he finished at the end of five weeks he'd have his altar call and usually everybody in the auditorium became Christians in one night. And when he left town, he always left a strong church because he had built them on the word of God. It is said by his historians that Charles Finney was probably one of the greatest effective preachers, evangelists. Over 500,000 people came to know Jesus Christ through his ministry.

But even the greatest of men have quirks sometimes, and in his theology Finney would say that God hates sinners. Now he changed that, but Moody most likely had picked that up. And his wife said, he's a better preacher than you, I mean, you don't tell people that God loves sinners and he does. Well Moody then decided I better go hear. Did he only preach once? No, she said, he's preached all week. (Pastor laughs) She said you better go hear him. So Moody went and in his own story he tells that that was the night that his own life was changed and he understood the love of God from the little British preacher who had only one text - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That was the night Moody's theology changed.

In our notes I write, I think there is no other hymn which puts this truth, that is, the love of God, so beautifully than that which was written by Frederick M. Lehman. The final stanza was added to the song afterward, when it was found written on the wall of a room in his an asylum by a man who, before he died, had obviously come to know the immeasurable extent of God's love. In a recent presentation, maybe you were watching, George Beverly Shea, the singer for Billy Graham, 91 years of age, still sings, got a voice like an organ. They said, Mr. Shea, would you tell us what's the most beautiful hymn that you know? And he said beyond a doubt the most beautiful hymn ever written by man is "The Love of God". Now the fascinating thing about this song is that the second verse was found on the walls of an insane asylum. That's amazing. Listen to the words.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell, It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win: His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

Now visit the insane asylum and read the next verse.
Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made. [Think of it. Drain all the oceans dry and fill them with ink, and take all the atmospheres of the sky and turn them into parchment.] Were every stock on earth a quill [every blade of grass, every tree turned into a writing pen, something to write with] and every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

Do you see the picture He sees? An ocean that's filled with ink, stocks, every blade of grass writing the love of God. To do so, would empty the oceans and there wouldn't be enough parchment in the skies to complete the subject of the love of God. The God of love and the love of God, it's going to be our subject for the next number of weeks. It's going to be my prayer that God so magnifies this theme, the love of God, it'll change all of us in the weeks to come. Let's sing the song Son, The Love of God.

(Pastor Leighton leads the singing)

The love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell, It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win: His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure. How measureless and strong. It shall for evermore endure the saints' and angels' song.

Let me sing for you the second verse -

When years of time shall pass away and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men, who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call, God's love so sure shall still endure all measureless and strong: Redeeming grace to Adam's race the saints' and angels' song.

Join with me on the refrain O love of God, how rich and pure. How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure--the saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made; Were every stock on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

"O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure--the saints' and angels' song!
O love of God, how rich and pure. How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure--the saints' and angels' song.

(Pastor Leighton continues) 
And Lord we love to sing about Your love, Your grace, Your goodness for You are great and greatly to be praised. Thank you Lord for loving us so much for we know that You are most holy and infinite in every dimension, and we are so unholy and so small and finite. That You would love us and provide for us as You have just makes us stand in awe that we can come into Your presence, that our praise can actually move Your heart, that we can bring You joy. Thank you Lord for Your great, great love for us. We go forth from this place. We know that You've called us to proclaim the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God's love manifest in this world. Help us Lord to do so effectively. We pray in Jesus' name, and together we say, amen. God bless you.