Sunday Service

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father we come and I pray that you would make us in this moment. Keenly aware of your grace to us that we could even gather publicly many of us get to do this or we do this every single week where we get together. Would you just cause us to pause for a second and be stunned at the God of all creation? Would want us to gather into sing his Praises into Brady. What a what a privilege what a gift. As we come to your word that you and your kindness have preserve for us might you grant us a hunger for that. You let our souls know how famous they are to hear from our our King and our maker Our Father Our God and God would grant us in humility. This is a text. And kindness declaring your incredible love for us and yet we need humility. We need to bend our knees to believe the words that it says, so we have to do the work of the spirit you would Grant believed to to us in this room without exception. Above all things God we ask Jesus Christ as loud as he is celebrated in our songs our prayers. I know he is in this text. I pray he is in the sermon so that no one would leave this place more bird in the cage because it would have heard of the perfect work of Jesus Christ in an invitation to put their confidence in what Christ has done. We leave this place rejoice in Jesus name we pray. Amen. There's a lot of things we can say about God there's a lot of dense theology. There's a lot of of of deep teaching in the Bible. There's a lot of things it's just really hard to even understand but I actually think one of the things that's easiest to state is probably the hardest breakfast actually believe in its that God actually loves us. It's really easy to State. We're going to look at a verse today that that many people know whether they grew up in the church didn't grow up in the church would have been exposed to Christian. This is a verse that it's well-known and I think it captures a Doctrine and imposter of God that we can memorize and stay say and state but it's so difficult to actually believe if you're able would you please stand for the reading of God's word? Let's see if God's word and got Spirit can help us to believe this truth. John 3:16

for God so loved the world. That he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. So Shore why don't we read it together? For God so loved the world. He gave his all. Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal feel free to grab a seat.

It's clear. It's really clear. This is not a complicated verse in many ways for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life full of grace and kindness and love and comfort and yet we often struggle to apply it into our lives in deep and meaningful ways and in that struggle is not feel logical. Did the struggle is in biblical? We have the verses that declare the love of God this the struggle is not often in the songs. We sing or maybe even in some of the prayers that we we pray most of us in this room. If you have any exposure to Christianity or the Bible or not going to doubt that God loves us. But we often don't feel it. And we give you a couple of reasons why couple of obstacles that off and come in that where we disagree biblically. We don't disagree with it biblically for theologically, but may be functionally where we forget or we or we buzzed up that that God loves us the first I called conditional statement. God loves me if Until we have to sort of fill in the blank space where we say. God loves me if I clean my God loves me. If I obey the rules. God loves me if I'm cleaned up in that God loves me if I'm a good dad. God loves me if I'm a good father. God loves me if I'm a good employee. God loves me if I read my Bible and I've got loves me if I show up at church. God bless me. If I remember to bring my Alderwood Elementary School gift and wrapped it and put the sticker on it. So we knew who it was we have to unwrap it and wrap it right. The God loves me. deaf does Texas and say that? There's there's no F here. There's an invitation that we're going to get too. But it says for God so loved the world that he gave his only son now we also have the yeah but statement so we may not do the condition. We know God loves us. but God loves us but This is where we begin to forget. The reality of God. God loves me. But man I'm so I'm just such a disappointment to God loves me, but I don't really love him that much. God loves me, but I don't want no cancel an apathetic. God loves me. But I mean look what a what a fool. Loves me. But I know he doesn't love me as much as ways that we begin to block. The reality of the love of God. It is not difficult estate biblically. It just it is is often such a challenge to believe personally and one of the things I love about listen to kids talk about God as they often get it right where we get it wrong for the greatest things just to go to a five-year-old and hear what they think about God.

Fifth Harmony just don't doubt it I buy for kids. I've asked him this all the time. I remember asking my oldest son is the number of years ago and I was talking to benefit anybody feels about you with it without pausing uses. God loves me and he likes me. I just like this is this robust confidence in the love of God. I am the smart as I was leaving pretty early for my house. And Inn in my kids are still sleeping, but I wanted to ask my son Judson this question. So I went up to his bedroom and I woke him up I said, hey, sorry I said hey, hey buddy was God feel about you and he goes God loves me and he thinks I'm special and unique and I don't have to be perfect to be in his family. Can I go back to bed?

He doesn't struggle with it. He doesn't struggle with it yet. You didn't struggle with if you go play you probably don't struggle with it when you were five. 1516 20/20 I don't know. I don't know the moment for you. But often there's this point we're making that response becomes so much more difficult and loaded with all sorts of conditions in and yeah, but text like this is for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life Carl Barker of his theology Carl Bart was a very well-known Theologian who wrote a million plus words that have been published about Jesus and he was doing a speaking tour around the United States bunch of years ago and I didn't ask him in a Q&A session said, can you buy the millions of words that you've written about God? Can you summarize everything you've said in one family says? Yes, I can. Jesus loves me this. I know for the Bible tells me so profound Christian maturity is often not learning bigger Grandeur more more precise things about God. It's just leaning into this truth more that you are loved by God. This whole sermon is about that the the wind today. The wind from this taxes that you would leave knowing that you are so so loved by God and his love is so so good Christmas puts an end to this retelling in reminder of the coming of Jesus into our world Christmas present into at least two ways of thinking I don't matter and God doesn't care. For God so loved the world that he gave his son for God so loved you that he gave us some Christmas puts an end to I don't matter and God doesn't care. I love this this quote by aw Tozer. He says do you ever stop to think that God is going to be as pleased to have you with him and Heaven is you are to be there. He is a phenomenal. Hopefully we're very excited to be there hopefully, but I think he just kind of puts up with us to put up with us. Absolutely praise be to God he is merciful. He is patient. He is long suffering, but he also loves you. I was with a buddy last night who I'm just had his first child, then he's quite a bit older and never thought he'd have kids never thought I'd be married and we're sure dinner together and I asked him is Baby's about six months old and I said, what's it been like to be a dad and he's like, it's it's been everything to me like anything other than to hold my son. That's stunning for God so loved the world that he gave his son so that you can be Sons and Daughters for God so loved the world that you might not perish but you could be with him for life eternal.

God's love is so good of a human heart that trust that it is love. I can really know. Truly know your scene truly know you matter truly know someone cares to really know someone is committed to really know. Someone is engaged to really know someone giving and sacrificing to pursue you. How glorious the Splendor of the human heart to trust that it's loved but that moment is too rare. I think perfectly completely infinitely Love by a holy God. One that privilege is I get it and being a pastor as I get to perform a lot of wedding ceremonies and over the years. I've done hundreds of them now and I'm really cool things as I get to stand up front and I usually stand next to the groom and the bride's about ready to walk in the love watching The Grinch how the groom's going to watch the bride enter the room and there is just this look that happens in that moment. Is this this this this look of a faction in Pursuit and desire and longing and then you watch the bride walk in and she comes down you watch her eyes look up and connecting you just see this this is it almost feels holy just a sort of like unrivaled commitment towards this other person. I am and that's what I'll do is I'll think about what my experience was like when I was waiting for my wife Katie to come down the aisle and I'm standing here and I watch her come in the room and halfway up the Ila. She looks up and I see your eyes glance at me and I just started crying and we're like ugly cry like Snot bubble. Right, like like the like get it together. You're embarrassing yourself. And that's actually how our ceremony white if you could if you ask anyone what they'll remember I do and she's like, I don't know if I want to anymore. Shouldn't say that.

But in that moment, you know what it's like to be loved like that. You feel like it. The whole world to fall apart near okay anything for God so loved? The world that he gave his only son. God gave us Christmas for many reasons. One of the biggest is that we would know really know that we are so so loved who is it offered to? For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved and then here look good look with me at the texting and we will keep our eyes on text. Okay. So look at John 3:16. I want you help me finish this for God so loved The world now, it's really important when John so who wrote this I'm going to the traffic was Jesus when he wrote this we got understand how John uses the word world and scripture when he uses the word world. He's not talking about it mathematically is not talking about it in terms of Justin expanse. He's not talking about this is a numbers thing. He just loves the people of the world that is true. But actually when John uses World, he's using a very specific way when John uses the world he is not just talking about people in general is not even talking about people that are indifferent to God when John uses the word world it best decent people that are opposed to God. And typically how he needs it our rebellious to God. So let me read it without under safe for God so loved those who don't love him for God so loved those that are rebelling from him for God so loved sinners. But he gave his only son.

Why does that matter? Why does it matter for us to see that God loves when it's contrary to hammer opposed to him. There's a lot of ways that we can apply the idea of God loving a world that wasn't loving him and I'm bringing it up. Not not to make you feel bad in any way, but actually that we might begin to feel liberated. Why is that because once you know, you really know that the Christmas story is the story of God's love regardless of your performance regardless of your ability regardless of your Readiness regardless of your activity regardless of your pedigree, you begin to get liberated Christmas is not a story of God giving good things to good people. But God giving the best gift to naughty people always say like this Christmas. God loves the naughty list a man. Hey, man, that's good news for us and we can say it we can look at the text we can read it. But we actually haven't even have Christmas traditions the begin to 2 to ask you this and we have Christmas songs that I think reflect more of what are our beliefs are. That's the good things happen to good people bad things happen to bad people got only loves me. If I keep my stuff together, you know it different Traditions, you know, like Elf on the Shelf is 12288 at this house Santa like figures out if you're good or you're bad and what you're going to get based upon that's a good way of teaching our kids moralism for the gospel. So we have songs like this one. So this is a good one. Santa Claus is coming to town you like this one. You better watch out. You better not cry. I'm in a match and I'm tucking my son Judson into bed. You better watch out.

You better not cry. I'm telling you. I want to get wallpaper. Santa Claus Is Comin on Merry Christmas, he's making a list and check it out. Santa Claus is coming to town and then we get super creepy restraining order creepy. He sees you when you're sleeping.

Jetsons like I'm out. I'm converting I'm done. She knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good now, that's that's what God knows. I got you a God knows but that's but we don't have the punchline. So be good for goodness sake absolute the Bible calls us compels us invite us empowers us to the transformed lives. That's not how we get into this thing. And that's not the dominant note. The gospel strikes says God sees all that. He saw this year. He saw this week. He he sees not just what you do. He sees the good you fail to do he doesn't just he doesn't just see the the things that you featured publicly. He sees all the flaws you have yet?

Jesus I gave my son for you. I gave my son in the place of you. I'm not part of the Christmas story for God gave his son to come and live in obedient Flawless. Perfect life. What your cross we took our punch when he went to the too many rose from the dead in the Declaration that naughty people get to be brought into the kingdom of God not by their performance, but by The Obedience of Jesus Christ Alone a man.

It's absolutely stunning being good is good. But you do not need to be good to be loved Christmas tells us that for God so loved the world for God so loved those that didn't love in the Bible. It says we love why because he first loved us. He goes first he goes first. God's love is so so good. I'm just going to recite to you a couple of lines from a from a ham. I think it's funny when you begin to get captivated by this and we begin to move deeper more profoundly back to him. We are 5 years old and we just were stunned by the love of God. We may be going to say things like this is very poetic way of saying it 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 about down with care. God gave his son to win. Is Aaron child he reconciled and pardon from his son? We can't ever declared. We can never explain it. We can ever get ever Plumb the depths of it as love can get the vilest most rebellious purse and bring them in no longer his enemies but his sons and daughters and I miss him cuz I could we with ink the ocean fill and where the Skies of parchment made were every stalk on earth a quill and every man is described by train to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry nor could the scroll contain the home hold a stretch from Scott if that's what it says. It's the whole oceans full of don't think about it. Just think political and everyone is massively gifted in riding and declaring poetically the truce of God and the entire Heavens were a parchment paper. And every blade of grass with a riding utensil at least out there and we drained the ocean of ink riding out the love of God. We still would not come to the ends of him. His love, is that good? How do we know that? How do we how do we how do we know that he loves us with his texts that he gave his son. I mean, that's the logic of the text for God so loved the world so that the statement statement that he did something. I forgot so loved that he gave his son. When we look at that, you know, one of the ways that we can measure love is to look at what is given or done to show it. Sure thing about this in light of proposing to my wife. So 1998 is when I bought my wife's wedding ring or engagement ring at the time. I think minimum wage was $5.15. Do you know how many hours you have to work to buy a diamond ring when you make $5 an hour? I mean, I was like months and months and months of working so I could buy her this ring and every moment of it was not going to say I love you this much. I don't regret a single moment. And then what I love about these sorts of illustrations is actually the comparison how much more God How much more God they gave his how much more God how how deeply and profoundly must God love you in order to give his son for you of infinite value of infinite by it just screams and declares the love of God. This is the beyond measure love of God and one of the things this begins to do is that this is a reminder that says, it's his choice to love you. It's it's what he did it. It's it's it's his to say it's not your affection for him. It's not your work for him. It's not your obedience to him. It's not your pedigree from it's not your volunteer record for him. It just says for God so loved the world that he gave his son.

Produces in us a stability or it can God loves no matter what I love seeing the Cs Lewis's when he says he says though our feelings come and go God's love for us does not how do we know that you gave his son? They gave his son when we didn't want him. He gave his son. We were rebelling from him our feelings come and go but God's love does not it is sure in permanent and Lasting and eternal. the Incarnation the coming of Christ proves this God wanted to make his love Noble in realtor. So he sent Jesus to declare his love in the order of it. What what came first God's love for Christmas. What do you think? Look at the text? What do you think? Just keep get give me a quick little nut. You were going to a group participation what God so loved that. He did something that he did something why this is important why I think this is helpful probably in a variety of ways as we begin to do this. Okay. I know God loves me.

That God loves me, but it's just because of Jesus. Okay. God loves me. But really he just puts up with me. Okay. God loves me, but he's really tired of me. Okay. God loves me and we begin to be in to mess up and what we're doing is messing up the order God loved and so he gave his son for us.

Christmas emergency, this Christmas is the Declaration of God's love not just the reason for it. Ted Cruz referred to as for God so loved the world that he gave his only look with me at the text. You can help me out with this one again. Okay for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that what's next word. Whoever is not a good word. Boy, that's a good word. That's a good word. They remember this is prior to believe this is prior to this is for anyone in this room regardless of what they presently belief. This is for every single person sitting here. This is for the person next to you. This is for the person in front of you and behind you. This is the person who votes Democrat is the person who wrote Republican is the person that likes the music you like doesn't like the music you like. This is a person that looks like you this is for the person who doesn't look like you this is a person that grew up in your culture group in another culture the person who like spicy food. This is a person that likes land for this person that drives a Ford this is like whoever whoever this is massive pervasive Global love the God is offering to whoever to every single person to every single person. Maybe we just hate this way anyone can get on this don't miss it. If you're in the shrimp anyone can get in on this and then we have how For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him. See the invitation at Christmas is God actually providing a gift for us that we simply receive. It means to believe I'm saying I'm going to trust that. I'm going to believe that I'm going to throw my life on that. I'm going to respond back with God giving up his son for me that he did it that Jesus came to live the life. I was meant to live and he died the death that I deserve any rose from the dead triumphantly. I'm going to believe in that you don't hear actions. Are you don't see work she did that stuff comes in other parts of a boy you here is an invitation to believe to anyone in this room. Wherever you come from, whatever Walk of Life. You have no matter what your history looks like to Simply believe this we add to that that this invitation to believe. Is it it what will we have to be careful as as it's not how much you believe that makes the difference is the one in whom you believe. It's the one in whom you believe so you're not to people we keep trying to like appropriate our Salvation. It's not how tenaciously you believe in God. It's how perfectly he loves. We can come with feeble week. up and down belief But it's because of God's love me answer this way. Like our belief is no match for the quality of God's love. Our belief or lack of belief or limited belief is no match for the quality of God's love one of my favorite person. The whole Bible is I believe help me in my unbelief. Christmas is an invitation to believe we want to believe I want to be fully but it's just an invitation with the most in perfect belief in the perfect. Love of God. It's the perfect love that saves is not our perfect believe our confidence and hope it's not how flawlessly we believe but how perfectly God's love for God so loved the world that he gave his son that whoever believes. And then we get the incredible result should not perish but have eternal life like we can read this verse so fast, we can even blow through the end so quickly that is a stunning. You should not perish but you have eternal life for life eternal. I'll give you this one way that this can work out and then I think it's pretty soon back in February Billy Graham passed away many maybe probably half marathon, even for now is one of the most well-known evangelist 480 years. He was an evangelist. Stata all over the body just it's just a stunning saying history. So he passed away and according to his word part on passing away. He he didn't die as interesting as he talked about the sea actually preached. This it during one Sherman. He said this he died because he believed the promise of this text. You would not perish but have eternal life. He says he says someday you will hear the Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it? I shall be more alive than I am now. I would just have to change my address. I would have gone to the presence of God. Beautiful that come from a heart of somebody says I'm not going to perish but have eternal life it takes enemy the thing that paralyzes and scares us so much and it squishes it. We Face death is a door not as the end because of text like this. This confidence is help to believe that we are so so loved and that doesn't stop ever it goes all the way into eternity by just reading the summary of this verse by Ted Hughes just takes each of the words and or phrases in packs of mountains great little descriptors and we'll put this up on the screen the greatest lover so loved the greatest degree of the world the greatest Rebels that he gave the greatest act his only son the greatest gift. Did whoever the greatest opportunity believes the greatest Simplicity in him the greatest attraction shall not perish the greatest promise, but the greatest difference have the greatest certainty eternal life the greatest possession.

Stunning stunning text father. Thank you for thank you for the truth. It reorients us to that. It takes us back to I pray without exception it in this room. You might Grant believe in the love. You've shown us in Christ Jesus. I ask that you would grant that to us. We know it is all about your mercy all by your kindness all by your grace that we might come to see Christ as he really is and who he really is God. Thank you for the text like this declares and screams and shouts that we are so so loved. Help us not grow up so much that we forget that help us not grow up so much with all of our choices and actions in the world makes us and all the things that come flooding and take us back to the Simplicity of the way of child believes. Maybe I should say it this way maybe the Purity or the accuracy and which a child believes that we are. So so love with this Christmas be a continual reminder the you so loved us that you sent your son Jesus Christ to be born to seek and save us. We give you all the glory in Jesus name we pray. Amen.