John 3:16 - Jesus, the Greatest Gift

These pulpit notes are provided unedited and will thus contain some grammatical or typographical errors.

[SERMON INTRODUCTION]

Good morning, everyone, thank you for joining us this morning and Merry Christmas!

Some of you may have already exchanged gifts this morning. Others will be doing so after church. Giving and receiving gifts is a wonderful way to show care and affection, isn’t it? I wonder what you would consider are the things that make for a great gift? I mean, what are the gifts that you really appreciate? On the other hand, what are the gifts that you’d rather not receive?

• Have you ever received a gift that you felt was given out of obligation? You know the situation - the Christmas party at work, or maybe a gift-exchange with extended family. These are times when you may be given a gift, not because the giver was motivated by personal care for you, but because it was an obligation. I don’t know about you, but in such cases I’d rather the giver just keep the gift!
  
  
  • The best gifts are not given out of obligation, but love. The giver is motivated by genuine affection for you and takes joy in giving you a gift.
    
    
• Or, have you ever received a gift from someone that was so off-the-mark that it seemed as if the person who gave it knew absolutely nothing about you? Something you’d never use and would never have an interest in? I mean something that, if the giver knew anything about your personality or interests, they would know wasn’t for you?
  
  
  • The best gifts are given by someone who knows us well. Their gift reveals that they know us deeply. Or perhaps that they’ve listened to conversation or observed needs and made effort to get just the right gift. They know our interests, our personality, and maybe even our needs. The gift is meaningful because it shows us the giver knows us.
    
    
• Or, have you received a gift that seems to have cost the giver little or nothing? I’m not necessarily talking about money. It seems to have cost no time, and no effort? No sacrifice.
  
  
  • The best gifts are those that appear to have cost the giver something, aren’t they? It doesn’t have to be money. They’ve spent time, given thought, applied effort. These are the gifts that are meaningful.

The best gifts are given freely; thoughtfully; and sacrificially. The best gifts are the ones that show the giver knows you; values you; and is willing to sacrifice for you.

With that list in mind, it will not surprise you to learn that the best gift-giver is God himself.

Look at verse 16 of our passage:

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.

[SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION]

If you remember a few weeks ago we explored Jesus’ interaction with a leading teacher of the Jews named Nicodemus. Jesus challenged Nicodemus to see past his sense of self-righteousness; his man-made traditions; and his sense of ethnic entitlement in order to see his need for a salvation which comes through faith. He challenged Nicodemus to realize his need to be born again.

Jesus ended his exchange with Nicodemus by citing an incident that happened in the history of Israel and through it illustrated the fact that God has now provided a salvation from sin, which comes through faith. Look in verses 14-15 of John 3:

John 3:14-15   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

As a consequence of their sinful rebellion, the Israelites were struck with a plague of biting serpents. Instead of removing the serpents immediately, the Lord provided an interesting means by which they could be delivered from them. He had Moses put a bronze serpent upon a bronze pole and instructed that if anyone looked upon the raised-up serpent, they would live.

The Apostle John in commenting on Jesus’ exchange with Nicodemus then explains why Jesus cited this strange Old Testament story in talking with Nicodemus.

He says in verse 16:

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.

What’s the connection? Just as God loved his people back there in the wilderness, when they sinned against him, and needed deliverance from the consequence of their sin, so too God has now expressed just such a love for the entire world. An entire world which is suffering under the consequence of their sin and in need of a merciful salvation.

• Just as God provided a means of salvation from judgment for the Jews, he has now provided a means of salvation for all.
  
  
• Just as God’s provision of salvation for the Jews featured a serpent lifted high upon a pole, so his provision of salvation for all would see his Son lifted high upon a cross.
  
  
• Just as God provided salvation for the rebellious Jews through belief, or faith, so he has now provided a means of salvation for the whole world, which would come about via faith.

And notice in John 3;16 that God has expressed his love for the entire world by “giving.” He gave the gift of his only Son. And with that we begin to understand how it is that we can say that God himself is the GREATEST GIFT-GIVER.

Let’s take a few minutes to consider just how Jesus Christ is the greatest gift which could ever be given.

1. Jesus is a Gift motivated by love.

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.

It's interesting that the Apostle John in his letters will later tell us that as Christians we are not to “love the world” but here states explicitly that the giving of God’s greatest gift was motivated by his love for the world.

Of course when we are told not to the love the world, it means that we are not to love the societal system which is wholly given over to sin. We are not to love the world’s values, and philosophies and entertainments. We are not to go along with the world’s pride, and lust, covetousness and fleshly passions. This is entirely different than loving the world in the sense of loving humanity.

God loved the world in that he loved humanity. Mankind, even in his fallenness, is made in the image of God. Men and women, even in their sinful rebellion against him are precious souls. God looked upon the entire world with loving compassion and so sent his Son as a love-gift to atone for their sin.

If we are to be like our heavenly Father, we too ought to love the world in this sense. We ought to see men and women, Christian and non-Christian alike as precious souls. When we talk about the sanctity of life this entails more than a love for the unborn child in the womb, it entails all of life. If we are to be like our heavenly Father, we ought to have loving compassion upon the fallen world.

And this love is not just a spoken love, is it? The genuineness of God’s love is seen in that he gave. We can speak loving words, and say that we love all day long, but love is ultimately an action word, isn’t it? God loved, so he gave.

This is the type of love to which we are all called to show to others.

When Paul sent men to the church in Corinth to collect money which they had promised to send for the poor Jewish believers in Judea, he exhorted them this way:

2 Corinthians 8:24   So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.

“I’ve been telling other churches that you believers in Corinth have a love for your fellow believers. Prove it to be so! Prove your love!” And in this situation, the proof would be in their willingness to give financially to the poor.

When God gave his Son to the world, it was the greatest manifestation of divine love which could be extended. John says in his first letter:

1 John 4:9-10   In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

As God looked upon sinful humanity; his own creatures in rebellion against him; he saw us not only as sinful rebels, but as those who were suffering under sin. In his love he sent his Son. But, in what way was the sending of his Son an act of love toward sinners? Look at again at 1 John 4:10 – he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

In his love, God sent his Son to make an acceptable sacrifice in order to atone for our sin. In other words, in God’s love, he gave a gift perfectly suited to our needs.

That brings us to our next point.

[Jesus is a Gift motivated by Love]
2. Jesus is a Gift suited to our need.

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.

In God’s love, he gave us a gift perfectly suited to our need. He understood our need better than we did. He understands our needs, better than we do.

Because of our innate sinfulness, we are naturally estranged from God and lacking spiritual life. A man without God is a man destined to perish. So, as the greatest gift-giver, God provided exactly what we needed. He looked upon fallen humanity, destined to perish due to their sin and provided the gift of his Son in order to save us, and to give us eternal life.

Remarkably, he did this while we were entirely undeserving and unable to save ourselves.

Romans 5:6-8   ¶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--  8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What does a lost sinner need? Does he need a second chance? Does he need a hand-up? Does he need a motivational speech? What does a lost sinner need? As sinners we are hopelessly weak. We are even described as spiritually dead. What we need is not a leg-up, or a second-chance but a loving saviour who could atone for our sin and make a way that we can attain eternal life. What we needed was for this salvation to not be dependent upon our own worthiness or work. That is exactly what God provided for us when he gave his only Son and according to Romans 5:6 – God sent him at just the right time. God sent his Son while we were weak and unable to save ourselves – which is exactly when we needed him.

God didn’t provide a salvation by works, when we needed mercy. He didn’t send us a second chance when we needed grace. Instead, while we were hopelessly lost in our sin, he sent exactly what we needed – he sent a Saviour.

Could you imagine looking upon someone in desperate need of immediate help and instead of helping them, just giving them a lecture? Could you imagine watching a drowning man and instead of taking immediate action to help him, choosing instead of rebuke him for not following safety protocols? Could you imagine looking at someone suffering under the consequences of their own sin, and instead of sharing Jesus with them, condemning them?

Look in verse 17 and notice the extent to which God understood what we needed:

John 3:17   For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

When we were hopelessly lost in sin, rebelling against him, continually indulging our own sinful desires, to our own hurt, he did not send his Son to condemn us, but to save us. He didn’t beat us down with guilt, but sent the one who could cleanse our conscience.

• He didn’t lecture, he loved.
• He didn’t condemn, he had compassion.
• He didn’t guilt, he gave.

So then, did he overlook our sin? Not at all. Our sin is serious and must be judged. That is why God expressed his love by provided Jesus who could atone for our sin. Yes, he knew what we deserved – condemnation, but he also knew what we needed – salvation. As the greatest gift-giver, he sent his Son to die in our place, thus atoning for our sins and providing a salvation attained by grace through faith.

This was a gift which perfectly met our needs, and perfectly understood our limitations.

Paul picks this up again in his letter to Titus:

Titus 3:3-7   For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,  5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

In God’s love, he provided a means of salvation not dependent upon our works; not dependent upon our righteousness; but according to his mercy. In his mercy he shows compassion upon us who were captive to our sin.

This love is magnified when we consider that the suffering we experience in this life, due to our own sin, is self-inflicted. We suffer as a consequence of our own bitterness, hatred, jealousy and pride. We suffer as a consequence of giving into our own sinful lust, and passions. We suffer as a result of us resorting to sin in order to cope in this life. Yet, even though we suffer as a consequence of our own sinfulness, God shows us mercy. As he sees our suffering, he is moved to compassion and in that compassion has provided a means of salvation.

Again, it reminds us that our love for others will see us recognize them not only as sinners, but as sufferers. When we see others paying the price for their own sinful decisions, or actions, we will not get on our high-horse to judge or condemn, but will instead recognize that the fallen world is captive to sin and in need of a saviour.

John 3:17   For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

In that mercy and compassion he provided a gift which was perfectly suited to our need. A salvation not dependent upon our own works, or our own worthiness. Instead, a salvation freely offered by his grace.

So, as the greatest gift-giver, God gave us a gift, MOTIVATED BY LOVE, and PERFECTLY SUITED TO OUR NEED. Next, we see that he gave us this gift AT GREAT PERSONAL COST.

3. Jesus is a Gift offered at great cost.

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.

Jesus is the greatest gift which God could give us, because he is of the greatest value to the Father. In giving Jesus, God gave the greatest gift which could be given.

There is no love which surpasses the love which exists within the Trinity. The love between the Father, the Son and the Spirit is the very definition of love. This is why John himself could say simply, “God is Love” (1 John 4:8,16). The Father loves the Son with a perfect love, just as the Son loves the Father with a perfect love. Yet, the Father sent his Son to take on flesh, to live as a man, to be rejected by men, to die an excruciating death and to bear the sins of the world upon the cross. The Father looked upon the Son, whom he loved, and watched him suffer and die at the hands of sinful men, and for the sins of those very men.

On the cross, Jesus the Son cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This heart-rending cry would break the heart of any loving earthly Father. How much the more would it break the heart of the heavenly Father who loves so perfectly?

The Apostle Paul speaks to the indescribable cost paid by the Father in giving his Son for us in Romans 8. He says:

Romans 8:32   He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Do you get the logic? Since the Father didn’t spare giving his Son, but gave him up for us all, what else would he withhold from us? There is nothing, in all the universe, which could possibly surpass the worth of what the Father has already given us. His Son was the costliest gift which could be given. Nothing could ever surpass the Son as a gift.

Just a word here as we speak about the Father giving the Son. Does this mean that the Son did not give himself? No.

Galatians 1:3-5   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,  4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,  5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Son gave himself for our sins, according to the will of the Father.

So, after millennia of sin and rebel from his creatures, God himself provided the means to atone for, and free us from, our sin. He provided the means to save us, at great personal cost. Recognizing that we were hopelessly lost and unable to rectify our situation, God took the initiative and provided a salvation which could be attained, not by works or personal righteousness, but by faith. And he provided this perfect gift at great personal cost.

So, as the greatest gift-giver, God gave us a gift, MOTIVATED BY LOVE, and PERFECTLY SUITED TO OUR NEED and AT GREAT PERSONAL COST and lastly, he gave a gift PROVIDED FOR ALL.

3. Jesus is a Gift provided for all.

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 now we read that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” and we might think “so that means, the entire world has been saved” or “that means the entire world now has eternal life.” Well, no.

Jesus would have shocked Nicodemus by telling him that he, Jesus, must be crucified so that “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” Nicodemus would have been shocked for a few reasons:

• First, that Jesus is to be seen as the only source of eternal life.
• Second, that faith and not works is the means by which one attains eternal life.
• Third, that this eternal life through Jesus, by faith, is open to WHOEVER believes.

God has given a gift to the entire world so that anyone who believes in Jesus might escape death and receive eternal life. So that, although the gift is for the entire world, not the entire world is saved, is it? Only those who believe in Jesus.

To believe in Jesus is not merely to believe that he existed, or that he died on the cross. To believe in Jesus is to believe what God has testified about his Son. It is to believe that Jesus is the authoritative Lord; it is to believe that he is the only Saviour who has made an atoning sacrifice. This belief entails a complete trust in him as one’s personal saviour and Lord. It is this genuine belief that is then lived out in a life devoted to Jesus.

And according to Jesus, it is this sort of belief which results in eternal life. Spiritual life. Life given by the Spirit of God. Spiritual life which ushers us into fellowship with the Trinity itself. New, spiritual life which is a product of the Holy Spirit transforming us on the inside. And, according to Jesus, this LIFE is ETERNAL. An union with God, a spiritual transformation, a regeneration, which translates us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.

Through belief in Jesus, we are granted eternal life which means we need never fear death or perishing but instead understand that we are made new creatures, fit for a new creation.

Provision for this sort of salvation has been made for the entire world, through Jesus. But, only those who believe in him receive it.

CONCLUSION – Will everyone receive the gift which God has extended to the world?

No. Let’s read the rest of our passage:

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

Since the precious gift which the Father has given is his Son, sent to atone for our sins, to receive that gift is to first admit that we need that gift!

To trust Jesus as saviour is to admit that we are sinners and in need of a saviour. John likens this to someone coming into the light, understanding that the light not only illuminates, but exposes. Some will come to Jesus confessing their sin, readily admitting that they are lost sinners in need of a saviour. These men and women will value God’s gift as extremely precious. These will embrace Jesus as saviour and Lord and live their lives with a perpetual sense of indebtedness to God. These will recognize that Jesus is God’s gift of love; his gift perfectly suited to our needs; and a gift given at great personal cost. And these will receive eternal life. These who come to the light will clearly reveal that God has worked in their hearts and by his power, have come to Jesus.

On the other hand however, there are those who will not admit they are sinners. They will not recognize the severity of their sin, nor the depth of their need. Because these do not see the severity of their sin, or the depth of their need, they will not see the value in God’s gift to them. Jesus’ death upon the cross is not a precious gift, but entirely unnecessary.

These men and women will not come to Jesus for salvation because to do so is to be exposed as sinners in need of a saviour. These are those who are perfectly content in their sinful state and would rather avoid the light and remain in darkness. And so John says:

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 

Well, as we close, and go about our Christmas Day, let’s keep in mind that Christmas is not merely about a baby being born in a manger, but that that miraculous birth has incredible significance. When that child was born 2000 years ago, He was a gift given by the Father for you and for me. A gift given out of love, perfectly suited to our need and given at great personal cost.

Isaiah 9:6   For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…