Out Of This World: Salvation NOT Condemnation

I was in love with my wife Marianne from the first week that we met.  Here are a few excerpts from a journal that I began writing on the first day I met Marianne . . . Aug 9, 1997: wonderful week of camp.  Not necessarily what we did, but because of who I met . . . Marianne Elizabeth Stanton”.  Aug 18, 1997: “I walked into my apartment and saw my machine blinking I said out loud, ‘If only this could be Marianne’”.  Aug. 29, 1997: Marianne came to Atlanta tonight to see me . . . . and go to an Olympia football game. Every conversation we have gets better and better, she is so easy to talk to.” Sept 9, 1997: “I truly love her.  Never before has that thought entered my mind about a girl”.  Jan. 17, 1998: All my life I have waited for your direction and leading in my life, somehow I feel you have created us for each other, help me to love Marianne as you have loved me.”  May 2, 1998: Marianne and I are engaged to be married . . . sometime, we know not when.”

I have done a lot of things for Marianne over the years because of my love for her.  I have written letters, driven late at night to see her, cancelled plans with others to be with her, bought her an expensive ring, planned a scavenger hunt for our engagement, made a covenant to be married to her . . . all for the purpose of making sure that Marianne understands, without a shadow of a doubt, that I love her.  I want her to be in my life forever.  My demonstrations of love for Marianne are a faint shadow compared to God’s love for the world!

READ:  John 3:16-18

God demonstrated His love in order to SAVE the world, not CONDEMN the world!  To what extent did God demonstrate His love for the world?

God demonstrates His love for the world by GIVING His SON (John 3:16) – We love to measure everything . . . carbohydrates in food, miles to a destination, gigabytes of memory in a computer, but how do you measure love?  1 John 3:16 says that, “by THIS we KNOW love, that (Jesus) laid down His life for us”! According to God’s standard, love is measured by sacrifice.  We might be willing to sacrifice for someone who is kind and good to us, but God sacrificed His one and only Son for us in the midst our rebellion against Him.  God was willing to sacrifice His one and only Son for one very simple reason, because of His great love for us!

God demonstrates His love for the world so we will not PERISH (John 3:16) – I’m convinced that there have been times when I punished the wrong child for something another one did.  It’s one thing to be unjustly punished for something someone else did, but to willingly choose to receive that punishment is another.   I guarantee we will never here our son Caleb say, “Dad, you can spank me for what Zachary did wrong”.  And yet, that’s what Jesus did!  God’s justice demands that we “perish” for our sin (Gen. 2:16-17; Eph. 2:1-10).  Jesus perished in our place, He received the punishment we deserve on the cross, and satisfying God’s wrath so that we do not have to perish (John 3:36; 1 John 2:2, 4:10; Romans 5:8-9; 2 Pet 3:9)!

God demonstrates His of love for the world so that we will have ETERNAL LIFE (John 3:16) – How would you complete the following statement?  “I would like to experience a(n) __________ life!” Many would complete this statement by saying a “rewarding” life, a “fulfilling” life, a “peaceful” life, a “long” life . . . God knows that the greatest life we can experience is an eternal life, a life that is SO much bigger than anything we could experience on this earth.  God does not want for us to perish and be separated from Him for eternity.  He wants nothing less than to be in relationship with us and enjoy His presence forever.  We deserve to perish in our sin, but God gives us the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23)!

CONCLUSION

1 Timothy 1:15 says that, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners".  The whole reason Jesus came into the world was to save sinners like you and me.  God demonstrates His love for you and me by making the ultimate sacrifice of giving His Son so that we might be saved!  Our responsibility is simply to believe!

Out Of This World

What do you think of the world that we live in?  Would you describe the world as a place of peace and joy or a place of pain and trouble?  There are many moments of happiness, but they can seem few and far between compared with the difficulties and the struggles.  Natural disasters destroy homes and communities.  Children around the world are orphaned because of abuse or poverty.  Planes crash and kill innocent people.  People we care about get sick and die.  Whether a small disappointment or a big tragedy, the world can be a cruel and scary place filled with chaos and confusion.  These realities can cause us to want to get out of this world!

What is wrong with this world?  Is there any hope?  In the New Testament, the Greek word κοσμος, translated “world”, has a few meanings including, 1) the created UNIVERSE, and 2) HUMANITY.  God’s Word gives us some insight into what’s going on in our world and if there is any hope . . . 1) God CREATED the world and all things in it (Jn. 1:10; Acts 17:24; Heb. 1:2).  2) As a result of sin and the fall, the whole world, including humanity, is CORRUPT and SINFUL and under the POWER of Satan (2 Pt. 1:4; 1 Jn. 2:16, 1 Jn. 5:19).  3) God sent Jesus to SAVE the world from the penalty of sin and the power of Satan (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:8, 4:9).  Our world can be a complex and confusing place, but God has a plan to rescue the world He created and loves!

READ:  John 17:9-21

In this passage, literally moments before His betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, death resurrection, and ascension Jesus’ prays for believers that we remain IN the world, but not be OF the world (vs 11, 15)!  Jesus’ desire for those who would follow Him is clear, that we stay in the world and continue the eternal mission that He came to the world to begin.  In order to fulfill this mission, Jesus prays for us while we are in this world . . .

Jesus prays for PROTECTION from SATAN while we are in this world (John 17:11-12, 15) – The name Denny Christianson won’t mean anything to anyone else but it means protection to me.  Mr. C was my high school gym teacher.  While playing flag football I was unnecessarily shoved out of bounds by a classmate.  I reacted by turning around, walking toward him, and politely yelling, “what did you do that for?” to which he grazed my neck with a punch.  I had no intention of getting in a fight, so I was glad when Mr. C quickly stepped in and protected me from a worse attack.  The evil one is going to take his swings at us in an attempt to destroy us, but Jesus prays that God will “guard” us from his attacks.  Satan may land a few blows, but God will “keep” us from being harmed (Prov. 18:10).

Jesus prays for the PROVISION of JOY while we are in this world (Jn. 17:13) – Although the world is filled with discouragement and disappointment God provides a way for us to be “filled” with joy.  We are not filled with joy by a guarantee of favorable circumstances, good health, or prosperity, but rather by God’s presence in our lives. This is the joy that Jesus experienced in spite of the suffering He endured.  The Son of God was not provided a divine shield of protection from the difficulties in this world, and yet He experienced joy because of the intimacy of fellowship with His Father (John 15:11, 16:20-24; Heb. 12:2)!

Jesus prays for the PECULIARITY of SANCTIFICATION while we are in this world (Jn. 17:17) – I have a profound theory in life, . . . we are ALL weird.  There are people who I think are weird simply because they are different from me.  At the same time, there are those who think I am weird simply because I am different from them.  We are all weird to somebody, so get over it!  As a Christian, what makes us weird from the rest of the world is our sanctification.  God “sanctifies” us by setting us apart to live holy lives which conform with the truth of God’s Word.  Living a holy life in the world is a neon sign that says, “I am weird” (1Peter 1:14-16).

Jesus prays for our PURPOSE of being SENT while we are in this world (Jn. 17:18) – We have been sent by Jesus with the same purpose that Jesus was sent by His Father.  Why did God send Jesus?  John 3:17 says that, “God did NOT send His Son to the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be SAVED through Him.”  Our purpose is to continue spreading the message of belief in Jesus Christ for salvation!

CONCLUSION

Why does Jesus want us to be in the world?  According to John 17:21 God wants us to stay in this world, “so that the world may believe that (He) sent (Jesus)”!  In moments when we want to get out of this world, remember, Jesus has prayed for us, that we will have the protection, the provision, the peculiarity, and the purpose we need to stay!