For God So Loved the World

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

Merry Christmas! When I was a child, Christmas was my favorite holiday. Why? Because of the presents (http://youtube.com/watch?v=pFlcqWQVVuU).  At Christmas, we love to give and receive presents. The average american will spend almost $900 this year on Christmas gifts, making Christmas the favorite holiday of not only children, but also of big retail stores like Wall Mart and Target. Today, however, I want to talk about a very special gift--a gift that is worth more than all of the billions of dollars that will be spent on Christmas this year. This is, of course, God's Christmas gift to you. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It is sometimes hard for us to understand how much God loves us, but today we have the chance to think about God's love as revealed in his Christmas gift to you and me.

First – The Greatest Gift

In today's passage, we can see how much God loves us when we realize that God's Christmas gift to you and me is the greatest gift that has ever been given. What makes a great gift? A great gift is the gift that you want and need the most. As a child, most of my Christmas gifts fell into two categories: on the one hand there were gifts that I wanted but didn't need, such as a video game; while on the other hand, there were gifts that I needed but didn't want, such as socks. Rarely did I ever get a gift that I both wanted and needed. What would the truly greatest gift look like? It would be the gift that you both want the most and need the most. This describes God's Christmas gift to you and me.  

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In the passage, we find a man named Nicodemus who seemed to have everything a man could want. He had achieved wealth, power, honor, and learning.  He is the kind of man who is the most difficult to by a Christmas present for because he already has everything. What more could he want? In the passage, however, we see that Nicodemus came to Jesus  secretly, at night. It seemed that he did want something and he believed that Jesus could give it to him. What did Nicodemus want? Jesus looked at Nicodemus and knew exactly why he was there. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 

Jesus understood that what Nicodemus really wanted was to see the kingdom of God. Despite all that Nicodemus had achieved in this world, he still wasn't satisfied because he still hadn't received what his heart and soul truly longed for—and that is God, himself. 

Like Nicodemus, what each person truly longs for and desires is to see the kingdom of God. To see the kingdom of God is to find true happiness. True happiness must have several features. First and foremost, it must bring joy to the deepest depths of our heart. Such joy cannot be found in this world. We may watch a funny movie and laugh a lot, but that joy only scratches the surface of our hearts. I think that the closest we come to that joy here on earth is when we get married and have children. But even this is not the joy that brings true happiness. Such joy is only found in God. When we see the kingdom of God, that joy fills our hearts.

Another characteristic of true happiness is that it is eternal. The characteristic of happiness in this world is that it is temporary. I learned this lesson very personally when I was a kid through one Christmas in particular. That Christmas, my family had a little more money than usual, so there were many, many presents under the Christmas tree. The days leading up to Christmas were unbearable for me—I couldn't wait until Christmas morning when I could open all of my presents and see what I got. Finally, the morning came; but I woke up too early and it was more torture waiting for my parents to wake up and to finally let us open our presents. When the moment finally came, I tore through my presents in about fifteen minutes. Then, after it was all over, I looked around and felt sad that Christmas was over so quickly and that I'd have to wait another full year to have Christmas joy again. I have often remembered this as an example of how the happiness that the world offers is temporary.  

What Nicodemus really wanted was the gift of eternal life in the kingdom of God. His soul longed for it. But no matter how hard he worked, and no matter how much he achieved in this world, he couldn't find what he was looking for. Each time he accomplished one more thing and reached one more goal, he experienced happiness...but his happiness soon disappeared and he became thirsty again to accomplish something else.  The same is true for each of us. No matter how hard we try to find true happiness in this world, we will always end up disappointed.  

But the kingdom of God brings true happiness because it is eternal. The key verse says that God gave us His Son so that we would have eternal life. When I think about what gift to give to my daughter, I try to think about what will really make her happy.  I try to think about what she really wants. Since she is only two years old, it's not too difficult—usually goldfish crackers works well. God, in his love for us, is the same. He wants to give us what we really want. Stop for a moment and think about what it is that you want most. What do you really want?  You may not know what is is you want, but God knows. He knows your heart and your deepest desire, and so his Christmas gift to you is the very thing your soul longs for most. This is how much God loves you—he gives you your heart's deepest desire: Jesus. 

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Yet the gift of God is not only the greatest gift because it is what we want the most, but it is also the gift that we need the most. What is the one thing that you and I need more than anything else? Life. Without your life, you haven't got anything. Look at the key verse again: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God's loves us so much that he gave us the gift that we needed most: life.

In order to appreciate God's gift of life through Jesus, we must understand why this is the thing we need the most. In the passage, Jesus told Nicodemus that what he needed was to be born again. Nicodemus found this hard to accept. How could he be born again now that he was old? In fact, why did he need to be born again? If anyone could claim to have lived a life worthy of the kingdom of God, it was Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, which means that he was an expert in the Scriptures and he followed them absolutely. He was also a leader among the people and lived an exemplary life. Yet the truth was that Nicodemus needed to be born again, too. All of his hard work and effort to live a righteous life could not erase the fundamental fact that he was a sinner. Unless Nicodemus came to Jesus and received a new life, he would perish in his sins. But praise God who loved Nicodemus, and you and I as well, so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Romans 6:23 confirms this message, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God's gift is the greatest gift because it is the gift we need the most: life. 

It is easy, however, for us to not appreciate how great this gift of eternal life through Jesus is. If you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior already, you might think that this is last year's Christmas gift and then forget all about it. But the gift of life through Jesus never grows old. As we live in this sinful world, we continue struggle with sin. Without the gift of eternal life in Jesus, we wouldn't stand a chance. We would perish the instant this gift was taken away. But God does not take this gift away; and Jesus saves us not only from our sins in the past, but he also is actively saving us from our sins day by day, moment by moment. Are you breathing right now? Is your heart beating? If so, then if you have received Jesus as your Savior, you are enjoying this salvation right now. 

Thus, God's Christmas gift to you and me is the greatest gift we could ever receive because it is the gift that we both want and need the most. God's gift is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, which means salvation from our sins and a life of true, eternal happiness. Why did God give us such a wonderful and precious gift? It is because he loves us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

Second – The Most Expensive Gift

After seeking how wonderful God's Christmas gift is, it seems obvious that everyone would receive this gift with joy.  Would you turn down a new car if someone gave it to you as a gift—along with free gas and insurance for life? No way. How much greater is God's Christmas gift than that! Yet, the amazing thing is that Nicodemus had difficulty accepting this gift. He said to Jesus, “How can this be?” Nicodemus' big problem was that even though God gave this amazing gift, Nicodemus wasn't sure if he wanted to take it. Nicodemus loved his life in this world because he was deceived into thinking that this world could give him something better than what God could give him. 

Nicodemus had fallen for Satan's lie. This lie is the same lie Satan told Even in the garden of Eden. He told Even that God was trying to keep her from enjoying the really good fruit. It was a lie, but Eve believed it and the consequence was separation from God. Eve fell for this lie, Nicodemus fell for it, and we also fall for it. Satan deceives us into believing that the things of this world, including success and pleasure, are what we truly want and need. When we give into these temptations, we turn away from the light of God and turn into the dark shadows where we hope our evil deeds will not be exposed for what they are. 

Nicodemus was in this condition. God was offering him the greatest gift—the gift that he really wanted and needed most—but Nicodemus was afraid to come into the light for fear that his evil deeds would be exposed and he would lose everything he had worked hard for in this world. It is sad to think that Nicodemus would perish in his sin because he was not willing to receive God's gift of eternal life through Jesus. Was there any hope for Nicodemus? Is there any hope for we who have been deceived by Satan and become lost  in the darkness of sin? Yes. Our hope is the love of God. Although God's love is revealed powerfully in the wonderful gift he has given us, God's love is fully revealed in all its power when we see how much God paid for that gift. 

What did God's Christmas gift to you cost? The key verse once more has the answer: “For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God paid the highest price that could be paid to give you his gift: it cost him the life of his One and Only Son. In order to save you and me from our sins and give us eternal life, God gave his Son, Jesus, to suffer and die on the cross for our sins. If you are a parent, you may be able to understand what this means a little better. Think of how you would feel to see your son or daughter beaten and humiliated and hung on a cross to die. Could you let that happen? Would you sacrifice your child for someone else? Yet this is what God did for us. This is how much God loves us. Although Nicodemus had been deceived by Satan, this most powerful revelation of God's love broke through the darkness of sin and led Nicodemus to repentance. I believe that Nicodemus saw Jesus' dead body on the cross, beaten and pierced for his sins, and finally God's love broke into his heart. Nicodemus repented of loving his life in this world more than God. He came out of the darkness and revealed himself as a disciple of Jesus by  helping Joseph of Arimathea to take Jesus' body off the cross and bury him in a tomb with perfume and spices. 

Have you been trapped by Satan's deception? Has your heart been darkened by sin so that you have forgotten about God's greatest gift of love? If so, look to Jesus on the cross. God gave him to suffer and die for your sins. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)  Jesus on the cross reveals God's love; it shows that God paid the highest price for the gift that he offers us today—the gift that we want and need most. It is amazing that God did not send his Son into the world to condemn us for our sins as we deserved, but instead to give us eternal life in the kingdom of God by placing the penalty of our sins on his Son. 

In Conclusion, in today's passage we see that God has given us the greatest Christmas present that has ever been, and ever will be, given. This gift is what our heart truly desires; this gift is what we need most; and this give was purchased at the highest price—all because of God's great love for your and me. The conclusion is a simple message: God loves you very much. The application is very simple: accept God's love; receive his gift. Don't stay in darkness anymore. Come into the light and let the love of God shine on you. 

One word: God so loved the world