The Giver of the Gift

Well take your Bible and turn back to John chapter 3 verse 16. We're really going to stay right here at the very beginning of the verse, verse 16, and then I'm going to go over some other verses. It's all tied together. It all comes from verse 16. It's all tied together. It's all about the same theme and the same teaching. Now we all know that the Christmas season is here and really Christmas is right upon us. I asked someone earlier before we got started in worship, I said, "Are y'all ready for Christmas?" Well the man of the house said yes, and the lady of the house said no.

That means that all the gifts have not been bought, but Christmas and the Christmas season is right here. Now I was reminded of that last Sunday. Most of you know that we rent our church facility, and a part of renting is that we share this facility because the owner also rents the building for weddings and certain other events. Well last Sunday morning I was up here rather early and I was putting some things back in order because we had vacated the sanctuary the Wednesday night before. And me trying to be a good servant, I tried, I put some of the fall decorations out here on the platform. I had seen them.

I knew where they went, so I put them out. Well I was rebuked quite thoroughly by my wife. Yes, she told me that I was putting out the wrong decorations. Well I kind of rebuked right back. I told her I was putting out the things that Angel had put up here on the platform around the pulpit. Now in saying that I might have violated all that we studied in our marriage study. I don't know. Maybe I need to go back over that. But my wife then proceeded to tell me that it was Christmas and Angel had decorations to put up here in the sanctuary that were about Christmas. So I repented and I got back in my lane. I did.

But jokes aside, we all know that Christmas and all the good things that we do at Christmas are right here upon us. Isn't that right? I'm excited. I look forward to all of that. But think about all that we do at Christmas. This is an incomplete list. Some of us travel this time of the year to see family. That's one thing that we do. We go see family. We'll go see my side and my wife's side and we'll make a couple of trips tomorrow. We enjoy that time. Some vacation at Christmas. I've never done that. But some of you do. Some of you go on a vacation at Christmas time. We all have certain traditions that we enjoy.

And you might not even notice that it's a tradition. Years ago I went to church with a gentleman and one of their traditions was this. He went out on his family property and he always cut down an old fashioned cedar tree for a Christmas tree. My grandfather did that. The house always smelled like a cedar tree. I asked him, I said, "Why do you go cut a Christmas tree like that?" He said, "Well, it's just a family tradition. We've always done that." But one thing that we all do, no matter what our Christmas looks like, we all give and receive gifts. Isn't that right? They might be large. They might be small. There might be many.

There might be few. But we all give and we all receive gifts. I remember as a kid many times I got those gifts that my dad had to put together. Usually it was some kind of a race car track or a remote control car that required batteries. And we never seem to have the batteries and there always seem to be a part missing. Now I was frustrated and my dad was frustrated for other reasons. Some of the best gifts I was given when I was growing up were given by my grandmother. She never spent more than 10 or 12 dollars. Never did. She always gave us something to do with hunting.

Being out on the farm, it was hunting socks or a hunting hat or some long johns or something like that. I would go back if I could and get another one of those 10 dollar gifts. But think back to the best gifts that you've gotten throughout the years, large or small. Think about that. But you know this Christmas I want us to think about a different gift. I want us to examine and I want us to ponder the greatest gift that has ever been given. And of course I'm speaking about the gift that God gave the world and that is, was His son Jesus. Now we read this verse earlier but I want us to read verse 16.

I want to read all of verse 16 but we're really only going to cover or divide, I should say it like that, the beginning of verse 16. The verse says, "We know it. For God so loved the world that He," that's God, "gave His only Son," that's Jesus. "That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Can I read that again? "For God so loved the world," the world includes us folks, "that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." And look folks as far as gifts go, doesn't get any better than that. It does not get any better than that.

Now we're not an old school church but right here is where if you were old school you'd say amen, you know, you say amen. Now before we get into the message I want to share with you my purpose, kind of the purposes I have in my mind with the series. If we're not careful all that we do during the Christmas season can overshadow the true meaning of Christmas. If we're not careful the busyness of Christmas and being caught up in the busyness of all of these good things that we enjoy at Christmas can cause us to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.

So the series of messages that I'm going to give us is a reminder of the fact that we must make and keep Christmas what it should be all about. First and foremost Christmas should be about the greatest gift that has ever been given, of course that's Jesus. Now this morning we will stay right here in verse 16 and we'll work out from there with some other scripture. And first we will look at the giver of the great gift, the giver of the great gift, second we will look at the heart behind the giving of such a gift and then last we will look at the objects of this gift. This will be easy for you to follow.

So number one, the giver of the gift that is God. We see that right in the verse. The giver of the gift that is God. Look back at John 3, 16 for God. Maybe highlight that. Think about that. For God so loved the world. Now when we look at John 3 verse 16 and really when we look at chapter 3 verses 1 to 21 because all of those verses go together we can naturally focus on a lot of different things and important things. We may zero in on this interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. We see that really in verses 1 to 15. And as a result if we focus on verses 1 to 15 we can focus on Jesus teaching that men must be born again.

We may focus on the love that God has for the world. That's right here in verse 16. I've read it several times. Now this causes some to zero in on the debate over what God's love for the world actually means. We may focus in on the gospel message that is found. We can see it really in verses 16 to 18. That is arguably the greatest expression of the gospel found in the scripture. But we do not need to start with those places or anywhere else when we come to this verse, verse 16 and all of the other verses. We must start with God. You see we need to recognize the fact that God was and is the originator of all of these things.

Everything in these verses, verses 1 to 21 came from God. More specifically everything seen in verse 16 begins and it ends with God. He was and is the author of all of these things. We see this fact in other verses. And these verses speak of the greatest gift that's ever been given as well. In Romans 5.8 Paul says, "But God shows His love for us and that while we were sinners Christ died for us," here we see that Christ died for us while we were sinners. And Paul tells us that this is a demonstration of God's love for us and to us. So behind Christ dying for us while we were sinners was and is God.

In 2 Corinthians 5.19 Paul says, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses or sins against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." Here we see that in or through Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself. And notice Paul says that it was God reconciling the world. And God was reconciling the world to Himself. So it was and is God who was and is reconciling the world to Himself.

And in 1 John 4.9 John says, "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." Here we see the love of God made manifest to us in that it was God who sent His only Son into the world that we may live through Him. So behind the Son coming into the world was and is God. And one more. In 1 John 4.10 John says, "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." Here we see that God loved us, not that we love God.

And God loved us by sending His Son to be our propitiation which is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. So behind the Son coming to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin and sins was and is God. Now what's my point here? All these verses are about the Gospel folks. And the Gospel is the message of salvation that has been accomplished for sinful people through the life, the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ the Son of God. And notice one thing that is constant in all of the verses as well as John 3.16, "Everything connected to the Gospel and contained in the Gospel originated with God." Let me repeat that.

"Everything connected to the Gospel and contained in the Gospel it originated with God." That means that God was and is the author of everything we see in the Gospel and everything that has been provided for us in the Gospel. Simply God was and is the giver of the greatest gift that has ever been given. Look back at John 3.16, "For God, for God, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Now why is this important? Making sure that we understand that God was and is the author of these things which means seeing that God is the giver of the gift.

Folks, this should impact our worship. This should impact our worship. I'm not going to call you to turn there. Maybe turn there later in your own personal reflection and study over these things. Listen to Psalm 99. It's nine verses. "The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned upon the cherubim. Let the earthquake. The Lord is great in Zion. He is exalted over all peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is He. The King in His might loves justice. You have established equity. You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God. Worship at His footstool.

Holy is He." Moses and Aaron were among His priests. Samuel also was among those who called upon His name. They called to the Lord and He answered them. In the pillar of the cloud He spoke to them. They kept His statutes and the statute that He gained them. "O Lord our God, You answer them. You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy." And listen folks. We worship. We worship because the giver of the gift was and is God. So the giver of this gift is God. And then number two, I want us to see the heart of God in giving such a gift.

I want us to see the heart of God in giving such a gift and that is love. Look back at verse 16 again. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Now here we see the heart of God and specifically the heart of God for the world. And in the heart of God was and is a love for the world. But we need to see what type of love this is. In verse 16 John uses a particular word for love which means to esteem and to love out of a choice. And within the New Testament scripture this love is considered to be the highest form of love.

And this greatest demonstration of love is seen in Christ coming to earth to die on the cross. So God's love right here involves a choice and it is the highest form of love. This love differs from another love that's seen in the scripture, brotherly love, phileo love. Philo love, brotherly love is seen as warm feelings and affections for one another. Now what does this have to do with the greatest gift that's ever been given? God's motivation in giving the greatest gift ever given was this love of choice, the highest, the greatest love seen in the world. But I want to go a little further here.

I want us to look at the breadth and the depth of this love. And this will help us see the greatest gift ever given. Just the breadth of this love. To see the breadth of God's love we must understand that God's love is eternal and unchanging. And God's love is eternal and unchanging because God Himself is eternal and unchanging. In Malachi 3.6 God says of Himself, "For I the Lord do not change." And James 1.17 says of God, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." You may say, "Pastor, we see where God Himself is eternal.

We see where God Himself is unchanging, but those verses don't speak of love." In 1 John 4.8 John says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love." And in 1 John 4.16 John says, "God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him." So what we see here is this. The love that God had and has for the world is eternal and it is unchanging. This love was and is eternal in that this love never began nor can it end because to begin or end would surely imply change. And it is unchanging and eternal because God Himself is love and He is the unchanging eternal God.

So the breadth of God's love for the world is this. God's love for the world was and is eternal because that love is never beginning and never ending. And God's love for the world was and is unchanging because God is love and He never changes. But then second the depth of this love. To see the depth of this love we must understand just how deep God's love reached and still reaches today. In Romans 5.8 Paul says, "But God shows His love for us in that while we were sinners or still sinners Christ died for us." Here we see that while men were sinners which meant they were enemies of God.

God gave the gift of His Son and His Son died for sin and sinners. We see the same thing in Ephesians 2, 4 and 5. Paul says, "But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved." Here we see that even when men and men were spiritually dead but alive to sin God gave the gift of His Son and made away from men to be made alive together with Christ all by grace.

Albert Barnes says of these things and I'm quoting, "It was love to the children of wrath, love to those who had no love to return to Him, love to the alienated and the lost." He goes on to say, "Man loves his friend, his benefactor, his kindred, but God loves His foes and seeks to do them good." So what we see here is this, the love that God had and has for the world reaches to the deepest of depths. God loved and loves His enemies. He loved and loved those who do not love Him and those who could never love Him unless He first loved and loves them. So the depth of God's love for the world is this.

God's love is for a world of enemies and foes. And all the world or enemies because all men and mankind have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3.23, His love reaches to the deepest of depths to seek the good for His enemies. Now what's my point here? All these verses are about the gospel. And the gospel is the message of salvation that has been accomplished for sinful people through the life, the death, the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And notice one thing that is constant in all of these verses as well as John 3.16, everything connected to the gospel and contained in the gospel comes out of God's love for the world of sinners and enemies. Simply God was and is the giver of the greatest gift that has ever been given. He's given this to a world of enemies, lost sinners. Look back at John 3.16 again. For God so loved the world, the world of lost sinners and enemies that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but He have eternal life. Now why is this important for us? Making sure that we understand that God was and is motivated by love. You see?

Motivated by love. This impacts our worship and how we view the Christian walk and the Christian life. First John chapter 4 verse 16 again. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him. And because God first loved and loves us and He made us alive together with Christ, we have come to know and come to believe the love that God has for us and we can abide in God's love and God's love can abide in us. And look folks, that's the Christian life, abiding in the love of God and the love of God abiding in us.

So the heart of God in giving the greatest gift is love. He was motivated and is motivated by love. And then last or number 3, the objects of the gift. The objects of the gift and that is the world. Look back at verse 16. For God so loved the world, you notice I'm just taking it phrase by phrase folks. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Now if we pay attention to the verse it's easy to see the object of the greatest gift, the world. But whether you know it or not it can be difficult for some to understand who the world is and what this actually means.

Now if we're going to understand who the world is, first we need to see that this word for world is a nonspecific word for men and mankind. This speaks of humanity in a general sense like we would say people or men or mankind. But we cannot continue until we see what Jesus was not teaching. Jesus was not teaching some kind of a universalism. Jesus was and is not teaching that all of the world will be saved because the Scriptures clearly teach that many are not saved.

Jesus said in Matthew 7 13, "wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many." Now next we need to see and read verse 16 in the context of verses 1 to 21. For God so loved the world within the context of this interaction between Nicodemus and Jesus the ruler of the Jews. Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus the Gospel and how he needed to be born again or made right with God. And within that explanation, within that great conversation Jesus went on to say that God loved non-Jewish people as well.

And this was a shock to Nicodemus and this was a shock to the Jews because the Jews in Jesus' day believed that God loved the Jews only. They could not imagine God loving non-Jewish people or Gentiles. They actually believed that when the promised Messiah of God came that he would judge all of the Gentile peoples. But Jesus was explaining the Gospel to Nicodemus and that he was in fact the greatest gift ever given to men and men. That's what we see in the verses. And he was explaining that God loved and loves the Jews as well as the non-Jews. But that does not mean that all the world will be saved. No, we do not believe in universalism.

Now what is my point here? All these verses are about the Gospel folks. And the Gospel is the message of salvation that has been accomplished for sinful people through the life, the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ the Son of God. And a part of that Gospel was and is the fact that God loved and loves the world so much so that he provides salvation beyond the Jewish people to all of the different peoples all over the world. And we see that this salvation will finally come to all of the peoples of the world. Listen to Revelation 7, 9 and 10.

John says, "After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.'" And notice one thing that is constant. In all these verses in John 3, 16, everything connected to the Gospel and contained in the Gospel originated with God. And everything connected to the Gospel and contained in the Gospel originated with God and God's love for the world came from God.

You see, that means that God is the giver of the greatest gift given, yes. And at the heart of God giving this gift was and is a love for the lost world. Simply God's love extends well beyond the Jews and well beyond just a few people in the world. The Bible scholar Leon Morris says, and I'm quoting, "This is a distinctively Christian idea that God's love is wide enough to embrace all mankind." And it is. Now why should this be important to us? Making sure that we understand that God loves the world, the world of lost sinners should motivate us to go. Go where? Go to our children.

Look folks, our little boys and girls are not born Christian and we can't make them Christian. We can't educate them into the Kingdom. All men and men are born dead in their trespasses and sins. That means our little boys and little girls, yes. So the first people we go to with the message of the Gospel, that's our own sons and daughters. And then we also go to our own family, our brothers and our sisters and our mothers and our fathers. We go to our children and our families. Why? Because they are a part of the lost world. And then we go to our world. You know you have a world? Your neighbors are different than my neighbors.

Your coworkers are different than my coworkers. Where you travel takes you into contact with certain people that I may never see. You take the Gospel to your world and then we are to go to the world. Last week we heard a missions report, an Anchored in Truth missions report. We caught a quick glimpse of the work of Anchored in Truth around the world. We caught a quick glimpse of the going. And what I'm showing you is this. No matter who we are, we should be going. Why? Because there is a lost world out there that Christ died for and God loved and loves. So simply the object of the greatest gift ever given was and is the world.

Go back to the verse, 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. Now as a move towards closing, this Christmas season we need to make sure that we make Christmas all about the greatest gift ever given. I'm talking about our personal life. And that was and is God's gift of His Son to the world. And this morning we have examined the giver of the gift. God that's the title of the message, the giver of the gift. The giver of the greatest gift that has ever been given. Now as I close I want to give you some how.

You know there is a question I always seek to answer as I preach. That question is so what? So what does that mean to me? What does that mean to you? It's one thing to study what God's word says but it's another thing to answer the question. So what does that mean to me and what does that mean to you? Well I add to that how? How do we flesh this out? How do we live that? How do we make sure we make Christmas all about the giver of this greatest gift? First of all contemplating and meditating on these things. First there is such a thing as contemplation, meditation, ruminating over facts and truth from the scripture.

We should take these things and meditate over them. Read over these verses, study over your notes, contemplate these things. Let the Spirit of God take these things and impact our hearts. Then that should move us to worship. Worship. Now look if you're not a believer you can't worship. If you're not you can't worship but we as believers can be impacted by these things. We can contemplate these things. We can meditate over these things and we can worship and then that should move us and affect our time. You see the things we worship impact our time. We give our time to those that we worship, those things that we worship.

And then that should draw us into His word and what His word says here. You may find yourself studying these scriptures and then going other places and continuing to meditate over these things. Then that should move us to prayer and then we pray over these things and we ask God to show us what we need to see in these things. Maybe it leads you to a little repentance for taking these things for granted. Maybe it leads you to repentance for not contemplating these things enough. Maybe it leads you to change some of the things you do in your family so the busyness in your family this time of year doesn't crowd out these things.

And it should lead you to talk about these things. Share these things with your children, with your family, with those you come in contact with. So the greatest gift ever given is Jesus and it was God and is God who is the giver of this gift. So let's pray, let's commit these things to the Lord and let's ask God to take this message in the next, in the next. All these go together and they build. Let's pray and ask God to take the totality of what we study and impact our Christmas and our Christmas season that it will be about that greatest gift who is Jesus. So let's pray.