From the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us today as we spend time around the Word of God, preaching Christ in all His fullness to men and women in all their need. It brought my Savior from a faraway land. in mine, the risen Son of God, redemption by His death I find, and cleansing through the blood. Oh, t'was love, t'was wondrous love, the love of God to me, that brought my Saviour from above to die on Calvary. Glorious to bless him, and to his saints bestow. The blessed rest from him brings him, through faith in Christ the Lord. Oh, t'was love, t'was wondrous love, the love of God to me, that brought my Savior from of love to Yah. ♪ These souls rejoicing know ♪ ♪ There shall to you be given ♪ ♪ A glorious fortress near below ♪ ♪ Of endless life in heaven ♪ ♪ Oh, t'was love, t'was wondrous love ♪ ♪ The love of God to me ♪ It brought my Savior from among to die on Calvary. Let all the ransoms sting, and triumph in the dying hour, through Christ the Lord our King. Old was love, was wondrous love, the love of God to me, that brought my Savior from I'd like to welcome you to our time together today, and I want to thank you very much for joining with us. Let's bow in a word of prayer and ask the Lord to undertake and to bless His word as it's preached. Our gracious God and our Father in heaven, I want to thank thee that thine eye is upon us. Lord, for each of us that are saved, I want to thank that in I, Lord, is an eye of love toward us, because I do see Jesus Christ. And Fathers, the psalmist tells in Psalm 3, verse 8, that thy blessing is upon thy people. I pray, Father, you be pleased to bless us through thy precious word. Father, for those that are not saved, Lord, I ask that you be pleased to look upon them. And Father, in grace and in mercy, because of Christ and the blood that he shed, be pleased to have a word in season. Speak to their heart, we pray. Draw them to Christ. Glorify and lift up thy beloved and only begotten Son, for he's worthy of it all. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. If you could turn, please, in the living word of God to the gospel of John and the chapter 3. I want to read just three verses with you, verses 16, 17, and 18. And Jesus Christ is speaking to a man called Nicodemus. And in verse 16 of John 3, Jesus Christ says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. My Lord, bless those words to every one of our hearts. Let's turn to our hymn, When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of Glory died, My riches gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. ♪ The wondrous cross ♪ ♪ Of which the prince of glory died ♪ ♪ Thy riches gained, thy cup of thoughts ♪ ♪ Hath poured out yet, O Lord ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, His hand stays clean. Sorrow, wherefore, though we will die? In excelsis Deo, and sorrowing, our hearts And where at all we parted small, The soul of aging, so divine, Demands my soul, my love. I'd like to begin by asking you a question, and that is, do you know what the best-selling book there is? And the answer is the Bible. On average, three copies every second, 10,000 copies every hour, and almost a quarter of a million copies every single day are sold of the Bible year on year on year. Without doubt, the Bible is the greatest-selling book, not merely of each year, but indeed of all time. The question therefore must come, why is the Bible so popular? And the answer is, the reason the Bible is the greatest selling book is because it is the book with the greatest author, God himself. But not merely is the Bible the one that contains the greatest author, But it is also the book that contains the greatest message, because it contains the gospel, how men, women, and young people, although we be sinners, can be saved through Jesus Christ. I am told that there are over 30,000 verses in the Bible, and while I do not have time to preach every single one of those verses, yet there is one verse in particular that has been described as the gospel in a nutshell. That is the verse in John chapter 3 and the verse 16. I want to look at this verse, I want to look at the gospel and see exactly why it is the greatest message for you and for me. In John 3 chapter 16, you and I read, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Notice with me, first of all, you and I have in this greatest message, first of all, the greatest lover. For God so loved the world. There are many people in this world who can love. Parents can love. Grandparents can love grandchildren. Husbands can love wives. And friends can love friends. But not one of these compare to God and His love for men. Let me give you four reasons. First of all, God loves infinitely. Unlike parents, grandparents, spouse, and friends who are finite in and of themselves, and therefore can only love finitely, that is, with a boundary, God in and of Himself is infinite. He Himself, in His nature and essence, is without boundary, and therefore His love is without boundary. In 1 Kings 8, verse 27, Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, once prayed to the Lord and he said, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. And 1 John 4, verse 8, we read that God in his nature, God is love. Let this encourage you today. Sometimes you and I may think that we are not loved. Sometimes you and I may think that no one knows what we're going through and no one cares. But I want to tell you this great and encouraging truth. God knows. God cares. And not merely are you loved today, but you are loved infinitely by God himself, who is infinite. You are loved without boundary. person I love, the children's chorus, wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heaven above, deep as the deepest sea is my Savior's love. But yet, you and I can be even more theologically accurate, because you and I can sing wider than the ocean, higher than the heaven, deeper than the deepest sea is my Savior's love. A poet has written, could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk and earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky. Why is God the greatest lover? Because he loves infinitely. But notice also, secondly, God loves perfectly. You and I can love our pets, we can love our hobbies, we can love friends, we can love family, but we do not love perfectly because there are times whenever you and I may forget to show our love. There are times whenever our love and what we show, it may fade. There may be times whenever our love indeed just completely fails altogether. But God Himself, being perfect, He loves perfectly. In Matthew 5, verse 48, we read, we are to be perfect, even as our Father, which is in heaven, is perfect. You and I, we're to strive after perfection, but God Himself doesn't need to strive after it, because He Himself is perfect, and being perfect, He loves perfectly. Be encouraged today. God will never feel in His love toward us. God will never forget to love us. God will never fade in His love. God loves perfectly. There is also, thirdly, another reason why God is the greatest lover, and that is because God loves purely. Sometimes you and I can love that which is bad, that which is harmful, or indeed that which is sinful. But at 1 John 1, verse 4, we're told that regarding God, there's no darkness in Him. We're told in Isaiah 6 that God Himself is holy, holy, holy. Dear listener, God will only ever love you purely. God will never love something for you, for something that happened to you that is bad, harmful, or sinful. No, instead, God will only ever love that which is good, helpful, and holy for you. God is most certainly the greatest lover. He loves infinitely, without boundary. He loves perfectly, without failure. And He loves purely, without sin. But notice the fourth reason. God loves eternally and unchangeably. No matter who it is that loves you on this earth, a family member, a friend, no matter how great their love is, yet one day their love will come to an end because their life will one day come to an end. But this is not the case with God. In Psalm 90, verse 2, we're told that God is not only from everlasting, God is to everlasting. You see, there was never a time whenever God did not love us, and there will never be a time whenever God does not love us. God himself being eternal, God's love is eternal. In Malachi 3, verse 6, God himself says, I am the Lord, I change not. How encouraging, how amazing. If only you and I can grasp this truth, it would change your life and it would change mine. God loves me. God loves me without limit. God loves me without forgetting. God loves me without sin, and God loves me without end. The greatest lover. But notice with me secondly regarding the greatest message found in John 3, verse 16, not merely the greatest lover, but now the greatest love. You see, unlike the Greek word eros, which refers to romantic love, unlike the Greek word philos, which refers to friendly love, you and I are told in John 3, 16 that God loves you and me with agape love. And agape is the greatest love because of two things. First of all, agape love is unconditional love. You know, you and I can love sport because it's fun. You and I can love ice cream because ice cream is tasty. You and I could love a person because they are kind. But in every example I've just given you, you and I are loving an object which has within it that which is appealing, that which is attractive. But you see, to love with an agape love is to love even if there's nothing appealing, nothing attractive in the object itself. It is a love that requires no condition. Let me ask you, are you someone who thinks God could never love you? Maybe you've cheated on a test. Maybe you've looked up pornography. Maybe you've been utterly selfish. Let me tell you, God loves with agape love. In Romans chapter 5, verse 8, you and I are told, God commended His love toward us while we were yet sinners. You see, dear listener, today, even if you are a sinner, even if you are a cheat, even if you have been lustful, even if you are selfish, God still loves you. He sent His Son to die for us. Charles Haddon Spurge, the famous Baptist preacher, when preaching on John 3.16, he said, what was in the world that God should love it? There was nothing lovable in it. Enmity to Him, hatred to His truth, disregard of His law, rebellion against His commandments, no desirable thing. Yet God loved the world. Agape love is the greatest love, because it is an unconditional love, but also secondly, agape love is an act of love. While Greek words such as philos and eros can refer simply to emotions and feelings, you cannot have agape love without actions. For example, in John 3, 16, you and I read, God so loved the world that he, he gave, he acted. In Romans chapter 5, verse 8, we read, God commend his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died. There was an action. In 1 John chapter 4, verse 10, we're told here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent. There was an action. Agape love is an act of love. Be encouraged today, dear listener. God is not merely affectionate towards you and me. God is active towards you and me. He loved you and me so much, He sent His Son for us. He loved you and me so much, He gave His Son for us, so that you and I could be saved from the power of our sin, and indeed the punishment for our sins. The greatest lover, God. The greatest love, Agape. But notice with me thirdly, regarding the greatest message for all men, the greatest sacrifice. In order for God to save you and me from the power and punishment of sin, what did God have to give? What did God have to sacrifice? In John 3, verse 16, the answer is given. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Dear friend, God did not sacrifice merely silver or gold, even though that would be more than you and I deserved. God did not merely sacrifice the planets and the billions of stars which He made. God did not merely sacrifice the angels of heaven whom He loves. No, God sacrificed something far greater. He sacrificed His only Son for us. Notice with me the very words that are used in John 3, 16. God gave His only. begotten Son. God did not have two or three or four sons, which if He gave one, He would still have some sons to have and to enjoy. No, God gave His only Son. That means that God gave everything He had for us, the greatest sacrifice. But notice also, God gave His only begotten Son. That phrase, begotten, means that Christ is of the same essence as God the Father. And that means that Christ is perfect like God the Father, and like the children of this earth, which are at times disobedient, hurtful, and limited in their abilities and influence. Christ Himself was 100% pure and good. Christ Himself was 100% perfect and helpful. Christ Himself is unlimited in His ability for greatness and good. And yet God gave Him who was perfect. Him who was pure, he gave him for us. But what did God give him to? God gave Christ to suffer the wrath of men. There we're told in Isaiah 53, he'd be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our inequities. You look at the gospel records and how true that was. Men would take the hairs of his beard and pluck them out. The skin of his back would be scourged with a whip until it became like a ploughed field. The features of his face would be beaten until they were unrecognizable. The entirety of Christ's body would be crucified at the cross, the most torturous death ever invented by men. God gave His Son to suffer the wrath of man, but more than that, greater than that, God gave His Son to suffer the Father's wrath. Christ dying the just for the unjust. Our iniquities, our sins, our lies, our jealousies, our times of selfishness being laid upon Christ. Christ suffered the wrath of God the Father for us, the equivalent of hell forever for every single sin. Christ suffered that on the cross. More suffering, more wrath than you and I could ever imagine. It was like a tsunami of the Father's wrath being poured out upon Christ. John, 1 John chapter 3 verse 1, you and I read the Apostle John what he says, and he declares, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God? That phrase, what manner, means what unearthly, what supernatural, what incomprehensible love has God the Father bestowed upon us? Perhaps you say, well, why? Why give such a great sacrifice? Why not give something less? Well, as the poet said, there was no other way a God of love could find to reconcile the world and save a lost mankind. It took the death of his own son upon the tree. There was no other way but Calvary. The wealth of all the world could not redeem us, nor could our feeble works pay the price. The only hope is in the blood of Jesus, the blood he shed for us in sacrifice. The greatest lover, the greatest love, and the greatest sacrifice. But move us with me forthly regarding the greatest message. You and I have the greatest opportunity. In John 3, verse 16, we read, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, whosoever. Who is the gospel for? It is for the whosoever. Who did God give His Son for? God gave His Son for the whosoever. Who is God willing to save? God is willing to save the whosoever. I do not know who you are today. I do not know if you are rich or whether you are poor. I do not know if you are moral or immoral. I do not know if you are brought up in a Christian home or a non-Christian home, but I do know this. The gospel is for you because it is for the whosoever. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've come from, the gospel is for you. But the question comes, what will you do with the greatest opportunity? What will you do with the gospel? Will you receive it and believe it and turn to Christ in faith and repentance or will you not? One day a child was being taught this verse of John 3, 16, and trying to quote it, the child said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only forgotten son. The child may have got the verse wrong in the quoting of it, but the child summarized so much of the world today, they forget God's love in giving Christ, and never, they do nothing about it. Won't you be one who forgets the love of God and Christ to you? In Hebrews 2, verse 3, we're told, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Don't put God's salvation off. Notice with me the greatest simplicity. You may be asking, how do you receive Christ? How can you be saved in Christ? Well, it's simple. We read in John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth. Believe. For salvation, God does not say give. Give lots of money. For salvation, God does not say achieve. Achieve good marks in school and in success. For salvation, God does not say live. Live 50, 60 years of good works. For salvation, God does not say join. Join a church. For salvation, God does not say go. Go and get baptized or get confirmed. No. For salvation, God says believe. Believe. In John chapter 3, Christ is speaking to a man called Nicodemus. Nicodemus was an educated man, a moral man, a rich man, a church-going man, a leader in society. But yet he was not saved because he did not yet believe. And therefore Christ tells Nicodemus, as he tells you and me today, whosoever believeth in Christ should not perish but have everlasting life. What does it mean to believe? Well, the text says to believe in Him, that is to believe in Christ. The Greek word there for in is the word eis, E-I-S. It's translated 573 times in the New Testament as into. For example, in Matthew chapter 8, 14, we read of one who was come into Peter's house. In Matthew chapter 21, verse 10, it is used of one who came into Jerusalem. Ice involves motion, it involves movement. And you see, to believe in Him, to believe in Christ, it's not something merely to believe in the reality of Christ, it's not something to simply believe in the ability of Christ to save, but it's to believe in the Christ, to move in the Christ. Stephen Lawson, the Baptist preacher, he used an illustration. He says, imagine standing before an elevator, maybe an elevator in a hotel, and there you're standing before. You could believe in the ability of the elevator to take you to where you need to go. You could believe in the reality of the elevator that exists. But unless you go into the elevator, move from where you are and go into the elevator, that elevator will never take you anywhere. How do you be saved? You believe into Jesus Christ. You move from where you are, the weight upon your own feet, and you put all your weight entirely into Christ. Commit your life to Him. Believe in Him and what He's done for you at the cross, and it's all sufficient. And if you give your life to Him, you call upon His name, He will save. Romans chapter 10, 13, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Who are you trusting in today? Yourself, a good organization, a good work. Or can you say like the hymn writer, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Oh, you and I have the greatest message. Let me conclude by simply, you have here also the greatest rescue. Rescued from hell. Rescued from everlasting, eternal, incomparable, incomprehensible death in a lake of fire which burneth. And the fire's not quenched. where the worm dies not, where there's wailing and gnashing of teeth, you can be rescued from hell and given everlasting life to know God now, to love God now, to enjoy God now and for all eternity. The greatest rescue. What will you do with Christ? The greatest message from the greatest author. Believe into Christ today. Let's bow in prayer. Heavenly Father, I pray you take thy word, write it in every heart we ask for that glory. Thank you for spending some time with us today around the Word of God. For further information visit our website at ltbs.tv. We look forward to joining with you next time as we seek to let the Bible speak once again.