Redeemed Living
John 3:16
· For God
o Source of Salvation
§ Our only Choice
· “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” ” (Acts 4:12, NIV)
· “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ” (Romans 9:16, ESV)
§ God’s Generous Choice
· “For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, NLT)
· “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)
o Security of Salvation
§ Not Here - “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” (Romans 8:38–39, ESV)
§ It is There - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ” (1 Peter 1:3–5, NIV)
· For Love
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ” (Ephesians 3:17–18, ESV)
o The Length of God's Love
§ It is without end. Jeremiah declared, "God loves you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
§ Isaiah 59:1 (NIV) says, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save.” David perceived the long arm of God’s love when he said, “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9-10)
o The Depth of God's Love
§ From heaven to the manger, from the manger to the cross.
§ You don't have to change and be good to be loved by God. You are loved by God so that you can change and be good. And after a thousand years of changing and growing into the likeness of Jesus, God will still love you not one bit more than he does right now. No matter what you do, you can't make God love you nor can you make him stop loving you. Love that you do something to deserve is not love at all. It is usually the product of a sick home and produces a sick theology. God's love can't be earned. It is total and unconditional. God loves you; not because you are lovable but because he is love, not because he needs to receive but because he delights to give.
o The Height of God's Love
§ Moral Height
· “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ” (1 John 4:9–11, NIV)
Did not mention the width…. How wide is God’s Love?