YouTube video Kr-6ZNgNQoU

Hallelujah. Heat. Good morning.

Welcome everyone here to Eden Presbyterian Church this morning. We're glad that you have come to worship the Lord with us. If you are visiting with us today, we would love a record of your visit.

So, please sign one of the pew pads that can be found on the ends of your pew as well as any information that we can reach out to you and let you know some of the things that are going on here at Ebenezer. And a few things that are found in our bulletin that you can look for is tonight we will be having the Lord's Supper during our evening service at 5:00. Also, this coming week uh the youth will be going to Quest and so if you have a middle schooler going on that they'll be leaving tomorrow.

Um Will, what time? >> 12:30. >> 12:30.

Make it 12 to be on the safe side. Um so please but please be in prayer for them as they travel up to Bon Clark this week for their conference. Um also if you notice in your bulletin are just a couple different inserts.

One we have second mile club and the different events. Uh this coming Thursday they're going to sweet Caroline. So, if you are attending the Second Mile Club or are u one that wants to just go eat barbecue with the Second Mile Club, please come this week.

It'd be a good time of fellowship and food together. Also, if you notice in your bulletin, there is another handout. Um this is a just a time that you can come help by get some help with your daily devotions.

U Martha Margaret's going to be leading that to any ladies um on Thursday, June 25th here at the parlor. Um, so please sign up or contact her for questions. Um, also make note of a few of the other announcements in our bulletin.

And this morning, uh, Elizabeth Mixon has an announcement, uh, for our ladies. Next Sunday we will have an all female choir and I am here to invite each female from our youngest to our oldest to join us. We will rehearse here in the choir loft behind me at 900 a.m.

We will sing together in worship and then we'll move from the loft and sit with our families on next Sunday, Father's Day. Ladies, I do hope you will join us at 9:00 a.m. I would love for us to fill the loft as we did last year.

Hope to see you then. So we've gathered together today to worship our God. May we now prepare our hearts to worship.

Invite all to stand together who are able as our God calls us to worship this morning from Revelation 5:12. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Let us pray.

Oh gracious and mighty God, indeed you and you alone are worthy of our praise. You are worthy of all of our hearts, all of our lives. For you are the one that holds it all together.

You are the God who is perfect in all of your ways. God who is holy, who is just, who is true, who is loving, who is gracious, merciful, and so much more. You, oh God, are the one that we have gathered to worship here today.

And oh God, may you help us to do as such. Lord, may you help us in this time by your spirit to worship you rightly, looking at this not as just a check in a box. Lord, a time where we get communion with you as your people and you as our God.

Lord, may you bless each and every one of us here today, moving us to closer to you, to encourage us, to convict us, to assure us, to equip us, that we might go from this place to honor and glorify you all the more. But oh God, in this time together, may you bless this worship. May it be pleasing in your sight, and may you use it for your glory and for our good.

We pray all these things in the mighty name of Christ Jesus, our savior. Amen. This time may we remain standing as we sing hymn number 295.

Crown Him with many crowns. is soul. My soul died for me.

beauty glorify. Holy night. So bright.

Pray. Creator of the holy All we praise. Our affirmation of faith this morning comes to us based upon what the scriptures tell us in Colossians chapter 1 verses 15- 20 as we just sang that Christ would be crowned with many crowns.

Indeed, he is the one that is deserving for who he is as well as what he has done for us. And as the scriptures reveal to him, reveal him to us as the one who is deserving that we now see this truth as we confess together. Christians, what do you believe about Jesus?

I believe Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created. Things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers.

All things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

You may be seated. As we have just confessed, all things have been created through Christ and for Christ, meaning you and I have been created for him. Yet far too often we live this life for ourselves.

Day in and day out, we think of ourselves before we think of Christ, before we think of others. And yet we are reminded by the scriptures that we are the Lord's and we owe him everything. And to not give him everything is to sin against him.

Whether it be in thought, word, and deed. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of what he deserves.

And because of this, we must be those that cling to Jesus to save us, to pay this debt that we owe. And so it is important for us to see that we must be those that confess our sin and turn to Christ as our savior and as our Lord as well as continually relying on Christ in this Christian walk, confessing our sins and finding comfort and hope, his grace. And so in this time that we go before our God in confession first as individuals and then together as a body.

Let's pray. Would you join me in prayer? Almighty and loving Father, in your grace, you have raised us to new life in your son.

But we confess we often do not walk in the newness of life. You call us to have the mind of Jesus among ourselves, but we often think like the world. You command us to seek first your kingdom, but more often we are interested in pursuing our own kingdoms.

Forgive us of these sins and those we tremble to name before you. Free us for joyful obedience and rekindle our love for you and one another. All this we pray in the Savior's name.

Amen. And for those that would confess their sin, we can be assure of our pardon. From Isaiah 1:18.

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, that they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. And for those that have received such a great forgiveness, may we now stand together and praise our God as we sing All Must Be Well.

Through the love of God, our all free and changious is The blood that he us to shield us. All must be well. Though we pass through triul All will be well such a salid fruitful living Christ through the spirit guiding must be well.

We expect a bright tomorrow. All will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow.

All is well. on our father's love relying Jesus every needy yes in living and in dying all must be well Jesus needs yes in living or in dying. All must be well.

Amen. You may be seated. Our Old Testament reading comes to us this morning.

You don't have to flip very far from Genesis chapter 3 vers 14 and 15 can be found on page two of your Pew Bibles. This is a text I often like to quote because it is a reminder that we have a God who from the very beginning chose to save sinners like us. Hear now God's word.

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field. On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.

He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise its heel." Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. I need thee every hour most tender voice.

>> I need thee. Oh, I need thee. Every hour thou nearby lose their power when thou are I need thee.

I need thee every hour. I need thee. Oh, bless me now, my pain.

quickly and I need thee. Oh, I need thee. Every hour I need thee.

Oh, bless me now, my savior. I come to thee. >> I need thee every hour.

Thy will thous. Oh, I need thee every hour. I need thee.

Oh, bless me now, my holy one. Make me thine, thou bless. I need thee.

Oh, I need thee. Every hour I need thee. Oh, bless me now, my hour.

I need thee. Oh, bless me now, my savior. I come to thee again.

We can come to our God at any hour. We can come to him now together. Let's pray.

Oh gracious God, the God who is always present, the God who is always listening, the God that we always need, that we can always come to. We trust that you will take care of your children. We trust that when we do not know what is going on in this life that you do.

And we trust that no matter what the days might hold, we can stand sure upon the salvation that is found in Christ and Christ alone. Know God, it is this hope that upholds us each and every day through the ups and the downs of this life, through the fleeting pleasures and the difficult pains. There's a hope that is found in you and you alone and a hope that will never be quenched.

And that is why, oh God, we can come to you whenever and wherever we might be and with our prayers and trust that you indeed are able. we can entrust to you those that are suffering for you are the great physician. And Lord, we think of those in our lives as well as those in our congregation.

Lord, we pray for Les Irving, for Earl Russell, for Joyce Mincy, for Grant Gailbach, for Margaret Reynolds, for Dave Macauen, and others that are dealing with different problems, whether it be surgery recoveries or complications or long-term or life-threatening diseases. Lord, we know that you indeed are able. Even when the doctors and the nurses are stumped, we have a God who is able to do the impossible.

And so, we entrust their care as well as our own care to you. You know, God, we come to you with the different stresses and the pains of this life. The Lord's stress comes from many different angles.

Whether it be from our jobs, from our relationships, from living in a sinful world, from our own temptations. And yet, oh God, your spirit can comfort us in these times. And oh God, we pray that you would do just that.

that you would calm our anxiety, calm our fear, that you would lower our stress even if our situations do not dissipate. Help us to focus upon you and all that we have in you. For oh God, you have blessed us abundantly in Jesus.

And yet far too often we only want the gifts and not the giftgiver. Lord, today help us to see all that comes in you is not possible without you. For you are our perfect God.

You are our great redeemer. And it is in Jesus that we have been those that by faith have been justified, those that are continuing to be sanctified, those that have been adopted into your family, and those that can entrust that in the end we will be glorified with you forever. and we can know that you are with us from the point of our salvation onward to get us to the very end.

You know God, may you help us to marvel at you. May you help us to be thankful not only for what you give us but for you yourself. Lord, give all of us a desire and a love for you that grows day in and day out.

a desire to come to you in prayer, to spend time in your word, that we would grow deeper in our relationship with you. Far too often we are surface level Christians. And although a little faith is indeed saving faith, Lord, may you increase our faith.

Increase our love for you and increase the joy that is found in Jesus that it might overflow from us that we might go and share it with others. You know, God, we recognize the others in our lives that are in need of you. And we continually pray for them.

And in particular, we pray for our middle school students this week as they go to this Quest conference. Lord, may you be with each one of them. Give them an open heart as they attend.

May this not simply be a vacation away from home. But although it may be fun, may you work in them to draw them nearer to you. Whether it be in saving faith, whether it be to increase their faith, we pray that this week you would move mightily among each and every one of the students and their leaders as well.

And Lord, may you get the glory from the fruit that is born that they might come down from this mountain to not leave it there, but to continue to live it out in their lives. And oh God, we have many other things upon our hearts. some spoken, some unspoken, but we trust in your sovereign care.

And even if we are unsure what to pray, you remind us we can always pray the prayer your disciples prayed by praying. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Any children that wish four years old in kindergarten are now dismissed to children's church.

And as our God has blessed us abundantly, may we now return a portion in our tithes and offerings as we remain seated singing hymn 55. To God be the glory. Glor.

Praise the Lord. Earth people. to every Praise the Lord.

Praise God. Praise the Lord. Praise God.

Son of Gloric Jesus. will sing. Praise God.

Praise God. Earth. Praise God.

Praise God. Father, I invite you to turn with me in your copies of God's word. Our scripture this morning comes to us from a well-known place in John 3:16, which found on your pew Bibles on page 88.

And John 3:16, as many of us know, is probably the most well-known verse in the Bible. It's probably the second most quoted today behind judge not, lest you be judged. But we all know it, don't we?

You ever thought why that is? Why is it that we tend to gravitate to this verse? Why is it that whenever you go out and maybe in Hobby Lobby or something like that, you see pieces of artwork or picture frames or things like that that have this verse on it?

What is it that makes this verse so well known? Now I venture to say the reason is is that the entire message of the Bible can be summed up in John 3:16 to the point that Martin Luther called this verse the Bible in miniature. And now the rest of the scripture is just as important as this verse.

But because this verse captures the very essence of what the scriptures say, we can say that it is indeed important to us. But what is it that this scripture says? Well, one of the things about Bible school each day, if you were here, is they have different points each day.

The first being that God is omnisient, then God is merciful, that Jesus is our redeemer, that God has plans for us, and that he is personal. And I would venture to say that all of those points can fall under the point that we see in this message today. All of these things are possible because God loves us.

And it's in this text that we see the love of God for sinners through Jesus Christ. As we see this great message, may we go to our God for his help into better grasping it for ourselves. Oh gracious and almighty God, we thank you yet again for your word.

It is indeed a lamp unto our feet, a light into our path as it guides us in the knowledge of who you are, who we are, and what you have done for us in Christ, and how we ought to go about and live this life. But we recognize that in our sinfulness, we cannot understand it as it ought to be understood, not by any lack of your word, but because of a deficiency in us. But Lord, may your spirit move in us that we might see your word for what it is.

the ultimate truth for each and every one of our lives that we we might receive it, hide it in our hearts, then go and live it in our lives all to your glory and for ours and others good. Be with us now in this time we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Again, 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. The grass withers, the flower fades, the word of our God endures forever. Amen.

I love you. We have all been those that have said those words before, haven't we? We have all been those that are on the receiving end of those words.

Whether it is with a parent or a child, a spouse, a relative, a close friend, we find that in these three words, there is a very profound meaning, isn't there? Not just because of the words that are being said, but what they mean and how that meaning shows up in actions because it's the actions behind the words I love you that show how we love others and how they love us. Because if you think about it, love it is intangible.

We can use it to describe a feeling or an attitude that we have. We can say the words, "I love you," all day long. But it is through our actions towards our loved ones that we show them what it means to love them.

Consider some of those actions. You might bring your wife flowers. You might take your loved one out to eat.

Parents, you might surprise your child with a toy. Children, you might surprise your parents with a card or by cleaning the house. If you're my wife, you love that one, too.

Or simply, you show your love by embracing one another in a hug. We all know that in our lives, our actions show just how much we love others and how much they love us. And I think that's why we love John 3:16 so much, isn't it?

Because it's here we see just how much God loves us as sinners in the fact that he gave his only son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save us. You know, we live in an age where the word love is often misused, where people don't truly mean it, where it is twisted. If you look at the month of June, we see that.

Or if you've seen it in your life whenever somebody has said they I they love you and yet they did the opposite. And it's because of these things we struggle to grasp what true love really looks like. And yet what we find here in this verse is that example.

If you want to know what true love really looks like, you go to John 3:16 because it is here in this verse that we see the reality of true love and its effect upon us. And we see that in this verse in two different ways. First we see the love of God for sinners and then how we are called to love God in response.

And so again we see the love of God towards us and then the love that we are to have towards God. And as you begin looking at this verse, you see the beauty of God's love in the gospel as we see how God loves sinners like me and you. And if you look at the beginning of that verse, we're told, "For God so loved the world." Now, as you and I know, this world did not just poof into existence by some big bang.

No, the world had its start because we had a God who made it. And if you go back to that moment of creation, you see there is God as creator and he makes the world and everything that is in it. He is the one that created Adam and Eve.

And as creator, he loved his creation. And in doing so, he blessed Adam and Eve in so many different ways. And he gave them one rule.

Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And a great loving God of all the blessings that he had given them. Surely that would be a rule that they would follow, right?

But no, that one restriction, the devil made them doubt. And in doing so, sin enters into the world. When Adam and Eve disobey, it corrupts all of God's creation.

That creation that was good when he made it. It's very easy to see that corruption in the world we live in, isn't it? You know, we talk about God, we often like to think of the positive things of love and grace, but when it comes to the gospel, we also have to understand what sin is, too.

That way we see just how great God's love is. Because when we think about sin is the antithesis of who our God is. God abhors sin.

He does not celebrate it. He is perfect. He is good.

He is holy. And sin is the opposite. It is wicked.

It is evil. As God has given his law to live by his standard, the word of God, not any man-made standard, but his standard, sin is what breaks that law by doing what we are not supposed to do or not doing what we should be doing. And because of that, we can all know that we're sinners because we don't follow God's law like we should.

We break it each and every day. And because we break it, we deserve the punishment. Often in today's world, we hear people say God is love.

And indeed, that is true. Which we'll speak more about in a moment. But also, God is still a just God.

And if he is a just God, then if you have broken the law, the the punishment must be carried out. Any just judge in this world must carry out the punishment. And so because we have sinned and broken God's commands, none of us are innocent and we deserve the punishment because God is just.

But this is where we see the love of God come in. Again, if you want to understand the love of God, you have to understand your sinfulness first. Because in spite of the sinfulness of this world, again the word world that is used here is often talking about a sinful rebellious world.

So basically for God so loved this sinful rebellious world. He loved us that much that he sent Christ into the world. God has every right to condemn all of us because you and I both know we have sinned against him.

And yet we see God in spite of this still loves his creation. So much that we see right after that fall after Adam and Eve's sin in Genesis 3:15, as we read earlier, he promises that the serpent that he would put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

right there at the very beginning. As soon as Adam and Eve messed up, we see God gives us the first promise of the gospel that he would come, he would defeat the devil, he would save us from our sin. Consider that for a moment.

You meant that much to God. Not because of anything within you, not because the of your attributes or your characteristics. No, you're a sinner that deserves damnation.

And yet God still loved you. He still as soon as Adam and Eve messed up in the garden set a plan in motion to save you. He still loved his people.

Not just the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, the whole world here. And that word world is not a universal word, but basically saying his people coming from all tribes, tongues, and nations. But why is that?

Why would God love sinners like us across this world? I mean, you and I can look at the world and we easily see that we don't deserve the love of God. And yet, God still loves us anyway.

And the reason for this is 1 John 4:8 tells us that because God is love. And God didn't make us so that he would be able to love someone. No, God already knew perfect love within himself.

As the Trinity in that great mystery, we can know that God is love. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, loving one another from all eternity perfectly. The Father loving the Son and the Spirit, the Son loving the Father and the Spirit.

The Spirit loving the Father and the Son. That God within himself is love. And it's this outpouring of this great love that is God that he shows to the world, to sinners like you and me who don't deserve it.

He does this by giving us the greatest gift we could ever receive, Jesus Christ. For we are told that because God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. If you think about love for a second, isn't it true that the greatest gifts often spring from the deepest love?

We can all think of gifts that our loved ones have given us over the years that really stuck out. And often some of the best of those gifts are those that come from their own hands. And our gift that we have been given by God the Father comes straight from his hand.

his own son. Now, as the ESV translates, his only son. The older versions you might have, it's the only begotten son.

The idea here is that Jesus Christ, who is the eternal son of God. He is the one that has been given for us. God gave his own son for you, a sinful, broken person.

Just just think of it for a second. Parents, you all love your children very much, don't you? They are your pride.

They are your joy. And you would do anything for your children. Could you imagine giving them up?

Now, I know some of you, like me, may threaten to give them up. But I would bet that none of you in here would actually do that because you love them. But what we do see is the difference between us and God is God the Father did give up his son, his only begotten son for sinners like us.

That would be like me giving up one of my children for the murderer down the road that's on death row. It makes no sense. And yet God loved you that much.

He loved you that much and that Christ Jesus came into this world, taking on human flesh and the soul, not only to give us his righteousness, but also to die that awful death on the cross in order to pay the penalty that my sin and that your sin deserves. He didn't have to do it, but he did. And when we think about it, it should make our jaws hit the floor because we deserve the penalty.

We We should understand how bad of sinners we are. I know we don't like to think like that. We like to say we're better than others, but if we really stop and think, just think about all the sins you've committed this last week.

Then think about the past year. then for all the years before that and then think about the sins you'll probably commit going forward. We deserve the punishment for that.

None of us is innocent. We don't deserve saving. We know the phrase, you do the crime, you do the time.

We deserve the punishment. But that's how we see just how much God loved us. He loved us so much that he himself would take on that punishment for you.

You want to know how much God loves you? This much? As Jesus Christ hung there on that cross with his nails, nails driven through his hand, the nails driven through his feet to be the sacrifice in our place to be the one to save us because we could never save ourselves.

See, that's the good news of the gospel is the love of God. this unconditional love that he loves us even while we were still sinners, even while we were still his enemies. Jesus willingly went all the way to the cross suffering, dying for messed up people like me and you.

And if actions show how much we love someone, then this action of Christ dying on the cross shows the ultimate type of love has been shown to us by God himself. for that penalty, for our sin had to be paid. And again, if we stop and think about all the mistakes we've made, all the slip ups, all the things we could wish we take back, all the sins we have committed, that's a long list.

But because of God's great love, he took all the sins on that list and all the sins you have yet to commit upon himself on that cross, taking your punishment by suffering and dying so that if you would believe in him, you would not perish and have eternal life. That is how much God loves you. And it's from here then that we move to how we are to respond to this love.

Up to this point, those are the facts. For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. Those are the facts.

But he did it for a reason, so that we would respond to him. That we would respond to him in love that we would receive that salvation that he freely gives. See, the final thing that we see is in the face of what all God has done for us in Jesus, we ought to be those that respond to him in love.

If you understand the great love that God has for a sinner like you by seeing the lengths that he has gone to save you, should that not stir up love in your heart? The gospel tells us that Jesus Christ was given so that if we believe in him, all of our sins, no matter how great, no matter how small, have been placed upon him on that cross. So that no matter what you have done, if you trust in Jesus, the one who was given because God loved you, you will be saved.

God is merciful to us in that how we have not deserved the punishment and he indeed came to redeem sinners like us. And the truth is we all need that redemption. Now you might be in here today, I don't know.

I don't really need Jesus. I'm good enough. But the reality is yes, you do.

As sinners, all of us one day will stand before God having to account for our sin. You know, right now it might seem easy. Everything seems fine.

There will come a day when either you die or Christ returns that you will stand before God in his judgment seat and you will have to account for your sins. And if you were found guilty, you're not going to like where you end up. It's not because God is mean or harsh.

That's what we deserve. That's what sin deserves. But the wonderful news of the gospel is found in John 3:16.

That in spite of that sin, if we will be those that turn and believe in Jesus, we will be those that do not perish, but instead have everlasting life. Not that we deserve it, but because of the love of God found in Christ. that if we are those that put our trust in Jesus, not looking to our own ability, but to him, the one who died on the cross for our sins, the one who rose in victory, defeating sin and death, we can trust that on the other side, we will have everlasting life.

And when you consider all that, if you truly understand God's great love for yourself, the one who sends his son into this world to die for a sinner like you, then you just can't help but love him in return, right? That should be the response. So many people say, "Well, I trust Jesus for salvation and leave it there." But the reality is if we have trusted in Jesus for our salvation, seeing where we were but now where we are in Christ, the only response for us is to then love and live for him as our Lord, as the one who has died for us, seeking to live our lives out of love for him.

Here's a story that's set shortly after the Civil War. There's a farmer. He's he's kneeling down before a gravestone in a cemetery for soldiers.

And a passer by stops and sees the man. He asks them if the man in the grave is his son. The farmer replies, "Well, he has seven children, all of them young and a wife, that are all back home, that he was drafted and he was required to join the army even though he had all these young children.

But on the morning that he departed, his neighbor, their oldest son came to the door, knocked and offered to take his place in the war. And so as he's explaining this, the passer by asks, now knowing whose grave this is, what he's writing there on the grave. And the former replied, saying, I'm writing, he died for me.

This neighbor took the farmer's place and died. He didn't have to. He was under no obligation to do so.

And yet, he did. And by his death, the farmer did not die. And you amplify this times infinity.

You see the same reality with Jesus. Jesus Christ again under no obligation to do so takes our place by dying for our sins so that you and I do not have to pay that penalty. And just as this man shows his love for this neighbor's son who died in his place by writing on his tombstone, you and I write Jesus died for me and how we love him with our life.

And if you stop and you look at your life right now, does it show that you love Jesus? is how you live a life that honors the one who gave his life for you. Does your life show that you love Jesus the way that he loved you?

Does your life say that you love Jesus more than your sin? If we are those that have truly come to faith in Jesus Christ, our lives have changed. We no longer live the way we once did.

Not because now we have a list of things that we have to do so that we please God, but no, our lives change because we love the God who has saved us and now seek to obey him and turn away from our sin. Again, not to earn our salvation, but out of love for who he is and what he has done for us. out of the great love that he has shown to us through Jesus.

Are you showing how much you love the Lord by how you live your life? Or are you showing that you love yourself more by living however you wish? And another way this comes into play is not only how we love God, but how he calls us to love others.

Because that great overwhelming unending amount of love that God has lavished upon us in Jesus should be that which pours out of us towards those around us. Are you loving others the way Jesus has loved you? That's where it gets sticky, doesn't it?

Because how often we put conditions on our love or we restrict that unconditional love to your spouse, to your children, to some relatives, to some close friends, but outside of that, there's a limit. How often are we those that are hesitant to love some of the people around us? those that aren't like us.

Those that think differently than us. Those that talk differently than us, those that dress differently than us. How often do we not love those that have hurt us?

We deem them unworthy of our love because of what they have done by wronging us in the past. How they've betrayed our trust. how they've taken advantage of us.

And yet the example of love that is shown to us in John 3:16 reminds us that we are to show the same love of Christ to all people, no matter how good, no matter how bad they might be, no matter what they have done for us or what they have done against us. Because that is the way that God has shown his love to you and to me. God showed his love for sinful, broken people like us.

As Ephesians 2 says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I think far too often we say, "Well, if this person proves themselves, then I will love them. If they do these things, but that's not the way that God loved us while we were still sinners before our act was clean up.

Jesus died for us." And if you have experienced the love of God in spite of yourself, then you should be one that loves others the same way unconditionally, in spite of themselves. You see, God shows us his amazing example of love, not only for our salvation, not only that we would love him, but that we'd also love others in the same way. And right now in your life, are you holding back your love from someone?

Are you holding on to a grudge? Are you becoming bitter towards somebody? Are you harboring hate?

And you might be saying, "Yes, but pastor, listen, you don't know what they've done." Well, well, how often do we try to convince ourselves that we're justified in not loving people? We do it all the time, right? Well, let me ask you something.

If you're one that does that, consider God for a moment. Did God hold back his love from you when he's hung on the cross? Did God hold a grudge against you when that crown of thorns was shoved upon his head?

Did God harbor hate towards you when he breathed his last on the cross so that your sins would be paid for? No, he didn't because he loved you unconditionally. And that's the same kind of unselfish, sacrificial, unconditional love that you and I are to have towards all people regardless of who they are or what they have done to us.

That is the love that we see here in John 3:16 on display. That is the love that I'll be honest, I could go on talking about for hours, but we've got to get to lunch sometime. But this text carries such a powerful message.

And I think that's why it stands out to us so much because this is the message of the gospel. The good news of God's love for us as sinners. And it's also good news that we share with others.

What a joy it is to know God's love. What a joy it is to share it as well. Again, this past week at Bible school, we've been sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, all these children.

And I would continue to encourage you be those that continue to go out and share the gospel. It's not something that we sit on, but we share. Look how much God loved me.

And look how much he can show his love for you, too. And that's the message I want to share with all of you this morning. This is the most amazing message that there is because it shows us how great God's love is.

And it shows us how we ought to be those that respond in love. Now, there's some of you today that may not know this message. It may be your first time here.

You might be have sitting sat in these pews for years, but never really hit home until today. See the great love of God that you need and respond to it in love. No matter what you have done, no matter how far you have fallen, the love of God is shown to you in Jesus Christ.

May you come to believe in him that you might know that love for yourself, the love of God in Christ who died for sinners like me and you. And for the rest of you here, I know that many of you have heard this. This might be the thousandth time that you've heard of it.

And yet, don't just say, "Well, I already know this verse. This is remedial." No, but you should be still marveling at the gospel message, at the grace and love that God had for a sinner like you by coming into this world and sacrificing himself for you and rising again in hope and victory to give you the assurance of the promise that if you have believed, you indeed will inherit everlasting life. As Christians, the beauty of the gospel should never fade in our eyes.

And that's all right here. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. What a beautiful message.

What a wonderful message. This is the God of love. And this is the gospel we proclaim.

And we may we be those that are reminded of that love ourselves. that we would love our God in return and love others as he has loved us. That we would be those that leave through these doors and proclaiming that great love that all those around us would come to know his love as well.

Let's pray. Oh gracious and loving God, again we marvel at just how much you loved us. that you would come into this world and live and die for sinners that deserve nothing but your wrath.

And yet, oh God, that is who you are. You are a God that loves us in spite of knowing all of our sin. You are a God that's been merciful.

You are a God that has redeemed us. You are a God that continues to work in our lives and is with us always. And it all goes back to your love.

Lord, may we marvel at this love and may we seek to be those that love you in return. Help us to live our lives in such a way that would honor and glorify you, not simply out of the burden, but may it be a joy to live for you. And help us to love others as you have loved us.

Lord, it is difficult at times and yet you've loved us unconditionally. Help us to do the same. May we be those that shine brightly for you in this world, showing your love to those around us that they too might come to ask, "What is it about these people that is different?" And we can share with them the wonderful love that comes in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the wonderful love that John 3:16 tells us all about.

So, oh God, we thank you for this love. May we go out from here loving you and others as you have loved us. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Christ Jesus our savior.

Amen. At this time there is a an edit to the song we'll be singing. Um the numbers here are correct is number 616.

We have been singing this week in VBS Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. Well, guess what's in the Hbook? >> So let's stand together and sing number 616 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

Gloring heart. safe and secure. of the everlasting sweet Everlasting everlasting arms.

of the everlasting everlasting everlasting everlasting and thank you for being in worship with us this morning. We'd love for you to join us tonight at 5:00. We'll be having our evening service and the Lord's supper.

Uh so we would love for you to come back and join us then. But as you leave here, may you leave with God's good benediction. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be and abide with you all now and forever more.

Amen. And amen. Thank you.