Now the first great text of the Gospel that I would seek to bring to your attention would be that well-known verse, the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel according to John. John three sixteen reads like this, 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. But now, Let me draw your attention to this fact, that in seeking to get the true meaning of this verse, we must understand it in the light of its context. And so I want to read another two verses from the same chapter. In the third verse of this chapter, Jesus answered and said unto Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And then when we come to the last two verses of the chapter, the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. I'm sure the Lord will bless to us the reading of these verses. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, his only son, to die, to die. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, should not perish, but have everlasting life, but have everlasting life. have everlasting life. A number of years ago when I was just a young Christian I was greatly helped by the written ministry of a dear old man of God. Some years after that I met the dear old man. He was the author of a number of books And while I enjoyed reading his writings, I must say that when I met the man personally and sat in his home with him and listened to what he had to say and converse with him, I loved him even more. He was a dear old Christian. When he was seeking to give an exposition of John three sixteen, he had a favorite illustration that he used. And I want to use his illustration today and pass it along to every listener. Here is what he used to say. A young authoress was deeply in love with and was as deeply loved by a young man of her own age. He was on the point of leaving for a foreign country and desired before doing so to propose marriage to his friend. He was a shy reserve man, and, as he could not bear to think of a refusal, said in his letter that if she could not respond to his proposal, she was not to answer. Silence would be taken as refusal. Being in love, the young lady had no difficulty in answering the letter, and wrote her reply within an hour. It was a pouring wet day and her brother undertook to post the letter at the local post office. Her lover never came and she never saw him again. Some years later she heard of his marriage and of his remaining in that foreign country on his government job, where he had an honourable and prosperous career. Five and twenty years after, the young lady's family moved into a new house, and an old coat belonging to the brother was dragged into the light. When the pockets were turned out, there was the letter, yellow and crumpled, but with the seal unbroken and the stamp untouched. He had omitted to post it, and by his negligence, had wrecked his sister's happiness. Now as I speak to you today I feel very much in the position of the brother, for I have been given the privilege to deliver the most wonderful love story that ever fell on mortal years. Now these were the words of my dear old friend, but I must say today I feel very much like him. For while there was given to this young man the responsibility of delivering that letter on behalf of his sister, and there was given to that dear old preacher the responsibility of delivering the message of the Gospel to his generation, then likewise to myself and to all other Gospel preachers, there falls the responsibility of delivering God's love letter to a needy world. Listen to it, my friend. 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. That truly is God's love story, for it tells of a love which is exhaustless in its source, a love which is expressive in its tone, a love which is extraordinary in its choice, a love which is expensive in its gift, a love which is extensive in its offer, a love which is exceptional in its work, a love which is eternal in its blessing. In this simple yet profound text there are four things regarding God's love that arrest our attention. First of all, there is love's startling proclamation that God so loved the world. There is love's striking proof that He gave His only begotten Son. there is love's simple plan that whosoever believeth in him. And then there is love's sweet promise, should not perish, but have everlasting life. But you will remember, I pointed out that this text is associated with other important statements in this same chapter. For example, when Nicodemus came to the Lord, The Lord pointed out to him that it was necessary for a man to be born again before he could see or enter into the kingdom of God. Now, I want you to take note of this, my friend. At the time when the Lord Jesus Christ made that truth known to Nicodemus, there were three great powers that were prevalent in the country where Nicodemus lived. There was the Roman power, there was the Greek power, and there was the Hebrew power. They all had an influence on the lives of men. As to the Roman world, it sought to bring in conditions which should be of the best, by the arrangement of human life under a strong and stern government. You could not possibly study the history of the Roman people and the Roman Empire without being conscious that up to a certain point they had been marvelously successful in the effort. The idea was that men could enter into life fully under the government of authority and force. Now just as the Romans thought that in their day, there are people who think that today, that if you are to enjoy life to its fullness, then you must have this strong government. You must have a government with authority. You must have a government who can enforce itself upon the people, and then that will bring in the best possible life for everybody. Let the government rule. But there are others, and they're like the Greeks. You see, the Greek outlook, which was concerned with culture or with education, it attempted a realization of life along the lines of education and culture. Again, we recognize how marvelously they wrought, for surely the influence of Greek culture is even with us to this day. The evidences are still available in the realm of art. Moreover, Greek philosophy, seeking the perfection of personality, taught that the highest possible thing for man was self-expression in fullness of experience. And there are some people who still hold to that philosophy today. It's self-expression. They're teaching that even with the little children when they start going to school. Let them have self-expression. And they'll reach that fullness of experience. But it doesn't work. Then there was the Hebrew ideal. Their ideal was that of religion, expressing itself in ritual, rules, and regulations, conditioning human conduct in order to the well-being of humanity as a whole. But now notice, while all these things may seem good in themselves, the Lord indicated to Nicodemus that the fullness of life could not be reached, because of Roman government, no matter how good it may be, nor yet could that fullness of life be obtained by Greek culture or education, and neither could it be reached by Hebrew religion with all its ritual and its regulations. Well, how could it be reached? He said a man must be born again, that is, he must be begotten from above. Now get this very clear in your mind. Nicodemus never once challenged the Lord's statement. The only thing he asked was, how could it be? He seemed to accept what the Lord said. His problem was, how could that come to pass? And my friend, as you listen to me this morning, may I suggest that you also are anxious to have a fullness of life and especially to be able to live in the fullness and the abundance of life that comes from God. It may be that you realize that government is a failure and men have tried every form of government to bring in the utopia, but then it doesn't work. And then you'll also agree that in spite of all the effort of those who go in for education, that has failed. Even some people who come through the highest institutions of learning are dissatisfied with life. That's the reason they're turning to pot and turning to drugs and turning to alcohol because they're not satisfied with their way of life. And then there's others who have turned to religion like what the Jews did. They've got a religion with all its ritual, with all its rules, with all its regulations, and still they're not satisfied. When the word of the Lord comes to you, this is how it comes. A man must have a new life that comes from God. He must be begotten from above. With that in mind, and we think of the words of Nicodemus, but how can these things be? Then we turn to this delightful text. It's in the same chapter. Here's how it comes. 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. Now you'll notice that the central, the pivotal point in this text is the blessed Son of God. He takes the very center of the text. Everything else in the verse revolves around Him. You see, my friend, this life, this everlasting life, this eternal life, this new life is centered in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. And if we're going to have that life, we can only get it from him. But look at love-statling proclamation. If it had said that God hated the world, I would not have been startled. Because of the sin and iniquity and vileness that is manifested in the human race, God might well have hated us. If it had simply said that God loved, I would not have been startled because God is love. And it is his nature to love. But the startling thing is that he loved the world. God's love is not an ignorant love, but is based upon perfect knowledge. He knows the worst about us. and loves us just the same. He doesn't love the sin, but he loves the sinner. God's love is universal love, and it goes out to the whole world. You cannot nationalize God's love, for there are no favorites with God. God loved the world of sinners, lost and ruined by the fall. Salvation pool at highest cost, he offers free to all. God's love is also unending love. And the Bible declares, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. That's Jeremiah chapter thirty-one, verse three. Give particular attention to the fact that the text says, God loved, and again I have loved thee. In spite of our sinful condition, when we were still his enemies, before we ever thought of God, he loved us. And in spite of what we are, he still loves us, and will continue to love us. with an everlasting or an unending love. This love is also unmerited love, because God has loved us when there was nothing lovable about us. To think that God should love men and women who have been ruled by sin is startling beyond degree. But the fact remains, God so loved the world. Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. But look at love's striking proof. It's not simply something God said. But God gave. He gave his only begotten Son. Love always does the best for its object. And God did not merely love in word, but indeed. For he gave his only begotten Son. The Bible terms this an unspeakable gift. For no one can estimate the value of this gift. God gave him up to our sorrows. He gave him up to man's hatred. He gave him up to Gethsemane's agony. He gave him up to Calvary's shame. He gave him to sin's penalty. He gave him up to death's sting. The poet, well expressed this truth when he wrote these words, Jesus bruised and put to shame, tells us all Jehovah's name. God is love. We surely know by the Saviour's depth of woe. Hereby perceive we the love of God, that he sent his son to die for us at Calvary. Now look at love's simple plan. You're asking, how can these things be? How can I obtain this new life? How can I be born again? Listen to this. Whosoever believeth in him. Have you ever read or heard of a plan so profound and yet so simple? It is wide in its scope. and yet so wonderful in its simplicity. Think of that word whosoever. It breaks down every barrier that men could erect. It breaks through the national barrier and makes its offer to the whole human race. It discards the social barrier and enters the house of poverty as well as the house of riches. It removes the intellectual barrier and makes its terms known to the simple, uneducated person as well as the letter professor. It demolishes the religious barrier and presents us over to all kinds and classes. Oh, that whosoever, whosoever will may come, the Savior's invitation is freely sounding still. Whosoever will may come. But love's simple plan is not only wide in its scope. But it is also wonderful in its simplicity, believeth in him. Oh, how unlike the complex works of man is God's easy, artless, unencumbered plan. God in his matchless love has devised a plan that reaches to the utmost limits and brings its offer within the grasp of all. For it is possible to believe, no matter what circumstances you may be in, When a poor, distracted, convicted sinner cries out in the anguish of his soul, What must I do to be saved? The simple answer was given. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. This is love's simple plan. Whosoever believeth. Oh, but look at love's sweet promise. Should not perish, but have everlasting life. Things of this world are passing and decaying. The pleasures of this world are only for a season. Pleasures are like poppies spread. You seize the flower the bloom is shed, or like the snowflake on the river, a moment white then gone forever. But God in his love makes the promise of that which is abiding, something that is everlasting. This indeed is the greatest possession anyone can have. And God in love makes the promise to all who will accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Could we with ink the ocean fill, With every blade of grass a quill, With every man ascribed by trade and all the sky of parchment made, To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, Nor would the scroll contain the whole those stretched from sky to sky. Calvary is God's expression of matchless love to mankind, And God invites each one to come and accept His great offer of eternal life, through Jesus Christ the Lord. So will you respond even now and say, Just as I am without one plea, that that thy blood was shed for me, that thou bid'st me come to the old Lamb of God. I come. Remember then the words of John chapter sixteen, 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. life. Ah, but remember, friend, when you come to the end of this great chapter in which this verse is found, the Father loveth his Son and has given all things into his hand. God has ordained that his Son shall be glorified and all the glories shall be ascribed to the blessed Son of God, who has wrought out for us this great salvation. Salvation is in Christ in a person. Eternal life is in him. It's a gift of God in Christ. Now, he that believeth on the sun, says verse chapter six. He that believeth on the sun, half in possession of everlasting life. He that believeth not the sun, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. I ask you, my friend, as you listen to me now, where do you stand? Relative to the truth set out in verse thirty six, you've heard the message of the gospel. You know that God says that a man has got to be born again, or he'll never see or enter into the kingdom of God. You've learned also that this life is in Christ, and in order to be saved, in order to be born again. In order to be the possessor of this life that comes from God, you've got to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. That's plain. He that believeth not the Son. Now where do you stand? Are you counted in with those that believe? Or are you counted in with those that believe not? Remember. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. The blessed tidings of the gospel is simply this. You can come to Christ and be saved. But if you don't accept Christ, you'll be lost and lost forever. May God give you the grace today to bend the knee. And as a poor sinner, trust Jesus Christ. as your Savior.