THE LOVE OF GOD – PART TWO
Friends, I want to continue with “The Love of God”, that we started with last time. The Love of God. And we took our text from the familiar scripture, John 3:16.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
PRAYER:
Father, we have come; and now, I want to commit my friends into Your hands, and myself, asking that You would speak to them through me, by Your Spirit…in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
We said that this verse of scripture is one of the most (if not the most) popular and profound in all of the bible. And we said that the world that God is talking about here is the world of people; not the world – the system that is under the control of Satan. It is the world of people.
This love that God expresses for the world we said is a superlative love. It’s the best love. It is not only a superlative love; it is also a giving love. It’s not only a giving love; it’s also a sacrificial love.
And we tried to ask the question, why was this giving of the Son necessary? And we said that it is traced back to what happened in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve chose experimental knowledge as against revealed knowledge of God; when they chose to live independently at the suggestion of the serpent against living dependently upon God. And that was when sin came into the world. And because of the havoc sin caused, God decided immediately to send the Savior. And we read in Genesis 3:15, where God said, to the serpent,
Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
The bruising of the heel of the seed of the woman was the crucifixion of the Son of God; and the bruising of the head of the serpent is setting men and women free from the bondage to Satan and to Sin. This was a prophetic declaration, long ago…as soon as man fell, that’s the love of God because the love of God that would not let us go pursued Adam and Eve; and God made this promise.
And so, Jesus Christ came into the world to save mankind from sin.
Today, I want to look briefly at the timing of the coming of the Son of God. Jesus Christ came into the world at the right time. And what do we mean by the right time? God’s time! God’s time is the right time. Friend, always remember that – that God’s time is not only the best time – it is the right time. We read in Romans 5:6:
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
The ungodly – they have no strength. They don’t have any moral strength. They don’t have any spiritual strength. In fact, they are dead spiritually. In due time, at the proper time, Christ died for the ungodly.
In Galatians 4:4-5
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
The fullness of time. What made the time of Christ’s coming the due time; what made the time of Christ’s coming the fullness of time? In the economy of God, the world was made spiritually, politically, socially ready to receive the Savior. God knows what He is doing. Let me say that again: in God’s Ways of doing things, the world was made spiritually, politically and socially ready to receive the Savior.
Spiritual readiness! How did that happen? Before Jesus came, the dominant Greek and Roman societies were polytheistic. They were notorious for the worship of many gods. In Acts of the Apostles 17:22-23, there, this observation was made:
Acts 17:22-23
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.
One servant of God, George Knowles’ made this observation concerning the polytheistic nature of the Roman and Greek Societies. It says, “The gods were conceived as more heroic in stature, more outstanding in beauty and proportion and more powerful and enduring than humans. Humans could die, but the gods lived on. Nevertheless they were endowed with many human weaknesses.” Listen to that! This gods were endured with many human weaknesses. They could be jealous, envious, spiteful, petty. Among them, Zeus, the Greek name for the Roman Jupiter, was known as dust. So, these people were subjected to worshiping gods that were like they themselves, that had the same weakness. By the time Jesus came many of the worshipers of these Gods had become exhausted, disgusted, disenchanted, with worshiping gods who were no better than they themselves. Yet they enjoyed so much privileges and commanded so much great authority over them. They were prepared for a spiritual change or spiritual change.
God also used the law as part of spiritual preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, especially in his dealings with the Jewish people. For Paul says, in Galatians 3:24,
Galatians 3:24
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
The law is used to bring us to God.
What of the political and social readiness? Greece, as the superpower under Alexander the Great, spread its influence far and wide. Much of the then world was Hellenized (that is, adopted Greek Culture and Language). This explains the fact that the New Testament was given to us by God in the then universal language Greek. The Romans who rested power from the Greeks left their own imprint that became part of the divine readiness for the coming of the Son of God. Under the Romans, there was peace and security, what was known then as pax romana – the peace of Rome.
Communication was easier, and travel was safer. Remnants of the good roads build by the Romans can still be found in some parts of Europe today. This political, social setting, presents the due time, the right time, the fullness of the time, in which God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law. Romans 5:6, Galatians 4:4.
But, before I conclude, I will ask you this question, friend. Are you ready for the celebration of the First-Coming of the Son of God? How ready you are for the coming of the Son of God is not in commercialism, is not in the increased volume of buying and selling, it is not in the partying – giving and receiving gifts. Are you ready spiritually in terms of your inner relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you welcomed Him into your life as you Savior and your Lord? Why are you celebrating His coming when He is not your Saviour and He is not your Lord? Are you ready socially in terms of your outward relationship with the community of people around you? Do you love them as you love yourself?
Jesus is coming again, not as a baby born in a manger, but as a Conquering King and Judge. He could come any time, friend; perhaps sooner than we expect. In 1 John 3:1-3, with that we will close.
1 John 3:1-3
1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
[But this caveat is very important]
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
How about you, friend?
Let us pray.
PRAYER:
Father, thank You. How I pray, Lord, that all my friends would be prepared for the Savior when He comes again, perhaps sooner than we think. But Lord, for this preparation to take place, may You convince them, those who have not yet received Him as Savior and Lord to do so. Holy Spirit, please do Your Work in the hearts and in the minds of these beloveth friends, in Jesus Name we Pray. Amen!