John 3:16

Now, if you have your Bible with you, I'd like you to turn to Gospel of John, chapter 3, please. John, chapter 3. Thank you very much for joining us for this meeting tonight, the testimony meeting and the preaching of the gospel. And if it is your first time with us today, we give you a very warm and very special welcome.

Thank you for coming. John chapter 3 and verse number 16, 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. Let me read that again with you or to you one more time.

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, I assure you tonight that Mr. Brody Thibodeau and I have not been sharing notes or discussing what was going to be preached in this gospel meeting tonight, but you've heard very clearly tonight the truth that God is good. How do we know that God is good? Because the preacher's up there preaching that away? Because the Bible says it.

That settles it. The Word of God says it. Whatever your concept might be of God tonight, you understand this, my friend, that God is good.

But there's something more that I'd like you to see from what we've read tonight. I want to preach about one thing, one thing I know about God. There's a lot of things about God I don't know tonight, and I will never know.

I know a few things about Him since I've been saved, but there's a lot of things I don't know about God. But there's one thing I'm very confident of tonight. You know what that is? That He loves me.

That He loves me. God loving the world is a wonderful thing, okay? But this verse tells us tonight this truth, like the Apostle Paul said, the Son of God who loved me, and He preached to hundreds and thousands, jailers and jailbirds and whoever you want to speak of, some pretty rough customers. Nevertheless, He said, the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

We'd like to bring those two truths together tonight for you to understand one clear thing, friend, that there's not a single soul that goes into eternity to heaven or hell that goes unloved by God. God loves every single soul, as violent as that person may be or so hated by the world. God loves them.

We had four children, and we did our best to, you know, spread our love among those four children, not to show partiality. That might have been hard at times, but we did our best like any parent does. But you understand that when God says that He loves the world, He's not thinking the planet tonight.

He's thinking of individuals, okay? God literally poured all of His love and pours all of His love into every single soul tonight. I couldn't do that, but He can. 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.

Well, it has been called the 26-word parade of hope. That's the hope tonight, my friend. There's doctors likely that have run their hands today of a particular patient or case and had to say, no, sorry, not going to make it, and they may or may not make it.

But understand this, my friend, it doesn't matter whether you're on a deathbed in a hospital, as long as you've got life in that body, there's something that you can do for God. You know what that is? Return your love to Him. You couldn't help but do it.

Couldn't help when you think of really what God has done. So as we've often said, you know, if you know nothing in the Bible, if you know nothing in the Bible, can't even find John's Gospel, start here. If you know everything there is to know in the Bible, return here, because it goes in a complete circle as it describes God's love.

I'm not saying tonight that God doesn't love angels. I don't read anywhere in the Bible that He does. In fact, He showed them no mercy.

He cast them out of His presence. But God loves you tonight. Think of what angels are and what angels can do.

Like I said, I'm not saying He doesn't love them, okay? But I'm not told that He is. But I am told and you are told tonight that God loves you. Listen, I want to say it so you can understand it.

You are never to be saved if you are never to know your sin is forgiven. You owe it to God to get down on your knees by your little bed and thank God He loves you. There's a lot of people in the world tonight that are unloved, unloved, uncared for.

Franklin Graham, when he was visiting Rwanda with all that massacre and the war and so on, was in an army brigade and, you know, the children were just all over the roads and they picked up this one little girl. There was the big soldiers there, vested and dressed and so on. This little girl was over in the corner of the army truck and she was sitting there and she was singing something in her own language.

Mr. Graham poked one of the soldiers, he said, What's with the little girl? He says, Just like it is with so many others. Nobody wants her because nobody loves her. And this little girl kept singing.

And finally, Franklin Graham said, Listen, you understand her language, don't you? Yeah, he said, I do. What's she singing? I said, I'll go and find out. He went over and talked in her little language and he came back and said, Oh, something about Jesus loves her.

Oh? Ask her if it's something about Jesus loves me, this I know. Would you do that? When he went back? Yeah, he said, That's the song. Isn't that touching? The outcast of society.

The outcast likely didn't know who her parents were. Maybe they were dead. Who knew? And there were those rough, tough soldiers who were giving her a ride to hopefully get rid of her.

And she's sitting over there in the corner singing what you sing. Jesus loves me, this I know. How about it tonight? Does it mean nothing to you? Doesn't touch you that God loves you tonight? Does it take somebody to come as many miles as I have just to tell you that God loves you? God's saying it from His Word.

He's declaring it. God so loved the world. You know, I know it's a mind-bending claim when you think about it tonight, because there would be a lot in the world that I don't think I could love.

I got a family I love very dearly. I got friends I love very dearly. Friends right here in Cedar Falls and Guadalupe I love very dearly, and I appreciate it as others have to the acquaintance.

I can't love them like God loves them. Oh, my friend, tonight to think that that, as we sing about it, the ocean couldn't write it. Pen or quill would fail to describe adequately to you the love of God.

I remember the night that I was saved. I was particularly thinking about the love of God. If I remember this, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

And I thought, He loved me, that He would seek from me if I was the only one that was lost. That's the night I got saved was the night that I really had realized that. As often been said, these words are to Scripture—you people should know that—what the Mississippi is to the heartland of America.

I think of this every time I see heartland transport out of Cedar Rapids. They come up our way, I don't know what they're hauling, and I think of that. I think of the mighty Mississippi, what it is to the heartland of America.

So what that Mississippi is, with all its deltas, with its widths and narrows and that, what it is to this country, is what John 3.16 tonight is to the world. It literally carries to you and me the truth that God loves you. But it doesn't stop there, okay? What's the next word? Gave.

For God saw of the world that He gave. What's the Apostle Paul say? The Son of God who loved me and gave. It wouldn't be a loving God if He didn't give.

And God doesn't gift when He doesn't love. I mean, isn't that the same with you at Christmas season or whatever it might be? You don't gift people that you don't love, at least I don't think you do. There may be some reservations at times, but nevertheless, God loves this world tonight indiscreetly, without respect of character or person.

That's a wonderful truth tonight. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have an everlasting life. You know, the Bible, and people know a little bit about the Bible, know it has an Old Testament and a New Testament.

It speaks of an old covenant and a new covenant. It's very clear in our Bible. It speaks about the old world and the new world.

And we're about hearing some of that today. But isn't it interesting? God's love is constant, constant. From before time began, before man had bearing or beginning, God loved him.

Before the foundation of the world. So who can scope that out? Who can reach the length of that? Who can really tell the truth or plumb the depths of it tonight? You can't do it, friend. You know what you have to do? You got to accept it because God says it.

So what about it? What about you tonight? Oh, you say, I know God loves me. I heard that in Sunday school. I memorized that verse.

Yeah, you likely have. And you know this, you know that. But if ever you for the first time responded to that love, and just thank God for his son.

That's who he gave. For God so loved the world. Some of us here at the meeting tonight, Mr. McLeod and myself, preached with dear Mr. Peter Orszag, who's been at, I think, this conference years ago.

And I don't think anybody I've had more gospel meetings than I did with him. And we were just talking about, Scott and I were just, Peter loved, one thing he loved, he loved fishing. I don't know if you went to a family, you ask the kids, do you fish? And you take them fishing.

They loved it. And he used to talk about this word so as the fisherman's adverb. So he'd say, you know, he says, God so loved the world.

You know, he says, just like the fisherman, you know. How long was the fish? Oh, it was so long. You know, go on like that.

He went on to make it very clear that God's love was beyond the reach of man. Beyond the reach of human consideration, whatever it might be, my friend. But understand this tonight.

This is so true. So loved, this verse gave to the English word, the meaning of the word so. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It was a number of years ago over in the north of Ireland. And in fact, yeah, not all that long ago, but a good number of years ago, there was a young woman sitting in the gospel meeting. And she had come in to one of the halls in Belfast.

And the folks were looking at her. They hadn't seen her for a long time. That girl was raised in the gospel and she had married an unsaved man.

She wasn't saved herself and decided to make life easier for them. She would move to England. And so she moved over to England with her husband.

And little boy was born into that union, that man and wife. And she was sitting there one day and she just kind of cradled in her arms. She just loved the little fella.

As her husband came by and said, you wouldn't part with him for anybody, would you? No, she says, I would not. And her husband leaned over and give her a kiss. And he went upstairs.

He's up there maybe an hour or so. I'm not sure what was on. He came back down and she was in tears.

Absolute tears. Calling her by name, he said, you know, what's the problem? He says, what's happened to you? Something's really must be bothering you for you to be like this. She says, you know what I'm thinking? I don't know what you understand about it, but I know it too well.

That God loved me so much that he parted with his son. He gave his son at Calvary for me. And later that day, she got saved.

And later that week, he got saved. And now they come back over to the north of Ireland to that little gospel hall there. I just forget the name of it just now.

And to tell the Christians what had happened. That's a tremendous truth, a tremendous story for us Christians. Some that maybe we've given up praying about.

That God hasn't given up on them. There she was at an assembly fellowship and enjoying the Lord to them. And even more family friendly than that.

From that as a result of coming back and going back to England. What did she have? What did she realize? That God loved her so much. As much as she loved that boy, she wouldn't part with him.

But God parted with his son. That was the evidence of the love. My friend in this gospel meeting tonight, you could be saved.

You do not need to leave this auditorium like you've come in. You could leave it tonight going, my sins are forgiven. Just as we've been hearing.

Christ has died for me. I sat in a gospel meeting in a conference the Sunday night in Sarnia, Ontario. Somebody mentioned Sarnia today.

And I was as careless as anybody could be. And we had a law, I think amongst us, we needed more than one law. I had 67 first cousins.

They've got a number of them in the meeting here tonight. One thing we had to do, we either had to sit with our parents or ahead of them. Okay.

So who wanted to sit with parents? No, you don't want to sit with parents. So I remember the rows of us were all really right along the front. I'd rather preach because we were a bunch of sinners.

We needed it. And listening to the gospel that night, I don't know what Mr. Oswald McLeod spoke on. He told me after, okay.

What shall I then do with Jesus which is called Christ? I didn't know that. I didn't know what he spoke on. I don't know if you're going to remember what you heard tonight in this gospel meeting.

But do you know what I heard speak tonight? I heard God speak to me. I remember this coming to my mind that if I don't get this and I miss it, I will be in hell. I remember that night riding home.

My parents, it was a very small assembly, had gone home ahead of time. And we rode home with the Tallmans. And I remember just praying that Mr. Tallman would drive carefully because if something happened, I'd be in hell.

I remember going home that night, getting on my bed and I was sure. I thought, I'm going to get this tonight. I'm going to get this tonight.

I had tracts out. I had my Bible out. Yeah, I was crying.

Whatever. I fell asleep. Didn't get saved.

And it was that Monday night, that Monday night after the conference that weekend, back in the same room, I didn't give up. I'm getting this. I'm not stopping until this is settled.

And finally, I come to a point where I gave up everything. I put the tracts away. They weren't helping me.

I thought they were confusing me. And I thought, I'll just have to go to hell. Did you ever think that? I'll just have to go to hell.

And then I thought, no. I picked up that tract. I just put up there and there and highlighted words where for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

You know, I would have told you the week before who the lost boys were. They lived down our road. I knew what they did.

I knew the language that they used. I discovered if there's nobody else in the world that was lost, I was that night. My friends, the only kind that can be saved is lost people.

Hard to take that, isn't it? Hard to admit you're lost. Hard to admit that you're in darkness and that if you die that way that you will be in hell. That is so hard.

But think of it tonight, my friend. That's the only kind that can be saved is because God has loved them. So you can do one of two things.

It is very clear. You can walk out of this auditorium like so many people have done different times at this conference, like you heard nothing. Or you can walk out with something you didn't come in with and leave without something that you came in with.

You came in here tonight with your sins. And you walk out of here with a Savior and your sins gone. Is there anything better than that? Is there anything more wonderful to know than to know that my sins are gone? I'll never be in hell.

Jesus has died for me. West Point Academy is a big training center for American soldiers. And it was during the Vietnam War.

There was a couple. Their son was in the military. And he was pretty well up in the military.

And they were fighting the Viet Cong this particular night. It was a dark, wet, rainy night. And this sergeant heard one of his boys moaning.

Something had happened. So he crawled on his hands and knees over and got a hold of that boy and brought him back to safety. And just as he lured him into an area of shelter, that young man took a bullet to the back of his head and was killed.

They had a gathering to commemorate the bravery of that soldier. Family were invited, as well as the family of whose son died, who took the bullet. And the family of the young man that was saved.

His life was preserved, okay? That young fellow was asked to speak. It was so shameful that that large gathering, having a big meal, people put their heads down as he started telling dirty jokes and bad language. It was so embarrassing, so terrible.

Finally, the mother of the boy that died leaned over to her husband and said this. We gave our son for that? We gave our son for that? You know, through those very words, it wasn't too long after that, that that mother learned God gave His Son for far less. He gave Him for His enemies.

And you in the meeting tonight not saved? You're an enemy of God, but God still loves you. For God still loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. No wonder the preachers used to say that this was the gospel.

Martin Luther, I think, said it was the gospel in a nutshell. And there was other preachers that made all kinds of claims about it, the verse, and I don't even know. It was Campbell Morgan that said it's too big a verse for any man to preach.

I don't know what I'm doing preaching it tonight, but I love the verse. If I can't explain it or tell it like I would like to tonight, I want you to go home with this burning in your soul, God loves me. God loves me.

Gave His Son for me. So if that was to become a truth tonight, would you have to go to hell? If you were to accept that truth that God so loved me, gave Himself for me, I could be saved so I wouldn't have to go to hell. Would you have to? No.

No. Because what's the verse say? That whosoever believeth in me should not perish but have everlasting life. Thank you for coming.

And may what you heard tonight be more than just gospel messages, but the man of the gospel, the Lord Jesus, you come to trust Him. Shall we pray? Our Father, we thank You for the gospel tonight. Oh, our Father, we think of this great message that has reached the multitudes of earth, and we thank You that it has been the God-designed and designated means by which guilty sinners can be brought near.

Remember those in the meeting tonight, they're not saved. Every single soul here, we don't know their names first or last. It doesn't matter.

God knows them. God loves them. And God is good.

And God is waiting to save them tonight. And we'd love to hear news to hand of someone coming to know Christ as their Savior. We ask this, we give thanks in the Savior's name.

Amen.