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Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
THE SON AND HIS FATHER'S WILL
"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," JOH 3:16.
It seems as though Satan has made more effort to wrest, twist, and pervert the meaning of our text than any other Scripture that I have ever known. Why? Why is there such a desperate attempt to change the meaning of this text?
The reason is Satan sees and realizes this verse is the most concise summary of the entire gospel message. Our text not only gives such a blessed insight into the true character of God, but it is so concise in its application that it makes a distinction between Christ's sheep and the goats. Why would Satan want to find anything more to pervert than if he can alter, twist, or undo the picture of the character of God? Would it not be in his interest to prevent you and me from knowing how to distinguish between the true sheep of Christ's fold and the goats who pretend to be a part of the fold? It is a matter of knowing who God's chosen people are, and with whom we can have Christian fellowship.
The love of the Father in giving His only begotten Son is an unspeakable gift. 2CO 9:15 says, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." We do not have adequate words to explain and describe this gift of His love. There is such a precious beauty in the harmony between the Father's will to give His only begotten Son and the delight of the Son in giving Himself to do His Father's will.
Why did God put Adam in a position to be able to sin in paradise? God has no pleasure in compulsory service; if we are not serving the Lord from our hearts as our highest joy and delight to do His will, our service is not acceptable to the Lord. He is not pleased with any service or obedience that is rendered out of compulsion. Why? Our service and obedience must come from the true desires of our hearts.
Even though the Lord Jesus rendered perfect obedience, yet if He had done so grudgingly, the Father could not have accepted such service as perfect and full satisfaction of the law. We must realize that the perfect will of the Father is the highest delight of His Son. As David said in a prophetic way in PSA 40:8, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."
That perfect will of the Father is what Jesus referred to in JOH 10:17-18, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." This Scripture gives us the expressed reason God, the Father, loves His Son. Remember that the love of the Father was revealed in giving His Son, but it was also the love of the Son for His Father's will that caused Jesus to submit and give Himself unto the will of the Father. This is what Jesus is saying, "...This commandment have I received of my Father."
Our text says, "For God so loved the world...;" stop and think about the love the Father had for the world when His own Son was sweating blood and pleading, "...if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done," LUK 22:42. The Lord Jesus was so earnestly pleading in prayer with His Father, but the love the Father had for the world was so great that He restrained the love He had for His own Son and appeased His wrath upon sin by giving Him over to death; He did this notwithstanding Jesus' pleading and beseeching His Father to remove that cup.
The Father sent an angel to strengthen Jesus, but LUK 22:44 says, "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." When the Father gave His Son, He gave Him unto such a death with mockings, scourgings, and a crown of thorns. They plaited the thorns into a crown, the emblem of our sins, and placed it upon His head; they spit upon Him and smote Him on the head with a reed to drive those thorns into His head. Who are they? Who did this to the Lord Jesus? It was you and I if it was for us that He died. The love the Father had for such wretched, hell- deserving criminals was so great that He gave His Son for such torture, "...that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Now we see the love of the Son in giving Himself as commanded by the Father. He said, "Therefore doth my Father love me...." Now consider the love this promoted in the heart of the Father for His Son who was willing to make such a sacrifice so those whom the Father had loved from eternity could be redeemed from the power of hell and the power of death. The Father "...so loved the world." Amen.
How oft have sin and Satan stove
To rend my soul from thee, my God!
But everlasting is thy love,
And Jesus seals it with his blood.
The oath and promise of the Lord
Join to confirm the wondrous grace,
Eternal power performs the word
And fills all heaven with endless praise.
The gospel bears my spirit up;
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation of my hope
In oaths, and promises, and blood.
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.