JOHN 3:16-17
Pastor Rick
Jackson
I. HE
THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE
1. This
Means No Condemnation [3:18, 5:24, Rm. 8:1]
- He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.
- Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.
- There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus
2. This
Means Everlasting Life [3:36, 1 Jn. 5:11-12]
- 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.
- And this
is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life
3. This
Means Abundant Life [10:10, 1 Jn. 5:10, 20]
-I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
-He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:
-And we know
that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may
know him that is true,
II. HE
THAT HATH THE SON HATH GOD
1. He Has
the Son [1:12]
But as many
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name:
2. He Has
the Father [5:23, 1 Jn. 2:23, 2 Jn. 9]
-That all
men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth
not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
- Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also.
- He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
3. He Has
the Spirit [Rm. 5:9-11]
- But ye are
not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from
the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
III. HE
THAT HATH THE SON HATH LOVE
1. A Love to
the End [13:1]
Now before
the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he
should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which
were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2. A Love
that Calls Us Sons [1 Jn. 3:1]
Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
3. A Love
that Continues [Eph. 2:4-7]
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus.
A wealthy
man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in
their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and
admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son
went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another
soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
Some months
later there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large
package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier
for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was
carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died
instantly. He often talked about you, and your love of art.”
The young
man held out his package “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a real artist,
but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.” The father opened the
package. It was a portrait of his son painted by the young man. He stared in
awe at the way the solider had captured the personality of his son in the
painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with
tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh no
sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”
The father
hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to visit his home
he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the
other great works that he had collected. When the father eventually passed there
was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered,
excited over seeing the great paintings and having the opportunity to purchase
one for their collection.
On the
platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel, “We’ll
start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?
There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to
see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will
someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200? Another
voice shouted angrily, “We didn’t come for this painting; we came to see the
Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!” But still the auctioneer
continued. “The son! The son! Who will take the son?
Finally, a
voice came from the very back of the room. It was a long time gardener of the
man and his son, “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all
he could afford. “We have $10, who will bid $20?” “Give it to him for $10.
Let’s see the masters.” “$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?” The crowd
became angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. The auctioneer pounded
the gavel. “Going once, twice, Sold for $10!” A man sitting on the second row
shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”
The
auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.” “What about
the paintings?” “I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was
told of a stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal this stipulation
until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever
bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.”
“He who has
the son gets everything!”
God gave His
son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His
message today is “The son, the son who’ll take the son?”
