1. God Loved the World
2. God Gave His Son
3. God Invites Our Faith
4. God Promises Eternal Life

Rollen Stewart is someone who many of you have seen before (at least of the older generation). You probably don't recognize his name. But if I tell you a bit about him, you might recognize him. He used to wear a rainbow wig at sporting events, sitting wherever the cameras might show him. This action gave him an amount of fame, which is exactly what he longed for.

Then, one night, he was watching a Bible Prophecy teacher, named Charles Taylor. Rolland Stewart was then interested in using his method that had gained him some fame to spread the name of Jesus. So, he changed his costume to a T-shirt that said, “Jesus Saves.” Yet, later, he became convinced that the better message for him was simply a T-Shirt that said, “John 3:16.” He preferred this message because it was a direct quote from the Bible, which gave people a place to turn and read more about the message that he wanted to promote.

Do you remember him? I remember him in the end zone of many football games that I watched. I remember him behind home plate of many baseball games that I watched. Now, you don’t see Rolland Stewart at many baseball and football games today, as he serving three life sentences at Mule Creek State Prison in California for kidnapping three people (which is a story for another day).^[1] But, what he began continues to this day.

If you pay attention at sporting events, you will often see people with “John 3:16” signs behind home plate, in the end zone, or in the crowd. There are ministries to this idea, that getting John 3:16 in the media is an effective means of evangelism.^[2] I don’t disagree with this at all. There are people who put up signs on the freeway overpasses, which reaches thousands of commuters, or wherever public events might be taking place. On Etsy, you can purchase John 3:16 yard signs.

People are super-creative about these things. A few years ago, when Tim Tebow was the national championship quarterback for the Florida Gators, he had John 3:16 on the eye black that he wore. There it was for all to see. I have read that “John 3:16” was the top Google search that evening. As a result of all of these efforts, my guess is that John 3:16 is probably the most well-known Bible verse of our generation.

It is to this verse that we come this morning in the gospel of John. Last week, we looked at John 3:1-15. This week, we are going to look at only one verse in the gospel of John. So, I invite you to open in your Bibles to John 3:16. My guess is that many of you have this verse memorized. So, what I want to do this morning is to have us all quote the verse at the same time. You may have memorized it in a slightly different version, that’s OK. we may all not be saying it in unison where our translations are different. that’s OK. So, don’t look at your Bibles, and repeat it from memory. Let’s all say it together.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If you haven’t memorized this verse, I recommend that you do. Simply say it over and over and over and over again, until you can say it from memory. Listen to what many preachers and theologians have said about this verse:

Billy Graham: "John 3:16 is the best-known and most-loved verse in the Bible.”
Charles Spurgeon: "John 3:16 is the golden text of the Bible. It is the best summary of the Gospel ever written."
Martin Luther: "John 3:16 is the Gospel in miniature. It is the essence of Christian faith and the most comforting text of the New Testament."
D. L. Moody: "John 3:16 is the keynote of the whole Bible. It is the Gospel in one verse."
John Piper: "John 3:16 is a window into the heart of God. It reveals the depth of His love and the promise of eternal life."
Tim Keller: "John 3:16 captures the essence of Christianity: God’s immense love and our need for salvation."
J.I. Packer: "John 3:16 is the clearest declaration of God’s love and the invitation to eternal life."
R.C. Sproul: "John 3:16 is a profound statement of the gospel’s simplicity and its power."
A.W. Tozer: "John 3:16 is a powerful reminder of the sacrificial love that defines Christianity."
George Whitefield: "John 3:16 encapsulates the whole of the gospel message in its most condensed and beautiful form."
J.C. Ryle: "John 3:16 is the summary of the whole Christian doctrine of salvation, full of grace and truth."
G. Campbell Morgan: "John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible because it encapsulates the heart of the Christian message." Oswald Chambers: "John 3:16 reveals the vastness of God’s love and the ultimate sacrifice of Christ for our redemption."
John Wesley: "John 3:16 is a verse of unparalleled importance, summarizing the gospel message in its purest form."
Eugene Peterson: "John 3:16 is the foundation of the Christian faith, expressing the depth of God’s love for humanity."
J. Vernon McGee: "John 3:16 is a precious verse that reveals the core of Christian doctrine and the essence of salvation."
Andrew Murray: "John 3:16 embodies the heart of the Gospel and the profound truth of God’s love."
Alistair Begg: "John 3:16 is the ultimate declaration of the Gospel’s promise, highlighting God’s love and the gift of eternal life."
John MacArthur: "John 3:16 is a succinct and powerful summary of the Christian message and the promise of eternal life."
John Stott: "John 3:16 is a verse that provides a clear and compelling summary of the Gospel’s message."
A.W. Pink: "John 3:16 is the heart of the New Testament, offering a clear and comprehensive statement of God’s love and salvation."

It is appropriate that I spend an entire Sunday morning reflecting upon this verse. My message this morning is entitled, “The Heart of the Gospel.” It is in the spirit of all of these quotes, as the core of the gospel comes out in these words:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Now, before we dig into this verse, I do want to make a comment about the verse in its context. We just finished the section at the beginning of John 3, when Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus about his own death. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). This is a reference back to Number 21, when those who were bitten by snakes became ill, their medicine was to look to the bronze serpent upon the pole. Now, it is the same way with me. He says, “I too will be lifted up upon a tree. You simply need to look to me, and believe in me. And you will have eternal life.” Then comes our verse:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The question here is this: Is Jesus still speaking? Or, is this one of the many instances when John, the author of the gospel, interjects his own commentary at this point. Most translations indicate that he is. You can tell this by whether they have these words in red in their red-letter edition. But not all of them. The New International Version (in particular), has these words printed in black in their red-letter translation, indicating that John, the author of the book, wrote these words. I think that there is justification for this, especially as Jesus would have spoken these words in the third person. it seems more likely that John would have written this.

Yet, as you carry on the rest of the paragraph, it sure does seem like it’s Jesus who is speaking, rather than John. Ultimately, it’s difficult to know exactly whether or not Jesus said these words or John wrote them. But it is interesting to think, is it not? That Jesus was the one saying these words about himself.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I have four points for us to work through this morning. They all comes as straight observations from this verse.

1. God Loved the World

You can see it right there: “For God so loved the world.” This is the first mention of the love of God in the gospel of John, but it won’t be the last. Yet, the emphasis in the gospel of John, is NOT God’s love for the world. It is God’s love for Jesus. Look down at verse 35, "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). You see it again in John 5:20: "The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing," and again in John 10:17: "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again." Finally, you see it in John 15:9: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love."

The love of God the Father, for God the Son, motivated Jesus. Listen to the words that Jesus prayed on the evening that he was to die on the cross. Here, Jesus is praying to his heavenly Father:

John 17:22-26
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Here, we see the son of God being motivated by the love of his Father to finish his mission and go to the cross and die for our sins. Three times in these few verses Jesus says to his Father, “You loved me.” Nothing will motivate and energize a son more than his father’s love for him. So also, you earthly fathers, nothing will motivate your sons more than your love for them, and when a father doesn’t love a son, there is a hole in his heart, which he will feel all his days, but that’s another message for another time. This morning, we are talking about the love of God, not the love of our earthly fathers. Here we are talking about God’s love for the world.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world

This is the only time in the gospel of John that we hear of God’s love for “the world.” There are a few times in the gospel of John where God’s love is directed toward people, but only a few times. But in every case, it is directed toward those who love Jesus. The promise of God’s love comes in John 14:21, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

The same promise comes a few verses later in John 14:23 “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The same idea comes in John 16:27: "for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." It almost seems here as if God’s love is conditional, dependent upon our love for Jesus. Now, of course, that’s not true. God’s love is not dependent upon our love for him. Rather, our love for Jesus is an indication and affirmation of God’s love for us. When we love Jesus, it’s an indication and affirmation of God’s love for us. But the love of God mentioned in John 3:16 isn’t connected with our love for him. It’s a statement that stands on its own:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world

It is unique to the gospel of John. Perhaps that’s why it stands out so much and makes this verse so famous. Because it speaks of God’s love that stands alone and apart from us. It speaks of God’s initiating love toward the world. God’s love is vast and great! As the hymn-writer wrote:

Such is the love of God for the world! Now, isn’t it strange here that God loves what we are commanded not to love? 1 John 2:15-17 is clear.

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Yet, here we see God loving the world! God loving those who hated him. In fact, that’s what “world” is talking about in John 3:16. It’s talking about those who are in rebellion against the Lord. Look down at verse 19. "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil" (John 3:19).

The world loved the darkness, rather than Jesus. Speaking to his brothers, Jesus said this: "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil" (John 7:7). Speaking to his disciples, Jesus said this: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you" (John 15:18). This is what John 3:16 speaks about when talking about “the world.” It speaks about those in hatred and rebellion against him.

But this is the love of God, that he loved those who hated him. This is the heart of the gospel: God loved those who hated him. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God didn’t love us because we were so lovely. God loved us “while we were still sinners!” That’s the idea of John 3:16

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

This is my second point:

2. God Gave His Son

God’s love for the wicked and rebellious world motivated his giving his son to the world, because, that’s the way that God could redeem the world. God gave his Son into the hands of a perverse and rebellious world, so that the world might be saved through him. Now, this idea of God “giving the son” to the world in John 3:16, is unique here in the gospel of John. Normally, the language used in John is that the Father “sent” the son into the world.

Speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:34). Speaking to the Jews, Jesus said, "I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30). "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 6:38). "Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me" (John 7:16).

Over and over again in the gospel of John, you hear of this idea of the Father sending the Son. In fact, I counted 38 times in the gospel of John where Jesus speaks about the Father “sending” him.^[4]

But here in John 3:16, the language is unique. It’s the only time that I have seen this language of “giving” in the gospel of John. Rather than emphasizing that the Father “sent” his Son, we read here in John 3:16 that the Father “gave” his Son. The difference here between “sent” and “gave” is that “gave” alludes to the sacrifice of Jesus. God gave Jesus to the world, so that the world would kill him. Not realizing, of course, that their rebellious act was actually the means of their salvation, as Jesus died for our sins upon the cross.

Jesus spoke of this in John 10. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). A shepherd gives his life for the sheep. He feeds his sheep. He waters his sheep. He shelters his sheep. He sheers his sheep. He protects his sheep. He guides his sheep. He watches over his sheep. This is what Jesus did for us. He laid down his life for the sheep.

Why did Jesus lay down his life? Because he loves his sheep.

John 10:12-15
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep"

This is what it means that "God Gave His Son." He sent him as a lamb among the wolves, which takes us back to John 1:29, when John the Baptist called Jesus a “lamb.” He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). This is what Jesus did when he died upon the cross. He took away the sin of the world.

This is the heart of the gospel: that God gave his son, as a gift to us! that he might die in our place. He gave him to give his life for us. Some have called this, “Divine child abuse,” that God would give his son to be slaughtered upon the cross. But Jesus did this willingly. "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father" (John 10:18). Jesus was the willing sacrifice. Because he knew what his sacrifice would bring. That’s not to say that it was easy for him.

Nearing his death, Jesus said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour" (John 12:27). Jesus was on a divine mission, sent from God as a gift to us, to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus went through the hard thing, to give us life. In fact, John 3:16 says that his death would bring eternal life to those who believe.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Eternal life comes to those who believe. Let’s further dissect John 3:16. We have seen that 1. God Loved the World We have seen that 2. God Gave His Son And now we see:

3. God Invites Our Faith

John 3:16
...whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus came that we would believe in him that we would not perish. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Life comes through faith in Jesus. The invitation here in John 3:16 is for “whoever.”

John 3:16 tells us that Jesus came for the “world.” He came for all who believe! Not merely for the Jewish people, but for Gentiles as well. This was becoming clear by the end of his ministry, when the Gentiles were seeking Jesus as well (John 12:20). This is something that we take for granted. We weren’t Jews in the first century. We have heard it all before, that Jesus came and died for us in America!

But it was not so clear to the Jews of Jesus’ day who had the Old Testament, which emphasized Israel as God’s people, and the Messiah, coming to save his people. The Jews of Jesus’ day thought that the Messiah would come and save the Jewish people from the Roman tyranny. You see this on the road to Emmaus, when one of the disciples told the risen Jesus of their discouragement. "We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). But as Jesus carried on his ministry, he had to communicate that he came not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well.

This is what Jesus was alluding to when he told his disciples, "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:6). You see this flushed out in the rest of the New Testament, with salvation coming to the Gentiles and the church being “one new man,” comprised of Jews and Gentiles together. That’s the idea of John 3:16.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This is the heart of the gospel: That eternal life is promised to all who believe! So, the question quite naturally comes, “Do you believe?” Do you believe that God accepts you because you believe? Or, do you believe that God accepts you because you believe and because you believe and follow his commandments? Because you believe and try your hardest? Because you believe and do good things because you believe and love your friends? Because you believe and you give or pray or come to church? That’s not the gospel. The heart of the gospel is faith alone. I have heard it said that we believe by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing!

This is hard to believe. It’s hard to believe because it’s such good news. It was hard to believe for the Jews of Jesus’ day, who were working their hardest to earn their favor with God. At one point they asked Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:28-29). The work of God is to believe! We believe God and he credits it to us as righteousness. We follow in the path of Abraham: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Romans 4 goes on to explain this further!

But this is what Jesus was talking about. Eternal life comes to those who believe. It’s not promises to those who work hard enough to please God. It’s not promised to those keep the commandments of Moses. It’s not promised to those who are good enough to merit God’s favor. It’s not promised to those who are kind and non-judgmental toward others. Eternal life comes to those who believe. It comes to all who believe!

So, the question is this: “Do you believe?” Are you trusting in Jesus? Do you believe that God accepts you through faith in Christ alone? This is the heart of the gospel: Do you have a heart that believes? I beg you church family, to believe in Jesus. 3. God Invites Our Faith God invites us to believe in his son! I’m inviting you this morning to believe! If you have never believed in Jesus, today may be the day that you believe that God so loved you that he gave Jesus to die for you, that you might have eternal life! If you are here today and come to church your entire life, but are unsure of whether or not you believe, believe today! Trust in him! If you have any questions about what it means to believe, talk with me. Come to a small group tonight, where this will be the topic of conversation! Believe in Jesus! I invite you to believe. I beg you to believe in Jesus!

John is why we are preaching through the book of John! That you might believe! John wrote this book, that you might believe. We have repeated it every week why John wrote what he did in this gospel. Let’s repeat it now. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31). Belief leads to life. Let’s move on to our last point this morning: 1. God Loved the World 2. God Gave His Son 3. God Invites Our Faith and:

4. God Promises Eternal Life

Listen again to John 3:16.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Here’s the promise. If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life. You will not perish in your sins, suffering in hell. You will live forever, in the presence of God! Believe me, that’s where you want to be for eternity! "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

For those of us who have been reading through the Bible together, this past week, we read through Ecclesiastes, which talk about the fleeting pleasures of this life. Any pleasure we have is short-lived. Any food we drink is quickly digested. Any trip we take is quickly over. Any money that we have is quickly spent. Any joy we have is quickly replaced by the sorrows of this world. But not so in the presence of God. In the presence of God are “pleasures forevermore.”

That’s better than perishing. Apart from Christ, John 3:16 tells us that we will perish. That’s why God’s love burned so strongly for the world. He saw a people who were headed for destruction. He had a heart to bring salvation. So, he prepared a way to save us from death by giving his Son to us that we might believe in him, avoid death, and receive eternal life.

Do you have any idea how long eternity is? As the hymn says,

A few months ago, we finished preaching through Revelation. At the end of the book, we got a glimpse of what eternal life is like. "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:3-4).

Such is promised to all who believe in Jesus. This is the heart of the gospel: That God has promised eternal life to all who believe. God will keep his promises. Again, do you believe? Beware, because you can be deceived. There are many who profess that they believe, but they don’t believe. They believe in their own Jesus, but they don’t believe in the real Jesus. The best way to know if you believe or not is to look at your life. True belief will transform our lives.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on September 8, 2024 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Here's a good documentary of Rollen Stewart's life: <link>.

[2] https://john3-16signs.com/index.html.

[3] Written by Frederick M. Lehman.

[4] See John 4:34; 5:23, 24, 30, 36, 37, 38; 6:29, 38, 39, 44, 57; 7:16, 18, 28, 29, 33; 8:16, 18, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:42; 12:44, 45, 49; 13:16, 20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 23, 25; 20:21.

[5] Written by John Newton.