Sermon Tone Analysis

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*The Destiny*

August 24, 2008

John 3:16

 

Today’s message is the last in my series of four on John 3:16.

We started on the first Sunday of August by looking at the D of danger, the danger of perishing.

The following week, we discussed the D of design, God’s design of love to save us from perishing.

Last week, we looked at the D of duty – our duty to believe.

Today we will examine the D of Destiny.

But before we start, let’s begin with some words of wisdom from Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God Day-by-Day.

He speaks of the D of Difference.

*A Noticeable Difference*

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus.—

Acts 4:13

There is no mistaking a life transformed by God!

The disciples had been vain and fearful when Jesus enlisted them.

James and John sought to outmaneuver their fellow disciples in order to gain the places of greatest honor next to Jesus (Mark 10:37).

Over and over the disciples' actions showed that they did not truly understand who Jesus was (John 6:7–9; Mark 6:49).

Even after three years with Jesus, Peter was afraid to confess Christ before a young servant girl (Matt.

26:69–75).

Anyone who knew these men would realize they were not the kind of people on which you build a worldwide kingdom.

Yet something happened to them as they were with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit transformed them, giving them new boldness and wisdom.

Now they could perform miracles and preach fearlessly and persuasively to multitudes.

Even their enemies noticed in their changed lives the same power they had witnessed in Jesus.

Sometimes we desperately want others to believe that we have changed, that we are more godly, more devoted, more Spirit-controlled.

It is not necessary, however, for those who have been truly transformed by Christ to convince others of the difference; the change will be obvious.

Don't become too introspective, always focusing on yourself and the small changes you see happening over time.

As you walk with Jesus daily, let the witness of the changes taking place in you come from others and not from you.

If you have to prove to someone that God has really changed you, He has not.

Those around you will surely notice when your life has been transformed by your relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is your destiny and your destiny is to be transformed by Jesus.

And that transformation begins at the moment of salvation.

For most of you, that was some time ago.

So by now, there should be a readily discernable difference between the way you were before salvation and the way you are now.

As well, there should be a noticeable difference between you and the unsaved people around you – a difference in thinking, a difference in values, a difference in lifestyle, a difference in interests.

If this is not true for you, then you have a problem right at the very root of your Christian walk – come and see me about it.

For those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and who are walking with him, eternal life has already begun!

For it doesn’t begin when you die, it begins when you are saved!

One more time I want to focus your mind and your heart on the words of Jesus in John 3:16, /"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life."/

These words warn us of the danger we are in without Jesus—perishing.

They hold out the wonderful hope diamond of God's design to rescue us from perishing—his love that continually sends his Son to seek and save the lost.

Last week we focused on the duty that links us with this love—believing in his Son.

And this week we concentrate our attention on the destiny before us if we believe—eternal life.

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The danger: perishing.

2.    The design: love.

3.    The duty: believing.

4.    The destiny: life.

What is eternal or everlasting life?

In John 10:10 Jesus said, /"I came that they might have life, and that they might have it abundantly"/—have life in fullness and have it forever.

So life,  eternal life is Christ's aim.

Our eternal life is what Christ died to attain.

And Christ’s aim and my aim in this morning’s service is your life, your eternal life.

I want you to have it and to know what it is and to enjoy it and to share it.

So what I am going to do is walk us through two stages of eternal life.

You will need to ask yourself where you are in these two stages.

Where are you in your experience of eternal life?

Are you in stage one

The first stage of Eternal life is “in Christ”.

John 1:4/, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."/

Or in John 14:6 Jesus said, /"I am the way, the truth, and the life."

/Eternal life is first and foremost the life of the Son of God.

It is God's life.

Do you have God’s life in you?

We call this salvation, for we are saved from eternal death; we have passed from death to life.

This is supernatural.

It is not something we have by nature.

If we get it, we get it as a gift from God through Christ.

Ephesians 2:8 says, /“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”/ (cf.

17:2; 10:28) a supernatural act not something we can manufacture.

Eternal life is Christ's life.

/"In him was life, and that life was the light of men." /This is where your eternal life begins, by accepting Christ’s work on the cross, dying for our sins so we might have everlasting life.

I call this  STAGE ONE of our destiny as found in John 3:16.

STAGE two of eternal life comes to us through the Word of Christ.

In John 6:68 Peter says to Jesus, /"To whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life"/ And in John 5:24, /“"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

/The life of Christ is given to the world through his words.

He himself is called the Word of God: /"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .

and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us"/ (John 1:1, 14).

And when he was with us on the earth, he spoke the words of life.

And he taught his disciples to go and teach the way he taught.

And he said that others would come to believe on him through the speaking of His word (17:20).

In John 17, the high priestly prayer of Christ, Jesus prays for His disciples.

One of the things Jesus prayed for is found in verse 20.

Turn with me to John 17:20.

Just before asking for our unity – our oneness, He prays this prayer we find in John 17:20: /“"I do not ask on behalf of these alone /(referring to His disciples)/, but for those also who believe in Me through their word”/; In other words, through the spreading of the gospel, through the words of all Jesus’ disciples./

/So eternal life is extended from Christ to others through his Word, spoken by His disciples – that’s us!.

Through the hearing of the words of eternal life, God draws people to Christ.

That is what the Great Commission is: “/Go ye therefore in to all the world and make disciples.”/

We make disciples by speaking the word of God to others.

They come to know through hearing.

John 5:24 says, /“"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life ….” /I call this STAGE TWO: believing and spreading the good news about Jesus.

The Word, the Truth, and the Life – in other words, being disciples.

It is the second step after salvation.

God seeks and saves the lost, but how can they be saved if they do not hear?

In Romans 10:13-14 we’re told, /“for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

\\ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?

And how will they hear without a preacher?”/

In John 6:44 Jesus says, /"No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him."/

Christ is where eternal life is received.

We must come to him if we will have our destiny of eternal life.