Let The Love Of God Abide
John 3:16-17; Romans 5:5-11
INTRODUCTION: Today, we commemorate the most profound act of love in human history (Easter Sunday), the day our Lord Jesus Christ willingly gave His life on the cross to redeem us (a fallen man) from sin and reconcile us to God. As we journey through this sacred day, the question is asked “Why did He love us so?” We hope you will experience God’s love by yielding yourself to Him and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior and sacrifice for sin. However, to do that, we believe the believer must do three things:
1. Make a Personal Choice
Romans 5:5-11 tells us that while we were yet sinners, God thought so much about us that He decided to redeem us by His blood. “ 9Much more then, being now justified (declared righteous) by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.” Jesus is our example; though painful, it was a necessary one. John 3:16 helps us understand the depth of God’s love for us in that he (God) looked upon a sinful and helpless creation (mankind) and decided to make it personal.
2. Receive the Sacrifice
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." It was through His death on the cross that Jesus achieved the ultimate victory over sin and death. His sacrifice provided the atonement necessary for our redemption by reconciling us to God and granting us eternal life.
3. Act on It
1 John 3:16: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” In 1 John 3:16, we are called to emulate Christ's sacrificial love by laying down our lives for others. It requires courage to stand alone, if necessary, to be different, to be unpopular, to be cast aside, to be rejected, and to be accountable. God’s love for sinners was that no one should perish but have everlasting life. That is the same love that God expects us to share with others.
My brothers and sisters, let us respond to the call of the cross with humility, gratitude, and commitment. Let us embrace Christ's sacrificial love, rejoice in the victory He secured for us, and strive to live lives that reflect His transformative grace. I pray that we will carry the message of Easter Sunday with us, sharing the hope and redemption found in Jesus Christ with all we encounter.
