John 3 v16 Greatest Provision

"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".     John 3 v16

4)  The greatest provision ever made

We have considered, briefly the greatest person displaying the greatest passion to the greatest possible audience;  now we think of the greatest provision.  The phrase "He gave His only begotten Son" stands as the greatest gift offered to anyone either now or in the future.  The words "love" and "gave" are indispensable partners.  The gift is the expression of love, and the magnitude of the gift is the extent of the love.  How much does God love the world?  It can only be understood in the value of what He gave.  His "only begotten Son", this is difficult for us to understand, because it is a unique way to describe the mysteries of the Godhead.  The bible clearly teaches that Jesus who came as a man was also God, equal with God in every way, and became part of the human race to save us.  He became one of us to identify Himself with us to take our place and rescue us when no other way was possible.  It was in the Incarnation, the taking on of humanity, that He became God's only begotten Son...only begotten because there was and never could be anyone like Him.  The One who came was God and He was man.  Later, we find Him called "the first begotten", because there will be many more sons of God as a result of His coming, but He ever remains the unique, the only begotten Son.  This is who God gave, this is the extent of God's love.  When it says He gave His only Son, God gave the most precious person, second to no one in all the universe, HE GAVE HIS ALL!  It must be evident to all reading the scriptures that God's Son is more to Him than anyone or anything else in existence.  In giving Him to us and for us, He could give no more.  To make a universe He only had to speak, and He'll make a new one the same way in the future, but He only has one precious unique Son and He gave Him for us, so how much does God love the world, the human race, the whole world and every individual within it, including you!!  

We must ask, however, what does it mean, "He gave His Son"?  The context tells us..."As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up".  He gave Him to die, for if we would live, He must die;  He gave Him to die on the cruel shameful cross, for that is the meaning of "must be lifted up", He was lifted up on a tree between heaven and earth to become a beacon of God's love to the whole world.  Why such a cruel death?  God wanted to reveal the hatred of man; and He wanted to reveal His own very real love.  To save mankind Jesus became obedient to His Father's will, He was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"; the most powerful being in all existence succumbed to the brutality and injustice of man.  He went all the way ,He saw it through to the end, He did what had to be done, He paid the ultimate price, He made the ultimate provision for there was no other way.

In the words of the noteworthy composer John M Whyte;

"Come sinner behold what Jesus has done, behold how He suffered for thee,

They crucified Him, God's innocent Son, forsaken He died on the tree.

From heaven He came He loved you He died, such love as this never was known,

Behold on the cross your king crucified, to make you an heir to His throne.

No pitying eye, a saving arm none, He saw us and pitied us then

Alone in the fight the victory won, O praise Him ye children of men.

They crucified Him and yet He forgave, "My Father forgive them" He cried,

What must He have borne, the sinner to save, when under the burden He died.

So what will you do with Jesus your king, say how will you meet Him at last, 

What plea in the day of wrath will you bring, when the offers of mercy are past?

                                                                     Chorus

             They crucified Him, they crucified Him and nailed Him to the tree

             And so there He died a king crucified, to save a poor sinner like me"

                                           

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