Dear Friends,

We are currently in a new sermon series entitled: “316 The Numbers of Hope.” This past Sunday we discovered that God’s relentless love is for everyone. This understanding is often missed by many of us because we feel God could never love a person like me.  We tell ourselves that we are not good enough to be loved by God. That is a lie and God says do not believe such a lie. His answer is John 3:16.

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world….that is everyone….that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes…..that means everyone… in Him….Jesus… shall not perish, but have eternal life.

This is the Gospel in miniature. It summarizes God’s love for the world and every person in the world. That is why 316 are numbers of Hope, because Jesus is the only Hope there is for you and me and for everyone else in the world.

The word Love in this verse is defined in Greek as “Agape Love.” It is a kind of love that is less about affection, and more about a decision. It is a love that is less about feelings, and more about action. This is the kind of love that gives us Hope, because it is a very intentional love. It is a love that is action oriented and is focused on each person specifically and personally.

This kind of love explains why Jesus came and died on the cross. This kind of love explains how and why he endured the cross. This kind of love explains why he was willing to be kicked out of his home town. This kind of love explains why he could endure the pain of his friends turning on him. This kind of love explains why he could stand by and watch hucksters call him a hypocrite. This kind of love is why he could allow sinners to call him guilty. This kind of love is an action decision that God made for each of us. Jesus endured all of this because God so loved the world.

The Bible tells us that God has tethered himself to you and to me. He has bound himself to us and He has placed his image inside each of us. God makes a decision to love us each and everyday and He promises us that He will never let us go. This is the kind of relentless love God offers us, but we can never experience this kind of love unless we believe. God wants you to have this kind of Hope, but that Hope only comes when we give our hearts to Christ. This is not just a one time offering, but a daily offering of ourselves to God.

Mark this down. God loves you with an unearthly love. You can not win his love by being charming. You can not lose His love by being a loser. But you can be blind enough to resist His love. Let we encourage you not be blind to His love, not only for heavens sake, but for your own sake.

Come and join me in worship and I look forward to the journey together.

Blessings,

Pastor David