CHRIST ALONE
John 3:16-18

John Green, a senior fellow with the Pew Forum, wrote…
"What we've found is that many Americans apparently don't invoke the exclusivity clause. For instance, more than half of evangelical respondents said that many religions can lead to eternal life, despite the central evangelical tenet that Jesus is the sole path to eternity with God."
Michael Lindsey, a sociologist at Rice University, commented on the results of this survey…
"I think it really underscores the sense that the issue with religion in America is not that Americans don't believe in anything, it's that they believe in everything. Religion is 3,000 miles wide, but it's only three inches deep." Adelle M. Banks, "Pew Report Shows Americans Are Religious in Unpredictable Ways," Religion News Service, posted on www.christianitytoday.com (6-23-08)

1. THE REALITY OF JESUS' CLAIM (v. 16)

The great preacher Henry Morehouse described the love of God while he was preaching in D.L. Moody’s church…
"I have been trying to tell you how much God loves you. Suppose I could borrow Jacob’s ladder. Suppose I could ascend that shining stairway until my feet stood on the sapphire pavements of the city of God. Suppose I could find Gabriel, the herald angel who stands in the presence of God. Suppose I could say, “Tell me, Gabriel, how much does God love the world?” I know what he would say. He would say, 'Henry Morehouse, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That’s how much God loves the world.'"

2. THE REASON FOR JESUS' CLAIM (v. 17)

3. THE RESPONSE TO JESUS' CLAIM (. 18)

MacArthur stated…
"The only way this verdict can be reversed and the slate cleaned and the sinner forgiven is by believing in the unique Son of God….So it’s important to remember this: what damns people to hell in the end is not because of some divine decree made by God….What damns people to hell is not because they sin and because they break God’s Law. What damns people to hell is because they do not believe in Jesus Christ.

Have you believed in Jesus? Won’t you change your mind about God’s unique Son and, by faith, commit your life to Him?

If you already a follower of Jesus, will you guard the truth of the gospel and pass it down to your kids and grandkids so they won’t get caught up in the backwash of the tolerance nonsense? Will you ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share this good news with someone this week?

ONLY JESUS SAVES!


[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 12-13, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 136.