UNFAILING LOVE
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, February 19, 2023
(1 Corinthians 15:2, NLT) “It is this Good News that saves you …”
(John 3:16, NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Am I an admirer or follower of Jesus Christ?
- An admirer is impressed.
- A follower is devoted.
ETERNAL LIFE CAN BE YOURS.
1. TRUST GOD’S GREAT LOVE FOR YOU.
“God so loved the world…”
(1 John 4:9–10, NLT) “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
(1 John 3:1, PT) “Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children.”
(Ephesians 3:18–19, LB) “May you be able to feel and understand…how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, ….”
2. UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD GAVE
“…He gave His only begotten Son…”
(Romans 3:24–25a, Message) “God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin.”
(Romans 5:6, CEV) “Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21, LB) “For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!”
(Ephesians 2:8, Message) “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!”
3. BECOME A PASSIONATE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.
“…whoever believes in Him…”
(Titus 2:11, LB) “For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone”
(Colossians 3:11, LB) “In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally available to all.”
(Romans 3:22, LB) “Now God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us “not guilty”—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.”
(2 Corinthians 6:2, LB) “Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you.”
4. GOD GIVES ME A FULFILLED ETERNAL
“…should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(1 Peter 1:3–5, LB) “All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family. Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose again from the dead. And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you get there safely to receive it because you are trusting him. It will be yours in that coming last day for all to see.”
(Psalm 34:8, Message) “Open your eyes and see how God is!”