John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16. Yes, the Lord gave to us not once but twice in almost the same words in two John 3:16’s once in the Gospel and once in the epistle of John. We all know and have memorized the John 3:16 in the Gospel. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should perish, but have everlasting life.” Now let us refresh our memory of 1 John 3:16, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

It is amazing that they both basically say the same thing. (1) God is a God of love and this love is His nature. (2) That love is not just spoken, but rather demonstrated. John 3:16 states that “…God so loved that He gave…” and 1 John 3:16 replies “…perceive we the love of God…” How do we perceive this wonderful love gift? We perceive or understand this love by His demonstration of love. What was this demonstration of love in John 3:16 and in 1 John 3:16? It was the fact that He gave and that is echoed again in 1 John 3:16 as well. He laid down His life for us because He loved us.

When we stop and think of how God demonstrated His love toward us in salvation and in our Christian life, we should stop and ask ourselves, do we demonstrate this nature of God placed within us by the precious Holy Spirit?

I John 3:16 admonishes us to lay down our lives for the brethren. This love that has been demonstrated to us should be demonstrated in our lives as well.

I believe these two John 3:16’s are calling out to us in this present hour to follow the example of the Savior to “demonstrate” His love both to the brethren and to the lost. It is easy many times to say the words “I love you” but more difficult to put those words into action or to demonstrate them. That is the lesson that is put forth to us from these two Scriptures.

The question is whether we can say we love without a demonstration of that love? The Bible tells us, “Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it.” Yes, He demonstrated or put into action what love is. If ever the church of Jesus Christ needed for us Christians to give themselves for the church it is now. When we say “I love the church” what are we saying or what do we mean? Are these words or are they demonstrated in our life by how we protect, preserve and serve Christ’s body?

• We must demonstrate our love for the church by being present for its services.

• We must demonstrate our love by praying for the leadership of the body.

• We must demonstrate our love by reaching out to others within the body.

• We must demonstrate our love by making sure to maintain the supple of the body.

• We must demonstrate 1 Corinthians 16:2, where we are instructed on the first day of the week to bring a portion of that God has prospered us with to the store house or church.

According to the Gospel of John 3:16 and the Epistle of 1 John 3:16 God’s love is a demonstration of His love and our lives must also follow this gracious pattern left for us and His Church.

We would be utterly amazed if we would stop and take inventory of those who have influenced our lives, our character and our actions. Many times the way we think and speak. This can be both negative and positive. We have had to “unlearn” things that we have gotten from those who have influenced us. Thank God for those who have given to us that influence of correctness and character? Recently, while reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 10:1-13 caught my attention especially a couple of words that caused me to lock at this entire passage. The two words are spelled differently but mean the same. These two words are “examples” and “ensamples” Paul in this passage is admonishing us by using the happenings in the wilderness journeying of the nation of Israel. The thought here is that many of and most of the happenings in the wilderness were examples for us today. We sometimes call the happenings “types”. These things that happened there are now called to our attention for us to see Christ and what he did for us. These examples in the Old Testament now point us to our Savior and what He has done for us and what He want us to learn and what to do and what not to do. Many times we observe someone and think, that I should not do or on the other hand we think that would be a good thing for me to use in my life. This passage is loaded with “examples” but because of our limited space I will mention just three or four of these examples or types. Let me challenge you to study these few verses more extensively by going back to the Old Testament references. Most of the Bibles we carry will make reference to the examples in the OT especially in the book of Exodus.

• Verse three makes reference to the spiritual meat (food). We know that they all ate of the Manna that came down from heaven and Christ made reference to this bread when He stated, “I am the Bread that came down from heaven.” John six.

• Verse four spells out for us that Christ is the drink, that spiritual drink. We know that Moses was instructed to strike a rock and water came out to supply the people that had now arrived in this wilderness area. This verse also tells us that the Rock was Christ. That is the reason God was so hard on Moses when he struck the rock the second time instead of speaking to it because that would pictured Christ being crucified twice.

• Verse nine is an interesting and familiar truth also. Please read the passage in the book of Numbers 21:6 and following. The verses before indicate to us that the people were complaining about, yes, bread and water. The Lord now sends into the camp of Israel serpents to bite the people. However, He made provisions for the bitten people to look to a pole with a brass serpent on it. This example is magnified to us in John three when Jesus Himself stated, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up.” There is no question regarding this type or example.

Please, please take some time this week and study this passage because we have just touched the surface of truth found here for our study and admonition. (What about 1 Cor. 5:7 where we are told that “Christ is our Passover”?). From our study, we are thrust both to the Old Testament passages as well as New Testament ones. Don’t miss the great verse here in this passage 10:13. What a great promise for each of us.

…them that honor me I will honor…”1 Samuel 2:30. The context of this passage is God speaking to Israel but in principle they are to anybody anywhere. God had privileged some of His people and they were not honoring Him now He says, “…Them that honor me I will honor…” This is what He says, this is He promised this is His guarantee. What, then, do we have to do in order to honor the Lord? The Bible answers this question in a number of places. Let us look at some of the requirements in order to receive His honor upon us.

1. Honor the Lord with your trust, and He will honor you with His salvation. In John 5:23-24, “He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him.” John 1:12, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Our part is to receive Him, and God’s part it to make us His children. If we honor Him by trusting Him for salvation He will honor us by saving us.

2. Honor the Lord with your confession before men, and He will honor you by confessing you before the Father. In Matthew 10:32 we have the Lord’s own promise, “Whosoever therefore shall confess M e before men him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven.” How then shall we confess Him before men? Number one by confessing Him as our Savior. We have many Biblical illustrations of this. Number two, we confess Him here and now by giving ourselves in believer’s baptism. This is our first act of obedience after salvation. Number three, naturally follows our salvation and baptism that is to live our life for Him day by day.

3. Honor the Lord by complete surrender to Him, and He will honor you by making you a fruitful Christian. Please take a moment and read three great verses in John 12:24-26 which ends, “, If any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” These are verses that we must ponder and get the rich nectar from them.

4. Honor the Lord with your substance, and He will honor you with His provisions. Proverbs 3:9-10 relate another one of its profound passages. When the whole world is struggling with the economy, God tells us the answer. The truth of the matter God is the only one who understands the economics of this universe. These verses read, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Matthew 6:33 in our New Testament reinforces this principle, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

5. Honor the Lord with your love, and He will honor you with His special enabling. In Psalm 91:14-16, we read,” Because he set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer Him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

“THEM THAT HONOR ME I WILL HONOR”

It would be quite unusual to predict one’s own death in general terms. It would be amazing to predict one’s death in the detail Jesus predicted his. Jesus predicted not only his own death in great detail but also his subsequent resurrection. Jesus’ credentials to prove his claims to deity was his resurrection from the dead. Five times in the course of his life he predicted he would die. He also predicted how he would die and that three days later he would rise from the dead and appear to his disciples. Please look up and read the five predictions:  John 2:18-22 * Matthew 16:21-22; 17:22-23; 26:31-32 * Mark 9:9-10

What if Jesus had not been raised from the dead?
• Jesus would have remained in the grave.
• Jesus would have been a false prophet.
• Jesus disciples would have been deceived.
• The preaching of the disciples would have been pointless.
• The apostles would have been false witnesses.
• The whole Christian Church would be a sham.
• Our Christian experience would be imaginary.
• We would still be in our sin.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 deals with these several “what ifs”. However, verse 20 starts a new movement with these two words, “But now”. This chapter has to be one of the most profound chapters in Scripture with its great teaching on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses one thru four of this great chapter define for us the ingredients of the Gospel with the capstone being the resurrection.

Many great volumes have been written concerning the resurrection of Christ. When we read the book of Acts we are immediately and without question thrust into the truth and teaching of the resurrection. We are also made aware of the force of the resurrection not only in the lives of the early Christians but its truth was the moving force of the early church and its profound growth.

Take a look at 7 passages to refresh us on the fact that Christ is now alive:

1. Acts 13: 32-33, “And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he raised up Jesus again…”

2. Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

3. Roman 4:24-25, “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

4. Romans 7:4, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

5. 1 Peter 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us.”

6. Ephesians 1: 19-20, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

7. 1 Cor. 15:51-52,57, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”