Bradley Dugger, one of the Shepherds where I preached several years ago in Columbia, Tennessee, was fond of saying, “When you read John 3:16, insert your name instead of “God so loved the world.” In other words, say….
“ For God so loved (Ken Weliever) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
That makes God’s plan for salvation personal. His love uniquely special. And his promise of eternal life individual.
This plan, however, was not understood by the people Jesus came to save. For over three years he preached, ministered and tried to prepare people for it. Yet they still didn’t get it. But on those three days between Friday and Sunday it became apparent.
God’s Plan Declared His Purpose.
God’s purpose was centered in Jesus. The Bible teaches that God’s plan for you and me was in His mind “before the foundation of the world” (Eph.1:4). He determined that the Messiah, his Son, would come to earth to be our Savior.
God’s plan and purpose was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. Preached by John the forerunner. And acknowledged by Jesus Himself.
God’s Plan Expressed His Passion.
God possessed a passion for people. For a corrupted and confused world. For lost souls.
Paul penned that “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still in our sins.”
Friday’s death on the cross showed how far God was willing to go to save fallen humanity. All the way to the cross. A road that was filled with sorrow. Shame. And suffering. A road that left Jesus beaten. Bruised. And bloodied.
God was so passionate about this redemptive plan, that he allowed His only begotten Son to “become sin for us.” To take our place. To die in our stead.
God’s Plan Demonstrated His power
When Friday’s agony was finally coming to a close, Jesus said, “It is finished.” And everyone thought He was finished! Done for. Defeated. Dead! The High Priest thought it was over. The Roman soldiers thought it was over.. And so did the Disciples who ran for cover.
What they all didn’t know was this…Sunday was coming!
The cross did not terminate God’s plan, but actually germinated it through Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. Paul affirmed that Jesus Christ was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
A few years ago Newsweek, a magazine not known as a proponent for Christianity wrote this about the resurrection of Jesus: “The risen Christ is the center of the Christian faith. The mystery without which there would be no church, no hope of eternal life, no living Christ to encounter today. No other historical figure has ever made the claim that He was raised from the dead. It was this appearance of the resurrected Christ that lit the flame of the Christian faith. It wasn’t the morality of the Sermon on the Mount, which enabled Christianity to conquer Roman paganism, but it was the belief that Jesus was alive. He’d been raised from the dead.”
God’s plan was put on display for the whole world to see in three remarkable days. Three days that declared His purpose, expressed His passion and demonstrated his power.
And for who? Ken Weliever! And for you!
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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