Today for our Bible study, I would encourage you to find your Bible and turn to the book of John, chapter 3. John, chapter 3, and we'll begin reading at verse 14. John, chapter 3, at verse 14.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man lifted up. And here we see in verse 14 the remedy for sin. The Son of Man must be lifted up. And this is talking about Christ dying for the sin of his people, dying as the substitute.

And then in verse 15 of John 3 we see the results. We see the remedy, the results that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, should not die, should not endure eternal judgment, but have eternal life.

And then in verse 16, we see the reason, the remedy, the result. And in verse 16, the reason, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Verse 18, now he that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Now let's go back and look at those three things that describe for us the gospel of God's glorious grace in Christ Jesus. The remedy, the results, and the reason.

Now back to verse 14. The remedy. Remedy for sin. Sin is very hard to deal with. Sin is very hard to put away. I know by my morality and my good deeds, sin cannot be atoned for, but here we see God's remedy for the sin of his people. Here's a remedy to put away sin. It's the only remedy that's revealed in the word of God.

And it says here, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up. Now this refers back to a story that happened to the children of Israel back in the wilderness when God sent fiery serpents among the people because of their sin. And those who were bitten with that fiery serpent were sure to die unless they looked to the remedy that God gave.

God told Moses to make a brazen serpent and lift it up on a pole that whosoever looked to that serpent, and that's typical in a picture of Christ crucified, would be healed. Now we see in that story there in the book of Numbers, chapter 21, there was just one remedy for the bite of sin, and that's looking to that designated object of faith given of God.

Even so, it says here, must the Son of Man be lifted up? Now we're all bitten with sin. Sin is what we are, born in sin, shaped in iniquity, and Adam all died. God has just given one remedy for sin, and that is the blood atonement of Jesus Christ. Spiritual life comes out of His death.

The Son of Man, and notice it says here, the Son of Man, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be sacrificed. He must die. Man offended, the Son of Man must die. Man offended God. We've sinned against God. Therefore man must be punished. And God was pleased in his wisdom and grace to punish the sin of his people in a substitute.

The God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered once for our sin, the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God. And notice it says here the Son of Man must, must die. There's no other way. nor the way for law to be satisfied, God's law, nor the way for justice to be honored. Law and justice demanded his death, nor the way for God to be a just God and Savior. That's the remedy for sin, the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, the effectual substitute who satisfied all of God's precepts and all of God's penalty for sin. And he did this as a representative man for his people. But one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of another he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. By the obedience of another shall many be made righteous, or justified before God. Now there's the remedy.

Now here's the result, verse 15 of John 3, that whosoever believeth whosoever believeth in him, in this one designated sin of God, as a sinner's substitute, as a sinner's righteousness, as a sinner's mediator, as a sinner's advocate, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting and eternal life."

Now here's the result of Christ being lifted up, of Christ being That's why Paul said, I'm determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Whosoever believeth in Him, in Christ, has life. Believing in Christ is the gift of God. It is the work of God. And whosoever looks to Christ, trust the Lord Jesus Christ, receives him by God-given faith, they do so because God, in his sovereign purpose, in his sovereign grace, has given them life. He that believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. That's 1 John 5.1. And there are no exceptions. Salvation is received by believing, my friend, by God-given, God-wrought faith, and that is the gift of God.

It says in this same chapter, John chapter 3, verse 35 and verse 36, the Father loveth the Son and has given all things into His hand. He's the sovereign Christ. The Father has given Him power over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Again, in John chapter 5, verse 24, it says, Verily, verily, which means truly, truly, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me has everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Salvation is received by believing God, not by doing, by believing. And I know that a lot of people put emphasis upon the word whosoever. When we talk about God's sovereign grace and distinguishing love, that God will have mercy upon whom he will, a lot of people want to argue with this word whosoever. My friend, look at the next word, whosoever believeth.

Believing this crucified, risen, and exalted Savior It's not something that we do naturally. It is something that God works in us, works in the sinner and gives to the sinner supernaturally. We believe him because God gave us faith. The natural man's response to the gospel is unbelief. Our Lord says in this same chapter, this is condemnation, that light is coming into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Men by nature are not only in the dark, they love the dark. And they don't believe the truth until God works life. by his sovereign grace, regenerates and makes new by the power of God the Spirit through the word of truth and gives us life in Christ. And the fruit of that is faith, believing God, looking to Christ.

So there's a remedy, Christ crucified. And the result is his people, when given faith by the sovereign grace of God, Believe Him, trust Him, rest in Him. Now here's the reason. God loved, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Now here's the reason. The very foundation of everything in God's purpose and His grace is His love. God is not a God of love, God is love, just as God is light. Calvary is not only a display of God's holiness against sin, but also a display of God's eternal love for his people. Christ died because God is love. He did not die in order for God to love us, The atonement was not the cause, but the effect of God's love. We read in 1 John 4, 10, here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be a sacrifice for our sin.

Now clearly, let's look at several things about this love of God. First of all, we know the author of this love is of God. God is love. The tense of this love is, God so loved. God loved his people when they were unlovely. God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, he chose us and he died for us. Jeremiah, we read in Jeremiah 31, he loved his people with an everlasting love. God so loved. He's always loved his people from eternity when he chose them in Christ and predestinated them to be just like the Lord Jesus Christ.

Something else we see about this love, the magnitude of his love. God so loved. Now, how can you define this love? None can define or measure this love of God. It's beyond our comprehension. Paul talks about the breadth of it, the scope of it, the depth of it, the height of it, his love. Having loved his own, he loved them to the end. You see, the magnitude of this love is far-reaching. He's able to save to the uttermost because of his love.

Something else of this love, we see the scope of this love or the object of his love. God so loved the world. Now, my friend, don't let this word confuse you. God doesn't universally love all men everywhere just alike without exception. That's just not taught in the Bible. And I'll give you one verse that disproves the universal love of God. We read in Romans 9, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. So we can't say that God universally loves all men alike. Did he love Peter and Judas alike? No, he loved Peter. Judas was left to his own wicked devices. This love of God extends to all his covenant people wherever they are in this world, Jew or Gentile. It's a love of God shed abroad in the hearts of his people by the spirit of God. God has a redeemed in this world out of every kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue and people under heaven who sang the song of the redeemed unto him who loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood. So the scope of this love and the object of this love is his covenant people. He said, I lay down my life for the sheep. He said, I pray not for the world, I pray for them that you have given me.

Now, the nature of this love is giving. It's a sacrificial love. To love, this love of God is unselfish. God gave himself. Now, as the high priest of God, as our Messiah, the Lord didn't bring the typical animal sacrifice. He gave himself. He laid down his life for us. He obtained eternal redemption for us with his own blood. You see, the nature of his love, he gave. It's a sacrificial love, the sacrificial character of his love. He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

And the design of this love is this, those who believe and look to Christ cannot perish. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And lastly, the benefit of this love is this, everlasting life. The cross is clearly a display of God's holiness, but also of God's love.

Those in Christ, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, that is all his elect, How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

If you would like a copy of this message, I have it for you free of charge. You can just request a message about the love of God, or you can write to me at 6088 Sevigan Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky.