JESUS LOVES YOU

Introduction

Madelyn Murray O’hair in 1963, established the American Atheist Association, she was the one who got prayer banned from public schools. She claimed to be anti-religion. However, at the end of the day she just did not like Jesus. There is a video of her on national television explaining why we should be able to use four letter words in public. Her basis for this, is because the church is against four letter words and therefore more of them should be used. In 1995, she was murdered and after her death they went through her diary and found a page where she had written the plea: “Somebody, somewhere, please love me”. She wanted to know that there was someone out there who loved her. 

Maybe, that is what you feel today. However, I want to take a few moments to tell you – that there is someone out there that does love you and his name is Jesus.

Scripture

John 11, opens up as Mary and Martha the Sisters of Jesus sending a message to Jesus, that their brother was ill. There is a chance that Lazarus had died by the time Jesus got the message. Jesus waited a few days before heading to Bethany. When Jesus arrives, he is faced with the news that Lazarus died four days prior to his arrival. 

Martha greeted Jesus saying, had he been there earlier Jesus could have saved Lazarus. Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again and Martha replied in the resurrection. Jesus replied that he was the resurrection.

Mary comes to meet Jesus and in seeing her grief, Jesus asks where their brother was buried. These women are broken because of the death of their brother. 

That brings us to: John 11:32-36

“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, [In times of grief the feet of Jesus is not a bad place to be] She said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” [There are two times when Christ groans. In verse 33 and in verse 38. He groans in sympathy and in sorrow, he groans over his flock and he groans over sinners.] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.” [Verse 35 is such a packed verse -Two words…]“Jesus wept.” Then said the Jews, Behold, how he loved him!”*

Today, I want to focus on the phrase “Behold how he loved him”. 

Here in these verses we see the greatness of God. We see Jesus the man and we see Jesus, The Lord, both are on full display. You see while Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man.

He is touched with the grief of Mary and Martha. When we hurt, he hurts. When we are burdened he wants to lift it. There are a few things worth noting.

John mentions the phrase “the Jews”, 64 times in this gospel. They are the crowd that has come to comfort Mary and Martha. When people sorrow and are in pain, there need to be people there to pray and comfort them. In this passage, that is what “the Jews” were doing. 

This is a crowd that does not like Jesus. This is a crowd that says Jesus is not God and is solely man. This crowd also sees that Jesus loves Lazarus.

Here in this passage: Jesus is sympathetic and Jesus is weeping. There is no doubt that Jesus loves Lazarus.

This is where I want to walk up to these Jews and say, “Jesus loves you too! You hate him and Jesus still loves you. In just a few days you will hang him on the cross and Jesus will still love you”. 

Pilate was a weak leader that handed Jesus over to be crucified, and Jesus loved him.

David committed adultery, had a man killed and he was called a man after God’s own heart.

Peter denied Jesus and yet he was still loved.

I know Jesus loves you, because He gave you life!

Scripture says that, “The spirit of God hath made me” (Job 33:4). The fact you are walking on the face of this earth tells me that our God loves you. Everything Jesus does is intentional. He saw fit to form you in the womb of your mother. Scripture says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). It is a life at conception. There is value in any life, even before birth.

God wrote out a plan for your life! He tells us in scripture that, ” I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

God gave you your personality. He gave you your eyes, your hair color, your arms and feet. He made you, you. He gave you this life, a life worth living. This means you should also not ever consider taking your life. God thought enough of you to write out a plan for your life. You should never take it.

I know Jesus loves you, because of what He left. 

Jesus left Heaven to come be where we are! “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). 

Christ gave up paradise to come be with us. In churches across the world, we sing songs about how glorious heaven must be. In Revelation 21, John describes a city as: walls built of jasper, a city that is pure gold. A city where the foundation id adorned with jewels of every kind. John is attempting to describe the indescribable using terms most likely to be understood. John is describing a city that is glowing with brilliant light, both dazzling red and shiny gold.

Jesus left heaven to be with you and I! He left the streets of gold, to one day walk a dusty street with a cross on his back. He left a place of joy, for a place of suffering. He traded out a crystal sea, for muddy rivers. He left a place of glory, for a place of sin. He left the fellowship with the father, for a last supper with his disciples. 

You say, “I don’t feel like Jesus loves me?” He traded out all of heaven for you and I.

I know Jesus loves you, because of what He lifted. 

Jesus lifted the penalty of Sin! “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” (John 3:16). 

We all have fallen short of the glory of God. In Greek, the word “Sin”, means to miss the mark. To miss the mark of Christ. So, in essence everything we do is sin. 

I hate preaching because it makes me look face to face with a Holy God. It makes me come face to face with my own sin, with my own heart. We all have walked paths according to the world and not of God. We have done what is pleasing to the flesh and not of God.

Paul wrote, that the wages of sin was death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. We have a God who is rich in mercy and by grace through faith we are saved. 

Jesus came to earth as the Son of Man and lifted the cross, so he could lift the Christian. He hung on the cross, so I would not have to pay the penalty of Sin. Three days later he lifted the sting of death and the risen savior, conquering the grave.

You want to why I do not fallow:

Muhammed, because he is still in the grave.

Confucius, because he is still in the grave.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, because he is still in the grave.

Avatars of Hinduism, because they are not real historical people and are no graves. 

However, Jesus is alive and up from the grave he arose.Hallelujah, he ascended into heaven and He is coming again and will lift the Christian!

Today, the penalty of sin, is not on me.

The weight of the cross, is not on me.

The wrath of God, is not on me.

The judgement, is not upon me.

Jesus lifted me. Glory hallelujah, Jesus lifted me!

You say, you don’t think Jesus loves you? He carried a cross for you!

I know Jesus loves you, because He loadeth you everyday with benefits 

Jesus will supply our needs! “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalms 68:19).

Blessed is the Lord who supplied us day by day. God has been more than good to us. I don’t get just what I need, I get what I want most of the time. When I go out I don’t get just the single cheese burger, I get the double cheese burger. Today, a majority will go home and have something to eat and water to drink or you will have a place to sleep. God has been more than good to all of us.

I know Jesus loves you, because of His labor. 

Jesus is advocating for us! “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (1 John 2:1).

You see we are guilty according to the righteous law of God. We have been found guilty of sin. None of us are perfect! The only just punishment for a life of sin, is eternity in hell. However, Jesus stands as our advocate. If his blood has been applied to our lives through faith, then Christ pleads our case.

Not only this but, Jesus is an interceding God! When we do not know what to pray for, Jesus does. When we are lost he intervenes. Jesus has a way of closing doors, so his will is done.

Jesus is being our high priest! Since Jesus was fully human and tempted in every way but did not sin, he could be our high priest and make atonement for our sins.

Hebrews 4, compares Jesus to the first priest mentioned in the Bible. In scripture priest are mediators between God and the people. This allows us to be able to boldly approach the throne of God, with confidence. 

Jesus is preparing us a place! In John 14:2, we are told the Jesus went to prepare a place for us! He is currently in heaven building us a mansion right now. 

There is a place right now that is as real or more so than Lake Lure, NC – beyond the clouds. It is a place called heaven. It is a place all believers will be accommodated. No believer will be turned away, unlike what Mary and Joseph experienced when Jesus came as God incarnate. If Heaven was not real and eternal, Jesus would have told us. If you are saved by grace through faith, you have a mansion too!

I know Jesus loves you, because He told you we were going to leave. 

If I [Jesus] go, I am going to come again! “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

You have to love someone a lot, if you want to spend forever with them. There are some people I do not want to spend a day with, let alone forever. Jesus loves you enough that he said, “all those that are mine, I want them to be with me.”

One of these days we are going to trade out all of earth for eternity. Like the old song by the Primitive Quartet says: “We will take a flight without an airplane, transportation on silver wings”. What a wonderful way to go home. The dead in Christ will rise! Do you know what wont rise? Diabetes, cancer and any other afflictions of the body. 

Conclusion

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”John 15:13

You are not a second class Christian. Jesus loves you and he cares about everything you are going through. Your name is engraved in the palm of his hand and that’s a promise you can hold too. It is easy to forget in times like this, that Jesus loves you. Maybe you have went through life and lived life like the songs says: “looking for love in all the wrong places”. Maybe you have turned to drugs to find a love that only Christ can give. Maybe you have turned to sex for a love that only Christ can give. You will not find love in alcohol, in money, in self. You will only find true love, from the Lord Jesus Christ. He is passionate for you and he wants to save you!

Today, Jesus is calling you. He is sitting beside you this very moment and he has chosen you. It is now a moment of decision, today I ask you under the sound of my voice; will you choose Jesus today?