(I. John 3:16a), “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”
One of the world’s best known children’s songs is “Jesus Loves Me”. Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so; little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. This song was originally composed for a novel, Say and Seal, published in 1860. It tells the story of a little boy, Johnny who is sick and dying. He is being rocked in the arms of his Sunday school teacher John Linden and asks John to sing him a song. John sings “Jesus Loves Me”.
- Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so
To truly believe that Jesus loves me is the most life transforming truth I can ever know. And I know that Jesus loves me because the Bible tells me so.
(1.) The Bible tells me that Jesus loved me First (I. John 4:19)
Jesus loved me before the foundation of the world, before I was ever born and drew my first breath, and while I was yet a sinner, Jesus loved me first, the Bible tells me so.
(2.) The Bible tells me that Jesus loves me Forever (Jeremiah 31:3), “
There has never been a time when Jesus did not love me and there will never be a time when Jesus will no love me. As stated above, Jesus loved me before the foundation of the world when I was just a thought in the mind of God, Jesus loves me now, and Jesus will love forever after this present world has passed away and we are out in eternity. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
- Jesus loves me this I know for the Blood shows me so
Not only does the Bible tell me that Jesus loves me but Jesus showed His love to me by giving His life on the cross for my sins.
(I. John 3:16a), “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
I am not from the state of Missouri, (show me state), but I do believe that love is not just something said, but also something shown. I believe this is what Jesus believes about love because He not only says He loves me in the Bible, but He also showed me that He loved me when He left His home in heaven with all His riches and glory, to come into this world to become the sacrifice and shed His blood for my sins. It is His deep love for me that motivated Him to die for my sins. It is a special love that seeks to give itself away on behalf of the objects loved and I know that Jesus loves me for the Blood shows me so.
- Jesus loves me this I know for the New Birth changed me so
(John 3:3), “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
(II. Corinthians 5:17), “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
According to the Scriptures, the only way a person can be saved and go to heaven is by being born again. This is known as the new birth and when I experienced the new birth, things changed in my life; old things passed away and all things became knew. My old relationship to God changed; because whereas I was at enmity with God and separated from God, I am now reconciled to God. Whereas I was a sinner under the condemnation of God, I am now forgiven of my sins and free from condemnation. Whereas I was headed to hell, I now have heaven as my home. These are just a few of the many old things that passed away and became new when I trusted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and was born again. And all this these changed for me because Jesus loves me.
Let me say in closing, Jesus loves you for the Bible tells you so; the Blood that Jesus shed to pay your sin debt shows you so, and if you will trust Him as your Saviour, the New Birth will change you so. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, I invite you to do so now.
First, you must believe the Bible is the Word of God. (II. Timothy 3:16), ” All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
Next, you must realize that are a sinner and have broken God’s law. (Romans 3:23), “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Because we are sinners, we are condemned to death. (Romans 6:23a), “For the wages of sin is death…” This includes eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
But God loved each of us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear our sin and die in our place. (Romans 5:8), ” But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God laid our sins upon Jesus and He died in our place. Jesus became our substitute.
The Bible teaches that Jesus bore your sins in His own body on the cross, died in your place, was buried, and resurrected from the dead. It’s Christ’s blood and resurrection that assures us of everlasting life when we call on Him as our Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:13), “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Therefore, if you understand that you are a sinner, and you believe that Jesus Christ came as the one and only Redeemer of sin, then you understand the plan of salvation. The question is – are you ready to implement the plan, by receiving God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ? If so, admit to God that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you to save you.
Pastor Allen Jackson