AUSTRALIAN PRESBYTERIAN BIBLE CHURCH
SEPTEMBER 19, 2004
The Scriptural Scope and
Spiritual Stimuli of the 3:16 Brigade
SERMON NOTES
It is a bizarre fact that many of the 3:16 verses in the Bible, starting with John 3:16 are not only of great significance, but jointly cover a strangely vast scope of teaching. Today, it may help our hearts' cheer and courage to cover in this way some of the salient beauties of the Christian faith.
¨ We see the expansive beauty of the loving grace of God in the first;
¨ the communing intimacy of the Lord with His people in the second, encouraging them to build;
¨ the end of the symbolic covenant with the Messiah in the third;
¨ the strength and bond of fellowship between those who truly fear the Lord in the fourth;
¨ the necessity of sanctity for real communion with Christ in the fifth;
¨ the empowering indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the Christian in the sixth;
¨ the forbearing endurance of Christians when slandered and maligned in the seventh;
¨ the inspiration of ALL scripture so that the man of God may be fully equipped in the eighth;
¨ the tour of triumph of Christ, the incarnate Creator, throughout the universe in the ninth;
¨ the endorsement of Paul’s writing as scripture by Peter, with warning of misuse of the word of God by those who, unstable, seize it instead of being seized by it, in the tenth;
¨
and the laying down of Christ’s life for His
brethren, example to others to do no less,
for though sinners cannot redeem, yet can they love – in the eleventh.
We shall plan to study these this morning, with these notes a reminder.
EXPANSIVE BEAUTY
1. John 3:16
“For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
COMFORTING COMPANY
2. Zephaniah 3:16 (and 17)
“In that day it
shall be said to Jerusalem:
'Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
‘The Lord your
God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.' "
GLORIOUS COMPLETION
3. Jeremiah 3:16
“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days," says the Lord, "that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.”
TOGETHERNESS IN WORSHIP AND TESTIMONY
4. Malachi 3:16
“Then those who
feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name.”
AVOIDANCE OF DEFILEMENT
5. I Corinthians 3:16
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you ?”
STRENGTH FOR SERVICE
6. Ephesians 3:16
“that He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”
PURITY THAT SCORNS SLANDER
7. I Peter 3:16
“having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
EQUIPMENT FROM THE WORD OF GOD
8. II Timothy 3:16 and 17
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
LOVE’S UNIVERSE TOUR OF TRIUMPH AND DELIVERANCE
9. I Timothy 3:16
“And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.”
THE BIBLICAL TEAM AND UNISON
10) II Peter 3:16 with 3:15
“consider that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation- as also our beloved brother Paul,
according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
(16) as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which
are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to
their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”
THE SACRIFICIAL SERVICE
11) I John 3:16
“By this we know
love, because He laid down His life for us.
And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”