Sermon Nuggets Monday Feb 18
Theme- 7 Wonders of Salvation
Verse- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(NIV)
It must have been 50 years ago, but I still remember it. Billy Graham was invited to be on the Jack Benny show, after they did some simple sketch Benny asked Graham if he were to summarize his message into one sentence what would it be: the evangelist looked into the TV cameras and quoted, “John 3:16.”
That is the best known Bible verse in the world. Maybe that is why in London Time capsule they placed different articles to commemorate society so some future generations could dig up this capsule and depict life in the 20th century, but among the various inclosures were all the known translation of this one verse in the Bible.
Richard Weaver didn’t want anything to do with God, religions or Christianity. He would be vulgar in his language, in trouble at school until he dropped out, he would take to drink and get into fights. Sometimes he would stagger home and his mother would kindly bandage his face and quote John 3:16.
He left home and worked in the coal mines of Britain. One day in despair he found himself awakened in a sandpit and told that hour he had the worse fight. He pondered taking his life. He thought back on that verse that his mother quoted.
“I didn’t know what faith is but I did know it was taking God at his word and if he said it, it must be so” He opened up his heart and let God’s love extend to his unloveliness. Richard Weaver experienced God’s love and began to tell others that it’s true, the verse is true.
Man has accomplished a great deal in his life on the earth. One can look back on the 7 wonders of the ancient world, pyramids of Egypt or the hanging gardens of Babylon, the temple of Diana in Ephesus, or the golden and ivory statue of Zeus 400BC. We can debate the 7 wonders of the modern world, but each year man accomplishes so much more in buildings, in space, in technology that we can’t keep up. We can marvel at the 7 wonders of the natural world and look at God’s creative genius as in the giant sequoias of California, the Grand Canyon, and the Victoria Falls of Africa, greater than Niagara Falls, the Rainbow National Bride in Utah, the Yellowstone Falls, and Crater Lake in Oregon or the Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico. We can marvel and say no man can begin to match those wonders. But someday every one of those this wonders will be gone. This earth will be destroyed. Only eternity will last.
In the conversation with Nicodemus Jesus presents these 7 wonders of salvation. We will highlight these thoughts this week.
Pastor Dale
