The Right Response to the Gospel | John 3:16-21

Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Good to see you. I hope all is well. It's the Christmas season, and I hope it's off to a good start for you. If this is your first time ever with us on a Sunday, welcome. Thanks for trusting us with your morning.

Before we jump in, I really want to direct your attention to the Watermark News. If you have a copy of that, pull it out. Just look at the cover of it. I would encourage everyone here to check out the news story this week. It's the envelope story from our church's history. It tells the story of how God provided the funds for this campus. God really used that moment in the history of our church to establish what generosity even looks like here at Watermark.

We've also recorded a special podcast episode chronicling what happened during the envelope story. There are two things I really want you to know about that story. First, during that time, God cemented two convictions here at Watermark. The first is God is the one we always look to to meet our needs. The second thing he cemented is that God will call his people here at Watermark to give generously and radically toward his purposes.

So, I want to tell you that right here at Christmastime, as many people are focusing on giving. I want you to know there's a lot God is calling us to here at Watermark. This year, 2024, has been a year of vision. As we look at 2025, there's a lot God is calling us to in regard to abiding in Jesus, making disciples, and enjoying life together. Yet, a trend we've seen over the last five years is giving has trended downward as inflation has trended upward.

So, I just wanted to let you know about that. Yet we hold to our two convictions. One is that God is always the one we look to and trust to meet our needs. In case you don't know what giving looks like here, I will never know what you give. The elders here will never know what you give. We don't court the wealthy people here. We don't show partiality. Giving is between you and God, so I'll never know. We trust God to always meet our needs.

Yet, sometimes people just need to be told that there is a need. I think people walk onto this campus and see the size of the building and just assume Watermark always has everything they need. The reality is God provided the funds for this building through the generosity of many years ago. God is calling us toward things today, and we just want to invite you into that. I'm especially talking to members here. I just want to encourage you during this month to ask God, "How would you have me give toward your purposes at Watermark?"

If you're a member here… Only about 65 percent of our members are invested financially here. We would love to see 100 percent of members invested, not because we want something from you, but we want something for you. We want you to know what it is like to seek God, to ask him, "How would you have me respond?" and then to do just that. So, we'll leave it at that. That's all I have to say about that, but I think you'll be really encouraged by the story today.

Let's pray together. Just as we do every Sunday, I want to invite you right now to take a second and pray and say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Then, would you pray for the people around you and just say, "God, would you speak clearly to them today?" Then, would you pray for me and just ask God to speak clearly through me to you?

Lord, thank you for the gift of your Word. Thank you that we can open it and hear from you today. Thank you that you've given us your Spirit and your Spirit leads and guides us into all truth. I pray right now for everyone on this campus, everyone watching online. Lord, would you give us eyes to see you and ears to hear from you and hearts to receive all that you want us to receive today. We need you. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.

The Christmas season is upon us, which means there's a good chance you are thinking about the gifts you are going to be giving, but you also need to be preparing for the gifts you're going to be receiving. Some of y'all really need to prepare for this. I want to draw a distinction between your reaction and your response to the gifts you're going to be receiving. Your reaction is the instant reaction you have when you receive the gift. Your response is what you end up doing moving forward with the gift you receive.

Every gift deserves the same reaction: gratitude, excitement. But not every gift deserves the same response. Some of you really need to practice your reaction. You just don't know how to react when someone gives you a gift. My sister-in-law has got it dialed in. Every gift she gets, it's the same response. She goes, "Ooh! Let me see."

I'm like, "It's right there. You can see it. You don't need to say, 'Let me see.' You're the one holding it. You can see it." But every gift… "Ooh! Let me see." You can just take a page out of her playbook. Try it this Christmas. It's not going to work well for some of you, but you should give it a whirl. Some of y'all need to get in front of a mirror and just practice your reaction.

That's not what I'm talking about this morning. What I'm talking about is your response, what you end up doing with the gift moving forward. What I need you to understand is the nature of the gift determines the nature of the response. For example, if I were to give you for Christmas a picture of the Ateek family… Is anyone here like, "That's what I want. I want a picture of the Ateek family"? Is anyone just like, "Yeah, I'll take it"? If I were to give this to you for Christmas, what's the right response to this gift?

Congregation: Ooh! Let me see.

TA: I was not expecting that. Thank you for that. That blessed me. Let's pray and get out of here. I feel like we've accomplished a lot already. That was fantastic. Okay. That's the right reaction. What's the right response? If I give you this gift, the right response to this gift is to find a place for it. You kind of set it and forget it. The right response is to find a place for it and set it and forget it. Now, you might look at it occasionally. Some of you might pick it up and be like, "My precious," and that would be weird, but that's the extent of the response.

Now, if I were to give you a ticket to the Shane & Shane Christmas concert this week… Which is going to be incredible. You should totally be there. If I were to give you a ticket to it, what's the right response to that gift? It's to take it, to show up, and scan it to get in. But after you scan it and get in, the ticket has served its purpose. That's the extent of the response you can have to the gift.

If I were to give you an iPhone for Christmas, that requires more commitment. You would need to turn it on. You would need to activate it. You would need an account for it. You would need to customize it, to download apps that work for you. Then you figure out how to communicate with others and hack life with it. This will have an impact on every day of your life in some way, shape, or form. See, the nature of the gift determines the nature of the response. You want to make sure you have the right response to the gift.

There are things in my life… There are gifts I receive that I have the wrong response to. For example, gift cards regarding clothing. Kat and I respond in two totally different ways. If Kat gets a gift card for some type of clothing, it is spent within the week. She gets it. She spends it. That's what you should do with the gift.

I, on the other hand, am looking for the perfect moment to spend it. So, I still have gift cards from last Christmas that I haven't spent. Why? Because I'm waiting for a time that's never going to come. It's the wrong response to the gift. We want to make sure we have the right response to the gift. The nature of the gift should determine the nature of the response.

Today, we are beginning our final sermon series of 2024. It is the culmination of what has been a year of vision. In 2024, we've been unpacking who we've been, who we are, and who we want to be as a church. We want to be a gospel-saturated church. Now, here's the good news. Watermark has been a gospel-saturated church from the beginning. This church has always only existed because of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Yet, we want to continue to grow in our enjoyment and application of the gospel. We want to be people who never get over the gospel. We want to be a church full of people who are consistently growing in their understanding, application, and enjoyment of the gospel so that we know it, we're changed by it, and we go out and share it. So, the question you need to answer today is…Have you had the right response to the gift of the gospel? That's what we're talking about today.

We're going to talk about that by looking at, honestly, the most famous verse in the entire Bible. It's John 3:16. So, if you have a Bible, I want to invite you to turn with me to John, chapter 3. All throughout the month of December and in this Gospel-Saturated series, we are going to be in the gospel of John. When you think gospel, you should think John 3:16. John 3:16 is the verse that Tim Tebow painted under his eyes during the national championship, prompting 94 million people to Google "John 3:16."

John 3:16 was referred to by Martin Luther as the "Bible in miniature." It is possibly the first verse you ever memorized. It might be the only verse you have memorized. It might be the only verse that puts Christianity on the map for you. John 3:16 is all about the gospel, and John 3:16, and the verses following, are going to ensure that we have the right response to the gospel, because the nature of the gift must determine the nature of the response.

The first thing we're going to see in this passage is simply the reality of the gospel. If you're here today, and you're just exploring Christianity…you're visiting church…I'm so glad you're here. It's going to be so good for you to hear the reality of the good news, the thing that prompts us to get up, even in the rain, to come into this place to respond to God in worship.

First, the reality of the gospel. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Let's just break it down phrase by phrase. If you've memorized this verse, if you feel like you've understood the extent of this verse, I want to invite you to hear it as if you've never heard it before. Let's just go phrase by phrase to allow the reality of the gospel to hit us in a new way.

It starts out "For God…" The good news of Christianity always starts with God. The reality is that God has created us for relationship with him, for perfect relationship with him, to know him, to be with him, and to experience his love. The gospel always starts with God. Yet, the first humans, Adam and Eve, were convinced of a lie that God was still holding out on them, so they fell into sin. They rebelled against God, and their relationship and our relationship with God has been fractured due to sin.

But here's the good news: "For God so loved the world…" See, the gospel is a message of love. If you're here today and you're not a Christian or you have been skeptical of Christianity, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons you're skeptical of Christianity is because your understanding of Christianity is that it's judgmental or, honestly, a message of hate. The verse doesn't say, "For God so hated the world." What does it say? "For God so loved the world." The gospel is a message of God's overwhelming, unfathomable, miraculous love.

"For God so loved the world…" This shows both the extent of God's love and the intensity of God's love. It shows the extent of God's love that he loved the world. This would have shocked Jews to hear John write this. Why? Because Jews were convinced of God's love for them, but not for the rest of the world.

God, through John, is writing, "No, God loved the world." See, the message of Christianity wasn't just a message for the Jews 2,000 years ago. It's not just a message for Christians in America in 2024. This is a message that is to go to the end of the earth, because God's intention is for people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to know and experience his love.

"For God so loved the world…" That shows the extent of his love, but it also communicates the intensity of God's love, because that word world is the Greek word kosmos. When John uses that word, he's referring to those in rebellion against God. There's a negative connotation to it when John uses it. John's point is to observe the intensity of God's love, that his love is toward those who have dismissed him, toward those who have wronged him, toward those who have looked at God's way and insisted on their own way. That's actually everyone.

So, don't miss it. Here's what John is communicating to us. No matter where you're from or what you've done, God's love is for you. You might hear that, and something inside of you is like, "I don't know that it is for me." Something in you might think, "I don't know that God could love me." If that's what you're experiencing right now, that's actually a great indication that you qualify for God's love. The fact that you sense that you might be unworthy of it is actually the greatest indication that God wants it for you.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…" That's Christmas right there. That's Christmas in a verse, that God gave his one and only Son. Do you want to know what Christmas is? Christmas is the celebration of the radical generosity of God. It's the celebration that our God is radically generous. How generous is God? He's so generous that he would give his one and only Son.

Think about that right now if you're a parent. Would you give up your child today to save someone who hates you? Just think about that. You're a parent today. Would you make the decision to give up your child if it meant saving someone who hated you? God said, "Absolutely." He gave his one and only Son. Christmas is how we celebrate how generous God is.

Now, some of you hear me saying that God is radically generous and something in you pushes back against that. You're in a season right now where you're disappointed in God. When you think about God, you don't see him as generous right now; you see him as someone who is withholding and even taking good things from you. So, for you, you might be in a season where you're like, "What has God done for me lately? What has God given me lately?"

If that's where you're at right now, one of the reasons you might be in that place is because you don't feel like God has given you what you believe you need now. You need physical healing. You need a spouse. You need a job. You need a raise. You need kids who are thriving. You need relief from the trial you're in. You are sensing that God is stingy or withholding or even taking something good from you. He's not generous because he isn't giving you what you believe you need now. But we have to draw a distinction between what you believe you need now and what you need most. I'll explain it this way.

Several years ago, when my boys were young, we made plans to go to Legoland in California. It's kind of a perfect spot for kids who were our kids' ages. A couple of weeks before we were going to Legoland in California, I was in the mall with my son Noah, who was very young at the time, and we passed by the Lego Store. So, we went into the Lego Store, and Noah saw this key chain he really liked. He was like, "Dad, I want that key chain."

I was like, "Hey, dude, here's the deal. In a couple of weeks, we're going to Legoland. Like, it is literally a land of Legos. It's not the Lego Store; it is the Legoland. When we go to Legoland, you can get whatever you want. Let's not get this key chain now. Let's wait a couple of weeks until we go to the land, and you can get whatever you want." He was like, "Dad, I want this key chain now."

That just put me in a moment where I was thinking on my feet, and I was like, "Okay. This will work out." I tried to reason with him. I was like, "Okay, Noah. I'll make you a deal. You can either have this key chain now, but no Legoland in a couple of weeks, or you can wait a couple of weeks and not have this key chain now, but then you can have whatever you want at Legoland." He was like, "I'll take the key chain." I was like, "Oh man."

What was the problem? The problem was that Noah thought his dad was holding out on him because I wouldn't give him what he wanted now, what he believed he needed now. The issue was Noah didn't have the perspective of what I wanted for him. I think so many of us fail to draw a distinction between what we need now and what we need most.

Here's the reality: God is so in tune with what we need most, and he has sought to meet that need himself. What do we need? We need salvation. God didn't farm it out. He didn't outsource it. No, he met our need personally. God himself left heaven, took on flesh in the person of Jesus, and hit our need head-on, dying for our sins, rising and conquering the grave, so that we who were hopeless could have hope of being united with God for all of eternity.

This is what I've quoted probably the most since I've been at Watermark. Pastor friend Gregg Matte says, "If God never gave us another thing, he has already given us too much." Do you have that realization that the gospel is so good, that God is that generous, that Christmas is our celebration of his generosity, that he gave his one and only Son? That's how good he is. If he never gave us another thing, he has already given us too much.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him…" Well, that's clarifying. "…that whoever believes in him…" I was talking to a friend years ago, and he said, "You know what's important? What's important is that you just believe." He was somewhere around an agnostic. His point was like, "You know, it doesn't matter what you believe in; the important thing is just that you believe." Nowadays, the way it comes out is like, "You know, I'm just a spiritual person. What's important is that you find your own spirituality."

But John is very clear. "Whoever believes in him." Specifically, the person of Jesus Christ. Not whoever tries to leave this world a little better than you found it. Not whoever is religious or spiritual. Not whoever attends church regularly. Not whoever gives away a lot of money. No. Whoever believes specifically in Jesus Christ. "…should not perish…" What does it mean to not perish? It means you won't spend eternity apart from God in hell. You'll spend eternity with God.

A lot of people have a hard time with this idea of God allowing people to go to hell. I have a friend who's actually a pastor, and he got to a point where he just said, "Look. When I had children, I could no longer believe that God would ever allow someone to go to hell." I think the way that logic works for you is "If God is loving, how could he send anyone to hell?"

Here's the thing. This is where we have to make sure our logic works. We want God to be very loving toward us and toward the people we think he should be loving toward. At the same exact time, we want God to be just toward the people in the world who we believe need justice, for the really bad people in the world. It's like, "God, go get them. Why haven't you gotten them already? God, why don't you do something?" That's wanting his justice.

But then we're like, "God, love me. Love the people around me who I think deserve to be loved." That's inconsistent. For God to just kind of close his eyes to our more acceptable sins, like, "Just get on. Get in. Go ahead. Run into heaven before I see you…" That makes God unjust. For him to turn a blind eye to any form of rebellion against him makes him unjust. Here's a beautiful thing: God maintains his love and justice both in the person of Jesus Christ.

He maintains his justice, because God's wrath was poured out upon sin when he poured out his wrath upon Christ on the cross. That was God maintaining his justice. Yet God maintains his love at the exact same time in that God himself took on flesh. God himself was the one who got up on the cross to make payment for sin so that you and I could be made right with God. That's incredible love, but it didn't come at the cost of his justice.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." What does that mean? It means we will spend eternity with God. Wrapped up in the gift of Jesus is eternal life. I got to officiate a memorial service on Friday for Jody Curran. It was a beautiful thing to celebrate one of the faithful women in our body who has walked with the Lord for decades.

This is a quote I shared at her memorial service. D.L. Moody, famous evangelist, once said, "Someday, you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don't believe a word of it!" What's his point? The day you die as a Christian is the day you become most fully alive, because in Christ, death isn't the end. It feels more like the beginning. It's the beginning of the life you've always wanted.

But here's the tricky thing. Eternal life doesn't just begin the day you die; eternal life actually begins the day you believe. How can I say that? What do I even mean by that? Here's what I mean. When we talk about eternal life, we have to reorient ourselves. When we talk about eternal life, we're not primarily talking about getting heaven; we're talking about getting Jesus.

Eternal life is to have Jesus. We get to know Jesus now. We get to be loved by Jesus now. We get to be led by Jesus now. We get to be comforted by Jesus now. We will be satisfied by Jesus for all of eternity. That's eternal life now and forevermore. That's what we get. That's the gift of Christmas. That's the reality of the gospel. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." That's the reality of the gospel.

So, now what we need to do is to unpack the right response to the gospel. This is where you just need to evaluate…Have you had the right response? The good news is that the text tells us what the right response to the gospel is. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him…" John kind of doubles down on it in verse 18. He says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already…"

So, what's the right response to the gospel? It's to believe. The majority of the people in the room just went, "Check. Done that. I believe." But we need to clarify. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? The Scriptures are clear that there's a right type of belief and a wrong type of belief. You actually see it in the gospel of John. I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but let me show you the wrong type of belief in Jesus.

John 8:31, just a little bit later in the book. Watch what it says. "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples…'" He's talking to a group of people who had believed Jesus. Just a few verses later, John 8:42: "Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.'"

Then two verses later, he says, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires." Do you see it? He's talking to people who had believed him, and he's saying, "You know what? You're just like your dad. Do you know who your dad is? The Devil." The good news is that the text gives some indication of what right belief looks like.

Jesus just said in verse 42, "If God were your Father, you would love me…" So, we have to draw a connection between belief and love, that the right belief in Jesus manifests itself in some form of love for Jesus. This isn't just something mental. This isn't something casual. It's something that grips you in a way that could be described as love.

You might hear that and be like, "That's still too high up in the sky. I need you to drill down for me more." Okay. Well, let's look at the word believe. In the Greek, it's the Greek word pisteuo. Pisteuo can be defined as to be persuaded that something is true. Okay. That's helpful. Right belief always starts with becoming convinced that everything Jesus has said is, in fact, true.

When Jesus identifies himself as God, as being one with the Father, that means Jesus is, in fact, God. You believe that he is God. When Jesus is exalted as King because of his resurrection, you believe that he isn't just Savior; he's King. When Jesus declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," you believe that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the only way to relationship with God. But not just that. He's the life. He's the only way to experience life, not just one day but today.

It's to be persuaded that something is true, but it's not just that. It's to trust. It's to rely upon. It's to derive confidence in. Real belief is a belief that manifests itself in reliance or trust. So, that's where you have to come to understand, "Okay. Jesus isn't just Savior." What's the nature of the gift? Remember, the nature of the gift determines the nature of the response. Jesus is Savior. Absolutely. But he's also King. He's also comforter. He's also shepherd. He is leader. He is provider. He is the lover of your soul. That's the nature of the gift.

If that's who he is, then that determines your response. You lean into him. You give your life to him. You rely completely on him. Why would you ever try to be the leader of your life when Jesus Christ is offering to lead? You put your confidence in him, not in yourself. Is that the Jesus you know?

Let me paint it a different way. Wrong belief is kind of like a neighborhood street cul-de-sac. Think about a cul-de-sac. It's a dead end. You slow down in a cul-de-sac. It goes nowhere. Wrong belief is like a cul-de-sac. There's no movement. Right belief is like an on-ramp. Right belief is the beginning of what becomes a lifelong journey that results in eternity with God. You actually pick up speed on an on-ramp. So, right belief is the beginning of a journey, and the goal is that you would pick up speed with Jesus throughout the course of your life.

Let's go back to the opening illustration. You take a picture. A picture is a "set it and forget it"-type thing. Jesus is not a "set it and forget it"-type person. That's a cul-de-sac-type faith, where it's like, "You know what? I believe. Yeah, there's my faith. Yeah, I prayed that prayer that one time. Yeah, I believe." Jesus also isn't a ticket. "Man, I got my ticket. You know when I'm really going to need Jesus? When I die. I just need him to scan me into heaven. That's what I need him for. That's why I prayed that prayer."

Let me be clear with you. Here's a very important clarification. Not perishing is a perk of faith; it's not the point of faith. Do you hear that? Not perishing is not the point of faith; it's a perk of faith. You don't just need Jesus to scan you into heaven. The point of faith is to get Jesus and life with him forevermore.

Jesus is so much more than a phone. This is where the illustration kind of drops off. But here's the reality. If I were to take your phone away from you for a day, some of y'all would struggle to breathe, because you need your phone to live. Isn't it crazy that we struggle to go a day without our phones, but sometimes we have no problem going a day without Jesus? How backward is that? We are desperate without Jesus.

The beginning of right faith has some indication that "I think my life is completely dependent upon this person, and I don't think there's ever a day that I'm not going to desperately need him for life." The nature of the gift has to determine the nature of the response. Just to be clear, Jesus Christ conquered the grave. He died. He rose. He is Savior, and he's also King. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we get new life and complete forgiveness of sins, so that should determine our response. We should live forgiven.

Because we're in Christ, we have new positions. We should live like we're in Christ. Because of Christ, we have a new identity. We should live as children of God. Because of Christ, we have new power. Because he sent his Spirit into our lives, we should live like we have supernatural power. Because of Christ, we have new purpose. We should live as if we exist for him. Because of Christ, we have new hope. We should live as if one day we're actually going to be with him. Is this the Jesus you've believed in? If not, you might have the wrong Jesus.

So, we've talked about the reality of the gospel. We've talked about the right response to the gospel. Now John unpacks the result of the right response to the gospel. What's the result? Here's what he says in verse 17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." That's great news. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned…"

What word is repeated twice? Condemned. If you believe in him, what's the result of the right response to the gospel? You're not condemned. What does it mean to not be condemned? It means you're not sentenced to punishment. The apostle Paul would put it this way: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Some of y'all might not be tracking with this point, or maybe you're hearing what I'm saying, but you're unmoved by it. You're like, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm not condemned. I'm not going to hell." Well, let me try to personalize it for you a little bit more. If we're not condemned, then here's how this practically plays out in our lives: we are convinced that God not only loves us but likes us. Are you convinced that God not only loves you but likes you?

I would imagine some people are here like, "I know that's the right answer. Yeah, of course Jesus likes me," but the reality is you live consistently as if God is disappointed in you or as if you're not doing enough for him and you need to step it up, be better, try harder, and run faster. There's a breakdown in your understanding of the result of the right response to God.

Here's what might be helpful for you to know. Because of Christ, you haven't just been saved from your sin; you've actually been saved into relationship with him, where God is consistently doing things in your life. This is what might be so helpful for you to hear: God likes what he is doing in you so much it's impossible for him to just tolerate you. Have you ever thought about it that way? God loves what he is doing in you so much it's impossible for him to just tolerate you.

Often, around here at Watermark we ask the question, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how sure are you that you'd go to heaven?" I would imagine that every member is like, "I'm a 10. Yeah, I'm a 10." Okay. New question. On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that Jesus doesn't just love you but likes you? You should live at a 10. Why? Because Christ has saved you into a type of relationship with him that you're actually in Christ.

What is true of Christ is now true of you. So, when God sees you, he delights in you and loves you as he loves Christ, because Christ is in you and you are in Christ. That's why I can say God loves what he's doing in you so much that it's impossible for him to just tolerate you. That's the result of the right response. You're not condemned.

Look at the result of the wrong response to the gospel. Verse 18: "…but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Let's just be clear. If you're tuned out, tune back in. This is stuff that your life depends on you understanding.

John is very clear. "Whoever does not believe…" Whoever does not believe in…what? He's clear. "…in the name." What's the name? It's not just the name is Jesus. In the Scriptures, name refers to the totality of someone's being. John is saying, "Whoever does not believe in the totality of Christ, who Christ is…" He's Savior, but he's also King.

"Whoever does not believe in the name of the only Son of God is condemned already." Just a few verses later in chapter 3, John says the wrath of God remains on those who haven't believed. This is what I want to be clear on with everybody in this room. Nobody here is in neutral standing with God. No one. You're either with God or against God.

There's no scenario where you're just kind of here doing your own thing and God is over there doing his thing, and as long as you don't want to have anything to do with him, he's fine with that, and he's fine having nothing to do with you. Like, you just kind of do your own thing. You just kind of coexist.

You're either for God or against God according to the Scriptures. If you don't know Jesus, then the Scriptures would say you are already condemned. The wrath of God is already upon you. Let me explain it this way. My son and I just finished watching the movie Captain Phillips. It's a great Tom Hanks movie. I highly recommend it. It's so good. I had forgotten how good it is.

If you've never seen the movie, it's a movie about Tom Hanks being captured by some Somali pirates. Tom Hanks finds himself in this little life capsule, this little lifeboat, with the Somali pirates. Tom Hanks is obviously stressed out, but there's this moment where Tom Hanks sees these lights and hears these sounds. So, he stands up in the little lifeboat with the Somali pirates and looks out the window.

Here's what he says to the pirates: "It's over. It's over, because the navy is here. The navy is here, and they can't let you win." That's what he tells them. "The navy is here. They can't let you win." And what's the leader's response? The leader is like, "Look at me. Look at me. I'm the captain." Do you know that guy? What does he say back to Tom Hanks? He says, "I've come too far. I can't go back."

The issue was he still believed there was some scenario where he could stay his course and end up in Somalia where he was wanting to go. He believed there was still some scenario where it was all going to work out, that if he kept doing what he wanted to do, living how he wanted to go on the course he was on, it was all going to work out. Captain Phillips' message was "It's over." Do you know what the interesting thing is? If that Somali pirate had surrendered, it was still over. His surrender would have just led to imprisonment.

Our reality is our surrender is what leads to our freedom. The message of the gospel is "It's over." It is over. You can stay on the same course you're on. You can believe it's all going to work out, that you can just do what you want. You can ignore the fact that God's wrath is already upon you, the navy is already here, and the SEALs have been dispatched. You can ignore that or you can surrender. The beginning of your surrender is the beginning of your experience with God's deep, unfathomable love and grace toward you.

So, I just want to encourage you. Put yourself in the boat. Which side are you choosing? The navy brought salvation for one and wrath for the other. Christ has come. He has come. What I love is John says that Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but you need to know that Jesus is coming back, and the next time he comes back, it's for a different reason. When Jesus comes back, he will come to judge the living and the dead.

So, let me just ask you. What have you done with Jesus? Make sure you've dealt with his first coming before you deal with his second one. And be clear. The message this morning isn't to avoid judgment; it's to stop avoiding his love. Have you had the right response to the gospel? My encouragement is for you to respond in one of three ways this morning.

The first way to respond is salvation. It's to put your trust in Jesus. If you're here this morning, and you realize that you've known about Jesus but have never truly known him, put your faith in him today. The second response is evaluation. Maybe you're realizing that you've been more of a Christian by association or by name, but your response to Jesus looks a lot more like he's a picture or a ticket than someone who wants to have everything to do with every part of your life.

Maybe you had the right reaction at first. You were excited about Jesus. But if you look at your response, there has been little to no movement, little to no love. I just encourage you to evaluate. Do you have the right Jesus? The third response is saturation. It's for you to allow your life to be saturated completely with the beautiful reality of Christ. It's full surrender to all that the Spirit of God is wanting to do in you.

It looks like this. We've talked about God's generosity to us, that he gave everything to us in his Son. What does it look like to respond? It's to live a generous life back to him. I'm not talking about finances specifically right now. I'm just saying… What does it look like for you to be generous with your life toward God?

Like, "God, you can have it all. Today you can have it all. Tomorrow you can have it all. Everything I have exists for you. I own nothing. I steward everything to the glory of God…my time, my talent, and treasure. It's all yours. You can have my life." Have you had the right response to the gospel? Let's pray.

If you're here this morning, and you want to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ right now…you sense right now that God is inviting you to put your trust in him…then I want to encourage you right now, in the quietness of your own heart, to say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life today? Thank you that you died for me. Thank you that you rose for me. Would you forgive me of my sins, and would you begin to lead me in life?"

For everyone else here, would you just do business with the Lord right now? Would you refrain from hurrying out and just allow yourself to express gratitude to God for the gospel, gratitude for his generosity? As we sing, can we respond authentically with wholehearted worship toward the generosity of our God?

We need you, and we love you. In Jesus' name, amen.