Second
Sunday in Lent
John 3:1-17
Illustrations
A Picture Of The Cross…
It's the picture of
violence
Yet the key to peace
A picture of suffering
Yet the key to healing
A picture of death
Yet the key to life
A picture of utter
weakness
Yet the key to power
A picture of capital
punishment
Yet the key to mercy and
forgiveness
A picture of vicious
hatred
Yet the key to love
A picture of supreme
shame
Yet the Christian's
supreme boast.
Author Unknown
from E-inspirations
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In the city of Chicago, one cold,
dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling
newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The
little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He
walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know
where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?
You see, I sleep in a box up around
the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there, of a
night. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."
The policeman looked down at the
little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house
and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say
John 3:16 and they will let you in."
So he did, he walked up the steps to
the door, and knocked on the door and a lady answered. He looked up and
said, "John 3:16."
The lady said "Come on in, Son." She
took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a
great big old fireplace and she went off.
He sat there for a while, and thought
to himself "John 3:16.... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a
cold boy warm."
Later she came back and asked him
"Are you hungry?"
He said, "Well, just a little. I
haven't eaten in a couple of days and I guess I could stand a little
bit of food."
The lady took him in the kitchen and
sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he
couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself "John 3:16... Boy, I
sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full."
She took him upstairs to a bathroom
to a huge bathtub filled with warm water and he sat there and soaked
for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself, "John 3:16... I sure
don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know,
I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I
ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they
flushed it out."
The lady came in and got him, and
took him to a room and tucked him into a big old feather bed and pulled
the covers up around his neck and kissed him goodnight and turned out
the lights. As he laid in the darkness and looked out the window at the
snow coming down on that cold night he thought to himself, "John
3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested."
The next morning she came back up and
took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate
she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of
the fireplace and she took a big old Bible and sat down in front of him
and she looked up at him and she asked, "Do you understand John 3:16?"
He said, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The
first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to
use it."
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 ,
and she began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there in front of
that big old fireplace he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat
there and thought, "John 3:16. I don't understand it, but it but it
sure makes a lost boy feel safe."
You know, I have to confess I don't
understand it either, how God would be willing to send His Son to die
for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't
understand it either, but it sure does make life worth living.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.
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EMBRACE THE CROSS
On a hill just outside of the town,
A travesty of justice is going down.
An innocent man is put to death'
Blood pours from his hands;
The people don't seem to understand,
As they silently hold their breaths
A moment in history, eons gone,
But the message goes on;
Jesus came to love us all,
No greater love have I known;
One day I'm going home.
I listen for my saviour's call.
I was lost...
Jesus s knew what my redemption
would cost.
I see him looking at me.
'If you want to follow take up your
cross,
Your faith cannot be hollow. "
Embrace the cross
Hold on when the storms batter;
Embrace the cross
When everything is about to shatter.
When it seems all hope is gone,
And your life lies in tatters,
Embrace the cross.
Jesus sees what your going through
Your pain and sorrow that brings the
flow of' leaf s.
All the doubts and fears,
Jesus says, "Give them to me and
leave it here".
~ A.G. Shoutlz
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The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on
the side of life's road with a very large cage. The man coming towards
him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young,
old, from every race and nation."
Where did you get these people?" the
man asked. "Oh, from all over the world," Satan replied. "I lure them
with drinking, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money, and all
manner of things. I pretend I'm their friend, out to give them a good
time, then when I've hooked them, into the cage they go."
"And what are you going to do with
them now?" asked the man.
Satan grinned. "I'm going to prod
them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I'll stir
up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I'll make people bored,
lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It's easy. People will
always listen to what I offer them and (what's better) blame God for
the outcome!" "And then what?" the man asked." Those who do not destroy
themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me."
The man stepped forward. "Can I buy
these people from you?" he asked.
Satan snarled, "Yes, but it will cost
you your life."
So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid
for your release, your freedom from Satan's trap, with His own life, on
the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has
deceived and caged, can be set free.
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The Three Crosses
If you were to look at Rembrandt's
painting of The Three Crosses, your
attention would be drawn first to the
center cross on which Jesus died. Then
as you would look at the crowd
gathered around the foot of that cross, you'd
be impressed by the various facial
expressions and actions of the people
involved in the awful crime of
crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes
would drift to the edge of the
painting and catch sight of another figure,
almost hidden in the shadows. Art
critics say this is a representation of
Rembrandt himself, for he recognized
that by his sins he helped nail Jesus
to the cross.
Source unknown
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Cross
"Realize and Rejoice"Richard Hoefler--
The cross is not an exhibition that
all is well, but proof positive that nothing is well. We are helpless
before the requirements of God's holiness and justice. God is just as
well as loving and therein lies the cause of our helplessness. God's
justice must be met, as well as his grace and mercy given."