No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus
No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus
Dr. J. Mike Minnix, Editor
Introduction
There is One who came to be the friend closer than a brother and His name is Jesus. Jesus cares about you - He cares for you! His birth, His life, His ministry, His teaching, His compassion, His healing, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His promise of heaven, speak of His heart of love. I can say without equivication that no one ever cared for me like Jesus.
Let's look at this subject today as found in John's Gospel, chapter 1:14-18:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.(NKJV)
The first 18 verses of John's gospel is prologue. The last five verses, the ones we are concerned with today, serve as the crown to the prologue. John has been introducing Jesus in this unique gospel and he continues with the verses we are considering today. Here his description of Jesus rises to the summit, to the apex of delineation. One might well ransack the Universe to find adjectives to describe the grandeur of Christ, yet John with simple words and phrases reveals the power and beauty of Jesus. In the verses before us John points out that Jesus is a unique, one of a kind, person in history. I want us to consider four things he tells us about Jesus that reveal the uniqueness of our Lord and His amazing love - a love which reveals how much He cares for you and for me.
I. No One Ever Stooped So Low
"…the Word became flesh…"
The “Word” mentioned here is actually a term speaking of Jesus Himself. We will not go into all that this means, but I want you to pay special attention to the fact that “the Word” – Jesus – “became flesh.” Jesus, the Lord of glory came down to this sin-cursed earth to be one of us – to live above sin – and to die on a cross to redeem us.
Jesus came, in a sense, to sympathize with us - to walk a mile in our shoes, if you will. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
You see, Jesus knows what it is to be a child, to be a teenager, and to be an adult in this evil world. He knows what it is like to work, to feel rejected, and to feel grief. He knows what it is like to be betrayed, to be sold out, and to be let down by those around Him – even those He loved so much. He knows what it is like to die – and, to die with the sin of the world upon Him – even though He never sinned one time.
The songwriter penned:
"I must tell Jesus all of my troubles
I cannot bear these burdens alone
In my distress he kindly will help me
He ever loves and cares for his own."
His presence here on this earth speaks of His love for you and for me. It reveals the passion of the Father’s heart for your soul and mine.
There is the story of a young boy approaching his 12th birthday. His uncle wrote to him but he sent no present, because he did not know what to send. He offered to send the boy a check for $25.00. The boy wrote back, "Dear Uncle, Any gift you would have sent would have been fine, but none is necessary. Also, $25.00 is far too much money to send me. Love, your Nephew. P.S. My mother made me write this letter."
If we act like we don't want to be cared about, we are indeed acting. We all desire to be loved and for someone to show that love in a way that reveals the depth of it. Jesus stooped down to this sin-cursed world to tell us that God loves us. He took the ultimate step to reveal His passionate love for us.
Nelson Price, when he was pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church outside Atlanta, Georgia, received a letter with Van Solomon in the return address area. The name reminded Pastor Price of a name he had read in the paper a few days before. In fact, a man by that name had been put to death in a Georgia prison the day before. It turned out that the letter in Nelson’s hand was from that very man. It was written two days before his death and stated that the man had the seen Pastor Nelson preaching on television and that the prisoner had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He wrote that he was now not afraid to die because he was saved and ready to meet God. Now isn't that just like Jesus! He stoops down to save the least, the last and the lost. That what He came to do for all who will repent and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.
II. No One Ever Shined So Bright
"…we have seen his glory…"
John states that the glory of Jesus was apparent to those who saw Him and were around Him. He was brilliantly bright in the light of holiness, power, grace, and forgiveness. He came to be a light, to show us the way – to show us that He is the Way to a meaningful life on this earth and eternal life when our life here ends. He cared enough not to leave us in the dark.
I met a man the other day in a store and we began to talk about the Lord. He said that he had been saved five years and he related how Jesus had opened his eyes and made him see things differently. You see, Jesus opened the man’s eyes, because Jesus cares enough not to leave us in the dark. That man and I struck up a conversation because we simply met in the store and could not help but talk about the One who loved us more than either of us could imagine.
Just a few weeks ago I was able to witness to a man waiting in line to tee off on the golf course. His eyes brightened and a smile came across his face. He told me how God, only a few months before, had saved Him and changed his life. He asked me to pray for his wife who remained outside the salvation of the Lord. I prayed right there near the first tee-box for that man’s wife. The man was saying, “I have seen the light, but my wife is still in the dark.” Friend, if you are in the dark, it is not the fault of Jesus Christ. He came to show us the light of God’s glory, love, and grace. If you are in the dark, it is because you love the darkness rather than loving the Light of the World.
A preacher stood years ago preaching in the street. A heckler came along and told the preacher that he just did not believe all that stuff about Jesus. He then told the preacher to prove what he was saying about the Savior. He preacher reached into a lunch bag and picked up an apple, and then he began to eat it. The people wondered what the preacher was doing and so did the heckler. Finally the heckler asked the preacher, “I asked you a question, why are you standing there eating an apple?” The preacher said, "Is the apple I am eating sweet or sour?" The heckler replied, "How can I know that, I am not eating the apple, you are!" The preacher said, "Exactly, and neither can you understand Jesus until you are willing to receive Him. But if you receive Him, the light will come on in your heart!." How true that is. He reveals the glory of God to all who will receive Him, for He is the Light of the World.
III. No One Ever Stood So Tall
"…he has surpassed me…"
Everyone likes to have friends in high places, friends who can make a difference in their lives – people who can open doors and make things happen. Well, no one ever stood as tall as Jesus Christ, and no one can do more for us than the Redeemer. He left heaven to come to earth. On earth, He lived above sin. He taught only the truth, healed the sick, and had compassion of the people he encountered.
Jesus went on to die on the cross to redeem those who would believe upon Him. You see, he died in our place, taking our sins upon Himself that we might be saved.
I heard an atheist in a debate recently say this, “I don’t need to go to heaven on the back of some other person. I think the whole idea of being saved through someone else is foolish.” I thought about that atheist this past week as I watched people being pulled out of the flood waters in Texas on the back of a loving, caring person. There was a frightened woman on the back of a strong, young man, and that man waded through that filthy water to save her life. That is what Jesus did for me and for you. He waded through the filth of our sins in order to take us away from danger and give us eternal life.
John the Baptist stated that Jesus was greater than he was, and John the Baptist knew what he was talking about. He was right. In fact there has never been one who stood as tall as Christ!
Jesus is greater than Abraham.
Jesus is greater than Moses.
Jesus is greater than David.
Jesus is greater than Solomon.
And, yes, Jesus is greater than John the Baptist.
He is greater than the angels.
He is greater than any and all that have or ever will appear on this earth or anywhere else in eternity.
What does this have to do with caring for me? Jesus did not have to come down here for us. He is Lord of everything in the Universe, yet he came down to this earth for you and for me. While He was here on this earth, He did not have to put up with the way He was treated. He could have called ten-thousand angels to protect Him – to deliver Him from the cross – but He died for you and for me. You see, no one ever cared for you like Christ.
There's a humorous story told about a man in a church who was given to shouting during the preacher's sermons. Some men went to the poor fellow and said, “If you’ll quit that shouting every Sunday, we will buy you some new clothes and a new pair of boots.” The shouting man needed clothes, and he really needed new boots, so he agreed. The next Sunday he showed up at the mountain church in new overalls and a sparkling pair of new boots. The preacher began his sermon and the smartly dressed fellow wanted to shout so badly, but he held it in. Then, as the sermon continued, the poor guy just could not hold it in any longer, so he stood up and shouted to the top of his voice, “Boots or no new boots, hallelujah and amen!”
No one very cared for me like Jesus and it makes me want to shout – to praise Him – to glorify Him.
IV. No One Ever Shared So Much
"One blessing after another - grace and truth…"
He gives us blessing upon blessing, because He came to give us grace and truth. He came to give the truth even when it hurts. Sure, some have and will reject the truth, and some have and will resent the truth, but let me tell that Jesus loves too much not to tell you the truth.
Imagine a doctor who feared hurting your feelings or frightening you so he refused to tell you that you have cancer. His delay would allow the cancer to spread beyond the point of healing for you. Jesus is the Great Physician, and He tells you the truth about your sin, about your coming death, and about your judgment, because He loves you.
When the Americans entered France during WWI, the citizens there shouted, cried, and danced in the streets. Dignified people who had never done anything so brazen wept, hugged everyone around them and clapped their hands in delight. A foreign correspondent asked the French why they acted so fanaticlly. They replied, "If you could see what the Americans have saved us from you would know why we act like we do!" Yes, and that is what we can tell the world about Jesus. If you wonder why we act the way we do as Christians, you have to see what Jesus has saved us from.
Why do we as Christians continue to worship together, to give His tithes and our offerings, to serve and give our time to His work, to pray and live different lives in this world? We do so because we know what Jesus has saved us from – and what He has saved us to receive and to experience I. The future. He did so because He gives grace to those who humble themselves, repent and receive Him by faith.
Conclusion
A boy was dying with pneumonia and his father cared for his every need. His father leaned over him and said, "Son I am so sorry you are sick and I love you so much. I wish it was me instead of you. I just want you to know that God loves you and I don't want you to be afraid." The little fellow looked up at his daddy and said, "Daddy, if God is like you, I am not scared." Well friend, God is like Jesus. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
God loves you so much that He gave His Son to take away your sins. But, you must come to Him in faith and commit to follow Him each day of your life. Someone here today needs to trust in Jesus Christ, to turn from you sin, to receive Him and His love into your heart. You don't have to be afraid of anything. In fact, Jesus became a man, but he was still God. In Christ we have one of whom it can be said, "No one ever cared for me like Jesus."
Some of us in this service today need to be reminded in the midst of our troubles that Jesus cares for us. He loves us. Even in your trials, He has not left you – in fact, in the time of your trouble, He is near to you – as close as your breath. There are Christians here today that need to come to Him and trust Him with renewed faith in whatever situation you are facing.
Now is the time to respond to the One of whom it can be said...
No one ever cared for me like Jesus!