“For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in
him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.”
It has been argued that this Scripture is the entire Bible in one verse.
Maybe that’s why people paint it on bedsheets and hang it on the side of the stadium
when they go to a football game.
They hope the camera will catch it and the entire world will hear the Message.
John 3:16.
John chapter 3, verse 16.
I don’t know if it is the entire Bible in one verse but it definitely is an entire sermon in this
one verse.
Actually, it is a whole collection of sermons as each and every single word in it
communicates enough truth for a sermon of its own.
“For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in
him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.“
FOR…because, which means that we are about to explain to the world why God did
this.
With God there is a purpose behind every promise…
An answer behind every action…
A reason behind every response….
God does not just throw it against the wall to see what sticks….
God is intentional, deliberate, and strategic.
God is not just making this up as he goes along.
FOR GOD…This is about God.
God did this.
God, who created the entire world out of nothing…
God, who spoke the Universe into existence with a single spoken word…
God, who restored order out of the chaos…
God, who shaped us in his hands out of the dust of the earth then breathed into us the
breath of life…
God, eternal, divine, and holy…
FOR GOD SO…
So much…
So very much more than can ever be counted…
So much more than can ever be contained…
So much more than can ever be comprehended!
God is extravagant!
God is ridiculous in pouring out so much into our lives that we can lose ourselves as we
are swept up in the tidal wave of grace!
God holds nothing back!
FOR GOD SO LOVED…with all his heart, God loves us.
Despite our rough edges…
Despite our faults…
Despite our flaws…
Despite our fabulous crash and burn failures…
God loves us!
Head over heels in love with us!
Long walks on the beach in love with us!
“Yours is the first voice I want to hear when I get up in the morning and the last thing I
hear when I go to sleep” in love with us!
For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health in love with us!
“Willing to leave heaven to follow us into hell” in love with us!
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD…
This world…
Right here where we live…
With our sunsets and our sewage treatment plants….
With our art museums and our homeless shelters..
With our traffic jams, infomercials, garbage dumps and refugee camps.
God loves this world.
It is Everything God created and called good.
Everything we ruined along the way like toddlers scribbling on the wall with permanent
markers.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE…
It was a gift.
He didn’t force us to take it.
He didn’t jam it down our throats.
He wasn’t required to make it happen for us.
It wasn’t a debt that God somehow owed us.
We didn’t earn it like a paycheck.
It wasn’t our birthday where God was expected to bring a present.
It was an out of the blue, no real occasion, “just because I love you and want you to
have it” kind of gift.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE HE GAVE HIS ONLY…
There was only one…
Only one in all of heaven…
Only one in all the earth…
Only one in all the universe…
Unique throughout all history…
Rare…
Guard it with your life because you’ll never find another one rare…
Irreplaceable…precious…
Don’t waste it…
Protect it…
Keep it safe…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON…
His own child…
A member of his own family…
His flesh and blood…
His closest love…
God gave Him to us…
To live with us here in this world…
To laugh with with us…
To teach us…
To suffer because of us…
To suffer for us…
To die for us…
God buried…His own son…for us…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT…
In order that…
Cause and effect…
To make something happen…
There was a good reason to allow something so unthinkable…
Something good was possible because of this suffering…
Because of this grief…
Because of this death…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER…
So that anybody…
So that everybody…
No one is excluded…
No one is ruled out…
Everyone is eligible…
Everyone is invited…
Everyone’s name is on the card…
Absolutely anybody…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES …
To believe in my mind…
To accept that it is real…
That it is true…
To trust it with with all my heart…
To risk my life, my family, my hopes, my dreams, my future…
To trust it the way I trust parachute when I fall…
To trust it the way I trust a rope when I am a thousand feet off the ground…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM…
In Jesus…
In God”s Son…
Who lived with us…
Who died for us…
Who was raised from the dead and opens up eternity for us…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL…
We shall…
We will…
Not we might…
Not maybe…
Not we hope so…
But with certainty that we can trust that this will happen…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH…
We will not die…
We will not be lost…
We will not be buried and forgotten…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL…
We shall…
We will…
Not we might…
Not maybe…
Not we hope so…
But with certainty that we can trust that this will happen…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL HAVE….
We possess it…
We own it…
It is ours…
To use…
To enjoy…
TO cherish and treasure…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL HAVE EVERLASTING….
Never ending…
Eternal…
Forever and ever and ever…
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE…
Life, not death…
Strength, not weakness…
Health, not sickness…
Always living…
Always breathing…
Always growing…
Not just surviving, but thriving….
Without the fear that it will ever come to an end.
AND That’s it.
That’s the verse.
One of Dorothy’s favorite verses.
That’s the sermon.
That is the Good News.
That’s what we need to hear on this day of all days.
Death does not win this game.
God wins.
God conquers.
God prevails.
God lives…forever…and so shall we.
Believe it.
Trust it.
Believe Him.
Trust Him…and live.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.
Amen.
5x5 Discipleship 
Thank you Pastor Greg for your brilliant message on John 3:16 – one verse that has so many lessons to be learned about God’s sacrifice, His love and His grace for all of us. What blessings all of your heart-felt messages are for those who read them!. Through these messages you are changing lives. You are truly a spirital gift to all who know you!
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Thank you Pastor Greg for the very powerful message on John 3:16 today – one verse that has so many lessons to be learned about God’s sacrifice, His love and His love for all of us. Your messages are blessings to all who read them – you are truly changing lives with your spiritual gifts!
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