Just recently I preached from what was the first verse I remember memorizing. This well-loved verse is packed with important truths:
1 God
The Bible never makes a long argument for the existence of God. the Bible is written from strictly a position that there is a God. From the opening of the Bible which states, in the beginning, God, through the book of Revelation where God will wipe away every tear, the Bible starts and ends with God. We are not told in the Bible how God created the heavens and earth just the fact that he did. in spite of well-meaning believers seeking to determine a date when creation occurred, it merely states that go as far back as you want to go and when you get there you will meet God and he will be there to shake your hand.
2 God is a loving God.
It is not enough to know that there is a God, we need to know what kind of a God is He? Some believe God is mean, angry and even cruel. Others see him as a judge, police officer, who is just waiting for us to step out of line so that he can punish us. John 3:16 tells us that God loves! Everything he does comes from his holy love.
3 God loves the world.
God is interested in me and my life and all that’s happening around me but his love is bigger, deeper and broader, and includes each and every person in the world. His love cannot be contained by one country, race or denomination. He loves the world, he loves the people I like and the people I don’t like. He loves the people that love him and he loves the people who hate him. God is a loving God, do not ever forget it and he loves everyone, including you and me.
4 God is a giving God.
John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave, this would be a good place to interject that if we want to be like God we need to be loving and generous. Love without action is mere sentiment. God proved his love for us that he gave His only Son. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins comes out of God’s love for His creation and desire to redeem us!
5 Whoever means you.
John 3:16 tells us that God’s love includes everyone! Thankfully this verse does not say that whoever is beautiful, rich, smart and well connected these are the people God truly loves. Whoever includes both you and me. It includes everyone on this earth on every continent and island of the sea. People of every race and tribe and no one is outside the reach of his love, this is good news: God loves you!
6 Can you Believe?
God doesn’t require that I take and pass a written test, we do not have to save up so that we can afford this gift. Neither do we have to try to reform ourselves, or promise to do better next time all we have to do is believe. Believe in this passage means more than mere mental assent, it means I believe it so much that I’m going to stake everything on this truth. I believe it so much that I will orient every area of my life around this fact, that God loves me and Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead that I might have eternal life.
7 Death is not the end!
We will experience death but death is never final. It seems final to us who are on this side of the door but once we pass through the door we realize it is not final there is life forever! Eternal life doesn’t begin when I die, eternal life begins when I die to myself and become a Christ follower.
This post was written by Dr Blake, District Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene.
You can find the original post here: http://wesleyshorse.com/seven-truths-found-in-john-316/
