FOR GOD SO LOVED…

KEY SCRIPTURE: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ~ John 3:16 (KJV)

This is probably THE most famous verse in the Bible. Even “non-believers” can quote this! Which is why I think we’re really in trouble here… this has become SO familiar, that we don’t really GET what it’s saying. It’s like we just hear, “blah blah blah… more Bible talk… blah blah blah…”

Let’s take a little test…

Replace “the world” in that quote, with the word, “me”… 

Can you do it? 

Can you say, “For God so loved ME that He gave His only begotten son…”

The REAL question is, do you BELIEVE it?

The thing that truly breaks my heart - and I’m certain it breaks God’s heart as well - is how many people, (even “believers”!) don’t really “believe” God truly loves them.

I grew up kinda seeing God as this grumpy grampa, always scowling at me, watching me like a hawk, with one eyebrow raised, just waiting for me to do something wrong so he could whack me with his cane! 

I “knew” God “loved” me, but I kinda felt like someday I was gonna get to heaven and He’d be like, “Oh. It’s you. *deep sigh* Well… I see here you checked the box that says you “believe in Jesus,” so I guess I HAVE to let you in. Come on… hurry up, before I change my mind!” 

It took a long time of wrestling with God, (and I mean SERIOUSLY WRESTLING with Him!) before it started to sink in that He really DOES love me. And, what TOTALLY blew my mind, is when I started to realize that he actually LIKES me, too. 

We think we have to fix ourselves first… get our act together… clean up our thoughts and our lives and our language before God could POSSIBLY love us. I heard one dear friend, (who is a homeless alcoholic, and who REALLY loves Jesus,) say that God wants no part of him, because he’s just a loser.

That’s what he’s been told by people for way too long. And I’m sure, like me, you’ve been told similar things… things that basically say, “You’re not good enough!”

But story after story after story - both in the Old and the New Testament - say otherwise.

The Message translation of Deuteronomy 7:7-10 says, (about God choosing the nation of Israel,) “God wasn’t attracted to you and didn’t choose you because you were big and important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer love… Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments for a thousand generations.”

And in the New Testament Paul tells us in Romans 5:6-8 that God’s love for us has nothing to do with us. He says, “Christ… didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

That is how God loves us. 

So much, that He sent Jesus to DIE so He could spend forever with us.

With me.

With YOU.

He loves us like that right now.

Just as we are.

Right now.

And THAT, my friend, is the good news that we ALL need to hear! Whether for the first time, or the hundredth time… we all need to hear - and BELIEVE - how much we are loved.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.