JOHN 3:16

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.

MATTHEW DIRECTED HIS GOSPEL PRIMARILY TO THE JEWS. MARK

PRESENTS HIS GOSPEL PRIMARILY TO THE ROMANS. LUKE GIVES HIS

EMPHASIS TO THE GREEKS. BUT JOHN DIDN'T HAVE ANY GROUP OR

NATIONALITY IN MIND, JOHN WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WHOLE

WORLD. MATTHEW WAS CONCERNED WITH THE PROMISE OF A COMING

MESSIAH. MARK TALKS ABOUT THE LIFE OF A POWERFUL SAVIOUR.

LUKE SAYS WE HAVE THE GRACE OF A PERFECT SAVIOUR. BUT JOHN

SUMS HIS WRITING UP BY STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A

PERSONAL SAVIOUR. MATTHEW SAYS THAT CHRIST CAME TO MINISTER.

LUKE SAYS THAT HE CAME TO SAVE. BUT JOHN SAYS THAT HE CAME TO

GIVE HIS LIFE. SO IN THIS SETTING JOHN PROCLAIMS THAT FOR GOD SO

LOVED THE WORLD. THE THEME OF THIS VERSE IS LOVE. FOR GOD SO

LOVED THE WORLD. AND YOU KNOW MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

THERE ARE ALL TYPES OF LOVE. THERE IS EROS, THE LOVE BETWEEN A

BOYFRIEND AND A GIRLFRIEND. THERE IS PHILEO, THE LOVE BETWEEN

FRIENDS. THEN THERE IS THE ULTIMATE LOVE, AGAPE LOVE WHICH IS

DIVINE LOVE. AND THIS IS THE LOVE THAT JOHN WAS SPEAKING OF

WHEN HE SAID FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. IT IS AN

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. IT IS AN UNSELFISH LOVE. AND DO YOU KNOW

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT, GOD JUST LOVES US, HE LOVES US IN SPITE OF US,

IN SPITE OF OUR CONDITION, IN SPITE OF OUR MEANNESS, IN SPITE OF

OUR SINFULNESS, IN SPITE OF OUR UNDERHANDED TRICKS, IN SPITE OF

OUR DUCKING AND DODGING, IN SPITE OF OUR DOWN RIGHT

WICKEDNESS. GOD JUST LOVES US. OUR LOVE IS BASED MOST OFTEN

UPON RECIPROCITY, WE LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE US, BUT GOD LOVED US,

WHEN WE WERE LOVELESS, HE LOVED US WHEN WE WERE UNLOVABLE.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. THERE ARE FOUR IMPORTANT ASPECTS

OF LOVE IN THIS VERSE. THE FIRST IS THE SUPREME FACT OF LOVE.

THAT IS THAT GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. I MEAN THAT'S JUST A FACT.

THEN THERE IS THE SUPREME PROOF OF LOVE, THAT IS THAT HE GAVE.

THE THIRD IS THE SUPREME GIFT OF LOVE, THAT IS HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN

SON. THE FOURTH IS THE SUPREME GOAL OF LOVE, AND THAT IS THAT

WHOSOEVER BELEIVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE

EVERLASTING LIFE. WITHIN THESE 25 WORDS, THERE IS A COMPLETE

SYNOPSIS OF THE ENTIRE GOSPEL. THERE IS WITHIN THIS PASSAGE GOD

AND LOVE AND MANKIND AND SIN AND CHRIST AND DEATH,

ATONEMENT AND LIFE EVERLASTING. IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE IN THIS 16TH

VERSE. FOR GOD SO LOVED. THIS THING OF GOD'S LOVE IS

UNCOMPREHENSIBLE, IT IS MORE THAN WE CAN UNDERSTAND. ONE

WRITER SAID THAT LOVE COVERS THE MULTIDUDE OF SIN. PAUL SAID

THAT HE WAS PERSUADED THAT NOTHING SHALL SEPARATE US FROM

THE LOVE OF GOD WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS. THAT THERE IS NO HEIGHT

THAT GOD'S LOVE CANNOT SCALE, THERE IS NO DEPTH THAT GOD'S LOVE

CANNOT REACH DOWN TO. THERE IS NO LENGTH OR WIDTH THAT CAN

DEFY THE MEASUREMENTS OF GOD'S LOVE, AND THAT'S THE REASON

JOHN SAID FOR GOD SO ........ LOVED THE WORLD. THIS WORD SO IS AN

INCALCULABLE WORD. WHEN WE TRY TO DEFINE THIS WORD SO, WE

HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A CERTAIN SENSE OF INADEQUACY. YOU SEE I

DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER OF MILES THAT OCCUPY THE IMMENSITY OF

SPACE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO... MANY. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY

STARS ARE SHINING IN THEIR SILVERY SPROCKETS BECAUSE THERE ARE

.... SO MANY. I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER OF HAIRS ON ONES HEAD

BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY. I CANNOT COUNT THE NUMBER OF

GRAINS OF SAND UPON THE EARTH BECAUSE THERE ARE ... SO MANY. I

DON'T KNOW HOW MANY FISH SWIM IN THE DEEP BECAUSE THERE ARE

SO MANY. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THE LORD HAS HAD TO

FORGIVE ME OF ALL OF MY SINS AND ALL OF MY TRANSGRESSIONS FOR

ALL OF MY SHORTCOMINGS, BECAUSE THERE ARE ... SO MANY. SO IF YOU

WERE TO ASK ME HOW HIGH IS SO, AND HOW WIDE IS SO, HOW LONG IS

SO, AND HOW DEEP IS SO, ALL THAT I CAN CONCLUDE IS THAT GOD'S

LOVE IS HIGHER THAN HEIGHT, GOD'S LOVE IS WIDER THAN WIDTH,

GOD'S LOVE IS LONGER THAN LENGTH, HIS LOVE IS DEEPER THAN DEPTH.

AND DID YOU KNOW MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THAT GOD DOESN'T

NEED ANYTHING FROM US, BUT HE NEEDS US. HE COULD NOT BE

INFINITE, HE COULD NOT BE THE VESSEL OF LOVE THAT HE IS WITHOUT

US, FOR HE MADE ONLY US SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE AWESOME AWARNESS

OF HIS LOVE. YOU NEED TO NOTE THAT WITHIN THIS VERSE, JOHN 3:16,

ARE THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT. FOR GOD -- SETS FORTH THE

GREATEST LOVE. SO LOVED -- SETS FORTH THE GREATEST DEGREE. THE

WORLD -- GIVES US THE GREATEST COMPANY. THAT HE GAVE -- GIVES

US THE GREATEST HONOR. THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON -- GIVES US THE

GREATEST GIFT. THAT WHOSOEVER -- EXTENDS TO US THE GREATEST

INVITATION. THAT WHOSOEVER BELEIVETH -- IS THE GREATEST

SIMPLICITY. IN HIM -- IS THE GREATEST ATTRACTION. SHOULD NOT

PERISH -- IS THE GREATEST PROMISE. BUT -- IS THE GREATEST

DIFFERENCE. HAVE -- IS THE GREATEST CERTAINTY. EVERLASTING LIFE

-- IS THE GREATEST POSSESSION. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT

HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELEIVETH IN

HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. HE IS THE STEM

OF JESSE, HE'S THE SON OF DAVID, HE'S THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, HE'S

JACOBS LADDER, HE'S JACOBS WELL. HE'S ALPHA AND OMEGA HE'S THE

FIRSTFRUIT FROM THE DEAD. HE'S EZEKIAL'S WHEEL IN THE MIDDLE OF A

WHEEL. I GUESS THAT TO THE ELECTRICIAN, HE'S THE LIGHT OF THE

WORLD, GARDENER, ROSE OF SHARON. SOLDIERS, HE'S THE WEAPON OF

WAR. ASTRONOMER, BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR. BAKER, BREAD IN A

STARVING LAND. HOMELESS, SHELTER IN THE TIME OF STORM.

CARDIOLOGIST, HEART FIXER. PSYCHOLOGIST, MIND REGULATOR.

GEOLOGIST, ROCK IN A WEARY LAND.

WARMS CLEANS FEEDS --- REST.