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What was the very first verse of scripture that you learned as a child?

If it wasn’t “God is love” from I John 4.8, it must have been—as it was with me—John 3.16!

What a wonderful verse! Because it is so universally well known, I have hesitated to preach on it, preferring to roam the untouched meadows of the biblical topography. However, since my time at Bayshore is growing short, I am going to preach on John 3.14-16 this coming Lord’s Day.

As with all of God’s magnificent Word, John 3.16, however familiar, is loaded with truth and meaning often overlooked in our quick recitation of it. Most of us with long teeth can spit it out faster than a speeding bullet!

Here are some questions for you to ponder before Sunday:

1) Who spoke John 3.16? Jesus or John the narrator?

2) To whom was John 3.16 directed in the context?

3) What are the implications of “perish” at the end of the verse?

4) Why is the tiny word “so” so important in the first part of John 3.16?

5) What are the tremendous implications of “whoever believes in him?”

That ought to get your juices flowing as you bite into this most delicious morsel from the Gospel of John!

I have tried to tempt you into a more disciplined reading of the Bible since I’ve been here. Many of you have taken the bait and the advantage to you is already obvious. The Bible is a connection from this world to God’s eternal world. A person with a graduate degree can profit from the Bible and balance her intellectual properties. A high school dropout can become wise and successful by adhering to the principles of wisdom and common sense on every page of God’s Word. There just isn’t any substitute for daily Bible study. Please read it “every cotton-pickin’ day!”

I can’t wait for Sunday to come!

Love you all,

Dan