The Revelation of Christmas: For God So Loved the World
Passage: John 3:13-18
How many of you know John 3:16? John 3:16 may be the most well-known verse in the Bible. We see it at football games and sports events, on bumper sticker and license plates. We learn it as children. It got me to wondering if its popularity is just a modern thing or an American thing.
Then I read a comment by the famous pastor J.C. Ryle of England from 1878 saying that few texts are better known than this. Then I came across Martin Luther’s statement that John 3:16 is “the Bible in miniature!” The whole Bible in 24 words.
Is Martin Luther’s statement just exaggeration? Is this verse the Bible in miniature? If this were the only verse in the Bible, think about how much we would know about God.
This verse is an inexhaustible fountain of rich truth; the importance cannot be emphasized enough. There are things here we must know or we will perish. A person can be ignorant about many things and still go to heaven, but we cannot be ignorant about the things contained in this verse and go to heaven. It’s that important.
This is way more important than how the Cougars or Huskies or Seahawks are doing. It’s more important than the stock market and our retirement funds. It’s more important than how many friends you have on Facebook, or what you get or give for Christmas. It’s even way more important than your kids and grandkids.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking this verse is too easy or too simple or just for children. It is wisdom so simple a child can understand it and wisdom so profound an adult cannot fathom all of it. I hope you and your family will memorize John 3:16-17 this next month. Say it together at the dinner table before saying grace. But also let’s not just memorize it but put it in our hearts and get the truths of it in our heads.
During these four weeks of Advent we will slow down long enough to consider what a vast amount of truth and wisdom is contained in this little verse. This verse reveals to us the meaning of Christmas.
The Revelation of Christmas For God so loved the world
The Reality of Christmas that He gave His only begotten Son
The Reason of Christmas that whoever believes in Him should not perish
The Reward of Christmas but shall have eternal life!