Today’s Reading: John 3:16-21

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Today’s Big Points

1. The Love of God

2. The Gift of God: His only son!

3. The requirement of faith

4. Eternal Life

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BIG IDEA:

In this story, Jesus is talking late into the night with a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious leader who wanted to learn more about Jesus. He believed that Jesus was a miracle worker sent by God to teach the people, but he didn’t know the real reason God sent the gift of Jesus. In John 3:16, the most well-known verse in the Bible, we learn the reason behind the gift God sent to us – JESUS - and the result of the best gift ever.

The reason God sent Jesus into this world is because He loves the world. He loves all the people in the world. That includes you, your friends, your family, and even those you don’t get along with too well. God’s heart is for you and he wants your heart to be full of joy and peace and hope.

God wants us to let His light shine in our hearts and to get rid of any dark thing. When His light overtakes all the dark things then we can have His joy, peace, love and hope!

The result of the gift of Jesus is that “everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” – forever life - life not just here on earth but life in heaven with Him too. There are two important things to notice about this incredible promise:

1) “Believe in him” means more than just “head knowledge”. Believe means to trust in Jesus (who He is and what He did) with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. It means to build your life, and center your heart on God. 2) “Perish” doesn’t mean natural death; this is about spiritual death – it means separation from God forever. Those who trust in God will live forever with God because

of the new life of the Spirit within them. This is why Christians are sometimes called “born again.” (You can read more about that in the first 15 verses of this chapter.)

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Questions to Ponder

For adults:

• How does the promise of eternal life help us live God honoring lives here and now?

• What is one area of your life in which you need greater trust in Jesus and his plans and purposes?

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For kids:

• How do we know that God loves the world?

• Why did God give us the gift of Jesus?

• What does it mean to believe in God?

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For teenagers:

• How would you summarize John 3:16 in your own words?

• How is head belief different from heart belief?

• What hope do we have for beyond this life?

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BIG PRAYER:

God,

Thank you for the gift of Jesus! I had no way to earn eternal life on my own. I did not deserve eternal life on my own. But you sent Jesus to live the life I should have lived and to die the death I should have died. Jesus, thank you for giving your life FOR me and giving your life TO me! I believe in you. Help me to believe in you more deeply and more consistently. God, thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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