Sunday Morning Worship

Cornelius F. Warren continues teaching thru John 3. This morning we consider verses 16-18. 

Familiarity breeds contempt, but it also can breed boredom. When we come to a verse like John 3: 16, which has been called the most familiar verse in the Bible, we who have known this verse from childhood are in danger of going, “That’s nice!” Or, when we hear that God so loved us that He sent His only Son to die for our sins, we think, “Yes, thanks for reminding me of how lovable I am.” We think too highly of ourselves and too lowly of God, so we lose the shock that God who is absolutely holy would love sinners like us enough to send His only Son to die to redeem us. We forget Paul’s wonder, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5: 8). Paul never lost the shock of God’s love in Christ. Neither should we.

God’s shocking love for this sinful world is so great that He gave His unique Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Our prayer for this morning is that if you have never responded to God’s shocking love, the Holy Spirit would jolt you with it and bring you to faith in Jesus Christ and eternal life. And, if you have known and believed this verse since childhood, my prayer is that God would bring the wonder of His shocking love to you in such a way that you would renew your first love for the Lord Jesus.