Hope: Knowing it gets better than this

Scripture:

John 3:16

Quick Summary:

Jesus explains to Nicodemus that God loves us so much, that he sent Jesus to die for our sin. When we believe in Jesus and follow him, we are promised Eternal Life with God. (Most of our time will be on memorizing John 3:16)

The Point:

No matter what we struggle with here and now, we have hope in eternal life when we follow God. Hope is our virtue for this lesson.

Questions for Family Time:

                  1.      Can you tell me John 3:16?

a.      For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.  

                  2.      What does this tell us about future?

a.      When we believe in Jesus, we get to spend forever with God.

                  3.      What does this tell us about hope?

 a. Hope is believing something better is coming, and living forever with God is as good as it gets!

Deeper:

 Our scripture today is one of the shortest texts we will study. It also is arguably the most famous. It is plastered on signs, billboards, and even on sport enthusiasts’ chests. The reason for its popularity is that of all the passages in the Bible, it sums up the whole Bible the best. Check it out:

1.     It talks about how much God loves us and how far God is willing to go to make sure we know that.

2.      It shares the whole point of Christmas: that God gave the world his son in Jesus Christ.

3.     It talks about how Jesus is God’s son in a different way than us. He is begotten, 100% of God. We are only created, made by God, not one person of the divine Trinity.

4.     It talks about our choice of either rejecting Jesus and turning away from God, or following Jesus and being adopted into God’s family as a true child. Not only does it point to our choice, but says that God gives us all a chance, every human on the face of the planet…whoever believes.

5.     It talks about eternal life. Jesus’ resurrection of the dead was just the first. We are promised to live on after we are done with this world. Even death cannot separate us from the love of God. 

That’s what makes this small verse so powerful.
For me, having this verse memorized comes in handy when I am losing my way. When I can’t feel God’s love, it points to the proof of his love, Jesus. When I feel surrounded by death and destruction, it point to the promise of everlasting life. In those moments when I feel defeated and forgotten, this is what I repeat to myself, over and over again.

My prayer is that it will stay with your child to see them through the moments when they feel defeated and forgotten. It will remind them that God is bigger than the moment’s circumstances. It will remind them how deep God’s love is for them, and that he would do anything to share his love with them. I pray that it will be a beacon of hope for them when they are surrounded by darkness.

I also pray that for you. I encourage you to put this passage somewhere to remind you that there is always hope. In Jesus lowest moment, he was literally dead and buried. And yet, God loved him and us so much that Jesus rose from the dead. That is the kind of love that God has for you. And we get to share that love forever. It doesn’t get better than that.

Personal Reflection:

What part of this verse strikes you the most? Have you made the choice to accept God’s love and follow Jesus? How is that choice apparent in your life?