John 3:16 We all should know it!

I've been trying to memorize two paragraphs for the “Holy Night” enactment at church. Whereas, I can remember dates in history and about all my genealogy back to Ethelred, I just can't seem to capture the essence of memorization. I need a clue to start and then a few glances as I vocalize what I've memorized. I'm a dismal failure at memorization.
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However, there is one verse in the Bible that is engrained: John (KJV) 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Why do I remember this, but yet don't know the lyrics to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? It's because this verse is the most important verse in the Bible!

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God. He's my creator. He created everything. He always has been and always will be. He is truth. He is all knowing. He is everywhere. He's loving. He's my authority. He's my hope! And much more!

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Loved. God doesn't love as we do. We can't understand how one could love a sinner such as I (and you too). There's a special word for God's love. It's “agape”. It's a selfless love. Love so great that God was willing to sacrifice his only son for me (and you). It's a spiritual love. He doesn't care about my body because it's temporary. It's a shell of flesh and blood. He can make me another perfect one anytime he chooses. His love for me is for my soul. My inner being that I know that I have, but don't understand means more than anything to him. He accepts me as evil as I am (and you). God's love is great. God is great!

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World. This is our temporary home. The ruler of the world is Satan. Most people follow there leader, but God is still gracious enough to keep giving us chances. Just as he was patient with Sodom and was merciful if only a few righteous could be found, he is patient with me (and you). Sodom was destroyed with it's evil twin sister Gomorrah. Their destruction is an early picture of what is to come after the “Great White Throne Judgment”. We should look at history for our destiny... unless we are obedient, then your home won't be of this world. It will be in heavenly places. You'll have a room in a mansion and whereas earth is full of disease and death, our bodies in our new home will be healthy and perfect.

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Gave. God voluntarily gave his only son. Why? So Jesus could suffer death in payment for the evil that I (and you) have done. That “gift” is grace. We don't deserve to die without punishment for our evil ways, but God generously made the ultimate sacrifice himself. The priests had to make heave offerings and wave offerings each year for the collective sins of the people. They didn't know it, but their motions described the final sacrifice... the cross! Jesus paid it all. He died for all your sins, but after salvation we're still not perfect. We are to continually to seek forgiveness. The sins are covered, but you need to submit to receive the forgiveness. God's always there with his mercy.

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Only. One. Single.  Alone. Unitary. God gave his all!

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Begotten. God came down fully in his Spirit and consummated the earthy life of Jesus. Jesus is fully God and fully human. Because he's God, he was there at the creation and will be forever. He's omnipotent and omniscient. Because he's also “man”, Jesus empathizes with me (and you). He knows what temptation is like and how we must have self-control. He's withstood the temptations of Satan and is totally without sin. Jesus has never been guilty of anything, but he was crucified anyhow. The innocent man paid the price of the guilty... because he was begotten of God. If God had never provided the Way, we'd be lost forever.
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Son. A male offspring. Blood of blood. A descendent. One who shares your unchanged genetic line. The most special blood relationship. The most loved. And for God only... his gift to mankind! Think of you and your own Dad or you and your son. How terrible it is when we suffer such a terrible loss. God loved us even more than he did himself because he IS God. The Father and Son are one. My son and I are separate. Think how much of a sacrifice that He made. No man with a righteous heart has done that before. We can't even fathom the loss. Only God has the mercy for that!

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Whosoever. Everybody and anybody. Jew and Gentile. All races. All social-economic classes. The worst sinner and those who behave. Nobody's excluded and you come just as you are. You don't have to prep yourself for salvation. The worse you are the more you'll love Him once you accept His sacrifice.

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Believe. Even the demons believe in God and they very well know why Jesus came. Their role is to antagonize so you'll turn your back on Jesus. Believing is more than knowledge. It's faith. Faith is confidence and trust in Jesus. You trust that there is a loving God, you have confidence that there is power in Jesus shedding his blood as an act of mercy for your soul (and mine). You have confidence that Jesus still lives and trust that he loves you (and me) so much he will pardon without regard to our history of sin.

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Him. Jesus. That's the only way you can be saved. Only the blood of Jesus was a worthy sacrifice! God shed his own blood for you. He felt the anxiety of dying just like we will when we die.

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Shall Not. There's no maybe's about it. God promises that if you believe he will save. Just as God made a covenant with Abraham, this is God's covenant with me (and you)! It's binding because God is Truth!

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Perish. This word means for one who perishes, they will “cease to exist”. Shall not perish also means in a biblical sense that we won't undergo eternal punishment. If I'm saved (and you), my soul lives on... not in torment, but in a heavenly utopia. In fact, we'll even get new bodies to replace our old damaged ones. Our dust will be gathered up from the ground and we'll be made into flesh again, just as Adam was at his creation before his disobedience.

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Have. You'll be in possession of what God promised! And what is that?

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“Everlasting Life”!

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Everlasting. Never ending. Infinite. Of eternal duration.

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Life. Your soul will always live... and guess what? Your soul will even have a temple to live in. Your physical body becomes invulnerable. You always dreamed of being super. God will make you that way! If we're like Jesus we'll be able to walk through closed doors. Barriers mean nothing for the eternal body! What's more, we will physically and spiritually be in the presence of God and we'll sing in perfect harmony for the first time and for all time. We'll sing to the magnificence and glory of God. I assure you, boredom won't exist.

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So here we have it. John 3:16. It's worth memorizing because someday when you don't know where to turn it'll be the key to your salvation!