06-26-16 The Most Well Known Verse in the Bible part 3

So far in our study of John 3:16 we have focused on the first four words: “For God so loved….”   Today we want to focus on the target of God’s love: “the world.”  There are four questions we want to ask about the world:

I              First, _____ does God love the world? 

II             Second, ______ exactly does the Bible _______ by “the world?”

1.     First the cosmos is the p___________ realm of existence which takes in the whole u______________.

2.     Second, the cosmos is the r_________ realm which includes the s_______, p__________, and the s_________. 
This is about how we get along with each other and with God.

When we talk about the world in this second sense, we need a balanced view:

1.     We need, first, to see the b_____________ of this world.

2.     But there is another side to this world and it is a d______ side – John says this world is the realm of human beings who stand in o____________ to God.

III           Third, if God sent his Son to rescue the world from its darkness, ____ is _____________ in this rescue attempt?

1.     Some say this verse means God loves e_______p___________ who has ever lived at every period of time – which means every person ___ or _______ ___ saved.

2.     Some believe Jesus is saying that God loves all the different p_________ groups of the world.

3.     Some believe this word means that God loves those he has ___________ to be saved.

4.     Fourth, some believe this word is used to explain _____ God is able to love all peoples of all nations.

IV           Lastly,________ does this mean for _____?

1.     It obliterates the idea of h_________m_________.

2.     It reminds us that while God loved the world enough to send his Son, the world is still evil and so God wants to love us______ of this world.

This verse reminds us that as Jesus’ mission was to this world, so ____ ________.