Christmas Is The Demonstration Of God's Love

Title: “Christmas: The Demonstration of God’s Love” Script: Lk. 1:67-79

Type: 4th Sunday of Advent Where: GNBC 12-18-22

Intro: In the 1920’s Bobby Jones dominated the game of golf, despite being an amateur. In one film about his life (Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius) there is a scene where a pro golfer asks Bobby when he is going to quit being an amateur and grab the big money like everyone else. Jones answers by explaining that the word amateur comes from the Latin root, amo – to love. His answer was clear, he played golf because he loved the game. Love was his motivation for his passion. Friend, when we reflect on Christmas we realize our Lord was motivated out of love. A love for the lost motivated Him to leave Heaven and enter His creation so as to redeem it. Love motivated Christ’s passion.

Prop: Examining Zacharias’ prophecy we see 4 Reasons how Christmas Demonstrates God’s Love.

BG: 1. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist is the one speaking in this passage. He was a priest.

2. The time frame is about six months before Jesus’ birth. However, the prophecy gives us wonderful insight into the demonstration of God’s love in the miraculous Christmas story.

3.

Prop: Let’s examine Lk. 1:67ff to realize 4 Reasons how Christmas Demonstrates God’s Love.

I. Christmas is the Demonstration of the Love of God the Father. vv. 68 & 78

A. Christmas Demonstrates the Love God the Father has for His Creation.

1. Christmas is the Visitation of God’s Love to a Poor and Needy People.

a. “The Lord has visited us…” This prophecy is steeped in OT theology. I believe this idea started all the way back at the death of the patriarch Joseph. There in Gen. 50:24-25, as Joseph lay dying in Egypt, he predicted that God would in the future visit his descendants, bringing them to the land of promise that God had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Joseph says in that prophecy that after their time in slavery, when God visits and delivers them, they shall carry his bones out of Egypt and into the promised land.

b. Just as Israel stood silent for 400 years from the time of Malachi until this visitation to Zacharias and Elizabeth, Israel had stood silent for 400 years while Israel awaited a deliverer from Egyptian slavery. Now, Zacharias is prophesying that God will visit His downtrodden and enslaved people to bring the Messiah for an even greater deliverance.

2. Christmas Reminds us that in Love, God remembered His People.

a. These were very dark days in Israel. Roman oppression. Grinding poverty. Spiritual drought and depression. It seemed as though for 400 years God had forgotten His people and had shut the heavens to their prayers. But now, the great news of the birth of the Messiah’s forerunner meant one thing: God was coming to visit!

b. Illust: As recent as 20 years ago, if you would have gone into a traditional Catholic’s home in Ireland, you would have been sure to have seen 3 or 4 pictures on the wall of even the most humble cottage: 1. The Sacred Heart of Jesus 2. The Blessed Virgin 3. The Pope 4. John F. Kennedy. The first we easily understand why. But the last? Well, in June of 1963, Kennedy visited that then, very poor nation. The most powerful person in the world visiting their very humble country. Kennedy’s visit was a first. It was the first visit to Ireland by a sitting US President. Kennedy was also the 1st Irish American of Catholic descent to be elected President. 1000’s lined the streets of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Wexford to see the handsome and charismatic President. Kennedy remarked on the visit which took place 5 months before his death as “the best 4 days of his life.” To the Irish people Kennedy’s success was their success. They saw him as “one of their own”. When Christ came to earth, He truly was coming to “His own”, to redeem mankind.

B. God’s Salvation Comes By His Power Alone.

1. God’s Salvation Came to Us Because of His Great Love, Not because of our Merit.

a. Not a one of us deserved God’s salvation. Rather, Luke tells us here in v. 78 that it was because of God’s tender mercy that Christ came to His downtrodden people.

b. One definition of mercy is: “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.” Think of that. It is very true. The essence of God’s love is that He demonstrated mercy to us whom He had every right to condemn and punish. (Applic: If you have been forgiven and shown mercy you MUST to others.)

2. This passage further points to the Truth that Salvation is Ultimately God’s Doing.