God's Love Gift (Advent Season)

John 3:16, Romans 5:8

As we are in the final Advent Sunday before Christmas, it makes sense the topic is love. The gospel is rooted in love (John 3:16). In fact the whole Bible is; that's really all the Bible is, it's a love-letter from God. Tragically, some abuse it, weaponize it to tear others down or find fault with others. That's not what it's for. The Bible is not a scope on a gun to find out who to shoot. It's a mirror for us to look at, to examine our own hearts, to make sure we are operating in love. Apostle Paul says, in Romans 13:9-

“whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

EVERYTHING we do, is supposed to be motivated by love.

As Christmas is nearly here, pretty much everyone has their shopping done. Stores have all sorts of sales. But, if you think about it, homemade gifts are more special than a store-bought one. Why? No one invests time in making a gift for someone they do not care about. God gave us a homemade gift, that show us His great love and care for us- He gave us the gift of eternal life through the giving of His son, Jesus Christ!

In cannot be overstated, that God chose to love us. It was not merit or worthiness on our part, but because of who He is- God is love. He chose to love us, because He made us and as such, as His creation, made for fellowship with Him, we have intrinsic value and worth, that is rooted entirely in Him. I get quite irritated when I here preachers really lambaste people and make them sound worthless. I'm not a fan of what I call “masochistic Christianity.” EXPLAIN- there's nothing holy or godly in self-deprecation or self-loathing. We are not worthless, we can know because God loves us. No one loves something worthless. We often discard things, throw them out in the trash when they lose their value to us or when they become broken. We have value to God. He sent His son to save us. We have worth because God values us. I think it's not only wrong to say one is worthless, it's sinful. It's insulting God's creation! Yes, we sin and fall short of His glory, but He loves us still. Yes, we may become broken, mentally or emotionally, but He will love us still. He will never discard us, because His love for us, is rooted in who He is, His nature is love. All we need do, is surrender to His love.

Jesus wouldn't have died for us if we had no worth or value to God. We are valuable because He made us, we are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). And God loved us, He sent His son that whoever believes has eternal life. Love was GOD'S motivation redeeming us. God saw man's need for a savior from the beginning of the world, in fact, even before the beginning of the world. Ephesians 1:4 states,

"For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love”

He chose us in LOVE! Likewise, love should be the hallmark of a follower of Christ. I John 2:10 states, “ Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.” By brother and sister, it means fellow humans, especially other Believers. When we live in love, we live in the light. It's why Jesus said,

John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Christmas is not just a reminder of how much God has loved us, but of how much we are to love one another and to love those who do not know Christ as their savior. Love is so important, but to appreciate what this means, we have to understand “love” as God defines it. The most obvious definition is in Paul's letter to the Corinthians:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” I Corinthians 13:4-6

God's love is patient and kind. It keeps no record of wrongs for those who are in Christ, ALL of their sins wiped away and remembered no more (see Hebrews 8:12). A saved person will answer for the good he has done in Christ because God has told us plainly, He has chosen to forget the bad for Christ's sake. He tells us so, emphatically, TWICE in Hebrews. In Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17 (NLT) respectively, God says, “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins...I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”