Series: 24
Week: 4
Passage: John 3:16-17
Title: Week 4 – The Candle of Purity
Focus: Christmas
ADVENT BACKGROUND: There are often many symbols used to represent Advent from various churches of many denominations. An evergreen wreath is a solid staple followed by four to five candles. The wreath is a symbol of Christ’s perfection (complete). The evergreen meaning eternal life and the light from the candles often times represent the light of Jesus Christ. Each of the candles has a different meaning.
• The first candle represents the anticipation of Christ coming (anticipation of Christ coming for those in OT and coming again for those living in NT).
• Note: This candle is sometimes tied in with the second candle. We learned this week…
o Jesus as the “Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5)
o The Righteous Advents (1 & 2 Coming of Jesus – Jer. 23:6)
o Anticipation of the Righteous King (Jeremiah 23:7–8)
• The second candle is a candle of hope (preparation). We learned two ways to prepare here…
o Prepare by Repenting (Luke 3:3)
o Prepare by Clearing the Way (Luke 3:4-6)
• The third candle is a candle meaning joy.
o The Joy of the Lord is the Fear of the Lord (Luke 2:8-9)
o The Joy of the Lord is the Salvation of the Lord (Luke 2:10-11)
o The Joy of the Lord is an Opportunity for Another (Luke 2:12-15)
• The forth candle is a candle representing purity (or love).
• The last candle (usually white to distinguish between the other candles) is the candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day representing Christ on as the fulfillment of what is promised in the first four candles.
Depending on which circle one grew up these candles have been known to move from week to week depending on the denomination. The color of the candles often varies but most common are purple, pink and white.
Title: Week 4 – The Candle of Purity (Love – John 3:16-17)
#1: The Gospel is an Action of Pure Love (John 3:16a)
• Explanation: The most popular passage of Scripture is the culmination of the gospel. The gospel is the message of God’s grace on sin filled humans, sending a sacrifice, His Son, Jesus Christ – the God/Man Messiah, who proved Himself God in His birth, His teaching, His life, His death, His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to the right hand of God. The gospel is the message that there is eternal salvation for mankind through Christ’s one time sacrifice for all (Luke 24:46–47) who would believe (John 1:12) and call upon the name of Jesus. Therefore, the gospel is…
o A message we declare to others (Matthew 28:18–19).
o Powerful (Romans 1:16).
o A message that brings a change to life (1 Thessalonians 1:4–5).
• The gospel is a good God sending a pure sacrifice for His people who’s single motivation was one of love for His fallen creation in a gift that would have to be received in faith!
• Illustration:
• Application: God’s love is not limited to a few or to one group of people but His gift is for the whole world. John tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave…”. There is nothing in it for us when we give. A gift is an expression of love. So what do we do with it?
o Acknowledge It: God loves you so much in our sinful state that He refuses to let us stay there. We MUST acknowledge that we need that which we don’t deserve.
o Believe It: It’s not enough that we simply believe the gift is present, we must believe it’s for us. The demons and Satan himself know God exists but they fail to believe it’s the saving truth and that rejection of God’s love keeps them in an eternity in hell.
o Conform to It: After we have acknowledged the gospel exists and believe it’s true, we then live our life conforming to God’s will. This is a process that is preparation for our eternity because Christ not only came once, He IS coming AGAIN!
#2: The Gospel is an Action Guaranteeing a Pure Eternity (John 3:16b-17)
• Explanation: In God’s love for us He not only gave, but He gave His us His most valuable gift, His Son Jesus.
o “God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all.” (Rom. 8:3 MSG)
o “With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?” (Romans 8:32 MSG).
• Since God’s gift is greater than any other gift (perfection), the gift cannot be earned, it must be received.
• “All who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12–13 ESV).
• Illustration:
• Application: A person is saved by believing (trusting) in Christ. When John uses the word perish he specifically means that we reject the purity of God and live a life in eternity apart from God. If we reject God and His pure gift, why would He accept us? When Christ comes again (something we look forward to with great anticipation), our eternal life that is gained through our faith in the work on the cross is a new quality of life that we will possess forever.
o God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 32) but desires that everyone be saved and receive His free gift!
• “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
• “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).
• “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:3-6)
• Acknowledge it, believe it, and conform to it!
CONCLUSION: This Christmas season we celebrate our Savior’s coming and the fact that He will come again! So many of us come from so many different places, churches, religions, and backgrounds that have caused us to conform to a religion but often we miss the relationship offered to us in Jesus Christ. A round the traditional advent candles, there is an evergreen wreath standing as a symbol of Christ’s perfection. Jesus was perfect and continues to be offering His love to all those who would receive it.
As we light the candles around the evergreen we know that God has drawn us out of darkness and into light giving us everlasting life that we did not deserve. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He is the hope we have in restoring our relationship with the living God! As we look to him we must remember that Jesus is…
• As Savior who has come: He is the “Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5). He came to us and will come again (1 & 2 Coming of Jesus – Jer. 23:6) so we anticipate our kings return (Jeremiah 23:7–8)
• A Savior who gives us hope: So we prepare for this season by repenting (Luke 3:3) and clearing the way for others to come to know Him as Savior (Luke 3:4-6).
• A Savior who gives great joy: We have a healthy fear of the Lord (Luke 2:8-9) because of our salvation found in Christ (Luke 2:10-11). This is our opportunity and the opportunity for others to see our joy and experience it themselves. (Luke 2:12-15)
• A Savior who is pure love: Jesus action of coming and coming again is pure love seeking nothing in return (John 3:16). Christ desire is that we spend eternity with Him (John 3:17) but the choice is up to us!
Question: After hearing all the evidence, will you accept Christ today?
