Christmas brings… Love
Luke 2:1-20
Prayer-
Introduction-
A big thank you to Mandy and Aaron for sharing this morning.
We have come to the last Sunday of Advent and Tomorrow we will see Christmas Eve come in wither we are ready or not. We have tried to look at Christmas with fresh eyes and an open heart, to see hope, joy, peace and love that comes from Christmas.
You cannot have Christmas without Christ. It would just be mass chaos.
The Christmas story tells us of great love that God the Father had for us in sending His Son Jesus here for us.
If Jesus never came, He could have never went to the cross, and if He never went to the cross, we could not experience salvation or the redemption of our sins. You cannot have one without the other.
The plan of Almighty God and the love that He has for us cannot be put into just words, it was shown by His actions.
Paul Trip says
“Allow yourself to be confronted by the Christmas story’s message of desperate need. It is the only explanation of why Jesus had to come.”
Love came down from heaven for you and I
The plan of God was to use a willing Mary and Joseph.
To be in Bethlehem for the census, to experience no room in the inn, To the angels appearing before the shepherds.
All God’s love and His plan of redemption.
If you think that was a coincidence, then you probably believe that we evolved by freak chance of evolution instead of creation by an all powerful God.
God’s plan played out to shepherds- God what were you thinking?
The lowest on the food chain of the time.
The ones that the religious hated because they were unclean to even step foot into the great temples.
He chooses them, “those people” to show the greatness of God coming to earth.
For them to be able to be in their fields when all heaven breaks out is song and praise for the coming King!
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
The highest heaven! Heavenly angels begin praising God for putting His plan in action! And the favor of God rested on the shepherds- ones the world despised, the unlikely choice by the well to do! The peasants by the worlds standard had found favor with God!
What did the shepherds do once they experienced these things with God?
Where life suddenly changed and they had to respond one way or another
Let’s go see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
They hurried off and found baby Jesus!
They found the baby lying in a manger just like the angels said- and they worshiped Him! They experienced Him for themselves.
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”
They found Jesus and they spread the good news!
You will never be able to say you don’t know what to do with Jesus or I do not know what my purpose is- share the good news!
Experience the love of God and go tell it on the mountains that Jesus Christ is Lord!
They were never the same again! You cannot experience God and be the same! His love is unending and all powerful!
Illustration
Preacher Francis Chan was doing a wedding for a couple in his church. The bride had lost her husband to death and was left with a 26 year old child that had the mental capacity of a 6 year old to raise by herself. She was self conscious that any man would want her with the special needs of her daughter. She could not believe that it was about to happen. The preacher went through all the vows and rings and before he pronounced them husband and wife, the groom asked the daughter to come up that he had a ring for her too. In this marriage, he was pledging himself to her also. The little girl could not believe it, she just kept saying I love you, I love you! There was not a dry eye in the place! Francis Chan said after getting composure that that was the best illustration that he could ever experience showing the love of God. The bride confused that such a person would want them with all the challenges they have and the 26 year old mentally challenged girls expression of love for such a person to do that- to take them as they are and love them unconditionally! That is God’s love! We should be in awe that He loves us and expressing our lives back to Him. Not because we have too, but because we want to.
In that manger is a God who loves us and willing not because He had to but wanted to redeem us and have a relationship that goes far more than a casual once in a while but wanting to dwell with us.
They were amazed at the words of the shepherds.
They followed Jesus and were amazed at the words of boy Jesus.
They followed adult Jesus and were amazed at His teachings
Following Jesus is just amazing!
Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her king! Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing!
He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness and wonders of his love! Amen!
This morning, let’s gather some truths from that little baby Jesus in the manger and what Love that He has shown to each of us.
God’s love is unconditional
He did not have to come, He choose to come to mankind. He came to the least so that no one could boast or believe they could have redemption without Him.
“He brought good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
He came to redeem all mankind.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever (all) would believe, would not perish but have everlasting life.”
You love by faith! Faith in the promises of God that God will keep His Word. The Agape Love of God-
His love is patient, kind, and never gives up on you even when you give up on yourself.
His love is unconditional and undeserved.
He loves you in spite of you and your weaknesses.
He loves you so that you have a way to have eternal life.
He loves you so much that He came that you might have eternal life and abundant life here.
His love is not based upon performance. It is based upon what He has done- while yet you were a sinner, Christ came and Christ died for you.
Coming in that dirty manger is just the beginning of him showing His love for you and me.
We see it from the manger to the cross and you are experiencing it right now because I believe He is speaking to people even right now-
We see His love recorded in Luke 15- the prodigal son-
The son went his own way and found his own way was not working, seeing that he was willing to eat with the pigs but God had a better way if only he returned to him.
That son did not even get a chance to ask His Father because his Father met him on the road of return and opened up his arms, put the family ring on his finger, and clothed him with the righteousness of God.
He did not clean himself up, the glorious Father brought him clean clothes and openly welcomed him back into the family as if he never left.
That is God’s love for us church! We make it works, but his love never fails, and when we seek him out, he welcomes us back and sets us back on track.
We do not have to do it first, he already made the first move toward us.
Faith, Hope, Love… Apostle Paul reminds us that the greatest gift is Love!
God’s love reaches beyond our circumstances
Jesus had to come! There was no other way to touch mankind with His love.
God has to sometimes show us tough love but it doesn’t change the fact that He loves us.
The early church faced persecution, injustice, prejudice, racial tension, the fight between right and wrong as determined by almighty God. Just like we do today!
Apostle Paul to the persecuted church Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s love if we are honest is beyond our comprehension to grasp with our finite minds, but it is not beyond our ability to experience with the Lord. (Repeat)
This child (Jesus) the scriptures say will cause the falling and raising of many in Israel. Why?
Because some will accept Him and some won’t.
He loves all but some by their own choice will not accept the purpose of God Himself coming-
Will you this morning receive this Jesus as the savior of the world?
Will you personally engage His love and desire to give your messy life to Him and let Him do something amazing?
Simeon the priest who wanted and waited to see the Christ child responds after seeing Him with these words-
“Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying; “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations; light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
He is for all People! He is waiting for us to respond today.
Take the step of love today- with it comes faith, hope and love of God.
Would you this morning by pure faith, look into that manger and see a God who loves you?
Take it personal because it is- God loves you!
And reach out to Him and allow Him to change your life forever!
If you have never done that, today would be a great time to let Him in.
If you have been struggling- if you have walked away, if you have been disobedient,
He is waiting with open arms to forgive and embrace you right where you are at and take and walk with you to where your need to be- A God who walks with us and never will forsake us- he is speaking to us this morning- that is a fact. Will you respond?
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels”
He could have but He didn’t because He loves us that much! You and I are why He came. Let’s thank Him, Praise Him, Remember Him, Serve Him, and give Him our lives!
Altar call-
