Today is the 4th and last Sunday of Advent. So far this season we have heard about the Hope that God gives us in knowing that what we see here around us is not all there is and that God has so much more in store for us. That’s definitely something to HOPE for. The 2nd week of Advent we heard about God’s peace and found that the peace that the Bible speaks of goes a lot deeper than we usually view peace. Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace comes from God that surpasses our understanding. Last week, we heard about JOY. We did a lot of laughing during the service last Sunday as God used that service to fill our hearts with an unspeakable JOY.
Today we round out the Advent season talking about God’s LOVE. How can you look at Christmas and not talk about the love of God that came to this earth to redeem mankind.
We have spent the month of December looking at being prepared for Christmas. So far, we have seen that Christmas is more than just buying presents, wrapping, exchanging gifts. It is more than eating and gathering with family, although that is very important. It is making sure Christmas didn’t race by in our busyness and we miss Jesus.
Today I want to look at God’s love. What Christmas represents as the love of God, is shown to each of us and sometimes we don’t realize it. Every sale rang up on the cash register is followed by a thank you for shopping at…. At Christmas time they say thank you followed by “Happy holidays”. It’s OK to answer Merry Christmas. The workers have been instructed by their employer to use the generic “Happy Holidays” greeting as to be politically correct and as not to offend any of those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Because that’s what it gets down to.
But what they don’t realize is that the word “Holidays” stems from the phrase Holy Days. So, in effect, they are still recognizing the season as a Holy time of year. I had a cashier say the other day, “Happy Holidays.” I said, “Thank you. And may God bless you.” I could tell by the look on her face that it surprised her. She couldn’t respond much without getting in trouble so she just smiled. They may not be able to say it, but they can’t stop us from saying it, at least not yet.
Every year we battle to maintain Christmas mangers, Christmas plays, so we can be politically correct. At Christmas time more than ever, our text becomes more alive to me as I look to Christ at Christmas. I come to a conclusion, and maybe you have too, I don’t need to be politically correct, I just need to be correct. Correct in the eyes of God, that is. Isn’t that what really matters?
But if we are not careful, the word “love” can be weakened. Today, the word love is so flagrantly used that it doesn’t even compare to what God’s love is. It’s like the girl whose emotion took over, she softly whispered "I love you." as she slowly unwrapped her chocolate covered candy. Saying 'I love you' to a piece of candy pretty well sums up our society's casual approach to love. Perhaps, your love is not chocolate but fast cars, fancy shoes, your house or a movie star. Truthfully, do you really love those things? Chevrolet has coined the term “I Love It.”
Who did you last say to them "I love you?" Did you really mean it? How many people do you really love? You might also ask yourself to remember who has told you they love you. Who told you they loved you five years ago, twenty years ago or more? Do they love you today? Maybe, you want to believe they really do love you. They might even love you as much as that lady who was unwrapping that piece of chocolate covered candy.
I love you doesn't mean I love you like it did as our society is now into me and right at this moment. With many, love is a feeling of the moment and has little to do with tomorrow. Divorce is at an all time high and continues to spiral out of control. Loyal love is a rarity today.
But there is someone who loves you as much today as years ago. HIS love never changes. HE never has loved you more and will never love you less. GOD loves you the same, all the time. HE loves you so much HE sent HIS only SON to die on that cross so you can live with HIM forever.
John 3:16-17 tells us: "For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS one and only SON, that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have eternal life. For GOD did not send his SON into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through HIM." Have you forgotten those verses? GOD has not forgotten you. Jesus says that is how much He loves you! How much He loves me!
In John 3:11, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.”
Hear Jesus when He says, “You will speak what you have learned, you will act out what you believe. You people do not accept the testimony of God.” Who’s- you people? You people are those that struggle with the born-again experience. It is those who struggle with the fact that Christ came into this world to redeem mankind. God incarnate- God in the flesh.
“That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
God so loved the world- that love was the motivation for our plan of salvation.
Jesus voluntarily came to this world for you and me in a human body. God incarnate- God in the flesh. To show us how much He loves us.
God did not send Christ to us; God came to us in Christ. Fully God and fully Man.
A theologian described it this way- “God must be able to come over to our side without leaving his own side.” That makes sense.
Let me slightly change gears for a moment. If I mention man walking on the moon, we usually think of who? Neil Armstrong. How many people have landed on the moon? In total 12 astronauts have walked on the moon, including Armstrong and Aldrin. The other 10 who made it to the moon took part in five further Nasa launches, between 1969 and 1972. These missions were undertaken by Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17. Now you ask why I brought that up. Here’s why.
There is something more important than man walking on the moon, and that is God, walking on the earth.
“For God so loved the world that He gave”… That was the most meaningful and life changing gift that God could give. It trumps any gift we could possibly give or receive. It was the ultimate act of love. It was the most sacrificial gift ever given.
The Apostle Paul captures the incarnate Christ in what he wrote.
“Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.”
“Salvation is found in no one else”
“For there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved.”
Jesus is great! He is exceedingly mighty. Spectacular. He is King over all the earth. He is the Most High God! And we remember that this time of year as we read, “Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord!” The angel said- “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
If that is not love, I do not know what is. God’s love is not based upon spiritual condition-even though the longer we serve Him we should be changing. God’s love is not based upon behavior- or attitude, but the more we are with Him, the more the love of God should be given to others. God’s love is unconditional-He loves every one of us.
He came in the flesh, died on the cross, was resurrected and is now sitting on the right hand side of the Father- For us! That is love! All we have to do is believe!
“That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Believe is an action word--present tense--believe, not believed, not once believed, now. Jesus has to be Lord! He has to be shepherd of your life.
If you took all the greatest thinkers of every country and put them in a room with Jesus, they would shut their mouths and listen to the greatness of His wisdom. All the generals would listen to His strategy; all the greatest musicians would listen to His music theory and His performance on every instrument. There is nothing that Jesus cannot do a 1000 times better than the person you admire most in any area of human endeavor.
Can you grasp that Jesus Christ loves you? There is a way that you grasp these words of love. We can sit here and listen to these words and leave this place unaffected. But it is up to us to take hold of these words and make them alive in our lives: One way you can grasp these words of love:
1. You are a believer- action speaks louder than words. Today you again will decide to serve God wherever and however He desires to use you. Your gift back to God this morning is Servanthood and Obedience. You voluntarily want to serve Him as He leads you. You radically commit to do what He tells you. That is your love back to God, your gift to Him.
The first thing you need to realize is that God loves you! You make it personal. The best gift that you can give back to God is yourself. You don’t clean up first.
You don’t quit doing certain things first. That’s where many misunderstand what coming to God is all about. We think we must first clean up our act and do more right than wrong and THEN come to God. That’s actually backwards.
God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way. So, you come to God just as you are and let Him clean you from the inside out. That’s the proper order.
During the Christmas season, some people wonder about Jesus. Maybe you have known Him for a long time, but you find yourself in a valley, struggling to understand who He really is.
In different chapters of my life, I have found my relationship with Jesus changes. According to what I am experiencing, He has been my Counselor, Prince of Peace, Deliverer, and Comforter. He continues to reveal Himself to me in different, yet more beautiful, ways through each stage of my life.
Throughout Scripture over 200 names are given for Christ. Some are titles for Jesus, while others are concepts or descriptions of Him.
The message and meaning of Christmas is spelled out in Isaiah 9:6, which I have already used several times already this season. The Prophet Isaiah gives four awe-inspiring names of our Lord that encourage us, thrill us, and fill us with hope:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The full meaning of these words from Isaiah should give us enough strength, hope, and joy to face any crisis, to endure any sorrow, and to meet any temptation because it is through these descriptions of our Savior that we experience first-hand God’s love. How is God revealing Himself to you today?
Too often Christmas becomes a time when we overcommit ourselves to a never-ending “to-do list.” We make promises to our families, friends and co-workers—promises that often become burdens. From decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts, attending parties, making cookies, planning activities for the kids and cooking, we run ourselves down physically, mentally and emotionally. We wonder, will it ever end?
We make so many promises during the holidays that we forget the promises God gave in Scripture, and His fulfilled promise that we celebrate during this season. Back in Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham that He would make him a great nation and that He would bless him and make his name great.
Abraham’s descendants certainly became a great nation. Through the lineage of Abraham, God blessed this world with the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Throughout Scripture, God continues to make promises to His people, to us whom He loves.
And God, through His Son Jesus, extended the commandment for us to share with others the love that God gives to us. Jesus said it this way: "'Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'” Luke 10:27
So, during this Advent week of LOVE, tell GOD you love HIM. Then tell your spouse and children you love them. Then, tell that piece of chocolate how much you like it. But don't abuse the word love. Use it as GOD intended.
So, whether you are dreading this Christmas season or excitedly anticipating all it brings, keep in mind that Christ stands in victory. Don’t let Satan rob you of the joy of the season.
Christmas is the time when we remember that God’s Son was born—born to live so that He could die for you. What a precious thing to celebrate!
Christmas is a time of miracles- “for nothing is impossible with God.”
Are you overwhelmed? Maybe you feel lost and lonely. Are you tired? Are you faced with something bigger than you are? Remember:
Nothing is impossible with God
In all the gift-giving that will occur this week, remember the two kinds of gifts that God wants exchanged this morning-
(1) The gift that He gives – He is hoping that you will take it this morning.
(2) The other gift is He is waiting for you to give yourself to Him.
Give yourself to God and experience the greatest love you’ll ever know.
