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.”
If God says He will NEVER again remember our sins, then He will NEVER again remember them. The bad has been cleansed, wiped away by the blood of Jesus. Tragically, some Believers do NOT believe this; they do not believe the blood of Jesus has so thoroughly cleansed them as scripture promises and that they might still be shamed and chastised before the throne of God for ways they fell short of the glory of God on Earth. My only answer to that is, either you believe the blood has cleanses you and God remembers your sin no more, or you don't. If He only kind of, sort of cleansed you and plans to chastise you when you stand before Him one day, then God would be a liar. God's love and forgiveness are so complete, He made TOTAL provision for what we could NEVER accomplish: our own salvation. In Romans 10:9-11, we read,
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
This is the meaning TRUE of Christmas, redemption of mankind. God will save whoever calls on Him in faith. The question is why? Why would the Father bother? LOVE.
“For God so loved the word, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
The Father in eternity past, planned that the son would come to earth to be born in a stable in Bethlehem and perfectly fulfill the law and righteousness of God on our behalf. The death sentence of the cross was ours. But Jesus came, was born in that stable on Christmas morning and grew up to die for our sins:
“God showed His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
He loved us when we truly had nothing to give. Jesus said, John 5:22-24 “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged/condemned but has crossed over from death to life.”
There it is again, in 5:24, we have eternal life and will NEVER be condemned for our sins. We've already been judged with regard to salvation. The verdict is saved and innocent by virtue of faith in Jesus!!!! All we need do to pass from death to life, from condemnation to acceptance is believe on the in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.
Jesus came to bring the peace that comes from knowing God as savior. We have that peace, because of His love, demonstrated in Jesus Christ. It is the great love the Father has bestowed on us that enables us to become children of God. It is the love of God that sent His Son to be born in a lowly manger, to live to die. He lived to die for us. It was so great a love that God the Son left His glory in heaven, to become like one of us, to save all of us who would believe. Christmas is the story of God's love-gift to mankind. That is Christ Himself, the present that continues to give to everyone who calls on His name. He is alive and well, and is near to all who call on Him and trust in Him.
Christmas, like the gospel itself, it all about love. It's about God's love for His children. Having become His children by faith, it is our privilege and responsibility to share that when we have the chance. In words, but also in actions, we should make a point to try to show God's love to a world who needs it, that they too, might find eternal life in Jesus Christ. He is God's love-gift to the world, and He is not just for a select few, but for “whoever will believe in Him” so they will not perish but have eternal life!!! Amen.
(I did not quote any others, but it is possible there are some ideas from others I have heard over the years. I did not intentionally use anyone's thoughts/words, but I credit all teachers I have heard in my life, as all of them have contributed to my understanding and as such, their thoughts may show up in my writing without my even realizing it).
