Love Came Down: Experiencing God’s Heart This Christmas (Advent Love)
1 John 4:7–12 (NLT): "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us."
Introduction: Love in the 21st Century
In Advent we’ve seen the themes of Hope, Peace, and Joy. Today we arrive at the heart of it all: Love.
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we pause to reflect on the theme of Love—not a vague, sentimental emotion, not the love the world markets in song or commerce—but the love of God that changes everything.
1 John 4:7–12 (NLT): "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”
Notice how John begins with love as the defining mark of a child of God. Today, I want us to see that Advent is not merely a season of lights, carols, and gifts—it is a season to behold God’s ultimate expression of love in Jesus Christ, and respond in repentance, faith, and obedient love.
1. God is Love: The Source and Standard
Verse 7: “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.”
Here, the Greek word for love is agape, the sacrificial, unconditional love that chooses the good of others above self. Unlike the fleeting love of feelings, agape originates in God Himself.
The early church faced divisions, persecution, and moral confusion. John wrote to remind believers that love is the hallmark of true Christian identity.
Love is not optional—it is the essence of God’s character.
1 John 4:8 makes it clear: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
In a world of transactional relationships, God calls His people to reflect His self-giving love. Ask yourself today: Is your love reactive, or is it reflective of God’s agape?
John Piper wrote, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Piper reminds us that true love for others flows from our satisfaction in God. If you are grasping for affection or validation elsewhere, you cannot reflect God’s love fully. Advent invites us to rest in God’s love first, then love others out of overflow.
Imagine a candle in a dark room. The candle does not have to look for darkness—it naturally dispels it. So it is with us: the more we abide in God’s love, the more our relationships illuminate the lives around us.
2. God Demonstrated Love Through Sacrifice
Verse 9–10: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
Here, John emphasises that love is action-oriented. God’s love is not mere sentiment—it is sacrificial and redemptive. The word “sacrifice” here in Greek, hilasmos, refers to an atoning act that restores our broken relationship with God.
In the Old Testament, atonement involved the blood of lambs, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. The incarnation is God Himself entering creation to redeem it.
Romans 5:8 (NLT): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
1 Peter 1:18–19 (NLT): “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
This Advent, do you realise that God’s love does not wait for your perfection? Christ came for sinners—people like you and me. Our response should be heartfelt repentance and trust in Him.
Charles Stanley wrote, “The measure of your love for God is the depth of your love for His Son.”
Stanley helps us see that true understanding of God’s love is inseparable from faith in Christ’s saving work. Love is not theoretical—it is grounded in the Gospel.
A father who pays his child’s debt secretly—covering what the child cannot pay—demonstrates love beyond words. God did infinitely more: He paid the debt of sin with His own Son.
3. Love Calls for Action Among Believers
Verse 11–12: “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”
Greek insight: The phrase “brought to full expression” is teleioo, meaning “to complete or perfect.” God’s love matures as we live it out.
The first-century church was diverse, with differing backgrounds, languages, and practices. John calls them—and us—to concrete love, especially in the face of conflict.
Matthew 22:37–39 (NLT): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Galatians 5:13–14 (NLT): “Serve one another… For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NLT): Love is patient, kind, enduring… it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love in action is not sentimental—it is service, sacrifice, forgiveness, and patience. In a digital age, this might mean choosing humility in online interactions, standing for justice in your workplace, or serving the marginalised in your city.
Max Lucado said, “God’s love is not a reward for good behaviour; it is the heartbeat of heaven.”
Lucado reminds us that love is proactive, not reactive. We do not earn it—it flows through us as we reflect the God who first loved us.
4. The Gospel: Love That Saves
Let me be clear: the love John describes is not an abstract ideal. It is personified in Jesus Christ, who came to save, reconcile, and restore.
Death: Christ bore our sins on the cross.
Burial: He was laid in a tomb, showing that the penalty for sin is complete.
Resurrection: He rose, defeating death, offering eternal life to all who repent and believe.
Advent is a call to respond. We cannot love God authentically without recognising His love in Christ and trusting Him for salvation.
Invitation: If you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ—repent of your sin, confess Him as Lord, and receive the gift of eternal life. God’s love is not distant; it is available now.
5. Stories of Love in Action
The Christmas shoebox story: A small town church sent Christmas gifts to orphaned children in poverty-stricken areas. Each box carried essentials and love. The children received not just items, but a tangible sense of God’s love through people’s sacrifice.
Modern example: A young woman forgave the man who caused a fatal car accident that killed her father. Her act of grace mirrored Christlike love, demonstrating that God’s love works in the hardest situations.
Both stories remind us that love is not just a feeling—it is sacrificial action reflecting the heart of God.
6. Responding in Faith and Obedience
Examine your heart: Are you living in God’s love or in worldly fear and self-interest?
Take practical steps: Serve someone anonymously this week, reconcile with someone, or share the Gospel with a friend.
Rest in the truth: God’s love is perfect, steadfast, and empowering.
Benediction/Exhortation:
May the love of God, revealed in the birth of Jesus Christ, fill your heart and overflow through your life. May your family, your church, and your community see the light of God’s love in your actions. Go in peace, to love, to serve, and to glorify Christ—the greatest Gift of all. Amen.
