November 29, 2020 (revised) NOTES
NOT EDITED
Advent 2020: Love
Luke 2:1-7, et. al.
If you google the word, “love,” you will get millions of hits. “Love” is very popular because love is very powerful. Here’s what Psychology Today reported in an article: Love is as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. ….the less love you have, the more depression you are likely to experience in your life. Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved.
There have been many famous love stories
throughout time. The Song
of Songs detailing the love between Solomon and the Shulammite Lady; Antony and Cleopatra; Romeo and Juliet; The Honeymooners, Ralph and
Alice Kramden; Starstruck Lovers in the movie, “Love Story” starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan
O’neal; the somewhat tenuous puppy love between Charlie Brown and Lucy; and of course, the love
story we celebrate at Christmas between Joseph and Mary.
All these stories though, pale in comparison to the love story between God and man which
reaches its zenith in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. That’s what Christmas is all about—a love story between
God and man.
Christmas is about love, especially God’s
love, which is the most powerful, transforming force in the universe. Love is powerful, but few
people really recognize just how powerful and transforming love can
be. Even fewer people understand the
“ultimate, transforming power of God’s love.”
God’s love literally changes everything.
The Christmas Story is the “Ultimate Love” story. It far surpasses the dark love of Romeo and
Juliet or the human love of Robert Redford and in “A Love Story.” God’s love is the “ultimate transforming
power” in the universe. Let’s read of
that love in the Christmas Story.
CLIP: Linus reciting LUKE 2:1-7
Four aspects of God’s love show its majesty
and transforming power. God’s love shows
our VALUE. God’s love gives us PUPOSE. God love draws us to WORSHIP; and God’s
love makes us ETERNAL.
1.
God’s Love Shows Us Our VALUE
Think of the “stuff” in your life. The stuff that you love the most has the most
value—at least to you. Unfortunately,
many people love the “stuff” in their lives more than they do the people in
their lives. But that’s another sermon. God’s love shows us how valuable we are to
God. In fact, the Bible says this about
how valuable we are to God:
God loved us so much that he
showed it in this way: He sent His only
Son to die on the cross in our place. (John 3:16, paraphrase).
That’s a pretty special demonstration of how
valuable God thinks you are. I don’t
think many people make the connection these days between Christmas and Easter,
but they are two sides of the same coin of God’s love. This reminds me of the verse:
Greater love has no man than
this,
but to lay down his life for a friend. (John 15:13)
When I think about how God’s love makes
people valuable, I think of the shepherds in the hills that night. Look at verses
8-15 again:
8 In the same region,
shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their
flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified. 10 But
the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news
of great joy that will be for all the people:
11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for
you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for
you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly
in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly there was
a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors! v
We’ve heard that story so many times. I don’t think we in this modern industrial
age, separated from that Bethlehem night by over 2000 years, really appreciate
just how marvelous this part of the Christmas story really is.
The contrast between what the world thought
about shepherds and what God thought about them is a contrast of cosmic
proportions. Shepherds were part of the
lowest rung of society in the first century.
They were held in such contempt that they were not even allowed to be a
witness in a court of law. They were
considered, “shady characters with very low morals.”
Also, the Jewish community held shepherds in
particular contempt because not only were they “shady citizens,” but their
occupation made them ritually unclean because of their constant contact with
animal waste, as well as dead and sick animals.
The shepherds were outcasts in society. Nobody in the community valued the
shepherds. But God valued them. God valued them so highly that they were not
only “witnesses” to what happened, they were the first witnesses. And, God not only told them what had taken
place, but God treated these lowly shepherds to the most glorious choir that
had ever given praise on earth.
Perhaps God valued them because He understood
that shepherds would have a keen insight to what it meant for Jesus to be, “the
Lamb of God sacrificed for the whole world.”
This is a truly remarkable part of the
Christmas Story and proves that God’s love makes a person VALUABLE.
2. God’s love gives
us PURPOSE
4 And
Joseph also went up . . . with Mary.
Notice that word, “and,” in more literal translations. It is bad
English grammar to begin a sentence with “and” but it very precise Greek. The little Greek word, “de,” occurs throughout the Gospels to demonstrate a
“matter of fact
occurrence.” Even the most
mundane, chaotic events in our life our fraught with grand purpose. Nothing in the life of the believer is
without purpose—including both pain and pleasure. Joseph and Mary, like perhaps thousands of
others, were simply “going about their business.” They would quickly find their business had a
very significant purpose—and that is a great understatement!
Every soul that enters this world is created
with PURPOSE. It doesn’t matter whether you are born rich or poor, famous or
obscure, or whether anybody outside of a few close friends or family ever know
you existed—you have a God-given purpose for being born.
Consider Joseph and Mary. I’m not sure you could have found a more ordinary couple in
all the world. Joseph was a hard-working
carpenter and Mary was a teen-ager probably not more than 16 or 17. They were from a very obscure village called
Bethlehem. This place is so small and
obscure some scholars doubted for years whether it even existed. But, of course it does.
I doubt when Mary was born that her parents thought: “one day, Mary will give birth to God!” Now, I know parents can have great hopes and
aspirations for their children—and parents should have great hopes and
aspirations for their children—but, “giving birth to God” probably never
crossed their minds.
And, what about Joseph. He
was just a lowly, blue-collar, dirt-under-his-fingernails-craftsman. Do you think his parents said when he was
born, “One day, he’ll be the step-father
of God!” Wow! I get chills just thinking about that.
Parents want the best for their children. Out of five siblings, I was the
academic one. My parents hoped I would become a doctor. My grandfather went to WVU to become a
surgeon. The Depression hit and he ran
out of money. Instead, he retired as a
meat-cutter and butcher—that’s kinda’ like being a surgeon, I guess. I remember when I called my Mom from Pearl
Harbor to tell her I felt called to become a preacher, she was less than
thrilled. She finally came around and secretly held out hope I would be Billy
Graham’s replacement.
The purpose parents have for their children
may be different than God’s purpose for us—but everyone has purpose. Joseph was just a carpenter going to pay his
taxes, but he was a carpenter with a purpose—perhaps the grandest purpose of
any man ever born. Not only does the
love of God make you “valuable,” but it makes you “purposeful.” Everything we know about the universe
demonstrates that it is “highly designed” from the atom—a t o m—to Adam—A d a m. Everything has a purpose, especially human
beings. Everything about Christmas
demonstrates the highly purposeful, greatly detailed plan of God at work. Joseph didn’t meet Mary by accident. It was all part of God’s plan before the foundations of the world were created.
Ephesians 2:10 spells it out clearly, For
we are His creation, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk
in them.
Did you catch those words, “prepared ahead of time!”
I have a little sister named Becky. She is the baby of the family and, according
to my Mom, she came as quite a surprise.
Many children come as a “surprise” to the parents, but I want you to
know that “nobody comes as a surprise to God.”
Every person on earth is created to fulfill a
unique purpose. Do not forget that. God makes this clear to Joseph in a dream
because Joseph was having a little trouble with Mary’s story. Let me give you Mary’s story in a
paraphrase. One strategic moment Mary
came to Joseph and said, “Joseph, I have something very important–and
very strange to tell you. Please hear me
out. Please don’t get angry.” Everything we see of Joseph in the Word of
God (which is not much) indicates that he was a very kind and gentle man. Joseph
replied, “Yes, dear. What is on your
heart? You can tell me anything. I love you more than life itself.” Mary continued, “I’m pregnant. But, it’s not what you think! I’ve not been unfaithful. I’m still a virgin. This is God’s child. It’s a miracle.”
Well, for a devout young Jewish man, this was
devastating news. How many men would have bought Mary’s story? Not many I suppose—including Joseph. So, God intervened to reassure Joseph that
all this was according to the purpose God had for Joseph’s life.
Mat 1 19 an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to
him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as
your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. Then, look at God’s
purpose revealed in verse 22: 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was
spoken by the Lord . . . .
Christmas is about the transforming power of
God’s love. God’s love makes us
purposeful. God had a purpose for Joseph
(and everyone else in the Christmas Story), and God has a purpose for you.
3. God’s love
draws us to WORSHIP
Some of the most interesting characters in
the Christmas Story are the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings from the
East. Matt. 2 1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come
to worship [proskuneo] Him.”
Quite a bit of folklore has arisen in regard
to these strange travelers. They have
even been given names. "according to
Western church tradition, Balthazar is often represented as a
king of Arabia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of
India." Of course, this is nothing
more than folklore. The Bible doesn’t
name the Wise Men. In fact, the Bible
doesn’t even say there are three of them.
Most scholars feel that “from the East”
refers to Persia, or modern Iran. There
is a very old tradition that these “Wise Men” (magi, in Persian) came from
Chaldea, or modern day Iraq. The
Israelites had at one time been captives to both these countries.
Regardless of the exact homeland for these
travelling men of influence, they travelled very far. By the time they arrive in Bethlehem, Jesus
is no longer a “brephos,” or infant,
but a “paidion,” or toddler. The Holy Family is no longer in a stable but
in a house. So the journey was very
long.
Whatever their origin, the reason for
travelling to Bethlehem was crystal clear.
Verse 2 says the Wise
men, “came to worship
him who was born the King of the Jews.”
Worship is a translation of the word, προσκυνῆσαι, which
means to “bow in honor or adoration.” It
reflected the custom of the orient to bow and kiss the feet of a nobleman. Worship, though, is not so much something we
do, but it is an attitude that we have toward God. It is an all-consuming desire to interact
with and work for Almighty God. I define
worship as the attitude, “All of me, all about Him, All the time.” True worship is something only a true
believer can give. It transcends
“religion” and involves a deep and abiding relationship with God because of Who
He is—the King of the Jews, the Christ, or the Messiah. All these terms refer to Jesus Christ as
being Almighty God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The worshipped Jesus
as God Almighty.
When someone comes to recognize Who Jesus
really is, that person cannot help but want to worship. A desire to interact
with God and serve Him becomes the all-consuming passion of those who come to realize that Almighty
God loves us. The key is,
“all-consuming.”
The transforming love of God makes us
Worshipful. The power of God’s love as
demonstrated in the Christmas story makes us valuable, purposeful, worshipful,
and most importantly of all:
4. God’s transforming love makes us ETERNAL
For most people, in America especially,
Christmas is just a date on the calendar and an occasion for fun
activities. But, Christmas is more than
lights on the tree, treats baking in the oven, or even the annual presentation
of a church Christmas pageant.
Christmas is about Christ. This may shock you but Christmas is not so
much about the “birth” of Jesus as it is the “death” of Jesus. Unless one comes to understand “why” Jesus was born,
then Christmas loses the most important aspect of it’s wonderful, transforming
love.
Christmas
is not about a baby being born, but it’s really about you being “born-again.” Look at
Luke 2:11: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born
for you in the city of David.
The angel could have identified Jesus in many
ways: Teacher, Healer, Miracle-Worker,
or Prophet, among others. But, in the
inaugural message of Jesus’ birth, Jesus is identified as “Savior.” There is no article (a, or the) in the
original text, which is a means by which Greek puts an emphasis on a
noun. The most important designation
for God the Son Who became a man was “Savior.”
The word, “savior,” from “soter,” refers
to someone who delivers others from peril.
It was often used for medical
workers in the first century, doctors if you will, because they delivered
people from disease. It was even used of
philosophers who would deliver
people from ignorance. The most often
employment of the word was for a military
general who would deliver people from an enemy.
In the Christmas sense, it is used of Jesus who
would be, as John the Baptist declared, “the Lamb of God Who would die to take away the sins of man” (Jn. 1:29).
I’m sure there are a lot of things you think
you need this Christmas—and you are probably correct. But your greatest need cannot be filled with
anything material, or temporal, or of this world. Your greatest need is “Eternal.” God’s transforming love makes you
Eternal—that is gives you eternal life. In a sense, everyone is “eternal” the
moment one is born. Everyone will
continue forever. Death is the end of
the body, but not the soul. Everybody
will be going one of two places after death—an eternal heaven, or an eternal
hell.
Christmas is about God’s plan to give you
eternal life. That first Christmas God
gave us all the most important gift He could ever give – The Savior. We are all condemned by our sin. We are all in bondage to sin. We need a Savior, a Deliverer, A Rescuer, a
Messiah. Jesus is that Savior,
Deliverer, Rescuer, and Messiah.
Christmas is about a lot of things I suppose,
but right up at the top of the list, Christmas is about the Wonderful Love of
God. I’m afraid that within a week, for
most people, Christmas will be boxed up and put away for another year. That is a great tragedy. Christmas
is not about a “day,” but about a Wonderful, Loving God Who came to earth to
invite us to heaven.
In March of 2008, 55 years old, Annamarie
Ausnes ordered a vente latte and a kidney at Starbucks. On that day Annamarie Ausnes struck up a
conversation with 51 years old, Sandie Anderson, the local Starbucks barista
(server). Annamarie had been a longtime
Starbucks customer. Annamarie Ausnes told
Sandie Andersen, that she needed a kidney translplant. During the casual conversation Annamarie
explained that her husband and son were not matches, meaning that they could
not donate their kidneys to her to save her life. So, Sandie Anderesen gave Annamarie her
double latte and without any hesitation offered to give her a kidney, too. Without
hesitation, Andersen took a blood test to see if she matched the customer. She
ended up being a perfect match. Andersen donated her kidney to Ausnes and in a few
weeks, she was expected to be 100% back to normal. That’s the power of love! It
saves lives.
This story parallels the Christmas Story. It
demonstrates the truth that we are in
peril and God acted in a loving, selfless love to send us a “Soter,” or a
rescuer, deliverer, Messiah. The
sacrificial, loving act of sending Jesus, His Only Son, to earth changed
everything for anyone who would accept that Christmas Gift. The Wonderful Love of God changes
everything. Let it change you!
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