God's Law of Love

4th Sunday of Advent

Today is the 4th Sunday of advent…this is the Sunday devoted to theme of love.

We continue our advent series ‘O Holy Night’ …and to help us focus on the theme of love…I chose the following lyrics:

“The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our Friend. He knows our need— to our weakness is no stranger.”

Today’s message:

“God’s Law of Love”

[Relationship between the lyrics and God’s law of love]

Look at the lyrics again (on screen)

“The king of kings…in royal mansion palace…lay he?…NO…in lowly manger lay he...”

(Luke 2:7; Rev. 19:16)

In our all trials... born…to...say... “I told you so.” “I told you not to do that.” “You had that coming to you.”

NO… “In all our trials…born to be our friend”

(John 15:13-15)

“He knows our need…to our weakness…he doesn’t really care…tells us to suck it up?

NO…to our weakness…he is no stranger.

(Hebrews 4:15)

These lyrics have everything to do with love.

God’s love for you and me…God’s love for weak, lonely, and lowly…sinners…is why Jesus…the son of God…was sent to us...

Christmas is about God coming down to us…

to give up his place of honor/power/authority

to be a friend and savior to sinners

to be able to identify with our weaknesses…who faced every temptation that is common to humanity…yet without sin

Jesus’ own definition of love is found in John 15:13

John 15:13 NKJV

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Laying down our lives…our rights…our dreams…our everything…for another…is Jesus description of love...

No type of love is bigger than that...

Gift Giving

As we all know…this is the biggest shopping season of the year…gifts are on a lot of our minds this time of year...

People often look for the perfect gift to give to a loved one…

…and gift-giving is a love language…it is one way we let people know we care about them and love them…

From the Christian faith perspective…that is exactly what we find at Christmas…that is what we are waiting for during advent...

God’s salvation through Christ...

God’s love-driven redemption...

God’s gift…of God’s self…in Jesus Christ...

Emerson once said “The only gift... is a portion of thyself.”

That is God’s gift…but not just a portion…God went all in…with love…giving Himself fully on our behalf and he did so through weakness, temptation, struggles and trials…

That is demonstrative love…after all…love should be demonstrated…we should show our love…because that’s what God showed to us...

Demonstrations of Love

Our reading today from the gospel of Matthew contains…arguably…some of the best demonstrations of love…in the gospels...

Demonstrated by Jesus’ earthly parents...

Matthew 1:18-25 falls right after the big genealogy of Jesus’ ancestors…establishing…through Joseph…and Mary…those that connected Jesus uniquely with God…and through King David’s line...

With that established…we hear of Jesus’ birth…through the experience of Joseph...

We don’t hear of there being “no room” at the inn.

or angles appearing to shepherds

We don’t read of Mary’s beautiful song…of magnifying the LORD for what he has done (as we read in Luke’s gospel)

Instead we are told of Joseph…who is described as a “righteous” “just”…and “honorable” man who is “betrothed” or engaged…to Mary...

Betrothal (or engagement) in the first century Jewish society…was a legally binding relationship…it did not allow for sexual relationship…and the two did not live together...but it was so serious…that if a person wanted to break the proposal (for unfaithfulness)…they had to get a certificate of divorce...

This could be done one of two ways…

there could be a public declaration…before a court…or

it could be done privately with two witnesses…where the man could choose not to “press charges” (of unfaithfulness) against his betrothed...

Here…we get to see how Joseph…a righteous man…was going to move forward with divorce…quietly…privately…why?

In order that Mary not be shamed...

Matthew 1:19 ESV

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Mary was found to be with child…during the 1 year betrothal period…with no sexual relationship with her husband for that one year...

Her being pregnant was a sure sign of her unfaithfulness...

Last Sunday…we heard Mary’s response in the gospel of Luke…to what God had done…in promising the Holy Spirit would come upon her…and she would bear a son…and he would be called the “son of God”...

And we read…how Mary responded…she responded with faith… she praised the LORD for choosing the lowly…and seemingly insignificant of the world…to lift up and magnify...

_____________________________

Now…Joseph is called righteous…or a “just man”…the word typically means “approved by God or ‘just’ in God’s eyes”...

And if you think back to Abraham…one of Joseph’s ancestors…you’ll remember back in Genesis 15:6

Genesis 15:6 (ESV)

And (Abram) believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

So if Joseph was a ‘righteous’ man…he was a man of faith…who believed in God…and walked in God’s ways...

That’s important…because if you believe in God…and walk in God’s ways…and trust in God…that means you LOVE God...

It was Joseph’s love of God…(as well as his love of Mary)...that he had decided to divorce her quietly...

Joseph’s love of God and Mary…was guiding his decisions…but the story continues...

Then an angel of the LORD…appeared to him in a dream and said:

Matthew 1:20–25 (ESV)

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

...When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Joseph’s faith…led him to accept what he was told by an angel of God…his faith…was his righteousness…and it guided his choices in his life.

If you think back to the Mary’s angelic visitation recorded in the gospel of Luke…her faith…her righteousness…guided her choices about this miraculous pregnancy as well

Acts of Love

When Joseph or Mary…or you or I…respond to our circumstances with faith…our choices become clear...

Do we continue down a path of self-promotion or self-centered living…or…do we follow the examples of Jesus’ earthly parents...

Who showed their faith through their actions...

Showed love through their decisions...

Jesus told his disciples the summary of all the law and prophets are the Love God with your whole being…and love your neighbor as yourself...

Faith in God…is trust in God…is a sign of our love for God…and a recognition of God’s love for us...

God’s law of love is sacrificial…self sacrifice to be precise...

Did Joseph sacrifice? Yes. He sacrificed…laid down his pride…his desire to marry a woman who had remained “sexually pure”…he sacrificed his right to a divorce...

WHY?

Because of his faith…led him to believe that God was at work in his circumstances…his love for Mary wanted to ensure she was protected...

Did Mary Sacrifice? Yes. She sacrificed…she laid down her right to be seen as a morally…pure…woman…in order to carryout the pregnancy…that the angel told her was from God…

She sacrificed her dignity/pride…and desire to be understood by others...

WHY?

Because her faith…was stronger than her dignity/pride…her faith and trust in God…reigned supreme…her love of God superceded everything elese...

Did God sacrifice? Yes. By Choosing to become part of His own creation…who loved darkness more than light…and who eventually killed the LORD Jesus...

WHY go through that if you are God and creator of all things?

Because God’s love for humanity…for God’s own creation…is at the heart of God’s glory and righteousness…self-giving love is God (1 John 4:7-12)

Do you and I love God? Yes. When we choose to believe in God’s promises in the Bible…when we willingly give up or pride/dignity/standing/position in this world…so that someone else might get a seat at the table…or have a little more...

John 15:13 NKJV

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Let us lay down our lives…our rights…our pride...for God’s sake…and to demonstrate our love for God and one another...

Thanks be to God…AMEN.