Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Did you give us Harvey?

Thank you for this opportunity to gather in your house and to worship.

And Lord, as we think of those who have been mentioned, Florida, Gary recovering from his surgery, Lord Anne's son, Ryan is he recovers?

Lord endow this Belmont wrestler who was injured Lord, we pray that you would bring each of them, the healing that they need.

And Lord.

I know there are probably many other concerns that we're not voiced, the Lord's, you know, what's on her hearts.

Lord, I pray that you will just be with each and every one of those situations.

nor do, you know what, our deepest desires, what our deepest concerns are and Lord, we pray that you will just help us to lean into you during those times and to trust you And Lord, as we talked about your deep love for us today, Lord, I pray that each of us will leave with a sense of knowing how deeply loved we are.

We pray this all on your most holy name.

Amen.

Lavinia.

The kids want to go out for children's church.

You can do that.

I forgot to ask Gage if he would do that, but he's nodding his head and heading that way.

So thank you sir.

You know, this year, as we've been doing Advent, you see on the front of the bulletins that says, he know, preparing for Christmas, or preparing for Jesus, you know, some different themes that have been there.

And, you know, today we light the pink candle that usually some Churches, mix it up differently, some traditions, there's about a thousand different ways to just do add then I think but you know, the pink usually represents love.

And you know what I like about this is because when we talk about love, you know, this is one of those gifts that we talked about this season, that, you know, is just so wonderful because of its Supernatural origin.

Because it is a free gift from God and we're going to look at some scriptures that talk about that.

In 1st.

John 3:1, it says how great is the love?

The father has lavished on us.

That we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.

The reason the world does not know us, is that it did not know him.

You know, is received from the scripture, you know.

One of the things that talks about is it talks about God, lavishing his love on us, is that great part of that, that means we get to be members of the family of God and that is one of the greatest things that he can give to us.

Is that invite to join the family.

And, you know, sometimes I think that's hard for us to understand for a lot of human reasons.

You know, when you talk about the love of a father or the love of a family, that means different things to all of us because all of us have had different relationships with family, with our fathers, with our parents and Generals.

Like I said, it can mean a million different things.

I can make that a difficult concept for us to understand.

and even as we think about it during this holiday season,

you know, so often we think about.

So you know what we hear kind of van me mythical side of Christmas, you know, is it based off of us being naughty or nice.

You know what are we going to get in our stocking?

Those sort of things but you know, God's love what type of love that were talking about here isn't something like that.

It isn't something that we can learn based off of our own good Merit.

And it's not something that we can lose because of our lack of Merit.

It is the free gift of God's grace.

We don't deserve it, but God gives it to us because his love is an unconditional love.

And I think that's what makes it hard for us to understand because so often, when we love someone or something, it comes with a lot of conditions.

When we lived in Eastern Kentucky, on I had the privilege for a little while of I wasn't driving a school bus, but I was in Aid on a school bus for a special needs girl.

And the unique thing about this situation was that because she lives so far out in the boonies and the school she was going to so far, the other way on the county, the only two kids who wrote on the bus for her, and her little brother So, the bus driver would drive me to their house.

Every week, we would get them on the bus and then we would go, which it was really just a 15-passenger van painted yellow.

But we would go to the school.

Drop off the little brother at his elementary school and then take her to her school.

But it got to a point where after a while the mom was talking to a saying that you know, she didn't know how much longer she would need us be taking her daughter because her daughter's needs were growing to a point that she didn't know how much longer she's going to care for her home.

And that was tough for this mom to think about.

She's cared for her needs up till this point and she thought, you know, have I failed as a mom.

If I'm getting to the point that I can't care for her that I can't, you know?

She talked about that and then she talked about how she got to a point finally, with it.

Where she thought.

Well, I got to start praying about this.

You know, what does God want me to do? Cuz she knew if she knew anything for sure, she knew that she wanted.

What was best for her daughter.

That was all that she wanted.

So, she prayed about it and prayed about it and prayed about it.

And then she said, finally, one morning as she got up and she was getting her ready to be picked up by us.

She said, I just felt that kind of still Small Voice, you know, whisper to me.

Why do you love your daughter?

Said, I kind of like, you know, what do you say to that?

And she said that, I heard that voice ask me.

Well, you know, how do you love her because she does so well, in school.

Do you love her?

Because she's such a great athlete, do you love her? Because, you know, she's going to have such a great career.

My mom says I have to admit I kind of laughed to myself and thought, are you kidding?

I mean, You know, her condition, that's none of those things.

I love her just because she's my daughter.

She said, as soon as I thought that she said, I felt that still Small Voice say to me again and that's exactly why I love you.

Simply because you are mine.

And she said it was after that, she had that Assurance in her heart.

That as long as she acted out of love for her daughter, that everything was going to be okay.

That she didn't have to worry about it.

That, as long as that was her motivation that she was using, she was going to be okay.

I always think of that every so often and I usually think of it every year when we roll around to this loved one thinking, you know what?

That is exactly the same reason that God loves all of us.

Simply because we are hits.

We were created to be his, we were created to be loved by him and that is why he loves us.

I mean, if you really think about what happens in the Christmas story of this child being born, which we know 33 years down the road.

What happens with the Easter story?

What else?

Other than love?

Could motivate someone to act that way.

And like I said, you know that Mother's love for her daughter was and unconditional.

Love it didn't matter all the hours in the work she had to put in taking care of her daughter.

That wasn't it?

That didn't matter.

And God's love for us is an unconditional love.

He loves us simply because we are his

Like I said, we're all created to be children of God, but unfortunately, some of us in this world never make that choice to follow him.

Some people never.

Realize that that is what they were created for to be a child of God.

And that's why this gift is such a profound Act of Grace.

You know, God offers this extravagant love to all of us.

Whether we want it or not.

Whether we're worthy of it or not.

And I have news for you and none of us are but God, still offers all of us that free gift 1st John chapter 3 verses 16 through 20 says this is how we know what love is.

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him.

How can the love of God be in him?