Love is at the Heart of Christmas
Notes
Transcript
We are one week away from Christmas. Over the last few weeks we have been looking at what is at the heart of Christmas. We have talked about hope, peace, and joy. Each of these has a place at Christmas time, but one thing that many of us would think about at Christmas time is love. Love is truly at the heart of Christmas.
Next Sunday, on Christmas eve, we are going to wrapped up this series with a special candlelight service. But today we want to look at how love is at the heart of Christmas.
If you have your Bibles and you want to follow along, go with me to the book of Galatians. Go to chapter 4 and we will begin reading at verse 1.
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Have you ever thought much about something happening at just the right time.
Like for instance you are in a hurry to go somewhere, you are driving down the road and at just the right time the light turns green for you to go. You don’t have to slow down, you don’t have to stop, at just the right moment the light changes and you proceed to go on through the light.
Or maybe you are about to get hit by someone and at just the right moment they change direction and miss, avoiding a near collision.
Or maybe you are getting ready to buy something that you have wanted for so long and at just the right time the price drops cheaper and you ring it up for less than you were planning on.
Or maybe you are going to pump gas and right as you are about to turn on the pump the price changes for more than you had planned on.
People play the stock market all the time and they are hoping for the market to go up before they sale. They want it to go up at just the right time.
This passage talks about God sending His son Jesus to earth at just the right time.
Can I tell you that God is never early and He is never late but He is right on time?
I said this a few weeks ago, when I was talking about Hope. Isaiah had prophesied some 700 years before Christ came. He said…
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
There were many events that happened before Jesus would eventually come. Was Jesus late to come? Isaiah had prophesied His coming. There was even a period of 400 years where God didn’t speak to a single prophet. God was silent and then one day Mary gets word that she would conceive a child.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
God wasn’t late. God wasn’t early, but He was right on time. Look at our text again. Galatians 4:4
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
God’s little intervention into human history would change the world forever.
Think about this for a moment. Why did Jesus come when he did? The “why” we may never be able to answer, except that God knew it was the right time.
There were several factors present in the Roman Empire that certainly aided the quick spread of the message of the gospel. The Greek civilization provided a language that had spread across much of the known world as the main language for all people. The Romans had brought peace throughout their empire and built a system of roads that made land travel quicker and safer than ever before. The Jews were expectant, eagerly awaiting their Messiah. Messianic fervor was at its height. So, into this world came Jesus. Not early, not late, but right on time.
There is something you need to understand about this time as well. The “coming of age” of a son carried tremendous significance. This did not occur at a specific age, such as twelve or thirteen, as it did among Jews and Greeks; rather, the “coming of age” was determined by the father. In Rome this event was usually marked on March 17 by a family celebration known as the Liberalia. During this event, the father formally acknowledged his son and heir. The son received a new “grown-up” toga and entered into adult responsibilities.
Paul points out here in our text that while the young children and heirs are still minors, they are not much better off than slaves until they grow up. Although they are the future owners of an estate and a fortune, while they are young, they have no claim to it nor any right to make decisions regarding it. In the eyes of the Roman law, the young heirs were no different than slaves. Paul’s application of the illustration reveals that when we were under the law, we were no better off than slaves.
So, just as a Roman father would set the date for his son to reach maturity and attain freedom from his guardians, so God had set the date when he would send his Son to free people from the law, to become His children.
Now, here is something that is very cool to think about. Guided by a sovereign God, historical events worked in harmony to prepare for the pre-decided moment of Jesus’ arrival on earth.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
At the right moment in time, Jesus was born of a woman. He was God yet come in human form. He was born under the law. Meaning He was human and subject to the law. He was voluntarily subject to the structured universe that he had created and this that he had created had been marred by human rebellion.
And while no other human being has been able to perfectly fulfill God’s law, Jesus kept it completely.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Therefore, Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice because, although fully human, he never sinned. His death bought freedom for us who were enslaved to sin, offering us redemption and adoption into God’s family.
Look at verse six again.
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
If you look up the word Abba, it is an informal word for father. It would be like us calling our earthly father, dad or daddy or pops or whatever you may call yours. That informal name that we use is a more intimate name.
A person cannot have a personal relationship with laws or rituals. But believers have an intimate relationship with God. That is why we can say Abba father. We have an intimate relationship with God. We can call God our daddy or pops or whatever term you want to use because we have an intimate relationship with our father.
And as God’s adopted children, we share with Jesus all rights to God’s resources. As God’s heirs, we can claim what he has provided for us, our full identity as His children.
Then look at how Paul sums this part up.
7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
We are no longer slaves but we are God’s child.
Do you know what that comes from? God’s love for us.
John 3:16 says it all
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
As believers we have an eternal inheritance.
When you are a child of God, you are an heir of God. Those two things are inseparable realities in God’s family.
That is the love that God has shown to us. God love the world so much that He sent Jesus to earth and died for us.
That is why we celebrate Christmas. That is why love is at the heart of Christmas.
God loved you and I enough to send His son to earth to be the perfect sacrifice. And here is an even more amazing thing. Jesus loved us enough to willingly go to the cross and die for us.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
There was no guarantee that we would become believers and Christ died for us anyway. There are still people out there that haven’t surrendered their life over to God and haven’t became believers yet and Christ died for them too. That is true love. That is genuine love. God gave up His son and Jesus gave up His life for you. That is what true love is all about.
When we think of love, we think about a marriage or a parent/child relationship.
When we said I do, we said till death do us part. That means that we will take care of each other until the end. We said we won’t give up on each other.
We are the bride of Christ. We won’t give up on us until the end. His love is so deep for us that He won’t give up on us.
One of the most used passages of scripture for love is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 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.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
We can get caught up in all the extra activities that happen at this time of year. And many times during this season we miss the whole point if love is not our motivating factor. God has given us love and that kind of love should cause us to be patient and kind to one another. It should cause us to avoid being envious of one another and proud. Love drives us to honor others and to keep a cool head.
So, this Christmas, think of this verse this way.
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny ornaments but do not have love, I’m just another decorator.
If I work hard in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime but do not have love, I’m just another cook.
If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the church worship service but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse. Love is kind even when harried and tired. Love does not envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who cannot. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.
Here is a thought to remember this holiday season.
“Toys will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.”
“Toys will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.”
So, this Christmas, remember that Jesus came to bring love and by coming He shown us love.
Let’s pray.