Addison Place: 2023 Christmas

Big Idea:

Christmas is about experiencing heavenly love.

Can be a framework for Christmas service

Message:

Therefore, I’d like to start by reading the Christmas story according to the gospel of Luke. I love reading this for two reasons:

Because it’s my personal favorite version of the Christmas story.

Because it’s God’s word. Here’s the truth… only the gospel (or God’s word) will change your life, not my words. So, it’s good for us to take time to simply read from the Bible.

Let’s do that now...

Luke 2:1–20 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

One question many people ask during this holiday season is, “Does anyone know what Christmas is all about?”

I mean… wasn’t that the question Charlie Brown asked? Well, this story is the answer. But a second question arises… “Why did Jesus come to earth on that first Christmas?”

I think the apostle John gives us a great answer...

1 John 4:9 NLT

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.

Why did Jesus come? Why did God send His one and only Son? To show us how much He loves us. Isn’t that great?

I love so many things about Christmas. It’s by far my most favorite season...

I love the winter weather.

I love the festive colors.

I love getting and giving gifts.

I love Hallmark Christmas movies!

But as special as all of those things are, I think it’s this truth that makes Christmas most special for me. Christmas reminds me of how much God loves me.

That should mean a lot to us. But if it doesn’t, it might be because we don’t understand what John writes in verse 10...

1 John 4:10 NLT

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.

Verse 10 tells us two things:

We have not loved God.

Our sin is a problem.

Let’s talk about those two things. They are related, so we can discuss them together...

It’s been said, “What makes the gospel (the good news) good, is the bad news. The bad news is what makes the good news truly good.”

And verse 10 is all about the bad news.

God loves us so much, but we don’t love him back. We do not put Him first. We ignore Him. We love other things (sometimes the good things He gives us) more than Him.

But more than that, we have sinned against Him.

God loves us and wants us to have healthy, flourishing lives. So, He’s given us instructions on how to live and what to stay away from… but like Adam and Eve (our distant grandparents), we’ve disobey Him. We have done wrong. We have sinned.

And here’s the bad news: Because God is holy, He must judge our sin. And the penalty of sin is death, which is why we all die. But it’s not just physical death, but spiritual death too. The consequence is eternal separation from God. The Bible calls this place hell. Honestly, that’s the place all of us deserve for not loving God.

That being said… how much sweeter (how much better is the good news) when we hear...

1 John 4:10 NLT

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.

Why did Jesus come?

Because He loves us so much that He sacrificed His perfect life for us on the the cross, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish (would not get what they deserved -God’s wrath and eternal separation in Hell), but have eternal life. That’s the good news. And that’s what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is when God showed us (thru the birth of Christ) how much He loves us. And so today, as we wrap us our time together, I’d like for you to consider the following:

Remember, what Christmas is all about. Christmas shows us how much God loves us.

Remember, Christmas is God’s invitation to you to be in His family. Our sin separated us from God, but Jesus’s sacrificial life is a gift of salvation. When we turn from our sin and put our trust in Jesus as Savior, we are brought back into God’s family!

Do you need to do that today? Do you need to put your trust in Jesus as Savior? If so, tell Him in your heart, “God please forgive me. I’m sorry for my sins. Today, I put my trust in you as Savior. I believe you love me, even though I don’t deserve it. Thank you for your gift of salvation this Christmas.”

After, we finish our time together, we brought some Christmas gifts for you guys because...

The River Church loves you.

We hope these gifts bless you.

And most importantly, we pray that every time you see or use these gifts, you will remember there is a God in Heaven who loves you!

And as we always do, we’re going to close with communion. Like Christmas, communion is a time for us to remember how Jesus’s body was broken, and His blood was shed, for the forgiveness of our sins. Again, communion shows us just how much God loves us.

Joe and Dave, would you mind playing a little music during this time?