The Love of Christmas

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The book ends of Birth, death and resurrection is the love divine gift of Christmas and consummated in our celebration of Easter. Jesus was born to die in your stead. That love is more than we will ever be able to fathom.

The fact that you have innate within you the ability to love is because God is love. Yes, love is what He does, but it its very nature. You are born in the image of God and you have within your being the hunger to both give love and receive love.

1 John 4:16 “16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

Love drips from the pages all through the Christmas story.

Let’s look yet again at this age old story with so much love demonstrated from this age old story of God’s amazing love.

Matthew 1:18-21

Matthew 1:18–21 NKJV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1–20 NKJV

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Prayer

Message

In this beautiful depiction of the birth of our Lord and Savior, we see love demonstrated at every scene of the story.

Firstly, we see that God’s love for us is demonstrated with sensitivity to the deep yearnings of our heart.

Love Demonstrates Sensitivity

This morning we are reminded of the sensitivity we should demonstrate in our love for one another as the triune God of the universe demonstrated in the Christmas Story.

The Lord found it important to give some sensitive details that we should consider this Christmas.

Matthew 1:18 “18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

Even though here before us on the parchment of the Holy Writ we see the story of our Lord and Savior being born, God impressed upon Matthew as the Holy Spirit guided his words to record some specific details of the couple that would parent the Christ Child.

May was betrothed to Joseph. They were courting, but they were more than just courting or dating. We would called them engaged in modern day terms. But engagement in Biblical times was a greater commitment than what we know of engagement today.

Today, we will influence our kids not to get married even through the engagement period if they sense something is not aligning in the relationship. If there are any young people here today or listening to this Christmas message, may I encourage you to seek God’s approval for your future spouse. He will send signals if your relationship is of God or not. And, God’s direction will align with His word.

In Eastern culture, the parents have prearranged the marriage. The marriage is complete in every sense except they have partnered in celibacy until the time of the wedding feast.

The Lord found it important in the words to the church at Corinth , 1 Cor. 7:1-5, to address those sensitive needs of man and woman in the bounds of marriage.Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:1–5. The Lord is sensitive to your needs, wants and desires if they align with the Word of God.

Dearly beloved, God was sensitive through the angel to address Joseph and to help him overcome his concerns of betrayal. Joseph were in the height of courtship and so in love and then Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant. He knows he had not make her pregnant. We all realize that one does not have a baby unless a woman has been intimate with a man. Joseph knew this. He was hurt, he was stunned.

And yet, the Lord sent His angel to ease Joseph, and not only ease Joseph, but to elevate Joseph to a place of parenting the baby Jesus.

The Bible records the shepherds, the wise men, Mary & Joseph, Anna & Simeon because the Lord was sensitive to the needs of each people group of the story.

The Bible records that Joseph was a just man. God acted justly in seeing to it that Joseph’s concerns and betrayals were addressed. Yet, even though our love should be demonstrated for others that are just, our love should be for the unjust as well.

This Christmas I imagine there is someone of your past that has done you wrong, reach out in love. Jesus would. Oh dearly beloved, I want to let you in on a little secret. Our Lord loved sinners. That’s how I have a relationship with me. He loved me in spite of me. Amen.

Luke 5:32 “32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””

Jesus loves the unlovely. Joseph being the just man that he was did not want to make public example of Mary. If Joseph had been a legalist, he had every right to bring judgment on her and expose her for public scandal. God’s Word says that “he minded to put her away secretly.” Joseph’s love was beyond an eros love, a romantic love, he loved her deep. He loved her to the point he did not want to bring embarrassment on her.

Proverbs 11:13 “13 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”

All through the word of God we learn that the Lord desires that we minister to others in secret, that we pray in secret, and the fact that we will be judged as we judge. Joseph exhibited mercy for Mary because He did not want to shame her.

Here we have a man who would fulfill the father role to Jesus. Joseph began with a heart of compassion not to bring disdain upon Mary. In turn, the Lord was merciful and gracious and eased Joseph’s heart for hurt due to what He thought might have happened to Mary in her becoming pregnant.

Let’s remember an important trait of love:

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NKJV)

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails.

Jesus’ love for us is sensitive to our needs. If I were to do a one on one survey here in the room this morning in total privacy and you knew the information would stay with me and go no further, everyone of us would confess some sensitive area of our lives that we really would not want anyone to know about us.

As we think about love today here on Advent Sunday and we the church being the church, who should we love on this Christmas and give a pass to due to some offense they have made against us? Is there someone God has placed on your heart to exercise sensitivity in disregarding their past because Jesus would disregard their past and love on them in spite of being a sinner?

I imagine there is someone you run into in regular fashion that you have wrote off or given them numerous chances to do right or act right or say the right thing and they continue to rub you the wrong way. The angel demonstrated sensitivity to Joseph among others as he ministered through the Christmas story. Who can we share a little Christmas spirit this Christmas with nothing more than love because we exercise the sensitivity of love for someone else?

Love Dispels Segregation

In the darkness of the night leading up to the birth of the Christ Child in Bethlehem, we note that by a drawing of the Holy Spirit and the appearance of angels that the love that God had for all mankind dispelled that any group be left out in experiencing His love. The Christmas story records a common peasant Jewish couple, the wise men, the shepherds, along with Simeon and Anna. God’s love for lost mankind dispelled any segregation from this great event.

Matthew 2:1–2 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Luke 2:8–10 NKJV

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

Luke 2:25–26 NKJV

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Jesus was Jewish. The Jews were God’s chosen people. Yet, God chose to include in the story the men from the East, pagan believers, who were not of Jewish heritage. God chose to include the shepherds, the outcast, the unclean of the Jewish religion that were included the Christmas story. God chose to remember the elderly in the Christmas story.

God’s Word reminds us to esteem the elderly and show respect and to look to them for wisdom, but we know in the world the elderly can be placed on the sidelines of life when they age. The elderly can be lost in the shadows of life or not taken as seriously with the aging process.

James 1:27 “27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

The Lord found every group precious and He chose to demonstrate love in integrated fashion for all peoples.

Luke 2:1 “1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”

Dearly beloved, you are registered with the Lord.

The first part of Joshua 22:22 states:

Joshua 22:22 “22 “The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, He knows,”

I ask you this morning, who normally does not receive your love at least demonstrated that desperately needs your love this Christmas? Is there someone that socially does not seem important or you have allowed society to water down your interest in them due to social or cultural norms?

May I make a harsh confession this morning. Invariably I get called to minister to people at Christmas due to hospital needs, accidents, etc. that get word to me totally on their terms of when they have a need, yet when I reach out to them to be a part of the church activities they can not be contacted. They will not respond to my text. They will not participate in the activities of the church.

May I submit to you that is hard for me to minister in those times. I do it all the same, but you see, I’m not Jesus. I’m a work in progress. But listen to me dearly beloved, Jesus does respond. He loves everyone. Even those that mocked Him, that spit on Him, and ridiculed Him. Jesus loves everyone.

Our church adapted a family this Christmas to be a blessing to. We adapted a family where a grandmother was rearing three young children and the need was overwhelming. The Lord saw fit that we found out about this family and about three weeks ago we went on a shopping spree to Walmart and fulfil that need. Many of you went and we enjoyed a great time being the hands and feet of Jesus at Christmas. Johnny and Jackie went by themselves to deliver the Christmas and all of that was planned to not bring attention to what the church did or to put the family in a precarious or embarrassing situation as to where the gifts came from for Christmas. God honors that.

I say that to say that a close friend called me asking whether I knew anyone that needed bicycles for Christmas. I immediately called Jackie to find out if the family we adapted needed any bikes. The grandmother stated that the 9 year old girl and the 6 year old boy could use a bike.

When I picked up the bikes and was bringing them toward town I was in close proximity to the residence where Johnny and Jackie had carried the other gifts. I stopped by to deliver the bikes.

The grandmother, Mrs. Tricia was so appreciative. And, I used the opportunity as a fellowship and a time of prayer and made sure Mrs. Tricia knew where the second set of gifts came from and shared the company that donated the bikes.

Jackie made me aware that Mrs. Trica immediately called Jackie and stated that “her pastor brought the bikes and came inside and visited and prayed with me.”

Why do you believe she called Jackie to share that information? I want to believe that maybe she had experienced a life of segregation or feeling left out or not noticed. She was taken back that I would take the time to come into her home and fellowship and minister.

I share that story to say that God has divinely ordained someone for you to love on this Christmas that is against the bailiwick of your comfort zone. There is someone that will be caught off guard if you offer them something as simple as your time this Christmas. Let each of us commit to figure out who that somebody is that the Lord wants us to love on.

Love Delivered a Savior

Matthew 1:20–23 (NKJV)

20 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

In the book, The Quotable Tozer I, Wise Words with a Prophetic Edge, A. W. Tozer says, “

No law has ever been passed that can compel one moral being to love another, for by the very nature of it love must be voluntary. No one can be coerced or frightened into loving anyone.4

A. W. Tozer

Jesus came to earth God Incarnate for the sole expression of love in saving mankind from its sin. God’s love, agape love is a self-giving love that is unconditional.

1 John 4:9–10 NKJV

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus came to earth in His sensitivity to relate to what mankind goes through by living down here in a state of the sins of fallen man. Jesus identifies with your sensitivities. Jesus encountered hostility, mocking, scourgings, teasing, abuse, and ultimately death. Jesus was sensitive to the sickness of this world and met people time and again in their sensitive needs.

The woman who hemorrhaged for twelve years, the paralytic that was lowered through the roof, He raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was engaged in the sensitivities of this world.

Do you need the love of Jesus today over those things that you are sensitive too and need healing that only God can bring about?

Jesus integrated relationships rather than segregating. Jesus was there for the Samaritan woman that was segregated. Jesus was there for Matthew the tax collector and for Zacchaeus. Jesus reached out to a leper. Jesus healed the blind and the mute. Jesus healed the man who had a legion of demons. Jesus loved the unlovely. How about you?

Everyone that was labeled, ostracized or was an outcast or looked down upon, Jesus loved and made their lives anew. This morning do you feel as if you have been sidetracked? Maybe you feel that you are always on the outside door steps of life. Dearly beloved, Jesus came for everyone because He loves you.

Ephesians 2:4–5 “4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

Oh yes, dear church, Jesus came to save us from our sins, but He came to be with us. Emmanuel, God with Us.

If you are a believer, God’s Holy Spirit is with you right now. If you are a non-believer God’s Holy Spirit is wooing you to enjoy relationship with you. He desires a relationship with you.

His word promises that “where two or three are here he is in our midst.” You were made to experience love today that maybe you have never encountered. You may have encountered brotherly love and the Bible calls phila which means brotherly or comradely love. There are others here today that experienced eros love or the love we have for our spouse. But for you today maybe the type love I am talking about in Jesus is agape love. What I am referring to this morning is God’s perfect, unconditional love. I want you to understand this morning that whether you feel love from those other sources, those loves come with conditions. God’s love for you never changes.

God’s agape love for you is a demonstrated love. God’s love is beyond emotion. God’s love is a demonstrated love.

Romans 5:8 “8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Have you ever received His love. Oh He wants you to and He wants to offer you life anew.

Our Lord and Savior came as a baby. God’s Word says that we must come as a child with a child like faith and trust in Him.

Let’s pray.