Advent wk 4: Love

Well, it is Christmas Eve, which means we’re are right at the end of our waiting, / / Advent is here.

Advent - the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

This is the arrival of our Savior, Jesus Christ, promised to us by God who is:

Hope

Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:1 that Jesus is our Hope. Not just that he brings hope, but that he IS hope.

He also writes in Romans 15:13, / / I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The ESV says directly, / / May the God of hope fill you.

He is the God of hope, because in him we have a confident expectation of a positive outcome. No matter what we are going through, no matter what our life may become, we have a confident hope in our eternal home in Christ Jesus. This is the greatest hope you can have. Sure, hoping for things, or hoping for a good outcome in our work, personal life, health, all of those things are good. And we should be praying and believing for God to move in our lives. But all of that pails in comparison to the hope of our eternal salvation. Nothing should keep us more grounded than the invitation to live with God for all eternity.

He is the / / Prince of Peace

As we live under His authority we come under His peace. Again, whether we have or have not in this life, what we have in God brings a peace that we can not even fully understand.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, / / Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Live in Christ Jesus - Pray - Thank Him - Experience Peace

You will experience God’s peace AND it will guard your hearts and minds. Who needs that?

This is a promise. This is all through the bible. Do not be afraid. Do not worry. Do not be anxious for anything. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. God wants to give you peace. The Holy Spirit will bring you peace. Romans 8:6 says, / / So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Live in Christ Jesus. Invite the presence of the Holy Spirit. Ask God for His peace.

/ / Joy

The angles on the hillside told the shepherds, / / “Don’t be afraid.” “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

We talked about finding joy in simplicity. In the simplicity of what God has created. The simplicity of friendship, family, nature, a good meal. Not over thinking things, but slowing down just a bit, enough to enjoy what God has done for us in this world.

Psalm 37:7 says, / / Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, and I’m going to read this from the Message version, / / “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I don’t know about you, but I would love to learn how to live freely and lightly. That sounds like a great way to live. How to take a real rest.

Think of that invitation from Jesus. To follow him and find life.

David said in Psalm 16:11 (ESV), / / You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

What did Jesus say? Follow me…

What is David saying? Follow him… in his presence is fullness of joy.

And today, being week four we are focusing on / / Love.

Advent, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, every thing we celebrate as Christians is all about love.

Everything.

What’s the foundation of the gospel? It would be easy to argue that it is found in John 3:16, ESV, / / “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

In that one statement we have the reason and purpose for Christ coming, and we have the outcome intended for his coming. God loves humanity so much he made the easiest way possible for us to live this life on earth with a hope of His perfection.

Imagine just for a moment that everyone in this world decided the best choice for them was to follow Jesus and the way of Jesus. Not just to say they believe in a God, or even that they believe in Jesus, but that they chose to truly follow Him.

There is no conflict in Christ.

There is no war in Jesus.

There is no anger, malice, hate or greed in God.

What if we learned to love, to prefer one another, to get along, to live at peace?

Imagine if at least the people who SAID they follow Jesus actually acted like that. The world would be so different. But, unfortunately that’s not the case, is it?

So, what does Paul say? He writes to the church in Rome, and remember, the church in Rome is going through some conflict resolution. You have the gentile Christians who are living in this new Grace of Jesus Christ, and you have the Jewish believers, coming back into the city, but still trying to figure out what parts of the law, if any, they are supposed to live under. And then you’re surrounded by Rome, which, at the time is not necessarily a friendly environment.

There would’ve been some animosity toward the Jews. There was definitely some push back of Christianity in general. So what do you do in a situation like that?

Paul says in Romans 12:14-18, 21, / / Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone… Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Not an easy thing to do, is it?

Our natural response to opposition is to oppose it in return.

Human nature is to believe that Karma is going to get them. Right?

You do bad, you get bad.

You do wrong, you get wrong.

You hurt me, I’ll hurt you.

You push me away, I’ll push you away.

Maybe you’ve heard this saying that’s been commonly attributed to Gandhi, which isn’t true actually, there’s no record of him using this phrase. The closest connection to Gandhi and this phrase is that a biographer by the name of Louis Fischer wrote this as a description of Gandhi’s life and philosophy.

That saying is, / / “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”

Now, that kind of goes against what the bible says in Exodus 21:24, / / an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.

Gandhi, Fischer, or anyone else you might want to try and attribute this too, Jesus said it first.

Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus teaches on this exact thing. / / “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a solder demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”

Now, this can come across very confusing. Do you actually have to let someone hit you twice?

Is this about a fist fight. Or a war.

Is this literal, metaphorical?

So we have these three scenarios that Jesus lays out.

Someone slaps you - turn the other cheek.

Someone sues you and you literally lose your shirt - give them your coat too.

Someone forces you to carry their stuff for a mile - go two.

NT Wright, in his commentary on this passage has a great way of understanding it. It’s a bit lengthy, but says it so perfectly I want to read it this morning. This is from NT Wright’s commentary, “Matthew for Everyone.”:

These were all pressing issues for the people listening to Jesus.

Jesus offers a new sort of justice, a creative, healing, restorative justice. The old justice found in the Bible was designed to prevent revenge running away with itself. Better an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth than an escalating feud with each side going one worse than the other. But Jesus goes one better still. Better to have no vengeance at all, but rather a creative way forward, reflecting the astonishingly patient love of God himself, who wants Israel to shine his light into the world so that all people will see that he is the one true God, and that his deepest nature is overflowing love. No other god encourages people to behave in a way like this!

So, this is a great point. First, that Israel was God’s intended vehicle for blessing the world, but I imagine it’s hard to live that way when for your whole life you’ve been told you’re the Chosen people of God, and then everyone else seems to be doing better than you. Israel was under Roman occupation. The nation hadn’t been a nation for hundreds of years. They are a broken and scattered people. And Jesus comes in saying, “Take more pain. Let them hit you again!” Or at least that’s how it seems.

But as I always say, we have to know the context of what we are reading, right? Well look at Wright’s explanation of these three little scenario’s that Jesus lays out.

So Jesus gives three hints of the sort of thing he has in mind. To be struck on the right cheek, in that world, almost certainly meant being hit with the back of the right hand. That’s not just violence, but an insult: it implies that you’re an inferior, perhaps a slave, a child, or (in that world, and sometimes even today) a woman. What’s the answer? Hitting back only keeps the evil in circulation. Offering the other cheek implies: hit me again if you like, but now as an equal, not an inferior.

One of the biggest complaints people have with this passage of scripture is that it feels like they are being weak. Like we aren’t allowed to stand up for ourselves. But what’s Jesus saying here? He’s saying the exact opposite. Turning the other cheek IS standing up for yourself. It’s saying, “I’m not inferior to you, so don’t treat me as inferior to you. I know who I am. I’m an equal because God created us both as equals. So if you want to hit me, hit me as an equal, without your believing you’re better than me.”

Ok, let’s keep reading Wright’s explanation.

Or suppose you’re in a [court of law] where a powerful enemy is suing you (perhaps for non-payment of some huge debt) and wants the shirt off your back. You can’t win; but you can show him what he’s really doing. Give him your cloak as well; and, in a world where most people only wore these two garments, shame him with your impoverished nakedness. This is what the rich, powerful and careless are doing. They are reducing the poor to a state of shame.

Again, this is not a, “You want my shirt, I’m going above and beyond by giving you more.” This is a direct attempt to show you what you’re doing to me. You are shaming me, and I’m showing you exactly what it looks like. And I’m secure enough because my worth isn’t based on my wealth, so you can’t hold this over me. Here, take my cloak, I’ll walk away naked and everyone will see you for who you are because of it. Not to shame them, but to stand up for yourself. It’s a very different idea than what I believed about this passage. I always saw this as, if someone demands something from you, you have to give them more, it’s the Christian thing to do. I’m not sure that’s even a thought here.

And then the last one:

The third example clearly reflects the Roman military occupation. Roman soldiers had the right to force civilians to carry their equipment for one mile. But the law was quite strict; it forbade them to make someone go more than that. Turn the tables on them, advises Jesus. Don’t fret and fume and plot revenge. Copy your generous God! Go a second mile, and astonish the soldier (and perhaps alarm him - what if his commanding officer found out?) with the news that there is a different way to be a human, a way which doesn’t plot revenge, which doesn’t join the armed resistance movement, but which wins God’s kind of victory over violence and injustice.

You ever hear the saying, “Kill em with kindness”? Now, that’s not what Jesus is saying here, but you get the idea. Human nature is to retaliate, God’s invitation is to bring peace and love.

Why go into all of that?

Because this is exactly why we needed the Advent, the coming of Jesus. Because ideas like this had gotten out of hand. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for a hand, foot for a foot. It truly leaves us all blind, unable to eat, grab or walk… What’s the point of that?

So Jesus comes in and says, “You’ve got it all wrong. And because God loves the world, not just you, not just the chosen, but the world, that I’ve come to set things straight and to make a path available for everyone.”

See, if God chose Israel to be the avenue for blessing in the earth for all of mankind, but they weren’t up to the task, then what happens? At the fullness of time, God sent his son, who would set things straight.

If you look at the world today it’s not so much different from the world then.

Judaism was a purely Jewish religion and the early church set out to let them know that Jesus actually came for everyone. Today, what do we have? A lot of people who say, “Yeah, that’s not my thing. Religion isn’t my thing. I’m not a christian. That’s not for me.” Except it is. They probably just haven’t been given reason enough to be open to it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

So Jesus came for love.

Because God loves us. Because we need love. Because we need to love.

So, one of the themes we’ve been seeing in this Advent season is Galatians 4:4, / / But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman…

Let’s read a bit more from the Christmas story and see a good amount of prophecy fulfilled because it was the right time.

We’ve been reading from Luke and Matthew, and we have gone all the way up to the point of Jesus birth and the shepherds coming in and worshipping and then going out and telling everyone what they had heard and seen.

Let’s jump over to Matthew 2 and we’ll finish up the story this morning.

/ / Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

“A cry was heard in Ramah - weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are all dead.”

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophet had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Alright, so that really completes the Christmas story in scripture. And let’s look at the prophecies fulfilled in this one chapter.

First, Herod asks where the prophets have said the Messiah would be born. Bethlehem. Check!

Second, at the threat of Herod, God sends this young family to Egypt. “I called my Son of out Egypt. Check!

Third, the prophecy about the weeping and mourning over children who were killed.

Fourth, once it’s safe God sends them back home to Nazareth. Which, as you might remember, is where Joseph and Mary are originally from. Luke 2:26, / / In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.

What had the prophets said? “He will be called a Nazarene” Alright, Nazareth.Check!

Prophecy is an interesting thing. And I want to speak into this for a moment.

This is what I believe about prophecy. That prophecy speaks to potential. And when God says something of himself, he is true to his word because nothing limits God’s potential. But when prophecy comes to us, often times it is based on our potential, or our response to that word.

Take for instance the story of Jonah. Do you remember that one? God tells Jonah to go to a city called Nineveh and tell them that in 40 days he’s going to destroy the city. He doesn’t ask them to repent, he doesn’t ask them to change or do anything. The prophecy, the word of God, is that in 40 days the city will be destroyed. That’s it.

But if you know the story, the king of Nineveh tells everyone to stop what they’re doing and orders them to fast. Even the livestock aren’t allowed to eat. And the King of Nineveh says in Jonah 3:9, / / “Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

And he does. God does not destroy Nineveh.

So, was the prophecy wrong?

Did God lie? or was Jonah a false prophet? Because all he said was, “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” That was it.

Now, if the people would not have changed, would God have destroyed Nineveh? I can only think yes, because that’s what he said. But the people responded to the word of God. And Jonah 3:10 says, / / When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

My point is this. When it comes to prophecy, if God said it about himself, then you don’t have any involvement and you can bank on God doing it.

But if God says something about you, or for you, then you have a part to play, and it’s up to you to partner with God in the fulfillment of the prophecy.

What happens if Joseph hears from an angel, “Go to Egypt because Herod is going to try to kill Jesus.” And Joseph things, “Ok, but Egypt is really far away, and I’m sure there’s a place around here we can hide. He’s only coming to look in Bethlehem because of the prophecy. We can just go back to Nazareth. It’s 100 miles away, on the south side of Jerusalem. That’s far enough. And that’s where we are from.”

And he could have made that decision. And maybe it works, maybe Jesus isn’t found, and he survives. BUT then 1 of those four prophecies we read in Matthew 2 wouldn’t have happened. Is it important that Jesus go to Egypt? I suppose he could’ve been safe in many different places. But God speaks to Joseph to fulfill prophecy and Joseph becomes an integral part of that prophecy being fulfilled. Sometimes your very response to the prophecy is the fulfillment of that prophecy. And if you don’t act, it doesn’t happen. Listen, everyone wants the blessing of God, but most people don’t want to actually live the Jesus way to live a life under the blessing of God! The bible is full of instruction that leads to life, but anyone who has ever tried to put together a lego set, or an Ikea dresser, without the instructions knows that if you don’t follow them, the thing is going to fall apart!

What am I saying? These things don’t just happen by chance. God says to Jeremiah, the Old Testament Prophet, in Jeremiah 1:12 (ESV), / / “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

Get this. God wants to work on your behalf! God watches over what he has said, in order to perform it. And there are times where it’s up to him and he fulfills it, and there are times he speaks to us and there is potential for fulfillment based on whether we align ourselves with His word or not. We either follow and fulfill, or flounder and that potential is not realized.

Albert Einstein once said, / / “Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

Meaning that sometimes we see things that look like coincidence, but there is something greater happening below the surface.

/ / When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.

Because it needed to happen in Bethlehem, during a census, when a king was in charge that would look to kill him, so he would have to be sent to Egypt, and once that king had died, while the child was still young, they could go live in their home town again, so that he would be there as a child and considered a Nazarene. So that he would be a Bethlehemite, Egyptian, Nazarene.

Talk about a journey! Sounds like Kaylee, by the time she turned 2 she had lived in Ottawa, Canada, in Oslo, Norway and Miami…

This is why I say, God is not in control in the sense of taking control of you and me, but he is 100% in control of himself and of what He has said He will do. This is why Jesus said that no one knows when he’s going to come back, only the Father knows. He’s in complete control of the timeline. It will happen when he says it will happen.

Just like the first coming of Jesus, at the fullness of time, so will be the second coming.

I’ve mentioned in the last few weeks that traditionally the Advent season was both a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but also a focus on his second coming. When we talk about love, in this fourth week of Advent, that’s really when you can see this come through. Because everything God does is out of a heart of love. God is, dare I say, ruled by love. And not our understanding of love, but His definition of love.

2 Peter 3:9, 15 says, / / The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent… remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.

This is the heart of love. It’s why Jesus came, and it’s why God is waiting to send him back.

And just as God had intended for Israel to be the light that would shine and bless the whole world, he has graciously given that charge to the church, to be a beacon of hope in this dark world.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, / / “You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

So, in light of this, and what we’ve talked about over the last few weeks I want to leave you this morning with a few thoughts.

First, what we just read from Jesus. / / You are the light of the world. Some people take this really seriously, and some people don’t really pay attention to this fact. But Jesus encourages us here, don’t hide the light. That makes the light useless. Take the light and put it on a stand so it actually helps other people.

Now, I’m not saying you have to become a super evangelist and go out and start standing outside Publix telling everyone about Jesus. Although, if that’s what you feel to do, have at it. Just be kind and loving when you do. But think about a candle on a lamp stand… it’s completely passive, simply doing what it does, being what it’s been created to be, doing what it’s been created to do…

I want to encourage you this morning in the four topics that we have looked at over these last four weeks. Because as much as we have been waiting for this morning, Advent being the anticipation for the arrival of Jesus. Jesus did what He did for a short period of time and empowered others to go out and do what He did. We call that the great commission, Go out into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to do all I have taught you!

All the disciples needed to do was do what Jesus had done with them.

And the primary focus of Jesus ministry was a ministry of love. That’s why He came, right?

So, these last four weeks we’ve looked at: / / Hope, Peace, Joy & Love, and I want to suggest to you that the greatest witness, the greatest evangelist you can be is to be a living, breathing, walking overflow of these things that Jesus is.

Be a carrier of hope in a world where there seems to be very little of it.

Be an ambassador of peace in moments and situations where chaos is trying to wreck havoc.

Be full of joy, live a life of joy, regardless of your circumstances, that will show you’ve tapped into something that other people need.

Be love, be loving, be full of love, and allow yourself to be loved. Focus on being loved by God so you have something to give. John says in 1 John 4:19, / / We love each other because he first loved us.

Allow Jesus to be these things in your life. Your hope, your peace, your joy and the love you need. Embrace all that Jesus is, so that you can be those things for others. Because in this world, there is such a high need for these things. And I don’t believe God wants this to be a burden for you. Remember we read at the beginning that Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden is light, so if you feel burdened, to come to him because that’s not what he wants for you. Because it’s not on you to make it happen, it’s simply on you to live the life he’s wanting you to live, and as an overflow you will be what others need in the midst of their struggles.

Some people think it’s harder to witness as things get harder and darker in the world, but I think it’s probably the opposite. Light shines brighter in darkness. And the more hopeless people feel, the more the hope you have shines bright. You just have to be willing for your life to be on a lampstand. Let joy be visible, let peace be tangible, let hope be in your words, let love be in your actions.

The more chaos in people’s lives, if they see you walk in peace, that will become attractive. In a time where people are more fragile than they have ever been, emotional and mental health are at a crisis point, you can exhibit joy in the midst of your own struggles - not fake, not a pretend face, but a true, confident joy in your heart, and simply allow that to move in and through you around others who are struggling. And love. Allow God to love you and truly do your best to love others. Invest in knowing what it means to love. Read the bible. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and let it challenge the heck out of you. Love isn’t always easy, but it is easier when we are resting in and receiving His love first. In fact, that’s really the only way to truly do it. Forget trying to love if you’re not receiving the love of God, because true love comes from God.

So, my encouragement, my prayer, my blessing for you today is this:

/ / Be filled to overflowing with the hope you have in Christ Jesus, the peace you receive as you allow the Prince of Peace to rule and reign in your life, the fullness of Joy found in His presence, and the love he came to this earth to give you. I pray that every day will be a day filled with these things.