God with Us Brings Love

Advent

Advent: love Candle

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:36-40

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1st Corinthians 13:13

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1st Corinthians 14:3-7

1 Corinthians 14:3–7 ESV

On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?

miller family lights the candles

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Sermon 2

Today as we celebrate together the second Sunday on our Advent journey of God with Us, we are celebrating love. When Jesus came into our world as a baby, He was the human embodiment of the gift of God’s love. When He came as Immanuel, God with Us, He came as God incarnate—He came as love incarnate.

If you weren’t with us last week or if Advent is unfamiliar to you, let me briefly explain our journey toward Christmas. The word advent means “coming” or “arrival,” and the season is marked by expectation, waiting, anticipation, and longing. Advent is not just an extension of Christmas—it is a season that links the past, present, and future. Advent offers us the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, to celebrate His birth, and to be alert for His second coming. Advent looks back in celebration at the hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s coming, while at the same time looking forward in hopeful and eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when He returns for His people. During Advent we wait for both—it’s an active, assured, and hopeful waiting. And each week, we focus on a different attribute of God represented in the coming of Jesus: hope, love, joy, and peace.

Mary and Joseph: A Love Story

Lets look at The relationship of MArry and Joseph and use their story to demonstrate God’s Love

Let me give you some background on marriage of that day...

In a small village called Nazareth lives a carpenter named Joseph. He has noble ancestry; he’s distantly related to King David himself, but he lives a humble life working with his hands as a tradesman.

This fulfills scripture

Genesis 49:10 ESV

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

and

2 Samuel 7:16 ESV

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

By being Jesus’ father this is fuffilled through his line.

God adopts us through his son Christ. This models his love!

He probably learned to build things from his father, who was probably a carpenter before him. Some scholars think Joseph grew up in Bethlehem, but at some point moved to Nazareth, about seventy miles north as the crow flies.

Again to Fuffil scripture, Love means God Keeps his word

Micah 5:2 ESV

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

and Matt. 2:23

Matthew 2:23 ESV

23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

The younger girls of the village—or more likely their fathers—would have noticed. You have to remember that the Jewish marriage customs of the day were quite different from ours. They followed clearly defined legal guidelines and took place in three stages: the contract, the consummation, and the celebration. First, Mary’s father would have gone to Joseph to propose and arrange the marriage. A cash price, like a dowry, would be set that Joseph would pay to Mary’s family, maybe along with some gifts, and a contract, called a ketubah, would be signed. And at that point, Joseph and Mary were married 100 percent. He was her husband. She was his wife.

Then the couple would get to know each other,

Mary would still live with her family, and at some point in the future—maybe a year, maybe years, depending on the bride’s age or other factors—Joseph would lead a procession of his friends to Mary’s house, where she would be waiting with a group of her friends.

Then while everyone waited in the house, the couple would consummate their marriage. This stage two of the marriage was called the chuppah. And then everyone would go together and have a marriage feast to celebrate the final stage of the process.

Very different from what we’re used to. And it probably sounds quite awkward to most of us in our day. You’re also probably thinking, How unromantic!

Maybe it was. But not so fast. Just because the culture and traditions of those ancient days looked different doesn’t mean that there wasn’t deep love flowing between this historic couple—and possibly even romance.

Mary was certainly younger than Joseph. Tradition suggests that she was probably a young teenager—in that day, a marriageable age. And the options and opportunities of her life’s path would have depended greatly on her marriage and family life. So she would have known who Joseph was—still fairly young, rugged, and strong.

From the little bits we’re told about him in the Bible, he must have been even-keeled, confident, and kind.

2. We can asee through the hardship of learning Mary was Pregnant he was faithful and good

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

If you have ever experienced the betrayal of adultery or been close to someone who has, you know the devastation of betrayal. The pain is visceral. The wound feels physical, like your chest has literally been blown wide open. This was the broken trust that Joseph would have felt when Mary came and told him the news

Isn’t that just the kind of crisis that threatens to destroy any good love story? Now, the exact circumstances are different from what you or I will ever face, but the feelings and emotions and relational challenges are no different at their core. Mary and Joseph’s is a true human love story, but it is also a supernatural love story that involves you and me and every human who has walked or will ever walk this earth. Let’s dig deeper into this point and look at how it affects you and me—and how we can experience this supernatural love of God with Us through the Advent season and beyond.

Application:

Take this traits of Joseph into your life. HE was steadfast,

he was obedient,

he trusted God,

he was merciful,

he wasn’t ruled by his emotions, but by his faith.

God Is Love

If we were watching a movie of Mary and Joseph’s love story, this would be where we pan back, drifting out of that drab and dusty Galilean village, seeing a wider and wider vision above the ancient landscape and the geographic forms we recognize as continents and oceans, and farther above the great blue ball of Earth, and still farther beyond the solar system and Milky Way Galaxy, and somehow wider still through the limits of the universe and space and light and time themselves until finally somewhere beyond the limits of physics that bind our creation there is only a presence, a supernatural, infinite presence that is love. There is only God, somehow over and within all things and present and moving within all time, including the entire history of humanity that appears as only a tiny blip.

The apostle John said it most simply and best: God is love. He wrote in 1 John 4:16, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (esv).

This is the nature of our God. Love in its purest form.

Love was there at the center of God’s creative forces that made the universe and formed people in His image to be in relationship with Him. Love was there even when the world fell into sin and rebellion, and despite the catastrophic consequences of humanity’s fall, love was there in shepherding Adam and Eve and their family into this altered world. Even then love was making a way to restore all that had been lost.

Love forged a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Love continually led the Israelites through relocation and resettlement, through triumph and imprisonment and exile. As we trace throughout the Old Testament, love guided and corrected and exhorted and showed mercy to the ever-disobedient and easily distracted Israelites.

In Mary and Joseph’s story, love was taking the form of humanity in the Messiah Jesus. Love is God with Us. And love would be with Mary and Joseph to care for them and provide everything they would need.

The test of any good love story is this: Is love enough? Is this love strong enough or deep enough or true enough to handle x, y, or z—from the trivial and annoying to the catastrophic and potentially crushing?

Yes, my friends, love is enough. God is enough. And His love is faithful.

God Gives Love

1. Look at Mary after she had shared the NEws she went o be with Elzabeth

But as soon as Mary arrived, she was greeted with love.

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:42–45).

Can you imagine the relief? Immediately Elizabeth, who was carrying her own miracle child, knew and confirmed to Mary that love was here, that God was here, and that everything was going to be all right.

Mary’s response was overwhelming. She said, maybe sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant” (Luke 1:46–48).

In the midst of Mary’s Pregnancy, God provided just the love she needed through another person who understood and supported her. That’s often the way God’s love works. As we walk in His love, He knows just what we need, and He brings us support from other people around us.

Application: You can be an Elizabeth

2. In Joseph’s case, his needs were a little different.

That’s when, in this supernatural love story, God knew that Joseph needed some supernatural love. So Joseph, too, got a visit from an angel with this message: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20–21).

Notice how God knew exactly what was at the heart of Joseph’s hurt: fear. And God gave Joseph the reassurance he needed to trust Mary and her love—and ultimately to trust God and His love to make a way in their amazing, unbelievable, dangerous, supernatural, and ultimately triumphant love story that was looking like nothing either one of them could have ever imagined.

Joseph chose love and trust, even though the law told him he could do otherwise. And it’s a beautiful reflection of God’s own choice to love and foster relationship with us.

3. God’s Love For us

Even though our sin means death and separation from the holy, perfect God, in His nature of pure love, He chose us—even at the terrible price of His Son’s life. John 3:16 tells us that it was because of love that God sent Jesus to earth to give His life for us.

The love of God with Us is God’s perfect love in human form that we celebrate. And this is the love that knows exactly what we need, no matter what we are facing in this season. Whether it’s support from or restoration to another person or whether it’s an encounter with the God of the miraculous that you need, God’s love is with us. It is here for you. And it is making a way to accomplish God’s work in your life.

As mind-blowing as it is, God’s love is eternal. It’s as never-ending as God Himself. It was. It is now. It will be. And He will never stop demonstrating His love in tangible ways that are both daily occurrences and history-changing events like Christ’s birth.

Paul in Romans 8:38–39 remind us: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s Love Flows Through Us

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is how we are to act,

Shortly after the birth Herod goes to kill th babies, fuffilling scripture and Joseph take his family to protect them to Egypt, also Fuffling prophecy

He allowed God to use him in a way that demonstrates God’s love to his family.

You can do the same this Christmas season

The ability to do so begins as we open ourselves to God’s love. It then grows and overflows as we extend kindness and care and support to others around us. Sometimes it takes a small step. Sometimes it requires a bigger leap. But through it all, we can trust and know that it is love that holds us. Because God is with us, love is with us. It is an eternal, vast, and powerful love—yet at the same time a gentle, tender, and personal love. And it is love that will make a way, no matter what we are facing in this season or in the days ahead.

Benediction

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” —Ephesians 3:17–19