Advent - A Season of Faithful Love

I. Introduction

A. Advent - the anticipation of Jesus’ coming. What are you anticipating this Christmas season? How is Jesus coming currently in your life, family, church, and community?

B. Our main verse: Romans 15:13 - “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

C. As we look to the hope from heaven this season brings, today we will focus on that word trust. Can you trust God? Has God’s love been faithful to you?

D. Unfaithful love of humanity - Proverbs 20:6 (NIV) “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” We’ve been called to faithfully love God and others but we often fail.

We want to keep our word but we say things and don’t follow through.

We want to say we will always be there but when the moment of crisis comes often we’re not.

We want to sacrificially love but often our own desires, wants, and expectations take the lead instead of our self sacrifice for other.

E. Faithful love of God - Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV) - “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

I wonder one day we will get to see the whole story of God’s faithful love in our faith heritage. How he was faithful to generations leading up to you, so you could join the story. You faith lineage goes to a thousand generations. BTW best guess it’s only a 100 generations back to Adam.

F. The first step to true hope in this season is to trust the faithful love of God although we never fully experienced it in humanity.

II. Faithful Love of God

A. His Faithful Word of Love

Power of words - Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Unfulfilled words and promises destroy trust. We have been too flippant with our words and promises and by doing so have created an untrusting culture. That is dangerous.

1 Kings 8:56 (NIV) - “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.”

God has never broken a promise or not kept His word! In the first advent Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament. That’s 300 promises kept in Jesus coming.

Has God ever broken a promise to you? Let’s try one…John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If the first part you know to be true about trouble, how about the second that He has overcome?

Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) - “so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

B. His Faithful Presence of Love

Presence in the Pain - Psalm 23:4 (NIV) - “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

God has never promised a life without valleys, death, pain, suffering, hardships. In fact He promised the opposite. The promise is you will not face them alone!

The question isn’t why does a good God allow suffering. The question is how much love does God have to enter our suffering with us. His Presence is the Promise!

Presence in the Purpose - Matthew 28:20 (NIV) - “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The context is the Great Commission to go and make disciples.

The purpose is to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth one disciple at a time. To bring light to the darkness, order to the chaos! In this purpose he will never leave your side.

God has a purpose for you! The purpose is such that it’s not possible without His presence. If you can do it without God, why waste your time doing it? God works in the impossible category, don’t settle for less.

C. His Faithful Action of Love

John 3:16 (NIV) - “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.”

His faithful love is forever been proven by the cross. Let this sink in, you were so loved someone died for you.

Share the Gospel - Jesus was born to die, He became a baby to fulfill what love demanded, a death for us. Sin whether its a personal consequence or resulting broader circumstance in society leads to death. Someone had to die and Jesus did! I love the “whoever”. Yes the way is narrow in Jesus to forgiveness and life both here and forever but the invitation is broad, do you believe Jesus died for you and are you ready to make Him Lord of your life? Are you the next whoever?

When circumstance wants to make you question the faithful love of God, remember just like we do every Sunday, the cross settles that question. Let it be settled, God loves you.

John 15:13 (NIV) - “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

III. Conclusion and Invitation

A. Has God been faithful in His love toward you? Do you really believe that this morning. Has he kept His word. Has he always been present. Does his action of dying for you still speak to you today?