Someone Who Loves You Has Found You

No doubt, Abigal was an awful, awful kid. At One point she even tells her only friend Meangoat why? Who was listening?

That’s right, Abigal thought no one loved her, so what reason did she have to be good?

She almost makes a good point there doesn’t she?

What is the point of doing anything if there is no one out there that cares?

Christmas time is a wonderful time for family fellowship, Joy, Peace, Love, Hope, and of course the celebration of Jesus’ birth. It’s a time when people travel from all over to spend time with those they love and those that love them back.

Except for those who don’t have people like that. Perhaps there are people out there who have no one to go to, no one to love, no one to hope with, or no joy in their heart. Peace is gone from their life and they seek it out in self and you will never find that Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, or Christ by trying really hard and looking into yourself.

Now, when I was typing this up I had an image in my head of a homeless person living on the street with no where to go and no one in their life. And they certainly fit the category. But I would also say that there are millions of people in churches today that feel that way right now.

Abigal seemed to be from a well to do family, but she didn’t feel loved. Now, I’ve never been in a situation where I have been physically alone and destitute and homeless, so I can’t speak in depth to how they would feel, I can guess sure, but I don’t know myself from experience.

I do, however, know from experience, what it is to be around tons of people, live in a way where I don’t want or need, and I in all that security, don’t feel loved.

I have had points like Abigal, why should I be good when no one loves me any way?

I bet there are times in your life when you’ve felt unloved. Despite being around people that do love you, being in a situation where you have less needs and wants than others. In circumstances where you don’t worry about tomorrow. But you feel empty and unloved.

We have all had times like that in our lives. And knowing Jesus as your savior is not a get out of jail free card to feeling unloved.

Christians are not immune from loneliness, in fact we are promised it.

John 15:20 (ESV)

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Very words of Jesus there. And that’s not all

Psalm 119:161 (ESV)

Princes (the world) persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

The world is not going to love you. There are certainly people in your life who do, but celebrities are not loved, but their fans. A celebrity does one thing wrong and they’re cancelled. The world will cancel you.

The world, as many places in scripture attest, loves itself.

But John 3:16-17

John 3:16–17 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

I’m not going to focus on this verse too much, because we are going to really talk about it a lot next week, but he loved us, GOD, the one who breathed stars into existence, one star by the way our entire solar system could fit inside. HE made that. And he loves US enough to die for us, to pay our way into his glory.

John 3:16 has a great companion verse and I’m going to switch over to that. I said the world doesn’t love you and that may seem harsh, but just because something is harsh, doesn’t make it true.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

There’s a lot to say in those few words.

Remember when Meangoat pushed Abigal into the stable? Did the baby cry out at such a naughty kid coming in? nope? Did the parents yell at her, like she deserved for being so mean and disruptive.

No. Mary took her aside and shared that God loves her. Even at our worst, even at our meanest, even when we are poison to others around us. Even when we are enemies to God. He loves us.

We also read in our scripture today the parable of the Lost Sheep. Sheep were very important to their owners. Each sheep was more than just income. Many shepherds would be there for the birth of these sheep, they would watch them grow. They would love them. And if they were lost, they would search until they found them. Remember how Abigal put it? Someone who loved her had found her.

God loves us so much that when we are lost, he seeks us out.

Luke 15:6–7 (ESV)

‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus was talking to the self righteous Pharisees right here. They thought they did everything right. They thought they were not sinners. So Jesus was illustrating that he came to seek sinners. They had it in their heads that since they “did all the right things” they didn’t need a savior. Fast forward, Paul, who was Saul was a big time Pharisee and he found himself sought by Jesus. Abigal, was a sheep and was found. So was Saul, who became Paul. So was I and you as well.

We were sheep that went where we shouldn’t have gone. We we’re labeled sinners who were enemies of God. And when we come to know Jesus as out Savior we are called children of God.

The funny thing about that. Because the world sees Christians in a few different ways, some good, some not so good. Some won’t come to church or hang out around CHristians because they thing they are not good enough to be around Christians. they think that they dress the wrong way, or say the wrong words, or do the wrong things. And they are not wrong on some of those points.

But who is seeking them out? Jesus is. Because he loves them. I some care if you dress in a three piece suit or a white t-shirt and shorts, you are welcome here because Jesus Loves you.

Some people don’t want to come to church because “those church people” are hypocrites and self righteous. I hate to agree with the world here, but that’s pretty true with some people too. I will say this. I have been to a church once, just outside of Wolf Creek that didn’t have a single hypocrite or self righteous person inside. Of course there was no one inside. And once me and the people I was with went in then the church (which happened to be a closed chapel in a cemetery) the church became full of hypocrites and self righteous people. Not to say that I am always a hypocrite or self righteous, but I am sometimes.

What the world needs to know about us Christian people is that we are not better than they are. We have struggles and hurts. We have depression, and loneliness too. But we also have a shepherd that cares for us. That LOVES us.

Our last passage today is very interesting. It comes from 1 John and has a lot of meat in it. Meaning a lot of hard sayings. One might think he was writing to non-believers about how they should live, but John was writing to believers about how they should live.

Why? Aren’t Christians perfect all the time and never make mistakes? Sorry, no. My favorite verse frm this passage is this one

1 John 4:20 ESV

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

This is John reminding believers that they need to love others and not just God.

I had a conversation with someone once here in town. They said the words, “I love God okay, but I hate people.” That person was a liar. Plain and simple. Might they know Jesus as their Lord and savior, maybe. But, they weren’t doing what Jesus commands, love your neighbor as yourself.

If you say you love God, but hate people, you don’t really love God. So, John is reminding the Church, the people that profess faith in Jesus.

If you love God, then love people. That’s John’s tough love “grow up” moment.

So, from the story of Abigal we see at the end that she knows that God loves here and she started the next day absolutely clean.

That is a great and awesome story. If it continued, I bet we would still see Abigal get mean from time to time. There would be times she would forget that God loved her, and she would forget that she too should love others.

Just like we do. Some of us have been reading our Bibles everyday this year with the Bible Recap. I can’t speak for you, but even starting my day with the word of God and prayer, I still have days where I’m not at my best. I still have days where I don’t feel loved.

Sometimes, when that happens we have to take off our pride and our hate and see that we are still covered in the Love of God. When you are a believer, you are washed by the blood of the lamb, you are covered in his love and righteousness. And then, sometimes, even though we have the best clothes on, we try on other clothes over the ones God has given us.

Abigal was mean, but she didn’t stay that way. Perhaps she revisited it from time to time. But that’s our candle reminder for the day.

We had hope, it’s getting kinda short (Recap Hope)

We have Peace (recap peace)

We have Joy (recap Joy)

ANd now we have Love (recap love)

On Tuesday at 3 we will light the last candle I hope we can all come together and find and see how much God loves us, and seeks us out.

\Let’s Pray