ADVENT: Love (2)

Matthew 1:18 CSB

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.

INTRO—

What is your favorite Christmas sweet treat? Something you might just say, “Oh, I looooove…”

Turkish Delight

Jam Crescent Cookies

Peppermint Fudge (or just fudge!)

LOVE…

1 Corinthians 13:13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”

CHRISTMAS LOVE [Matthew 1.18-25]

[[In this account, we’re going to see Christmas Love-s!!]]

JOSEPH (Matthew 1.18-20, 24-25)

Matthew 1:19 “So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.”

[[Context = The Challenge; Matthew 1:18 “The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.”]]

“Not wanting to disgrace her publicly”

His righteousness displayed itself—NOT in boisterous, Pharisaical condemnation of his fiancé, but—IN compassionate quiet… [quite the contrast to most of “our” reactions; the situation at Wallace Avenue and the baby shower]

Matthew 1:20 “But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

[[Context = “After he had considered these things…appeared to him in a dream” — he was exhausted :-) … at least “drained;” maybe even worried?]]

“Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife”

Not even a little bit afraid (once again); because…(Matthew 1.21 — This child will be the Savior of the world…but more about that in a moment)

Matthew 1:24–25 “When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.”

“He did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him—he married her”

LOVE overcomes challenges (even significant ones)!!

LOVE goes the extra mile (doing more than what he angel said in this case = good)!!

GOD (Matthew 1.20-23)

Matthew 1:20–21 “But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.””

[[Context/Aside = Even sleeping can’t get us away from God!! (Comfort or Concern??) ]]

“Name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”

Jesus… Joshua… “Yahweh is salvation.” — This is Good News!! LOVEly Good News!!

This Good News is spelled out even further (Matthew 1.22-23) — prophetic; Call his name, Immanuel… (Matthew says = “God is with us;” THIS IS REALLY GOOD NEWS! Such great LOVE…

CONTINUING LOVE [John 3.16-18]

US

[[In this instance, this passage emphasizes what is done for us rather than what we are to do/be…]]

John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

“God loved the world”

GOD LOVED…very specifically —

“He gave”

“His one and only son”

“So that everyone who believes in him”

“Will not perish but have eternal life”

John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”

God’s LOVE doesn’t condemn. His LOVE moves him to save!

God’s Justice & Holiness requires condemnation of sin…& that reality/truth has been sufficiently established since the Fall in Genesis 3. (What we have a hard time believing is the mercy & grace of God’s LOVE.)

[[Further Context: John 3:18 “Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”]]

CONCL—

1 John 4.7-19.

1 John 4:9 “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.”

Echo of John 3.16…The setting of ‘done for us’ does open the door for us to…

[[Further Context: 1 John 4:10 “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”]]

1 John 4:11–12 “Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.”

…For us to LOVE others as we have been first LOVEd by God.

First & Second Great Commandments = LOVE God & LOVE others (our neighbors).

1 John 4:18–19 “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us.”

“Perfect LOVE drives out fear.”

[[AND—The Christ Candle hasn’t been lit in our Advent Box background this year. Please do me a favor…as you end your day, individually or with family in for Christmas, take time to open your Bible and let the last thing you do be to read the Christmas Story from Luke 2.1-20.]]

INVITATION:

Salvation

Love

John 3:18 CSB

Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.