A Christmas Love Story

How is everybody today good excited about Christmas. Oh, I'm glad I'm excited. Yeah. Sure. I'm excited about Christmas. You would be really excited about Christmas, but I thought about how I was giving myself an opportunity to geek out a little bit you guys know that if you don't know I love Marvel movies superhero movies, right? All right in a superhero movie. Are Emmett there's there's the the the last big movie that came out. There's a scene in the movie where all the were all the heroes look like. They're fixing to start getting all the heroes that are there look like they're getting beat up. Do you know they're getting knocked down there? Some of them some of them are getting beat up pretty good and it looks like all hope is lost and I all of a sudden. The sky opens up in the bathrooms comes down and brings down a hero and he unleashes lightning and a axe and it just knocks everybody down in it and it and it in this point There's Hope again. So when you think of a hero coming, that's what you think about Ryan you think of this great. Mighty warrior coming in on the scene just in the nick of time and he's going to come in and he's just going to our this person's going to going to just take over and destroy all the bad guys are defeat the bad guys and just give us an and just give us that victory that when they write. That's what you think about when you think of a hero movie or anything like that. Well, those are all just movies. They're all just pretend and make believe they came from comic books from somebody's imagination where there is a real life. story this way and it did not. Happen that way. It didn't come down in a big the hero didn't come down in a big bowl to lightning or a big or big blast and just knock all the bad guys down and take charge to lead us to that Victory like we needed the hero that I'm talking about is Jesus Christ and he came down. Just like us he came down as a tiny, baby. In a Manger kind of like this. I don't know exactly what it look what it look like, but we can imagine that it look like this just a baby wrapped in strips of old cloth. laying on a bed of hay coming to the world one quiet night in a small town to save us all from ourselves from the sin. That has polluted and took over the world Christ came knowing that some 33 years down the road or so that he would give his life for our on the cross so we can all go to heaven in that awesome. I think it's very awesome and it's better and more interesting and more real than any superhero comic book movie or TV show that you can watch because of this is something that really happened something that affects each and every one of our lives and I want to challenge you guys as you're sitting in front of your trees with your families on Christmas morning or Christmas Eve night and you get excited and overwhelmed with joy because there's gifts in front of you to not forget. About the gift that was given some 2,000 years ago that the hero that came down. And was was signed by star that came down and was in this lowly manger to save us all from sin. So do not forget that you guys are getting excited and getting caught up on Christmas morning. Do not forget that we are celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I've got a Bible verse here is Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6. It says for child we born to us a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God Eternal Father and Francis. The Prince of Peace. Jesus is all of those things. And one day he's coming by to get us all. All who believe he's going to take us to an eternity with him and I just think that such an awesome story such a happy ending. And there's no catches. There's no post credit scenes of what's going to happen. Next. Is that that in the end?

We're Christ wins and in the end we get to spend eternity with having with him and that's what you guys need to remember as we go into Christmas. Okay, so let's bow our heads. We thank God for this wonderful time of year during my father. Thank you so much God for this day for your blessings that you give us for each one of these kids boys and girls that are up here today Lord. Thank you for this wonderful time of year when we get to come together with our families with our church family with people. We don't see often and we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and help us as Christmas comes to an end just as abruptly as it got here that we don't let that celebration of our savior end with Christmas that we take that celebration of life that you give us to Jesus everyday and every hour every minute and every second of the next year and the years after that Laura. Thank you so much for this wonderful Savior for these families that are here today. And for all these wonderful kids all this we ask in Your Name Lord. Amen.

Santorini

cancel.

Arena great The even though we mess up we make mistakes we can't get things right. That God is still God and none of that can knock him off his throne.

I had no idea what Chad was going to talk about this morning in children sermon.

but

I will tell you that the sermon that I am preaching this morning. Is not the sermon that I have been working on all week. Something just didn't feel right. I couldn't get the words down on paper. and so As I was struggling to get everything together. It just didn't work. But you know when it came. I got up early this morning got ready came to church. and as I was driving to church it became very clear to me what I was supposed to preach this morning. And I said in there and in the office and wrote down. Everything basically erase the entire sermon and started over from scratch.

But I am confident that I am preaching what God is wanting me to preach this morning. And as Chad confessed that he loved super comic or superhero movies. I do too. I am a when it comes to that. I am a nerd Beyond nerd. I love those but I have a confession to make to you this morning and that may change the way some of you look at me. How you think about me?

But I am going to admit this and I am going to be as much as unashamed as possible when I say this.

But I love Christmas movies.

I've got a rule in my house if they're not allowed to be watched until after Thanksgiving.

That does not rule does not always get obeyed. especially by my daughter who is a Hallmark freak, but I love Christmas movies. I love the classics, but the ones I love the most and this is what's going to really get to some of you is the love stories.

I love Christmas love stories. You know the ones I'm talking about where you got the man that is deeply in love with the woman and she rejects him and and he did end up doing something that that wins her love back in at the end. They go happily off into the sunset, you know, and he's the ones that are are directed and produced by Levinson both those type of movies. They that I love them and I can't find the ones that I really liked. So I found them on YouTube. So I've been watching a lot of those Christmas movies by myself and you on YouTube.

But I love those and if you think about it, even the classic movies.

White Christmas The Love Story Bing Crosby's character and Rosemary Clooney fall in love and get back and she leaves and then comes back at the end of the movie infectious behind the Christmas tree. You guys know that it's a Wonderful Life. The same thing it's a it's a it's a love story.

And Miracle on 34th Street. You think about it? It's a love story. But you know what?

the greatest love story ever written

Is the birth of Christ? No producer Hallmark can't touch it. But it is actually a love story. And I want to look at that. If you'd please stand and turn the John 3. We're going to look at to versus there and then we're going to look at a few verses over and 1st John chapter 4 verse John 3:16 and 17 says this if you don't have have your Bibles it's in the bulletin as well as on the screen, but John 3:16 and 17 says this for God so loved the world and he gave his own one and 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 to save the world through him and then flip over the first John Chapter 4 verses 7 through 12, and it says this

1st John 4 verses 7 through 12 says dear friends. Let us love one another for love comes from God everyone who loves has been born of God in Noah's God. Whoever does not does not love does not know God but God is love. This is how God showed his love Among Us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an intoning sacrifice for sins dear friends. Since God is so loved us. We also ought to love one another no one has ever seen God, but if we love one another God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. Let's pray.

Are blessed heavenly father again? Thank you for the reading of your word. Thank you for your love. And ask all of this in the holy and precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let's think about that's what what is the element of some of the elements of a love story? Okay, look the first element of a love story. Is that every good love story has a hero. It has a hero. the person that is the the main character it is the author of of of what's going to happen and it is his journey or the her journey that we watch and we get into in our love story that were talking about today the Christmas love story. God is our hero. God is our hero and and loves us unconditionally.

And he wants in return is for us to love him back. He is he is our hero in the story.

Forgot and John 3:16. It says that.

For God who? God soul of the world

the second thing that I love story has the second component every good love story has a heart to be one whether male or female on the story. There is always that heart that is being sought after that is wanting to be one. How you go back? What is it say again in John 3:16 for God so loved the world.

Pee Wee we every person that has ever walked or will walk this Earth.

Is the heart that God wants to win? Everything that he has done he has done. to win our hearts To win us he could have created us and commanded us to love him. He could have made it. So there was no other possible way that he created us to have a relationship. But anybody that has been in a relationship knows that there is a big difference between being in a relationship and loving somebody hopefully you get both of them in the same thing. But there are people that are in relationships that there is no love part in in that relationship and then you have people that love somebody unconditionally and they want nothing to do with them. So they don't necessarily go hand-in-hand they should but they don't. God created us to have a relationship with If you go back to Genesis, and he what does he do with Adam and Eve he goes and walks and talks with them every day in the garden. He spend time she builds that relationship. He wanted them to choose him. God wants us to choose him. He could have he could have commanded that but that would not be real love. He could have amazed us all the Miracles and signs that he has done that we would choose him and will be amazed and we want to love him. Now. I like watching magic shows. I love watching America's Got Talent and especially the magic and some I'm just amazed at that.

But that doesn't mean that I love them. Being Amazed by something and loving some something is two different things.

But you know what the thing about being amazed. That sort of gets old after a while doesn't it? And something else has to come along to amazed you even more to keep your attention. That's not love.

He could have done all those things, but God had a plan.

And 2nd Timothy. He says that even before the creation of the world even before time began. He had a plan. already in place so hard to be won. The third thing is that you have the moment of rejection. The moment that the that the hero puts it all out there and the object of their affection the heart that needs to be one they reject.

that love advance they turn away. And leave the person standing there broken hearted.

This story the story of Christmas has that you look at what it says and Isaiah 59:2 it says, but your iniquities have separated you from your God your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear you.

We rejected God's love. Way back in the garden. We've been doing it ever since we've rejected God's love and we turned away from him. And even though he was he promised that he would never leave us or forsake us. Guess what we did to him. We left him. We turned our back on him because we wanted to do what we wanted. And he wasn't part of what we thought we knew we wanted or that we needed.

So we had that moment of rejection in the story.

And then every good love story has the selfless Act of true love.

That is the point where the person the hero does something. that shakes up the story and the object of their affection the heart that needs to be one. Notices that something happened and they start understanding. But hey, I need to take a second. Look at this.

And that selfless Act.

a true love started way back before time began.

But it became recognizable. in Matthew 1:20 through 23 and it says this and this is talking about Joseph when he found out that marry his Wife-to-be was already pregnant.

And it says but at and he thought about getting a divorce from her privately it says this number is 20, but after he had considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said 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 forth give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. Because he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord it said through the prophet the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel. Which means god with us.

In this act of Selfless Love was culminated. In this Romans 5:8 says but God commands his own love for us in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

A lot of times we separate what we celebrated Easter and what we celebrate it Christmas, but we cannot separate those because what one with you can't have one without the other. You can't have the sacrifice without the birth and you can't have the birth without him going to be sacrificed. They are a combination of God's Act of Selfless Love. That the fact that God himself left his throne left Glory came down to earth. As a person was born and placed in a feed trough.

Just to grow up. to be killed but the story doesn't in there because that man that was killed in and hung on the cross did not stay. Did he rose again completing? the selfless Act of true love Heroes against the feeding death hell and the grave and it all started because of the manger. God became flesh and dwelt Among Us. God was with us in the form of Jesus Christ. and he was 100% man and 100% God and please don't ask me to explain it because I can't I can't wrap my head around that. All I know is the Bible doesn't explain it. It just says it's packed and that's good enough for me.

I don't know how a virgin got pregnant, but the Bible said it happened. God did it and that's good enough.

The Riders did not go into an elaborate all these things. They just merely said that it happened.

But that selfless Act of true love got our attention.

and then

the last thing that every true love story has in it. Is the moment that love is realized? The person that has rejected the love advance of a hero. Realizes that they've made a mistake and they turned around and they accepted the love. That was so freely given to them.

And they realize love for the first time.

It may not be in the form that they wanted. It might not be with the person they wanted. But they realize that they really do love the hero.

1st John 4 11 through 12 again. It says dear friends since God so loved us. We also ought to love one another no one has ever seen God, but if we love one another God lives in us and his love is made complete in US. God is love.

Now you think about the this? For a second.

the love story a Christmas can be summed up in just a few words.

Oh how I love Jesus. Oh how I love Jesus. Oh How I Love Jesus because he first loved me That is the love story of Christmas. That is what we are celebrating when we celebrate Christmas, but God became man, and he dwelled any lived among us as one of us.

We may not get it right all the time.

We fail him all the time, but nothing changes the love of God. Nothing changes the love of God.

and right now

I want you guys to to do business with God. He gave up everything to meet us where we are.

He gave up his throne. He left Glory. To become just like us.

All I'm asking you to do. Please take a moment to meet God where he is. He's right here right now. And he's loving you.

Please respond to him. If you don't know him, this is your time.

To meet him where he is.

If you're wanting to make a decision about becoming a part of this church, this is your time. But don't leave here today without doing business with God in some shape or form. If it's just bow on your head and praying where you are, if you need to come to the Altar and and pray here, whatever you want to do, whatever you need to do. This is your time to do it.

Related Media

Related Sermons