The Real love of Advent

INTRODUCTION

HiHo Kids “What is Love?”

There is not way of measuring Gods love. However, we can see the power of God’s love. God has shown His love from the beginning of creation. If Christ lives in us we will have God’s love, and we will love as he loved. Love will cause us to (1) serve, (2) surrender, (3) sacrifice. As love caused Christ to give His life it will cause us to give all we have.

The proof of God’s love is found in

English Standard Version (ESV)

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Inevitably famous people interviewed in magazines and sports pages are asked what does Christmas mean to you? Everyone seems to agree, Christmas is all about love.

Christmas is all about Love, because Jesus came down to earth at Christmas. That’s why we have Christmas in the first place. Christmas is founded in the message, “For God so loved the world that he gave His son.”

But if we were to follow up with the questions, “why is Christmas love,” “what do you mean by love?”

BIG IDEA: You cannot fully understand the love of God until you trade the natural for the supernatural.

“If you can speak angel and lack love you are nothing more than brass instruments making a bunch of noise.” (When I was growing up we had a game show called the gong show.”

“If you can speak angel and lack love you are nothing more than brass instruments making a bunch of noise.” (When I was growing up we had a game show called the gong show.”

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1.The real love of advent makes the nature of our love it’s priority.

v.1-3

What does it mean to make the nature of love your priority?

1) If I have the gift of tongues...... 2) If I have the gift of prophecy........ 3) If I have all knowledge.......

As if that were not enough Paul adds mountain moving faith. He probably had known that Jesus had spoken of this kind of faith in v20; v.23. We still use the metaphor of mountain moving faith, obviously none of the apostles actually moved mountains. The word faith here does not meant simply “trusting Jesus.” You can’t be a Christian without that kind of faith. Paul is talking about an extraordinary faith, like making a lame beggar walk, or a blind man see.

Apparently you can have mountain moving faith and not have true love. And if that’s true instead of being someone to be respected followed and supported you are nothing.

WARNING: you need to be careful and watch people who claim to have special gifts. In particular you need to watch their lifestyle. You need to avoid the greatest mistake in confusing gifts with grace. They are not the same.

For those of you who think this is harsh listen to Jesus Christs own words, “On that day many will say to me Lord, lord, did we not prophecy in your name, did we not cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” and then I will declare to them. “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Love always comes down. Love was Jesus priority when he came to this earth over 2,000 years ago to show us what real love looks like in action. Love is our priority today. “By this all men will know that your are my disciples, if you love one another”

One reason that our love falls short of this ideal most of the time is that we seldom make Christian love the priority of our lives. We know that love is important but we do not act as if love for others is to be the foremost thing we are known by.

“When you are walking down the street in Killeen Texas do people go, “He there goes so and so who’s whole reason for living is to love other people.”

*Have you ever met someone who from the moment you first met only wanted to tell you all about their amazing gifts? Nothing more than self amplification.

Love must ultimately be a description of Jesus.

Jesus not only spoke angel, he spoke with angels. Even on the cross he could have summoned legions of angels to rescue him. But he knew he couldn't rescue us.

Jesus also speaks the language of god, In the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and was with God in the beginning. Jesus coming down at Christmas time means that the gifts that we have been given are for the good of others. It means doing the things that are uncomfortable, or inconvenient for you, or that go unnoticed.

The priority of Real love is a love that is lavished on others whether they are worthy to receiving it or not.

The priority of Real love proceeds from our nature. (God is love, therefore we are love by being reborn into his likeness.)

THE ABSENCE OF THE PRIORITY OF LOVE

Without the priority of love I offend others. (I am a noisy gong, and clanging cymbal, puffed up and self seeking)

Without the priority of love I am nothing. (God cannot use the loveless Christian for His glory, even if he is gifted and able to understand and explain the deep things of God, man and Satan.

Without the priority of love I gain nothing. (2 acts of sacrifice that show love of the purest and most unselfish kind; to give everything away, or if he were to hand over his body to be burned? As grand as these actions are they can still be motivated by self-interest, not by the interests of others. So nothing is gained: the effort, the sacrifice is wasted.)

So what is the point of all of this? When Christ gives you a gift it will be a blessing to you; but the gift isn’t primarily for you or about you. It enables you to show the greatest expression of love that you have for Him in the way that you serve others.

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2.The real love of advent makes the nature of our love selfless.

What does it look like for the nature of love to be selfless?

Selfless love involves the giving of the self for the sake of others.

The greatest act of selfless love is that one would lay down his life for his friends. ()

ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTS OF SELFLESS LOVE IS GENEROSITY

“The Lod loves a cheerful giver.” (we should take great pleasure in giving, but instead we look at it as a legalistic tool of the church. Remember , they brought all they had, and there was not one of them who were in need.) Think of the world problems we could solve if the people of God were generous.

So if the greatest mark of Christian is our love for one another, then our generosity including and especially in the area of stewardship is a great mark of someone who understands the real nature of selfless love.

NOTE: It is interesting to note that most of the tithes and offerings that come into the church happen at the end of the month. Why? So this is how we treat our giving, we take care of all of our needs first, then if there is anything left at the end of the month we bring that tithe into the storehouse.

NOTE: It is important to note that Paul uses verbs in describing such love: a loving person will behave in a certain way; he will do, and not do, certain things because of the kind of person he is becoming, through the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit.

THESE QUALITY AND THESE ACTIONS ARE OF TOP PRIORITY FOR ALL CHRISTIANS

The verbs that Paul uses are ll in the present continuous tense, denoting actions and attitudes which have become habitual, ingrained gradually by constant repetition.

It is not coincidental that these four verses perfectly describe the character of Jesus himself, and of nobody else. This becomes clear when we substitute ‘Jesus’ for ‘love’ in this passage, and then by contrast insert our own name instead.

Several writers have used Karl Barth’s headings for this passage: and, because it is very difficult to improve on them, we will use them.

Love has a big heart and practices sheer GOODNESS’ using the original Greek such love, which is patient and kind, can face up to the darkness within and around us, in three directions.

1) Love and the darkness in ourselves. (4b - 5a)

Paul begins with the what love is...... patient and kind. Then he enters into the antithesis of patient and kind which is envy, jealousy, resentment, it does not give into jealousy, showing off or arrogance; it resists the temptation to react rudely or selfishly. All of these attitudes are common to man, but Jesus never indulged himself under pressure or provocation. This is the way of love and the way for all followers of Jesus.

We are all self-centered creatures by the very nature of who we are. When we are truly filled with the love of God it moves us to face our self-centeredness and to renounce it and look for light to to shine in our inner darkness. In the love of God there is not place for asserting our rights, and envying others gifts.

There is not local church in this world that does not need more selfless love for others displayed through our selfless service.

2) Love and the darkness of others (5b-6)

3 things that lead us spiraling into lovelessness.

There are some people who simply provoke us. (consistently and uncontrollably)

Evil in others (keeping a list of wrong doings committed by others; resentful)

Our attitude towards sin. (when we enjoy sin, particularly in others. rejoicing not in what is good and true but in the misery of others.)

3) Love and apparent darkness in God. (7)

Love...... Bears all things - Believes all things - Hopes all things - Endures all things

The four fold of all things of this verse makes it plain that love is no human quality, but the gift of god himself.

The key phrase here is a “all things” which makes it plain that love is no human quality, but the gift of God himself in the varied circumstances and relationships of our daily lives it is only his love in Jesus which can enable us to bear, to believe, to hope and to endure.

Often God calls on us to bear burdens for others, however these are burdens that God himself already bears for us. “For His yoke is easy, His burden is light.” “Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.”

When we bear these burdens they begin bring us down to the point that it evokes the question: ‘Why , Lord?’

However much we pour our hearts before him we have the right to rebel against love. However knowing that our Father God is in control and will ultimately demonstrate his victory. Love allows us to exercise a strong assurance that, however black it seems, God has not lost his way and has for us ‘a future hope.

JESUS IS CHISELING OUT IN US THE IMAGE OF HIS SON. Only love for God, released by his love for us, can keep such faith and hope alive and in control of our daily lives. When we truly realize that Jesus loves us in this way - he bears everything we throw at him, he still believes in us and is quietly confident for us, he has endured even the cross for us - this is what sustains us and makes us the people of God, the local church he want us to become.

“love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things....”

OUR SUFFERING IS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S LOVE. When a faithful believer endures periods of suffering, it is proof that God lovingly trusts His own grace to us to bear hardship for the sake of His glory and our sanctification. ()

*What are the most important things in your church and in your life?

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3.The real love of advent makes the nature of our love endless.

v. 8 “Love never Ends.”

LOVE NEVER ENDS God’s other graces and gifts are not usually described with so certain guarantee. But nothing can replace or destroy love; thus, we can be confident that if we truly love God now, we will most certainly love him for all eternity.

The Greek word piptei literally means ‘falls’ or ‘collapses’. This love never folds under pressure of the most intense and sustained kind. This love continues through death into eternity. This is the love of God.

What did Love do?

Johns Gospel is divided out into 2 sections and spells this out at the beginning of each section. Both describe the Love or grace of Jesus.

(explained what Jesus did Theological terms)

“In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.

(also explained what Jesus did having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Jesus was showing the picture of His incarnation. Leaving his place of honor at the table of heaven to kneel in a world of dirty feet for His disciples)

“Jesus knowing that He had come from God ans was going back.... laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel began to wash the disciples feet.”

Paul illustrates this general truth in two ways: first, he refers to growth from childhood into mature adulthood; secondly, he contrasts looking at someone reflected in a mirror with seeing the person face to face. The very best mirror, which in those days was made of metal and inevitably gave only a blurred and imperfect picture is as nothing compared to the full encounter with the Love of God.

We are told by John that when we see Jesus face to face, ‘we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is’. So, full knowledge of ourselves will come only when we see Jesus and know him as fully and as perfectly as he now knows us. (12)

In our current state we have yet to see Jesus as he really is, and so we are still short of maturity, of adulthood as Christians. By the grace of God we have been given many gifts through which we can see more of his glory and will, even in the limitations of this mortal life. Every gift is valuable for our growth into maturity, but the heartbeat of our relationship with God now is that he knows us, not vice versa (12). One day we shall also know him as we are fully known by him.

FAITH..........HOPE...............LOVE (these three qualities never end they are everlasting and endure.)

Today’s passage confirms the supernatural character of Christian love.

THE RAGMAN

Portray’s the great measure of God’s love and the great lengths he has gone to for our redemption and healing. “How deep, how wide, how long, how far reaching is the love of God.