Unfailing Love

SETUP

The best Christmas ever!

Hope - Keep your hopes up!

Peace - Jesus is the Prince of Peace

Joy - (AJ) His presence > the presents

Love - Unfailing love

SCRIPTURE

John 1:1–14 NLT

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

STORY

Norma Jean Mortenson – grew up in and out of foster care, abused by those who were supposed to care for her, and alone…

We know her today as Marilyn Monroe

Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you 1000 for a kiss but fifty cents for your soul

While Marilyn was a beautiful woman outwardly, her soul was a dark painful place – overdosing on barbiturates at 36 years old – a tragedy

In his sermon on the mountain Jesus warns his listeners about this type of living.

He used the word “hypocrite,” which comes from the Greek meaning “stage actors.”

Scribes and pharisees were compared to clean looking cups filled with selfishness

Beautiful tombs full of dead bones

Ravenous wolves dressed as sheep

SUBSTANCE

STOP PRETENDING

The hard truth… many of us pretenders just the same

No, I’m no pharisee. I don’t think I’m better than ____...

We are all born with an intense need to feel significant, loved, valued, and accepted.

Yet we fear we are not worthy of these things

So we pretend to be the people we think society wants us to be in order to meet the desperate needs of our souls

These are god given needs

Water, food, air, sleep, sunlight for our body

Love, acceptance, attention, approval, significance for your soul

LOVE EXPERIENCED

I am convinced that wars would cease, crime would plummet, divorce would diminish, and immorality would fall if the human race experienced these three words:

You Are Loved!

The problem is many of us have never experienced the love of God, so how can we share the love of God…

If romantic, human, love has to be experienced to understood, then how can the love of God be explained before it is experienced?

Ephesians 3:16–19 NLT

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Be rooted and grounded in love

The core foundation of everything we believe, do, say, live, and experience must flow from love, be motivated by love, and be grounded in love

Agape love – God’s love that must be experienced to understand

Comprehend the incomprehensible love of God – “may you have the power to understand”

This is the place where the infinite transcend the finite, the supernatural infuses the biological, and the heart is enlightened to the secret dimension of his passion for you!

He is wild about you!

He didn’t just die for you, he lives for you!

He lives in you, around you and through you!

God is all about you – not in that you are all he has, but you are his favorite!

He tells you secrets angels wish they could get in on

You are his inheritance

You are his child

You are made in his image and likeness

You have been redeemed by his sacrifice on the cross

You are partakers in his glory

You are the apple of his eye

The hope of his glory

The bride of his bridegroom

He rejoices over you

And no one or nothing will ever separate you from his love

And anyone who messes with you must answer to him!

Width(breadth), length, height, depth (Jesus was a carpenter)

Width/breadth

His love is an extensive, all-encompassing ocean of adoration that surrounds you with compassion and woos you with admiration. It covers you and protects you. It is hope to the discouraged and peace to the lost.

Long/length

His love goes the distance. You can’t fall so far that it can’t catch you, run so fast that it can’t get you, or hide so well that it can’t find you.

His love is better than you worst day, stronger than your lowest moments, and more forgiving than your cruelest sin.

When you give up, love goes on.

When you fall down, it picks you up.

Love is courage to the fearful, hope to the helpless, strength to the weary, and wealth the poor.

Height

His love exceeds your expectations

God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above ALL that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ephesians 3.20

His love gives more than you ask, takes you higher than you imagined, dreams bigger than you dreamed.

You dream of a family. Love dreams of a legacy

You ask for a job. Love finds you a destiny.

You hope for peace. Love longs for a ministry.

You pray for heaven. Love gives you His city

Depth

His love is intense, complex, profound, and able to penetrate your soul.

Deeper and deeper you tumble into God, enriched by his goodness and changed by his love…

The depth of this mystery is hard to explain, for the ocean that is around you is in you, just the same.

LOVE THAT WORKS

Matthew 22:39 NLT

39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

AS

The only way the love of God can work through you is if you first let it work in you.

This isn’t pride but humility

Humility because we acknowledge the source of our greatness and worth of love as God

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less...

In this respect, thinking negatively about yourself is prideful because you are still the central focus of your thoughts.

LOVE THAT REDEFINES

John 1:12 NLT

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

You are not a sinner… you are a child of God

When you call yourself a sinner you tell Jesus “what you did on the cross was not enough.”

You were born to be amazing because you are modeled after your maker.

SHUTDOWN

LOVE THAT NEVER FAILS

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 The Message

4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, 5 Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, 6 Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

PRAYER

Silent Night

For to us a Child is born To us a song is given And the government will be on His shoulders And He will be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace Of the greatness of His government and peace There will be no end He will reign on David's throne And over His kingdom Establishing and upholding it With justice and righteousness From that time on and forever

Verse 1

Silent night holy night All is calm all is bright 'Round yon virgin mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace

Verse 2

Silent night holy night Son of God love's pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus Lord at Thy birth Jesus Lord at Thy birth

Verse 3

Silent night holy night Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heav'nly hosts sing hallelujah Christ the Savior is born Christ the Savior is born