Christmas is Love

The third week of advent is love. Love is what I will be talking about this morning. The title for this morning is, Christmas is Love. You’ll see that very clearly by the end.

Christmas is a lot of things. It is celebration, a time of rejoicing. It is meditation upon the Incarnation. It is participation in family events and church services. We are looking forward to our Christmas Day Service. But most of all, Christmas is love, the love of almighty God expressed toward sinful men and women in the incomparable gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

First I’d like to clarify the Biblical definition of love. There are a lot of definitions of love that people use today and I want to share with you what the Biblical definition of love is. Turn with me quickly to 1 Corinthians 13. I was studying this a few weeks ago and I believe it can help us this morning.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NASB95

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

So we can conclude that love is not:

Having the power and ability to do all things (v. 1)

Having knowledge of all things (v. 2)

Giving gifts and showing kindness to the weak and poor (v. 3)

Omnipotence without love is impotent. Omniscience apart from love is worthless. And even benevolent gifts apart from love are nothing. We know that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and graciously benevolent to all humanity, but we also know that these characteristics do not necessarily reflect the true nature of love. God, through His servant, tells us what true love is:

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NASB95)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

No Bible believing Christian questions the truth that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

According to Paul here in verse 5, “love does not seek its own,” and thus it is best described as “self-sacrificial” rather than “self-serving” (1 Cor. 13:5).

As Jesus taught,

John 15:13 NASB95

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

It seems safe to say that love at its very root is self-sacrificial. Anything less than that should not be called “love.”

We can recognize God’s “kindness” and “care” in His provisions for humanity, but unless it reaches the level of self-sacrifice it does not seem to meet the Biblical definition of true love.

We are to love our enemies because God loves His enemies. He loves both the “righteous and the unrighteous” in exactly the same we are told to love our enemies. The greatest commandment instructs us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Matt. 22:37-38). “And who is our neighbor?” (Lk 10:29). The pagan Samaritans, who were detested as enemies of God. God included enemies in “who is your neighbor.”

In this very brief look at the Biblical definition of love, Jesus is teaching us to self-sacrificially love everyone, even our worst enemies, because that reflects the very nature of God Himself.

Now that I have covered the Biblical definition of love, let’s turn to our passage this morning that reveals to us that Christmas is love. Now this is a Christmas text, although it’s not found in the beginning of Matthew or Luke, and is often not thought of as a Christmas text, it is indeed what Christmas is all about. Turn with me to John 3:16.

John 3:16 NASB95

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Christmas is all about the love of God for you and me; that “self-sacrificial” love that we just looked at.

When you hear this verse, what do you think of? What comes to mind? For me, it was memorizing it during summers at vacation Bible school. That’s what comes to mind for me.

What motivated God at Christmas was His great love for people, for His creation. This is what we are going to look closely at this morning.

The Heart of Christmas

“For God so loved the world” Some of the new translations are saying, “God loved the world in this way.”

If you could fill in the rest of the verse following those words, what would you write?

What John is about to write are far better than anything you could come up with. He doesn’t take into account your desires or needs, but he gets to our deepest and greatest need.

John is going to reveal the best gift ever. God is going to give His best love possible.

The Great Cost of Christmas

“He gave His only begotten Son” Begotten means “unique,” “one of a kind.” There was no other.

This is the way God loved the world. He gave His most precious gift He could. His one and only Son.

And it’s important to note that God wasn’t compelled to do this. He didn’t have to. He could have justly let us receive the judgement and punishment we deserve but He chose to give this precious gift. The most precious thing to Him, His Son Jesus.

Let’s talk about who Jesus is:

Gen 3:15 The woman’s seed who would save the world.

Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be 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, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:21 Gabriel told Joseph that Mary would bear a son and to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Luke 2:7 Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus, in a lowly manger.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

ginomai (yee-no-meh) - He wasn’t created but became flesh; he entered the time and space of His creation. He has always been. He was there at creation.

He came into the world to become known. He came to reflect God the Father’s glory. He came to speak God’s truth.

John records that Jesus claimed to be God

Jn 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”

Jn 8:58 Jesus takes the great OT covent name for God, “I AM.”

His disciples believed that He was God.

Paul believed it. Titus 2:13 “of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus”

Peter believed it. 2 Peter 1:1 “of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

Jesus is the Son of God, is God, and indeed is a great gift.

But here is the thing:

It is a great gift only if you realize it is a great gift for you; that you need Him. Knowing why you need a cure.

Many of you have been believers for quite some time. Let me ask you a question: Do you still see the great love of God in the sending of His Son Jesus? How precious is Jesus to you? Is He worth more to you than anything in this life? Is He worth sacrificing for? Worth changing careers for?

If in your heart you say no, then come back to the Lord today. Ask Him to renew your heart and spirit, to give you a fire again within, that you would know again His great love. The cost of giving His One and Only Son.

If you haven’t placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you need to recognize the cost of someone giving their very best, their one and only son for you. What love! God did not hesitate to do this but chose to love us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8).

God planned this from the very beginning. His love did not just start at Christmas. This was the plan from the start, the Jesus would come to the earth in love to die for lost sinners.

What should our response to this be?

The Great Call of Christmas

“that whoever believes in Him”

Whoever believes in Him. This is not easy believism. This doesn’t mean you can simply believe and just keep living your life however you please.

Jesus first words in ministry we find in Mark 1:15 where he said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

John 20:30-31 tells us the reason Jesus was doing all of His miracles. It wasn’t just to get people’s attention or to show His general love towards people, it was so you would believe in Him as the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

The only correct response to the giving of Jesus is to repent and believe in the gospel. Make it today if you have never done that.

There is an old poem that says, “Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, If He’s not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn [pitifully sad].”

What does it look like to believe in Jesus? It is trusting in Him. John 12:44 Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.” You have to believe who He said He was. You have to believe that He was God. And you cannot believe in God without believing in Jesus. You believe what He said and you fill and renew your mind with His truths.

How can it be simply believing? Because you are not trusting in your ability to save yourself any longer, but you are believing and trusting in Jesus’ ability to save.

Then we are to walk as Jesus walked. John 14:12, 15 says, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also;” and “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”

Now we are unlike Jesus, because we were born sinners. That means we must repent and turn from our sins. In order to walk as Jesus walked we must daily turn from out sins and in every moment trust in Jesus, and to be led by the Spirit, so that we may walk according to the way that Jesus walked.

If you have trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, we are told the Holy Spirit will make this happen, that He will allow you to walk the way that Jesus walked. You will begin to hate your sin and long for the things of God, to become more and more like Jesus as you live placing your trust in Him.

This is for anyone who will believe in God’s great gift of love. But this is not a cheap love where you can accept this and just keep living life the way you want to. Remember Jesus’ first words ins Mark, “Repent and believe.” If you truly are a follower of Christ, you will live life in a certain way, not to earn God’s love but in fact to show that God has already loved us.

How can we trust that believing will be enough? This is an excellent question.

God’s Faithfulness at Christmas

All who believe “shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

We must remind ourselves that the very reason God sent His Son, the reason we celebrate Christmas, is because we are all sinners. We all have a serious problem, and its because we realize and recognize this bad news that we can celebrate the good news. If we weren’t aware of our sin, the good news is not good news.

At the very core we are wicked and rebellious towards God. Rom 3:10 and Rom 3:23. Is 59:2 tells us sin has separated us from God. Jer. 17:10 says God gives what our actions deserve (frightening). Rom 6:23 wages is death. In Psalms 5:4-5 we see God’s view on sin.

Psalm 5:4–5 NASB95

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.

If this is how God views sin, and we are all sinners, how can I trust believing in His Son is enough? Jesus own words at the end encourage us, we “shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

This is the good news. The way God has chosen to love us, that “self-sacrificial” love, is by sending His own Son to die for us and take the punishment we deserve. His wrath towards sin was poured out on Jesus on the cross.

God loves you so much that He sent the perfect gift to remedy your problem. He showed us His great love by sending His most precious gift, His Son.

Listen to these beautiful words from Scripture about the love of God in Christ.

Titus 3:3–7 (NASB95)

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Christmas is love. Love is the message of Christmas. It’s God’s love towards us that we celebrate especially this time of year. It’s recognizing that love this time of year and telling others about it. The true message of Christmas is love.

Prayer.

We sang a song last week at my church that contained lyrics that fit perfectly into this message this morning. It’s called By This We Know Love by Sovereign Grace and the chorus goes as this:

By this we know love

that He laid down His life.

God’s very own Son,

came from Heaven to die.

Suspended He hung,

as He shed His own blood.

What grace in His pardon,

by this we know love.

1 John 4:8 NASB95

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul clearly explains what love is not.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NASB95

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

So we can conclude that love is not:

Having the power and ability to do all things (v. 1)

Having knowledge of all things (v. 2)

Giving gifts and showing kindness to the weak and poor (v. 3)

Omnipotence without love is impotent. Omniscience apart from love is worthless. And even benevolent gifts apart from love are nothing. We know that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and graciously benevolent to all humanity, but we also know that these characteristics do not necessarily reflect the true nature of love. God, through His servant, tells us what true love is:

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NASB95)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

No Bible believing Christian questions the truth that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). “The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145:9).

Is God patient with the reprobate who He “hated” and rejected for salvation “before he was born or had done anything good or bad?”

Is God kind to those He destines to torment for all eternity without any regard to their own choices, intentions, or actions?

Does God honor the non-elect by allowing them to enjoy a little rain and sunlight before they spend an eternity for something with which they had absolutely no control over?

Is God easily angered by those who are born under His wrath and without hope of reconciliation?

Does God keep the record of wrongs committed by reprobates?

Does the so-called “love” of God for the non-elect fail or does it persevere?

According to Paul, “love does not seek its own,” and thus it is best described as “self-sacrificial” rather than “self-serving” (1 Cor. 13:5). As Jesus taught, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” It seems safe to say that love at its very root is self-sacrificial. Anything less than that should not be called “love.”

One may refer to “kindness” or “care” in reflection of some common provisions for humanity, but unless it reaches the level of self-sacrifice it does not seem to meet the Biblical definition of true love.

We are to love our enemies because God loves His enemies. He loves both the “righteous and the unrighteous” in exactly the same we are told to love our enemies. The greatest commandment instructs us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Matt. 22:37-38). “And who is our neighbor?” (Lk 10:29). The pagan Samaritans, who were detested as enemies of God. God included enemies in “who is your neighbor.”

In short, Jesus is teaching us to self-sacrificially love everyone, even our worst enemies, because that reflects the very nature of God Himself.