Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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,

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.

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.