LOVE (Advent 2021-04)

Matthew 2:5–6 CSB

“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

INTRO—

In the 1960s, a band of British theologians came together to produce an immensely profound statement. The primary penman of their statement, John, began by asserting, “There's nothing you can do that can't be done / Nothing you can sing that can't be sung / Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game / It's easy / Nothing you can make that can't be made / No one you can save that can't be saved / Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time / It's easy.”

The rest of the band—Paul, George, and Ringo (yes, The Beatles)—joined in on the chorus, “All you need is love / All you need is love / All you need is love, love / Love is all you need.”

Well, while many other statements by the Beatles are quite suspect, and others are merely entertaining…this statement is a solid reminder and encouragement. Our greatest need is love. The greatest truth revealed for our encouragement is…LOVE (1 Corinthians 13.13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”)

So…at Christmas time, we can certainly proclaim that Christmas is the Season of LOVE! Let’s once again go back to that first, biblical Christmas...

LOVE, The First Christmas

Beheld in Bethlehem!

[Emph. vv. — 1, 5-6, 11]

Matthew 2:1–12 CSB

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” 7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

Luke 2.4-7 “4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Luke 2.11 “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Luke 2.15-16 “15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.”

Micah 5.2 “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.”

LOVE that...

Saves us.

John 3.16-18 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will 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. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

Isaiah 53.10-12 “10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. 11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.”

Romans 5.8 “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Don’t run past this!

Sustains us.

1 Peter 5.7 “casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.”

Psalm 55.22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

NEVER?!?…are you sure?…YES! Especially to EVER be shaken loose…even permanently.

Romans 8.38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

NOTHING! From death to life…angels to rulers…things present to things to come…powers…height to depth…any other created thing!

CONCL—

LOVE…LOVE…LOVE...

1 John 4.9-11 “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.”

1 John 4.16-19 “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us.”

John 3:16 CSB

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.