I. Know God loves and sends
II. Show love and speak
1 John 4:9-14 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his
one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is
love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we
also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we
love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to
be the Savior of the world.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Child of Promise, the Child of Perfection, the
Child who prepared Paradise for us, dear Christian friends, I’m tired! Is anyone else? There have been decorations to hang, presents to wrap, cookies to bake, meals to prepare, cleaning to accomplish, special services to attend, deadlines to meet and a host of other things as well to get ready for tonight/tomorrow. For most people, Christmas involves a lot of work! For most people, Christmas means action!
No one knows that better than God! It was his action that set Christmas in
motion. Of course, he was not in charge of all the extras you and I place into our
Christmas preparations, but he acted to make sure you and I could celebrate Christmas.
God’s action was one of love, the greatest love there has ever been! God’s action was
one of sending his Son to rescue us from sin, death and hell! God’s action worked our
salvation!
If you don’t already, I want you tonight and from this point forward to KNOW
AND SHOW THE ACTIONS OF CHRISTMAS! I. Know God loves and sends II. Show love
and speak. By God’s inspiration, the Apostle John wrote: This is how God showed his love
among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through
KNOW AND SHOW THE ACTIONS OF CHRISTMAS!
I. Know God loves and sends
II. Show love and speak
2 him. Is that the only way God has shown his love to us? Of course not! From creation,
with life and breath and everything else we need to live and move and have our being;
to protection, with angels and government entities; to preservation, with medical
advances and nutritional varieties; to relationships, with family and friends; to spiritual
gifts and fruits of the Spirit, God has showered us with love in amounts that go beyond
our imagination or understanding. But the greatest of these is highlighted here by John.
God sent his one and only Son and the result is life for us! This gift of eternal life
begins now with the joy of forgiveness and the opportunity to serve Jesus and continues
into eternity as we no longer fear burning in the fire pit that is hell because Jesus has
rescued us. John Flavel, an English Puritan Presbyterian wrote: “All other mercies are as
nothing in comparison of the love of God in giving his Son to be our Savior: they are all
swallowed up in this, as the light of candles when brought into the sunshine.” The
candles are still there, but you just can’t see them because the sunlight overwhelms
them!
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. If your life consists of focusing on your actions, your
goodness, your love, it will be not only conceited, but also lacking awareness of what is
truly important. God’s love and the gift of his Son is where our focus needs to be. God’s
love is pure. God’s love is not transactional, where he expects to get something in
return. God’s love came in the midst of his anger over our sins in order to provide his
solution for our problem.
John’s letter continues, Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another. God’s love is...perfect. Our love is not. But we can look at Jesus and
the love he showed to his heavenly Father and to all and find a perfect example to
follow. We can use the ability he provides through saving faith to strive to live a life that
is pleasing to him. We can enjoy his perfect love to us and use it as motivation to love
one another.
God’s love is...for us. Our love is to be for him and for one another, all of whom
God also loves. This is difficult because we are a selfish people by nature. We struggle
to give to others, especially to those who have wronged us. But as God gives his love
away, so we are to give our love away. Give your love to your family members as they
struggle with sin. Give your love to your closest friend as he questions if anybody can
love him for the harm he has caused. Give your love to the unbeliever to lead them out
of eternal destruction. Who better than we who have enjoyed God’s love to love one
another?
God’s love is...unending. Our love is to be ongoing. The wife wants her husband
to be more communicative. He thinks, “Well, I just talked to her yesterday, but now
that isn’t good enough for her; she wants me to talk to her again today!” The pastor
asks his church members to commit to the next big church event. They happily do, but
then can’t/won’t find time to commit to the next. The neighbor helps when the
community needs to be cleaned up after a natural disaster, but after that, secludes
himself in his home like a hermit. Good thing God continues to love us so that we can
3 continue to count on his forgiveness when we have failed in our love for him and for
one another! No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his
love is made complete in us. God is invisible, but his love for all can be seen in the love
his children exhibit in their lives. When God gives us saving faith, his goal has been
accomplished: we have the love he wants us to have. He has entered our hearts and
remains there. However, it can never be said that our love for God has been completed or met its goal. We are called upon to put God’s love into action and there is no end to that
mission. Next, John writes, We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has
given us of his Spirit. Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Do you trust him for
forgiveness and salvation? Do you love others because of the love God has given you in
his Son? Then you have been given the Spirit!
But, that is not a gift you keep for yourself! Share it, as John writes at the end of
this reading: and we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world. John saw Jesus alive, crucified, buried, alive again and ascended! He heard Jesus speak the truth and reveal the mysteries of God! And so John spoke of what he saw and heard! John’s eyewitness testimony was invaluable for himself and for those to whom
he revealed the saving message of Jesus.
We have the same calling as John, that is, to be witnesses of the love of God and
the saving work of Jesus. Isn’t sharing the good news of Jesus the greatest action of love
we can show to someone else? When you consider what to get your unbelieving friend
for a Christmas gift, why not something that everyone can use, that is one-size-fits-all
and that does not need to be returned...but definitely should be re-gifted!?!
We celebrate tonight because God has carried out his actions of loving us and
sending his Son for us! Part of our Christmas celebration involves our actions of loving
one another and testifying to the love God has for all in Jesus! Showing love and
speaking about Jesus is hard work, but it is so rewarding...for us and for those we love!
Merry Christmas!
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