Well its no secret that everybody's thoughts at this time of the year are on what they might get for Christmas or what someone they love might want for Christmas. But think about this for a moment:
Have you ever wondered what God might want for Christmas?
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Do we even remember what the true meaning of
Christmas is anymore or has our meaning been diluted by the
culture of our time. You know, there is a power in this Christmas season and it comes from the birth of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s only when we ponder in our hearts, as Mary did, the treasures of this advent season - Hope, Love, Peace and Joy - that we can possibly introduce others to the reason and meaning of this precious season.
This is the
second week of Advent, when we light the Love candle. This week let's take a serious look at how the world defines love versus how God defines love. I think that there are some real differences!
The World’s Definition of Love vs The Love of God
There is a story in Ernest Gordon’s Miracle on the River Kwai, based on World War II events. The Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad, had degenerated to barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The Japanese officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot… It was obvious the officer meant what he had said. Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the bloody corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first checkpoint.
The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others!... The incident had a profound effect… The men began to treat each other like brothers.
When the victorious Allies swept in, the survivors, human skeletons, lined up in front of their captors… instead of attacking their captors, they protected them and insisted: “no more hatred. No more killing. Now what we need is forgiveness.” The sacrifice of this one man changed the hearts of those around him. He knew that he was innocent, yet he chose to take the blame just the same. He faced the punishment to save the others. God willing, we will never be faced with a situation as grim as this one. But we can still impact those around us by our actions. As the song goes, we can show we are Christians by our Love. But do we really understand the true definition of the word - Love?
I. The World’s Definition vs. God’s
I’ve read, and even heard it stated just recently on television, that one of the most powerful things in this world is love. I believe that’s true—when we’re talking about God’s love. That power is illustrated by this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate sacrifice of love.
But, if you look at the way the world defines love, things change. The word, love, when used in the context of the world, has come to mean so many different things. In a lot of ways, it’s really become a word without any power. The true meaning has been so diluted that very few recognize true love when it appears.
“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. John 3:16 (HCSB)
This verse is a foundational truth about God’s love. But the world has a very different view of God’s love, at least when it comes to Christianity.
How does the world see God’s love?
The world would have us believe that God is all about love, to the extent that He would never punish anyone, much less send them to hell. They would also have us believe that Christians who hold strictly to the “antiquated” words of the Bible are judgmental, cruel, and intolerant.
Fortunately God’s definitions never change. And His admonition of how to live out His love is crystal clear.
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (HCSB)
According to John 15:13, how would you say we are to live out God’s love? What does laying down our lives look like in real-life application?
I believe this verse speaks about the self-sacrificing nature of God’s love lived out in us. That love may call upon us to sacrifice in a small way, or make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s that ultimate sacrifice that I always think of first when I read this verse.
Our lesson tells this story: One of our sons was a senior in high school when he had an opportunity to illustrate this verse for us. He was driving to Clemson after work one night, and ahead of him a car merged onto Interstate 85 too quickly. The driver lost control, and the car rolled multiple times. It came to rest deep into the shoulder, almost at the trees lining the interstate. With no other car nearby, our son pulled over, hopped out of his truck and ran to help. When he got to the car, it lay on its side, driver side skyward, with flames licking out from under the hood. The driver had lost consciousness and lay slumped against the passenger side window. Our son jumped up on the car and tried to open the driver’s side door. It was jammed, but he managed to kick out the window. He reached inside, pulled the man out, and dragged him away from the car. When they were about 20 yards away the car exploded into a ball of flames. When he called and related all that had happened, I asked him what he had been thinking. His answer was simple. “I knew I might get hurt, but I also knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to help him.”
We never know when we’ll be called on to demonstrate God’s love to someone else, but just like Jesus was willing to sacrifice for us, how can we live with ourselves if we do any less?
Share a time when you or someone you know sacrificed for someone else. Remember, sometimes the small sacrifices are just as life changing to the recipient as the large ones.
II. Love is a Verb
Many worldly definitions of love revolve around emotions. We see this concept illustrated in all types of popular culture, from television to movies to social media. Everywhere we look we see love illustrated as a feeling.
List some ways that emotional love can get us into trouble—individually and as a culture:
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When we look at God’s love, we see action. We see examples of missionary medical personnel willing to go into Ebola ravaged countries and teenagers spending time at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. That’s the key difference between God’s love and the world’s definition:
Worldly love is emotion, leading to action.
God’s love is action, leading to emotion.
God’s love is action, leading to emotion.
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 propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 1 John 4:9-11 (HCSB)
After reading 1 John 4:9-11, list the actions you see in this verse.
God’s love is active. This verse illustrates it so well.
- We see that God sent His son.
- We are to live through Him.
- He was the stand-in to take the punishment our sins required.
Not only do we see how God’s love is active, we are given the command to love in the same way. What are some practical ways we can live out this command, especially during this season?
III. Are We Willing?
So much of the Christmas story stems from a willingness to follow God. Read the Christmas story in Luke 2:1-20. Make a list of all the ways those in these verses demonstrated willingness to follow God. I’ll get you started:
- Mary followed God and was willing to be an unwed mother.
- Joseph followed God and was willing to marry an unwed mother.
I don’t think anything we could come up with for those at that first Christmas would fall under the heading of staying in their comfort zone. And yet, our expectations about Christmas as a culture have evolved into everything that’s supposed to be comfortable.
- The comfort of friends and family
- The comfort of familiar traditions
- The comfort of food and celebrations
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2 (HCSB)
There’s a dark world outside our comfort zone. Instead of thinking how we can reclaim comfort during this season, list some ways we can reach out and love those who are hurting. Remember...
A bell's
not a bell 'til you ring it,
A
song's not a song 'til you sing it,
Love
in your heart wasn't put there to stay,
Love
isn't love 'til you give it away.
-Oscar
Hammerstein
Our lesson this morning:
LOVE
"Is All You Need"
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Eros - Phileo - Agape
Do You Know The Difference?
Do You Know The Difference?
I. The World’s Definition vs. God’s
This is the second week of Advent, when we light the Love candle. This week we’ll be discussing how the world defines love versus how God defines love.
Love is a many splendored thing.
Love conquers all.
Love the one you're with.
Love me do.
Read John 3:16: “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. John 3:16 (HCSB)
How does the world see God’s love?
What is the difference between the world’s definition and Gods?
1. God’s love is all-encompassing
God does not select only the beautiful people, or the rich, or the successful to love; He loves the world. He loves us so much that He gave His Son in order that the world could be saved, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17 ESV cf. John 1:29). Notice that God’s love is for everyone in the world; whoever believes in Him.
We are to love others as God loves us. We are not to pick the nicest looking, most prestigious and popular people to love. God’s word even tells us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36). Jesus is our example and, as He was being crucified, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 ESV).
Many times, the world’s idea of love is to love those who can further your career or those from whom you can get something that you need. This is not a godly love.
2. God’s love is sacrificial
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8 ESV). Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, endured the pain of the cross (Hebrews 12:2) because He loves us. Jesus gave up His place with God in heaven in order to come down to earth, experience humility, shame, suffering, and death; so that anyone who trusts in Him will be forgiven of their sins and can enjoy the close personal relationship with Him for which they were created. It is astonishing that He did this voluntarily; motivated by His love for us.
Worldly love is selfish, self-serving, and cares more for what it gets from a relationship than what it gives to that relationship. Many marriages and friendships fail because this is the type of love the participant’s exhibit. Only when relationships are built on God’s love will they flourish.
3. God’s love is steadfast and unmovable
The apostle Paul, writing to the Roman Christians, assures us, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV). God’s love is sure. God loves us whether we respond to Him in love or not. His love for us is not based on our response, but on His character. The Bible says that God is love (I John 4:8, 16). Now, this does not mean that because God loves everyone people do not have any responsibility to respond to His love. What it means is that God is always ready to wrap us in His loving arms when we turn to Him in repentance and faith.
Many times, worldly love is fickle. Those who claim they love us are there during the good times, but are conspicuously absent when the going gets rough. God will not leave us in the tough times. Jesus promise is, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV).
4. God’s love is personal
God became personally involved in our salvation. The entire biblical record shows us that a large part of God’s character is that He is personal. He did not simply lay down a set of rules to follow and then sit down in Heaven to watch us attempt to keep those rules. On the contrary, the rules God gave were given to reveal to us the fact that we are unable keep enough rules to be holy, rather what makes us holy is a personal relationship with God. From Genesis to Revelation the witness of God’s Word is that God is a personal God who desires to have a personal relationship with every one of us.
Worldly love is oftentimes impersonal; it attempts to mimic true love by giving money instead of offering someone a shoulder to lean on. It calls itself ‘tolerant’ while overlooking all kinds of sinful and destructive behavior in the name of ‘love’. Only by knowing God, His character, and His Word, can we hope to understand even a small part of just how great God’s love is. Only by trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ, can we become an overflowing vessel of that godly love to share with a lost and hurting world.
Read John 15:13:
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
What does laying down our lives for a friend look like in real-life application?
- World War II story
- Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, kneeling, holds Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett's hand as Barrett is attended to by medical personnel during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat Michigan 42-28.
II. Love is a Verb
As we’ve discussed, many worldly definitions of love revolve around emotions. We see this concept illustrated in all types of popular culture, from television to movies to social media. Everywhere we look we see love as a feeling.
How can emotional love can get us into trouble, individually and as a culture.
This is the key difference between God’s love and the world’s definition:
Worldly love is emotion, leading to action.
God’s love is action, leading to emotion.
God’s love is action, leading to emotion.
Read 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 propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
List the actions seen in this verse.
- We see that God sent His son.
- We are to live through Him.
- He was the stand-in to take the punishment our sins required.
III. Are We Willing?
So much of the Christmas story stems from a willingness to follow God.
Read Luke 2:1-20. How did those in the Christmas story demonstrate a willingness to follow God?
Truthfully, I don’t think any of those in this story were in what we’d call their comfort zone. And yet we make elaborate plans just to ensure the comfort of this season.
Read Romans 12:1-2 and think of ways we can forgo our own comfort this season and reach out to those who are hurting. It’s easy to look inward to our comfort zone during Christmas. Let's try to push outside our comfort zones this Christmas.
Advent love does not come wrapped up in packages placed under a Christmas tree. Instead, it comes in the form of acts of selfless, earnest, heartfelt service offered up to one another with no expectation of anything in return.
Conclusion
The secular world has constructed an idea of love that is moving further and further away from true love that is found only in God. As with many things, godless people attempt to construct a false imitation of the reality. When it comes to love, humanity’s version is but a pale shadow compared to the truth of God’s love. The apostle Paul wrote a passage in First Corinthians that contains a concise picture of true love, God’s love:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV).
This is God’s love and it is this type of love that God would have us show to others - that's what God wants for Christmas!
See you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
