Advent Lesson "Love" December 7, 2014

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 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?

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.

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.

Finally, consider that not only do we see how God’s love is active, we’re commanded to do likewise. How, during this season and at other times, we can live out this command?



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

Advent Lesson "Hope" November 30, 2014

This study was written to help believers return to the true meaning of Christmas. So much of what we believe has been appropriated by popular culture and diluted. The power of this season comes from the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It’s only when we re-examine the foundations of this advent season—Hope, Love, Peace and Joy—that we can introduce others to the reason for the season. 

November 30, Hope

The Hopelessness the World offers versus the Hope of Jesus.

I. Defining Hope

This is the first week of Advent, when we light the Hope candle. This week we’ll be discussing hopelessness the world offers versus the hope of Jesus. 

The world has an odd definition of hope. It falls in the realm of wishful thinking. Unfortunately, many Christians have appropriated that definition. The Miriam Webster Online Dictionary gives these primary definitions:

Hope: (transitive verb) to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.

Hope: (noun) the feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen
: a feeling that something good will happen or be true
: the chance that something good will happen
: someone or something that may be able to provide help : someone or something that gives you a reason for hoping

This is part of the picture. But it doesn’t incorporate the true depth of what our hope in Jesus encompasses. For us, hope is much more than wishful thinking. It’s a certainty—a guarantee—given to us from the Creator. The only uncertain part of our hope is the timeframe. God doesn’t often tell us when, only that His promises will come to pass. The when is the part of the equation that grows our faith and glorifies Jesus.

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (HCSB) 

What guaranteed hope does God offer in these verses?

• He guarantees our welfare and our future.

• He guarantees to be found when we search for Him.

• He guarantees that He will restore our fortunes.

• He will gather us from all the nations and bring us back to Him.

For me, hope has been—and still is—a lifeline. Our oldest son went straight from high school graduation, to Marine Corps boot camp, to Iraq. I came face-to-face with one of a parent’s worst nightmares. My son could die, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

When I spent 33 years praying that my father would accept Jesus as his Lord, I kept praying because of the hope I had in God.

Hope in God does two basic things for us. It increases our perspective and narrows our focus. It gives us God’s perspective, increasing our own to an eternal timeframe. This helps us see what we, or others around us, are experiencing through God’s eyes. It narrows our focus by taking our eyes off the temporary and redirecting them to God. When we stay focused on Him, everything that happens is sifted through the HOPE that only He can provide.

II. The Foundation of Hope
We are, in so many ways, a cynical society. We’ve been trained to look for the small print and immediately doubt anything that’s been promised. Beyond that, so much of the hope the world promises is just empty words.

For the mature believer, most of the time, being certain we can trust God isn’t an issue. But sometimes life hits below the belt. Whether it’s us that has doubts, or someone else, we must rely on more than a feeling that God’s hope is true. For this we must have a foundation on which to base our hope.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB)

How does II Timothy 3:16-17 fuel our hope?
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This verse gives us a solid foundation to work from. It assures us that we can build our hope on something tangible. It’s not just a feeling, but something real to go back to when the struggles come.

In addition, we can look to the proof that God has provided within creation itself. Think about some of the tough times you’ve been through. How has looking at God’s creation brought hope?

For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Romans 1:20-23 (HCSB)

III. Jesus is Our Ultimate Hope
Life is hard. That’s a fact. And no matter what we try to do, unfortunate things will happen. So often it’s not just one thing, but thing after thing after thing. At times the hardships of life can pound us like waves beating at a shoreline. But we have a choice about where we look for hope when those storms come.

By turning to Jesus, we put our hope in a real person. He was born a flesh and blood baby, lived a real life; and died as a flesh and blood man. Beyond that, He rose again, proving that death could not conquer Him. 

There are also so many programs, so many things and people that try to offer us a counterfeit hope.


But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without selfcontrol, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people! II Timothy 3:1-56

List some examples of the form of godliness that the world puts forth.
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That’s why we must be wise enough to evaluate the hope that’s offered to us. For example, I read just the other day, that studies have been done that shows that spending some quiet time each day, meditating is good for our health. You and I know it isn’t the meditation that’s good for stress reduction, but the time spent praying and reading God’s word. But the world just can’t get behind that idea. It’s too limiting, and it doesn’t leave people with enough choices. It’s a form of godliness, but without power.

The world would have us believe that relying on Jesus Christ is a crutch, something only the weak and weak-minded would need. It’s a cunning twist of truth, because there is a kernel of truth in it. The weak do need Christ, but what the world won’t say is that, without Jesus, we’re all weak. 

Consider this. We have the hope of Jesus Christ. How can we let the power of God work through us this Christmas season and give hope to a world who’s forgotten what true hope is?

What is Advent?

Advent is the season of the year leading up to Christmas. The word advent itself means “arrival” or “an appearing or coming into place.” Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth. His first advent would be the Incarnation—Christmastime.

The Advent season lasts for four Sundays. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or the nearest Sunday to November 30. Advent ends on Christmas Eve and thus is not considered part of the Christmas season. The Advent celebration is both a commemoration of Christ’s first coming and an anticipation of His second coming. Just as Israel longed for their Messiah to come, so Christians long for their Savior to come again.



This is the first week of Advent, when we light the Hope candle. This week we’ll be discussing the kind of hope the world offers versus the hope of Jesus.



What are some ways that the world offers hope?

• Restored beauty
• Political promises
• Advertising that promises things by what we buy

Can the world guarantee this hope offered? Why or why not?

Psychologists Lists 9 Types of Hopelessness

There are nine forms of hopelessness, each related to the disruption of one or more of the basic needs that comprise hope.

1. Alienation: Alienated individuals believe that they are somehow different. Moreover, they feel as if they have been cut loose, no longer deemed worthy of love, care, or support. In turn, the alienated tend to close themselves off, fearing further pain and rejection.
2. Forsakenness: The word refers to an experience of total abandonment that leaves individuals feeling alone in their time of greatest need.
3. Uninspired: Feeling uninspired can be especially difficult for members of underprivileged minorities, for whom opportunities for growth and positive role models within the group may be either lacking or undervalued.
4. Powerlessness: Individuals of every age need to believe that they can author the story of their life. When one feels incapable of navigating one’s way toward desired goals, a feeling of powerlessness can set in.
5. Oppression: Oppression involves the subjugation of a person or group. The word “oppressed” comes from Latin, to “press down,” and its synonym, “down-trodden,” suggests a sense of being “crushed under” or “flattened.”
6. Limitedness: When individuals feel limited they experience themselves as deficient, lacking in the right stuff to make it in the world. This form of hopelessness is all too common among the poor as well as those struggling with severe physical handicaps or crippling learning disabilities.
7. Doom: Individuals weighed down by despair presume that their life is over, that their death is imminent. Like those diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness as well as those who see themselves worn out by age or infirmity. Such individuals feel doomed, trapped in a fog of irreversible decline.
8. Captivity: Two forms of hopelessness can result from captivity. The first consists of physical or emotional captivity enforced by an individual or a group. Prisoners fall into this category as well as those help captive in a controlling, abusive relationship. We refer to this as “other-imprisonment.” An equally insidious form of entrapment is “self-imprisonment. This occurs when individuals cannot leave a bad relationship because their sense of self will not allow it.
9. Helplessness: Helpless individuals no longer believe that they can live safely in the world. They feel exposed and vulnerable, like a cat after being declawed or a bird grounded by a broken wing.

What type of hope can the world offer in these situations?



How does the world define hope?

• It falls in the realm of wishful thinking. Unfortunately, many Christians have appropriated that definition. Webster’s dictionary gives the following definitions: to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true. The feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen.

How does the Christian define hope?

• For us, hope is much more than wishful thinking. It’s a certainty – a guarantee – given to us from the Creator. The only uncertain part of our hope is the time frame. God doesn’t often tell us when, only that His promises will come to pass. The when is the part of the equation that grows our faith and glorifies Jesus.

Someone read Jeremiah 29:11-14. What guaranteed hope does God offer in these verses?


11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”


What guaranteed hope does God offer in these verses?

THE HOPE OF ADVENT: COMING ALIVE IN CHRIST

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed father looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. But the day came when war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram that his beloved son had been killed while carrying a fellow soldier to a medic.


On Christmas morning a knock came at the door of the old man’s home, and as he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.” “I’m an artist,” said the soldier, “and I want to give you this.” As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of his son. Though the art critics would never consider the work a piece of genius, the painting did feature the young man’s face in striking detail, and seemed to capture his personality.


The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation! According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned. The day soon arrived, and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum’s list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” he asked. Minutes passed with not a sound from those who came to buy. From the back of the room someone callously called out, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s forget it and go on to the important paintings.” There were other voices which echoed in agreement. But the auctioneer replied, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. “I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it. I will bid the $100.” “I have a bid for $100,” called the auctioneer. “Will anyone go higher?” After a long silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once. Going twice. Gone.” The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone was heard to say, “Now we can get on with it!” But the auctioneer looked at the audience and announced the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, “What do you mean it’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars worth of art here! We demand that you explain what’s going on!” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son... gets it all.”




This is the essence of the story of Christmas: Whoever takes the Son gets it all. The Bible puts it like this: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). The one who has the Son has it all. Jesus is the hope of the world.



I want you to think for a minute what the world would be like if Jesus had never been born.




What would the world be like if Jesus had never been born?

• We would not have the high expressions in music that came from men like Bach and Beethoven. We would not have Handel’s “Messiah.”
• Harvard and Yale would not exist, because they were started as Christian institutions of higher learning.
• Our way of dating history would be completely different, since all of history is divided into the things which occurred before Christ and the things which occurred after Christ.
• There would not be churches on every corner of our cities.
• There would be no Y.M.C.A.
• We would have half a Bible.
• We would not have heard of the love of a personal God.
• God would never have visited the world and we would have no hope of His returning to the earth.
• There would be no Christmas — no gifts symbolic of God’s greatest gift. There would be no Christmas carols or hymns.
• The world without Jesus would be “always winter and never Christmas.”
• Without Jesus, Mary Magdalene would have died in her sin. Matthew, the tax collector, would still have been a traitor to his countrymen. The Roman soldier would have continued his cruelty. Peter, James and John would have done nothing more with their lives than fish for a living. The Apostle Paul would never have been more than a cruel Pharisee steeped in legalism with an unrelenting demand for perfection from other people.
• The people who needed healing during the time would still have been broken in body and spirit. The lame would still have been lame; the blind would have remained in their darkness; the deaf would have still lived in silence.
• We would never have heard the words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27); or “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11); and “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Because of Jesus we are promised a new life and a guaranteed hope of three important truths:


1. We know what God is like. The coming of Christ gave us a living picture of who God is. Christ’s coming put a face on God. The Bible says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:15-16). This is what we mean by the incarnation — God came to earth wrapped in a human body. The God of heaven came to live among us that we might know what He is truly like. He came to teach us. He came to die for us that we might be forgiven. He rose from the dead to help us know that we too will be raised. He ascended to the Father to intercede for us. He promised that He will return so that eternal hope would burn in our hearts. He opened the doors of heaven.


This is why we sing about Emmanuel at Christmas — God is with us. He was with us 2000 years ago, and He is with us now in this present moment to show us what God is like. We have a God who cared enough to come. No other religion in the world can make that claim. He showed us what He was like and His name was love. He was the friend of sinners and failures. He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He taught us not to use the values of this world to determine our worth, for He said, “The last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16). He taught us that our value to God was more important than what anyone else thought about us. And because Christ showed us what God was like, we want to be like Him. We have been transformed by His grace and renewed by His love. We extend grace to others because it has been so wonderfully extended to us. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We give because He gave to us. We live because He has given us eternal life. Because Jesus came, we know what God is like.




2. We know our sins are forgiven. Think for a moment of the worst thing you have ever done — the thing that makes your brain burn with shame. And then think of what it would be like if Jesus had not come and you could not be forgiven for your sin. What would that be like? Your guilt would never be relieved, and condemnation would always be hanging over your head. But since Jesus came, forgiveness has come to those of us who have received the grace that Christ came to offer. We know the freedom that forgiveness brings. We can forgive ourselves and others because we have experienced the liberating forgiveness that Jesus Christ came to give us. But if Jesus had never come, we would have only commandments to follow, and we would never hear the great words of the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall 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” (John 3:16-17). We would be missing a Savior. There would be no talk of forgiveness and reconciliation to God, only laws to be obeyed. Grace would not be a word in our vocabulary. We would talk about justice, and people getting what they deserved, rather than finding mercy with God. If Jesus had never come, the woman caught in adultery would never have heard the words: “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). The Bible says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). We are children of God because we have been forgiven as an act of the grace Jesus Christ made possible by His atoning death. It is as simple, and as difficult, as humbling ourselves and asking for the forgiveness which He offers. But this is more than forgiveness; it brings about a transformation in our lives. The Bible says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christ came to not only cleanse our hearts, but to change our hearts. We are being transformed into His character more and more with each passing day. Because we live with Him, we are becoming like Him. His Holy Spirit is working in us to produce His image.




3. We know we will live eternally in heaven. Heaven was made possible by Jesus. As the hymn says, “Christ has opened Paradise, Alleluia!” Think about what the world would feel like if there was no hope of heaven. What would you say at the funeral of a loved one if Jesus had not come? There would be no hope beyond the grave. You could not talk about heaven, or any reason to hope for eternal life with God — only the reality of dissolving into the night. The Bible says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:19). If Jesus Christ had not come, there would be no book of Revelation; no hope for a returning Savior who would overcome the world and open heaven for us. There would be no hope of hearing the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21). There would not be any hope of a resurrection — not even the concept of one. There would be no eternal life. Nothing to anticipate, except the closing of the casket lid and the coldness of the grave. But because Jesus came, all that has changed. We live in joyful anticipation of what is yet to come.




In his book Dare to Believe, Dan Baumann illustrates what it is like to know that something is yours even though you have to wait for it. You may even have it in hand, but are not able to enjoy it “out of the box.” He says that when he was young he always did a lot of snooping at Christmas time, trying to find his gift and figure out what was in the wrapped packages which his Mom hid. One year he discovered a large package with his name on it that he knew was a set of golf clubs. One shake of that box revealed the unmistakable sound of clubs. He says, “When Mom wasn’t around, I would go and feel the package, shake it, and pretend that I was on the golf course. The point is, I was already enjoying the pleasures of a future event; namely, the [unwrapping]. It had my name on it. I knew what it was.” It was his, but it would not be handed over to him until Christmas morning. Then he would see with his eyes what before he had only seen with his heart.



Christmas means that Christ has given us the gift of heaven. At this point it is still wrapped. But the package has our name on it. We know what awaits us. It is ours. We would never have received the gift if it were not for Christmas. But we wait longingly for the day when we will enjoy the gift of heaven in all of its unwrapped wonder. As the Bible says, “But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). The day will come when we too will hear the words, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).




Because Jesus came, we know what God is like. We experience forgiveness for our sins and the transformation of our hearts and minds. We have received the promise of heaven and eternal life. What better gifts could we ask for? 

See you on Sunday!

In his Love,

David & Susan