The Advent of Love | Sunday, December 17, 2023

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God... Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly... But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:1–8)

The coming of Jesus is the advent of love—the foundation beneath all the peace, hope, and joy of Christmas.

Four Weeks of Advent

Over the last four weeks we have been celebrating Advent, remembering the important themes the church has rejoiced in for centuries as it approaches Christmas: peace, hope, joy, and love. That classic carol we just sang was put together by George Whitfield and Charles Wesley in 1739, just before the Great Awakening began in America in 1740. You may not know those names, but they are very important in early American Christian history. It is good to sing familiar songs with great theological depth, songs that have been sung for a very long time.

Time goes by overwhelmingly fast. When you were a kid, Thanksgiving would come at the end of November and Christmas seemed an eternity away. Now January 1st comes, you blink, and it is Christmas again. Christmas is just eight days away.

The Peace That Christ Brings

Three Sundays ago I shared that the advent of Jesus is not only the arrival of the Messiah the prophets had predicted for centuries—it is the arrival of peace. The peace Jesus brings is, as the New Testament reveals, a peace that surpasses our understanding. It is a rest we experience even in tumultuous times and difficult circumstances, a peace we cannot fully explain, available to us in Jesus Christ. It comforts us at the soul level and strengthens our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Every single one of us needs that kind of peace—and so does everyone we know at work, school, or in our neighborhood. This becomes clear when we see the conflicts of recent years in Ukraine or in the Middle East. Something in us, whether we believe the Bible or not, says, "This is not the way it ought to be." That is why Isaiah calls Him the Prince of Peace. The Old Testament word shalom does not only speak of the cessation of violence; it speaks of total universal human wholeness. The Christian philosopher Cornelius Plantinga wrote that shalom is "universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight"—the way things ought to be.

Isaiah 9:6 promises that Christ will establish a kingdom, and of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. So God in Christ brings us peace from God and peace with God. We who once were in conflict with God are now able to be at peace with Him, and then we are given the peace of God because we are in relationship with the God of Peace.

When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly... having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5)

And He reconciles us not only to God but to one another. Because of sin, Genesis 3 introduced a separation between God and man, and between human beings. But in Christ we are reconciled.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation... so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. (Ephesians 2:14–15)

A Hope That Does Not Disappoint

Once we have peace with God, our relationship with Him renews a great hope. The hope promised to us in Jesus is a hope that does not disappoint. All of us have had hope shattered in this world. As children we so desperately wanted some gift—you may even remember circling things in the wishbook catalog and leaving it where mom and dad might see—and then woke up Christmas morning and didn't get it. That was wishful thinking, and those hopes often fall apart.

But the Scriptures speak of a hope that is sure and steadfast. The author of Hebrews says this hope is an absolute certainty, like an anchor for the soul—that part of us that experiences worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. So many people in our culture wrestle with those things. Romans 5 says this hope does not disappoint, because the things of this world are not enduring, but Christ Jesus is enduring and steadfast.

Joy That Increases Unto Abundance for Eternity

This sure hope and the peace of God increase our joy. The joy Scripture promises us in Jesus is a joy that endures into eternity. We begin to experience it at salvation, comprehend it more fully as we abide in Him and His Word, and grow in it as we live out His Word and abide in His love.

Every happy experience in this life has a beginning and an end. The fact that they end is what causes despair for so many; some people grow depressed even before a joyful event simply because they know it won't last. But the joy promised in Jesus is increasing unto abundance for eternity.

A pastor friend texted our group of pastors this week asking how we would simply define Christian joy. I told him: joy is the deep, abiding sense of contentment in Christ Jesus which gladdens the heart and rejoices the soul. Contentment is hard for me, and maybe for you, especially in a market-driven culture designed to make you feel you lack something. Everything in our commerce-driven economy is aimed at making you feel you'd be happier if you just had this new thing. Then you get it, you're not happy, and you're especially not happy when the bill comes—and three days later a new version comes out.

Paul wrote about this in Philippians, my favorite book:

I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11, 13)

Many people pull verse 13 out of context, like a football player before a big game—and all the Christians say, "Look, he quoted a Bible verse!" Yes, but the context is contentment. What Paul needs God's strength for is to be content. He wrote this from prison, facing possible execution, so he knows what it is to have nothing.

This joy is the fruit of the Spirit—Galatians 5 lists love first and joy second. It is the evidence of God's presence by His Spirit. It is independent of external circumstances, so you can be in the midst of trouble and still have it, whereas the happiness this world gives depends entirely on circumstances. It is rooted in God's love, grace, and salvation. Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

Line Upon Line

I hope all of this is simply a reminder of the same thing you have heard over and over. There is nothing new or novel here—this is what Christian ministers have shared with the church this time of year for centuries, and I am going to keep saying it. As Peter said, it is good to remind you of these things, even though you are established in the present truth.

I own the website lineuponline.com, and those words come from the prophet Isaiah, who lived 2,800 years ago. They were originally used as a phrase of derision against him. In Isaiah 28, the people who disliked him mocked him because he always predicted hard things. In the original language they jeered, "line, line, line, line; precept, precept, precept, precept"—calling him a redundant, repetitive machine. Isaiah essentially wore that as a badge of honor, because God's Word does come to us line upon line, precept upon precept. Every parent knows this: "Don't hit your sister, don't hit your sister." We need to hear things over and over because we have thick heads. The key to unlocking fullness of joy, a hope that does not disappoint, and a peace that surpasses understanding is Jesus Christ.

The Advent of Love (Romans 5)

If this were an infomercial, this is where I'd say, "But wait, there's more." I keep returning to Romans 5 because these concepts—joy, peace, hope, and now love—are all found in this passage.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God... and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1–5)

"Justified" means made right with a holy and righteous God, even though we are not right in ourselves. We have all fallen short of God's glory, and the wages of sin is death. Before you were justified, you were not hoping for the coming of God. A few years ago I saw a billboard that said, "Jesus is coming, and boy is He angry." You might make a case for that—it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, which is what Jonathan Edwards aimed at in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, which I had to read in tenth grade English. But having been justified by faith, you now rejoice in hope of His coming.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:8–9)

Before the cross, all we had to look forward to was the wrath of God, and no one looks forward to that with joy. But now, having been reconciled to God through the death of His Son, we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Point one: Jesus is and brings the love of God to a dark and dying world. This is what the season is all about.

It Doesn't Matter About December 25th

You may have seen Bill Maher, the atheist comedian, ranting this week about Christians, mocking us because Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. I don't know a single Christian pastor or theologian who argues that He was. I don't know that He was, and I don't care if He was—the odds are one in 365. That is not the point. We are celebrating what His coming brings.

And we know with certainty that He came. Every historian, even skeptics, agree Jesus is a historical figure born about 2,000 years ago in what we know as Judea. The greatest, best-known skeptical historian, Bart Ehrman, has even written a book against those who claim Jesus is a myth. The point is that He came—to justify you and me, to give us peace with God, hope in God, and joy increasing unto abundance for eternity. And it is all founded on the love of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

That is the basis of our hope, joy, and peace—the love of God in Jesus Christ.

But God, Who Is Rich in Mercy

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world... fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (Ephesians 2:1–3)

Before you trusted Christ, you walked in sin and were exposed to the coming wrath of God—that was your only expectation. Then come two beautiful words:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:4–9)

Because of His great love—even when you were dead in trespasses—God redeemed and saved you. That is why we can have peace with God, hope in God, and joy increasing unto abundance for eternity.

Jesus Is Love Incarnate

This great love is not just something God does; it is who He is. God is love, and Jesus is God incarnate—in the flesh—therefore point two: Jesus is love incarnate. His coming is the embodiment of love, and that love is demonstrated in what He did, which we'll celebrate in three months.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:7–10)

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. (1 John 3:16)

Why So Many Doubt God's Love

You need to know this yourself. In many conversations over many years, I've found that a lot of Christians doubt that God actually loves them—they feel God just puts up with them.

During the COVID season in 2020, a friend of mine who is a marriage and family therapist told me her schedule was crazy with people battling anxiety, worry, fear, and depression. Her insight was that people have a hard time sitting alone with their thoughts. Why? Because when we sit alone, we are reminded of the wrong things we thought, did, and said, and we feel guilt and shame—and I think the enemy likes to come in there too.

Now, guilt and shame are not necessarily bad. If you did wrong, you should feel them. But in Christ they should drive us to grace, because He loved us when we were still dead in our sins. The conviction of the Holy Spirit drives us to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy in our time of need. "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Many people say, "You just don't know all the things I've done." I don't want to know—but God knows all of it, and He still loves you. The problem is that people live not under the conviction of the Spirit that leads to confession and grace, but under condemnation, which drives them to isolate from God and from people: "I can't go to church—you don't know all the bad things I've done." Listen, this church is not full of perfect people. If you think you found a perfect church, you didn't—and you just made it more imperfect by showing up. We are all in desperate need of God's love and grace.

Compelled to Love and to Give

When you begin to grasp this, it increases your peace, hope, and joy—not based on your goodness, but on His. And you need to share it. There is no greater gift you can give than the good news of the love, joy, hope, and peace Jesus brings.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

That is the ethical imperative. If you've received God's love, how should you respond? Point three: God's love for us compels us to love others—and one of the most loving things you can do is share the gospel.

A week from now you will likely exchange gifts. Why do we do that? We love to receive gifts, and as we mature we discover that Jesus' words are true: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." But where does this impulse come from? I want to suggest it comes from being made in God's image, for God is the greatest Gift Giver: "For God so loved the world that He gave." May the love of God you've received compel you to give to others. By all means give a tangible gift—hopefully one you can actually pay for without a mountain of interest—but make sure you give the greatest gift, the gospel.

Remembering His Love at the Table

Point four: God's love is meant to be shared with others. Wonderfully, before Jesus demonstrated His love on the cross, He gathered with His disciples the night before and gave them a tangible way to remember His love—something we can experience with our senses: touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste—through communion.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (1 Corinthians 11:23–25)

So we partake of the bread and the cup, remembering His body broken for us and His blood shed for us—all a demonstration of God's love.

Closing Prayer

God, I pray that You would help us focus our hearts and minds upon You and what You did for us. In a very simple way You have given us something sensory and tangible to remember Your love—Your body broken and Your blood shed. All of it is essentially necessary so that we could have peace with You, hope in You, and joy increasing unto abundance for eternity. As we celebrate Christmas a week from tomorrow, keep these things on our minds and in our hearts, and would You challenge each of us this week to share this reality with someone—maybe many, but at least one. We thank You, Father, for the gift You have given us because of Your great love. We rejoice in You, and we thank You for Your goodness. In Jesus' name, amen.