The Advent of Love | Sunday, December 22, 2024

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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)

Why does the Son of God enter a dark and dying world? Because God so loved that He gave.

Celebrating the Advent of Christ

Merry Christmas, Cross Connection Church. Christmas is just a few days away, and every year as we approach it we do what Christians have done for many centuries: we celebrate this period as Advent. Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means "the arrival." We are celebrating the arrival of Christ into this world.

For the last several years people haven't reminded me, but in years past someone would tell me it's highly unlikely Jesus was born on December 25th. You may be right—the odds are 1 in 365. But that's not the issue. Even historians skeptical of Christ's divinity, His death, and His resurrection will say the evidence supports the conclusion that Jesus was a man who walked upon the earth. The point is that He came into this world, and we are celebrating His arrival.

A Hope That Does Not Disappoint

Three Sundays ago Pastor Nick returned to the theme of hope, one of the four things we celebrate at Christmas. As the song says, "a thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices." When you study hope in the Scriptures, you discover that Christ brings a hope that does not disappoint.

Every one of us has been disappointed by the hope of this world—a Christmas present that never materialized, or a local sports team. But the hope we have in Christ is a sure and steadfast hope. It is not wishful thinking but an absolute certainty that what God has promised will come to pass, because God does not change and cannot lie. The book of Hebrews says this hope becomes an anchor for our souls.

Your soul is the part of you that experiences anxiety, stress, and worry. Research shows—and you probably feel it this time of year—that those things are heightened, even in a happy season. As you pull into store parking lots or prepare for family gatherings, you may feel your blood pressure rise. But the sure and steadfast hope we have in Christ anchors our soul even through troubling times.

The Peace That Surpasses Understanding

Two weeks ago Pastor Garrett spoke on peace—a peace, the Scriptures say, "not as the world gives." Peace treaties and accords in our culture are temporary. But the peace we have from God is a peace that, Philippians 4 says, surpasses our understanding. It's a peace you can't really explain.

As a pastor, I'll often show up with other pastors in an emergency room or hospital room to pray with people walking through a devastating diagnosis. Even there I've witnessed people who have this hope that does not disappoint, an anchor for their soul, and a rest and peace that is not explainable by this world—an inner rest in the midst of outer turmoil. That is one of the things Christ brings in His Advent.

Isaiah 9 foretells that "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." That peace, the Hebrew word Shalom, is how people greet you in Israel. The theologian Cornelius Plantinga defines Shalom as "universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—the way things ought to be." There is in us a desire for things to be much better, and that desire is not there by accident. The Prince of Peace will ultimately usher in the way things ought to be.

When Jesus came, He came as the embodiment of peace. He gives us peace from God so that we who once were at enmity with God could have peace with God, and then receive the peace of God. Romans 5 says we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2 says Jesus is our peace—He has broken down the middle wall of separation and reconciled us to God. He doesn't just bring peace; He is peace incarnate.

A Joy Increasing Unto Abundance for Eternity

Last week I shared how Christ's arrival brings a joy that is increasing unto abundance for eternity. The hope we have in Christ and the peace we have with God give us a rejoicing that is "up and to the right"—increasing unto fullness, and lasting forever.

The fullness of joy in my life is the result of abiding in God and in His word. In John 15 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." What words did He speak so their joy would be full? "Abide in My word and let My word abide in you." So the first step to increasing joy is to spend time in the word of God, allowing it to transform your mind and heart.

We're about nine or ten days out from a New Year, and many people resolve to spend more time in the Bible—often by reading through it in a year. You start strong in January, you get through Genesis and Exodus, but then you hit Leviticus, which I call the speed bump of the Bible. To make it easy, we created The Listening Plan nearly ten years ago. At thelisteningplan.com you can sign up to receive, by email or podcast, one chapter of the New Testament every weekday. It takes about five minutes a day to go from Matthew through Revelation in a year.

Jesus also said, "Abide in My love"—and we abide in His love by keeping His commandments, by doing what His word says. As you have God's word in your mind and heart and walk it out by His Spirit, your joy will increase, even in difficult circumstances. That was the very context of John 15: Jesus and His disciples were facing devastating trials. Apart from Christ there is no ultimate hope, joy, or peace. But Jesus is the key to a hope that does not disappoint, a peace that surpasses understanding, and a joy increasing unto abundance for eternity.

Justified by Faith: Romans 5

But, as they say on the late-night infomercial, "but wait, there's more." Today we finish our Advent series with the fourth theme: love. Turn to Romans chapter 5, where all four themes—hope, peace, joy, and love—are found, all ultimately in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes, "Therefore, having been justified by faith." I have to stop right there. Having been—past tense—justified by faith. This is so important: in Christ we are not hoping to one day be saved, living out our lives doing all the good we can in order to be saved. By trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we can say, "I have been justified by faith."

Maybe, like me, you've had an early Saturday morning interrupted by a knock at the door, and there are some lovely young men or older ladies from the Watchtower Society or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've had great, long conversations with them, and I'm grateful for their commitment, but I believe they misunderstand the nature of God and what the Scriptures teach. Years ago I asked two older ladies from the Watchtower Society, "Are you knocking on my door because you're concerned for my salvation, or for yours?" It's a challenging question, because in their theology the good works they do are primarily to try to get into Paradise. If that's the case, I don't have much hope, peace, or joy.

But because of the finished work of Christ, I can say, "having been justified by faith." As a result, Romans 5:1 says I now have peace with God. I don't go to church, serve, give, pray, or read the Bible in order to lay hold of salvation, but because of what Jesus did. Through Him we also have access by faith into His grace, in which we stand and rejoice—there's joy. And "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God"—there's hope, looking forward to Jesus returning.

If you do not know Jesus, you have every reason to be worried about His return. But the Christian justified by trust in Christ looks forward to it. If you ever ask someone who doesn't believe in God, "If there is a God, would you be concerned about meeting Him?"—they probably would be, because they haven't been perfect. Neither have I. But because of the finished work of Christ, we rejoice in hope.

We also glory in tribulations. What kind of person rejoices in difficult circumstances? Those whose hope is not in this life but in Christ's kingdom, where the increase of His government and peace shall never end. If that's my ultimate hope, then the worst possible experience in this life is still only the lowest of the low—and I can only look up from there. Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And this hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Brings the Love of God

Verse 6 continues: "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." Notice all the past tense: "having now been justified by His blood," "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God." And "we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

Point number one: Jesus is and brings the love of God to a dark and dying world. The arrival of Christ is the revelation and demonstration of the fullness of God's love. The most famous love verse of the Bible is not 1 Corinthians 13—it's John 3:16: "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." Who is the first Christmas gift-giver? God. What is the first Christmas gift? Christ.

For a number of Christmas seasons, Pastor Nick and I would go out with a camera and microphone on Black Friday. I had a stack of $5 Starbucks gift cards and would offer one for five minutes of someone's time. I'd ask, "You celebrate Christmas? Why?" Inevitably so many answers had nothing to do with Jesus, or people couldn't articulate His story. (Last year we found nobody shops in person anymore—it's all on Amazon.) But the reason this season is worth rejoicing in is that Christ came to bring hope, peace, joy, and love, and He is the demonstration of God's love. He loved you and me even when we were at our worst, even when we were His enemies.

Made Alive: Ephesians 2

Turn to Ephesians 2: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air... among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh... and were by nature children of wrath." Your past condition had nothing to look forward to but the wrath of God.

"But God"—beautiful words—"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... and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

What will God be doing in eternity? Revealing to us the exceeding riches of His grace. We don't yet fully comprehend the overwhelming greatness of God's grace, but in eternity He will reveal it. "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." Because of His great love—even while we were in rebellion and at enmity with Him—God poured out His mercy and grace in abundance, giving us hope, peace, and joy.

Jesus Is Love Incarnate

These things are not just what God gives; they describe who He is. He is hope, joy, peace, and love. Point number two: Jesus is love incarnate—love in the flesh.

In 1 John 4, the Apostle John writes, "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." If you've ever been in children's ministry, you may have a song ringing in your ears right now—and this is why I'm not on the worship team.

John continues, "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"—the atoning sacrifice—"for our sins." These are the first principles of the gospel, and because they are fundamental we can be tempted to leave them in the past: "Oh, I learned that long ago." But we need to be reminded constantly—and that's one reason we return to these simple truths every year. God loved you and loves you, even when you were at your worst.

Knowing and Making Known

1 John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us." We need to know this reality, because sometimes we question whether God loves us. People often say, "If you only knew how bad I am, all the horrible things I've thought, said, and done." First, I don't want to know all those things—but even so, God still loves you. We're tempted to think, "I get it that He loves that other person, but I don't think He could love me." Yes, He does, and He has demonstrated it.

But we don't only need to know this—we need to make it known. That verse doesn't end there: "and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." And in 1 John 4:11, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." What is the ethical result of God's love in my life? From the position of being the loved of God, I ought to love others.

God's Love Compels Our Love

Point number three: God's love for us compels our love for others—or at least it should. This is one of the principal signs that you've been transformed by the grace of God: there begins to be in your heart a love for other people that was not there before. By nature we can be rather misanthropic—we don't like people, and the more we get to know them, the less we may like them. (Some of you just had a person come to mind—hopefully it wasn't me.)

But the fruit of the Spirit is first and principally love. The first evidence that God is doing a work in your life is that He begins to change your attitude toward others. If that attitude is not changing toward love, it may be worth asking God, "Have I surrendered my life to You? I want Your Spirit and Your word to do a work in me, that I would love others as You love them."

The Greatest Gift to Share

What does God's love stir us to do? One manifestation of love is giving gifts to those we love. You probably don't randomly hand gifts to strangers—though it wouldn't be a bad idea. The gift itself is not your love, but an expression of it. And the heightened joy of the recipient receiving the very thing you knew they wanted increases your own joy. This is why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

There is no greater gift you can give to those you love this season than Jesus Christ—the truth of why He came and the good news of who He is. Point number four: God's love is meant to be shared with others. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

So this Advent we remember that Jesus came to bring a hope that does not disappoint, a peace that surpasses understanding, a joy increasing unto abundance for eternity, and the love of God. There are times we're worried about people's reactions, timid or embarrassed to share. But may God's grace and love overcome the obstacles of our frail flesh and stir us to share the good news of the greatest gift ever given in Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Father God, thank You for the truth of Your word, for these first principles of the gospel, and for this season we celebrate every year—regardless of the exact date of Your birth. We celebrate not the day but the reality that You came into this world as the embodiment of hope, peace, joy, and love. I pray we would rejoice today in Your love, mercy, and grace poured out upon us, and that we would be stirred over the next days to share it with whoever we celebrate with on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and into the new year. Stir our hearts to rejoice in You and to share the good news of the gospel. We thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy that bring hope, joy, and peace to us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those agreed said amen.