The Gift of Love | Sunday, December 11, 2022

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Joyful, holy nations, arise! Join the triumph of the skies with angelic hosts proclaiming, "Christ is born in Bethlehem." Hark! The Herald Angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King! Glory to the newborn King!"

Feel the hand from peace. Hail the sun of righteousness, light and light to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lay His glory by.

Good morning, Cross Connection Church! I genuinely hope that you are having a great start to this holiday season. As you can see behind me here in our Sanctuary, we definitely have the Christmas spirit at Cross Connection Church. As I shared with you last week and have shared many times before, for me, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Now, listen. Before we get into the Scriptures today, I want to let you know that at the end of our time together, at the end of our message, we are going to partake of communion. If you are here with us on the Sunday morning that this is broadcasting on YouTube, then we will be partaking of communion together at Cross Connection Church. This is something that we do as a church every seventh Sunday.

Since you are not here with us in our Sanctuary ready to partake of communion, you can partake anytime that you would like. If you happen to have some bread or a cracker and some juice, you might want to go and grab that right now. As I said, at the end of the service, we will partake together. If you don't have those items, you can do this another time or replay this another time during the week. I hope that you will take some time to partake of communion. We will talk more about that when we get to the end of the message.

Now, if you have ever been to a wedding before, then it is a good possibility that you have heard the words from the Apostle Paul in the book of First Corinthians, chapter 13.

Read these words at the beginning of the chapter: Paul says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become like a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." This is the beginning of what is commonly referred to as the love chapter in the Bible.

Today, we are going to be talking a little bit about love as we are in an Advent series here at our church, approaching Christmas just a couple of weeks away. This Advent season, we are talking about the gifts of God. As I shared with you last week, I don't think there's a single person who does not love receiving and even giving gifts. For most children, including my kids, the gifts are generally speaking the best part of the Christmas season. It is what most kids look forward to the most as they approach Christmas. Of course, they are also looking forward to not going to school and all the other things that go along with it, but if you ask any kid, they will pretty much tell you that their favorite part about Christmas is opening the Christmas presents.

One of the amazing things that you probably have experienced, especially if you have children, is that as you get older and become an adult, you typically discover that Jesus's words are true when He says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The reason I think that we love to give gifts is because God, the Creator who made you in His image, is the gift-giving God. God loves to give gifts.

So, in this Advent series here at Cross Connection Church, we are talking about some of the gifts that God has given to us. Those good gifts from our good God have been given to us for our enjoyment. They have been given to us not only for our enjoyment, but as we enjoy those good gifts that our good God has given to us, that joy and enjoyment abound to the praise and glory of God. You enjoying the gift that God gave you brings Him glory.

Gifts that God has given to us are meant for our enjoyment and for us to praise and bring glory to Him. As we enjoy those gifts, we are able to be a blessing to others. God has blessed you and me with innumerable gifts to be a blessing to others and to bring Him glory and praise. We are to enjoy the things that He has given to us.

Each of us has gifts that God has bestowed upon us. Some of these gifts are general gifts, which all of us partake in, while others are more specific to each individual. As each one has received a gift, God has given each of us certain talents and abilities, and He wants us to use those gifts—both the general and the specific. God has graciously given them to us so that we would enjoy them, use them to the praise of the glory of His grace, and steward them in a way that they would be a blessing to others.

I want to emphasize this important truth: God has blessed me and blessed you to be a blessing. As we come to the Scriptures today, I want to talk about the gift that God has given to all of us, which is one of the greatest gifts of all. This gift is spoken about in the passage in First Corinthians chapter 13 that I began with. God has gifted us in abundance with His love.

To encapsulate what I want to convey in this Advent message, I would say it plainly: love is a good gift from God, demonstrated and given to us for our joy, enjoyment, and for the praise of the glory of God's grace, as well as for the blessing of others.

Before we delve deeper into that point, I want to back up a little bit. We live in a culture that is rather scientifically reductionistic, focused on natural causes for virtually everything. We tend to break everything down to its basic constituent parts and explain everything we can in a naturalistic or scientific manner. When it comes to love, we have a tendency to reduce this whole concept down to just the biomechanics of it—the biochemical mechanics of it.

I'm sure you've heard that song from the early 90s that asks the question, "What is love?" Science tries to explain what love is, but I would suggest that the answer science gives leaves something to be desired. According to science, love can be broken down into three basic categories, each characterized by its own hormones.

The first category, when scientists look at love, is what we would generally call lust. Lust is characterized by testosterone in males and estrogen in females. From lust, we move to attraction, which is characterized by hormones such as dopamine and serotonin. Finally, we transition from attraction to attachment, which is characterized by hormones like oxytocin and vasopressin.

In our naturalistically reductionistic society, when asked the question posed by that great song from the 1990s, "What is love?" we often answer that it is just a biochemical interaction within our bodies and our brains' response to those biochemicals. The reaction taking place is simply the presence of these various chemicals in our system, and that's it. However, this is not a very good answer to the question of what love really is. Frankly, the scientific explanation leaves much to be desired.

We all know that this is not a sufficient explanation of love. The problem is that love is not something that is easily defined or explained. Science has a very difficult time explaining things like love. This experience we all share is challenging to define or explain in our culture. It's similar to a situation many years ago, back in the 1960s, when there was a Supreme Court case dealing with lewdness and pornography. One of the Supreme Court Justices, Potter Stewart, when asked about pornography, famously wrote that it is difficult to perfectly gauge or define, but he knows it when he sees it.

It's kind of the same with love as well. We don't really know exactly how to explain or define it, but we know it when we see it. We may not be able to perfectly describe or explain what love is, but we know it when we experience it.

The Bible is somewhat like science; it speaks about love in three categories. Science talks about lust, attraction, and the kind of affection that takes place in love. The Bible also discusses love in three categories. It talks about lust and uses the Greek words "epithymia" or "Eros." Eros is where we get our idea of erotic or romantic love. It represents a longing or desire for someone.

From lust, we move to affection. Affection uses the Greek words "phileo" and "storge." Phileo refers to brotherly kindness or brotherly love, while storge is the affection that you feel within a family for family members. The third kind of love moves from lust to attraction to devotion, which is represented by the Greek word "agape." Agape is defined as love, but it is also sometimes defined as charity. It embodies a sacrificial devotion sort of love.

It is likely that you are not a Greek scholar, and neither am I, but I think it's helpful to note that the Greek language, which is the language of the New Testament of the Bible, has multiple words for love. English is honestly a little deficient in this area when it comes to the idea of love. We will say things like, "I love my dog," and "I love Chick-fil-A," and then we will say, "I love my wife," and "I love my children."

We all know somewhat intuitively that we mean different things when we say that we love tacos, or we love Chick-fil-A, and we love our children, and we love our spouse. I hope we mean different things when we express those sentiments. However, it isn't entirely clear. We assume, and you would hope, that my love for my wife and for my children is different and greater than my love for my dog or Chick-fil-A, but you can't tell just from the language because the English language is rather deficient in this area.

If you're interested in a more in-depth discussion on these different kinds of love within the Greek language, C.S. Lewis, the author of the great children's novels "The Chronicles of Narnia," wrote a wonderful book on this exact subject many years ago.

Called "The Four Loves," I highly recommend that you read it. In it, C.S. Lewis writes about the different kinds of love in the Greek language. He discusses Eros, phileo, storge, and then agape. He says that without Eros, that romantic love and deep desire, none of us would have been begotten or conceived. However, without affection, that deeper love of phileo and storge within a family, none of us would have been raised or reared.

I would add to Lewis—although it's probably not the smartest thing to try to add to C.S. Lewis—but I will do it anyway. I would say that without agape, that deep sacrificial devotion sort of love, all of us would be damned. I think we all recognize that it is true to say that the gift of love is essential for life. This is true from the initial act of Creation when God created all things. He created because of love, and it is also true for every true act of procreation that follows after what God has made. God created as an act and an expression of His love, and we procreate as an act and expression of our love. In fact, we call it making love. When children are brought forth, the true fruit of making love is having children; it is an act of love.

So, it is clearly true that the gift of love is essential for life. There is no life without love, and it is just as valid to say that there is no life without God. Both statements are true because God is love, as the Apostle John observes in the New Testament letter, First John, chapter 4.

I think it is important to call to mind that Christmas is an annual reminder, just as Easter is, of God's great love. The celebration of Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation of God—God coming into this world. God came into the world 2,000 years ago as a little baby child born in Bethlehem. He did so because of love. Why did Jesus come into the world? The most famous verse of the Bible, the most translated verse of the Bible, is John chapter 3, verse 16, where John writes, "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."

Similar to it, the concept of love is found later on in another of John's writings. In First John, chapter four, he says, "In this, the love of God was manifested towards 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."

As I've mentioned several times, that cheesy song from the 90s asks the question, "What is love?" Our culture and science may not be able to perfectly describe or explain what love is. We may know it when we see it, but it is most clearly pictured and demonstrated in Christmas and the Easter that follows. The coming of Christ and the crucifixion of Christ reveal a very clear and beautiful truth: the gift of love shines in the Incarnation. Christmas is all about the Incarnation—the coming of the Incarnate Son of God, the love of God into this world.

Typically, when we think of God's love demonstrated, we tend to think about the death of Christ on the cross, which we will discuss more in a little bit as we partake of communion. It is certainly true that Jesus's death on the cross demonstrates God's love, just as Paul expresses in the New Testament book of Romans. However, there is no cross on Good Friday at Calvary, and no Resurrection on Easter, without the Incarnation at Christmas. God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, but that love started when Jesus came into this world.

Another cheesy song asks, "What's love got to do with it?" as it relates to Christmas and Easter. Everything that Jesus did—making Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men, humbling Himself—is an expression of God's love for us.

There are many Christians who have a hard time with the Christmas season because of the commercialization and the distractions that accompany it. I understand that discouragement or concern that Christians have. Maybe you share this sentiment with me and my wife. We both love the animated classic "Charlie Brown Christmas."

Brown's problem with Christmas is the distraction of the commercialization of the holiday. It frustrated him, and it is a lot worse today than it was when the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" movie aired all the way back in the early 1960s. At the climax of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie Brown cries out, asking, "Does anyone know what Christmas is all about?"

There are many things that have been added to Christmas in our culture—many attachments, if you will—that can be distractions and take away from the true point and focus of this holiday. Amidst all the joy and celebration, we need to do our best to remind people that this holiday is all about the love of God expressed in the gift of Jesus Christ coming into the world at Christmas. The gift of love is the gift that is Christ Jesus. He is, as we say, the reason for the season.

I know it's cliché to say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but I don't mind if it is cliché because that just means it has stuck within our cultural consciousness, or at least I hope that it has. I hope that it never goes away. Unfortunately, I think there is a good possibility that people are failing to recognize and remember that this is true. Therefore, we need to be those who remind people as often as we can of the truth that Jesus is the reason for this season.

This season, Christmas, points to Christ and the love of God because Jesus is the love of God coming into this world. So, back to where I began a few minutes ago when we started this message: love is a good gift from our good God, demonstrated and given to us for our joy, enjoyment, and for the praise and glory of God and His grace, as well as for the blessing of others. Jesus is God's gift of love given for our joy, so that we would enjoy that gift and rejoice in it.

That's why, when we come into the holiday season, we sing "Joy to the World, the Lord has come; let Earth receive her King." His coming into this world is the Advent of love and the Advent of joy. This is what we see in one of the classic Christmas passages of the Bible, all the way back in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. I love this passage every single time.

At this time of year, we often read from Isaiah chapter 9, especially during Christmas. Beginning at verse 1, we find these words: "Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the Gentiles."

The prophet, in this passage, is writing to the children of Israel before they are about to go through a distressing and dark time in their history, where they will experience oppression from their enemies. He states, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." For those who are in the midst of darkness, he proclaims that a great light is going to come and shine upon them, particularly in the region of Galilee, where Jesus will come many hundreds of years after Isaiah is prophesying this.

In verse 3, he continues, "You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian." He describes how every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle and the garments rolled in blood will be used for burning, as fuel for the fire.

The prophet conveys that even though the people will go through a dark, distressing, and gloomy time in their history, they will experience a great joy that will come upon them. This joy will be like the joy of bringing in the harvest or the joy of winning a great victory.

All of this leads up to verse 6 of Isaiah chapter 9: "For unto us a child is born." This raises the question of where this joy will come from, a joy that brings light to those in darkness, akin to winning a great victory in battle or reaping a bountiful harvest. The answer is found in the next part of the verse: "Unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will sit upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

In this passage, the prophet Isaiah is addressing the reality that Israel will go through a dark and difficult time in their history. Their enemies will come and oppress them, and they will find themselves in a land filled with thick darkness. However, there is hope and light on the horizon.

A glorious light is going to come and shine upon those who were in darkness. This light is going to bring joy, like the joy of a great harvest, like the joy of victory in battle. The source of this light and this joy is a child that is born, a son that is given, a ruler, a king who is going to come and have an everlasting rule and an everlasting reign. Jesus is the light that shines to those who are in darkness, those who are under this great burden of oppression from their enemies.

Jesus brings light to those who are in darkness. He brings joy and rejoicing, a joy and rejoicing that is greater than any harvest you could ever bring in, any bonus check you could ever receive, or any victory you could ever have in any sort of battle. Jesus is the one who brings this great joy. The gift of love in Christ brings great joy, and that is what Christmas is all about. This is why the message of Jesus is called the Gospel, which means good news. His coming means great joy; his coming means the endless reign of a righteous King.

He is the one who is called in this passage the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the one who brings joy and rejoicing forever and ever. He is the one who will rule in righteousness forever and ever. He is the Incarnation of love, this gift of love that brings great joy. It is meant to be enjoyed by us and to bring glory to God's grace, praise to His grace. But it is also meant to be shared; it is meant to be shared with other people.

Returning to the passage I began with in First Corinthians chapter 13, Paul writes, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I become as a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, if I have not love, it profits me nothing."

What does Paul talk about in that passage? He is basically saying that we can have and give every possible gift you could imagine, any sort of earthly gift. We could have it or give it, but without love, it means nothing.

But if we do not have and give this most important gift—the gift of love—then all of those other gifts are basically pointless. This Christmas, you may have a lot of gifts in your home, underneath the Christmas tree, or just ready to be given to your kids or your family members. You may give gifts to your kids, to your spouse, or to your extended family and friends. However, if you do not have the love of God in the form of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate love of God, or if you don't give that out to others, then I would venture to say that you are missing the point of this most awesome holiday.

The gift of God's love in Christ is meant to be shared with all people. That is what God was doing when He came to this world 2,000 years ago, which is what we commemorate and celebrate when we partake of communion. God is sharing His love with us. The ultimate culmination of the love of God being demonstrated for us would come decades after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which we celebrate at Christmas. It would come decades afterward when He demonstrated His love for us on the cross. His Advent is the Advent of love.

One of the ways that we remember what He did for us in bringing His love, one of the ways that we're reminded of it, is by doing what Jesus encouraged us, His followers, to do regularly when we partake of communion. I realize that you may not have the elements of communion right there with you right now, but if you're watching this online, you can pause this and go and grab them if they're in your kitchen. If you don't have them in your house at all, you could play this later on in the week and partake.

Communion is an opportunity for us to remember God's love for us—His love for us in sending His Son at Christmas to die for us on Good Friday and to rise from the dead on Easter Sunday. All these things ultimately go together, even though right now our focus is Christmas. This Christmas, I want you to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. His Advent is the Advent of love, which He demonstrated ultimately on the cross. The Apostle Paul, speaking to us in what we read in First Corinthians chapter 11, says, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus..."

The same night in which He was betrayed, He 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 is the cup of the New Covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me."

What you can do is take the bread and take the cup, and remember His body that ultimately, at Easter, was broken for you for our salvation. His blood was poured out for us for the forgiveness of our sins. But none of that could have happened had He not come there at Christmas. The demonstration of love at Easter started with the Incarnation of love at Christmas. His coming into the world is the gift of love that brings eternal life.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the life that we receive from You because of Your love. Because You loved us so much, You have given us life, and You desire that we would experience life forever and ever. We thank You for revealing that to us and reminding us of that this season.

I pray, God, that we who already know this, if we are already believers in You and know the Scriptures, would share that with our family members, friends, brothers, and sisters. Lord, help us to share that truth with them as we give and receive gifts this Christmas. We want to give the most important gift because though we have all kinds of gifts in this world, if we have not love, we are nothing. If we do not share this love that we have, then we miss the entire focus of this holiday.

So, God, help us to be those who are giving and extending Your love in the form of Your grace to other people. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest! Peace on Earth, goodwill to men! Glory to God in the highest! Glory!

To God in the highest, glory! To God in the highest, peace on Earth, good will to man. Glory to God in the highest! Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark the Herald Angels Sing, glory to the newborn King!

Thanks for joining us for our broadcast today. As we close, we would love to invite you to our services at Cross Connection Church campus at 8:30 and 10:30 every Sunday. If you'd like more information about Cross Connection Church, go online at lifeinkconnection.com.

Good morning, Cross Connection! It is the most wonderful time of the year, and we have some opportunities for you to be plugged in and serve during this season.

One of the things I want to invite you to is our Christmas caroling at some of the senior care facilities here in Escondido. We have been invited to share the love and light of Christ in these nursing homes before Christmas. If you're interested, we have a couple of different days, times, and facilities that we will be visiting.

We would love for you and your whole family to be part of this. Just talk to Pastor Nick as you're exiting the sanctuary. He will be at the connection point and can provide you with all the details, times, and availability. Again, this will take place between now and Christmas Day, and we will be doing multiple caroling events.

We have events throughout Escondido in some of the senior care facilities and other care facilities. Check that out; we would love for you to be involved.

We also invite your family to our Christmas Adam service, or as we like to call it, Christmas Steve Eve. That's going to be on December 23rd, with services at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM. We would love for you to be here. Our kids' choir will be singing for us, and it’s going to be a fantastic time. Pastor Miles will be sharing a great message of Christmas.

On Christmas Day, December 25th, and New Year's Day, the following Sunday, we will be combining and holding just one single family service here in the sanctuary at 10:30 AM. So, be here at 10:30 for our one family service. We are going to worship the Lord together on those days.