Everlasting Father: The Grand Event in Motion, Jesus Revealed

He Shall Be Called • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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Sometimes viewing our lives as moments leading up to a grand event helps us see glimpses of what God is doing. However, Jesus’s arrival centuries ago and his subsequent death, burial, and bodily resurrection call us to accept that in some ways the grand event is already in motion.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction (5m)

Love Actually - Opening Scene

Favourite Christmas film?

Video: Love Actually - Opening Scene | 1:00

Love Actually Does Appear to be All Around at Christmas

We want to ensure our loved ones know we love them.

Many of us are blessed with people who want to show their love to us.

Even encouraged to show love to those who are unloved at Christmas.

Christmas is a grand event for love.

How far would you go, what would you sacrifice for love?

Once an elderly Polish man, who took an English for Beginners course. Worked very hard to improve his English. Motivation?

Video: English for Beginners | 3:00

Loved his new granddaughter so much, he would do anything to communicate with her in a way she would understand.

All this love that we show each other, especially at Christmas, is simply a human reflection of God’s love for us

Explanation (5m)

When the prophet Isaiah announces Jesus’ birth, he assigns certain names to him, including, Everlasting Father

Raises a question: How can the baby in the manger, the Son of God, be the Everlasting Father?

Problem of translation: better would be “Father of Eternity” in the sense that Jesus is the originator/source of eternity.

Jesus - the Word - the orginator and source of eternity loves us so much he came and made his home with us

John 1:1–5 NLT

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:14 MSG

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

The entire reason for this grand event of Christmas - the whole reason we feel more love towards those we love and our fellow humans - is the love of God

God loves you so much he came to earth as a human - Jesus - so you could get to know him, learn to trust him, and grow to love him back

We can enjoy a personal relationship with him, and what’s more, God took the initiative so we could understand and love him more!

God is love - it is his nature, the essence of his character

Everything he creates then - including you - is because he loves it. God loves you! Every human being was created out of God’s love. He created you so he could love you!

God’s love for you is unconditional, he loves you on your bad days as much as on your good days. He loves you when you don’t feel his love as much as when you do. He loves you regardless of your performance, your moods, your actions, or your thoughts. His love for you is unchanging. Everything else will change during your lifetime, but God’s love for you is constant, steady, and continuous. It’s the foundation for unshakeable confidence. (Rick Warren)

That’s what we celebrate at Christmas!

The baby in the manger didn’t remain a baby. He grew into a man and modelled the way we should live

Then he paid for every wrong, every mistake, every failure we can imagine by dying on a cross. God loves you so much, he was prepared to sacrifice his one and only Son for you.

And then Jesus proved he was God and could save us by coming back to life.

Jesus came to earth to demonstrate how much God loves you. That’s what we’re celebrating. That’s why love actually is all around.

Application (5m)

What if everything you’ve done to make Christmas a grand event in your life was rejected?

Cards left unopened, gifts left under the tree, dinners left uneaten, donations left unspent.

You’d be disappointed, hurt, and angry, and the opportunity to celebrate the love that’s all around us would be lost.

All God asks of you this Christmas - as he does every Christmas - is that you would accept his love

Next Steps

Christmas in My Heart

If a tiny child can make the whole world really care, Sing out this story for all people everywhere; While we’re together like we were from the start Then I’ll know it’s Christmas in my heart.

If an infant king can make a difference in this world, Sing out his message like a golden flag unfurled, When we’re together like we were at the start Then I’ll know it’s Christmas, then I’ll know it’s Christmas in my heart.

Let the world take the glitter and the greed, the only Christmas presence that I need Is you beside me like you were at the start, then I’ll know it’s Christmas, then I’ll know it’s Christmas in my heart.

If a holy child can teach us all to play a part, Sing out his story that will touch the hardest heart. Just you beside me like you were from the start Makes me know it’s Christmas in my heart. If a tiny babe can teach us all to be more kind, Sing out his story, leave disharmony behind, You, me together like we were from the start Makes me know it’s Christmas, now I know it’s Christmas in my heart.

Let the world take the glitter and the greed, the only Christmas presence that I need Is you beside me like you were at the start, now I know it’s Christmas, now I know it’s Christmas in my heart.