Advent-God's Love Displayed
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We are now one week in to the Advent season. This is a time of preparing our hearts for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The way we are preparing our hearts is by taking this symbol here of the advent candles and each Sunday we light the candles corresponding to the weeks we are observing. Last week we began by lighting the first candle which is called the prophecy candle. As I said last week and I would like to continue to stress for the next few weeks the candles themselves are not in the Scripture, nowhere does it say we are to do this. It is only a symbolic gesture a way of perpetuation for our hearts so that we can place our focus on the true reason for celebrating Christmas. The prophecy candle is also called the Hope candle. We looked at what the Scripture has to say about the Hope God has provided for us in His Son. The entirety of the Old Testament points to Jesus and through out the Old Testament we see how God has provided hope for all of humanity begin with the Garden of Eden all the way through to pointing to a King, who is also a prophet and priest and who is also our Redeemer. He is Jesus Christ and He is the reason why on December 25 we commemorate His birth.
Notice I have said commemorate. It is only a celebration of the glorious gift we were given in Jesus Christ not only this Hope but also we know that in His birth He is God who took on the form of His own creation for the sole purpose of going to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins Redeeming us or freeing us from an eternal damnation in hell. If only everyday were Christmas and we should celebrate this everyday. Seeing as how it is a world Holiday we as true followers of Jesus Christ should lead the example and be the ones to point people to Jesus Christ this and every year. We need to be the ones who can demonstrate the Hope we have in our Savior in a time were people are more concerned with giving and receiving material possessions. I am not saying we shouldn't exchange gifts, not at all. I am just saying for of majority of the world for those who celebrate Christmas they do so without even batting an eye as to what the true Spirit of Christmas is and it is a time for us to commemorate the birth of the God-Man Jesus Christ. The way we live can have an impact on those around us so why not take this time of the year to focus on the Son of God
That is what we are doing here, we are focusing on God the Father and God the Son and the Holy Spirit. Last week we looked at the Hope God provides through out the Old Testament this week we want to look at the Love God Displays. We will see the symbol of Love in the second candle. The first candle is the prophecy candle which symbolizes Hope.
Prophecy Candle
Prophecy Candle-Hope
The second candle is called the Bethlehem Candle and it symbolizes Love
Prophecy Candle-Hope
Bethlehem Candle
Prophecy Candle -Hope
Bethlehem Candle-Love
As we look through the Scripture what we will learn is how God has displayed His love to all mankind and how the display of this love centers on a little town called Bethlehem. Let's go ahead and look at Advent: God's Love Displayed.
Advent-God's Love Displayed
Advent-God's Love Displayed
As a child, not knowing the Lord as my Savior, Christmas music did not mean anything to me except that it was pretty and nice to listen to. Of course many of those songs play on the radio even today. The generic holiday songs were always just fun. Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Chestnuts roasting on an Open fire. Silver bells. But then there were the Hymns, there was always something about those Hymns that were just captivating yet I had no idea what any of those songs meant. There was no background or any education as to who those songs were about and why they were so meaningful. And I can recall singing them as just beautiful songs with a nice message and I had no idea what I was singing. And do you know in many of the Christmas Hymns we sing today and just like the ones I enjoyed growing up there is one town that is prevalent in at least a half a dozen if not more of the song we sing. It is that little town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is an important city, not just because it is the city Jesus was born in but because it is a town that has its presence in the Old Testament.
We find this town of Bethlehem back in the book of Genesis. It is mention for the first time in Genesis 35:19-21. It is a short mention that if you are not paying attention you might miss it.
So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
See this town even though it is only a place marking here in this text has been mentioned and I don't believe in coincidence, God didn't just have this town mentioned here for nothing. It is pointing to a future prominence in the lives of the Israelite people. This event is sad but look at what happens in the book of Ruth. Ruth opens in chapter 1 with this;
Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.
The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.
Did you catch where this Elimelech was from. He is from Bethlehem in Judah and he is called an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah. Look God didn't go through all the trouble of explaining Elimelech's hometown for nothing. In this mention of his hometown we find not only is the town called Bethlehem but it is situated in the land that has been given to the son of Israel who is named Judah and they are actually called Ephrathites. While in Moab Elimelech and his two sons died. Naomi his wife hears the famine has ended and chooses to go back to Bethlehem. Here daughter in laws go back with her. Naomi wants these young women to go back to their own home and releases them from going with her. Ruth chooses to stay and care for her mother in law who has now changed her name from Naomi which means pleasantness to Mara which means bitter. This woman who has lost everything has now become bitter.
As the story of Ruth develops we find that Ruth meets a man who is a relative of Naomi's who is a wealthy land owner and he notices her. Upon her mother in laws instruction Ruth seizes an opportunity to be redeemed by this man. The man's names is Boaz and he marries Ruth and they have a child named Obed, which Naomi nurses and bring pleasure back into her life. This child will one day have a son as well his name will be Jesse and Jesse will have many sons but one of his sons is chosen by God for a very important position, he will be King. He is an ancestor of Judah and if you recall from last week as we looked at God's provision of Hope we looked at Genesis 49:8-10 let's look at this once again.
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
“Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Here is Jacob, also called Israel, giving the blessing to his twelve sons and this is the blessing he gives Judah. This is a prophetic blessing. Israel is saying that Judah's lineage will be a royal lineage. Boaz is his direct descended and that makes Obed Judah's direct descendant and Jesse and his son David who is to be the one God has chosen to be the King of the entire nation of Israel. From here we find that a few hundred years later the prophet Micah writes about a ruler. Look with me at this prophecy in Micah 5:1-2.
“Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
Micah of course is pointing to Jesus. He is pointing to the ruler of Israel who has been designated by God from long ago from the days of eternity. This has always been the plan that God's redeemer and King would come from a little town just a few miles north of Jerusalem. The city of Bethlehem the city where the King of God's choosing comes from. God chose David and now God chooses Jesus. This city and as we observe this candle which has the same name, the Bethlehem candle we one thing I want to keep in mind is the symbol of love that come out of the prominence of this little town. The climax of God's love for all of mankind has been demonstrated for us immensely on the cross at Calvary still His love was expressed throughout the entirety of the Old Testament.
God's love is expressed through the Old Testament first and foremost in His promise of providing a Redeemer and a King.
God's Promise
God's Promise
We saw last week how God provided a promise to Abraham. God told Abraham He would be the father of many nations and His people would have a land and they would be His people forever. God's promise was made with Abraham but this promise He made was not ratified with Abraham. Look at this with me in Genesis 15:5-12
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”
He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?”
So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.
The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.
Here we have God making a promise with Abraham that Abraham would have many descendants and God will give Him this land. Abraham believes yet seeks assurance and God provides it. God gives Abraham instruction on what to bring and what to do with all the animals. Then in Genesis 15:17 we find the ratification of this promise.
It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.
Did you notice who went between the pieces, it was God, do you know where Abraham was, in a deep sleep. God made a promise with Abraham which He ratified or sealed it with Himself. This is an act of Love because when you make a covenant such as this and both people go through both are obligated to act, both need to do something. The only One who needs to do something here is God. God made the promise with Abraham and God ratified it with Himself because this promise is not contingent on Abraham doing anything except believing God will keep it. That is it. It doesn't matter what Abraham does God will keep His promise. It doesn't matter what Abraham's descendants do, God will keep this promise. This promise is completely based on the Love God has for mankind and the Love He has for His nation Israel.
God makes the promise with Abraham out of a Love for humanity, a Love for His people. He also make another promise with David, an important promise. We find this promise in 2 Samuel 7:12:16
“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
“He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
“I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
David had desired to build a Temple for God and God came to Nathan in a vision and instructed Nathan that David is not to build a Temple for Him but David's son Solomon will. From their God provided this promise. This promise not only points to Solomon but it also points to Jesus. Jesus is the Righteous King who comes from the line of David who is from the line of Judah who is a descendant of Abraham. Jesus is the One who will sit on the throne forever who will rule for all eternity and this King, Jesus, will be born in Bethlehem which is the city David is from and David's descendants as well. It is a city of promise and this candle which represents the city of His birth also represents the Love God has for all mankind by providing for His people Promises that point to Jesus and are fulfilled in Jesus.
From these promises we find also that God's love is also demonstrated in His faithfulness.
God's Faithfulness
God's Faithfulness
God has made promise with Abraham and the promise He made was ratified sealed by Himself. God can not break this promise. God is the perfect picture of Love in the fact that HE said what He would do and He will stand by what HE says. God has said He will make Abraham a mighty people and He has said Abraham's descendants will inherit the land. Through out the Old Testament we see this act of Love which is expressed in His mercy toward His people. God saved the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and when the nation saw God's awesome power and majesty what did they do, they turned on God. They wanted a Golden calf to lead them. Instead of destroying the nation of Israel God spared the nation, why because God is faithful to His promise. He can be trusted to keep His Word.
Although the nation of Israel will and has been faithless toward God, God still is faithful to them. In fact the entire Old Testament is about God's faithfulness to the nation even when they are faithless toward Him. That is the beauty of the Promise God made, He made it with Himself and the Only One it is contingent on is God Himself. It is unconditional love, a love that is expressed by One to another regardless of how the other feels and regardless of what the other does. Now the nation as a whole has been unfaithful to God and God has even sent them out into exile but God always keeps a group of them together. He always has a remnant. Isaiah talks about this remnant quite a bit. Look at what He says in Isaiah 10:20-23
Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.
The nation will be faithless and be removed from the land for a time as a punishment, God like a God loving father will disciple His children Israel for their disobedience, but He makes a provision for their return. He is faithful to His promise. An act of love toward His people. God is faithful, His faithfulness is an act of Love which He has for His nation Israel. It is an act of Love which is first in the promise He makes with Abraham which is sealed with the highest being it can be sealed with, Himself. He acts upon it by being faithful to this promise in His merciful treatment of these people who demonstrate time and again a lack of obedience to Him and His word. It is manifested in its greatest gift of all and the gift is given to us in the little town of Bethlehem. It is God taking on flesh, giving up His abode in heaven, stepping down from His throne on High for a season all for the purpose of going to the Cross to die in our place and take the punishment for our sins so through faith we can come before Him and worship Him for all eternity and escape what we truly deserve which is an eternity separated from Him. This is faithfulness, this is love.
Jesus being God fulfilled God's promise for mankind and stayed faithful to the promise that was made. He is the exact representation of Love in the flesh. When the people Jesus encountered looked at His face they were looking at the face of Love incarnate.
So as we approach this Christmas season and as we think of the little town of Bethlehem which is the birth place of the Son of God who is born a King yet in the most humble of places we need to keep in mind that He is the perfect picture of Love. As we prepare for commemorating His birth we should prepare our hearts to do just as Jesus has asked us to do,
Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
“The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
We are to love the Lord because He is God and if we Love the Lord, if we Love God then what should flow from us is a Love for others.
Look what John says as he closes his first letter to the church in 1 John 4 7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so 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.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
We love, because He first loved us.
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
This Christmas let us focus on this true expression of Love and let's be the example of this kind of love toward those we encounter God has demonstrated His love in the greatest of ways and we should be able to do the same this and every Christmas and I would say every day.