Love

Practice and for bringing that to us this morning. I didn't want to have this out too early cuz I don't want to distract you. But maybe it'll be something you remember as we learn about love this morning cuz I think these objects could be helpful to our discussion. see, we been talking about this idea of God With Us and it's one of those things that we Believe in the church, but that we might not always feel special when we leave the building or go through a lot of hard times some of you this is not the most wonderful time of the year. We we sing songs about this being a great time and I believe it to be one but even this morning as I was checking out at the grocery store lady was wearing a bah humbug hat and said the first time I heard this Christmas carols, I started wishing for it to be over. So there might be people in this room that have that feeling that this is not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Or maybe you are leaving us wonderful, but maybe for different reasons. Maybe you loved it because you don't have school. Maybe you think it's a wonderful time of the year because of all the baked goods and candy and forgiveness for eating all that food because it's that time of year or opening presents or even giving presents or wrapping presents. There's a lot of things that we do that make us think this is a wonderful time. But we're going to learn this morning that all those things though good or not reasons for this to be a wonderful time. In fact, those things are reasons why people have negative views of the season because family get-togethers for them or a painful time. Or maybe those cookies stopped being made cuz feel passed away are things happen. Right? But if we have a consistent reason for the season, I hope this morning and realize that it really is most wonderful time of the year. Where to look a passage from first John chapter 4 this morning and John the Apostle wrote this letter to his church thing before you leave. Let me remind you of certain things and one of the biggest problems they face was this idea that Jesus was not incarnate that he was not born in the flesh because a lot of people in that day and age believe that the spiritual world was good and a physical world is bad and a God could never take on the evil of a simple physical world in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the neighbors for he says and the word became flesh. The Giants really emphasizing is no Jesus Christ is God. We're became Word was God. And he's also human that he's also born in humanity that he's also born with flesh and it's important background information because the idea that were going to learn today of God loving us through this season really boils down to Jesus God human 100% or 2% in the manger gift from God. I'll see you at this morning to look at John first John chapter 4. And I'm going to emphasize that this idea of Love is really the why of Christmas it's the motivation for Christmas. It's why we celebrate Christmas and want to pose this question to us this morning of what does God teach us about love. What does the Lord communicate to the world about love and we'll see this in three different ways from first John chapter 4 starting in verse 7. Let me pray and then we'll begin our sermon from that text. Let's pray just rely on the Lord for direction in for just the appreciation we have of his presence this morning. We are we are grateful that there are opportunities for us to celebrate The Lord, sometimes we might forget why we're celebrating or might lose motivation to celebrate and Lord. This season can seem like so much pressure from our society to put up decorations and put on a smile but God, sometimes it just feels like we don't really want to do that. To remind us this morning what it really is worth celebrating remind us this morning that you love us and that is reason to celebrate. Or help me to be able to present your word truthfully with love and with Grace or made all of us in this room receive your words of encouragement. Or build life into us tonight or this morning and in the season we pray. Well, the first thing I want to see from this text is in versus 7 and 8 and it is the god teaches us that he alone is the source of love the Lord teaches the world that he alone the love only comes from him. Now. This is important for us to realize that you'll see that a text first and first John chapter 4. Sorry number 7, it'll be on the screen or in your Bible beloved. Let us love one. Another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows guide anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love those couple things in here that I want to see first of all there is a Greetings from Paul of to those. I love it. There's a lot of love words in here, but it's a message out of love that he's giving this message because there are those readers those that do not love that do not know guy that he still loves that he still is providing. This this is good news for you. Okay, it's good that love comes from God and he tells them and I'll come back to this that we need to love one another but we might be motivated to think what this love comes from my own abilities my knowledge the book that I read the experiences I've had and I'm going to tell you that is not enough. In fact, I believe that a person cannot love. Any more than they've experienced love? And that's what these cups represent cuz some people have different levels of of Love they'll grow up in a pretty big family or a really loving family are they might maybe your cup of love has some Cuts in it and starts to leak a while. But this capacity thing is why I say that love comes from God. We as people can give love but we are not the source of love in the same way that this cup does not have water in it. It has capacity to hold but it is not the source of the water. So God love comes from God that God is love is referencing that he is the source of the love. We have capacity to hold the love, but not the capacity to produce the love. Now he says that there is a whoever loves have been born of God and knows God and I know a lot of people that are not followers of Christ even atheists who do loving things and I want to include them in this verse 2. Cuz God made us all In His Image as image bearers. We have ability to love because of the source of love that God created us soap as you can think of everything have a car is right that we have something that's created. I cannot think of any evolutionary reason why we would start to love. Bright light a fish doesn't love and Humanity lives. And so there's a sense of like where they come from the big question. It's a good one. And we believe that it came from God is God is love the Bible says and as he created Humanity he created us in His image to be able to love so we are able to love because God created us that way. It says also that whoever loves been born of God, that's one that you've been born In His Image, but also that there's a knowledge of God and a rebirth that we have as Christians and so as I said, we were able to love a capacity only through which we felt love for those that have been loved by God our capacity to love is exponentially greater. It is much more than we could ever receive from any Earthly father or mother or boss or coach is God's love is bigger as we would expect it to be God is beyond Humanity. It's so when we know God when we are born again of him, we love even greater because we've had a greater source of greater input of love into our lives. Now it says that anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. Now this doesn't speak to this fact that Christians can't not love cuz they don't know God. For what it really speaks to is. This is our Earthly nature that when we think our own terms and when we think in a way that's not in line with knowing god with the Minotaur will to him we can do some unloving things. And in your heart you can say Amen to that because there are many things our world that we would say, that's not very loving. And truthfully that is not the exception as much as it is the default of our society and of our world because without God we would have no reason to love without God. I'm going to get whatever I'm going to get for my own sake for my own purpose for my own game and God gives us motivation to love. And as non-believers people can do loving things. But I would ask them and I've asked myself sometimes even when I'm motivated by other stuff of why are we doing that? What is the reason for us to do those things? Why are we giving money to this organization or adopting these children from this country and a lot of times those are difficult questions to answer and its root form. If not a knowledge of God.

the first we see that God is the source of love and I'm going to further illustrate with this even a hose, which I constipated actually hooking up, but I was afraid I was going to leak all over so we'll just imagine this water in this but not yet, but This hoes does nothing for me. If it's not hooked up right to have capacity is not enough without being hooked to the source now have been up to the source and there's like some water in here that can drip, you know, like if you unplug your hose it has some in it and it comes out when you're trying to reel it up, but that leaves to a life of becoming dry. If we tap into water Weston while fill up our Cup every once in awhile from the source of God, and then we love other people we start pouring ourselves out that's going to leave us empty. Cuz it doesn't have a continual Source from God the people that are not knowing god to experience loving parents or experience loving teachers. We're going to have an experience that just helps them better understand. I need to love other people, but if they're not plugged into God they are going to eventually dry up. Even the greatest atheist who does good work is going to come to a point time or they just don't want to do it anymore or where they don't have the energy to do it anymore is in our Earthly selves. We cannot love apart from God. We cannot love as he wants us to depart from God. So my challenge for you is to remember the source. And we are coming to the end of the year. I don't know how many of your readers and this might be a New Year's resolution. I'm not sure but I would like for you to try to take on the task to read the book of John before you read any other books. In the next week in the next year to finish the Book of John before you read any other books because sometimes we can get sources from other things and forget to get Source from God. And you are going to love your family and your co-workers a lot more when you understand the love of God. And there's no greater Source in my opinion to tell you about the love of God than the life of Jesus Christ. So if you want to learn about the love of God and see the source of love, it adds to your life then read the Bible and maybe the Gospel of John will be an opportunity for you to do that in the upcoming days.

This is a passage from Exodus chapter 34. This is called the Shema and Jewish culture and its Moses told to create a second pair of tablet. So he gave given the first ten commandments a lot of us know those terms and he took him down and was so mad. He threw them down and they broke and God said let's make another one. Let's make another copy of that law. So let's go up to the mountain and God speaks these words to him the work the Lord passed before. I meant proclaimed the Lord the Lord Our God merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, but it didn't stop there. He says keeping steadfast love for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers in the children of the children's children to the third and fourth generation. I'll bring the slide up because it is important that we understand that God's love is not always what we

hope to receive cuz it's not always making us feel good. But the Lord is steadfast and love for giving many. But in love or going to learn in our next point he sent his son to die. And in God's love is not only a god of love. He has to also be a God of Justice and a god of mercy and a God who never changes. So is that God is love erase the rest. It's God is all that love is but love is not all that. God is and Moses is declared his truth from God himself. And God does have a bounty steadfast love he is slow to anger, but he's not only that. So don't got as a source of Love understand that God is Not only love. At the second flight will see you today is that God teaches us that Jesus is his demonstration of love. Each of the world that love is shown and Emmanuel God With Us and verses 9 and 10 will see this in a text. In this the love of God was made manifest Among Us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him in. This is love not that we have love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. There's a text little late but this text declares a Jesus is the manifestation the proclamation a demonstration of God's love. The God showed his love in the Old Testament. Your faithfulness to providing things but it is made most demonstrated through his son coming through his son being given. their son being born we see that the reason why God sent his son into the world is so we might live and I growing up in the church have read this verse and John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life as great Easter verses you don't like giving him to die on the cross and those are true. What if Jesus never was born in Bethlehem, there would have been no Calvary. God gave his son the day that he let go of him and to humanity.

The day that Jesus Took on flesh. That's when God gave his son. Jesus had to live a perfect life so that he could be a perfect sacrifice. So the giving of God son is something we need to see more so as a Christmas truth and an Easter truth, but not a divide of either one. Receipt for Jesus to be fully God and fully man. I will explain it as best I can this way. God did not and giving Jesus. He did not steal his God abilities away from him. But we learn in the Bible in Hebrews. I believe her actually send 1st or 2nd Peter. It says that Jesus emptied himself. That is that mean that he wasn't God while he was here and no but I believe that he gave up the right to freely use his abilities. See Jesus could heal the Blind and you can walk on water and you can raise the dead but I don't believe Jesus walked on every pain that he stepped on Infected be hard to baptize in if you think of it that way, right? I don't think any raised every dead person that he ever met. I don't think he healed every sick person that I ever met. It was as God allowed him to the power of God flowed through him who is led by the spirit. And so Jesus said God I can do all things through you who give me strength, right. Jesus was living in a power to say I am God, but I'm going to live this human life. I'm going to learn to walk like the humans do I'm going to learn to talk like the humans you I'm going to stub my toe and make mistakes not in a sinful manner, but there is Humanity right was he when he was a baby my wife when I laugh all the time. I hear the song Silent Night because that is probably a lie.

Jesus was born in a manger with a bunch of animals. It probably was not a silent night. But Jesus is crying and Humanity doesn't make him any less God. Reno Court in the Bible that he lived a sinless life. So whatever means to live in humanity without sinning, that's what Jesus did. He probably got sick cuz I don't see sickness is saying he probably got injured that's not sending but Jesus is mine set in those moments of suffering was their mindset that was honoring to God. Jesus was fully God and fully human that why do we need that to be true? Theologically because God Alone is a perfect being and Humanity based on Genesis chapter 3 is fallen and we need to be saved Romans chapter 3 says it very well that the wages of sin is death.

And this is a truth that we and our own a strength cannot overcome. We cannot purify the people of Israel lived a long time trying to give sacrifices for all their sins. And it couldn't cover there wasn't enough blood. They just sent too much. There was a lot of problems in the people and they had to continue to do this like every year right? I need another lamb another lamb in the Bible says that Jesus came once for all right into the Salvation. We have to Jesus Christ to his death on the cross is because he was in our place Humanity paying Humanities sin. God according to how God has a setup could not just pay his own sin as I asked God. Humanity had to pay the sin for Humanity and so God entered into our state of humanity and paid that debt.

It also allows for Jesus to be a great mediator. Right, we're allowed to better relate to him because he has been there. He has lost people who have died. He has been in arguments with people that didn't understand his ministry and just walked out on him. He has been in places of tremendous suffering being spat upon and accused of things that he didn't even do. We learn Hebrew said that makes him a great high priest, right? Cuz he can sympathize with us. He's been there. Thank you God for becoming Humanity so that we can better understand that our God relates to us that Resurrection is possible. That's another gift the humanity of God brings to us as that God shows that death is not the end right? Cuz that cross though a great sign of what he did for us is like part 1 of Easter Sunday cuz we know that Jesus born and flesh fully God demonstrate his power over the biggest power of Flesh which none of us are going to avoid correct death. I got said yep. I have power over that too. A Jesus was raised or raised himself as God to say death has no power over Humanity. The Bible preaches at everybody will be raised everybody will be giving their bodies and we will raise and we will walk with the Lord those that know him and those that don't will go to judgment. But this reality that God says I'm getting my body's back is demonstrated by God becoming flesh and doing it for us showing us allowing us to understand what it means to be human and living for God.

This idea of the hoses. This would have been where I wrote about the water in but I want to be a picture of Jesus a demonstration of allowing us to understand it better because this church has a well for water. Okay, and it's fed. Like we don't have to pay for water just as fed. It keeps coming not exactly like the love of God kind of similar to this idea of I couldn't run the water out as far as I know Ralph. How long would it take me to run that while dry? A long time right. Longer than our church service would have been but my point is is that in order to understand that Wells water we have to plug into it. Jesus at the woman at the well said you drink water and you thirst again, but I I am the Living Water that you may never thirst again and Jesus plugged in the god brings his love to humanity and he starts to let the flow of God's love come through him, right? I can access that Wells water if I hook this up to a faucet turn it on and let it come out here. That's the wells water though. It's stored in an immense amount over there can be brought to people and Jesus brought God's love to us. Jesus brought God's love too many people you saved a lot of people from their suffering from the situations he forgave since he healed the lame. He gave of himself cuz he brought the source of God's love to humanity.

So far we've seen. the guy teaches us that he is the source of his love and that Jesus is the demonstration of his love but the text goes on to give us a so what and we are the ambassadors of his love or you can say that we

Art to express God's love to the world as those who are saved and inverses 11 and 12. You'll see this.

Beloved again. There's that word of hey those of you that I love.

If God so loved us that's a big F with John write it as a since God has right because of these readers having known what God has done for them. This is a Scentsy hazoor. If he did you answer if you did in your own heart, we also ought to love one another no one has ever seen God if we love one another God abides in us and his love is perfected in US. Not from this text we see that God love is a motivation for us. really God's love is

what comes into us? And if we understand God's love correctly and it's going it's all the time being tired and Moody, but when I give you my ulceration of the beginning and then explain it cuz it'll help you if we are this container or even that cup I don't care if there are cracks in it. I don't care if there's a hole in the bottom if I plug this water in and just let it run the love of God, then this is going to overflow and get a lot of the space around it wet. I don't report out to love people. I seem to be allowed to God to be flowing into me. And so when we understand God's love correctly when we are getting God's love and put it into our lives and letting it continually go loving others is just going to happen. We don't have to take time to say you. Yeah, I love you know, just where I am is going to get wet because the water is going to overflow from us. And if we do this that as Christians, we will not dry out. Cuz we will never be empty.

So this concept of God's loving and US motivating us is just going to be a natural reaction encourage you to read the book of John because if you just do that and understand God's love for son. 419 says we're not going to get to it today, but I'm going to say it to you we love because he first loved us. So this love that we give other people is not I need to love other people. It's I need understand God's love for me. And then watch what happens to the people around.

this concept of us loving one another Is our only way also of telling the world about God Jesus says they'll know you're my disciples by your love and this concept of no one has ever seen. God is true. We've seen Jesus we've never seen God and it's Trinity or God the father. He's Becky told Moses. You can't even look upon me or you will die. But God abides in us God lives in us when we understand this love of God this loving others is a overflow of God's loving us and the word love is perfected in us. I think could be better or might be easier understood in the New Living Translation, which says this I'll get to that.

All right, the New Living Translation says that it is brought to full expression in US. And when I think happens is that the God's love I can become perfect in it, but it is perfected in society by their knowledge of it right that it can be fully expressed to the world as I love other people to see we are as people often say the hands and feet of God and his eye as a Christian say I'm doing this for God's glory not my own they better understand the love of God and I can pour into people by in my overflow that aren't getting a source from God and The Thirst again. But some people might not ever have ever had water in their cup. Think I might not have ever been lived in a society where they felt loved and they don't even know what they're missing because there are two couples never experienced what their capacity is for it. So we as Christians have an obligation as earlier a commandment from Jesus. To love other people did use commands in John 13 34 and 35 is a new commandment. I give to you that you love one another not an option A commandment from Jesus, right? Are you have to do this? I need you to do this.

Noah pause real quick and just kind of ask the motivation for the Ten Commandments because a lot of us think that they are rules and I hate rules. My teacher says I can't chew gum in class. I don't like that cuz like she is going to have to take Commandments. Got to do the following things to experience life as I have created it to be easy. I don't think the Ten Commandments are so much a chain that I pull against as it is a fence around my yard to keep me safe from things. The guy gives another commandment of loving people because he wants to say hey be careful this part of your yard make sure has a fence cuz if you go outside of it, it's dangerous to go outside of it. Then you're going to be hurt to go outside of what I'm experiencing is what love is then there's going to be some pain that I never intended for you to experience there's freedom and God's love But there is like a hate don't go past here. Don't steal why cuz that hurts your Society because people begin to not trust you because you begin to not work for what you want. You just go and take stuff from people. Right? Don't lie. Why because then you begin to think that it's not a big deal people don't even know that I'm lying people. Don't hold me accountable for it and give Ally and somebody leaves you because they've had enough. These are things that God saying I'm trying to protect you from I saw this idea of God's Commandments are there loving commands we use that word commands may be wrong with our society but loving strong suggestions for the best way. It just says, I have a new one. Love one another. Just as I have loved you noticed the motivation. He says it again you are to love one another and then he says again I referenced earlier but by Your Love by doing this by loving one another don't know you're my disciples. For you love one another our job as Believers and as people who have breath in life is to declare the goodness of God to the world and we only can do that. When we remember the source of what it is. We're supposed to be doing we cannot love one another if we don't remember to who loved us first, right again, we love because he first loved us and so if I don't maintain that priority of him loving me first, then I'm going to get really tired and burnt out in this commandment of loving people. If we just like you don't even today just give me a motivating. I'm going to I'm going to love people really well and I don't ever like tap back into God's love like in a couple days weeks months. I would talk to you and you probably would be dried out of it. Cuz God says that he gives us our daily bread that we need to die to ourselves daily. But there's this God I need you today. Not I need you for the next month though. He has the ability to do that. It's God. What about in this moment? I need you now. And God says I have enough to give you the stores is infinite. God is beyond space and time and his love never runs dry. Jesus said you will never thirst again. So if we allow Jesus to be our source of love the no matter what kind of cup or picture Or how many cracks you have in your cup? It's going to overflow into the world. If even this cup remains plugged in. Right. There are some people in this room that I know of had a really tough life in this is a pretty good description of you that my life is kind of messed up right now. I have a lot of problems. I I just lost my job and God says loud those areas of suffering to be Outlets of love to the world.

And that's my prayer for you this morning that you would realize that there is a reason to celebrate Christmas. It's not because of all the family that's in town though. That is wonderful. It is not all the presents that we get to give or get. Those are wonderful is because God loves you. He loves me. He loves us so much that he would give his son. The dye for us to allow us to have a relationship with him to be a bridge that we could not cross without his cross.

Let's pray. Lord God thank you for the opportunity have this morning to remember? to see

I thought you loved us but you just want the best for us and then we often in our human reactions. Just think we know better Lord allow this day not to pass without people understanding that there's a gift for them. But we have to open it. God your love is offered to us. We have to remain With Your Love flowing into our lives or we will find ourselves empty.

Bible says what game is a man if he gains the whole world but lose his soul lord. That is why you sent your son. She did not want us to lose our so you wanted us to have eternal life that we would live through your son Jesus. Where am I sure what's going on in people's hearts this morning or what cracks or or holes people have in their life with Lord. I know that you Are still God? And that you can use our Brokenness to minister to other people. Lord allow for us to continue to pour your love into our lives daily. I celebrate you this season. It is a wonderful time of year there any pray. Amen?