December 4, 2022
THE WONDERFUL INVENTION OF LOVE
December 04, 2022
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Last week we began our Christmas series, “The Waiting,” as we fill December celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today we look at many Old Testament prophecies that foretold a Messiah would be born, as well as New Testament confirmations after He had come to earth as a baby in a manger. Although we can’t comprehend God’s love for the world, we can grasp that He would plan for His one and only Son to leave the splendor of His heavenly home to come to this brutal earth, where there is so much sin and shame. We can be eternally grateful for His provision of a pure, undefiled sacrifice to pay our sin debt—and one day He will welcome believers to heaven, where we will live forever with Him. We can love Him for what He’s done.
Focal Passage: Gen. 22:18; Num. 24:17; 2 Sam. 7:12-13; Psa. 72:9-10, 107:1-9; Isa. 9:6; Isa. 7:14, 11:1-2; Jer. 23:5-6, 31:15; Hos. 11:1; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 1:22-23; John 3:16-17.
God’s unique form of love
· Read John 3:16a. What is the most remarkable thing about God loving us so much? What are some reasons why His love boggles your mind? What is the earthly love that gives you a hint of how much He loves you?
· How do you see God’s love expressed at Creation, on the day He created mankind, and in the Garden of Eden? Read Romans 1:18-20. Why do people refuse to believe?
· Read Eph. 2:4-5. What were we like when God saved us? How much love do you have for those who have contrary ideologies, politics, or moral values than you? Can you pray for them more often, thereby growing in love for them?
· How can you fathom God’s immeasurable love for His creation?
God’s incredible promise of love
· Read John 3:16b. As you consider the people you encounter daily, would you give your own life if many of those people would be saved? Would you give one of your children? Read John 15:13. Do we owe Him our best expression of love for what He’s done?
· Read Romans 3:23. What does every person alive deserve at death? Read Romans 5:8. What did Jesus do in response? Read Romans 8:38-39. What is His promise to us who are saved? What does “things present” mean? What are “things to come”? How are we protected from things that would destroy us?
· Read John 10:27-29. How secure is His love for us? If “nothing can separate us” from His love, nor can anyone be able to “snatch us out of His hand,” how sheltered are we?
God’s unimaginable result of His love
· Read John 3:17. Why is it not surprising that someone would ask “Why should God save us from condemnation”? What do they not understand about God?
· Read Romans 8:1 and Col. 2:13-14. When God saves us, what happens to the condemnation that Satan tries to bring against us? What kind of reassurance do these verses give us?
Our required response in love
· Read Psa. 107:1-9. In this Psalm, what does the psalmist say God has done for His children (verses 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)? What are the redeemed to do (verses 1, 2, 6, 8)?
· What type of thanks is the psalmist speaking of in verse 1 and verse 8? Verse 2 tells the redeemed to be proclaiming what God has done for them; how is this the essence of Matt. 28:19?
· What are some ways we can have individual worship throughout the day, as our heart bubbles over with thanksgiving to God for His watch-care over us?
Close:
To try to fathom the love of God for His children is a task that can’t be completed–our finite minds are not able to comprehend Him. As Romans 11:33-34 tells us, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” Or, as Isaiah spoke in 9:6 concerning the One who would come to save the world, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end.” He is too wonderful for minds such as we humans have to understand Him.
Yet, we can love Him. He dwells within us (1 Cor. 6:19a), and yet, as Luke writes in Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Even that—such a short statement—puts Him on a completely different level than us, as we are in Him while He is within us! Don’t be afraid to share your heart with Him. He already knows you inside-out anyway, so be transparent. He’s not afraid of your questions, your fears, your worries, your burdens. Again, Peter tells us to “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you!” (1 Peter 5:7). He is so beautiful! How do we know? Look at the sunrises, the sunsets, the starry nights, the flowers, the beasts of the earth, the mountains and oceans—how could such beauty come without the creator being beautiful? Worship Him, praise Him, thank Him, tell Him you love Him for what He’s done for you, for the times He’s saved you from an early death, from being hurt, … there’s so much to say to Him that once you get started, you’ll wonder why you kept it all to yourself. He’s unlike anyone else in your life. He’ll never love you less than He does at this minute and will never scold you for sins when you come to Him in brokenness for doing something wrong. He’s nothing like any other person in your life, but you can trust everything He tells you in His word, and every promise He’s ever made. He’s a good, good Father. He is love.
By Sandy Day, December 4, 2022