The Wonderful Invention of Love

2022-12-04

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

Some Old Testament Prophecies of the Coming Birth of Jesus:

Genesis 22:18 – And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command

Numbers 24:17: I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel

2 Samuel 7:12-13 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever

Psalm 72:9-10 May desert tribes kneel before him and his enemies lick the dust. ¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. ¹¹ Let all kings bow in homage to him, all nations serve him

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel

Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever

Isaiah 11:1-2 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. ² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.

This is the name he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness

Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the Lord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son

Micah 5:2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me

New Testament Fulfillment

Matthew 1:22-23 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

All because of the Wonderful Invention of Love…

John 3:16-17 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

1. God’s unique form of love

16a For God loved the world in this way

• To think God could actually love mankind after all we’d done and continue to do
• This is a love that transcends human understanding

2. God’s incredible promise of love

16b He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life

• Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection are all one incredible act of love to guarantee our future

3. God’s unimaginable result of His love

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

• We deserve condemnation but because of the love of God, we are saved

4. Our required response in love

Psalm 107:1-9 (CSB) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. ² Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe ³ and has gathered them from the lands—from the east and the west, from the north and the south. ⁴ Some wandered in the desolate wilderness, finding no way to a city where they could live. ⁵ They were hungry and thirsty; their spirits failed within them. ⁶ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he rescued them from their distress. ⁷ He led them by the right path to go to a city where they could live. ⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity. ⁹ For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.

• Our response: thanksgiving, worship, service