His Love is Good News! Abide in it!

This is the fourth installment in our Advent Series "A Season of Preparation"

We have considered the Hope, Peace, and Joy that we have in Jesus Christ, and now today we will look at Love!

Recently I read a humorous email that told the story of a minister, visiting a family's home near Christmas time, who upon seeing their beautiful Nativity set, asked their adorable little girl, "Do you know what this is?" With a knowing smile she replied, "Yes, it's breakable."

1. His Love Abounds and Endures (Psalm 103:8; 100:5; 136)

Psalm 103:8      The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [used 9x in OT]

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good;
                  his steadfast love endures forever,
           and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 136:1-4, 23-26

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever…

²³ It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²⁴ and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
²⁵ he who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Abounding and enduring—simply means that there is a lot of God’s love, and it lasts a long time—more than we can imagine! In passages like Psalm 136, it is a message that is hard to miss, but one we need to be reminded of repeatedly.

2. His Love Invades & Illuminates Our Hearts (John 3:16-21)

     “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

               that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

      For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

        but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

        Whoever believes in him is not condemned,

  but whoever does not believe is condemned already,

     because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

                            And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world,

and people loved the darkness rather than the light

                                          because their works were evil. 

   For everyone who does wicked things

                                                          hates the light and

                                       does not come to the light, 

                                                    lest his works should be exposed. 

   But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

God the Son came to earth on a rescue mission…to deliver fallen humanity from sin and death. His whole life was lived redemptively. His death and resurrection finished his mission. Jesus is the expression of the prodigal love of God running to meet us and welcome us home. Hebrews 2:14-18 tells us that this mission Jesus came to fulfill was to set us free from the slavery that comes from the fear of death that required him to be made like us in every respect. He has a physical body, in his human will he “suffered when tempted” yet was victorious and helps those of us who are being tempted today. The question is, what will we do in response? Will we run from the light or towards it? To put it in Christmas terms, will we follow the star to kneel before the King or harden our hearts against him?

3. His Love Is Shared with Us (John 15:9)

As the Father has loved me,

               so have I loved you.

                     Abide in my love.     

What does it mean to abide? We use “abide” to translate the Greek word μένω (menō). In general, it means to stay or to remain continuously, day by day. We can see this meaning in its various uses:

• In terms of place = to stay, to not depart, to tarry, dwell
• In regards to time = to continue to be, to live, to endure
• In referencing state or condition = to not become another or different

The only way for us to remain clean and fruitful is for us to maintain a vital spiritual relationship with Christ. Abiding speaks of relationship, not separation, even as branches only have what the vine and the sun supply.

4. His Love Abides with Us as We Abide With Him (John 15:9-17)

We could not hope to obey his command to “abide in my love” if his love was not itself abiding.

    If you keep my               commandments,

        you will abide in my love, just as I have

                kept my Father's commandments

             and abide in his love.

    These things I have spoken to you,

                          that my joy may be in you,

                 and that your joy may be full.

           “This is my               commandment,

                                                             that you love one another

                      as I have loved you.

    Greater love has no one than this,

                    that someone lay down his life

                                            for his friends.

                                   You are my friends

                  if you do what I command you.

     No longer do I call you servants,

                               for the servant does not know what his master is doing;

                    but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard

               from my Father

                          I have made known to you.

                                 You did not choose me,

               but I chose you and

                 appointed you that you should go and bear fruit

                                                                and that your fruit should abide,

      so that whatever you ask

                       the Father in my name,

      he may give it to you.

                    These things I command you,

                                                 so that you will love one another.

In the context of the discourse about the vine and the branches, Jesus drove home the lesson about abiding. We were intended to abide in his love through obedience to his commands. Love is not just a feeling though it does involve a response of the heart to his love for us. Obeying his commandments is an expression of love (John 14:15) if we know what his commandments are such abiding obedience makes perfect sense.

• John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• 1 John 3:23-24 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
• 1 John 4:13-17 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his 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. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

Will we believe in him and love one another? To do so is the best Christmas decoration ever (see John 13:35 above).

5. His Love Transforms Us From The Inside Out!

One of the great preachers of the early church, Chrysostom, is recorded as having said, “Heat makes all things expand and the warmth of love will always expand a person’s heart.” When the love of Christ is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5) we, like Dr. Seuss’ proverbial Grinch, experience a transformation of the heart (“his heart grew three sizes that day”), and our spiritual strength is multiplied (“12 Grinches plus two”). Christ’s love compels and controls us in the sense that it motivates us in a way that knowing it, having received it, and continuing to abide in it, we can do nothing less (2 Corinthians 5:14)!

1 Cor. 13:1-3 makes it clear that Christ’s love is the only thing that really matters. It determines the value of all that I do or say.

        If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, 

           I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,     but have not love,

          I am nothing. 

       If I give away all I have,

and if I deliver up my body to be burned,                   but have not love,

          I gain nothing.

Hebrews 12:5-6 His love is not all warm fuzzies but does the hard things that are needed in our lives. His love disciplines us and doesn’t let us just do whatever we want.

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
                                                   nor be weary when reproved by him.
 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
                                  and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Jesus says the same thing to the Church at Laodicea, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Rev. 3:19)

God loves justice and hates robbery and wrong (Isa. 61:8) Why? Because it is unloving.

If we love him then what should our attitude be? One of imitating God. How do we imitate God? It is not by exercising power and authority but by walking in love. Paul, in writing to the church in Ephesus,

 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,

                           a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

He also wrote instructions about this to a young pastor named Timothy,

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness… They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:11, 18-19)

When we have the love of Christ inside us, transforming us, it cannot be contained but flows from us.

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-25) 

How can we not be captivated by the love of Christ? How could life ever be dull and dreary again? I don’t think it can unless we allow our love to turn back in on ourselves instead of abiding in Christ and loving one another.

This love prompts us to engage the needs of those around us as well. Augustine aptly described the love of Christ embodied in his followers, “What does love look like? It has hands to help others, feet to hasten to the poor and needy, eyes to see misery and want, [and] ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

6. We Were Lovingly Chosen in Christ…Live into It! (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

                 who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,

 that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

                to the praise of his glorious grace,

 with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Why do we give gifts at Christmas? To show our love for others, certainly. But even more, we give because the gifts remind us that God gave us the greatest gift at Christmas—Jesus Christ!

During this Advent season, we have lighted candles representing Hope, Peace, and Joy over the last three weeks and this week we add the fourth candle representing Love. Let us encourage each other this week to actively abide in his love!

I will conclude by praying a prayer of blessing over you all. It is taken from Ephesians 3:16-19, 

I pray that out of his glorious riches 

he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV)

One at Christmas (A Poem)

Plan of the ages

Prophetic advent calendar,

Countdown to fullness of time,

God reconciling us in Christ.

Too long we have wandered away

Even rejected his help

Yet Holy Love could not leave us

Lost, dying, alone.

He has come seeking us all.

Now we want to be found.

Light dawns in the darkness as

Enfleshed divinity, is

Revealed, not concealed

To the nations,

Incarnational atonement

Begins among us

Living as fully as we will allow.

Drawn or fleeing

It plainly can’t be ignored,

Things are different now.

Peace invading a strife-filled planet

Reaching out, drawing near,

Holding close

King in infant vulnerability.

Overflowing purity

Born into our gutterish life

Yet purposefully serene in

Undiminished love of the Father

Announced, approved,

So that we might approach.

Emmanuel,

Divine wholeness with us dwelling,

Assuming our weaknesses, struggles, pain,

Nature, will, emotions,

That it, which is us, might be healed, saved,

Reconciled, Redeemed,

Back to the Father’s family.

We are made one at Christmas

Glorious arrival,

Home at last.

© Greg K. Dueker 

The Joyous Kingdom (Luke 2:8-14)

Advent Week 3—A Season of Preparation

After reading Psalm 126 during worship our hearts were focused on the joy that is characteristic of the kingdom of God—where God is reigning there is great joy!

In our series on Advent, we have considered “Hope” in the prophetic longing of Israel for their deliverer who came to them that first Christmas long ago. We next contemplated “Perfect Peace” using Isaiah 26:1-15 and realized that our definition of peace is too small and too puny to capture the holistic blessing and completeness of shalom much less “shalom shalom” (perfect peace) that is brought to us by the Prince of Peace himself. This week we will consider the third topic of Advent, joy!

 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” (Romans 14:17 NIV)

Joy is one of the signs of the kingdom of God, but what is joy? What synonyms might we use for joy if we were to list them? Perhaps words like cheerfulness, gladness, and happiness might be suggested.

Many kinds of joy are reported in the Bible. This makes it difficult to give a simple definition of joy. Many levels of joy are also described, including gladness, contentment, and cheerfulness.

1.       Natural Joy in the Kingdom of God:

“The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Psalm 97:1)

Natural Joy is a delight of the mind, a positive attitude or pleasant emotion arising from the consideration of a present or assured possession of a future good (i.e., you have received it already or you are going to get it.). It is this natural joy that uses most of our synonyms:

• When this joy is moderate it is called gladness.
• When raised suddenly to the highest degree it is exultation or transport.
• When our desires are limited by our possessions it is contentment. (When our desires are not limited it is not joy but rather ambition, greed, or envy).
• The joy that comes when high desires are accomplished is satisfaction.
• The joy that comes from vanquished opposition we call triumph.
• When joy has so long possessed our mind that it is our temperament, we call it cheerfulness.

This all is natural joy. However, that is not the only kind of joy in the kingdom.

2.     Moral Joy in the Kingdom of God:

“Well done good and faithful servant, ...enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21, 23)

There is a moral joy, which is a sense of self‑acceptance or approval, or that which arises from serving well. C.S. Lewis wrote,

"Pleasure in being praised is not Pride. The child who is patted on the back for doing a lesson well, ...the saved soul to whom Christ says "Well done," is pleased and ought to be.  For here the pleasure is not in what you are but in the fact that you pleased someone you wanted (and rightly wanted) to please.  The trouble begins when you pass from thinking, 'I have pleased him; all is well," to thinking, "What a fine person I must be to have done it.'"[1]

The movie, The Nativity, for all its historical inaccuracies does do some things very well and one of them is capturing the sense of how great a gift it was for the shepherds to be included in the plan of God—to know they were not forgotten or excluded! They mattered to God though no one considered them. The shepherds could find satisfaction if not sleep, for they did as they had been told! Yet beyond natural and moral joy, there is an essential spiritual joy in God’s kingdom.

3.     Spiritual joy in the Kingdom of God:

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy...” (Psa. 16:11)

There is a joy that only comes from the Lord and it strengthens us. One example in the Bible is in Nehemiah 8:9-11 where the exiles who had returned to the land were enabled to complete (lit. shalom) building the wall around Jerusalem and then called for the Law of God to be read to them, but when it was read they were overwhelmed by the love of God and by their own shortcomings. However, Nehemiah was instructed to encourage them for “the Joy of the Lord is your strength!”

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.”

Psalm 16:7-11 makes it clear that it is in God’s presence that there is fullness of joy

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,    
 or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A.    Spiritual joy is a "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

What are some of the antonyms or opposites of joy? We listed words such as... sorrow, grief, anger, frustration, depression, bitterness, envy, perfectionism, etc.

Why are so many Christians not joyful considering that they have been saved from their sins and made alive towards God, not to mention being adopted into God’s family and invited to enter into the heavenly relationship of divine love. Sherwood Elliot Wirt explained,

“The reason so many earnest, sincere believers are failing to find joy in their Christian life is that they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. And the reason they are not filled with the Holy Spirit is that they are occupied with all the unholy spirits–that is to say, the negative attitudes– and these spirits monopolize the believer’s time and effort: hostility, resentment, fear, bitterness, envy, revenge, antagonism, arrogance, self-love . . .  The list goes on and on. How can one enjoy the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who is God, when one is filled with everything else?

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with love. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit, and the second fruit is joy. Jesus taught that for us to feel that love and have that joy, we have to become poor in spirit.”[2] 

Some British speaker once said, “Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that the king is in residence today.” [A reference to the practice at Buckingham Palace]. We must remember that this joy is relational and is tied to the presence of the Lord Jesus himself!

B.    Joy is not merely an emotion, but a characteristic of the Christian.

 Bruce Larson writes,

“Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin…The bottom line is simply this: grimness is not a Christian virtue. There are no sad saints. If God is really the center of one’s life and being, joy is inevitable. If we have no joy, we have missed the heart of the Good News and our bodies as much as our souls suffer the consequences. [3]

I love Larson's reminder about grimness! It is time that we remember, or learn for the first time, the reasons we have for joy! Years ago I wrote a poem that contained the lines,

"Joy is too bright with Heaven’s light to be dimmed

with discouragement.

Peace is too filled with quietness and confidence to be broken

with contentiousness."

C.    This joy is permanent, commanded, and mind-blowing (John 16:22; Phil. 4:4; 1 Pet. 1:8).

• No one will take you joy. John 16:22 says, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”
• We are commanded to rejoice in God and not just when things are going as we desire. Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice… the Lord is at hand!
• The joy of the Lord is humanly inexpressible! 1 Peter 1:8-9 reads, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

  So, if joy can’t be taken away, then what must be the object of our joy? Here are several:

a.     God Himself (Ps. 43:3-4; Isa. 61:10);

b.     God’s promises (Phil. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:8);

c.     The Gospel message & Forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Acts 8:8);

d.     The prosperity of Christ's kingdom (Acts 15:3; Rev. 11:15,17);

e.     The happiness of a future state (Ps. 16:9‑11; Rom. 5:2; 15:13

D. Spiritual joy is holy and pure for it focuses on the very character of God.

But the joy which the people of God should have is holy and pure. This joy rises above circumstances and focuses on the very character of God. In the Psalms, for example, the psalmist rejoices over God's righteousness (71:14‑16), salvation (21:1; 71:23), mercy (31:7), creation (148:5), word (119:14, 162), and faithfulness (33:1‑6). God's characteristics as well as His acts are the cause of rejoicing. This kind of joy is distinct from mere happiness. Joy like this is possible, even during sorrow (2 Cor. 7:4). It is not affected by circumstances no matter how painful they may be. In fact, joy may be the outcome of suffering for Christ’s sake (Col. 1:24).

“The fact is, joy is an attribute of God himself. It has the authentic stamp of the ultimate. It brings with it–pleasure, gladness, and delight. Joy is merriment without frivolity, hilarity without raucousness, and mirth without being tasteless. Joy radiates animation, sparkle, and buoyancy. It is more than fun, yet it has fun. It expresses itself in laughter and elation, yet it draws from a deep spring that keeps flowing long after the laughter has died and the tears have come. Even while it joins those who mourn, it remains cheerful in a world that has gone gray with grief and worry.”[4]

Now let’s look at our major text for today, Luke 2:8-18

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

How quickly joy broke forth once fear was banished. There is an old J-O-Y outline that helps remind us of the response of the shepherds to the angel’s message of Good News!

• J: Jesus. Without hesitation, the shepherds went to see their newborn Savior. We too need to put Jesus first this Christmas season (and always) by giving of our time and our worship. His love changes us.
• O: Others. What did the shepherds do with the good news? They shared it! A person who has been changed by Jesus puts the needs of others above their own.
• Y: You. Have you allowed the love of Jesus to change you? He wants to fill your life with his joy, the fullness of joy that comes from his presence in our lives!

May you experience the peace of knowing Jesus as your Savior this Christmas. May you spend this season in a spirit of joy and anticipation of Jesus’ return. As it is written,

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13)

Other verses about joy for you to study:

• Philippians 1:25-26; 2:1-2; 2:17; 3:1; 4:4
• Romans 5:2-3; 12:12, 15
• 2 Corinthians 7:13
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16
• 1 Peter 1:8; 4:13
• Acts 5:41
• James 1:2,12; 5:11
• Matthew 5:11‑12
• Hebrews 12:2

---

           [1] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, [New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1943], 112.

[2] Sherwood Elliot Wirt, Jesus Man of Joy, [Thomas Nelson Pub. 1991], 70.

     [3] Bruce Larson, in There’s a lot more to being healthy than not being Sick.

[4] Wirt, Jesus Man of Joy, 74.