158 The Advent of the King: Love

From the very beginning, God desperately wanted to show Himself to mankind. To let us see that even in the chaos of life He was there and that above all, He really did LOVE them.

He attempted to do so through the sheer grandeur of creation itself. But many people still couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see Him.

So, He decided to showcase one nation that did grasp His reality: Israel.  In displaying what He could do in and for that people – weak and insignificant as they were – He was also demonstrating what He could and would do for any people who would trust in Him and walk with Him.

But though some saw Him, most didn’t. The image was flawed in this all-too-human and all-too-fickle people.

But God wouldn’t give up. Outrageous as it may seem, He loved this blinded world.  So much so that He decided to pull out all the stops – to do the unthinkable. He came Himself.

God became man for us. Why?  BECAUSE HE LOVED US!  Friends, this is the very heart of Christmas.

Because of Christmas, I can know that I matter to God.

Can one person on a speck of a planet in a smallish solar system in a mediocre galaxy make a difference to the Creator of the Universe?  Yet God determined to prove how much we mattered to Him by becoming one of us and coming to us. 

Because of Christmas, I can trust that God truly understands.

In Jesus, God came to experience all the hardship and heartache of life from the very beginning.  He experienced firsthand the all-too-real fatigue and frustration that you and I face. He understands the agony of betrayal and the pain of losing a loved one to death.

And it's here where the LOVE of God is seen in its greatest dimension, because not only did Jesus experience our pressure and endure our pain in His life, He provided the way out of it through His death.

Because of Christmas, I can hope that God will take me home.

You and I will one day die. What then? Jesus offers to take His loved ones home. 

That offer is still being made. In the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Behold. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone will open the door, I will come in…”

He will come in, grant forgiveness, provide wholeness, and give meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. And ultimately, He will take you home.  

Jesus came for you.  He loved you that much.  But whether you’ll open up to Him is up to you.

Text: Hebrews 1:1-3; 10:5-7; John 1:1-3, 14

Originally recorded on December 4, 2011, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.