Naylor Community Christian
Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 3:16
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-- as we begin this morning, I want to tell you a story about a dog
named Elijah and how God used him to show me how much God truly loves us
-- as most of you know, I work at Moody AFB, and I began my career
there as a wildlife biologist – so, as part of my job, I would spend the day
out in the woods and the wild places of the base – taking care of the natural
resources and the wildlife
-- One day I was out away from my office, and in the middle of the
woods, I ran across a shaggy little poodle running around -- He was extremely
dirty, covered with mats and he had briars and cockleburs caught in his coat --
He had a rope around his neck with a long piece that was hanging down – so, it
looked like he had been tied up but had somehow gotten loose.
-- I started calling him Elijah, because I thought that this must have
been what the prophet Elijah looked like, according to the Bible
-- Elijah was obviously lost and alone and afraid – and since we are
dog people, my first instinct was to see if I could catch him and take care of
him and find him a home – but Elijah wouldn’t have any of that -- he was
terrified of me and would run off every time I approached
-- I decided it was time to bring in the big guns, so I took Kim with
me over to the last place I had seen him – we pulled up, and there he was,
standing in the road – scruffy and dirty and disheveled with that rope hanging
down – Kim did her best to catch him, but got the same result – he wouldn’t
come to her no matter how sweet she talked and pleaded with him
-- We tried enticing him to us with food, but his fear was still too
great – it was obvious that we weren’t going to catch him on our own
-- so, we came up with another idea – we got another poodle that was
the same size as him and brought it out to where he was -- we hoped that he
wouldn't be as afraid if he saw the other dog with us and realized we weren't
hurting this other dog – but that didn’t work either – he just barked and ran
into the woods, looking back at us and running off every time we got closer
-- We didn't know what to do -- He was looking for help – he needed
help -- but he was too afraid of us to receive it – no matter what we did, he
wouldn’t come close
-- we talked about it and said, “You know, what we need is a miracle --
if there was only some way that we could speak to him in his language -- if we
could become a dog for just a few minutes – he would listen to us and we could
show him the way to safety”
-- and as we talked about this last impossible idea, it hit me -- This
was exactly what God did for us – this was exactly what Christmas was all about
-- When we were lost and alone and
afraid – trapped in our sins and in slavery to sin and death with no way out
and no hope in the world -- God became one of us
– the Lord God Almighty – the Creator of Heaven and Earth – humbled
Himself and became a man just like us – He loved us so much that He came to
earth at Christmas as a baby in a manger, so that through His life He might show
us the Way to be reconciled to Him – giving His very life for us on the cross
to conquer sin and death and break the chains that had bound us since the fall
in the Garden of Eden
-- this morning is the fourth Sunday of Advent – the season in the
church calendar that has been set aside as a means of preparing our hearts and
souls for the coming of Christ – as we look forward to the celebration of
Christmas and beyond to the return of Jesus at the end of days
-- if you’re like me – or, more honestly, like Kim and Brooke – you’ve
been preparing for Christmas for weeks now – buying presents – decorating the
house – playing Christmas music – shopping for just the right gift for that
hard-to-please person – and then wrapping and wrapping and wrapping
-- it seems like the season of Advent always comes in a rush and so we
just look forward to Christmas so we can get it over with and get back to our
lives once again – it makes me wonder if we haven’t forgotten the true meaning
of Christmas, even though we are the ones who should be pointing the world to
Jesus at this time of the year
-- for instance, the church is always quick to take offense if someone
tries to secularize this holiday – if they say, “Happy Holidays” instead of
“Merry Christmas” or if they have a winter celebration and not a Christmas
celebration
-- we’re always quick to point out that the meaning of Christmas is the
birth of Christ – and while we’ve got that right, that's not the whole story,
is it?
-- a coworker asked me what I thought about a church sign that we both
pass on the way to work – it said, “Christmas starts with the manger but ends
with a cross” – she didn’t understand why they would put that on their sign –
she told me, “Christmas doesn’t have anything to do with the cross” – but it
does
-- Christmas is not just about the birth of Christ – it’s about so much
more
-- to say Christmas is only about the birth of Jesus would be akin to
saying that Martin Luther King, Jr day is just a celebration about the birth of
Martin Luther King, Jr. -- that's not why we celebrate that holiday -- we don't
celebrate that day just because a man was born -- no, we celebrate it because
of what Martin Luther King, Jr. did to fight racial prejudice and injustice and
to achieve civil rights for everyone
-- in the same way, Christmas is not just about the birth of Jesus, but
about what the birth of Jesus meant for us -- about what the Man who was born
at Christmas did on our behalf
-- Christmas is the day when we celebrate the fact that God came down
to earth and wrapped Himself in flesh -- He became for us "Emmanuel"
-- God with us -- for a purpose and a reason that goes far beyond the story of
a baby born in a manger on a cold winter night in a small town in the Middle
East
-- Christmas is the story of God loving us so much that He became a man
to save us when we couldn't save ourselves
-- let me explain this in a different way by sharing with you the story
about a little boy who loved sailboats -- one day, he decided to make his own
toy sailboat -- he took a block of wood and he started carving -- every day, he
would work on his boat, carefully and patiently shaping it and molding it until
it looked just like a real sailboat -- he painted it and built a sail for it
and it was perfect
-- when he finished creating his sailboat, he carried it down to the
river near his house to play with it -- he tied a small line to the stern so
that he could reel it back in after he was done -- he set it in the water and
it floated and began to sail on the surface of the river just like a real boat
-- but all of a sudden, a storm came up and the wind caught the sails
of his boat – the wind tugged the boat with such force that the safety line
broke – and all the little boy could do was watch as his boat sailed away
-- that which he had created was gone -- he looked and looked for it,
but he never could find it – he lost hope that he would ever have his boat with
him again
-- but one day, as he walked past the local toy store, he looked in the
window and there was his boat -- he rushed in and grabbed it up and said
"it's mine -- it's mine -- I have my boat back at last" -- but the
storekeeper said that if he wanted the boat, he would have to buy it
-- so, the boy worked all summer and saved his money -- finally, when
he had saved enough to redeem his boat, he went back to the toy store and
handed his money to the owner and took the boat out of the window
-- he hugged it to his chest and said, "You're mine -- you're mine
-- I made you and you got away -- but I've got you back and I'll never let you
go again"
-- that is the story of Christmas that I want you to get this morning –
the story of a Creator who loved His creation so much, that when He lost us
through sin in the Garden of Eden, He moved heaven and earth to get us back
again – to the very point where He paid the ultimate price of sending His own
Son to the cross to redeem us so that we would be His again forever
-- this is the true story of Christmas – and this is what we see in
John 3:16, arguably the most recognized and famous verse in all the Bible
II. Scripture Lesson
A. John 3:16
– let’s read that together again now
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-- here we are given the reason for this season -- Christmas is the day
we celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He refused to let us go
even though we were lost -- in fact, He loved us so much that He sent His only
Son to earth to die on the cross for us -- to pay the price to buy us back from
bondage to sin and death -- to get back that which He had created and to never
let us go again
-- it says here that God “so” loved the world – we rarely talk about
that little word, “so” – but it means so much – it shows us the depth of God’s
love – it shows us the heart of the Father
-- He loved us so much that He just couldn’t stand being separated from
us – He loved us so much that He would give all that He had to get us back – He
loved us so much that He would do anything to redeem us and reconcile us to Him
-- and I want you to understand that this love that God had was not
just for the world, but for you in particular – His love was so great for you,
that when He was born in the manger, you were on His mind – when He went to the
cross to die in our place, it was you He was dying for – not because He had to
– but because He loved you so much He couldn’t stand being apart from you any
longer – that is what the “so” in this verse means
-- “For God SO loved the world, that He GAVE…” – He gave – this was a
gift to us – the first Christmas gift – wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying
in a manger – as Chuck Swindoll put it, God’s gift at Christmas was “doing the
unexpected for the undeserving”
-- For God so loved the word, He gave us Himself -- the gift of
Christmas -- wrapped in love, and delivered through a peasant girl to a world
of sinners
-- have you ever experienced the unexpected when you were undeserving?
-- just like all of you, I exchange presents with my family and friends at
Christmas -- and, if you're like me, when you pick out your gift, you're always
trying to match what you think they're going to spend on you -- especially if
it's just a friend
-- you kind of guess what they're going to spend on their gift for you
based on how close your friendship is and what they got you last year and then
you go out and get them something in that price range -- we all do it -- every
single one of us
-- but there have been occasions when I have exchanged gifts with
someone and they've gotten me something that was more than I expected --
something that was just so valuable -- so precious -- so thoughtful -- that my
gift paled in comparison
-- and I was left speechless -- holding the unexpected and feeling so
undeserving of what I had received -- knowing that my gift was nothing compared
to what they had given me -- that, my friends, is grace -- and that is the true
gift of Christmas – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son…”
-- there is nothing we could do for God that could compare to the baby
in the manger – there is no gift that we could give to God that would match the
incomparable grace of Jesus – it is the gift of the unexpected to the
undeserving – and it is more valuable than anything else in this world
-- as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith‑‑and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God‑‑
not by works, so that no one can boast."
-- so yes, Christmas does begin in a manger and end at the cross because
Christmas is more than just a day we celebrate the birth of a child
-- Christmas is the day we celebrate just how much God loves us – and
we celebrate the gift of love He gave for us -- for the child born in the
manger at Christmas -- the holy and perfect child of Mary -- was God's gift to
us -- God clothed in flesh -- Grace clothed in flesh -- Love clothed in flesh –
sent to bring us home to Him again
B. Romans 5:1-8
-- if you would, please turn over to Romans 5 – before we close this
morning on this last Sunday before Christmas, I wanted us to look a little more
closely at what the love of God at Christmas truly means for us
-- Romans 5:1-5
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have
gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in
the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4
perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to
shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us.
-- we’ve been talking about realizing the true meaning of Christmas –
about how Christmas is about so much more than just a baby being born in the
manger
-- Christmas is about God giving us the gift of His Son because of His
great love for us -- even though we didn't expect it -- even though we were
undeserving -- even though we were sinners -- separated from God by our own
evil thoughts and desires and actions and held in bondage to sin and death --
God showed that He loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us, so that
through Jesus’ death on the cross, we might be justified and redeemed for
eternal life with Him
-- and as we receive this gift of grace by faith, we find peace in our
lives for the very first time – peace with God and peace with men – as the
angels sang to the shepherds on that first Christmas night, “Peace on earth and
good will to those on whom His favor rests”
-- this peace comes through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the
lives of believers – and it results in a new life for us – a life that produces
perseverance – that produces character – and that generates hope – because we
have come to understand that the gift of God is the hope of this world
-- verse 6-8
Romans 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
-- “at just the right time” – on a
cold winter’s night that was so deep – the Lord of Creation came to us, wrapped
in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger
-- He came so that He might go to
the cross for us – dying for us while we were still powerless – dying for us
while we were still sinners and far from the Father – separated from God by our
sin nature and our disobedience – He came at just the right time to save the
world and to show the true extent of the Father’s love for us
-- in other words, God didn’t wait
for us to get right with Him before He sent Jesus to us at Christmas – He
didn’t wait until we quit sinning and paid the price to reconcile ourselves –
no, when we were powerless – when we couldn’t do a thing – when we were lost
and alone with no hope of ever finding home again, God came to us as one of us
– God came as a baby laying in a manger
-- Christmas demonstrates the Father's love for us just as the cross
demonstrates Christ's love -- God had no assurance on that first Christmas day that
we would love His Son, but He sent Him to earth anyway -- Jesus had no
assurance when He went to the cross that we would love Him and receive His gift
of eternal life, but He willingly went to the cross for us anyway -- He loved
us even though He knew that we might never love Him or trust Him – God so loved
the world that He sent His one and only Son to die for us, even though He knew
that many might not come and would continue to reject the love that He had for
them
-- one Sunday, a little boy looked up at his daddy and asked,
"Daddy, how does God love us?" -- His father answered, "Son, God
loves us with an unconditional love."
-- the boy thought for a moment and then asked, "Daddy, what kind
of love is unconditional love?"
-- after a few minutes of silence his father answered -- "Do you
remember the two boys who used to live next door to us and the cute little
puppy they got last Christmas? -- "Yes" -- "Do you remember how
they used to tease it, throw sticks and even rocks at it?" --
"Yes" -- "Do you also remember how the puppy would always greet
them with a wagging tail and would try to lick their faces?" --
"Yes"
-- "Well, that puppy had an unconditional love for those two boys
-- they certainly didn't deserve his love for them because they were mean to
him -- but he loved them anyway"
-- the father then made his point -- "God's love for us is also
unconditional -- men threw rocks at His Son, Jesus, and hit Him with sticks --
they even killed Him -- but, Jesus loved them anyway"
-- here in verse 6, we read that Christ died for the ungodly – and in
verse 8, it says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us – even
though we didn’t deserve it – even though we didn’t return His love – He came
at Christmas and died for us on the cross because of His great unconditional
love for us
-- 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus
Christ laid down his life for us." -- the sinless dying for the sinner --
that is the definition of unconditional – undeserved -- love -- that is the
meaning of Christmas
-- Max Lucado wrote this perspective on the incarnation of Christ:
-- "Can anything make me stop loving you?" God asks. "Watch me speak your language, sleep on
your earth, and feel your hurts -- Behold the maker of sight and sound as He
sneezes, coughs, and blows His nose
-- “You wonder if I understand how you feel? -- Look into the dancing
eyes of the kid in Nazareth; that's God walking to school -- Ponder the toddler
at Mary's table; that's God spilling His milk.
-- "You wonder how long my love will last? -- Find your answer on
a splintered cross, on a craggy hill. --
That's me you see up there -- your maker -- your God -- nail-stabbed and
bleeding -- Covered in spit and sin-soaked."
-- "That's your sin I'm feeling -- That's your death I'm dying --
That's your resurrection I'm living -- That's how much I love you." --
that's...Christmas
III. Conclusion
-- so let me wrap this up by sharing with you a story from Candy Chand
about the time her son Nicholas was in a kindergarten Christmas play -- for
weeks, Nicholas had worked to memorize the songs that they would be singing – everyone
was looking forward to the celebration and to the chance to sing before their
parents – and finally, the big day arrived
-- Candy got there about 10 minutes early, found a spot in the
cafeteria, and sat down -- the seats began to fill with other parents and with
other children in the school
-- each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the
floor -- then, each group -- one by one -- rose to perform their song -- Candy
said that since the school had quit referring to the holiday as
"Christmas" but as "winter break," she didn't expect
anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa
Claus, snowflakes and good cheer
-- so, when her son's group rose to sing, "Christmas Love,"
she was surprised -- as the class sang the song, the kids in the front row --
center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of
the song
-- as the class would sing, "C is for Christmas", a child
would hold up the letter "C" -- then, "H is for Happy" and
on and on -- until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete
message, "Christmas Love"
-- the performance went as smoothly as it could with a bunch of
kindergartners, until the inevitable happened – one little girl made a mistake
– when the verse centered on the letter “M,” shoe proudly held up her sign –
upside-down – so, instead of there being an “M” in the word, there now was a
“W”
-- the audience snickered at her
mistake -- but she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall,
proudly holding her "W"
-- the teachers tried to get the kids to quit laughing, but the
laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and then they all saw it
together -- a hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen -- in that
instant they understood the reason they were there -- why they celebrated the
holiday in the first place -- why even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of
the season there was a purpose for Christmas festivities
-- for when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and
clear: "Christ Was Love" – and
everyone realized that this was the truest message ever spoken
-- Christ was Love -- Christ is love – and Christ continues to
love us no matter what we do
-- there is nothing that we can do that will make God love us more --
there is nothing that we can do that can make God love us less – we may be
powerless – we may be ungodly – we may be sinners – we may be Christians trying
to do our best and failing time and time again – but God still loves us
completely -- perfectly -- unconditionally -- because He is love
-- rather than just telling us about His love in the Bible -- rather
than just speaking His message through the prophets and evangelists and
apostles -- God showed us His love by sending His own Son to earth to die in
our place
-- as Max Lucado wrote in the book "In the Grip of Grace" --
"From the cradle in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem we've pondered the
love of our Father. What can you say to
that kind of emotion? Upon learning that
God would rather die than live without you, how do you react? How can you begin to explain such
passion?"
-- "There is no way our little minds can comprehend the love of
God. But that didn't keep Him from
coming"
-- Love came down at Christmas
-- He came for you -- He came for me -- He came for all of us
-- God's love surrounds us and envelopes us -- He showed it through the
birth of His Son at Christmas -- and He showed it again at the cross of Calvary
-- the question before us this morning, then, is what will you do in
response? -- will you return His love with your own or will you just go about
your life as before?
-- just like gifts cannot be appreciated until they are received, love
cannot be realized until it is accepted -- will you accept the love of God this
Christmas? -- will you accept the love of God today?
-- maybe you’re the person Paul described here in Romans 5 – a sinner
far from God, without hope or power in this world today – or maybe you’re a new
Christian – someone who has just started to experience the amazing grace that
God has given us through His Son Jesus – or maybe you’ve been a Christian for a
while, but you’ve felt your love grow cold and you feel more distant from Him
today because this world has just taken it out of you
-- regardless of where you are this morning, I want you to leave here
today on this last day of Advent knowing that God loves you – He loves you so
much and all He wants is for you to love Him, too -- that is the meaning of
Christmas – that is the reason for the manger – that is the reason for the
cross -- and that is why we are here today
-- to receive His love and eternal life through the greatest gift ever
given – the Lord Jesus Christ
-- so, as we close in prayer and as the last hymn is played, let me
invite you to contemplate the depth of God’s love for us – and to respond to
His love and to His word as you feel led
-- let us pray
