Show Some Love

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday in Advent, the 5th of December, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today we celebrate love.  We lit the pink Advent candle to remind us of the love God has for us, the love that He brought into this cold, dark world when He sent His own Son Jesus to offer us salvation, the love of Jesus who allowed Himself to be sacrificed so that His blood could atone for our sin.  And we pray that its tiny flame will set ablaze a love in our own hearts for all others, during this holiday season and every day that follows.

Today it’s all about love, and the command Jesus gave us to show some love, to everyone.  So I’d like to share with you a passage from our Bible that is all about love.  You’ll often hear this during a wedding ceremony, as it offers great advice to a couple as they begin their new life as one.  It also offers great advice to we who are one in God.

Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Paul wrote in chapter 13 of his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, and I’ll be reading this from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

1 What if I could speak all languages

of humans and of angels?

If I did not love others,

I would be nothing more

than a noisy gong

or a clanging cymbal.

2 What if I could prophesy

and understand all secrets

and all knowledge?

And what if I had faith

that moved mountains?

I would be nothing,

unless I loved others.

3 What if I gave away all

that I owned

and let myself

be burned alive so that I could brag?

I would gain nothing,

unless I loved others.

4 Love is kind and patient,

never jealous, boastful,

proud, or 5 rude.

Love isn’t selfish

or quick tempered.

It doesn’t keep a record

of wrongs that others do.

6 Love rejoices in the truth,

but not in evil.

7 Love is always supportive,

loyal, hopeful,

and trusting.

8 Love never fails!

Everyone who prophesies

will stop,

and unknown languages

will no longer

be spoken.

All that we know

will be forgotten.

9 We don’t know everything,

and our prophecies

are not complete.

10 But what is perfect

will someday appear,

and what isn’t perfect

will then disappear.

11 When we were children,

we thought and reasoned

as children do.

But when we grew up,

we quit our childish ways.

12 Now all we can see of God

is like a cloudy picture

in a mirror.

Later we will see him

face to face.

We don’t know everything,

but then we will,

just as God completely

understands us.

13 For now there are faith,

hope, and love.

But of these three,

the greatest is love.

--1 Corinthians 13 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for showing so much love to Your creation that You would offer us poor sinners eternal life with You in heaven if we would only accept Your Son Jesus as our Lord.  You love us so much that You sent Jesus into the world to take the punishment we deserved, to sacrifice Himself so that we might be washed clean when we stand before You at the last.  Thank You, Father, for a love we can never earn on our own, nor ever repay.  Please help us show our love to others in return.  Help us follow Jesus’ order to love others – all others - even as we love ourselves.  And help us to do as You will and not just what we are comfortable doing.  Please keep us strong in our faith and of one purpose in our service to Christ Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  And Father, please shield us from all of Satan’s plots and schemes.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this morning.  May Your love warm our hearts and may we show Your love to everyone around us.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.   Amen.

Long ago, in medieval times, a certain monk announced that he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God."  As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered.  In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix.  First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound.  In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel.  There was nothing else to say.

Our Bible speaks volumes about love.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

What more is there to say?  What greater love could be shown an underserving people?

If you ever hear anyone say, “God doesn’t love me!”, or “God could never love me.”, remind them of the crown of thorns, the nail-scarred hands, the spear-pierced side.  Jesus took our punishment and bore our sins just so we could be seen as clean when we stand before God.  God sent His own Son to suffer and die on our behalf, and watched it all happen.  Yes, God loves us all.

When we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord, we put on His name as our title: Christian.  And by doing so, if we are indeed sincere, we agree to obey the simple command Jesus gave us: to love others as we love ourselves, and to make more disciples for Him, telling them all about Him and what He has done.

If we examine that command, we will see that the second part is really just an extension of the first part.  To tell others all about Jesus and what He has done, for them and for us, leading them into discipleship of Jesus, is to help them along the path of salvation and eternal life, offering them a share in the same inheritance we have been promised.  And if we truly love others as we love ourselves, we will want them to be saved, just as we are saved, just as we want all our loved ones to be saved.

This too, is what God wants.  He wants all to be saved.  He sent Jesus into the world that the world might be saved, the entire world!  To do our part, all we need to do is show some love.

Let’s be clear about this.  When Jesus told us to love others, it wasn’t a request.  He didn’t say, “Hey, you know, if you work at loving other folks, it would make Me so happy.  Why don’t you give it a try?  OK?”  No, He commanded us to love.  He made it a commandment.  Listen to what Jesus said as recorded by the Apostle Mark in the 12th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 30 and 31…

30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

--Mark 12:30-31 (NKJV)

And again, as recorded by the beloved Apostle John in the 15th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 9 through 12, Jesus said this…

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 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.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

--John 15:9-12 (NKJV)

“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you.”  How much did Jesus love us?  Look at the crown of thorns upon His brow.  Look at those beautiful, healing hands pierced by nails.  Look at His side where they stabbed Him with a spear.  We have been spared the vision of His back, shredded by the flogging He endured before being hung on the cross to suffer and die.

Jesus loved us enough that He did not want even one of us to suffer eternal damnation, everlasting punishment, separation from God for all eternity.  And that is exactly how much He commands us to love others.  He orders us to care enough not to want even one person to not be saved.  He orders us to show our love of them by telling them about Jesus and helping them to salvation.

By loving others, we show our love to Jesus, and we show His love to them.  By feeding the hungry, by giving drink to the thirsty, by clothing the naked, by giving aid to the sick and visiting those in prison, we show them the love of Jesus, just as He showed when He walked this earth.

Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.  Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered; it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do.  Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.  Love never fails!

Family, the greatest thing about love is that the more of it you give away, the more you receive in return.  Let’s make an extra special effort this holiday season to show some love.  After all, Christmas is a time of love, and a time for love.  But let’s not stop there.  Let’s keep the love flowing, into the new year, and on for every day we walk this earth.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Show some love.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for a love so great that You hold for us, that You do not want us to be separated from You for all eternity.  We have rebelled against You and disobeyed You almost from the very moment You created us, yet You never stopped loving us.  And then, when the time was right, You sent Your own Son to offer us salvation.  Thank You, Father, for so great an undeserved love.  Jesus commands us to love others, but sometimes, Father, that is just tough to do.  Some people are difficult to love.  Some are downright unlovable.  Please forgive us when we struggle to love other folk in a way that reflects how Jesus loved us.  Please help us be more loving.  Remind us of all Jesus has done for us.  Encourage us and strengthen us as we strive to carry out the work Your Son left for us.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service to You and Jesus.  And please help us remain strong and true during these trouble-filled times we now live in.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You came to this earth bringing the Good News of salvation.  You came in obedience to Your Father God.  You came out of love.  Thank You, Jesus, for coming in our behalf, for taking our punishment, even onto the cross.  Thank you for taking our sins upon Yourself and leaving them in the empty tomb.  Lord, we ask You to help us do as You command us and love all others as we love ourselves, as You loved us.  Help us to love even the unlovable, so that all might be saved.  Help us stay true to You and faithful no matter what may come next in this life.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love to all we encounter in our daily walk.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.