Love Came At Christmas

Text: 1 John 4:7-12

Focus: Love

Function: To help people stop fighting here.

Form: GOK.

Intro:

God is Love.

That is the simplest and easiest way for God to describe Himself and us to describe God.

When I think of the way people vilify the so called Illegal alien, I remember: God is love.

When I think of the sinner, lost in his or her own way, I remember: God is love.

When I think of the person who is angry with me, maybe for a cause, or without a cause, I remember: God is love.

Historic legislation was passed this week when Don't Ask Don't Tell was overturned.

For some, it was perceived as a lessening of the standards of righteousness. For others, it was the Christian virtue of being just on behalf of others.

When I think of that issue. I remember that who ever is involved. Those who are upset, and those who need justice. I, as a Christian need to remember this: God, the one I represent, is Love.

God is love.

We are also dealing with the question of Homosexuality in our denomination. It is a bitter and divisive issue.

But the neat thing about us is what is happening in the district hearings. We are taking time to share stories and attitudes about people that we know who are affected the most by the issue. And it seems this way to me, the families that are directly connected to the issue have a more cautious outlook.

The hearings are designed to help us see that whatever decision we make, we have to first acknowledge Jesus' statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

That doesn't mean that our concept of the cross of Christ, His birth, life, death and atoning sacrifice has changed. Jesus died to save humanity from its sinfulness.

But we take the clue from Jesus. To the woman caught in adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” But He didn't leave it there. He also said: “Go and sin no more.”

That is why this concept, God is love is the beginning of the statement.

The family member with a person who is in that lifestyle knows the person. They know the person is worth loving. They know that God loves them. And they know that God loves the other.

And here are the words of Jesus. Love your enemy. Pray for those who despitefully use you. Bless those who curse you; bless and curse not.

Listen to these words from Luke 6:27-30 in The Message: ^27-30"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.”

And the John's interpretation of it is this: if you know God, you will be able to do this.

If you can't do this, you do not know God.

You WILL love your enemies.

You will.

If you are not able to do this, then there is something wrong with your faith.

Something wrong.

It truly is that simple.

But at the same time, it is hard.

Forgiveness, getting along, loving our enemy can only happen one way. And that is when we let God's nature take us over.

When we became Christians, when Jesus came into our hearts, when the promised Holy Spirit began to dwell in us, the Bible says that He came inside of us and changed our nature.

He made us into new creatures. Ezekiel says: “He takes the hard heart and makes it soft.”

Any time we choose to live in unforgiveness. Any time we choose to hate. Any time we choose to harbor resentment. Any time we choose to gossip. Any time we choose to gloat over the fall of an enemy. Any time we choose to make someone else our enemy, we are not living God's nature inside of us.

Every time we do that, we are following the god of this world, Satan.

My dad had an heart attack when I was 10. So for the next 7 years, he gave up his pastorate. We attended a beautiful little church in the inner city. Dad served on the board. And they had had a board member who was that cranky sort of believer. He was always mad, he was always upset about something. And you had to know my dad. He was just an happy man. And finally one day, he confronted the guy in one of the meetings and asked him why he was so angry.

And the man replied: “This isn't anger, it is righteous indignation!”

The point was, the man hid his unforgiveness behind what he called Christian righteousness.

I love what a good friend, a mentor of mine used to say to me: A religious person has little or no tolerance for those who differ from him. A spiritual person knows that God is able to love even the one he believes is the least lovable.

I try to imagine the look of Jesus, as He gazes intently into Judas Iscariot's eyes right at the end. Jesus has just said: “Tonight, one of you will betray me.” They all panic. They ALL see the possibility of betrayal inside themselves and they all ask Jesus if it is them.

Judas, in his hypocrisy asks the question himself. He wants to know if God knows the deliberate act of rebellion that is in his own heart.

“Is it I?” He asks. And Jesus says, “it is the one who I dip a piece of bread into the broth and hand it to.” And then He hands the bread to Judas.

I can imagine the look in Jesus' eyes. He knows that Judas is His enemy. But Jesus isn't his.

Judas resents everything that Jesus is doing. But Jesus doesn't feel that way about Judas.

Judas has become His enemy. But Jesus, even though Judas has treated Him so, doesn't go down to that level. In Judas' mind, Jesus was his enemy, but in Jesus' mind, it wasn't so.

Has that ever happened to you?

Someone disliked you, resented your actions and you were not aware? That person mis-interprets what you do as an attack, but your own motives were good.

Maybe I am naïve. I keep on trusting.

But when I find out that they don't like me, I become wary, but that is never an excuse to stop liking them, loving them, and treating them with respect.

But Jesus wasn't naïve. And he still entrusts Himself to Judas. He is kind, loving, generous and giving to Judas.

I picture those eyes when He is handing him that piece of bread. Are they sad? Are they compassionate? Are they pleading? Are they hoping that even though the entire plan of salvation rests at this point on Judas' selfishness, does Jesus look at him with a look that says, if you don't do this, we will find another way?

Jesus would never gloat in the fall of one of His enemies.

And so, He feeds his enemy.

Even though Judas broke the covenant between them, Jesus still keeps His covenant with Judas.

God will never break His covenant to love us.

The reason, the passage says is this: God is love.

Repeat it with me: God is Love.

Have you ever replaced the Word Love, with the name God when reading 1 Corinthians 13? God is not hate. God is not bitterness. God is not jealous. God is not unforgiving. God is tender, God is kind, God is slow to anger, God is patient, God never seeks His own way, God never rejoices in failure, God always hopes, always believes the best. God never fails.

God is love.

Love, is the purest expression of God.

I had a pastor once who said: “I am waiting to be baptized in love, then I will be able to forgive so and so.” I had another brother tell me once, “I will forgive this other person when God gives me the strength to do it.”

But the fruit of the Spirit is love. That is what happens when we get saved.

When the pastor said: “Baptized in Love,” his understanding of the difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit was off.

There are varieties of gifts of the Spirit. Some prophecy, some speak in tongues, some have great faith, some have the ability to preach and teach, some have the ability to provide supernatural help, some have the ability to provide wisdom, or a word of knowledge.

Not every gift is given to every believer.

But every believer has the Holy Spirit inside of them. Every believer has the ability to fulfill their covenant of love for one another.

That guy was waiting for something that was already there. He was using God as an excuse not to love. He was reflecting not only the “me first” selfishness of our culture, but also the “me only” selfish nature of our culture. He refused to obey God. He was in direct rebellion of God and God's nature when He said it was up to God, and not him, to love and forgive someone else.

It is our choice.

Our love is tested. Jesus, at the garden pleaded for another way. But His great love took Him through that ordeal. Because of love, He was willing.

If the tests are easy, then we would not have much to accomplish. No matter what. Let love be your guide.