The Fourth Sunday of Advent: Living Agape Love

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love

Billy Graham explains why Jesus came to earth:

And this is why Jesus Christ came into the world. He was God in human form, and He came to demonstrate God’s love to us.

He did this by giving His life for us, so we could be forgiven of our sins and go to be with Him in heaven forever.

https://billygraham.org/answer/jesus-came-to-demonstrate-gods-love-for-us/

The Incarnation: John’s Gospel

The Gospel of John reveals Jesus’ Identity and Divinity John 1: 14-18 Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

16From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

Billy Graham reflects:

Men and women were incapable of coming to God, so God in love and mercy came down to Earth to interact with humans.

The creature could not come up to God, so the Creator condescended to come down to redeem His creation.

Wonder of wonders! God incarnate! God clothed in a human body in the person of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures unite in one voice to declare this.

https://decisionmagazine.com/god-revealed-in-human-flesh/

Encouraging and Loving Each Other

The author writes in Hebrews 10:19-25 BSB

A Call to Persevere
(Jude 1:17–23)

19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 25Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The message is simple: because Christ came in agape love to save us, so we are to love others with the love which flows through His presence in our lives (Holy Spirit).

“Agape love is selfless love . . . the love God wants us to have isn’t just an emotion but a conscious act of the will—a deliberate decision on our part to put others ahead of ourselves. This is the kind of love God has for us.” Billy Graham

Jesus gives His disciples this command in

John 13:34-35

34A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

John writes in 1 John 3:11-24

Love One Another
(John 13:31–35; Romans 12:9–13)

11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous. 13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.

16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. 19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, 22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.

Got Questions Reminds us of this great truth:

We cannot fully love in deed and in truth without the love of Christ dwelling within us: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (1 John 4:16–17, NLT).

God’s love enables us, like the Good Samaritan, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (see Luke 10:25–37). When the pure love of Jesus resides in our hearts, we are equipped to love not with empty words or meaningless talk but with genuine acts of kindness and compassion.

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/not-love-word-tongue-but-deed-truth.html

May His love, grace, compassion, and truth touch and shine through your life during this Christmas Season! Merry Christmas and make ready for His Return when He shall make all things anew!