Christmas Through The Eyes Of Calvary
Introduction
The Apostle John, an aged man (90 years old), helped teach us that God clothed Himself with flesh and stepped out of heaven and into this world and lived a life so that men could become intimately knowledgeable about God.
I. THE LOVE OF GOD ORIGINATED WITH THE FATHER 9-11
V7 “for love is of (from) God”
V8“for God is love” - He defines love; it does not define Him.
V10 “He loved us”
A. The Manifestation of God’s Love 9
Love is an action verb, never static or inactive.
God is a God of manifestation and communication.
“Manifest” - to come out in the open, to be made public. In the Old Testament God was often hidden behind the shadows of ritual and ceremony.
Hebrews 10:1 - “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.”
In Jesus Christ, God the Father manifested life and love.
1 John 1:2 - “the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us”
John 14:9 - “Jesus said to him, "’Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?’”
Why was Jesus manifested?
1 John 3:5 - “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.”
1 John 3:8 – “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
“toward us” - we are the objects of God’s love.
B. THE DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE 9
“God has sent His only begotten Son” – unique, the only one of its kind. Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love Toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“The fact that He is love explains the divine plan of redemption. If God operated only on the basis of His law, He would convict people of their sin, and justly consign everyone to spend forever in hell. But His love provided a remedy for sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on behalf of all who repent of their sins and trust in His mercy. Therefore, John 3:16!” John McArthur
The truth that God is love explains human choice. He designed sinners to know and love Him by an act of their wills, though not apart from the work of His Spirit.
C. THE REALIZATION OF GOD’S LOVE 9
“that we might live through Him” – because of Jesus I can live “through Him”, “for Him” and “with Him.”
Ephesians 2:1 says we were “dead in our trespasses and sin” and “you He made alive”
Bethlehem-Incarnation-Birth-Manger-Made Flesh John 1:14
Calvary-Crucifixion-Death-Cross-Made Sin
2 Corinthians 5:21
1. Realize God’s Claim 10
“not that we loved God, but that He loved us” – God’s love can be given to God only when it has first been received from God. It exists only as a response to His initial love for us. God’s love sacrificed His most beloved possession for another’s gain.
2. Realize God’s Covering 10
“sent His son to be the propitiation of our sins” –This statement answers a question. How can God, who is holy, forgive sinners and still be consistent with his holy nature? The answer is the CROSS.
Here Jesus Christ bore the punishment for sin and not the just demands for His own holy law. Also here God reveals His love and makes it possible for men to be saved by faith.
Hebrews 2:17 - “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
Isaiah prophesied this truth 600-800 years earlier
Isaiah 53:4-6:
“Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Listen to the Hammer Ring, and Praise Jesus
He Himself bore
He carried
Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted
He was pierced
He was crushed
Chastening for our well-being fell upon Him
By His scourging we are healed
The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him
3. Realize God’s Compelling Love 11
It is sovereign mercy, God graciously displayed His love in sending Christ, as a follower, I should follow the example and love others with sacrificial Christ-like love
Ephesians 4:32 - “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
II. THE LOVE OF GOD PERFECTED IN HIS FAMILY 12-14
“His love has been perfected in us” – God’s love achieves its purpose in your life; reaches its highest goal.
A. Explanation 12
Jesus is no longer visibly present to manifest Him, people will not see God’s love unless believers “love one another.” When we love one another, we put God on display. The unseen God reveals Himself through the visible love of believers. The love that originated in God and was manifested in His Son is now demonstrated in His family.
B. Evidence 13
This truth reminds us that we can know we are saved. This text speaks of the evidence of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 2:27 - “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”
The Spirit of God Effects Your Life
John 3:8 - “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
The Spirit of God Enables Your Life
Ephesians 5:18 - “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
Walk, talk, act, give like a drunk.
C. Experience
You cannot transport what you do not possess.
God’s Love was:
1. Proclaimed in the Lord.
2. Proved at the Cross.
3. Perfected in the Believer.
The world will not believe that God loves sinners until they see His love at work in His children’s lives.