Love

Welcome to Christmas Eve

Welcome to The Well Community Church. If we haven’t met yet, my name is Brad. I am so thankful that you’ve all chosen to come and celebrate with us here this Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to all of you. I want to say a couple of special welcomes. I heard that Kevin, as we started the gathering, let the kids participate a little bit. Kids, we just want you to know we see you. We are so glad that you are here with us. Now, what we also know is that means the clock is ticking. A long-winded message with kids in the room is not a good idea, so we’re going to get right to the point.

Adults, we usually have a kids ministry for both children and students, but we decided to make this a family affair for a couple of reasons. First, it’s Christmas Eve. Second, we have hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who serve every single week in our kids building, and we wanted to give them a little respite. We’ve turned our kids building into the best overflow room in the city of Fresno right now. To those joining us in the overflow room, I promise you it is the best seat in the house. Everybody here is looking at the screens anyway, so you’re in the right place.

To those of you joining us from the community, we are so thankful you’re here. If this is your first time at The Well, I want you to know what we’re about. We’re committed to the Bible, we’re committed to teaching the Scriptures, and we’re committed to the central theme of the Bible: the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The Tradition of Advent

In this season, we are finishing our Advent series by talking about the fourth movement, which is the love of God. Advent is a tradition within the Christian church that goes back all the way to the mid-fourth century. It’s an old-school tradition where you take the four weeks preceding Christmas to talk about the hope, peace, joy, and love that are found in Jesus. The purpose is to slow everything down and simply remember Him.

There are a lot of distractions in our culture—plenty of wonderful traditions, like watching Elf and all that, which are great and you should totally do. However, it’s even more important to be reminded of what this season is really about, and that is Christ. We want to draw ourselves back into the real miracle of Christmas. To do that, I’d like to begin by reading a bit of the Christmas narrative from Matthew and Luke. If you have a nativity scene at home, you can picture it in your mind as I read.

Matthew 1:18-21 (NASB)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ’Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ‘She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’

In Luke’s account, we get a little more detail regarding the journey to Bethlehem.

Luke 2:1-7 (NASB)

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

As you know, the story continues. An angel appears to the shepherds, and they come to see this child born to be the Savior of the world. Sometime later, wise men come from the East to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It’s worth noting that myrrh is an embalming spice used at burial. Here are these wise men bringing burial spices to a manger because they were celebrating something unique. It wasn’t just the birth of Jesus; it was what Jesus would accomplish.

The Bible moves in four movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. The whole purpose of the Christmas story is not simply the nativity scene; it’s the cross. One leads to the other because Jesus is the real miracle. This God who loves us became incarnate. He clothed Himself in humanity to do something on our behalf.

Week One: The Hope of Christ

I want to quickly recap the four weeks of Advent. For those who have embraced the Gospel, I want you to be reminded of the miracle beyond the decorations. For those who are guests, I want to introduce you to the real gift that is offered freely. Week one was about hope. When you look through your Bible, you find that everything in the Old Testament points toward something coming. You see snapshots of a Savior from the line of Abraham, from the family of David, born in Bethlehem, one who would be crucified.

Jesus made a fascinating statement in John 5 to a group of religious people who understood the “do’s and don’ts” of the law but missed the point.

John 5:39 (NASB)

’You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

The Savior of your Bible is not your ability to obey; it’s not the percentage to which you behave well. The real gift is Jesus. There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that speak to the details of His life. These aren’t vague fortune cookie predictions; they are specific.

The mathematical probability of just 25 of those being fulfilled at random by one person would be the same as filling the entire state of Texas two feet high with silver dollars, painting one red, blindfolding you, flying you around in a helicopter, and having you pick that one red coin on your first try. That’s just for 25 prophecies. Jesus fulfilled 300 perfectly. This gives us hope. If He fulfilled those perfectly, we can trust He will fulfill the promises concerning His second coming.

Week Two: The Peace of Christ

The second week was about peace. This gets a little controversial because we tend to overestimate how “good” we are with God and underestimate how bad our situation is apart from Christ.

Colossians 1:19-20 (NASB)

For it was the [Father’s] good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say], whether things on earth or things in heaven.

We tend to think we’re good people because we compare ourselves to a neighbor we don’t like. But compared to a holy God, even our best efforts are like filthy rags. Apart from Him, the Bible paints a very hard picture of where we stand.

Colossians 1:21-22 (NASB)

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, [engaged] in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–

I’ve lived in this city a long time. I saw people today who knew me before I knew Christ. Praise God there were no cell phone pictures back then! I was far from the Lord; I was that person engaged in evil deeds. But when you embrace the Gospel, He reconciles you. Something had to die because the wages of sin is death. Jesus is not just a religious teacher or a philosopher; He is a Savior who died in our place. He is our “propitiation,” which means He satisfied the wrath of God.

1 John 4:10 (NASB)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

Week Three: The Joy of Christ

Third, we talked about joy. When we embrace the Gospel, we are brought into a right relationship with God.

Romans 5:1 (NASB)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

That is where joy is found. Many of us try to find joy outside of God, pursuing things that make us feel happy for a moment, but joy is different. Joy is deeply satisfying and is provided by God. It has nothing to do with your circumstances. You can be recovering from cancer, dealing with bankruptcy, or struggling with anxiety, and yet, in Christ, there is still joy because He is with you.

John 17:3 (NASB)

’This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Joy is knowing that He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into His kingdom. In Matthew 11, Jesus speaks to people who are religiously fatigued—people trying hard to be good, thinking that if they blow it, God is disappointed.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

’Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ’Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ‘For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’

There is an invitation to come into a relationship where joy is found in Him alone. He is not like a variable interest rate or a doomsday economic forecast; He is faithful and unchanging.

Week Four: The Love of God

This brings us to the final movement: the love of God. Centuries ago, something happened that implicates us today. Think of it like an inheritance. Some of you inherited male pattern baldness (you can get mad at your grandpa tomorrow). Some inherited high cholesterol or a tendency toward certain diseases. We also inherited something from our ancestors called sin.

In Genesis 1 and 2, life is good. But by chapter 3, the wheels come off. Humankind entered into sin, which is a willful decision to do life alone, on our own, without God. It is autonomy. We all have this natural tendency toward autonomy. We see the results in our world: violence, war, broken families, and abuse. It’s not just that “those” people are bad; it’s that we all have this tendency at our core.

We are in deep trouble apart from Christ. So, what’s the plan? The good news is there is a plan. The hard news for the control freaks is that there is only one treatment, and it’s nothing you can do yourself. If you try to do something, you’ll just booger it up. You have to simply receive it.

John 3:16 (NASB)

’For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

The highest expression of God’s love is a manger, which leads to a cross, an empty tomb, and the glory of His return. He invites us to receive this gift by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

There is no boasting in Christianity. It is a recognition of the sin inside us. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live—a life of perfect action and perfect motive. He died the death we should have died and offers us reconciliation.

John 1:12 (NASB)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name,

It really is that simple. It doesn’t mean the gift was free; it cost Him everything. But He offers it to us freely.

1 John 5:11-13 (NASB)

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

The Ultimate Gift

As we close this Advent season, I want to speak to two groups. For some of you, this is familiar. You know Jesus. I pray you are reminded of the riches we have in Him. Believers aren’t smarter or more spiritual; their eyes have just been opened to their need for a Savior. Enjoy the beauty of the miracle this Christmas.

But for those who have yet to embrace the Gospel, can I encourage you? The first step is not a New Year’s resolution to go to church more. The first step is to embrace Christ. There is a gift waiting to be opened, and it is better than anything you could imagine. You might think you’re too much of a scoundrel, but we have room for one more.

I talked to a guy this morning who knew me from “back in the day.” We had a wonderful conversation about what it means to be in Christ. He is a God who renovates our lives. If you trust in Jesus, you will not be the same. He will make you completely different by His grace, for His glory, and for our good.

Today could be the day you embrace the Gospel. He loves you, and He wants you to live in relationship with the Father. You will never be alone. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Remember: Christ is our hope. Christ is our peace. Christ is our joy. Christ is our love. Enjoy your traditions, but look beyond them to the ultimate gift of Jesus, our King.

Let’s pray together.

Father, I’m so thankful that the Gospel doesn’t need to be added to. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Thank You for clothing Yourself in humanity to launch the most miraculous rescue mission ever seen. We were dead in our sins, and You made us alive in Christ. For our friends here exploring the Gospel, may You crack open their hearts to see their need for Jesus. Thank You for Your faithfulness all these years later. We pray this in His name, Amen.