Advent Week 4: Love & Adoration
Advent Week 4: Love & Adoration
John 3:16-19
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
The Great Love from God
This last week of Advent culminates with the theme of “Love & Adoration”. The love of God was poured out on us in that He sent His Son to die for us. This famous verse, John 3:16, we just read is memorized by children in every Sunday School and VBS, because it presents the Good News of Jesus Christ in one succinct verse. Why did God send His Son? Why should He offer eternal life to those who have rebelled against Him? It is because of His great love for us!
Look with me closely at our verses for this week.
Verse 16 gives us the way out of death and sin. Because of God’s great love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish. Our English word ‘believe’ is a bit too weak for the Greek pistuo. It is akin to “trust”, but it’s closest equivalent is “faith”. Unfortunately, ‘faith’ is a noun so it would be a bit awkward to say, “Whoever faiths Him.” But that is the word. In its noun form, pistis, means ‘faith’. Now, I give this language lesson so that we can understand Jesus (through John) does not mean a mere mental ascent to the reality of Christ. In fact, James writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) A mental understanding of the story of Christ is not enough to save, it is the heartfelt trust and faith in the Risen Lord that brings salvation. It is the belief that turns to action (James’ whole point in chapter 2).
To ‘believe’ in Christ is to trust Him with your whole being.
There’s an old story passed around about Charles Blondin, a French tightrope walker who traversed Niagara Falls many times over a tight rope. Blondin walked across the Niagara many times, even backwards once. He would roll wheelbarrows, carry his manager on his back, and one story goes that he stopped midway to cook and eat an omelette. I have no idea how he was supposed to carry a stove top with him to cook breakfast, but that’s the story. But, on one occasion, he wheeled his wheel barrow across and then asked the crowd if they believed he could carry a person in the wheelbarrow with him. They cheered “YES”, and so Blondin then asked who would be willing to get in the wheelbarrow. The crowd fell silent.
Mental understanding is one thing. Faith to get inside the wheelbarrow is a whole other matter.
Verse 17 is just as important as 16, but it is often overlooked. The attitude of many skeptics is that God is some cosmic judge who can’t wait to destroy us, but if we will do everything He says, then we’ll be OK. This attitude is a carryover from paganism, where the gods are all childish, scheming, prideful beings towering over humans in their high places…basically the heavenly parallel to earthly rulers. No, the Lord loves His Creation and sent His Son in order that the world may be saved from their self-destructive sin.
Jesus is the Way out of this destructive cycle of sin. The Lord demonstrated His love to send His Son while we were still sinners. But, whoever refuses the Way to salvation stands condemned already—not because God condemns him, but because he does not reach for grace. We already have condemnation because of our sin. What we needed was salvation, and Christ brought that with Him in the manger 2000 years ago.
God’s love is most demonstrated in the Incarnation, life, death, and Resurrection of Christ.
And so, we are left with verse 19 which is a judgement against the world. God’s love has been poured out upon the world, and the world has rejected that love. They preferred darkness rather than light, lies instead of the truth, and death rather than life.
The period of time we are in now is reminiscent of Israel’s first deliverance from slavery by God in Deuteronomy 30.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
Israel had been set free from Egypt’s bondage, led through the wilderness, and were ready to take possession of the Promised Land. All that was left was to walk in God’s ways, keeping His commandments, and they would continue to see prosperity and life. There is one such command that I would like us to look at today, because again, it very much parallels the situation we are in today.
The Age of Jubilee
Leviticus 25:8-10
“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.
On the 50th year of Israel taking possession of the Promised Land, they were to reset everything. The land was to lay fallow, any land bought was returned to the original owners, and all slaves were set free. It was to be a year of celebration and freedom for Israel. But it was also a year of faith, because the 49th year was already a Sabbath year. Every 7th year was to be consecrated for the Lord, and now at the 50th year, they were to have one more year of consecration without any planting or sowing. They were to eat only what the land provided.
This particular Sabbath which should have been a blessing for Israel, became of the causes for their condemnation and Exile. We know Israel eventually did find themselves chasing other gods, engaged with foreign rulers, and not keeping the statutes of God, this being one.
Now, what does this somewhat obscure verse in Leviticus have to do with Christ? Consider the mission of Christ in Luke 4:18-21:
Luke 4:18-21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus is citing from Isaiah which is a direct reference to the Jubilee Sabbath.
Jesus ushered in an Age of Jubilee, proclaiming freedom for the captive, sight for the blind, and liberty for the oppressed.
When we celebrate the Incarnation, we are celebrating the deliverance from God. We do not trade one bondage for another, but rather we are given eternal life and eternal freedom.
The theme this week is “Love & Adoration”, because it is a two-sided theme. We celebrate the love God has shed on us, and we celebrate the freedom from sin that we have to give adoration and love back to God. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Today, because of the love of Christ, we stand parallel with God’s people who were ready to enter the Promised Land. We have set before us life and death. If we surrender our trust to Christ, then we will receive eternal life and freedom. We will have true liberty. But, if we continue in our resistance and rebellion, we will continue in our condemnation.
Advent is a reminder of both Christ’s first coming and His Return. Prepare for His Return by trusting in Him today. Because when He does return, we will be ushered into the next Age of Jubilee, where Heaven and Earth will meet. Those who are in Christ will find themselves in an eternal celebration of freedom and life. Come to Christ today and be ready for Jubilee.