Advent Week 4: Greater is Coming: Love by Deacon Phil Stevenson

 

Advent Week 4: Greater is Coming: Love

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

What’s love got to do with it? Most people can recite or are familiar with the 1984 smash hit by Tina Turner. And while she expressed love as a secondary emotion, it is the crux of our walk with Jesus. 

The word love is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. God (all three members of the Trinity) is love (1 John 4:16) and before Jesus departs, He gives us a new command centered around love (John 13:34-35). Suffice it to say, love is highly valued in the sight of God, so much so, that He gave the world His only begotten son. 

To truly appreciate the Advent season, we must embrace the totality of Jesus’s mission to completely save us (Hebrews 7:25).  We cannot mention the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, but neglect to shed light on his return and rule (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and Revelation 20). Similar to the world yearning for greater love over 2000 years ago and God supplying it with the birth of The Savior, we today need greater love as well. The good news for believers is, Christ will return to reunite with us. 

The love we feel from God now bails in comparison to what we will experience when we are in his presence, absent from the power and presence of sin. As the song states, I can only imagine. For this love (now and to come) surpasses knowledge and allows us to be in the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). Now, here is a reason to shout… nothing can separate us from this love (Romans 8:38-39). 

Greater love is indeed coming. We must remember that because of God, help is always on the way. Meaning in some scenarios He will deliver the help we need, while in others if we continue to obediently walk through the valley, the help will meet us upon our arrival. Hence, as we conclude our study this year about the Advent season, it’s evident that God’s love, displayed through the coming of Jesus Christ is the linchpin that holds the other Advent principals together. 

Joy

1 Thessalonians 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Joy to the world the Lord has come (don’t be afraid to sing along). Because of Christ, we have access to the Holy Spirit, allowing us to move past seeking a happy life, and rather experiencing a joyful one, carrying out the will of the Father.  

Peace 

Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 

Due to the amazing work of Christ, we have greater access to the Father. We have the ability to stay in contact with Heaven all day via prayer, and meditation on the word (Jesus, see John 1:1) This access and ability to lean on His wisdom, floods our spirits with a perfect peace that surpasses understanding.

Hope

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

Hope can be described as a feeling of trust. An expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen. Jesus is our hope because we can trust him. And through the Holy Spirit, he transforms our thinking. Our earthly expectations and desires are upgraded to Kingdom anticipations and yearnings. 

Lastly, as we celebrate the birth of the greatest gift mankind has ever received, let us purpose our hearts to give greater to the Kingdom of God.