Community Baptist Church - Bracknell
Sunday 22 December 2024

      • John 10:11NKJV

  • Praise Him! Praise Him!
  • In The Bleak Midwinter

      • Psalm 23NKJV

      • Romans 12:1–2NKJV

  • Jesus, what a friend for sinners!

      • Daniel 5:14NKJV

  • He will hold me fast

      • Romans 8:31–39NKJV

      • Isaiah 40:11NKJV

      • Isaiah 40:10NKJV

      • John 10:11NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:6NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:4–6NKJV

      • 1 John 2:2NKJV

      • Matthew 11:28NKJV

      • John 1:12NKJV

      • Matthew 11:29–30NKJV

      • 1 Peter 2:25NKJV

      • Romans 8:31–34NKJV

      • Romans 8:35–36NKJV

      • Psalm 44:22NKJV

      • Romans 8:37NKJV

      • Romans 8:38–39NKJV

  • Love Divine
  • Love Came Down at Christmas

  • Introduction

    Today we will look at some scriptures around the theme of the fourth week of Advent. This theme is Love, in particular the fulfillment of God's Love.
    As in other weeks, the scriptures we will look at come from those in Handel's Messiah.
    ​

    God's Heart of Love

    Isaiah 40:11 NKJV
    11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
    In Isaiah 40:11, we see the Lord described as a shepherd leading his flock. In the first line, feed is actually the verb of shepherd so literally it would be "He will shepherd his flock like a shepherd". It involves much more than just finding pasture for the flock, but includes the whole care of the sheep: protection, guidance, meating all needs.
    Isaiah mentions two things:
    1. He gathers the lambs with His arm and carries them in His bosom.
    The word for lambs is talking about new born sheep. These animals are often not strong enough to keep up with the rest of the flock. So the shepherd has to carry them next to His heart
    2. He gently leads those who are with young.
    The shepherd pays special attention to sheep that are nursing lambs. Nursing ewes need special care and patience. They can't be driven hard. The idea of gently leading is leading these sheep to where they can find water and a place to rest.
    Isaiah 40:10 spoke about God's mighty power.
    Isaiah 40:10 NKJV
    10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
    But there is nothing ruthless in His power. Towards His people, He works His power in love, using His strength to protect the most vulnerable (the lambs) and those with specific needs (those that have young).
    Perhaps we see a similar love in a parent teaching a child to walk - supporting, encouraging, ready to catch them, adjusting to their pace. This is how God loves us in our daily lives.
    God is Love says 1 John 4:16. The picture of the shepherd here shows that God loves us with strength combined with gentleness. With a deep personal affection and understanding of who you are and loves you. In the Lord Jesus, we see that perfectly shown in that He is the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11
    John 10:11 NKJV
    11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
    But there is a problem that the sheep have that separate them from their Shepherd.

    The Cost of God's Love

    Our second reading in Isaiah 53:4-6 explains about this problem.
    Isaiah 53:6 NKJV
    6 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.
    Sheep are notorious for wandering away from the flock and getting themselves into trouble.
    It is partly just their natural behaviour. Sheep are constant grazers, moving from one patch of grass to the next. They'll often keep their heads down, focused on eating, not realizing they're getting separated. They can become so focused on the immediate grass that they lose awareness of their surroundings and get separated from the flock and the shepherd.
    Sheep also have poor direction sense. (Holly). Once they look up and realise they are lost, they often can't find their way back. And they can get stuck in dangerous places, in thorns, in ditches, over the edge of cliffs.
    And because sheep are flock animals, they follow one another into trouble. If one sheep wanders off, others might follow. One sheep's poor decision can lead many astray.
    Sheep need constant shepherding to keep them safe.
    Isaiah likens people, you and I, to sheep who have gone astray from God. Every person who is born into this world has this tendency. The Bible often calls it sin.
    But we are more than brute animals. We were made in the image of God, and so our wandering away from the One who made us causes us to be guilty, not just foolish.
    Our wandering incurs not just trouble, but a penalty of justice.
    We come under God's judgement. Because of His love, God says He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But because of His justice, God says He can by no means clear the guilty.
    But amazingly God in His wisdom and grace chose a way to be Love and Just. Isaiah says All we like sheep have gone astray, but the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. That is God put the penalty for our sin on someone else, a substitute for us, so we could be forgiven.
    This person is Jesus Christ. When a man called John the Baptist saw Jesus walking by, he pointed to Him and said "Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” And so Isaiah says:
    Isaiah 53:4–6 NKJV
    4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 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. 6 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.
    The repetition of sin-related terms (transgressions, iniquities, going astray) strongly suggests that the "healing" refers to spiritual healing - restoration of our relationship with God broken by sin. While God can and does heal physically, this particular passage is focused on the deeper spiritual healing that comes through Christ's atoning work.
    How though could Jesus take the penalty for other people?
    1 John 2:2 NKJV
    2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
    It is because He is both God and Man. When the baby Jesus was conceived byt he Holy Spirit and born at Bethlehem, that was God Himself coming into this world. He came to pay our penalty, and did so on the cross. Because Jesus did not go astray in His human life, He could be a substitute for us. Because He is the infinite God, His death can take away all the sins of the whole world. Jesus paid the price instead of us.
    But the fact the price has been paid, doesn't automatically mean we receive the benefit.
    Imagine someone has bought you an incredibly expensive and precious gift. They've paid the full price, wrapped it with care, and placed it before you. But until you reach out, take that gift, and unwrap it, you can't enjoy or benefit from what's inside.
    In the same way, you must respond to Christ's costly sacrifice of love to benefit from it.

    The Invitation of God's Love

    That is why in love Jesus gives this beautiful invitation:
    Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV
    28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
    Jesus invites us to take the gift for ourselves and unwrap. The way to do this has two parts. The first is come to the living Lord Jesus, to believe in Him. 1 John 1:12
    John 1:12 NKJV
    12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
    To believe we have gone astray but that Jesus is God who died in our place. We sometimes call that Faith.
    The second part of Jesus's invitation to take the gift for ourself is to take Jesus's yoke on us. We once were happy to go astray in the way we wanted, Jesus is asking us now to place Him as King on the throne of your heart, and being willing to follow the path He has for you. Even if that involves giving up the wrong things you once enjoyed. We call that Repentance.
    Peter describes people who have accepted Jesus's invitation in the following way.
    1 Peter 2:25 NKJV
    25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
    The alternative would be to refuse Jesus's invitation. To try and sort out the problem of going astray ourselves. Perhaps, like the Pharisees of Jesus's day, we could try making up lots of rules and regulations to try to control our conduct. But those are very burdensome, and they do not take away the heavy burden of our guilt.
    Jesus says if we accept His invitation to come and to take on His yoke, we will find rest for our souls. For His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Remember He is the Shepherd with a heart of Love who understands us and helps us.

    The Assurance of God's Love

    Finally, in Romans 8 Paul talks about the complete security in God's love a person has when they accept Jesus's invitation.
    Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions to drive home the certain hope that belongs to those who have accepted Jesus's invitation.

    The assurance of justice

    In verses 31 to 34, Paul pictures a legal courtroom, where someone stands up and tries to accuse a Christian of having lost God's love.
    The fundamental argument is "God is for us". If that is so, then all opposition is insignificant.
    But how do we know God is for us? Because God did not spare His Son Jesus Christ, but instead handed Him over for our sake as our substitute. God is the Judge who says we are not guilty through the death and resurrection of His son.
    Since He has done the greatest thing possible for us, then it surely must follow that He will be for us in everything else. Both in this life and in the life to come.
    Romans 8:31–34 NKJV
    31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
    Then in verses 35 to 36, the picture changes to a love relationship, asking the question who shall separate us from Christ's love for believers?
    Romans 8:35–36 NKJV
    35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
    Quoting from Psalm 44:22
    Psalm 44:22 NKJV
    22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
    Paul says believers suffer problems and suffering. They are not exempt from them. Mockery and suffering are the lot of Christians as it was for the Psalmist .
    Yet Paul is confident that in all these difficulties, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
    Romans 8:37 NKJV
    37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
    It is not because of our self will or power that we get through the troubles victoriously. But because of Christ's continuing love toward us.
    Paul lists all the battles we will encounter
    death or the things of life
    the spiritual warfare conducted by Satan and his cohorts
    the things happening now, or the things that might happen in the future
    But none of them, nothing in the whole universe can separate us from God's powerful, passionate, gentle, and understanding love towards us. We who are in Christ Jesus because we have accepted His invitation of love. God will grant us sufficient grace so that we can meet any condition.
    Romans 8:38–39 NKJV
    38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    The particular items listed in verses 37-39 by Paul are mentioned because these are things that might cause a believer to give up their faith in Christ.
    Paul is not only saying that Christ will continue to love believers when trouble comes, although that is certainly true.
    He is also saying that because the love of Christ is so powerful, believers will not forsake Him despite the sword, persecution, famine, spiritual battles.
    The love of God in Christ is stronger still and He will see to it that what has been started through his costly love, and through our response to His invitation of love, will be finished
    The very things that threaten to separate us from God's love become:
    Means of experiencing that love more deeply
    Opportunities for witness
    Tools for spiritual growth
    Ways to demonstrate God's faithfulness
    Through Christ’s love, we don't just survive trials - we emerge spiritually stronger, with a deeper experience of God's love, and the very things that threatened to destroy us become instruments of blessing.

    Application

    We began by seeing God's heart of love - the Shepherd who tenderly cares for His sheep, carrying them close to His heart. But we, like sheep, had gone astray. The cost to restore us to that loving relationship was immense - the Shepherd became the Lamb, bearing our sins, wounded for our transgressions. The price for our forgiveness has been fully paid.
    'Come to me,' Jesus says, 'Take my yoke upon you.' The gift has been purchased; it simply needs to be received.
    For those who in faith and repentance accept Jesus's invitation, Paul shows us the magnificent certainty that awaits. The same love we saw in the Shepherd's heart at the beginning is now eternally secured for us. The God who did not spare His own Son - paying that costly price we saw - will certainly keep those who come to Him. No charge can stick because Christ has died. No separation is possible because His love holds us fast. The Shepherd who carries lambs in His arms will never let His sheep be snatched away.
    That assurance of God’s love is for every person who has accepted Christ’s invitation to come to Him and take His yoke.
    Someone asked Spurgeon , "What persuasion are you of?". His answer was, "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."—C H Spurgeon

      • Isaiah 40:11NKJV

      • Isaiah 40:10NKJV

      • John 10:11NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:6NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:4–6NKJV

      • 1 John 2:2NKJV

      • Matthew 11:28–30NKJV

      • John 1:12NKJV

      • 1 Peter 2:25NKJV

      • Romans 8:31–34NKJV

      • Romans 8:35–36NKJV

      • Psalm 44:22NKJV

      • Romans 8:37NKJV

      • Romans 8:38–39NKJV

Community Baptist Church - Bracknell
information@cbcb.co.uk
01344 641334
http://www.cbcb.co.uk
8 members