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Message Notes:
**Red Christmas - Love
The Colors of Christmas **
Red Christmas
Why Red?
Red symbolizing His sacrificial blood
My goal for this message:
When you see red this holiday season…you think of the never-ending love that Jesus has for you
AND
That love inspires you to love others even more during this Christmas season.
**MAIN IDEA:
Red is the color in Christmas that reminds us Jesus first loved us.
Whenever you see that color, remember He wants you to love others the same way.
**
*John 13:34-35 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” NLT *
It is easy to look at Jesus’ standard…and look at the church and form a judgment based on the discrepancy of the two…
-
*Excerpt from the book Everybody Always:
It’s easy to love kind, lovely, humble people. Loving the people who are easy to love made me feel like I was really good at it. Because the people I loved were kind and wonderful, they made sure they told me what a great job I was doing loving them. What I’ve come to realize, though, is that I was avoiding the people I didn’t understand and the ones who lived differently than me. Here’s why: some of them creep me out. Sure, I was polite to them, but sadly, I’ve spent my whole life avoiding the people Jesus spent His whole life engaging. His plan is that we would love everybody, always. – Bob Goff
*
*Matthew 5:43-48 - “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. …For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ESV *
For you, maybe difficult people include:
- Those who caused you hurt or pain…Lied to you.
- Maybe it is someone you are jealous of
- Maybe your personalities just clash.
**If we practice loving like Jesus…two things will happen:
- It will be messy.**
Love can get messy…why? Because people are messy…
- You want to love people, in spite of their mess.
- But if you really love them, you want to help them out of their mess
- But you don’t want them to think you don’t love them if they go back to their mess
- But you really don’t want them to go back to their mess
- But if you are honest, you are also a mess…
---- AAUUGGHH!
*Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. NIV *
*2. You’ll grow closer to Christ *
*Excerpt from the book Everybody Always:
What if I told you this was actually an intervention and all the people you know have been calling and asking me to break some news to you: that you can no longer continue to be the person you’ve been? Who have you been playing it safe with, while politely keeping your distance? I know it’s hard for you. It’s hard for me too. But I’m learning I have to follow Jesus’ example and follow His lead if I’m going to follow in His steps. – Bob Goff *
The apostle John – The disciple whom Jesus loved –
Wrote a letter to be circulated.
False teachers were telling new believers what righteousness looked like.
*1 John 4:7-21 - 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. *
*11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. …V. 19 We love because he first loved us. NIV *
**Apply
TAKE AWAY:
Whenever you see red this Holiday season…do something small to honor Jesus’ sacrificial love: **
Whenever you see red: Say a quick prayer for someone else.
Whenever you see red: Do something “sacrificial” – even if it is small.
Whenever you see red: simply say “Thank you Jesus for your love”
**MAIN IDEA:
Red is the color in Christmas that reminds us Jesus first loved us.
Whenever you see that color, remember He wants you to love others the same way.
# **
IN CLOSING:
*John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIUV
*
**CHALLENGE:
Think of difficult people in your life to love.
Now take a minute and ask Jesus to help you learn to love them His way.
**
If you prayed the prayer to start fresh with God today text “startagain” (one word) to 97000 so we can connect with you and help you take the next steps in this amazing decision.
My Notes:
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