Finding - Part 3 [Notes]

December 15th, 2024

The Christmas season often leaves us searching—for the perfect gifts, a way to manage our overflowing schedules, or just a quiet moment to ourselves. But what if the things we truly need this Christmas aren’t found in the hustle and bustle?

This Advent, we invite you to step away from the noise and discover the deeper gifts our hearts long for—hope, peace, love, and joy—all found in Jesus. Join us over the next four weeks as we explore what it truly means to find fulfillment this Christmas season.

Takeaway: The love of God is the love we are looking for.

“Love is more than just an emotion—it's a cornerstone of our overall well-being. Research shows that love and connection are critical to mental and physical health, providing a sense of purpose and belonging.”
– Dr. Jessica Koelher, Why Love Matters

We look for love in all the wrong places.

The love of God is the love we are looking for.

Creation

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; He created Him in the image of God; He created them male and female.”
– Genesis 1:26-27 (CSB)

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.
– Genesis 1:31 (CSB)

“The Hebrew word toledoth, translated here as records, is used eleven times in the book of Genesis to introduce new units of material. [As used in Genesis 2:4] It introduces a detailed elaboration of some key aspects of the creation account that opens the book of Genesis (1:1–2:3). Special emphasis is placed on the events of day six.”
– Dr. Edwin Blum

Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”
– Genesis 2:7-8 (CSB)

For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
– Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)

Creation
Incarnation

“Literally, “in flesh”; theologically, the doctrine that in Jesus of Nazareth God took on human flesh and became the divine God-man.”
– Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible

Incarnation: God came to Earth in the person of Jesus.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
– John 1:14 (CSB)

Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him tightly in cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
– Luke 2:4-7 (CSB)

Creation
Incarnation
Substitution

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
– John 3:16 (CSB)

This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
– John 15:12-13 (CSB)

For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person — though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:6-8 (CSB)

The love of God is the love we are looking for.

Eternal

Because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him.
– Romans 6:9 (CSB)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
– Hebrews 13:8 (CSB)

Eternal
Selfless

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
– Mark 10:45 (CSB)

Eternal
Selfless
Unconditional

“It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished.”
– How Deep the Father's Love for Us

“It was His love that held Him there, until it was accomplished.”
– How Deep the Father's Love for Us

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 6:23 (CSB)

“The disciple whom Jesus loved.”

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
– 1 John 3:16 (CSB)

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
– Ephesians 3:16-19

Discussion Questions //

Have you ever written or received a love letter?
Read Genesis 1:26-2:8. How does the creation account help you understand God’s love for you?
Think about and share all of the things Jesus gave up in the incarnation. Take a moment to recognize He gave it up for you. (See Luke 2, John 1:14, and Philippians 2:5-8)
Do you ever struggle to believe that God could love you? Share if so. How does fixing your eyes on the cross help address that struggle? Have someone read the account of the crucifixion in Matthew and meditate on the lengths God went for you.
Share God’s love with someone this week.

Worship Setlist //

This is Our God // O Come All Ye Faithful // Reckless Love // Love of God

Devotional //

Each week, a new devotional will be available. This devotional is based on the previous Sunday's message, and it aims to take the message further and help you dive deeper into the topic. You can find the devotionals at the link, or sign up to receive weekly emails.

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Catch Up //

You can watch or listen to past messages online!

Past Messages

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Posted in Notes
Posted in finding, joy, christmas, advent, Jesus