Advent Reading for December 23, 2023 | “Because He is Love” from 1 John 4:9-10

“Because He is Love”
by Robert Morman

Certain words in Scripture carry a massive amount of weight. One of those words is mentioned in verse 10 of I John 4. Propitiation is, as a hero of mine would say, a twenty-five-dollar word. It is huge to us as believers. It shows the amount of love the God the Father has for us. Propitiation means “appeasement or satisfaction”. These verses are discussing how God loves us. God loved us so much that, to satisfy the wrath of God, because of His holy standard, He, God the Father, sent Jesus to be the sacrifice to meet that holy standard for us. Let that sit with you for a moment. God, out of love (because He is love), sent Jesus, perfect and sinless, to be the sacrifice for our sins so that the debt of sin is paid in full for all time and we can have a relationship with God the Father. 

We must talk a minute about God’s wrath. This is an uncomfortable subject for some people. Some people even refuse to discuss it because “God is love”. Yes. God is love. But there is a wrath that is holy and sovereign. It is wrath brought on by sin and the brokenness of the world that came through Adam in the garden. But the “Second Adam” (referencing Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47) brought salvation to the world and gave us hope to have a restored relationship with God. Jesus’ love for the Father drove him to live a life of obedience even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). This is why Jesus is Lord of all. 

There is no greater expression of love than this. The Christ child would one day suffer and die for us because of the love of the Father. He would be betrayed. He would be beaten. He would be flogged. He would have thorns shoved down on his head. He would be forced to carry His cross. He would be nailed to that cross. He would suffer tremendously and die. Why? God’s love. This Child would be the ultimate expression of that love. A love sealed with the holy blood of Christ. 

As we approach Christmas Eve, remember that Jesus was the propitiation that settled the debt between you and God. The Christ Child would one day die and pay for our sins. He did this because only the perfect sacrifice could turn back the perfect wrath of God. Thank God today for His love for you. Thank Him for sending Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins. Thank God for His wrath turned back. 

Reflection Questions:

1. Reflecting on that beautiful Bible-word propitiation, how does understanding that Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath impact your perception on His love for His people?
2. As Christmas approaches, how does understanding Jesus as the propitiation for our sins affect our gratitude and relationship with Him? How can you express your thankfulness for Him and to Him during this Christmas season?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.

1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) 34:36
2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming) 35:45
3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming) 35:40
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