Celebrating Jesus at Christmas (Week 5)
A Cord of 3 Strands: Faith, Hope & Love
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13
The Bible is our source of wisdom and knowledge. It is God’s word.
1 Corinthians 13:13
“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
This verse helps put them together:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
When we help each other, things are much better, whether just helping a friend or stopping someone from bullying others.
Faith, hope & love is what holds our lives together!
Faith and Grace
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Grace – There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is nothing you can do to make God love you less.
A good father demonstrates a secure love to his children.
It is the parent’s responsibility to discipline them when they are disobedient. But nothing you do can stop me from loving you…
We discipline you as children to teach you how to submit, so you understand how to submit to God.
Grace is about the power of our relationship with God. It holds the cord of both ends of our life together.
We do not earn God’s love by our works, it is only by His Grace!
Faith is a gift from God that activates His grace in our lives.
Hope is Knowing
While faith is enough for salvation, it is not all we need to live a Christian life. You need hope: Knowing what you believe is going to happen in the future.
Hope is our life bread. Hope is believing that tomorrow will be better than today. It is believing that God is going to do what He promised to do. It is what lets us demonstrate God’s love to the world.
Romans 5:2-5
“and we exult in hope of the glory of God.3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations,
knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character;
and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
It comes from us persevering through hard times.
Hope is Faith in Action!
Remember the saying: “Don’t tell God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is.”
We are the hope of the nations. We bring hope.
When things get rough, hang on to Jesus!
You don’t need to go through tough times alone!
God will provide! We should never feel the full weight of responsibility.
God is the rock – not us!
He will fulfill all of His promises to us!
Then we can love others in the same way that God loves us!
Love is the Greatest
Your life needs to be a 3-cord rope!
Faith, Hope & Love!
When we unweave the 3 strands, life begins to feel uncertain, empty.
We must stay in rhythm with God. Develop habits in your life that keep you in God’s rhythm.
When we are in a positive rhythm with God it is easier to feel God. When we are not, life becomes a vicious circle.
Sin: I want what I want and I want it now! You are in my way so I am going to remove you rather than love you.
Love: Giving what is needed.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Nine qualities woven together by the Holy Spirit that are graced to us when we believe.
Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
When we get to Heaven, it will all change…
We won’t need Faith any longer, since what we believe in will already be revealed in all its glory!
We won’t need Hope any longer, since we hoped for will have already happened!
In Heaven there will only be LOVE.