A Weary World Receives
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A Weary World Receives
1. The Eternal Son
God sent His Son into the world at just the right time. Paul writes, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.” Jesus didn’t arrive randomly or prematurely; He came when conditions were perfect for the message to spread. During Roman rule, there was peace (Pax Romana), improved roads, and a common language—all of which allowed the gospel to move swiftly.
Jesus is the Eternal Son. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus existed before He was born in Bethlehem. He is fully God and fully human. His humanity makes Him an adequate representative of us, and His divinity makes Him an adequate redeemer able to atone for all our sins.
When Jesus came, it wasn’t simply to encourage or comfort us, like an athlete visiting a hospital. He came as God with us—Emmanuel—to rescue and redeem.
2. The Loving Savior
Jesus came as the ultimate demonstration of God’s love. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
He didn’t come because we deserved it or because we first loved Him. “Not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation means a payment or sacrifice that covers the cost of sin.
Jesus chose to enter into our brokenness even while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to get our act together. Paul writes, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus came not to congratulate or cheer us on from afar but to step into our place and bear the full weight of our sin.
If you are wondering today if God loves you, the very fact that you have any interest in Him is evidence that He is drawing you. He is the loving Savior who initiates and calls us to Himself.
3. The Abundant Life
Jesus came so that we might have life, and not just any life—abundant life. He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Resisting God’s love does not lead to a neutral or harmless alternative. It leads to a life under the influence of the adversary, described as a thief and a roaring lion seeking to devour. Rejecting God’s love leaves people in a weary world, vulnerable to deception and destruction.
The abundant life Jesus offers is freedom from sin and the promise of eternal life with Him. It is living under God’s love, not as slaves to a weary world but as children of God.
Receiving this life requires faith: believing that Jesus is who He said He is, that He came to do what He said He would do, and trusting Him instead of ourselves. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Conclusion
The weary world cannot truly rejoice until it receives Christ—not just as a baby in Bethlehem but personally in each heart. Jesus came so we might live in hope and rejoice in Him. The thrill of hope is found in receiving Him and stepping into the abundant life He offers.
SERMON DETAILS
Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: The Thrill of Hope
Sermon Title: A Weary World Receives
Date: Dec 15, 2024
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
1 John 4:9–10
John 3:16
Galatians 4:4
John 1:1–3
John 10:10
Romans 5:8
John 1:12
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