Sermon Central
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Giving Life For The World
Contributed by Kelvin Mckisic on May 25, 2024 (message contributor)
Summary: In honor of this Memorial Day, this sermon explores the concept of sacrificial love, encouraging believers to embody this love by serving others and being courageous soldiers of faith.
Welcome, dear friends and family in Christ. It is a joy and a privilege to be here with you today, standing on the solid ground of God's word. On this Memorial Day weekend, we celebrate the fallen soldiers of our country, with the greatest one being Christ Jesus. But unlike the other soldiers who has passed from this mortal plan, Jesus rose again from the dead to truly give us life. With that, we gather not as strangers, but as a community of believers, bound together by the incredible love of our Savior. We are here to reflect, to learn, and to grow, and I am honored to be your companion in this process.
Today, we are going to turn our hearts and minds towards a theme that is as profound as it is simple, as challenging as it is comforting, and as timeless as it is immediate: Sacrificial Love. This love, my dear friends, was displayed in its purest form by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a love that calls us to be Soldiers of Faith in the battlefield of life. And it is a love that compels us to serve others as a reflection of Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
[Title: Giving Life for the World]
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
This, dear friends, is the very essence of the sacrificial love, by the men and women who gave their lives in defense of this country, and by extension for the world, and for the most important soldier, who did not go to war with deadly weapons, but with the Word of God, being God in the flesh, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who truly died for the world that we will be considering today.
Before we continue, let us bow our heads in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today with humble hearts, eager to receive Your word. We thank You for the sacrificial love that You have shown us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that as we reflect on this love, we will be inspired to live it out in our own lives. May Your Spirit guide us, and Your truth illuminate our hearts and minds. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Now, let us consider together, with open hearts and receptive spirits, the profound beauty of sacrificial love, the courage of being soldiers on the battlefield, both physical and spiritual, and the joy of serving others as a reflection of Christ's sacrifice.
Sacrificial Love Displayed by Jesus
When we consider the life of Jesus Christ, we see a love that is beyond our comprehension. This love was not a fleeting emotion or a simple affection. It was a love that was willing to endure the unimaginable, a love that was willing to sacrifice everything. This is the love that Jesus displayed throughout His life and ultimately, on the cross.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled with the reality of the sacrifice He was about to make. He was fully aware of the pain and suffering that awaited Him. Yet, He chose to submit to the will of the Father. He chose to lay down His life for us. This is the first aspect of His sacrificial love that we need to understand. It was a conscious choice, made from a deep and abiding love for us.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Secondly, Jesus' sacrificial love was not just about His death on the cross. It was evident in His life as well. He lived among us, sharing in our joys and sorrows. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and comforted the broken-hearted. He showed us what it means to love others selflessly and unconditionally.
Thirdly, Jesus' sacrificial love was not limited to His friends and followers. He extended this love to those who rejected Him, to those who mocked Him, and even to those who crucified Him. On the cross, He prayed for His executioners, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is a love that transcends human understanding, a love that is willing to forgive the unforgivable.
Finally, Jesus' sacrificial love was not an end, but was a means to a greater end. Through His sacrifice, He opened the way for us to have a relationship with God. He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to God. His sacrificial love is the bridge that connects us to the Father. Jesus, giving life for the world.
