The Love You're Looking For
Introduction
This Christmas sermon invites us to rethink what love truly is. Rather than a feeling or sentiment, love is a committed action rooted in who God is, because God is love. Drawing from 2 Thessalonians 3, the message reminds us that God’s love changes lives through the gospel, is meant to spread beyond church walls, and brings lasting transformation where nothing else can. God’s love never leaves us in hardship or failure, and it never fails, even when everything else does. At Christmas, we are called to stop chasing temporary, worldly versions of love and instead receive and reflect the enduring, faithful love found in Jesus Christ, the love that changes us, stays with us, and gives us confidence and hope in every season.
Discussion Questions
Outline
I. A Love that Changes Lives
· The Gospel is the only power that can truly change a life for the better.
II. A Love that Never Leaves
· His love can strengthen and protect you from what’s out there but also from what’s in your sin nature.
III. A Love that Never Fails
· Having a healthy view of God’s sovereignty means seeing your circumstances not as an obstacle to overcome personally but as an opportunity to share the love of Christ.
Study Questions
1. When you hear the word love, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? How does the world define it?
2. Why does Paul ask for prayer that the gospel would “spread and be honored”? Why do you think prayer plays such a critical role in how the Gospel spreads?
3. Compare 2 Thessalonians 3:1 with Romans 1:16. How do these verses together help us understand why the gospel, not behavior change or self-improvement, is the power that truly transforms lives?
4. Last week, Pastor Keven said, “His love can strengthen and protect you from what’s out there but also from what’s in your sin nature.” How does knowing God never leaves us affect our confidence to face the world? How does it affect how we face temptation?
5. Compare 2 Thessalonians 3:3 with Hebrews 13:5. How do these passages reshape the way we think about feeling “alone,” especially in seasons of fear, sin, or discouragement? Where are we tempted to put our confidence instead?
6. Read Lamentations 3:22–23. How does God’s steadfast love fuel your ability to endure when circumstances don’t change? How can your current obstacles become opportunities to share the gospel with someone else?
7. CALL TO ACTION: Memorize 2 Thessalonians 3:5. Share with someone the kinds of loves you’ve been chasing lately. Talk about what it looks like to redirect that toward Jesus. Find someone who feels alone and spend some time with them during the holidays.