Understanding Christmas

John 1:1-5  (For PPT Click here)

The emphasis on getting better Christmas, we want it bright. We want the tree, the decorations, the lights, and the presents. We want everyone to be happy. We want to be able to get and give plenty. We want peace and joy to abound. In reality, Christmas often turns into a real difficulty. We are rushed and pushed for time. We spend money for Christmas, but we don’t have money for people who are in need. I believe God wants us to get the real meaning of Christmas. I believe that He is not so interested in our having a decorated Christmas as He is interested in our having a Spiritual Christmas.

This passage (1:1-5) reveals some ingredients which are absolutely essential if we are looking for spiritual Christmas. Well, I realize that this is not the traditional Christmas text. John does not write about angels, shepherds, stars or sheep. But, He does something the other Gospel writers do not do. John puts the greatest Christmas delivery of all time into context. He tells us all we need to know to what Christmas is all about.

The Person of Christmas (Vs 1-2)

(Christmas filled with many distractions. Between the Personalities, the Presents and the Practices, it is easy to forget the real reason for this day. In fact, many of the things we do and love so are nothing more than ancient pagan rituals and symbols hijacked by the Christian church. V 1 brings us back to the real essence of Christmas.) *We know Who the Word is, John 1:14.

He Is Eternally God – “In the beginning was the Word.” - This phrase does not imply that the Word had a beginning. It means that the Word has always existed. The word “was” is in the “imperfect tense” it signifies “an action of the past that continues into the present.” It could be read this way, “In the beginning was the word, is the Word and always will be the Word.” The Word is eternal. He always has been and He always will be. Before there was anything else, there was the  Word. Jesus had His birth in Bethlehem, but it was not His beginning.

A few months before Christmas, the wife of a postman was killed in a car accident. The husband was overcome with grief and was trying to work through his sorrow, and he had stayed late at his post office sorting through the mountain of mail that always comes through at Christmastime. His job that day was to go through the mail that had been lost and to find out where it should be re-routed.

He came across a letter that was addressed to "Santa Claus" and he noticed that the address at the top of the letter was his own address. So, he opened the letter. Looking down at the bottom of the page he saw that it was his daughter's signature, and he read: 

Dear Santa: My Mommy died two months ago and since then my Daddy has been crying himself to sleep every night. He says only eternity will heal him. Would you please send a little bit of eternity to my Dad this Christmas? 

Well God not only sent us a little bit of eternity, He sent us the very heart of heaven. As John put it later in his epistle, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world,” 1 John 4:14.) What a blessed people we are today. The gift that we received on first Christmas is the eternal God.

The Power of Christmas (V 3)

(If somebody ask us that what you think the greatest manifestation of God’s power is; we all might have a different answer. Some would say it is creation, His miracles, others would talk about the cross and still others would center on the resurrection. But, the greatest expression of God’s power was when He added humanity to His deity and came to live and die among men, Phil. 2:5-8. Think for a moment about just Who was born in that manger in Bethlehem.) 

He Is The Maker Of Creation – When we consider that this verse tells us that Jesus was the Creator of the universe, His birth as a baby becomes even more amazing. The Creator of creation humbled Himself and became a creature in creation! God became dependent upon a human mother. Jesus, who was the Agent of Creation, stepped out of eternity, laid aside His glory and entered this world as a human baby! That is the power behind Christmas! That is why this season is not about trees and decoration; packages and parties; bows and boxes, or meals and mistletoe. This season is about Him! He is the Maker of creation!

He Is The Master Of Creation – He not only make this universe, but He is the power that holds it all together, Col. 1:16-17. That is what the word “consist” means. He made it and He holds it altogether too!(Think of it this way, man can't really make anything that runs as it should. But, take a look at our great planet and realize that it does not travel in a true circle; it travels in three directions at the same time. It revolves on its axis; it travels around the sun; and it's path is deflected by other planets. Still it does not lose more than one hundredth of a second every one hundred years. We can only say that Jesus is in control.

What does it mean? It means that God is in control this Christmas! It may look like the world is spinning out of control, but it isn’t. It is all in the hands of He Who made it and all things are working toward the purpose who which He designed them! The One Who made it all and controls it all was born into this world 2,023 years ago as a helpless infant. He lived here in poverty and rejection only to die a horrible death on a cross. He did all of this because He loved us, Rom. 5:8.

So, what is the power of Christmas? Is it a fat man in a red suit taking toys to all the good little children? Is it a red-nosed reindeer or a magical snowman? It is elves, presents, huge meals and family get together? No! The power of Christmas is God in a manger! That is the power of Christmas! That is the reason we celebrate this day. That is the essence of this whole season!

The Purpose of Christmas (Vs 4-5)

(The question that begs to be asked is “Why”. Why did the Creator desire to become a part of His creation? Why did God put on human flesh and walk among men? Why did He come into this world to live and to die? What is the purpose of Christmas?) He Came To Bring Life Into Deadness – When Jesus came into this world, He entered a world filled with dead men. But, these dead men don’t know that they are dead.

A farmer, years ago was trying to teach his son the ways of life on a farm. So, he took his son out to the hen house, grabbed a chicken and said, "Son, your Mama wants a chicken for dinner, so you know what we have to do." With that he cut the chicken's head off, and the chicken began to flop around on the ground. Well, the little boy's eyes got wide with amazement, and he said, Daddy, look at that. That the chicken is dead and don’t even know it. That is exactly the way lost people are, Eph. 2:1-3.

Jesus came so that dead men could live! When a dead lost man meets Jesus, he passes from death unto life, John 5:24. When that dead man becomes alive in Jesus, everything in his life changes, 2 Cor. 5:17. All men need to realize that: Jesus is the Strength of Earthly Life, Jesus is the Secret of Effective Life and Jesus is the Source of Eternal Life. 

Real living is more than walking, talking, eating, breathing, loving, etc. Real life, abundant life, joyful life is found in knowing God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 John 5:12.) He Came To Bring Light Into Darkness – Now a person who does not know Jesus is more than just spiritually dead. He is also spiritually darkened! Jesus came to change all that! He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followed me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,” John 8:12. Jesus came to deliver the lost from their darkness and to bring them into His glorious light:

Jesus came into this world to bring light into our spiritual darkness! Just as He stood in the darkness of creation and said, “Let there be light”; there was a day when He stood in the cold darkness of my heart and brought light to my soul. Listen to how Paul said it in 2 Cor. 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” What is sad is that the world stumbles blindly in the dark seeking light in all the wrong places. (I heard about a drunk that was down on all fours late one night under a street light. He was groping around the ground, feeling the cement, trying to find something. A friend walked up to him and said, "Sam, what are doing you there?" He said, "Well, I've lost my wallet.” So this friend gets down on his hands and knees and they both start looking for this man's wallet. They didn’t find it, and finally the friend says to his drunk buddy: "Are you sure you lost the wallet here?" Well no. In fact, I dropped it a half a block back over there. Well then why are we looking here? Because there's no street light over there.)

That is just what the lost world does with the light. They reject it when it comes their way, John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” The word “comprehended” in verse 5 means “to lay hold on; to claim for oneself.” And, they do worse than that! The lost world is actively trying to quench the light to prevent it from shining anywhere. But, I have news for them! The Light that has shone brightly from eternity past; the Light that gleamed in Bethlehem’s manger; the Light that shone for 33 years while Jesus walked this earth; the Light that flickered briefly at Calvary, but blazed forth at the entrance to an empty tomb will continue to light the pathway toward eternity for all those who desire to follow Him!

(Many people are all messed up when it comes to what they think Christmas is all about. Their primary concern is in giving the perfect gift. You know, only God can do that! Only God could give the perfect gift. And, that is just what He did when He sent Jesus into this world. He gave us His Son Jesus, the greatest gift. He gave Jesus to be life for our dead souls and light to our darkened hearts. He gave His all when He gave us His Son!)

Are we going to have a right Christmas? We can, but only if Jesus is at the center of everything we do! Here is how we can guarantee ourselves a right Christmas this year:

1. Be sure that we are saved; that we know Him; that we have passed from death unto life.

2. Be sure this day is about Him and not about anything else.

3. Be sure to give Him the glory He is due today and every day.

Has He spoken to your heart today? If so, this altar is open for anything from salvation to supplication to surrender to thanksgiving. As we are entering in the month of Joy, celebration let us keep in our minds the person, power and the purpose of the Christmas. Then only we can say it’s a right Christmas.May God bless us through this month of joy. Amen