Date: 12-20-98

Christmas Sermon 1998

Text: John 1:1-14

From Eternity to Bethlehem!

Our message this morning begins at the beginning. I speak of the creation of our world as we know it. You will all recognize the familiar words of (Genesis 1:1 NASB) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Notice that as the Bible begins there is no attempt to prove the existence of God. His existence is assumed, it is taken for granted, it is put forth as a fact to be believed. God has always been. He had no beginning and will have no end. He simply is. His name is, "I Am." So when Moses, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, penned these words, "In the beginning God," he was not making a statement about God's beginning but that of the material world. Genesis has to do with what the Great "I Am" has done. He created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis tells us that it only took the Creator six twenty-four hour days to accomplish this miracle. In verse twenty-six we learn that God was not alone when He created all that is. Look with me at (Genesis 1:26 NASB) Then God said, "Let "US" make man in "OUR" image, according to "OUR" likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." This passage of scripture is often used to support the doctrine of the Trinity. You see, orthodox Christianity believes that God is a Trinity of persons. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit at the same time. So, when we read, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," we must never fail to remember that creation was accomplished by the blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are reminded of this truth in yet another passage of scripture. Look with me at our text for this morning, John 1:1-14 NASB.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. {4} In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. {5} And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. {6} There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. {7} He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. {8} He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. {9} There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. {10} He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. {11} He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. {12} But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, {13} who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. {14} And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This passage covers a lot of territory. It takes us from eternity past all the way to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus Christ. "In the beginning was the Word and at last the Word became flesh, Jesus was born, and lived among us. From eternity to Bethlehem. Lets take a closer look at this remarkable passage of scripture.

John 1:1-2 NASB. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God."

It is hard to believe there are still people and theologians who do not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. We needn't go any further than the passage before us to discover that, as far as the Bible is concerned, Jesus is God. Rejecting this truth is no minor issue. For to deny the deity of the Christ Child is to reject Christianity and the Bible altogether. For if one portion of the scripture is not trustworthy then none of it is. Gladly, the people gathered here today are not of that persuasion. We believe and confess every Lord's Day that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative, word of the living God. Therefore, what we find in this text is the delight of our souls. We simply believe it for it is the word of God to His people.

The Word, that was with God and was God is the babe that was born in Bethlehem. This is Jesus ladies and gentlemen. This is Immanuel, God with us! The child born to a virgin, was and is the great I Am. He did not begin to exist at the time of His human birth for He is God. He has always been. He was with God at the time of creation. Fact is, He was the Word that went forth to create at God's command. This truth is made clear by verse three.

{3} "All things came into being by Him, (Jesus, the Word) and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." When, in Genesis, we read the words, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," we are reading about the work of the Eternal Word, the God the Son, Jesus Christ. All things came into being by Him! When, in Genesis one twenty-six, we read the words, "Let us make man . . ," we must remember that our Savior was one of the "Us," who made man in His own image. He had no beginning for He was then and is now God. The child in the manger, the infant at the center of this Christmas season, was and remains the eternal Word of God. Let us continue with verse four.

{4} "In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. {5} And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Here we see that Jesus is the source of all life. "In Him was life." I am quick to admit that this statement applies more to spiritual life than to physical life. However, we cannot ignore the fact that without our Creator, God the Son, no physical life, animal, insect, or human, would exist. (See I Cor. 8:6, I Cor. 1:16-17) Further we must understand that all physical life and indeed the whole physical creation bears witness to the spiritual life and light that is in Christ.

Before Christ came to Bethlehem the light and life that is in Him was proclaimed or revealed by creation. What I mean by this statement is explained in Romans 1:18-21 NASB.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, {19} BECAUSE that which is known about God is evident WITHIN THEM; for God made it evident TO THEM. {20} For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD THROUGH WHAT HAS BEEN MADE, so that they are without excuse. (Every human ever born has had the light of or truth of God revealed to them through what has been made. Therefore, none will stand before God with a valid excuse for their unbelief. No human will be able to say I didn't know.) {21} For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

Sometime after man left the garden and began to populate the earth Christ began to reveal the light and life that resides in Him through the Prophets. They spoke God's truth to men making it clearer than it had ever been before. They spoke of the Messiah, the Savior who was to come. They gave us God's laws and promises all of which shed light on the One in whom is light and life eternal. Jesus could be seen in the laws and ceremonies given to the nation Israel. The tabernacle, which was at the center of Jewish life and worship, pointed directly at Jesus the only mediator between God and sinners. There was much light in the Old Testament yet the vast majority of people would not accept it. Men were darkened in their understanding and could not see the truth. {4} "In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. {5} And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Lets look at verse six of John one.

{6} "There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. {7} He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. {8} He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light."

These words speak of John the Baptist who, like prophets before Him, pointed men and women to Christ. He was not the light but he bore witness of the light that was soon to come. John revealed the truth about man's sin, the judgment, and his need of a Savior. This man's witness was better and more detailed than that of nature and the prophets of old. John was the last and best informed of all the prophets. He spoke plainly and even lived to introduce his followers to Jesus, the light of the world and Savior of sinners. "Behold, said John, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The one in whom was light and life had finally come down to man. The Sun of Righteousness had finally risen to full height. No more pre-dawn dimness. Jesus had arrived. We continue with verse nine of John one.

{9} "There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." When Jesus came into the world that which was dim, dark, and unclear was replaced with the perfect brilliance that is characteristic of the Son of God. No more imagery or ceremony. No more shadows or types. No more wondering how sinners might make their way to God. Jesus declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6) This is as bright as it gets. The age old question, "How can a man go to God," is answered in no uncertain terms. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the truth about God. Jesus is the life that comes from God. What BRILLIANCE OF LIGHT THIS IS! Behold the simplicity and immeasurable depth of Christ's words! Jesus is all in all! This truth and light soon filled the world to which our Lord came and it fills our world as well. There is not a man, woman or child who has not, in some way or the other, been exposed to this brilliant light, to the truth about Jesus Christ the Lord. Yet the world to which He came did not receive Him.

{10} He was in the world, (That is God the Son became flesh, was born a human baby, and lived for 33 plus years on the earth He created.) and the world was made through Him, (The eternal Word had created it all.) and the world did not know Him. (That is, unbelieving humanity did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah who came to save His people from their sin. They did not believe or embrace Him and His word. Therefore, they did not embrace God.) {11} He came to His own, (Israel was God's chosen nation.) and those who were His own did not receive Him." Perhaps the best commentary on this part of our text is found in Isaiah 1:3-4 NASB.

"An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master's manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand." {4} Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him." The vast majority of Jews rejected Jesus and, therefore, rejected God. The same was true of the rest of the world as well. So few believed that it was said the world did not know Him. But there were a few who did. Some did know Jesus when He came. Some did believe and were saved from the wrath to come. The words that follow tell us how this came to be.

{12} But as many as received (accepted, seized, gripped, took) Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, (Only those who receive Christ as Savior, Lord, God in the flesh, are adopted and become the children of God. Refuse to receive Christ and you have refused God.) even to those who believe in His name, (To receive, accept, seize, grip or take Jesus to yourself are all synonymous with believing in His name. Those who receive Christ for all He claims to be are born again, they are saved. Now John tells us how it is these men came to be born again.) {13} who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, (Here we see that the salvation of these people had nothing to with them. John gives us three things that have nothing to do with a person's salvation. Number one, the people who are said to have become sons of God did not become sons and daughters because of their ancestry, their blood. "Grace does not run in the blood." Second, they were not saved by the exercise of their will, that is, the will of the flesh. Speaking of election and all that salvation is Paul says in Romans 9:16 that, "it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." Sinners are not saved by the will of the flesh. There is one more negative to consider. A person's salvation can not be attributed to another person who desires the salvation of the first. People cannot be willed into the kingdom either by themselves or another. In other words, the people who received Christ, were born again, and adopted as sons of God were not the cause of their own salvation. It was not of blood, or the will of the flesh, or the will of man . . ) But of God." Praise be to His great mercy and grace!

God made the difference between the millions who rejected, "The Light of the World," and the remnant who believed in Him. Salvation is of the Lord. No plainer statement of this truth is to be found than in 1 Peter 1:3 NASB. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." If you are saved today it is because God and His Christ have caused this miracle to take place. You could not have recognized the Light apart from God's intervention. Just last week we looked at a passage which tells us plainly that God the Father and God the Son both have the power and prerogative to reveal truth to some and not to others. Hear the word of the Lord. (Matthew 11:27 NASB) "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." God the Father and God the Son must reveal the truth to the sinner or he will never come to believe in God or in Christ.

Is a sinner responsible to believe in Jesus? Yes he is. If a man does not come to faith in Christ he will perish forever. Must a man accept Jesus as the Bible presents Him? Yes, and if he does not he will perish. Dear friend, if you leave this life without having trusted in Jesus as your Savior your reward will be the second death. You will be separate from God for ever in never ending torment with the devil and his angles. You must believe, you must receive, you must accept, you must trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sins. But when you have come to rest in Him you must thank Him for His mercy, grace and love. For salvation is of the Lord. By Him and because of Him and through Him you have believed. He has caused us to be born again! The Son has revealed the Father. Praise be to God and His redeeming Christ. Praise be to the eternal Word who was with God in the beginning, who is God, who created all that is and then came to earth as the baby Jesus. Look with me at John one fourteen.

{14} "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled, pitched His tent, took up residence, lived on earth as other humans do) among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The one in whom is light and life eternal was born to a virgin in Bethlehem. Many people saw Him, they beheld Him, they looked at Him. But each one saw something different. Herod saw an enemy and tried to kill him. The Pharisees saw an enemy, an imposter, a threat to their position in the Jewish religious world and they sought to kill the Savior. These could not see, they did not comprehend, they did not receive the Son of God. But not all were so blind.

Mary saw His brilliance and glory and was saved from her sins. I have no doubt that Joseph saw the Son and received life. The wise men saw the glory of the Only Begotten Son of God. Others knew Him and received Him and were saved. But what about us? We have moved from eternity to Bethlehem and now we come to 1998. We have come to consider Christmas and what it means to us.

So far as it is the celebration of the birth of Christ, Christmas is nothing more or less than that which confronts us with our need, the love of God, and our responsibility.

Our need is discovered when sin is uncovered. All men have sinned against God. Therefore, they are enemies of God. They are separate from Him without hope or remedy. Sin and the sinner are detestable in the sight of God. God can have no fellowship with sin. Man's need then is purity, forgiveness, cleansing, holiness. But the Bible tells us that sinners are not only without God because of sin, they are without hope or remedy. Sinful men have no way of cleansing themselves. They have no way of earning God's forgiveness and favor. Sinners then have need of a Savior. Someone must come to them and save them or they will perish. This is where the love of God for His sinful people is displayed.

(Romans 5:6 NASB) "For while we were still helpless, (hopeless, and in need) at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." A more familiar text puts it like this "For God so loved the world, (wicked, sinful, Jews and Gentiles) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NASB)

Sinful men now have a Savior. God gave Jesus, the babe of Bethlehem, to live and to die in the place of God's lost sheep. There is no greater love than this that God in the flesh should die to save people who cannot save themselves. In Christ our need has been met. But that is not the end of the story. For we must believe. God, in love, has sent His Son. Christ in love has given His life that whoever BELIEVES in Him should not perish but have eternal life. But I tell you this, and may God cause you to believe it, those who do not believe will perish. Even though the Savior has died and risen those who do not receive Him will not become the sons of God. You will not be saved from the wrath of God. The great promise that fills us with gratitude and joy is this. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." But you must believe, you must put you faith and trust in Jesus.

If you look at the babe of Bethlehem and see His glory, brilliance, love, and mercy and embrace Him as your Savior you will be saved. If you will take Him for what He is, God come to save His people from their sin, you, my friend, will not perish. On the contrary you will have everlasting life.

Christmas is not about trees and gifts and fat men in red suits. Christmas is about the crisis of the ages, man fallen into sin, death, and certain judgment. It is about the mercy and love of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It is about a real heaven and a real hell. It is about eternity. It is about Him who is the way to God, the truth about God, and the life that comes from God. Christmas is about our need, God's love, and our responsibility to believe in the Savior who came from eternity to a manger and then to a cross.

Merry Christmas to you all!

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