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I’M DREAMING OF A RIGHT CHRISTMAS
John 1:1-5

Introduction: Expound on this season of the year. In reality, Christmas often turns into a real hassle. You are rushed and pushed for time. In our struggle to get it right, we often get it dead wrong and end up making ourselves and others miserable. I believe God wants us to get it right. I believe that He is not so interested in our having a white Christmas as He is interested in our having a right Christmas. So, how can we have a right Christmas? What do we need to understand and change in our lives that will allow Christmas to be a time of blessing and wonder instead of being a time of stress and tension? This passage reveals some ingredients that are absolutely essential if we are to have a right Christmas. 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 have a right Christmas.

I. THE PERSON OF CHRISTMAS (VV.1-2)
Between the Personalities, the Presents and the Practices, it is easy to forget the real reason for this day. Verse 1 brings us back to the real essence of Christmas. (Illus: We know Who the Word is, John 1:14).

A. 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 a “tense” that 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 not His beginning. ( Ill. Before there was anything there was Jesus! Jesus was not “Plan B”. There never was another plan!)

B. He Is Equally God

The word translated “word” in this verse is the Greek word “logos”. It refers to “speech, reasoning, explanation, a word about something.” That is Who Jesus is! He is called the Word because a word is a visible expression of an invisible thought. Jesus is the perfect expression of Who God is! Jesus is everything God has ever said or will say. He is everything God is about in human form. ( Ill. John 1:18 – “declared” = “To lead out, to explain, to narrate.” We get the word “exegesis” from this word.) Jesus is the explanation or narration of God! The word “with” means; “face to face, or toward”. This tells us that Jesus was “face to face” with God. In other words, that He is God’s equal. This reminds us that the God we serve is a triune God. There is one God Who manifests Himself in three Persons. The Word, Jesus, is one of those manifestations.

C. He Is Essentially God

The statement “and the Word was God”, is the clearest statement of the deity of Jesus in the Bible. Not only is the Word co-eternal and co-equal with God; the Word is God! That is why Jesus could say the things He said, John 14:8-9; John 10:30; John 8:58. ( Ill. I cannot say “I am my father are one”. It just isn’t true! Only Jesus can say that and be 100% accurate). When God sent His Son into this world; He sent One Who was eternally, equally and essentially God. In other words, when the angels said, “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”, Luke 2:11 , they were announcing the birth of God in human flesh! All through his life He proved Who He was over and over. From “Peace be still” to “Rise up and walk” to “Lazarus come forth” to “Thy sins be forgiven thee” to “It is finished” the truth and power of His deity was on constant display. Every word, every deed, every miracle declared Him to be God. He alone is the Person of Christmas!

II. THE POWER OF CHRISTMAS (V. 3)
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 .

A. He Is The Maker Of Creation

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 about more than trees and tinsel; packages and parties; bows and boxes, or meals and mistletoe. This season is about Him! He is the Maker of creation!

B. He Is The Master Of Creation

Not only did He 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 all together too! The One Who made it all and controls it all was born into this world 2,000 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 you, Rom. 5:8. So, what is the power of Christmas? Is it presents, huge meals and family get togethers? No! The power of Christmas is God in a manger! That is the reason we celebrate the day. That is the essence of this whole season!

III. THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS (VV. 4-5)
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?

A. 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 didn’t know that they are dead. 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:

1. Jesus is the Strength of Earthly Life – We are alive today only by His good grace, Ill. Job 1:21. He makes life possible!

2. Jesus is the Secret of Effective Life – It has been said that “three things make life worth living: a self fit to live with; a faith fit to live by; and a purpose fit to live for.” Only Jesus Christ can give you all three, John 10:10! He gives life and He gives it abundantly! The word “abundantly” means “superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon”. That is the kind of life He came to give! He gives life purpose!

3. Jesus is the Source of Eternal Life – Those who know Jesus by faith will live eternally, John 11:25-26; John 3:16. He makes life permanent! Ill. 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.)

B. 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 followeth 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:

· “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” Eph. 5:8

· “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:18

· “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” Col. 1:13

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. 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! 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 Himself!

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

1. Be sure that you are saved; that you know Him; that you 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 everyday.

Has He spoken to your heart today? If so, this altar is open for anything from salvation to supplication to surrender to thanksgiving.