Sermon Tone Analysis
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I don’t know what you favorite Christmas movie is.
Perhaps its “It’s a wonderful life” or “White Christmas” or “A Christmas Story” or “Elf” perhaps “Die Hard”.
Have you ever thought about what it is about these movies that make them so iconic and special for this time of year?
In each story, the stage is set, the characters are established, but then some crisis arises that needs to be addressed.
Though the journey isn’t easy, fun, or sometimes even safe, in the end, the girl is won, the day is saved, and the good guys win.
These movies inspire joy, hope, love during a time of year that these themes are given a little extra attention.
So we get sentimental about them.
When those same Christmas songs play over the radio that played when you were a kid, it does something to our brains.
But why those themes?
Why does it matter if there is Christmas cheer?
Or Joy? or Love? or Hope?
Or that the bad guys lose and the good guys win?
I think a reason why these movies and these theme hit home for us is because they speak to the longings that are in our hearts.
We want Christmas to feel special.
We want to have a nice time with family.
We want to give and feel love and joy and peace, and all those things.
But life isn’t always that way.
Bad guys seem to win.
The stress of wanting the holiday magic seems to counter act it and the joy and peace we desperately want can be so fleeting.
But we long for the hero, the one who will save the day and make it all right in the end.
We long for those things because we are hard-wired to long for them.
We long for those things because this is the story that God has woven into the world, and we are living it out.
We are a people walking in darkness.
There is chaos.
There is uncertainty.
We need someone to rescue us, to give us light.
Last week we studied the passage from Isaiah that spoke of a coming light that would bring Joy, freedom, peace and a new kingdom.
This is what we long for.
But that light isn’t just an idea.
I’d like us to consider four truths concerning the light that came into the world that answers our most fundamental longings.
Our Chrismtas series is based on that Text in Isaiah “The People who walked in darkness have seen a great light”
Who or what is that light?
And what has that light come to do?
First,
The Light is a Person
Turn with me over to John chapter 1.
So often, when the Scriptures speak of the concept of light, it refers to revelation from God.
A famous text that many have memorized is Psalm 119:105 “105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
God’s Word illuminates our way, but it is also how God reveals Himself.
His Word is His self-revelation to us.
He reveals who he is to us through His word.
Here we are gathering on Christmas morning, celebrating Jesus Christ coming into the world.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate self-revelation of God, he is the Ultimate Word of God.
Colossians says he is the image of the invisible God.
It’s no surprise, therefore to read the words of John 1 which expounds for us more of who this Jesus is.
The Word. the self-revelation of God.
later in Vs 14 we see that John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In many ways this is a mysterious thing.
How can the divine take on humanity, how can the infinite take on the finite?
Truly a miraculous thing.
The word has come to bring life and light.
Look down at verse nine for a moment
Jesus will say at another time that he is the light of the Word.
The Light is a person.
He is the self-revelation of God, and he shine light to all who will follow him that we may not walk in darkness.
We talked last week about what its like to live in the darkness.
When we forsake the word of God and choose to live our own way, we choose the way of darkness.
And in that darkness there is pain, anguish, and gloom.
But Jesus came to bring life and light so that we do not have to walk in darkness.
Christmas is a season of Joy because we celebrate the arrival of the light.
What’s more is that he cannot be defeated!
The Light Cannot be Defeated
The Spiritual forces of darkness hate the light.
Like cockroaches when the light comes on they scurry and hide.
Those who hate the light may have thought they scored a great victory in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but the resurrection of Christ demonstrates that Christ is unconquerable.
How many of you have ever turned on a flashlight only to discover that the darkness fought back and pushed the light back into the flash light.
It’s a silly thought isn’t it?
Darkness is not a genuine threat to the light.
When the light shines, there can’t help but be a victory for the light.
Darkness dissipates when the light shines.
And so we have statements about the inevitable and eternal reign of Christ that will surely come to pass.
Darkness doesn’t win.
It may seem as though for a time that the darkness is winning.
There are times of struggle, distress, suffering, hardship, and so forth here on this earth for a time.
But make no mistake.
Darkness will not win, for it is not in its nature to win.
Light always gains victory wherever it shines.
Christmas is a season of Joy because we celebrate the arrival of the unconquerable King.
But question arises.
Are you part of His Kingdom?
Jesus didn’t come to bring mere sentimentality and create a holiday that will be laden with nostalgia.
He came to defeat the forces of darkness and invite us to join his team.
He came with a message.
The Light Comes with a Message
Last week we studied the passage in Isaiah that our Christmas series is based on.
Matthew quotes that passage to demonstrate the Jesus was one who would fulfill the prophecies spoken of him.
Look at Matt 4:12-17
Verse 17 summarized Jesus message to the people.
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!
Once again, Jesus didn’t come to be a cute nativity scene.
There is a message here.
First, the message is to repent.
This implies that his audience is not in a good place spiritually.
To repent means to turn away from something.
Our world tries to tell you that there is nothing wrong with you.
You are perfect just the way you are.
It’s one of nicest sounding lies that have ever been uttered.
The truth is that none of us are perfect as we are.
We all have sin within our hearts.
We don’t have to teach children to lie, steal, or act selfishly.
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