So This Is Christmas

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Wesley wrote:

"Christ, by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord:

Late in time, behold Him come,

Offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail th'incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with men to dwell,

Jesus our Immanuel.

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

This morning, we reflect one last time on the birth of our Savior, King Jesus, from a passage not normally discussed or thought of when we think of Christmas. Join me in 1 John 1:1-4 as remember again the deep truths of Christmas.

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Jesus' incarnation means we are saved by grace.

John's letter, which is possibly a sermon that has been recorded in order to be circulated, begins by emphasizing Jesus' eternal nature. Jesus is described in vs.1 as the word of life, and it highlights Jesus as the giver of divine and eternal life. A similar thought is contained in the opening chapter of John's gospel.

What is commonplace to many believers, the incarnation of the unique God-man, is so phenomenal that some found it impossible. So, many false teachers propagated the idea that Jesus was not fully man. John takes up the mantle of defending the humanity of Jesus.

John says eternal life...was with the Father, a startling statement that attributes eternal life to Jesus, not that He gives it or has it, but that He literally is eternal life. Therefore, uniting with Him in faith is eternal life and there is nothing that man can add. Salvation, then, is by grace alone.

Saying "doctrine doesn't matter" is actually making a doctrinal statement. If one believes that doctrine has no bearing, that what really matters is living a good life or doing good works, they are espousing a theology of salvation by works, assuming that man can muster enough good to overcome his evil, making fundamental statements about God, His Word, humanity, and sin.

Truly believing and accepting the message of Christmas means necessarily being humbled out of pride yet affirmed and loved out of insecurity and finding grace and forgiveness for every fail. If this were possible, then all of the stories about Jesus, including the Christmas story, are simply myths and fables meant to inspire Jesus' followers to do good.

John argues from a legal standpoint. The verbs John uses here, heard...seen...looked upon...touched, all serve as legal terms that provide jurisprudence for John's testimony. Make not mistake, this is not conversational speak. John is essentially swearing a deposition using language of the court. All of this actually happened, which is good news, meaning it is absolutely true. Believers are not on their own, they can trust in the true grace that God provides!

Jesus' incarnation means we can have actual fellowship.

The gospel is more than just a message of how to be forgiven of sin. John writes that believers may have fellowship with one another. Deeper still, though, is the fact that this fellowship is also with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. This is personal communion with the living God.

Christian-to-christian fellowship is essential for believers, and it is rooted in fellowship with the Father and...Jesus. John is reaffirming the salvation of his readers (possibly because false teachers have introduced doubt) because eternal security strengthens fellowship with God.

Fellowship is the idea of mutual sharing, similar to the idea of sharing "communion" with someone today (not the Lord's Supper). It is deep and intimate bonding on multiple levels. This is the type of personal relationship believers can share with God. This idea is foreign to religions in the world. Eastern religions see god as some impersonal force, and while their practitioners can merge with this force, it is not personal and therefore there is no communication with it. Other faiths in the world do conceive of a god that is personal, yet that god is too removed from humanity to have any real and intimate personal experience. The incarnation truly sets Christianity apart. While some faiths in the history of the world have gods that change shape and interact with man, Jesus is unique being the only God in the flesh, fully-God-and-fully-man God.

Consider the words of Wesley's famous Christmas hymn: "veiled in flesh, the Godhead see." Moses asked to see God's glory, and God's response is that it would kill him. Yet in Christ, the world has "seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." It's not unlike scientists who view study the sun through a filter so that they do not damage their eyes. Christ's flesh allows sinful man to look upon the infinite glory of God. In this way, man is invited not to know certain factual truths about God, but to actually and personally and intimately known God.

How do believers describe their relation to God? Is it in terms of rich and deep and complex communion? God is not content with being a concept or a distant deity. Christmas, the incarnation, Immanuel proves that God did what was necessary for man to get close to his Creator. Do believers in turn draw close to God? Do they seek God while He may be found? "Christmas is a challenge as well as a promise about fellowship with God."

Jesus' incarnation means we can have genuine joy.

Proclamation produced believers which in turn creates fellowship. Fellowship furthers joy, a joy that is made complete through persevering faithfulness.

When the NT speaks of joy, it certainly includes happiness, but not in a shallow, surface-level way. Rather, joy in the NT is akin to a ballast that would keep a ship upright and stable in turbulent waters. It is like an underground river that keeps an area cool and its soil rich. The joy of Christmas, which includes the love and care of God, is fountain of joy that continues to invigorate the believer no matter life's circumstances.

Experience

What joy springs forth from the glad tidings of Christmas?! A salvation that is desperately needed, that can never be earned, is freely given in the person of Jesus. Now, the most wretched of sinners (and make no mistake, all are wretched sinners) can have the certainty of eternity and a deep, abiding relationship with God. Maybe we forget the depths of the pit from which we were drawn up and redeemed. Let us today remember. Maybe the joy that should be ours is missing because salvation by grace alone has become ordinary to us. Let us then proclaim, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me." Maybe joy is absent because the hope of eternity is not treasured. The on a day when we rejoice in our gifts, may our hearts be thrilled with Christ, the greatest gift of all. Maybe joy is gone because we have grace-amnesia. Then be reminded again of Jesus, the life He offers, the life we've been give only by the goodness and love of God.

How do we recapture joy this Christmas season? We remember that in the shadow of the manger there looms a cross, and let us return to that cross and be reminded again of what is our in Christ the King!