The Light of the World

The Light of the World: Celebrating the True Heart of Christmas

Bible Passage: John 1:1–18

Intro:

Words are very important in our world. In my life, words are critical to how I can relate what I’m thinking or what I would like someone to learn or be encouraged by. To give you an example: The fun game Pictionary is a challenge where one person is assigned to draw out something specific, but they do so without using any words. Some other games— like my absolute worst game— Taboo— where I must describe something specific, but refrain from using very specific words on a list right in front of my eyes. I’m terrible at that game.

The apostle John sets out in the very beginning of his Gospel, to describe Jesus as the “word” of God— the very description and meaning of God himself. Jesus is the only way we can relate to God. It’s an attention grabbing start to his narrative— written probably around 90-95 AD. That is later than the other Gospel records. It’s as if John, listed as the “disciple that Jesus loved” let his experiences and memories of Jesus age and mature. John’s Gospel is markedly different from the others. This is sometimes called the Spiritual Gospel— and it is often the primary source for what is called “Christology”. The view and the study of who Jesus was, and who He is— and who He will be.

This introduction, while not necessarily a typical “Christmas” passage— allows the reader to respond by saying “Ok, show me the guy”— show me the evidence and narrative that supports your lofty claims.

Which he then does. In fact, if you know someone who does not have much background in faith, or particularly with Jesus— John’s Gospel is the place to recommend they begin.

There are three key sections or thoughts to this passage— it gives us

a good background for Christmas

Unlike the other gospels, listing Jesus within an earthly family line, like Matthew or Luke— John decides to trace the person Jesus back to the very beginning! You can do that for yourself, and you will go back to your birthday, plus about nine months, and we simply didn’t exist. With our Lord Jesus, not just a baby born in Bethlehem, but we can trace him back to the beginning of time, and then before time— forever.

The essence of Christmas is not just a historical event, but a transformative reality where God entered human history as an approachable and loving Savior.

It deepens the understanding of Christ's dual nature as fully God and fully man, inviting believers to find peace and joy in this truth.

Christ is the fulfillment of God's promise to dwell among His people. In the Old Testament, the promise of Emmanuel signifies God with us, and in the New Testament, John reveals Jesus as the incarnate Word, bridging the divine and human realms, spotlighting the overarching narrative of redemption throughout the Scriptures.

Big Idea: The miracle of Christmas is that God became a man in Jesus, bringing light, hope, joy, peace, and love to a world in darkness.

There we have the “heart” of Christmas— and that’s our focus for these next few weeks building up to the Christmas eve service, and our celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Turn in the pew bibles to page 723 if you want to quickly reach John chapter 1.

1. Christmas exposes the eternal light.(v. 1-5)

"Before time began, the Word was already alive" (John 1:1)

John 1:1–2 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

John uses this code word for Jesus— ‘The Word’ to sum up who Jesus is.

That word here is a Greek word: Logos— which means “the meaning and function” of somthing.

He could have just used his name— but he chooses to describe Jesus in this creative and powerful way.

Scholars believe that John wrote this book primarily to his fellow Jewish people, who didn’t believe that Jesus was legitamate.

Many objections that the faithful traditional Jews— and many today in our world also, is that Jesus was not who He said he was— they didn’t believe that Jesus was God.

They believed in ONE God— and when Jesus showed up acting and speaking like He was God— that confused everything. They thought Jesus was a rival to God, and actually Muslims today have the same objection. But John is simply stating here that God is more complex that you think— no DUH! And that God is indeed ONE God, but in relationship— three persons— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The word was WITH God.

The trinity is hard to understand. I get that. But would you really want to have a God that you could completely understand? Not me. I can’t even understand myself or my wife and kids and grandkids most of the time— how can I fully understand God?

Jesus reveals that God is far more complex and relational than we could ever imagine!

This time of the year reminds us— it helps our Christology:

a. Christmas reminds us that Jesus existed before our struggles did.(v.2)

John 1:3 NIV

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

To believe that we (life on earth) is the result of some random chance is simply not feasible. We are created in the image of a highly relational, powerful God. And in Jesus, the meaning and function of God is revealed.

John 1:4 NIV

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

A biologist might define “life” as:

The ability of an organism to use energy, reproduce, grow, respond to stimuli, etc. And we certainly owe our physical life— to God— but John is implying something more here— That Life, was the light of Mankind.

It reminded me of the image here that plants cannot survive without sunlight. Light is the energy source for photosynthesis— along with water, and nutrients from the dirt, a plant can usually produce something— like fruit or a flower or a seed. Without those critical materials, the plant dies.

You surely need certain things to survive— but if we *mankind are the plants— then Jesus is the “Light” that shines on us to make us grow and produce fruit— sure it will expose us— but it reveals the truth, and removes the hopelessness.

b. Jesus brings purpose to our lives. (v.4)

Jesus meets both our deepest needs, and God’s greatest desires:

Our greatest need:

To be known, to be loved, to be accepted, to be safe, to be “whole”.

To have purpose. To have value— before anything or anyone in this world can tell you different, or reset the standard— to move the bar.

Isaiah 53:6 NIV

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God’s greatest desires:

Your salvation (1Tim 2:4) 1 Timothy 2:4 “4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

A personal relationship with Him (John 17:3) John 17:3 “3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Our transformation to reflect His character: Matthew 22:37–38 “37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

But there is for the first time here in John’s passage— the hint that the world is not in relationship— that the world does NOT understand God.

John 1:5 NIV

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

This is John’s way of describing the world turning away from God. Mankind OUT of relationship with God. A time where we are NOT in the light— Darkness really isn’t an actual “thing”- it’s rather the absence of Light.

It’s where we say to God— “i’m not interested in you telling me what to do— I’m not interested in your light illuminating me”— I’m going to turn away and live for myself or my own ambition.

Since the fall of man— (genesis 3) Men and Women may have been trying to live like God isn’t there— but He is.

The darkness has not overcome it. We cannot fully realize our potential or our “wholeness” apart from the LIGHT.

c. No personal or spiritual darkness can extinguish Jesus’ light.(v.5)

But the good news here is that right from the start, God had a plan to save us from the darkness.

So that kind of sums up the background and the essence of Christmas. The Light of the World is Jesus--

But next, we are going to read about the purpose of Christmas— the next steps in our understanding of Jesus.

2. Christmas invites us to explore the eternal light.(v.6-13)

John 1:6–8 NIV

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

It’s like the Apostle John has just summarized the entire length of human history up to the point where that first Christmas occurs— when Jesus arrives!

That’s quite a summary of everything!

John the Baptist is the last of a long line of prophets that were proclaiming the coming of the Messiah— that promised saviour and king from God.

John the Baptist echoes these words— “i’m not the one, but the one who comes after me IS the one”— and I’m not worthy.

a. John the Baptist is a witness sent to announce Jesus as the Messiah.(v.7)

John 1:9–11 NIV

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

This section describes exactly what the disciples like John experienced: The world didn’t recognize him, rejected him— didn’t receive him.

Jesus came to “his very own”— the Jewish people— they were expecting him! But his own people tried to destroy him. I read this week that the “Jews were not chosen because they were better— but rather because they were typical.”

Remember, John is writing here to the Jews— and their leaders, whom they put a LOT of trust in, had rejected Jesus. They trusted their leaders, and that did not go well. What are we to do with that? So many people today, even those that the world deems as really smart and good— reject Jesus?

b. The world has rejected its creator, Jesus Christ.(v.10-11)

Why does the world reject Jesus? Most people in the world don’t believe in Jesus— for mostly two reasons:

-The evidence isn’t strong enough for them to believe. That could be the case, but there is a stronger reason

-It’s that the evidence is just fine— but people don’t WANT to believe in Jesus. They don’t want to be told that Jesus is the only way.

That’s the angle John is addressing here— he says remember the darkness, remember that from the beginning of Adam and Eve— the human race is moving away from God.

And that God has come to re-establish that relationship. Some people don’t want that— even today.

But that’s not the end of the story, right?

John 1:12 NIV

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

This encourages me— some people through the ages have indeed believed and responded to his invitation. Many of us here, obviously. We’ve moved from being outside the light, under God’s judgment— to being IN his light, nurtured and accepted by His grace as His own children— Growing in how we look and act like Jesus!

The purpose of Christmas is right there. That we are coming home to God.

John 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

c. We can become children of God, by believing in Jesus. (v.12)

Accept your identity as God's beloved child, not defined by your past

John 1:13 NIV

13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Just like you didn’t give birth to yourself— you can’t create this position or relationship with God on your own. God does. That’s what we celebrate here with our Advent season.

d. We celebrate spiritual rebirth and new life in Christ (v.13)

Lets not just celebrate Christmas as a lovely time of the year, or a fun time with family and friends— giving gifts or eating lots of great food— that’s all fine, but it’s so much more than that.

Teach your children, talk about this season in spiritual language.

Christmas is so much more—it’s real, it’s approachable and tangible. Because Jesus came in the flesh. There is the background and the purpose of Christmas, but there is finally the “mission” of Christmas too:

3. Christmas is our way to experience the eternal light.(v. 14-18)

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is where we get to the theological doctrine that Jesus was fully God— and fully human. It’s hard to understand how that can actually be— but it is true.

We read John’s gospel here very carefully:

He is not saying that Jesus the Word left his powers somehow behind in heaven to become a man INSTEAD of God— no, John is assuring us that Jesus became a man AS WELL AS being God.

That’s how he is both God and Man— that’s how the Incarnation works. That’s how Jesus is anointed as the SON of Man in Daniel 7. That’s how Jesus knows your every hurt.

a. Jesus is both God and Man, a mediator between us and God. (v.14)

John 1:15 NIV

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”)

John 1:16 NIV

16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

Jesus fulfils the mission that God the Father gave him by dying on the cross. He was born in a humble stable, laid in a manger like a common baby would start out. But we see what God is like through Jesus— and that culminates when we see Jesus die on the cross. That’s where we see what God is like most.

Jesus fulfills the law for us:

John 1:17 NIV

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:18 NIV

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 8:12 NIV

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:46 NIV

46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

b. Jesus reveals God’s character, that was his mission. (v. 18)

 5   Christ is the true light of the world; it is through him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind.

Jonathan Edwards

“God Glorified in Man’s Dependence” sermon (18th century)

Jonathan Edwards (American Evangelical Preacher)

Let’s not allow Christmas season to become a hurried, busy, flash in our year— but a time to reflect and deepen our love and commitment to a Savior whom we would have never chosen on our own.

The background, the purpose and the mission of Christmas is here for us to enjoy!