The TRUE Gift of Christmas

Introduction

Well we are at that time of year when the world begins to focus attention on trees and lights and gifts and Santa Claus and reindeer, parties and Christmas cheer.

It is a time when we in the church begin to talk about angels and shepherds, a stable, a manger, Mary and Joseph, wise men, Bethlehem, a star and a baby.

Lately, I’ve found myself wondering what Christmas would be like if we took away ALL of those things.

What would Christmas be like if we ignored or took away trees and lights and gifts and Santa Claus and reindeer, parties and Christmas cheer.

Many in the church might say, “Good! We need to stop focusing on all those commercial things like trees and lights and gifts and Santa Claus and reindeer, parties and Christmas cheer. Then, Christmas would get back to its true meaning where we JUST focus on angels and shepherds, a stable, a manger, Mary and Joseph, wise men, Bethlehem, a star and a baby.

But what I’ve been wondering is, what would Christmas would be like with no trees and lights and gifts and Santa Claus and reindeer, parties and Christmas cheer AND what would the Christmas story be with no angles and shepherds, a stable, a manger, Mary and Joseph, wise men, Bethlehem, a star and a baby?

Some might say, “wait a minute! You went too far. Certainly we can do without the trees and lights and gifts and Santa and reindeer and parties and Christmas cheer.

But Christmas with no angels and shepherds, a stable, a manger, Mary and Joseph, wise men, Bethlehem, a star and a baby? Blasphemy!

Now, you all know me well enough to know that I would never stand in this pulpit and suggest that we do anything contrary to what scripture says. Al least I hope you know me that well.

But l I submit to you this morning, that the Christmas story, void of ALL of those things, EVEN VOID OF angles and shepherds, no stable, no manger, no Mary, no Joseph, no wise men, no Bethlehem, no star and no baby, is in fact Biblical. I can say that because it is the very account of Christmas we read in the Gospel of John. Don’t believe me? Let me read it to you.

Jhn 1:1-14 ESV - 1 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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 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 have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Now. Correct me if I am wrong but, in John’s account, the Christmas story is told in 14 verses and in those 14 verses there is not a single mention of angles or shepherds, or a stable, or a manger, or Mary and Joseph, or wise men, or Bethlehem, or a star...and no baby.

Yet, leaving all those details out, John has still conveyed the entire Christmas story that is in no way lacking. Now I read 14 verses to you just now but there is one line in that text that all by itself, tells the story of Christmas. It is found in that last verse I read, verse 14. Here it is. The Christmas story, the complete Christmas story in 9 words.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...”

When we boil it all down, this could be considered the most profound truth in all of scripture.

THIS, is why we celebrate Christmas. Not because of all the physical attributes in the story. The star and a stable and a manger and a young couple and shepherds and wise men.

Of course they all participated in the historical and physical elements in the birth of Christ. But the REAL story, the TRUE gift of Christmas is...

“the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...”

So this morning, I want to consider the Christmas story in a way that may not be be what we are used to, but I believe in a way that truly gets to the heart of what Christmas is all about. The way John presented the Christmas story.

And I want to try and accomplish two things this morning not necessarily in this order.

1. I want to try and bring us back to what the TRUE gift of Christmas really is and...

2. I want to attempt to give you a clear understanding of just WHO this Jesus really is, and make one final appeal to you in the hopes that you will, once and for all, commit yourself to Him as Lord and Savior of your life AND, that you will determine to become His Disciple and engage yourself in the Disciple making process that all Christ followers are called to.

Kind of a tall order I know, but here we go.

Now I must tell you that I love the little baby aspect of Jesus arrival. In fact, every year at this time, when I think about the birth of Christ, I am always astounded by the way God chose to manifest Himself to us. Rather than come booming in here with a loud fanfare and announce His reality to all creation in a very GOD-like manner, He chose to slip in quietly and unassumingly, as a little helpless child who was completely dependent on the very ones He created. That just seems crazy to me until I consider John’s account and what was REALLY going on.

Jesus birth is actually a cosmic event. It’s not just isolated to that little town in Bethlehem. It touches and affects the whole universe. Incarnation is about God coming into the world of matter that He Himself created in the first place.

*Pastor Sean shared earlier that this is the third Sunday of Advent which celebrates…celebration! It is the advent of Rejoicing over this cosmic event. A cosmic event that results in ongoing cosmic level affects on humanity and the whole created world.

Think about it. What would cause a “normal” thinking person to throw everything overboard to put their trust in and to follow someone they have never seen?

I love the first part of 1 Peter. the Book of 1 Peter is addressed to “the pilgrims and scattered strangers” it calls them in the opening of the book. These people were primarily in the cities around what we call Turkey today. And these pilgrims were suffering in many cases and did not have an easy life but Peter is talking to them about the faith that they have and in first Peter 1:8 he says...

1Pe 1:8 ESV - 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

This statement is so good when you consider what it was, or should I say WHO it was that was causing them to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

It is the incarnate Jesus Christ. The one that we claim is fully God and Fully man. But oh boy do we struggle with THAT concept. Maybe we can bring a little more clarity to that this morning.

Part of the problem is people get all caught up in the metaphysics of it all. And probably you and I are not going to be able to figure that one out if we start thinking about, “Well now how exactly did all of this work? What did the Holy Spirit do to Mary? Did he create a little Ex nihilo DNA there and get the combination going? How did that exactly work?

Well, it's tempting to get lost in that, and in fact countless efforts to understand the incarnation have upset Christians all through the ages. And I will tell you that there's about 13 different ways of getting it wrong that the church has recognized through the ages.

They have given the study of the incarnation 100 dollar names like, ebianism, gnosticism, docetism monarchianism, sabellianism, apollinarianism.

Oh there’s more, but that'll do for now. I hope you wrote those down because there will be a test! It’s not a bad thing to know about and understand these things but the understanding and the theory is less important than the fact. And we need to be careful and concentrate on the fact of what happened. Scripture gives us a much better expression to explain what was going on with the incarnation of Jesus. It’s found in

2Co 5:19 ESV - 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

The good News for us, and one aspect of the real gift of Christmas has to do with the fact that God does not regard sin as the last word.

The last word is love and grace and forgiveness and a way of dealing with all of that.

What happened in the atonement, which is, reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, is something that is hidden in the depths of the trinity, but the fact is, There God was, in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. And not only that, He has entrusted to us that same “message of reconciliation”

Backing up to verse 18, the whole thing says...

2Co 5:18-19 NASB95 - 18 Now all [these] things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

That is the mystery of Christmas that we often miss this time of year.

Paul speaks of the mystery that has been hidden from the ages

Col 1:26 NASB95 - 26 [that is,] the mystery which has been hidden from the [past] ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,

Which isn't just Christ's coming, but v 27 tells us...

Col 1:27 NASB95 - 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ look at it, here is the mystery…Christ in you, the hope of glory.

And Paul is actually speaking to gentiles. People who were thought to be out of the possibility of God's blessing and now Paul had learned that God's intent was for the whole world.

So Jesus came and now the word of reconciliation goes out to everyone. To whosoever will, may come. Whosoever will. All you have to do is come to Christ and you accept Him and then he lives in you. That is the promise of scripture in a nutshell and...

This, beloved, is the wonder of incarnation and the knowledge of Christ. Of who He is. In it’s simplest state, the invitation of the gospel is based on the knowledge of who Christ is. So let’s get into that. Back to John chapter 1.

I believe John does a remarkable job in just 14 or so verses at giving us an introduction to who Jesus really is. And knowing Who Jesus is, is very compelling indeed. Lets look.

John 1:1 ESV - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So, John starts by saying in the beginning. Something unique here about John’s Gospel as compared to the other three. John goes back further than all the other gospel writers before him.

Matthew goes back in the genealogy of Jesus to Abraham okay because Matthew's appealing largely to a Jewish audience.

Mark doesn't even talk about the genealogy of Jesus, He just launches right into the ministry of Jesus at the time that he was baptized as an adult by John the Baptist.

Luke goes back to the genealogy of Jesus all the way back to Adam. Believed to be a gentile himself, Luke is primarily appealing to a gentile audience as well.

But John goes back even further. John goes back to the “beginning”.

Here John brilliantly links John 1:1 with Genesis 1:1 . “In the beginning”

Genesis 1:1 - “in the beginning God...”

Okay wait, these things are related here aren't they? Of course that's the point he's trying to make here. Now when he says, “in the beginning”, he's doing that for our benefit because God is outside of time and space, but God has given us the measurement of time for our sake so that we can understand. What John is saying here is that Jesus pre-existed. So the first thing I want you to jot down about Jesus is... 1) Jesus is Eternal

When we talk about the identity and the deity of Jesus number one, Jesus is eternal. He wasn't just created by God the father and then suddenly just shows up here on Earth. He pre-existed with God the father being co-equal and co-eternal with God.

Jesus even says as much about himself later on in John's gospel chapter 17 verse 5 when Jesus is praying he says...

Jhn 17:5 ESV - 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you look here... before the world existed.

So Jesus is eternal. That’s the first thing to understand. Number two... 2) Jesus is the Word of God

Right here in the first verse he says...

John 1:1 ESV - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He uses the word “word” three times in verse one and he taps into a Greek word that now this Gentile Greek speaking world would have understood.

Okay, the phrase “in the beginning” appealed more to Jewish ears but when he uses this term for the “word”, it is the Greek word l-o-g-o-s. And a Greek speaking culture had a tremendous understanding of the word logos.

Now I will tell that word is multifaceted in its definition. Logos can mean word, speech, thought, or principle.

So it was used in a multi-faceted way but in Greek philosophy, the word logos also meant “Divine reason”.

To summarize, Greek philosophy said that everything that exists, pre-existed. That is how Greek philosophy understood the word Logos.

It’s this idea. When you look at the pulpit here, the idea is in Greek philosophy that this Pulpit actually pre-existed. Why? Because before it was actually built, somebody had the thought of designing it.

That's logos. It's a thought. It's a concept that ends up becoming something actual.

So when John says that Jesus is the word, is the logos, what he's saying is Jesus is the Divine expression of God. That Jesus has pre-existed, has always been, but was made manifest in these days. That Jesus becomes the manifestation of God himself.

So that word to us may not make as much impact as it certainly did in the first century. To them, logos meant the Divine expression of something and Jesus is that Divine expression of God. He is the word of God.

Now that term word of God is also used to describe the Bible itself. In fact, in the Bible in Romans 10:17 says...

Rom 10:17 NKJV - 17 So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Other translations say the Word of Christ

So that term is also used about the Bible as well as it is used about Jesus himself. In fact, in Revelation 19 it says that that's how Jesus will be referred to in the future.

Revelation 19:13 says...

Rev 19:13 ESV - 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

So how is it that Jesus is called the word of God and so was the Bible. Here's how. Because...

The Bible is the revelation of God transcribed.

Jesus is the revelation of God personified.

So both bear that name. Both are referred to as the word of God.

And then John takes that idea even further.

In verse 1 when he says,

Jhn 1:1 ESV - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and (listen) the Word was God.

So the third thing about Jesus is...

3) Jesus is God

This one is huge. This is one distinctive about the Christian faith that sets it apart.

The Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims do not believe that Jesus is God.

Mormons believe that Jesus is a created being. They classify him as the spirit brother of Lucifer.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is the Archangel Michael.

Muslims believe that Jesus is a good Prophet inferior to Muhammad.

Okay? So you have to start to ask yourself, who Jesus is because these cannot all be right again. Fir me, I would rather take the revelation of a first century eyewitness than anyone else. So when you look at what John is saying here, he wants us to understand that before time as we know it began. Jesus was with God. In the beginning was the word the word was with God... but he says even more than that. He says Jesus Is God. and the Word was God

Now John uses the word “was” three times in the first verse. In our English language was is past tense. But in the Greek that John is writing in he's actually writing the Greek word “eimi”. (I-Me) It's a form of the verb “to be” and in the tense he's writing in it's the imperfect indicative active tense. Huh?

That means it is written with the idea of a continuous action.

So literally verse 1 could be read, “ in the beginning was and is the word and the Word was and is with God and the Word was and is and will always be God”.

that's how this reads literally. This is why Jesus in John 10 30 said,

Jhn 10:30 ESV - 30 I and the Father are one."

One in essence and one in nature.

in John 14 9 Jesus said to Phillip...

Jhn 14:8-9 ESV - 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

In Hebrews 1 3 it says...

Heb 1:3 ESV - 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

That's who Jesus is. Now this this does tend to stir up some confusion in our hearts doesn't it? Because the concept of the trinity, which teaches basically that God is one God who reveals himself in three persons or three personalities. It's very hard for the human mind to grasp.

I mean here I am talking about how Jesus is with God but Jesus Is God. How does that work?

And when you look at the account of Jesus in the Bible, there are times that Jesus prays to the father. Well, is he praying to himself? How does all that work?

Look, I gotta be honest with you here. There is difficulty in understanding the concept and the doctrine of the Trinity. That God is one single God who reveals himself in three persons or three personalities. Not separate distinct created beings. One God. One of the best examples I have heard is this. And bear in mind that no human illustration will really help us to understand completely, but the best illustration I’ve heard is to use the example of light.

And it’s interesting that as I read the first few verses of John chapter 1, John used the word light seven times to describe Jesus. The first time in verse 4 it says,

Jhn 1:4 ESV - 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Jesus even uses the word about himself a little later in John 8:12.

Jhn 8:12 ESV - 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

So using light as an illustration, if you take a beam of light, white light, and you pass it through a prism, it will refract into three primary colors. It's the same light but it displays itself in three primary colors when it is passed through a prism.

So God is one God. Singular God, revealed in three persons or personalities and that's the closest I can come to to helping any of us understand this. You know there are some things that are Mysteries and that's okay

JB Phillips said that, “If God were small enough for me to figure out, he wouldn't be big enough for me to worship”.

So there are some things that we just defer to God and say God I don't understand this. The mystery of it. All the magnificence of it . There are just some things this side of heaven we won't completely grasp and that's okay. That's called faith and you trust God.

Okay so Jesus is Eternal, He is the Word of God, He IS God…what else about who Jesus is?

Notice John 1 and verse 3 it says...

verse 3 in your Bibles it says Jhn 1:3 ESV - 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

And he emphasizes it again in verse 10...

Jhn 1:10 ESV - 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

So the fourth thing about who Jesus is is... 4) Jesus is Creator

These verses tell us here that the part of the godhead responsible for creation was Jesus.

You have God the Father, God the son Jesus, God the Holy Spirit. It might be fair to say that God the father was the architect of the universe, but Jesus the son was actually the creator of the universe.

Colossians 1 15-17 says...

Col 1:15-17 ESV - 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. (Listen to this…v 17)17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Do you realize that the the the reason our universe is still held together is because the Creator Jesus is holding everything together? He is the glue.

He is not just spinning the Earth on its axis but he's got complete control over everything. He is making sure the ocean tides don't rush beyond their border. He is insuring that we don't burn to a crisp because we're just the right distance from the Sun and and all of this okay?

But there's coming a day, the Bible says, when this heaven and this Earth will pass away. God's going to create a new Heaven and a new Earth that will be a home for all believers.

So in the meantime, this is what Jesus is doing. He's holding everything together.. If He lets go....yikes!

Okay, last thing, and this is what Christmas is all about…really.

5) Jesus became human to dwell among us and die for us

Verse 14....

Jhn 1:14 ESV - 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.

A few verses later in verse 17, John will identify who he's been talking about by name, Jesus Christ. But here in verse 14 he says at one point, God becomes flesh and walks this Earth and his name is Jesus.

Now again, writing in first century Greek when when John writes there ,

and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, the Greek word translated “Dwelt” skinu and it literally means to Tabernacle or to pitch a tent.

Now he's using language that was similar to the Old Testament in this sense. Before there was a permanent Temple, there was a mobile Tabernacle. God gave the design to Moses it was like a big tent that they would take down and they would pitch it again as they were moving through the Wilderness.

It was the place where they worshipped God until the the temple itself was built in Jerusalem.

So the idea of the Tabernacle where God would dwell among the people is the same concept that John is using here about Jesus. Jesus tabernacled. God came to dwell Among Us and he came to dwell Among Us for the purpose of Dying For Us.

Why did he have to do that? Because all of us have sinned. There's none righteous no not one. We all fall short of the perfect standard of God. And God, because of his love for us, wanted to redeem us. To rescue us. He determined that if there was one righteous person Among Us, he would put all the penalty and all of the consequences for all of our sin on that one human being and that one human being could, so to speak, take one for the team, for the whole human race.

But there was a problem. The Bible says that when God surveyed the landscape of humanity, he found none righteous... not one. And so the Bible says that God's own arm worked salvation for him and he determined that he himself would come to Earth. This miraculous conception where the Holy Spirit comes upon this virgin Mary, and the seed of God is implanted in her womb.

Here, Divinity met humanity and both merged into Jesus being fully God, fully man, born, lived a sinless life and he became that atoning sacrifice so that by his death on the cross, if we put our faith in what Jesus did, we can have our sins forgiven and be saved.

Is anybody happy about this Christmas news?

Beloved, this is The Great Exchange.

Jesus's sinless life for our sinful lives. Jesus died so we might live. He was condemned so we might be forgiven.

And God did it all to save us. To rescue us. This is why John says his purpose in writing all this.

John chapter 20 verse 31...

Jhn 20:31 ESV - 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This indeed, is THE TRUE GIFT of Christmas. Amen?

Let’s pray...

Father. we thank you so much for your Word, both written AND personified. We thank you Lord for the revelation of Jesus Christ.

My prayer this Christmas season, is for every Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Muslim. For every atheist or agnostic, for people who don't understand who Jesus is, that you would Open the Eyes of their hearts, that they would see and know who Jesus is. In knowing Jesus and receiving him as Lord and Savior by faith, we can have our sins forgiven we can have the Assurance being in His presence when we die.

I pray Father, that for every unbeliever, everyone who might hear this message, God would you Open the Eyes of their heart that they would accept Jesus, God in flesh, who came to die for the sins of the world that by believing in him, that he is the Christ, the son of God, we might have life in his name. Thank you Lord for that promise. We love you.

I pray it all in the strong name of Jesus Christ, the Word, The creator, the light, the life, in Jesus name...amen