CHRISTMAS SERMON
(Light in the Night - December 25, 2022)
Series Big Idea: "After 400 years of silence, God sends His light into the world
Sermon Big Idea: "Jesus is always and forever The Light in the darkness
Key Scripture (John 1:1-14)
(John 1:1-14)
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. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man named John who was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Malachi is the last prophet you will find in the OT. If you turn the page, you'll be in the book of Matthew in the New Testament. In that simple turn of the page, 400 years went by. For 400 years, Israel lived in darkness, waiting for God to speak to them again. He spoke again when he told a young woman that the Messiah would be born (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26–38)!
John starts his Gospel by using the same structure and words as Genesis 1. In this way, he shows Christians many things about Jesus. One lesson is that this Word that became flesh is God (John 1:1, 14). In the incarnation, God entered his creation by putting on a human body in the form of Jesus Christ. When God did this, the world's light came into the darkness (v. 5).
Light is a common theme in John's first several verses. The word "light" is used seven times in the first nine verses. Jesus's life is a light to all of us (1:4). The light has more power than the darkness (v. 5). John the Baptist was a witness to the light (v. 7), but he was not himself the light (v. 8). Rather, Jesus is "the true light" that shines on everyone and everything (v. 9).
When the light came into the world and lived among people, humans got a glimpse of how glorious God is (1:14). God's glory is a lot of different things, and a beautiful, powerful light is one of them. At the end of the Bible, God shows John another vision of his greatness. This time, God is the one who lives in the new Jerusalem with his people. In that place, there will be no night, and the sun won't be needed because God's presence is enough to light up everything (Revelation 22:5). On Christmas Eve, Jesus showed us a picture of this future light.
People often have a fear of the dark. If we're not afraid, we're usually at least very uncomfortable with it. There is some light pollution that is necessary, like the light posts that light up a road at night. And there is a lot of light pollution that isn't needed, like the many backyard lights that are now everywhere. Why do people put lights in their backyards and turn them on every night, even if they never go outside? The light drives away the dark. As the light of the world, Jesus gives us comfort and peace. When we meet him, his light takes away all our fears.
Conclusion:
The Eastern Orthodox Easter Service is a great example of what it means for Jesus to be the light of the world. All the lights are turned off the night before Easter, around midnight, except for one candle. The candle is put behind the altarpiece again. After a while of silence, the priest starts to sing and comes out with a single lit candle, which represents Christ's light. As the priest keeps singing about the resurrection, he starts to light the candles that everyone is holding. Slowly, the light of Jesus fills the very dark room. It was like that when Jesus came into the world. Light came into the world, and people saw it and shared it through their faith.
What do you need to do to be certain of your relationship with God? For those of you who are already followers of Christ, what will you do this week to better enjoy your status as a child of God? If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, how should the reality that God became a man affect your life today? My prayer is that before you leave this place today that you make things right with Jesus.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
WORDsearch. Adult Questions for LESSONmaker. WORDsearch, n.d.
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