Sermon from 2005:
Last week, the day after Thanksgiving, I received a package the package was from my wife, my mother and my father. In it they sent me some pictures of my girls, a little Christmas tree to put on my desk, and some stuff from the Clemson/FSU game. But there were also several wrapped packages for my Christmas presents. I can’t open them until Christmas.
Christmas is only a month away. Four weeks from today we will be celebrating the biggest day of the year. There is no other day that gets as much attention as Christmas. As soon as Halloween is over, Christmas decorations become common place, as stores begin to start their promotions. The airlines begin taking reservations for December. Families begin to do logistical plans to celebrate Christmas in up to 5 locations – Parents, Grandparents and immediate family. Credit limits begin to max out. All in preparation for the big day.
How are you going to celebrate this year? Have you thought about it? Or have you simply decided that you aren’t going to celebrate Christmas at all. What’s the use? You’re in Iraq.
But, I want you to listen…
You have the opportunity to have the best Christmas that you ever hade in your life.
Right here in Iraq.
Because when you strip away all the things that you usally have at Christmas,
When you strip away the family Obligations,
When you strip away the parties,
When you strip away the shopping,
When you strip away the Heartwarming Christmas specials
And all of these have there place.
When you strip away Christmas in America
And have Christmas in Iraq – All you are left with is the manger.
And as you celebrate Christmas this year – you have a chance to get to the real reason for celebrating and focus on Jesus.
And this evening we begin a journey toward the manger
Look with me at John 1:1-5 NKJV
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 nothing was made that was made. ?4? ??In Him was life, and ??the life was the light of men. ?5? And ?the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not ?1?comprehend it. (John 1:1-5 NKJV)
I. The Beginning
As we begin our journey toward the manger tonight I want to begin like John does, all the way at the beginning.
1 In the ?beginning ?God created the heavens and the earth. ?2? The earth was ??without form, and void; and darkness ??was on the face of the deep. ??And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
?3? ??Then God said, ??“Let there be ??light?”; and there was light. ?4? And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ?5? God called the light Day, and the ??darkness He called Night. ??So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5 NKJV)
John mirrors this passage as he reflects on the life of Christ. Since the beginning of time, the world awaited for Christ to appear.
John takes a moment to make it clear to the reader that his Gospel – his story was bout a man named Jesus.
John says “In the beginning was the Word.”
To the Hebrews, “The Word” meant an agent of creation, the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets, and God’s law, his standard of holiness.
To the Greek, “The Word” was the principle of reason that governed the world.
Every story has a beginning and a successful story has a successful beginning.
In The Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens writes
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
The comic character, Snoopy, begins his great novel with
“It was a dark and stormy night.”
John begins his story
Reading from the New Living Translation;
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4 Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. 5 The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5NLT)
John chooses to remind his readers that the story of Christ didn’t start with the manger, the beginning of the story of Christ began – in the beginning.
In the beginning there was God
In the beginning there was Creation.
“Nothing existed that God didn’t make.”
But in the beginning, God made Man and Woman. And this man and woman sinned against the Lord.
And in the beginning, God had a plan to redeem humanity.
This was the Word. Who was with God in the beginning.
As we begin to look at Christmas, we must start all the way back at the beginning.
The first reference of Christmas occurs in Genesis 3:15 when God announces the Christ will have the last destroying below to Santen. And, as Hebrews 2:14 explains
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14 NLT)
To have the greatest Christmas even we musk no that from the very beginning of time itself God had a plan to send Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin.
This is the Beginning of the story but there is also.
II A (the) witness
6 God sent John the Baptist 7 to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. (John 1:6-9NLT)
John the Baptist was the son of Elizabeth, relative of Mary. When Elizabeth saw Mary, John, still unborn jumped for joy. John was sent on one mission. That mission was to pave the way for Christ.
He was there to point the way to Christ. He was not the messiah – he was the witness.
I’m reading the latest Mary Higgins Clark book and as with most of her stories it is a murder mystery.
These mysteries hinge on the testimonies of the witnesses.
John was a witness to tell the world the Christ was on his way.
Growing up in the South I remember seeing the barns painted that said “See Rock City.”
Those words were printed on barns across the South.
They all paint to the tourist area Rock City and Ruby Falls near Chattanooga, TN. You can see seven states from there.
I once read that these became represented the greatest advertising campaign of all time.
And John the Baptist pointed to Christ.
In the world today, we come across many so called prophets.
But John the Baptist gives the example of a true prophet. A true profit points to Christ. He doesn’t point to himself. He doesn’t seek to build himself up simply points to Christ.
A good example of this found in John 3:26-30. John’s disciples are concerned the Jesus is the baptizing more then they are. John simply replies:
30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. (John 3:30NLT)
John’s mission was to point the way to Christ.
In the same way, we are to point to Christ. We can get so turned around on things – we can focus on get people to this service; we can we can focus on cleaning up every body’s languages; we can focus on fixing every bodies marriage. But no matter how important any of these are, we must focus on Christ. We must point the way to Christ constantly.
Over this next month are you going to focus on the presents on the family, on the lights, or the food? If you focus on these you will always be disappointed. But if you focus on Christ, you never will be disappointed at all.
And we are to share this story with those around us. We share this message because we are
III His (The) Children
10 But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. 11 Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God. (John 1:10-13NLT)
The world did not recognize Jesus when he cam to earth. They were too busy with their parties, they were too focused on their own materialism, they were too wrapped up in traditions and they were bothered by family responsibilities to see who Jesus really was. Sounds a lot lie Christmas.
Don’t miss Jesus this Christmas! This is the Christmas were you have noting to hinder you but to see Jesus.
The world missed Jesus when he came to earth. Even those oncoming his own people, they missed him.
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12NLT)
This is critical. There some that understood. There were some that were able to catch on. Theses were some whose eyes were opened – These are the one’s whom He gave the right to become Children of God.
I remember when I was a little boy, I would go to the YMCA for July Forth. It was the talk of the town. They would have swimming races. They would have gold fish in the pool – and if you caught one you could take it home. They would have the greased watermelon where they would coat the watermelon with a layer of Vaseline and the team that got the watermelon to their side of the pool would win.
But the most important game of all was the “coin toss” – where the lifeguards would place a gallon bucket of nickels, dimes, quarters and silver dollars in the pool. The kids would all stand on the side, wait for the whistle, some kid would always get pushed in and then finally the whistle would blow and the kids would dive for the coins.
Every body wanted the silver dollars but there weren’t many in their. But every now an then you would see a dark spot in the bottom of the pool and you would first ignore it but it the back of you head you would want to check it out – because you didn’t want to miss something.
The world was so busy doing other tings that it missed the missed the messiah. They were diligently looking for him and I would look for the coins.
As we approach Christmas this is your opportunity to see the manger in a new way. You don’t want to miss him as many of us do year after year.
You don’t want to miss Jesus, because he is
IV. The Christ
15 John pointed him out to the people. He shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did.’ ” (John 1:15NLT)
The witness, John the Baptist, didn’t miss him. He was there pointing him out, “This is the one I was talking about.”
But then John, the author of the book John, begins to reflect as he closes his introduction.
16 We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another.?? 17 For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God,?? is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him. (John 1:16-18NLT)
John reflects back at what it means to him for Jesus to truly be the son of God.
He points out that the law as given through Moses.
It was Moses who was given the Ten Commandments. It was Moses who wrote the Pentateuch – the book of the Law, which are the first five books of the Bible.
Through Moses we were all given God’s standards for living we were given the Law and we were judged by that law.
Through the law all of us stand condemned. For all of us are sinners and have disobeyed that law in one way or anther.
But
17 For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17NLT)
Through Christ we see God’s unfailing love.
Through Christ we see God’s Grace and mercy.
Through Christ we see God’s Faithfulness.
Through Christ We see God’s Salvation.
So why do I think this can be the best Christmas ever?
This year we have an unclouded view of the manger.
I encourage you to not let this season pass without taking a look at the manger.
The place Jesus was placed after his birth. It all started in a little stable. God came to earth to live, to teach, and to die on a cross – to pay the penalty for our sin, only to rise again, defeating the devil once and for all.
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This sermon was preached at FOB Speicher, Iraq on 4 December 2005. All Scripture marked NKJV: The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.