This week, I was happy to receive some packages in the mail. Both were from my wife—one was a care package of stuff from her and the kids. The other was my first Christmas package of the year!
Christmas is only a month away. Three 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 Korea.
But, I want you to listen…
You have the opportunity to have the best Christmas that you ever had in your life.
Right here in Korea.
Because when you strip away all the things that you usually 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—except for those you may have on Netflix.
And all of these have their place.
When you strip away Christmas as usual:
And have Christmas in Korea – 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
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2 ESV)
As we begin our journey toward the manger tonight I want to begin like John does, all the way at
1. The beginning.
The Bible says in Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
(Genesis 1:1-2 ESV)
John mirrors this passage as he reflects on the life of Christ. Since the beginning of time, the world waited for Christ to appear.
John takes a moment to make it clear to the reader that his Gospel – his story was about a man named Jesus.
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;
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.(John 1:1 ESV)
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.
To have the greatest Christmas ever, we must know 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;
2. A witness
John 1:6-9 says;
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (John 1:6-8 ESV)
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.
One of my favorite TV shows is Bones. Each show begins with the discovery of a set bones and the story to solve the murder mystery begins.
In many different ways, the bones point to the person who committed the crime.
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 point 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 prophet points to Christ. He doesn’t point to himself. He doesn’t seek to build himself up simply points 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 everybody’s 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 things 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;
3. His Children.
John 1:10-13;
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13 ESV)
The world did not recognize Jesus when he came 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 among his own people, they missed him.
The Bible says;
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12 ESV)
This is critical. There some that understood. There were some that were able to catch on. These 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 there. But every now an then you would see a shiny 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 things that it missed the missed the messiah. They were diligently looking for him as 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;
4. The Christ.
Near the end of this passage, John, the author of the book, begins to reflect as he closes his introduction.
Verse 16;
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:16-18 ESV)
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 another.
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.
What about your Christmas? This year can be your most memorable Christmas because it is the year you came to know Christ—this baby that was born in a manger—as your Savior. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, what better way to start your Christmas season than truly believing in him. Believe in him today, he stands waiting for you.
Let us pray.
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This sermon was preached at Warrior Chapel, Camp Red Cloud, Korea, December 2016