"Life and Light at Christmas"

December 25-26, 2004, Berean Bible Church

“Strange But True Allison Family CHRISTMAS Stories” by Bill Allison: “Shortly after the birth of our first child, we, as Christian parents, were confronted with the challenge of celebrating Christmas properly. We are not the hyper-spiritual, legalistic, party-pooping kind of parents who believe that Santa is just a weird way to spell Satan! On the other hand, we really wanted our kids to celebrate the real reason for Christmas—the birth of Jesus. For the first several years, we simply focused on Jesus and his birthday—no anti-Santa stuff—and it worked great. However, Stacy and I sensed that with each passing year—as our children grew and became more inquisitive—we would have to deal with the “Santa issue.” As the next Christmas crept upon us, we decided to research Santa and see what we could find that we could redeem as Christians. Of course, we found out that Saint Nick was a Christian man who lived long ago—and, in short, was famous for helping the poor—get this—by sneaking in houses and leaving gifts. We now had our Christian angle on Santa—and waited for one of our brilliant kids to ask about the fat guy in the red suit. As fate would have it, shortly after we did our Santa research, Billy, my then 3-year-old son, asked my wife (while I was not with them—thankfully), “Is there really a Santa?” My wife, nervous but poised for this question, launched into something just slightly less than an oral doctoral dissertation entitled, “Santa: Jolly Fat Man in a Red Suit or Good Christian Man of Old?” Throughout the informative historical lecture concerning the original Saint Nick—a Christian man who helped the poor—my 3-year-old son listened the best any active little boy possibly could—which was not too good. After the dissertation, Billy asked one simple question: “Is Santa still alive today?” Stacy responded, “No. But at Christmas many people dress up in honor of him and his giving to others.” Billy simply said, “OK.” And with that, he went off to play happily—probably torturing his sisters in some creative fashion. The next day, as my wife was Christmas shopping with our children, one of the well-meaning grandma-type clerks at Wal-Mart approached my son and asked, “Is Santa going to bring you lots of toys this year little boy?” To which my son looked at her squarely in the eyes and adamantly said, “Santa’s dead!”” (Bill Allison, Cadre Connection, 12-17-03).

Last week, we scientifically debunked the Santa Claus myth, but what about Jesus as God, couldn’t that be a myth as well?

Ravi Zacharias, in Questions I Would Like to Ask God, wrote: “I have often referenced the quote by the talk show host Larry King, in his response to a particular question: ‘If you could select any one person across all of history to interview, who would it be?’ Mr. King's answer was that he would like to interview Jesus Christ. When the questioner followed with, ‘And what would you like to ask him?’ King replied, ‘I would like to ask him if he was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me.’ Ravi Zacharias then writes that when he requested permission through a common friend to quote Larry King, King sent word saying, ‘And tell him I was not being facetious.’”

If Jesus is really God, born of a virgin, it makes all the difference in the world as to how we and the rest of the world respond to him. Many people, even professing Christians, believe that Jesus was a special man, a special teacher, but they stop short of affirming that he was and is God.

As we conclude the Christmas holiday season, I’d ask that you examine again with me the claims of the Word of God about who Jesus really was and is. And is he worth worshiping? And is he worth giving your life to? And is he worth giving your life for?

Please read John 1:1-18.

1. The Word, who was in the beginning with God, is the source of life and light to humans (vss. 1-5).

The Word was in the beginning with God and, in fact, is God (vss. 1-3). Matthew begins the Christmas story with Abraham and his link to Jesus. Mark begins with John the Baptizer, the forerunner of Jesus. Luke begins his story with the birth of John the Baptizer. John begins his story in the beginning – before the creation of the World.

The Word provides life and light to the world (vss. 4-5). He is the only such source.

2. The Word became fully human, thus revealing God to humans (vss. 14-18).

Think of the Tabernacle in Exodus, when the glory of God came down and his presence filled the Tabernacle and he took up residence among his people (Exodus 40:34-35). God again took up residence among people, in the person of Jesus Christ.

3. Jesus, the Word, God the Son, came to give spiritual new life to anyone who would receive him (vss. 6-13).

John was a witness, a testimony of the light coming into the world (vss. 6-8). This light would give light to all men (vs. 9); that is, he exposes good and evil. And he draws the distinction between light and darkness, good and evil.

As the light, Jesus faced and continues to face rejection (vss. 10-11). But anyone who welcomes him can receive new life and transformation (vss. 12-13).

The hope of our lives is the hope of the world – faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the light and life that has come into the world. Jesus is the only source of salvation and forgiveness and eternal life.

Therefore we must share the message. We of all people must be witnesses, testifying to Jesus and who he is, and to the salvation he provides. Of course, there is the reality of people’s rejection of Christ. It should be no surprise, since Jesus himself was rejected. But we must keep telling the message and inviting people to worship Jesus Christ, God the Son, with us, even as we grow in our worship and service of Jesus.

The late Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade For Life) once said: “None of us has a long time here on planet Earth. It’s kind of staging ground. It’s our split second in eternity when we have an opportunity to invest our lives, our time, our talent and our treasure to help fulfill what our Lord came into this world to do and commissioned us to do. In fact, His last words before he ascended to be with the Father were: ‘Be my witnesses.’” (From CC magazine, “A Life Lived Well,” commemorating his death, 2003).