"The Light Of Christmas"
John 1:9-14 (NASB)

Note: Although this sermon is has a lot of Greek mixed in it, I do not go through every word during my sermon.  These Greek references are only that, references for me to use if it strengthens the message.  Plus it is helpful if someone has questions about what I said after the sermon.
 

Introduction: There are a couple of interesting things that happen around this time of year; the first is "on-the-spot interviews" where adults and children are asked about what the meaning of Christmas is. Usually you'll hear such answers as; "it's a time of giving," or "it's a time of receiving presents" and of course that "it is a time of love and peace." But very seldom do you hear people say anything about the birth of Jesus Christ. The other thing that takes place is the decorating of homes with Christmas lights. When we lived in Wichita Falls Texas, there was a University there that would add decorations each year and people would drive from all around to see the lights and decorations. We are living in a society today that has taken Christ out of Christmas; of the celebration and its decorations. If we remove Christ from Christmas, all that is left is another excuse for a holiday and not a holy day. In our text this morning we are told about the first Christmas light. A Light that was given by God to man, not for his entertainment or his fleshly pleasure, but rather a guiding light that leads to the greatest gift ever given to man.
 

I. Christ, The Light Of Truth (vv.9-11).
1. He is the light that shines forth for everyone (v.9).

A. John describes Christ as the "true light." (v.9a).

1) "true," alethinos {al-ay-thee-nos': adj, nom, neut, sg}; true, correct, dependable, genuine, real.

A) As opposed to "facsimile" or "secondary" rather than "false."
B) Christ is the real light of humanity who was about to enter the world.

2) "light," phos {foce: n, nom, neut, sg}; light.

- Used here of God as the ultimate source of light and as the sphere of his existence; of truth and it knowledge together with the spiritual purity associated with it.

Application: Jesus Christ is full of truth, the embodiment of truth, the example of truth, and the communicator of truth. He is God in the flesh who came down from heaven to reveal God's truth. What is that truth? Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (NASB). Mankind has always failed to live up to God's holy standards, but the good news of the truth that God wished to reveal by sending His Son is, Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (NASB). God in His infinite love and mercy has reached out to fallen man and has provided a way of salvation, a way to restore that broken fellowship for those who accept His Son's sacrifice.
 

B. When Christ came into the world, He brought the truth of God to everyone (v.9b).

1) "coming," erchomai {er'-khom-ahee: v, part, pres, mid, dep, acc, m, sg}; to come, shows up, appears, the coming of Christ.
2) "world," kosmos {kos'-mos: n, acc, m, sg}; world, as the sum total of all created beings on earth and its philosophies and culture.
3) "enlightens," photizo {fo-tid'-zo: v, indic, pres, act, 3 per, sg}; shine, give light, to make clear, cause to fully know, cause to understand.

A) Used here of God's enlightenment through revelation.
B) The Indicative Mood implies the certainty and reality of Christ's enlightening of people.

- There is no escaping His Light, all must choose how they will respond to it.

4) "every," pas {pas: adj, pron, nom, neut, pl}; each, every, any, all, the whole.
5) "man," anthropos {anth'-ro-pos: n, acc, m, sg}; men, males.

Application: The Light of Christ's coming shined on all people, without regard to nationality, race, or color and was the revealer of the true character of men. William MacDonald, in his commentary, states it like this, "By His coming into the world as the perfect Man, He has shown how imperfect other men are. When a room is in darkness, you do not see the dust on the furniture. But when the light goes on, the room is seen as it actually is. In that same sense, the shining of the true Light reveals man as he actually is." Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (NASB).

2. He is the light that shines forth in creation (v.10).

A. Christ physically came to our world (v.10a).

1) "He was," eimi {i-mee': v, indic, imperf, act, 3 per, sg}; "to be," used to denote what has taken place, occurred, happened; was.

A) The Indicative Mood implies the certainty and reality of Christ's being here in this world.
B) The Imperfect Tense indicates the continuous existence in the universe before the Incarnation as in verses 1,2.

2) "in," en {en: prep, dat}; in, by, with.
3) "world," kosmos {kos'-mos: n, dat, m, sg}; world, as the sum total of all created beings on earth and its philosophies and culture.
4) Some have tried to deny that Christ ever existed, others don't deny that Christ existed but rather He wasn't who he said he was.

B. The world was created by Christ (v.10b).

1) "world," kosmos {kos'-mos: n, nom, m, sg}; world, as the sum total of all created beings on earth.
2) "made," ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee: v, indic, aor, mid, dep, 3 per, sg}; to become, as what comes into existence, come to be.
3) "through," dia {dee-ah': prep, gen}; through, by, with, by the means of.
4) Colossians 1:16, "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him." (NASB)
5) John 1:2-3, "He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." (NASB).

C. But the world failed to recognize Christ (v.10c).

1) "world," kosmos {kos'-mos: n, nom, m, sg}; world, as the sum total of all created beings on earth and its philosophies and culture.
2) "did not," ou {oo: part, neg}; no, not.
3) "know," ginosko {ghin-oce'-ko: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; be aware of, knowledge, perceive, be resolved, be sure, understand.

A) The Indicative Mood implies the certainty and reality of not understanding or perceiving.
B) The result of this revelation was that the world failed to acknowledge or recognize Him for who He was.

Application: From the time of Christ's birth in Bethlehem until the day He went back to heaven, He was in the very same world in which we now live. He had brought the whole world into being and was its rightful Owner. Instead of recognizing Him as the Creator, men thought that He was just another man like themselves. They treated Him like a stranger and an outcast (Believer's Commentary). Today, sadly men are doing the same thing. We have judges who forbid any public display of things relating to Christ and His birth. Our government and public schools have attempted to scrub away any reference to this time of year as "Christmas," but rather we are to now call it a "winter holiday." Why is Christmas so threatening to man? Because the Light of the Truth is still shining forth exposing the sins of men and their need for a Savior.

3. He is the light that shines forth regardless of our acceptance (v.11).

A. Christ reached out to the people of Israel (v.11a).

1) "He came," erchomai {er'-khom-ahee: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to come, to come from one place to another.
2) "His own," idios {id'-ee-os: adj, pron, acc, neut, pl}; one's own, pertaining to one's self; his own.

B. But His own chosen people rejected their Messiah (v.11a).

1) "those who were His own," idios {id'-ee-os: adj, pron, nom, m, pl}; his own, pertaining to one's self, one's own, belonging to one's self.
2) "did not," ou {oo: part, neg}; no, not (can denote a strong emphasis or contrast).
3) "receive," paralambano {par-al-am-ban'-o: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, pl}; to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self, receive, accept.

Application: The nation Israel as a whole rejected Him, and in doing so they refused to accept Him as the Revelation sent by the Father and refused to obey His commands. Isaiah long before had prophesied of this Jewish national unbelief: Isaiah 53:1, "Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" (NASB). But regardless of man's acceptance, Christ's light of Truth is still shining just as strong today in a world who is still rejecting Him. He is like a lighthouse shining forth the truth of God, and we can either heed His warning and following His directions or pay the price of ignoring Him.
 

II. Christ, The Light Of Hope (vv.12-13).
1. He is a gift giving light (v.12).

A. Christ gave the wonderful gift of salvation to those who did receive Him (v.12a).

1) "as many as," osos {hos'-os: adj, pron, rel, nom, m, pl}; as many as, whosoever, everyone, all.
2) "received," lambano {lam-ban'-o: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, pl}; take hold of, receive, grasp, take into possession, seize.
3) "He gave," didomi {did'-o-mee: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to give, entrusted, granted, bestowed, invested.
4) "the right," exousia {ex-oo-see'-ah: n, acc, f, sg}; power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, authority, right, ability, capability, supernatural power.

- Used here as the notion of privilege or right.

5) "to become," ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee: v, inf, aor, mid, dep}; to become, as what comes into existence, come to be.

- Aorist Infinitive: Its action is viewed as a simple event without reference to its duration.

6) "children," teknon {tek'-non: n, acc, neut, pl}; offspring, children (used here of believers in relation to God as the heavenly Father).

B. The gift of Christ is given to all who trust in Him (v.12b).

1) "believe," pisteuo {pist-yoo'-o: v, part, pres, act, dat, m, pl}; believe, be convinced of, as having confidence in what is spoken or written, commit unto.
2) "in," eis {ice: prep, acc}; in, into, on.

- J. Vernon McGee describes what it means to believe "IN," "You must believe into, in, or upon Jesus Christ. Let me illustrate with a chair. I am standing beside a chair and I believe it will hold me up, but it is not holding me up. Why? Because I have only a head knowledge. I just say, "Yes, it will hold me up?' Now suppose I believe into the chair by sitting in it. See what I mean? I am committing my entire weight to it and it is holding me up.... It is not a question of standing to the side and saying, "Oh, I believe Jesus is the Son of God?' The question is have you trusted Him, have you believed into Him, are you resting in Him? This chair is holding me up completely. And at this moment Christ is my complete Savior. I am depending on Him; I am resting in Him."

3) "name" onoma {on'-om-ah: n, acc, neut, sg}; name, to express saving faith on, in the name.

Application: This verse tells us clearly how we can become children of God. It is not by good works, not by church membership, not by doing one's best- but by receiving Him, but by believing in His Name. Romans 10:9-11, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'" (NASB).

2. He is a transforming light (v.13).

A. Salvation is not based upon man's efforts (v.13a).

1) "who were born not of blood,"

A) "not," ou {oo: part, neg}; no, not.
B) "of," ek {ek: prep, gen}; out of, from, by, of, with.
C) "blood," aima {hah'-ee-mah: n, gen, neut, pl}; blood, refers to the seat of life, through human procreation.

2) "nor of the will of the flesh,"

A) "nor," oude {oo-deh': conj, coord}; but not, neither, nor, not even, no not.
B) "of," ek {ek: prep, gen}; out of, from, by, of, with.
C) "the will," thelema {thel'-ay-mah: n, gen, neut, sg}; what is willed, wish, desire, purpose, impulses.
D) "of the flesh," sarx {sarx: n, gen, f, sg}; flesh.

- Used here in reference to the sinful and sensual nature of man apart from God's divine influence; i.e., from sexual desire.

3) "nor of the will of man,"

A) "nor," oude {oo-deh': conj, coord}; but not, neither, nor, not even, no not.
B) "of," ek {ek: prep, gen}; out of, from, by, of, with.
C) "the will," thelema {thel'-ay-mah: n, gen, neut, sg}; what is willed, wish, desire, purpose, impulses.
D) "of man," aner {an'-ayr: n, gen, m, sg}; man, male.

Application: Salvation is totally the gift of God, and there is not one thing that you or I could do to earn it. Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (NASB). Just as Christmas without Christ is nothing, so are our works, without God's grace, are worthless. Man is totally helpless and hopeless when it comes to trying to find away to heaven without God.

B. Salvation is totally God's gift (v.13b).

1) "but,"alla {al-lah': conj, superord}; but, rather, save.
2) "of," ek {ek: prep, gen}; out of, from, by, of, with.
3) "God,"

A) theos {theh'-os: n, gen, m, sg}; God, the supreme divine being, the true and living personal God.
B) gennao {ghen-nah'-o: v, indic, aor, pass, 3 per, pl}; beget, become the father of, give birth to, bear.

Application: The spiritual birth spoken of in the previous verse is not of blood. It is not on the basis of lineage or Jewish heritage. It is not of the will of the flesh or a carnal desire. It is not of the will of man or human in its origin. It is of God. This birth is supernatural and this Hope was revealed by the Light of Christ.
 

III. Christ, The Light Of Compassion (v.14).
1. He is a light of understanding (v.14a).

A. The Word of God became flesh.

1) "Word," logos {log'-os: n, nom, m, sg}; to arrange in order, word, speech (used here of God's full self revelation through Jesus Christ the Word).
2) "became," ginomai {ghin'-om-ahee: v, indic, aor, mid, dep, 3 per, sg}; be made, be done, be brought into existence, begin to be, came about.
3) "flesh," sarx {sarx: n, nom, f, sg}; flesh, a man of flesh and blood, as the muscular part that covers the bones of the human body.

A) The Word became flesh when Jesus was born as a Baby in the manger at Bethlehem.
B) He had always existed as the Son of God with the Father in heaven, but now chose to come into the world in a human body.

B. God's Word dwelt among man.

1) "dwelt," skenoo {skay-no'-o: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to fix one's tabernacle or tent, to dwell, abide, live, to take up residence, reside among.
2) "among," en {en: prep, dat}; in, by, with.
3) "us," ego {i'-go: n, pron, dat, 1 per, pl}; we, us, we ourselves.

Application: The great God of the universe came uniquely into our world through Jesus Christ. He "tabernacled" among us. He "pitched his tent," which means we have a Savior who knows what it is like to be hungry and thirsty (Matt.4:2; John 19:28); He knows what it is like to be tired and to feel the hurts and pains that this world offers (John 4:6; 19:17-18; Matt.27:27-31). Christ is the Light of Compassion because He knows what it is like to live and die. Hebrews 4:14-15, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (NASB).

2. He is a light of grace and truth (v.14b).

A. Man beheld Christ's glory.

1) "beheld," theaomai {theh-ah'-om-ahee: v, indic, aor, mid, dep, 1 per, pl}; to behold, look upon, view attentively, to look with attentive regard, watch gaze upon (with a supernatural impression).
2) "glory,"doxa {dox'-ah: n, acc, f, sg}; splendor, as a manifestation of God's excellent power, glory, majesty, the revealed presence of God.

- Christ's life was filled with glory--the manifestation of God.

B. Christ was the only begotten Son of God.

1) "glory,"doxa {dox'-ah: n, acc, f, sg}; splendor, as a manifestation of God's excellent power, glory, majesty, the revealed presence of God.
2) "only begotten," monogenes {mon-og-en-ace': adj, pron, gen, m, sg}; single of its kind, only, unique, as a child born in a unique way, only begotten, only child.
3) "from" para {par-ah': prep, gen}; from, of, by (denotes the author or originator of an action).
4) "Father," pater {pat-ayr': n, gen, m, sg}; father, forefather, progenitor, as the creator and sovereign ruler of all.

C. Christ possess fully the grace and truth of God.

1) "full," pleres {play'-race: adj, nom, m, sg }; full, filled up, thoroughly permeated with, complete and lacking nothing, perfect, of a totality of something or someone with nothing lacking, in full, wholly filled.
2) "grace," charis {khar'-ece: n, gen, f, sg}; grace, God's favor or kindness towards mankind, the merciful kindness by which God exerting his holy influence upon souls.
3) "truth," aletheia {al-ay'-thi-a: n, gen, f, sg}; objective truth, of what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, divine truth, uprightness in thought and deed.

Application: Christmas should be a time of rejoicing because God didn't send His Son to Judge us but to offer the gift of forgiveness; John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." (NASB). But like any gift, it is not a gift unless you accept it.
 

Invitation:
1. Christmas is a unique time because it tells us about the way God came into the world as a baby.

A. The eternal God of the universe walked down the stairway from heaven and touched earth with His presence. B. And the world has never been the same.
C. Christmas is God's message that eternity has touched our world.

- "I am come that they might have life," Jesus said in John 10:10 (NASB).

A. His coming was a whisper and not a shout.

1) Many missed His coming and continue to do so today because they do not hear or see His quiet coming.
2) But John reminds us that God became a person- in-the-flesh, and not just some idea, or human philosophy, or some religious theological doctrine.

B. Let us accept the wonder of God's gift and celebrate the joy we experience in receiving His great gift Christmas Day.