During the Christmas holiday season, we gather together with family and friends and catch up on each others lives. Often we describe our physical changes (hopefully we can laugh at ourselves at this point), our current jobs, and perhaps some major things that have happened or that we have accomplished in the past year. It is a grand and important time to renew friendships and reaffirm family ties. The Beginning of Christmas
Let me challenge you a bit at this point. Suppose you had to describe yourself at one of these family gatherings but were unable to speak about what you look like, what job you hold, or your past accomplishments? For most of us, this would be very short conversation! Imagine, then, the task of the Apostle John who began his gospel account with a description of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. As Scripture states clearly, God is both invisible (Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:27) and spirit in nature not physical (Isa. 31:3; John 4:24; 2 Cor. 3:17-18). So how would you describe God? Where would you start?
Moreover, how can you and I possibly know on a personal level this God whom you cannot see nor even describe in physical terms? John declares some very good news in the book with his name, hence we call it a "gospel" which means "good news." John testifies to how we can personally relate to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus came into the world and John describes that glorious intervention by God into His creation. What John describes is truly the beginning of Christmas!
Scripture passage: John1:1-18
Main Point:
Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who came into the world to give every person the opportunity to know and relate to God as part of His own, eternal family.
The Deity of Christ The Mission of Christ The Incarnation of Christ 
(1) 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) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5, NIV)
1. The Deity of Christ
From the very first verse, John describes Jesus Christ -- whom he refers to as "The Word" -- in terms that undeniably equate Him with God. Jesus did not get his start in an animal manger at a little town called Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, though that is often the meaning derived from the Christmas nativity. Rather, John's description of Jesus Christ tells of His deity, His divine nature:Jesus Christ is Eternal: John originally penned this gospel in Greek, a language of startling specificity. The word translated" was" is in the Greek present tense which indicates continued or repeated action. When he states, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1, NIV), we can more accurately read it as "In the beginning ALWAYS was the Word." John affirms categorically that Jesus Christ is eternal. He always was "the Word" (John 1:1, NIV). John's use of "the Word" for Jesus Christ indicates the full revelation of God, that is, all that is knowable about God and all that you and I can know about God. He is the eternal revelation of God.John's declarations are forceful and compelling. Jesus Christ, the Word, is the full revelation of God and is Himself God. He is the Author of Life, Creator of all things, and our light shining the hope of eternal life. The One we see in the manger is no less than God Himself. That is how John describes the One he knew so well. Is that the Jesus you know and follow? My prayer is that you do know Him and receive Him as your LORD and Savior. If not, your Jesus is much too small and insignificant to be of any effect in your life.Jesus Christ is distinct from but intimate with God: John writes that "the Word was with God" (John 1:1, NIV) using a word in the Greek indicating close, intimate fellowship. We might read it as the Word (Jesus Christ) was "nose-to-nose" with God. He eternally dwells in the presence and intimate fellowship with God. Even from the beginning (John 1:2), Jesus Christ always was with God in this intimate fellowship.
Jesus Christ is Himself God: Lest we think that John is describing a plurality of gods like unto the gods of Greek mythology, John continues by stating the "the Word was God" (John 1:1, NIV). Jesus Christ is Himself God, distinct but equal. Many people and cults in this world try to minimize or take away the deity of Jesus Christ. They say He was a great teacher, a good man, but not God. The testimony of the Bible and of John, called "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23) because he was so close to Jesus during His earthly ministry and, thus, knew Him well, is that Jesus always was God.
Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things: John says that Jesus Christ made all things (John 1:3). In fact, there is nothing created that was not created by Jesus Christ, the Word. John's gospel even reflects, to a degree, the opening lines of the Bible where we read, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1, NIV). Again, John equates Jesus Christ with God as the Creator of all things.
Jesus Christ is the Author of Life: John also declares that Jesus Christ has life within Himself (John 1:4) that He is able to impart to humans. The life that John writes about in his gospel account is eternal life, the hope of every human. Jesus Christ is Himself eternal, holds life itself in His being, and thus is the "light of men." Like turning on a lamp in a darkroom to illuminate the room, Jesus Christ is the light which illuminates our hope for eternal life.
Jesus Christ is THE revelation of God to a fallen world: There is no other light to shine "in the darkness" (John 1:5, NIV) but the light of Jesus Christ. There are no other gods (Deut. 4:35,39; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:8,45:5-6,18; Joel 2:27) but one (Deut. 6:4). Thus, Jesus Christ is God Himself who gives the light -- the truth, the hope -- of eternal life to every person.
There was a man who bought a sign at a flea market that read, "I'm the boss." He posted it on the door to his office, having a few good chuckles as he did it. A few days later, he came back from lunch to find a message taped to the sign. "Your wife called," it said. "She wants her sign back."
This is John's message -- Jesus Christ is God our Creator who "wants His sign back." Jesus is, was, and always will be, is God our Creator. And that makes Him worthy of no less than your devotion to Him as the LORD God Almighty.
(6) There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. (7) He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. (8) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- (13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:6-13,NIV)
2. The Mission of Christ
With the clear description that Jesus Christ is Himself God, then why did He come into the world if He made the world? The answer is found in verses 9-13. The Apostle John prefaces this explanation by pointing out the testimony of one who would have been a familiar icon during the time of this writing. John the Baptist "came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe" (John 1:6, NIV). The Baptist's role was to point out Jesus Christ so that people could believe, a word which in the Greek indicates not only affirmation of the truth but trust in the object of that belief and commitment of one's life to it. When he saw Jesus Christ, John the Baptist shouted to those who had gathered to hear his preaching, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29, NIV)Jesus' mission was to come into the world He made (John 1:10), to come to His own people He had made (John 1:11), to give light to every person (John 1:9), and to make every person who received Him in the world a child of the eternal God (John 1:12-13). What a mission! A mission that no ordinary human being could achieve, only God alone. This is why John made His first declaration the deity of Christ. Only the Creator, the Author of Life, could grant eternal life to fragile, temporary humans. Only God Himself could make human beings a part of His own family.
You see, there was a time long ago when the first human beings, Adam and Eve, enjoyed a special, intimate relationship with God -- they were, in a sense, a part of God's family. God created this kind of relationship with the human beings He made. But the decision of Adam and Eve to rebel against God, to turn away from Him, to try to live life on their own terms (this is what God defines as "sin") caused that relationship with God to be broken. Every one of us is born of Adam and born with that same sinful nature that creates an impassible wall of separation between us and God. Apart from Jesus Christ, we are separated from the "family of God" because of our sin.
God could have started over. He could have wiped the slate clean and created new creatures to have fellowship with Himself. But He did not. He determined to make a way for every person to be "born-again" or reborn into the family of God. Jesus Christ came into the world He made to give this light to everyone:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13, NIV)Hallelujah be to God who came to us! Aren't you special? You are because the eternal God came into the world to give you eternal life. This is a gift that, as John explains, is not automatically yours but one that is yours when you receive Jesus Christ and believe in Him-- affirm who He is, His sacrifice on the cross for your sins and His glorious resurrection from the dead, and then trust in Him for eternal life committing your life to Him. This is your light for your salvation. Have you received Jesus Christ and believed in Him? Again, my prayer is that you would do so right now and make certain your eternal destiny. Having received Him as your LORD and Savior, thank Him for caring so much about you! Praise Him for His wisdom and courage to humble Himself in this way, for coming into the world He created to the very people He made! And be a witness just like John the Baptist of the light you have received! This is the beginning of Christmas for everyone who receives Jesus Christ our LORD.
(14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (15) John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" (16) From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (18) No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (John 1:14-18, NIV)
3. The Incarnation of Christ
John has revealed a very bright light for each of us. How can we see this heavenly light? It is like looking at the sun. One can only peer at the piercing light for a moment before it overwhelms the eye. Yet there is one who can peer at the sun and not be blinded. The eagle, one of God's precious birds, has the unique ability in the animal kingdom to be able to look directly at the sun without being blinded. This is possible because of a translucent eyelid which covers its eyes and provides a veil which allows the bird to fly directly toward the sun and see without being blinded. It is one of the ways an eagle can escape from potential predators. Yet it points out a spiritual truth that John writes as follows:The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NIV)How can we see the heavenly light of Jesus Christ without being blinded? He came to us veiled in human flesh so that we could see Him without being blinded. The glory of God is too bright and awesome for any man to see and live, as God told Moses (Exodus 33:20). So He took upon Himself a human nature ("became flesh"), without losing one ounce of His divine nature ("full of grace and truth"), that you and I could see His glory.God came to us in human flesh. Truly this is the most awesome event of all history -- so awesome that we even measure history before Christ (B.C.) and after Christ the King (A.D.). God came to us on our own level. He did not require that we ascend to Heaven by our own good deeds, a work that would be impossible for sinful human beings. Instead, He came to us. This is His grace that He did for you what you do not deserve and cannot achieve on your own. This is His truth that He came to forgive your sins which separate you from His love and to grant you eternal life. Specifically, He came to you. He took on human flesh so that you could know God personally.
Reflect on your life:
What a very special day that first Christmas -- the day when God left the glory of Heaven to come to His world, to His people, to grant them forgiveness and eternal life! If you know Jesus Christ then you know the God of glory, the Creator of all things! And Christmas is a yearly reminder, not just of Christ's birth in a manger, but of your birth into the family of God. He was born a human babe in a manger so that you could be reborn a child of God. My prayer for you is that this Christmas can be for you the beginning of Christmas in a whole new perspective. Viewed through the lens of the Apostle John who saw God in the flesh full of grace and truth for you!
Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequestzz@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.Com
