“The Essence Of Christmas”
John 3:16-21
David P. Nolte
There are many things we enjoy about Christmas. Family gatherings; decorations; hot cider; peppermint; giving gifts; peppermint; carols; peppermint. But the tree and trimmings, food and festivities are not the essence of Christmas.
The world has so commercialized and secularized Christmas that it behooves us to come back to the basics and appreciate anew the essence of Christmas.
John’s record gives us some insights: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:14-21 (NASB).
Those verses sum it up nicely. Let’s consider what is at the essence of Christmas:
I. THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS IS LOVE:
A. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
1. Who did God love?
a. The world – not the globe or the culture but the people!
b. Sinners and rebels and criminals.
c. John affirms that in his first letter: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (NASB).
2. How did He love?
a. Enough to give His Son! That’s profound, and humanly speaking, incredible!
b. There is nothing on the face of the earth, there is no one ever to live, there is no cause so great for which I would give my children!
B. We use the word “love” in pretty shallow ways:
1. “I love Snickers bars; I love going to the coast; I love Christmas Carols.”
2. That kind of love is not a faint shadow of His love for us!
C. There are 4 kinds of love, only two of which appear in Scriptures:
1. There is Storge which is parental love but is not used in the Bible.
2. There is Eros which is erotic, sensual love, also not in the Bible.
3. There is Phile, brotherly love which is a warm emotion, which does appear in Scripture.
4. The highest degree of love is Agape, which is intelligent good will not based on feeling or merit but on the basis of determined benevolence to the beloved. This is the kind of love God is and the kind of love that sent Jesus into the world.
D. The song by David Ingles said,
“Sweetest story ever told: God loves you.
The brightest prospect to behold: God loves you.
Though your way be dark as night,
He will be your Guiding Light.
In His arms He’ll hold you tight:
God loves you.”
E. John Todd was born in Vermont in 1801. Before John was six years old he was orphaned. He, his brothers, and sisters were parceled out among the relatives. John was assigned to an aunt who became father and mother to the homeless lad and saw him through Yale and into his chosen profession.
The aunt was taken seriously ill and was afraid and uncertain about the future. In her anxiety she wrote John. Since he could not be at her bedside at the moment, he wrote her this letter:
"It is now nearly thirty-five years since I, a little boy of six, was left quite alone in the world.... I have never forgotten the day when I made the long journey to your house in North Killingsworth. I still recall my disappointment when instead of coming for me yourself you sent your hired man Caesar to fetch me. And I can still remember my tears and anxiety, as perched on your horse and clinging tightly to Caesar, I started out for my new home. As we rode along, I became more and more afraid and finally said anxiously to Caesar, ‘Do you think she will go to bed before we get there?' ‘Oh, no,' he answered reassuringly, ‘she'll sure stay up for you. When we get out of these here woods, you will see her candle shining in the window.'
Presently we did ride out into a clearing, and there, sure enough, was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door, that you put your arms around me, that you lifted me down from the horse. There was a fire on your hearth, a warm supper on your stove. After supper, you took me up to bed, heard my prayers, and then sat beside me until 1 dropped asleep.
You undoubtedly realize why I am recalling all these things. Some day soon God may send for you, to take you to a new home. Don't fear the summons, the strange journey, the dark messenger of death. At the end of the road you will find love and a welcome; you will be safe there as here, in God's love and care. Surely He can be trusted to be as kind to you as you were years ago to me!"
Her love for John was a fragment of the love God has for us. Love is the essence of Christmas. But there is more:
II. THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS IS LIGHT:
A. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
1. The majority of His people rejected Him because He exposed their evil, hypocrisy and sinfulness.
2. Like cockroaches, silver fish and bats they preferred darkness to light.
B. Light is powerful as seen in 7 functions. Each function is represented in Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
1. Light dispels darkness to reveal what the darkness concealed. You may look down the dimly lit hall and see a strange person standing there; but when you turn on the light you see it is a coat rack with a hat on top. JESUS DISPELS DARKNESS AND REVEALS TRUTH..
2. Light warns us: you see tail lights come on ahead of you and they warn you to slow down or to stop. JESUS WARNS US TO REPENT.
3. Light guides us: for example on the Columbia River the tug boats line up three lights on shore to steer through the channel .JESUS GUIDES US TO THE WAY OF LIFE.
4. Light comforts us as those of you who a need night light know. JESUS COMFORTS US.
5. Light enhances life: consider the need of plants for light. JESUS IS THE GIVER OF LIFE ABUNDANT AND ETERNAL.
6. Light cuts through matter: consider laser beams that can slice through metal and yet be used in eye surgery. JESUS CUTS TO THE CORE OF OUR STUBBORNNESS AND DISOBEDIENCE.
7. Light activates power: remember the photoelectric cell. JESUS EMPOWERS US TO LIVE WORTHY LIVES.
C. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 (NASB).
D. Consider light’s superiority to darkness.
1. The deepest darkness must retreat before the faintest light.
2. John wrote, “ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:4-5 (NASB).
3. The deepest pits of hell recoil when we share His light.
4. The song said,
“Though your way be dark as night
He will be your Guiding Light
In His arms He’ll hold you tight
God Loves yotu.”
E. We need to be walking in the light or we will make tragic choices morally and spiritually. Let me illustrate in a humorous way that making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. "Why," he exclaimed, "when I went a-courtin' I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark." "Yes," the hired man said wryly," and look what you got!" If you don’t want to live with regret, live in the light!
Love and light are the essence of Christmas and finally, rounding out the trio:
III. THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS IS LIFE:
A. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
B. Actually, Jesus is the giver of life on three levels:
1. He gave us our physical life – you would not exist as a person had He not vitalized you in your mothers’s womb.
2. He gives us abundant life – life worth living – life that is full of His joy, peace and providence.
3. He gives us eternal life – life in Heaven in the very presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
C. The Bible make clear the correlation of having Christ and having life.
1. “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.’ 1 John 5:11 (NASB).
2. “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” 1 John 5:12 (NASB)
D. There is a huge difference between existing and living. If we are alive we do exist but if we merely exist we aren’t fully alive.
1. Some are content with a quantitative life – how long it is – how many years we canr get into our life
2. Wiser people seek a qualitative life – how full it is – how much life we can get into our years.
E. As Christians we are recipients of Divine life that is both eternal and abundant.. But sometimes we seek life in the wrong places. Imagine a goldfish looking out of its bowl and thinking, “Man! Look at all that world out there and here I am stuck in this bowl. The only thing to do in this bowl is to swim – and once in a while, for variety, to swim the other way around. I’m out of here!” The other goldfish pleaded with hm, “Don’t go! Remember what happened to Elmo!” He said, “I am made for bigger things!” and he jumped out of the bowl onto the floor. It didn’t take long to realize the mistake he made as he gasped for air – and as the cat found him.
Goldfish don’t live in this environment – they were created to live in a water world.
Christian, you were not created to live in an anti-God culture as though that is where life is to be found. We are in but not of the world; we live, move and have our being in Christ. If we try to be like the world, we don’t live – we die.
Let God’s Word speak:
“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” John 1:4 (NASB).
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35 (NASB)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24 (NASB).
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 (NASB).
The essence of Christmas is Love – and God loves you; it is Light – and Jesus enlightens you; it is Life – and Jesus came to give life. Come to the Light of the world and you will find Love and Life.
