By Pastor Wayne Evans,
New Hope Christian Church
What does CHRISTMAS really mean? More importantly, what does it really mean to YOU? To many children, it means Santa comes to where they are to bring them what they want. To many adults, it means shopping and the problem of deciding what to buy at a permissible price for someone who probably has everything they already need! Both of those meanings are pretty selfish.
The real meaning of CHRISTMAS is found in the Gospel of John 1:1-14. “In the beginning was the Word…” Just as God the Father always has been and always will be, SO IS JESUS!
His ‘preexistence’ is seen in His being God from the beginning; His Union with God the Father is seen in the fact that ‘He was equal with God the Father’; not subordinate! He was fully God who humbled Himself to become fully man and become obedient to the death on a cross for the redemption of mankind! (Read Philippians 2).
His ‘presentation’ to man was by way of a Babe; “…was made flesh…” That is the means He chose to present Himself to us! He was examined by witnesses for over 30 years until His death and resurrection proving Himself to be who He says He is! He is still ‘examined’ by witnesses every day but only the wise enthrone Him as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS! (Wise men STILL seek Him!)
He is a ‘personal’ God. “…and dwelt among us…” Why? So that we would come to know Him better; to reveal His love and Friendship to us; so that we would pattern our lives after His! BUT also to help us recognize that He wants and deserves WORSHIP from us! We can never worship an equal! We never have been, and never will be His equal! Jesus is worthy of our worship!
His ‘preeminence’ is seen in the fact that He…was FULL of Grace and Truth…” Jesus does not just contain Grace or Truth…HE IS GRACE AND TRUTH! You and I can be gracious and truthful at times, but we are not FULL of Grace and Truth. And His glory was revealed to John on Patmos Isle, and will be revealed to us soon!
This Christmas season, I admonish you to not see Jesus as anything less than Who He is. He is a Babe no longer; nor is he in human form. Those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and in Truth: and we have the Holy Spirit of God to teach us about Him!
Read the Bible and come to know Him in a deeper way! Speaking of Jesus in Acts chapter 4:12, the Bible states, “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”.
• By the Light of Nature…we see God above us:
• By the Light of the Law…we see God against us:
• By the Light of the Gospel (JESUS)…we see God with us! Reconciling us to Himself!
