On Rock FM 98.9 Jos on Sunday 1st December 2024
Christmas is coming. And for pastors that means one thing: It’s time to preach another Christmas sermon.
If you’re in a bind this year, or just need a little inspiration to get you going, here’s the full manuscript of a Christmas sermon I preached a few years ago.
Scripture: John 1:1-9, 8:12, 3:16,19-20, 12:46, Ephesians 5:8
Bottom Line: Jesus is the light of the world.
INTRO
It’s Christmas time! Who here is excited for Christmas?
Yes. I absolutely love this time of year. The cold weather, the Christmas shopping, Christmas music, Christmas movies, and don’t forget all the presents! I love it!
Other than the presents, of course, the thing that I have to admit that I love the most is Christmas lights. Anyone with me? I love them.
Every year my family and I have a tradition of bundling up in the car at night, grabbing some Starbucks (peppermint mochas… Mmmm), and driving around trying to find the house with the best Christmas lights. Anyone else do this?
Ok. Good. I’m not the only weird one here.
As we drive around, we find beautiful houses (beautiful lights). Sometimes we find funny houses ( funny lights).
And sometimes we find houses that are like “aww… good try” like this (ugly lights). At least they still get a participation trophy.
But then there’s the house that just went too far. (house flashing lights to music). These houses are great when you see it… but not so great when it’s your neighbor.
Can you imagine? Make the music stop already! We get it. You’re excited about Christmas. But really, every single night? Really?
I love Christmas lights.
Have you ever asked yourself why we go through the hassle to put all these lights up for Christmas? When did it start? What is the purpose of it? I know it looks nice, but is that the only reason? Is it just to spread some Christmas cheer? Is it just to one-up your neighbor with superior light hanging skills? Or could there be something deeper?
Most of us have probably heard the Christmas story before. But while reading through the Bible this year, I noticed something that I had never really seen before.
I had read passages about Jesus’ birth and heard them read a thousand times growing up in church, but there is a theme woven throughout Jesus’ birth that never dawned on me. Ready for it?
This is going to blow your mind: Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth, is all about the lights.
Some of you are looking at me like, “Really?” Yeah, it’s all about the lights.
Now before you run me out of here, let me explain what I mean.
I think we can all admit that live in a dark world. Can’t we? According to the Bible, a long, long time ago the world was perfect. God created a perfect paradise free from all the problems we have today. But then darkness—what the Bible calls sins—crept in and messed everything up.
Now we live in a dark and broken world.
If you don’t believe me, just turn on the news: crime, murder, suicide, shootings, drug abuse, child abuse, human trafficking, terrorism, war, scandal… it’s everywhere! I barely watch the news because it is so depressing all the time, except the one story they always throw in about a puppy.
I think we can all agree that the world is a mess.
But this mess wasn’t God’s fault. God didn’t create the world to be this dark.
And Christmas is the story of God’s solution. It is the story of how God brought light back to our dark world.
TRUTH
If you have a Bible with you today, please turn with me to the book of John chapter 1.
In my short time with you today I want to camp out in the book of John. We are going to start right off the bat with chapter 1 verse 1, and then jump around a bit.
As I mentioned earlier, I was studying the book of John recently and noticed a common theme in the way he talks about Jesus’ grand entrance into the world. John is constantly referring to Jesus as “the light.”
John 1:1-9 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word,
(later in v.14 we see that by “the Word” John is referring to Jesus. So when you see “the Word,” think Jesus)
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.
This is talking about the beginning of time. It is a reference to the Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Three persons, all one God. But that is a whole other sermon in itself. Just know that this means that Jesus was right there in the beginning at the creation of the universe because he and God are one.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus is the light.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
(This isn’t the John the Disciple who wrote this book, this is talking about John the Baptist, a prophet of God sent to proclaim the coming of Jesus.)
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all 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 everyone was coming into the world.
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, creator of the universe, stepped out of Heaven and became God incarnate (God in flesh).
Why did he come? According to John, Jesus came to bring light. He came to shine in the darkness. A light so strong that darkness can never overcome it.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Have you ever been somewhere that was completely pitch dark? I mean, you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face? Scary isn’t it?
(STORY: being in a dark place, or being scared of the dark.)
What can darkness do to light? Nothing. But without light, darkness takes over. Darkness, by definition, isn’t even a thing. It is only the absence of light.
That is where the world is without Jesus. That is each and everyone one of our lives without Jesus.
Jesus is the light of the world.
He said so himself.
John 8:12
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
You may have heard John 3:16 before. It is probably the most famous verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. …
Some of your Bible’s may have this verse in red ink, because this is Jesus talking here. This is the great news straight from Jesus himself!
Being a Christian isn’t some spiritual club for the super elite. Whoever believes in Jesus can have eternal life. You can be rescued from the dark things of your past. Jesus can make all that darkness go away. He offers forgiveness, salvation, love, hope, joy, and peace for all eternity in the light with him in Heaven.
You might have heard this before. But have you ever read the verses after John 3:16?
Look at v.19-20, just a few sentences later. Jesus is still talking.
John 3:19-20 (NIV)
19 This is the verdict:
(this is the truth that sums everything up that I have been talking about)
Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
This is the problem, isn’t it? Jesus offers us light, but we love darkness. If we are really honest, we don’t love the light.
We have a fascination inside that draws us towards the dark side.
We have dark secrets
Dark thoughts
Dark desires
A dark past
Dark sins that we would rather keep in the dark
Many of you know about Jesus. This probably isn’t the first time you have ever heard about him before. But many of us are afraid of him. Why? Because we have secrets that we are afraid will come out if we get too close to Jesus. We want to feel justified in our wrongdoing because everyone else is doing it too. If everyone else is doing it, it doesn’t feel so bad.
It’s like when you are in a really dark room, and your eyes adjust to the darkness. You don’t feel like it is so dark. But as soon as a light comes into the darkness, it burns your eyes. You realize just how dark it really was in there. Jesus is so bright and so pure that he exposes the darkness in our lives. This causes many people to run.
(Illustration: Makeup Mirror & Light) I was talking with my wife about how to illustrate this point, and she said it’s kind of like those makeup mirrors with the lights around them. (Pic 5: Makeup Mirror)
Some women are afraid to look in them because they are designed to shine a light and reveal everything. Every wrinkle, every blemish, and every imperfection becomes clear as day. And it is necessary to look at it, but it is never easy. Nobody likes being confronted with their shortcomings. Sometimes it feels easier just to cover it all up without looking, or ignore it altogether.
That is what Jesus does to us. Next to his perfection, every imperfection and sin is obvious in our life. Next to his light, all the darkness is stripped away, and we are raw and vulnerable.
We feel naked and exposed. We have no choice but to be confronted with our shortcomings, our imperfections, and our brokenness.
So people avoid Jesus.
I see this all the time. People are ashamed of the way they have been living and don’t want any light shed on the situation, so they avoid church (which is the one place they need to be).
As a pastor, when I meet people, they are usually really friendly and cool to me. But I try to wait as long as possible to tell them what I do for a living. Why? Because as soon as they ask, “What do you do” and I say, “I’m a pastor.” They get awkward.
(Story: John find out I’m a pastor) Just this Thanksgiving I was at a family members house, and they had invited a friend to join us who was definitely not a Christian. And that was totally cool with me. We were hanging out watching the football game together, making small talk. He was pounding beers and cussing, and then he asked, “So what do you do.” I said, “I’m a Pastor.” And I swear if his mouth were full he would have done a spit take (pphhh). Because he stopped and said, “Excuse me, a what?” I said, “a pastor.” And he says, “Ohhh…. that’s cool.” And the rest of the night he was awkward around me… until he finally realized that I wasn’t there to judge him or point out his faults. But it took a while to break down that barrier.
People are afraid of the light.
It’s one of the reasons that most shameful things that people do happen at night. We feel less exposed in the dark.
So let’s get our focus right this Christmas.
LANDING
Christmas isn’t about Santa. It isn’t about presents. It isn’t about shopping. It isn’t about Christmas bonuses. It isn’t about vacations. It isn’t even about getting together with your family.
Christmas is all about the light. It is all about Jesus. Let’s keep our focus on him this season.
Every time you see a Christmas light this year, it is my prayer that you will be reminded that Jesus is the light of the world. He is the only hope that we have.
And I know that Christmas, for some a happy time of year, can also bring sadness. It can be a reminder of loved ones who are no longer with us. It can be a reminder of our difficult financial situation. It can be a reminder of the dysfunction of our family. It can be a reminder of how lonely we are. It can be a reminder of how difficult this last year has been.
But in Christ, there is hope. There is light. He alone gives us hope and purpose to continue to carry on.
We live in a dark world. But Jesus alone can rescue you from the darkness.
So what? What do we do with this message?
1. If you are here today and call yourself a Christian – a Christ follower: Spread the Light.
Here is what the Bible tells us…
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
Do not forget what your life was like before receiving the forgiveness of Jesus. You were just as dark or worse than everyone else. So stop judging them and start living out your new calling. Start spreading the light.
What are you doing to spread the light of Christ this Christmas? Who are you inviting with you to church? Who in your life needs light? (a neighbor, a coworker, a friend, a family member?)
Spread the light.
2. But if you are here today and you have never accepted Jesus: See the light.
You are living in darkness. And worst of all, you may have been living in darkness so long that you don’t even realize it anymore. Your eyes are adjusted, and you just think it is normal. But you don’t have to stay that way.
Jesus said…
John 12:46 (NIV)
46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
If there is any darkness in your life, Jesus alone has the power to overcome it. You cannot fix it with a pill. You cannot fix it with a new marriage. You cannot fix it with a therapist. You cannot fix it with a better job, more money, more vacations, or more stuff to pile up in your garage.
You cannot keep running away and hope that it gets better.
The only way to overcome the darkness in your life is to embrace the light of Jesus Christ. He alone is the light of the world. He alone has the power to forgive sins. He alone lived a perfect life and died in our place for our sins.
He took the punishment we deserved because of the inherent darkness in our lives so that we could be forgiven.
That is why we celebrate Christmas! That is why we put up Christmas lights. It is a reminder that this is the season that we celebrate the light of Christ coming to a dark world to rescue us, to rescue you, and to rescue me.
We all need it.
If you have never done so before, I beg you today to see the light. Give your life to Jesus Christ. Surrender everything over to him, and watch the darkness flee from your life.
Jesus is the only hope this dark world has. He alone is the bright light shining in the darkness. He alone has the power to save.
Will this Christmas and every Christma
s from this day forward be a glorious reminder not just the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but also the moment that you finally saw the light?
PRAY – Invite people to place their faith in Jesus
.
