The Light of Christmas
By Pastor Jim May
One thing that makes Christmas and the Holiday Season such a beautiful time of the year is all of the colorful lights that are used to decorate our homes and businesses all across America. Of course there’s nothing quite like having to put up those lights, and trying to make all the little twinkle lights to work, that has the power to turn you into a Grinch. After hanging 6 strands that you pre-tested, then plugging them in and finding out that half have quit working, you just want to say, “Bah, Humbug” and forget about it. But the beauty of the lights, after they are in place and working, makes the effort worth it all in the end. The lights and decorations look good in the daylight but they really stand out in the darkness.
In the Book of Genesis we are told that God created all things and saw that it was good. He created the evening and the morning and called the time of the passing of each cycle a day. He spoke light into existence, dispelling the darkness that filled the emptiness of the vast space of eternity, carved out a little segment of eternity and called it “Time”, and into this space called “Time” he planned the history of mankind. After all of his work of the Creation, he looked at all that he had done and said that it was good. In God’s wonderful universe, everything was good and it was in unity with God.
Then came that dreadful day when Adam disobeyed God and suddenly everything in God’s creation was no longer good. Darkness entered the world, but not just the darkness of the night, but darkness of the soul and spirit, for at that moment that Adam sinned against God, all of humanity was eternally doomed to spiritual blindness and perpetual darkness, separation from the light of God. From that day and forever more, every child born into this world, is also born into spiritual darkness with a heart of sin.
If you doubt that, just listen to what the Bible says in Proverbs 22:15, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." And who is called a “fool” in the Word of God? Psalms 14:1-3, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
From this you can see that every one of us was born a fool, born into spiritual darkness, and destined to wander through life blinded to the Truth, without the knowledge of God and without hope. But God, in His great love and infinite mercy, decided to reach out to us and extend grace and forgiveness for all men who would decide of their own free will to seek after him and choose to accept his plan for our salvation from eternal darkness.
So into the gross spiritual darkness that engulfed the heart of man, God sent the Light once again. This time it wasn’t the creation of a great universe, or the speaking into existence of a new sun and stars into the blackness of space. The Light came, quietly, peacefully, and almost completely unnoticed. The Light came in a lowly manger, in a little town called Bethlehem of Judea. In that manger lay a newborn baby, born of a virgin and conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of woman, but not the son of a man. He was the very Son of God, and his name was called Jesus.
John 1:9-14, "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."
The character, power and majesty of Jesus are given to us in glowing terms through the Prophet Isaiah, who along with many other prophets through the ages, told us that this great day would come when God would once again send Light into the world to dispel the darkness in the heart of man.
Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
The lights that we see on our Christmas trees, and on our homes shining so brightly in the darkness are a beautiful thing to behold. It just seems to create a sense of magic and wonder that doesn’t exist the rest of the year. With the natural eye we see these lights and they bring a little bit of joy and pleasure as we look upon them.
But the True Light; that Light that shines down into your heart, illuminates your soul and spirit, is a far more beautiful light than anything that you can find in this world. The lights on your Christmas tree can only penetrate your eyes and be reflected upon your brain and it is that sensation that brings you pleasure when you see them. But the Light, the True Light that Jesus is to all mankind, penetrates into your heart and is reflected from your very soul to then shine out into the world of sin around you.
We call many things wonderful but nothing can compare to the Wonderful that we find in Jesus. His grace is wonderful; his love is wonderful; his mercy is wonderful; everything about Him is wonderful. Jesus is Wonderful – it’s not just his character, but his very name is Wonderful, for there is no other name whereby we can find salvation for our soul.
His name is also Counselor for there is none who has the answer that you seek but Jesus. You can go to all the worldly counselors you want, but none can create within you a clean heart, or renew a right spirit within you like Jesus. Psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, lawyers, preachers, pastors and many other men can be sought out to give you counsel on many areas of your life where you need help, but none can Counsel you like the Great Counselor. Jesus has all your answers if you will just seek his face. Jesus is the only real answer there is for all the problems in your life. Jesus’ name is Counselor and by his very nature he always stands ready to reach out and lift you up. That’s what he came for. Later on, when Jesus grew up and began his earthly ministry, one of the very first things he did was to establish his purpose for being born into this world.
Luke 4:18-21, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
Jesus could claim to be Wonderful and so few see the wonder in him. He claimed to be Counselor and yet how many go to him for counsel? But he made other claims that no one should forget.
Jesus’ name is also “Mighty God”, and “Everlasting Father”. He came into this world as the Son of God, but he existed for eternity past, present and future. He was Almighty God; he came from Almighty God; and he is Almighty God; One eternally with the “Everlasting Father”. It was this claim to be the Eternal, Everlasting, Almighty God that men would not, and still do not accept. Anyone can be called wonderful. Anyone can be called a counselor. But to say that a man can be Almighty God, well that’s a different story.
But Jesus is God. He is the True Light. His light has come to shine into the blackness of sin that holds the hearts of men in a stranglehold of death. Sin is born into the heart of every man and it is like an anchor chain holding him firmly in the grip of eternal death.
But the Light came on that first Christmas morning, and He came to give us a way of escape from the chains of darkness and sin. Jesus came to give his life and shed his blood on the Cross of Calvary, so that you and I could have a way of salvation; a way that would bring peace with God.
For that reason, Jesus’ name is also “Prince of Peace” for he is the author of a peace that is beyond the understanding of the natural mind. He gives peace in every storm. He gives peace though the world is raging. His peace is a peace that is unshakeable and unmovable.
If you are feeling all hemmed in by the chains of darkness; if you are in need of a counselor; if your life is filled with turmoil and there is no real peace; if you need something and you just can’t seem to find what that “something” is; then you need Jesus this morning.
Jesus was born in that manger to bring the True Light of the gospel to your heart and soul. Have you met that Light this morning? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Are you at Peace with God? Jesus came to give you a new life and a new heart.
Don’t allow the darkness of sin to reign over you another day. The Light has come. Just let the Light of Jesus rule in your heart today. Jesus is the Light of Christmas, and he is more beautiful than anything that this world has to offer.
