INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Can you believe that it is almost Christmas time! Where did the year go?
• I love Christmas time; it is a wonderful time of the year for many reasons.
• We get to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we get to spend time with family, and we get to give and receive gifts!
• A big reason I love Christmas is that we have the opportunity to focus this holiday on Jesus. WE get the opportunities to tell people about our great Lord that we may not get at other times of the year.
• We have a lot of things trying to take the place of Jesus on Christmas.
• Christians need to know that Jesus is worthy of us trying to keep Him front and center all the time but especially on a holiday that is designed to celebrate His birth.
• During Christmas we see Jesus as a harmless cute baby in a manger. Jesus is far more than that.
• Over the next three weeks we are going to answer the question, “Why Is Jesus So Special?”
• Today I hope that we can see that Jesus is worthy of our worship. Jesus is not just some figure of history, He is not some mythical figure, and He is indeed someone special who deserves our worship.
• My prayer is that each of us will see Jesus as more than an ordinary baby, that we see Him for who He is and that we will allow Him to grow up.
• Let’s look to John 1:1-5. We will begin in verses 1-2
• SLIDE #2
• John 1:1-2(ESV) 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God.
• Fist let us observe that…
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
Jesus is worthy of worship because…
I. Jesus is God! (1-2)
• As we look at verses 1-2 we will gain some important insights concerning why Jesus is so special.
• It is one thing to call someone God, but it is another thing to have some evidence of that claim and title.
• We see a couple of things concerning Jesus in these two verses.
• SLIDE #4
A. Jesus pre-existed with the Father.
• Notice the phrase “in the beginning” in verse 1.
• This is reminiscent of Genesis 1:1 where we are told that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
• The question is then “when is IN THE BEGINNING”?
• The phrase represents the starting point for time.
• There was eternity past, then creation marks time as we know it now and the second coming will mark eternity once again.
• God pre-existed time, He as some call Him, is the uncaused first cause.
• Before the heavens and earth were created, God existed.
• From verses 1-2 we see that Jesus, The Word was with God in the beginning making Him pre-existent also!
• We see from John 1:14 that the title, ‘the Word refers to Jesus.
• SLIDE #5
• John 1:14(ESV) 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• The concept of the Word (logos) is one saturated with meaning for both Jews and Greeks.
• To the Greek philosophers, the logos was the impersonal, abstract principle of reason and order in the universe.
• It was in some sense a creative force, and also the source of wisdom. The average Greek may not have fully understood all the nuances of meaning with which the philosophers invested the term logos. Yet even to laymen the term would have signified one of the most important principles in the universe.
• To the Greeks John presented Jesus as the personification and embodiment of the logos.
• Unlike the Greek concept, however, Jesus was not an impersonal source, force, principle, or emanation. In Him, the true logos who was God became a man—a concept foreign to Greek thought. (John MacArthur Jr. Commentary)
• The title the Word was used in Jewish writings to refer to the Messiah. John employs this title to catch the attention of both the Jews and the philosophers.
• The WORD they had heard of will be explained to them and embodied by Jesus!
• SLIDE #6
• B. Jesus is co-equal with the Father.
• Verse 1 flat out tells us that the WORD WAS GOD, but earlier in the passage we seesomething in the original text that we miss in the English translations.
• The phrase “was with God” means far more than merely that the Word existed with God; it “[gives] the picture of two personal beings facing one another and engaging in intelligent discourse” (W. Robert Cook, The Theology of John [Chicago: Moody, 1979], 49).
• The WORD is the same essence as the Father.
• We also take note that Jesus and the Father (and the Holy Spirit for that matter) are separate personalities and we see there is an inseparable relationship. We see an intimacy in the connection between the Father and Jesus.
• SLIDE #7
• John 17:5(ESV) 5And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
• Let us look at verse 3 to see another reason Jesus is special and therefore worthy of worship.
• SLIDE #8
• John 1:3(ESV) 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
• SLIDE #9
Jesus is worthy of worship because…
II. Jesus is the creator of all things (3)
• This reiterates the fact that Jesus was not a created being but rather all things were made through Him and the verse emphasizes the fact that EVERYTHING was made through Him.
• NO EXCEPTIONS!
• When you go back to Genesis you do not find God hiring a construction crew to build things, He SAID let there be light.
• Throughout the creation account we see, and God SAID!
• By His very word He spoke things into existence that at the time did not exist.
• That is power!
• SLIDE #10
• Hebrews 1:2(ESV) 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
• Let us explore another reason that Jesus is special and therefore is worthy of worship!
• SLIDE #11
• John 1:4-5(ESV) 4In him was life,£ and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
• SLIDE #12
Jesus is worthy of worship because…
III. Jesus is life. (4-5)
• In Jesus is life. Spiritual life is what is being spoken of here based on the original text.
• Why do we need life in from Jesus?
• When we sin we separate ourselves spiritually from God. We need new life, we are dead in our sins.
• SLIDE #13
• Ephesians 2:1(ESV) 1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
• Ephesians 2:5(ESV) 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
• When we are in Christ, we are made alive again by the life He has for us!
• We also see…
• SLIDE #14
A. Jesus life is the light of men.
• In the Bible light is a metaphor for good, righteousness while darkness refers to sin and evil.
• The light of Jesus lets us see things how they truly are if we have the courage to step into the light.
• Jesus illuminated a path for us by His life. He did not just dictate on high, He served and gave us an example to follow!
• The light of Jesus enables us to discern what we are called to do and what we need to stay away from.
• Jesus is the embodiment of the light of God’s truth and love.
• The word “was” indicates this light was shining in the Old Testament times as well as now!
• SLIDE #15
B. Jesus light shines in the darkness.
• The light of Jesus shines on the darkness of ignorance. Guilt, misery, and sin.
• Jesus tries to shine the light into the darkness of those who are lost, those who are not on the correct path for life.
• Jesus came to bring light into a dark lost world.
• The light of Jesus exposes things for what they are and for who we are. This is done so that we can see ourselves as we really are. We see that we need Jesus in our life.
• SLIDE #16
C. Darkness will fight the light.
• and the darkness has not overcome it.
• The darkness will try to cover the light. Satan and his crew know what is waiting for them. They tried to kill the light but they failed.
• They will do EVERYTHING possible to make sure you do not see the light because they do not want you to see it.
• Satan will use everything he has to try to try to blind you to the truth.
• He will use friends, family situations; you name it he will use it to try to keep you from the truth and love of God.
• Do you notice that no matter how dark a room is, one speck of light will not be swallowed up!
• Evil will do all it can to defeat the light. Do not let it happen in your life.
CONCLUSION
• Jesus is worthy of WORSHIP.
• During Christmas let us not just adore the little baby in the manger, but rather let us WORSHIP GOD!
