Knowing Aslan – Know Jesus
John 1:1-18
Intro.:
A. We’ve been discovering the biblical Truths that are portrayed in the books and Movie of Narnia.
This series of 7 books called the Chronicles of Narnia reflect an adventurous portrayal of a journey of 4 kids (Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy) into Narnia where the learn about Aslan – a Christ-like figure who actually gives his life in exchange for Edmund.
The movie is about the first book: “The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.”
In one of the last episodes of the series, Aslan tells the 4 kids that they must return to their own country.
The kids were devastated:
“It isn’t Narnia, you know – sobbed Lucy. It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“Aslan: But you shall meet me, dear one.”
“I am, (interesting that God the Father and Jesus both said of themselves, ‘I am’) said Aslan. – But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by Knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
Years later – after reading this, a little girl named Hila wrote Lewis asking hi to please tell her Aslan’s other name.
CS Lewis responded with some clues from the stories.
“I want you to guess. Has there ever been anyone in this world who…
- arrived at the same time as Father Christmas
- Said he was the son of the Great Emperor
- Gave himself up for someone else’s fault, to be jeered at and killed by wicked people,
- Came back to life again, and
- Is sometimes spoken of as a lamb (see the end of Dawn Trader)?
Don’t you really know His name in our world?
B. CS Lewis is saying: You know Aslan – You know Jesus!
- Who else came – was born – at Christmas time?
- Called himself the Son of God?
- Was killed by evil men for the sins, faults of others?
- Was raised from the dead and lives again?
- And was also known as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?
It is Jesus.
CS Lewis, through the Chronicles of Narnia was using this Adventure Story to help us not only Know Aslan but also to Know Jesus!
C. Our passage today – John 1:1-18, is one of the greatest Christmas Accounts in Scripture. One of the reasons being is that this passage not only teaches us who is this Jesus but why He came and the importance of KNOWING HIM!
So what do we learn about KNOWING JESUS from this passage?
Body:
A. WE should get to know who is this Jesus, vs. 1-2, 14
- He is God – The Word = Logos – to both Hebrews and Greeks the Word was significant. To Hebrews the Word of meant fact, truth, reality (if the word was spoken it was truth); to the Greek, the Word meant the underlying reason, logic that controls and holds the universe together.
Jesus is all this.
- Vs. 14; Jesus the glory of Father – full of Grace and truth.
- That’s why Jesus can say; John 10:30; I and the Father are one. John 14:9; If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
- Col. 2:9; “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
- Phil. 2:6; Christ Jesus, “who being in very nature God…” became a servant even to death.
B. WE should Know what Jesus came to do, vs. 3-4, 5, 9, 14, 18
- He came to bring life
- Vs. 5 He came to be the Light to show us the way.vs9
- Vs. 14; to dwell with us for awhile so that we might know Grace and Truth.
- Vs. 18; To make known to us all God the Father.
C. We should get to know Jesus through His Witnesses, vs. 6-9, 15
- His Witness was John – who was not the light, but came to testify about the Light.
Today, God places in your path Witnesses to share Jesus with you so that you might know Him and what He has done for you.
As Disciples of Christ – those of us who have already made a confession of Faith in Jesus, we are called to be His witnesses. The Pink Candle the Shepherds Candle is lit to remind us that we need to proclaim Christ to others, not just at Christmas but every day – even as the Shepherds did on that First Christmas.
- Who is a Witness of Christ to you.
- Who are you a Witness of Christ to?
D. We should know about Jesus’ Grace, vs. 16-17
- Jesus brings about a covenant of Grace through what He did on the Cross for us. We cannot gain a Right Relationship with the Lord by what we do, only through faith in what Jesus has done for you and me!
- This is Grace; we sinned, Jesus paid the price for our sins. We did not recognize Him for who He was, Yet He came to us – full of Grace, Truth, Deity to dwell amongst us to show us His love and provide a way for us to be in Relationship with us!
- To really Know Jesus, we must know His GRACE. Even as the kids knew of the Grace of Aslan who paid the price for Edmund’s sins.
E. We should know Jesus Personally, vs. 12-13
- Ultimately it comes down to this: We can’t just know him in some intellectual manner in our heads – WE can’t just know about Him – We can’t just know others who Know Him – Christmas brings us to the point of Decision: do WE really, personally Know Jesus?
- Vs. 12: Receive him – through confessing Jesus as Lord, ruler of our lives.
- Vs. 12: Believe in His Name; To trust, have faith in the name of Jesus; The Word – God in Flesh – the Creator – The One and Only full of Grace and Truth.
- Result = You are now a Son/Daughter of God – Born again in Christ.
- Narnia: We all, like Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sons of Adam and daughters of Eve – but through Christ we become Sons and Daughters of God!
The Question: do you Believe in Jesus? Have you Received Him as your Lord?
Conclusion:
A. To now Aslan is good – but to grasp the full truth of the Narnia story you must Know Jesus as your Savior and Lord.
We learn from John 1 about Knowing Jesus:
Knowing Who He is – as the living God, creator of all things who dwelt amongst us.
Knowing What He came to do – to bring life, Truth, Light, Grace to us so that we might know the Lord ourselves.
Knowing His Grace
Knowing Him through the witness of others
But most important: Knowing Him Personally as we Believe, Receive and become a Child of God – to live for Him.
Just like we learned that Narnia is about a journey in life – so Knowing Jesus begins with Faith but it is a life long process – journey to Know our Lord more and Serve Him well.
B. In another book of CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, Lewis wrote this:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus): ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God’. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You Must Make A CHOICE. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
C. What is your Choice about Jesus? Do you know Him? Are you a Son/Daughter of His?
You can be – but you have to decide – But Jesus must be more to you than just a good teacher – a religious man – a baby in the manger!
Is Jesus your God, as He claimed to be – who came to bring life and Light to us – who dwelt amongst us so that we might Know Him?
D. There is no greater purpose of Christmas than for us to truly understand and so Know Jesus: The Christ, who was born to us!
Three types of People:
1. Curious = those who are more curious to know more about this Jesus. I encourage you to commit yourself to reading God’s Word, asking questions from Witnesses of Jesus, even pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.
2. Convicted = Perhaps you have never made a Confession of Faith. You know about Jesus but realize you don’t Know HIM. You believed but have not received Him as Lord. Pray with me today!
3. Committed = you already believe and have Received Jesus in Faith. But you realize that there is so much more to KNOW and Do in Relationship with Jesus. I want to encourage you to Commit yourself now, to fully seek to Know Him more through Worship, His Word, Being a Witness, a Servant, Prayer, etc.
