For me Christmas time is simply a time to celebrate Jesus coming to this earth. I don't celebrate Christ's birthday because scripture never makes that anything and how many years since he has come is insignificant to me.
But I do celebrate the advent of our Lord Jesus because when he came something tremendous happened for mankind. None of God's plans or purposes could have ever been realized without Jesus coming to the earth. Coming and being born as a man allowed God to redeem man. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. He came to beat the devil and sin. He came to pay our debt and to become the propitiation for our sins. What Jesus does for us is not a once a year celebration. No, these things are our daily celebration, even moment by moment. How glorious that our Savior came for us by coming in the form of a baby and then completed the work of redemption for us.
But there is a matter that many overlook concerning Jesus coming to this earth. Jesus came bearing gifts in his person when he came. This should not be overlooked and this is the emphasis of this article.
I love John Chapter 1's version of what some folks call the "Christmas" story. While Matthew, Mark and Luke focus on the actual physical manifestation of Jesus which is truly amazing; the gospel of John focuses on who Jesus was when he came, what was in him and what he brought to us.
Let's start with some John 1:
The first three verses tell us who Jesus was including his origin. Jesus was the Word of God and he was the Word that was with God and he was God. Jesus was the creator of the world.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 The same was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
More from John 1:
The next six verses tell us what was in Jesus and begins to tell us the gifts that Jesus brought to men simply by coming to earth. Jesus had life in him and that life was the light of men. Therefore light was brought to man by Jesus coming. Some say that man was totally depraved after the fall and therefore has no ability to respond to God. I don't believe in that idea and even if true, John 1 puts that whole notion to death since John 1 is clear that Jesus brought light for men.4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Jesus had life in him and that life brought mankind light. The life of Jesus as he lived here on earth shined in the darkness and the darkness could not perceive it but his life was the light that became the light of man. If there was total depravity before Jesus came there certainly was not after he came. Verse 7 clearly shows us that John the Baptist came to be a witness and this was his witness: That all men through Christ might believe. John was not the light but he was the witness of the Light.
Verse 9 proclaims marvelously that Jesus was the true light which brought light to every man that has come in to the world. How marvelous! How glorious! This is good news. Light has triumphed over darkness and Jesus has given light to every man. Every man then was given the light to see that Jesus had come but still they must believe in him as verse 7 states.
More John 1:
Verse 10 lets us know that Jesus had made the world but the world did not know him. Verse 11 is about Jesus coming to his own. Who were his own? His own describes the elect which we know through scripture was the nation of Israel. Israel did not recognize or receive Jesus and in fact, rejected him. Despite this, verse 12 tells us that it is those that receive Jesus are given power by him to become his sons but mentions that man must believe on his name for this to take place. After Jesus came all men could receive Jesus and that is something that the nation of Israel had never done. They had been rejecting God and his invites for thousands of years. But when Jesus came God instituted a new thing. He brought forth a new covenant which was fundamentally based on receiving Jesus and believing on his name.10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.12 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:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Verse 13 tells us what happens to those who receive Jesus and believe on his name. They are born of God! How glorious! What a great calling there is for those of us who receive Jesus come in the flesh full of life for us and providing that light that we need so that we might God's children. How awesome is this!
Finally, the final portion of John 1 that I want us to see right now concerning Christ's coming:
14 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.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.Verse 14 reminds us again that the Word became flesh and lived with man on the earth. John declares his experience of beholding the glory of Jesus in the flesh. But what he states next is very important and that is that Jesus was full of grace and truth. Ha! Yes, Jesus came bearing gifts. The ultimate gift was himself but in preparation for that gift he had come full of grace and truth.
I believe that the grace of God as we know it now was not on the earth until Jesus brought it. Jesus brought the grace and truth that had never been on earth before. It was in his person. Jesus was grace and truth and this is very important for us to understand.
For Verse 16 tells us what we need to know. Out of the fullness of Jesus every man received grace for grace. One grace was exchanged for the second grace and it was a greater grace. Verse 17 tells us the first grace was the law given by Moses but the replacement grace was given by Jesus and truth was given too. Therefore friends, Jesus came full of grace and truth. He exchanged the grace that came by the law and brought us truth too. Grace and truth then are great gifts from Jesus given to us at his coming. This is worth celebrating! It's not about putting up a tree, or buying gifts; it's receiving Jesus full of life which became the light for man. It's not Christmas dinner or hanging up stockings; it's Jesus full of grace and truth.
The coming of Jesus then has powerful effects. He brought men light, grace and truth as gifts by coming to the earth and by staying and completing his mission he gave the ultimate gift which was his life that we might have his life.
Therefore I don't care how you celebrate your Christmas or if you even choose not to. What I hope none will miss is what Jesus brought to us when he came. He brought gifts we could not have received in any other way and they came packaged in a baby in swaddling cloths. He brought mankind light which allows all men to see and respond to the gospel. He brought mankind truth which was far greater than what mankind received from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when mankind ate of it. This truth Jesus brought trumps the knowledge from the tree. He brought grace which is the very inclining of God towards man. When man did not deserve it, grace was God extending himself towards man and giving him all of himself to mankind that we might receive him and have the right to become the sons of God!
Celebrate Jesus! Worship him! Praise God! By his coming into the world he made a way for mankind to receive his coming, his death and resurrection that we might be God's children. In this season then open the word to John 1 and meditate over it and then share the truth of this message to someone. Jesus has come and he came bearing gifts in himself!
Darrell Brantingham
(Check out my pithy tweets @confrontcalvin.)
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