WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.759 Very good morning everybody. As Sarah said, my name's Craig. I'm a pastor in training here at Brunsfield and it is a real pleasure to open up God's Word today. 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:16.940 So we're doing a short series in John chapter 1 in what's known as John's epilogue. 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:26.260 But first I wondered, when you woke up this morning, maybe not this morning, Sundays are usually a little bit of a lie-in, 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:34.120 but I wonder if you woke up and it was still dark this morning. I wonder during the week when you got up for work, 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:42.140 I wonder if it was still dark when you got up. I wonder if it was dark when you left work and headed home. 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:50.719 I know that often happens during this time of year. And the darkest day of the year is coming. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:57.879 It's in about two weeks' time. And some people really struggle with the darkness of winter. 00:00:59.299 --> 00:01:08.439 It can be a dark time in our hearts too. And there are other factors in our lives that can make our lives feel dark. 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:13.259 I wonder how you felt as you came to church this morning. 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:18.040 Maybe it was a mission to get the kids along to church. 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:22.580 Maybe you felt a little bit reluctant to come along for whatever reasons. 00:01:23.800 --> 00:01:26.260 Maybe you're feeling weary this Christmas. 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:29.460 Maybe you're feeling a little bit at your limit. 00:01:30.960 --> 00:01:35.660 Maybe you can't see past all the things that you need to do before Christmas comes. 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:38.500 Maybe you're feeling really stressed. 00:01:39.300 --> 00:01:42.240 Maybe exams are coming and you're feeling a bit behind. 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:46.480 Maybe you're feeling sad at this time of year. 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:50.760 Maybe there's someone in your life who's not around anymore. 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:53.740 And this time of year makes you think of them. 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:58.640 Maybe you're feeling your mortality this morning. 00:01:59.300 --> 00:02:00.620 Maybe you're feeling weak. 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:05.460 Maybe you're struggling with physical or mental health. 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:07.520 Maybe you're suffering silently. 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:13.439 Maybe you're feeling a bit disillusioned with work or with university. 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:17.879 Or maybe you're feeling flat, dulled, emotionless. 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:24.219 Or maybe you're feeling discouraged as you look out and see the world around us. 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.500 Disheartened because you've heard some bad news. 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:35.060 There's so many ways that we could be feeling the darkness of this world pressing in on us this morning. 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:44.020 But the Bible hasn't remained silent on the suffering or the sin or the weariness or the hopelessness that we can sometimes feel. 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:50.439 So the Bible tells us that something radical has come and should give us hope. 00:02:51.260 --> 00:02:56.240 When the Apostle John wrote his gospel account, we've just read from John, John's gospel. 00:02:56.920 --> 00:03:03.400 When John wrote this gospel account, he wrote at a time when Christians were feeling the darkness. 00:03:04.660 --> 00:03:06.320 Death was the theme of the day. 00:03:07.160 --> 00:03:09.300 Christian persecution was on the rise. 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:12.100 Christians were facing arrest. 00:03:12.099 --> 00:03:20.699 They were facing punishment from the establishment, expulsion from their communities, and separation from their families. 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:23.939 And like us, they were feeling weary. 00:03:24.859 --> 00:03:26.799 They were suffering silently. 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:31.959 They were bereaved, discouraged, disillusioned. 00:03:32.359 --> 00:03:34.459 And they had to be encouraged to keep on going. 00:03:34.460 --> 00:03:40.700 But what did God want the people to know as the ink dried on John's gospel? 00:03:43.100 --> 00:03:52.060 God was wanting people to hear that he himself had chosen to intervene in our dark world. 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:55.260 Not leaving us to suffer without hope. 00:03:56.140 --> 00:04:03.659 God wanted us to know that he himself had personally stepped down into the darkness of our world. 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:10.079 So as I said, over the next few Sundays that lead up to Christmas, we're going to be spending some time in John's prologue. 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:12.259 The first 18 verses of this gospel. 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:18.899 Now, John's prologue is not the Christmas story that we are expecting. 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:21.680 There's no manger or shepherds. 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:25.199 John doesn't tell us how Jesus was born. 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:29.039 But he really wants us to know why Jesus was born. 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:34.439 Why did God come to the world as a man? 00:04:35.479 --> 00:04:42.740 God wants us to know the answers to these questions and how this is wonderful, wonderful news. 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:48.800 So whether you're feeling the darkness of the world pressing in today, 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:54.879 or maybe you're abounding in joy as you excitedly look forward to Christmas, 00:04:55.400 --> 00:05:02.420 however you're feeling, what John has to tell us about Jesus' coming should make us sit up and take notice. 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:09.939 Now, the apostle John was perfectly placed to tell us about who Jesus is. 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:13.900 He was one of the first disciples that Jesus called. 00:05:14.640 --> 00:05:18.740 He was part of Jesus' inner circle, along with James and Peter. 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:23.560 And he got to witness some of the things that the other disciples didn't get to witness. 00:05:24.080 --> 00:05:26.819 He got to see the raising of Jairus' daughter, for example. 00:05:26.819 --> 00:05:33.259 He got to see Jesus' transfiguration, and he got to witness Jesus' agony in the garden. 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:40.579 And it was John who Jesus gave the special responsibility of caring for his mother, Mary. 00:05:41.259 --> 00:05:45.120 So it's fair to say that John knew this Jesus pretty well. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.339 And he wants everybody else who reads his gospel to know Jesus too. 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:56.620 And he says so in chapter 20 in the Gospel of John. 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:00.519 And at this point, he gives us his reason for writing his gospel. 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:05.120 And I'm just going to flick it up because it's helpful for us this morning as we look at John's gospel. 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:10.579 And it says that Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:16.480 which are not recorded in this book, but these are written so that you may believe 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:23.240 that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:33.860 John wrote this gospel to tell the world who Jesus is and what he came to do so that we might believe 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:39.379 that he is the Son of God and we may have life in his name. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.560 So that was the end of John's gospel, chapter 20. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:48.340 But at the beginning of the gospel that we're looking at today, he makes a blockbuster start. 00:06:48.339 --> 00:06:51.319 But this is no, are you sitting comfortably? 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:57.619 This is no once upon a time in a land far away. 00:06:58.719 --> 00:07:06.279 John begins his gospel by making some massive claims about who Jesus is and what he came to do. 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:11.299 So I think we'll just spend a little bit of time looking at who he says Jesus is. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:15.299 So if we look at verse 1 that Sarah read for us earlier on. 00:07:16.599 --> 00:07:19.959 Verse 1, in the beginning was the word. 00:07:20.479 --> 00:07:22.939 Let's just think about that initially. 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:25.279 What do these words remind us of? 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:27.119 In the beginning was the word. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.639 Well, they remind us of the very first words of the Bible. 00:07:31.679 --> 00:07:34.239 John has taken us back to Genesis 1 here. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.780 And in Genesis 1, we're told, 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:40.360 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:46.220 John is deliberately taking us back there with these words to show us that the word, 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:48.560 which is another name for Jesus here, 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:55.160 the word was there with God the Father at the beginning of time. 00:07:55.800 --> 00:08:04.079 And most importantly, that Jesus, present with God, is himself God. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:08.040 Jesus was present at the beginning with God. 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:12.220 And we're told here that Jesus is God. 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:18.019 This is the clearest statement in the Bible that Jesus Christ, the man born in Bethlehem, 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.040 is God. 00:08:20.400 --> 00:08:21.439 He's not a God. 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:23.960 He's not a man that looked like God. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.259 Jesus is God. 00:08:27.259 --> 00:08:35.259 Now, if Jesus was with God and is God, that's a little bit confusing if we just think about it like that. 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:41.700 If Jesus was with God and is God, this reminds us that God is Trinity. 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.179 God is one being. 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:48.460 He's of one substance, but he is three distinct persons. 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.139 God is Father, God is Son, and God is Spirit. 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:56.000 Jesus is known as the Son of God. 00:08:57.080 --> 00:08:59.159 He is a person of this Trinity. 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:04.199 He isn't the Father, but he is equally God with him. 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:09.819 Likewise, Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, but he is equally God with him. 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:17.960 Jesus, Father, and Spirit are inseparably united and undivided in their actions. 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:24.900 They are one, and there are many, many books that are written on these truths alone in the first phrase of John's gospel. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:27.180 But he continues in verse 2. 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:35.920 He was with God, as God the Father, in the beginning, and through him all things were made. 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:41.400 And just in case that isn't clear, without him nothing was made that has been made. 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:51.000 John has taken us all the way back to the creation story here in Genesis, and he tells us that Jesus is the creator. 00:09:52.199 --> 00:09:57.600 All things, that is, all things, were made through Jesus. 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:02.419 Genesis chapter 1 again, we learned that God made the cosmos. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:05.840 He made the earth, the sky, and the sea. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.940 Then he filled the cosmos with stars and planets. 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.860 Then he filled the sky and the sea and the land with life. 00:10:13.800 --> 00:10:16.780 And there is glorious order in his creation. 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:24.560 Jesus is the great designer and craftsman of all creation, and we are told that he made it very good. 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:27.720 But Jesus himself was not created. 00:10:28.820 --> 00:10:29.879 Jesus had no beginning. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:33.860 There is no timeline of Jesus' existence. 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:36.379 Jesus has always existed. 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:38.340 That's the next thing we learn about him. 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:40.740 Jesus is eternal. 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:49.240 And John describes Jesus elsewhere in some of his other writings in Revelation, that Jesus is the beginning and the end. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:51.399 He's known as the Alpha and the Omega. 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:54.340 Jesus is eternal. 00:10:54.340 --> 00:11:04.300 So to sum up these things about who Jesus is, John has told us emphatically some of these things about who Jesus is. 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:05.540 He is God. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:07.840 He is one with the Father and the Spirit. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:09.379 He has no origin. 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:11.080 He is eternal. 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:14.320 Jesus is the source of all creation. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.940 But most of us know these things about Jesus, right? 00:11:20.060 --> 00:11:21.940 We nod our heads and we say, uh-huh. 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:23.660 We know these things. 00:11:23.760 --> 00:11:25.100 We've heard them lots of times before. 00:11:25.800 --> 00:11:30.820 How could we become numb about these incredible truths about our Savior? 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:37.300 These things should cause us to fall on our knees in wonder and worship. 00:11:37.299 --> 00:11:40.979 These are amazing things about who Jesus is. 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:42.439 But John doesn't stop there. 00:11:43.079 --> 00:11:46.959 He wants also to tell us what Jesus came to do. 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:50.740 So we've had the who and now we have the what did Jesus come to do. 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:53.740 So we'll look at verse 4 again now. 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:55.659 And it says, 00:11:55.659 --> 00:12:10.740 What are we told about Jesus here? 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:12.919 Why did he come? 00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:18.100 Because he is the source of life. 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:22.860 We've already seen that Jesus is the source of all life in creation. 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:24.579 For he created it all. 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:30.540 But I think John is referring a little bit more just than the life that we see in this world. 00:12:30.660 --> 00:12:34.000 John is talking more than our three score years and ten. 00:12:35.160 --> 00:12:37.860 John is talking about an eternal life. 00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:41.639 Jesus is the source of eternal life. 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:46.040 An everlasting life with God that we were created for. 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:50.180 We find out later in John chapter 3, 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:52.460 Jesus meets with a man called Nicodemus. 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:59.220 And he tells Nicodemus that he is the son of God who has come to pay for the sins of the world. 00:12:59.740 --> 00:13:06.840 And that all men and women may have eternal life with him by believing in these things. 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:07.900 By believing in Jesus. 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:12.460 Jesus is the source of eternal life. 00:13:12.460 --> 00:13:19.180 A glorious life that goes beyond this physical life that we are experiencing in our planet. 00:13:19.420 --> 00:13:21.040 Which often feels so dark. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:28.039 The good news is that we can begin to experience this glorious life. 00:13:28.279 --> 00:13:30.159 This eternal life today. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:32.379 If we put our trust in him. 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:33.459 And if we look to him. 00:13:33.959 --> 00:13:36.620 We can experience that life. 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:44.100 Next, John describes this life as being the light of all mankind. 00:13:44.419 --> 00:13:45.519 This is a little bit confusing. 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:46.940 He's talking about light and life. 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:48.080 He says, 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:51.799 And that life was the light of all mankind. 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:54.700 What does that mean? 00:13:55.700 --> 00:14:02.100 That the life sourced in Jesus is a light in the darkness. 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:09.000 Jesus' eternal life is hope for humanity in a dark, dark world. 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:13.019 Jesus' eternal life is a light in the darkness. 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:19.680 And this light is shining in the darkness today. 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:21.379 We read that next. 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:25.700 It's hope for humanity in a dark, dark world. 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:28.700 Darkness is the absence of light. 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:33.540 When you flick on the lights at night or first thing in the morning. 00:14:34.140 --> 00:14:36.160 Everything becomes visible at once, doesn't it? 00:14:36.180 --> 00:14:37.000 You flick the switch. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.040 You can see everything in the room at once. 00:14:40.020 --> 00:14:41.200 Everything is illuminated. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:42.680 And where's the darkness gone? 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:45.060 It's evaporated. 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:48.440 It's an image we all understand. 00:14:48.640 --> 00:14:48.920 Light. 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:51.780 But what else does Jesus say? 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:52.259 Sorry. 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:55.960 What else does John say about this light and this life? 00:14:55.960 --> 00:15:03.500 Well, that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:06.660 The sentence could also be translated, 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:08.780 And the darkness has not understood it. 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:12.280 You might see that in the footnotes in your pew Bibles there. 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:19.300 The darkness has failed to defeat the light. 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:21.300 This darkness that we feel in our world. 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:23.939 It has not overcome this light. 00:15:25.439 --> 00:15:29.039 And how can you overcome an enemy that you fail to understand? 00:15:29.939 --> 00:15:32.519 The darkness has not understood the light. 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:40.620 The darkness of death will never consume the light of life or blow it out. 00:15:42.359 --> 00:15:46.939 Jesus' eternal life will never be consumed. 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:50.700 The light sourced in Jesus is undefeated. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:53.000 It is indestructible. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:54.560 It's inextinguishable. 00:15:55.580 --> 00:16:04.420 And so that eternal life that Jesus has brought is also indestructible, incorruptible, and everlasting. 00:16:05.640 --> 00:16:09.280 Jesus' life is indestructible that he brings to us today. 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:13.500 I wonder if you remember those trick candles. 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:16.079 I saw them a few times as a kid. 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:18.620 That you would put on your birthday cake. 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:22.079 And no matter how hard you would try and blow these candles out, 00:16:22.339 --> 00:16:23.980 they would always reignite. 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:26.579 I don't know if you ever saw that. 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:27.639 You would blow the candles. 00:16:27.740 --> 00:16:28.519 You think you got it. 00:16:28.939 --> 00:16:30.699 And they would just reignite again. 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:36.199 So infuriating for the person trying to blow the candles out. 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:41.300 So infuriating for our enemy Satan, 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:45.700 who no matter how hard he tries to blow out the light of Jesus, 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:47.560 he can never do it. 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:49.660 He will never do it. 00:16:50.640 --> 00:16:55.259 Even Satan's deepest, darkest, airless smog 00:16:55.259 --> 00:17:01.820 will never cloud the dawn of light and life that Jesus brings. 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:05.380 And it's why we sing about light all the time at Christmas. 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:08.740 It's why we decorate our trees and our houses 00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:10.860 and even our pets with Christmas lights. 00:17:12.540 --> 00:17:15.860 Did you notice in the words of the first song that we sung, 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:16.680 Hark the Herald, 00:17:17.560 --> 00:17:19.420 that in the third verse, 00:17:19.520 --> 00:17:21.500 it sums up what Jesus came to do. 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:25.140 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.700 Hail the Son of Righteousness. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:31.620 Light and life to all he brings. 00:17:32.540 --> 00:17:34.820 Risen with healing in his wings. 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:40.080 Today, let us not misunderstand who this man Jesus is 00:17:40.080 --> 00:17:42.180 and what his mission is. 00:17:43.100 --> 00:17:46.600 John has told us clearly who Jesus is 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:49.280 and what he has come to do. 00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:51.140 He is the Word. 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:53.520 He is the eternal Son of God. 00:17:54.080 --> 00:17:55.620 Jesus is God himself. 00:17:56.320 --> 00:17:58.460 Jesus is creator of all things. 00:17:58.460 --> 00:18:01.460 And in him there is eternal life. 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:04.360 And this life is inextinguishable. 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:08.680 And it is the hope in this dark world. 00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:14.340 When Jesus was betrayed and arrested by his enemies 00:18:14.340 --> 00:18:17.259 and found guilty of blasphemy 00:18:17.259 --> 00:18:19.380 by claiming to be the Son of God, 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:22.299 which he had a right to say, didn't he? 00:18:23.060 --> 00:18:25.440 He was sentenced to death on a cross. 00:18:26.080 --> 00:18:28.360 And as he hung on that cross about to die, 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:31.140 it looked like a sure victory for the darkness. 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:35.100 The source of light and life himself 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:37.920 was about to be extinguished. 00:18:38.840 --> 00:18:41.320 But Jesus' death and resurrection 00:18:41.320 --> 00:18:44.580 were in fact all part of God's plan 00:18:44.580 --> 00:18:49.380 to emphatically conquer the darkness of sin and death. 00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:54.080 Jesus died to suffer the consequences for our sins 00:18:54.080 --> 00:18:57.980 and was resurrected to a new life, 00:18:58.860 --> 00:19:01.860 showing that death had no power over him. 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.360 So the light of life that he offers us now, 00:19:06.080 --> 00:19:08.960 as he lives and reigns in heaven, 00:19:09.860 --> 00:19:12.140 this light and life can be ours today 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:15.260 if we likewise lay down our lives of sin 00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:19.759 and choose to follow him in his new resurrected life. 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:25.180 The Apostle John has taken us to Genesis today 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:27.039 to show us that Jesus is much more 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:29.279 than the carpenter from Nazareth. 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:32.299 He is the one who spoke light 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:35.599 into the dark void at the beginning, 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:36.859 into the nothingness. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:39.240 Jesus spoke this incredible light 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:40.299 into the nothingness. 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:44.279 And today he speaks light and life 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:46.759 into our lives from the Bible. 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:49.259 He hasn't left us here to rot 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:52.200 or suffer in the darkness alone. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.000 Again from Genesis, 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:56.700 he is the serpent crusher. 00:19:57.519 --> 00:19:59.579 He was struck on the heel by the serpent, 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:02.359 by Satan when he died on the cross, 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.899 but he has crushed that serpent's head 00:20:04.899 --> 00:20:07.839 by rising victorious from the dead. 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:09.420 And now he extends his forgiveness 00:20:09.420 --> 00:20:13.960 and eternal life to all this Christmas time. 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:18.639 So as I bring us to a close this morning, 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.859 I want to remind us that 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:22.319 all our hope this Christmas, 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:25.859 our hope is not found in the joy of family time, 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:27.779 as wonderful as that is. 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:29.639 Our joy isn't found 00:20:29.639 --> 00:20:34.819 in well-earned time of work. 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:37.259 Our hope isn't found in good food 00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:39.119 and Christmas movie reruns. 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:43.739 There is real hope for those struggling today 00:20:43.739 --> 00:20:44.699 in the darkness 00:20:44.699 --> 00:20:48.179 because he has offered light and life 00:20:48.179 --> 00:20:49.699 for the weary. 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:51.359 He's offered light and life 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:52.479 for the suffering, 00:20:53.339 --> 00:20:54.000 the bereaved, 00:20:54.939 --> 00:20:55.579 the disillusioned. 00:20:57.579 --> 00:20:59.399 That is a hope which is inextinguishable, 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:00.579 indestructible, 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:02.959 and we must hold on to it 00:21:02.959 --> 00:21:04.959 as we wait for Jesus' return. 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:06.879 Those of us who are Christians, 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:08.540 we need to hold on to this light and life 00:21:08.540 --> 00:21:09.700 that he has given us. 00:21:11.100 --> 00:21:12.920 Jesus knows well our struggles 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:14.400 at this time of year, 00:21:14.800 --> 00:21:16.780 but he wants our minds and our hearts 00:21:16.780 --> 00:21:18.520 to be full of that light and life. 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:20.760 He doesn't ask us to be cheery. 00:21:22.320 --> 00:21:23.840 Jesus never asks us to be cheery, 00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:25.960 but he asks us to trust him. 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:29.520 He wants to switch on that light 00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:30.640 in our hearts 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:32.720 and cause the darkness to flee away. 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.400 Will we accept his offer 00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:36.579 this Christmas time, 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:37.759 this light and life? 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:41.120 Now, maybe you're feeling glad 00:21:41.120 --> 00:21:42.100 this Christmas time. 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:44.440 Maybe you're not feeling 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:45.860 the darkness pressing in, 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:47.180 maybe as others are. 00:21:47.620 --> 00:21:48.819 Maybe your heart is rejoicing 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:49.960 because Jesus has come. 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:52.299 And if we are rejoicing 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:53.420 in the mountaintops this morning, 00:21:54.180 --> 00:21:54.860 that is wonderful. 00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:57.279 But we do have a duty 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.100 to help those who are weeping 00:21:59.100 --> 00:21:59.620 in the valleys. 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:03.659 How is our sister doing today 00:22:03.659 --> 00:22:04.399 who is struggling 00:22:04.399 --> 00:22:05.919 with health challenges? 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:09.239 How is our brother doing 00:22:09.239 --> 00:22:11.919 who's recently lost a family member? 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:14.679 How is our sister doing 00:22:14.679 --> 00:22:16.479 who's finding it such a challenge 00:22:16.479 --> 00:22:17.419 to get ready for Christmas? 00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:19.579 How is our brother doing 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:20.419 who's really struggling 00:22:20.419 --> 00:22:22.059 to get the kids along to church? 00:22:23.979 --> 00:22:25.739 Those who call ourselves Christians 00:22:25.739 --> 00:22:29.079 have Jesus' light and life within us. 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:32.299 We are the light in this dark world. 00:22:32.959 --> 00:22:34.500 Perhaps we can go out of our way 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:36.799 this week to point our brothers 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:38.079 and sisters who are struggling 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:38.799 with this darkness 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:41.919 back to Jesus again. 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:44.779 Now, perhaps you wouldn't call yourself 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:45.719 a Christian here today. 00:22:46.879 --> 00:22:47.799 Might I challenge you 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:49.079 to take seriously 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:52.539 this historical eyewitness account 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:53.339 of Jesus' life, 00:22:53.419 --> 00:22:54.239 this Gospel of John? 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:55.979 Will you take a look 00:22:55.979 --> 00:22:57.339 at what John has said 00:22:57.339 --> 00:22:58.619 about this man, Jesus? 00:23:00.399 --> 00:23:01.459 Will you take seriously 00:23:01.459 --> 00:23:03.379 the witness testimonies? 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:06.259 This is a man giving testimony 00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:07.459 in court, a witness. 00:23:08.159 --> 00:23:09.179 We haven't spoken about 00:23:09.179 --> 00:23:11.159 verses 6 and 7 yet 00:23:11.159 --> 00:23:12.000 of our passage. 00:23:12.679 --> 00:23:13.539 But in these verses, 00:23:13.679 --> 00:23:15.419 we read about another John, 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:16.639 not the Apostle John 00:23:16.639 --> 00:23:17.559 who wrote the Gospel, 00:23:18.019 --> 00:23:19.039 but John the Baptist. 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:21.879 John the Baptist was sent by God 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:25.000 to testify to who Jesus is 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:26.980 and to what Jesus had come to do. 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:29.380 John the Baptist was an exceptional 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:30.140 human being. 00:23:30.780 --> 00:23:32.560 He was a blood cousin of Jesus 00:23:32.560 --> 00:23:35.180 and he was anointed by the Holy Spirit 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.000 even while he was in the womb. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.400 But he was not the light. 00:23:40.280 --> 00:23:41.420 He was an exceptional man, 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:42.540 but he was not the light, 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:43.120 we are told. 00:23:43.620 --> 00:23:46.300 He came to pave the way for Jesus, 00:23:46.299 --> 00:23:49.079 to point us to the true source 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:51.500 of the life and the light. 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:53.519 And John the Baptist testified 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.460 that Jesus is the Lamb of God 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:57.659 who takes away the sin of the world 00:23:57.659 --> 00:23:58.700 and he testifies 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:01.980 to Jesus' eternal divine nature. 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:03.799 He says these same things 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:05.079 that we have seen already 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:07.019 about who Jesus is. 00:24:08.159 --> 00:24:10.779 So that through him 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:11.639 all might believe. 00:24:12.619 --> 00:24:13.419 So the two Johns, 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:14.159 the Apostle John 00:24:14.159 --> 00:24:15.000 and John the Baptist, 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.119 they're the two star witnesses 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:18.019 in the case. 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:18.900 They're the witnesses 00:24:18.900 --> 00:24:20.920 that are going to convince us, 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:21.880 the jury, 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.799 that Jesus really is 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:25.720 who he says he is, 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:26.539 the Son of God. 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:28.319 And that by believing 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:29.579 in their testimonies, 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:31.539 by believing in the things 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:32.839 that Jesus has come to do, 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:34.400 namely dying on the cross 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:36.180 and raising from the dead, 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:38.160 that we might have life 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:39.019 in his name. 00:24:41.140 --> 00:24:42.359 How could we live 00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:44.559 without the light? 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.480 A flower cannot grow 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:47.960 in a dark closet. 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:50.619 And we are spiritually dead 00:24:50.619 --> 00:24:53.420 without Jesus' life. 00:24:54.700 --> 00:24:55.599 In the beginning, 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:56.380 as we've seen, 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:58.039 Jesus spoke the light 00:24:58.039 --> 00:24:59.380 into the utter darkness 00:24:59.380 --> 00:25:00.259 of the universe, 00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:01.859 into the nothingness, 00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:03.099 this incredible light 00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:04.539 he spoke out 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:05.720 into the nothingness. 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:07.200 But today he speaks 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:09.119 this incredible light 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:10.719 and life 00:25:10.719 --> 00:25:11.979 into the utter darkness 00:25:11.979 --> 00:25:14.179 of fallen human hearts. 00:25:14.739 --> 00:25:16.839 Jesus is the light 00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:19.459 to whom all dark souls 00:25:19.459 --> 00:25:20.479 must cry out to. 00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:23.159 So whether you're trusting 00:25:23.159 --> 00:25:24.000 in Jesus today 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.500 or not, 00:25:25.679 --> 00:25:26.459 will you believe 00:25:26.459 --> 00:25:27.839 these witness testimonies 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:29.219 and grab hold 00:25:29.219 --> 00:25:29.879 of the light 00:25:29.879 --> 00:25:30.779 and the life 00:25:30.779 --> 00:25:33.299 that Jesus offers us today? 00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:34.700 Let me pray. 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.579 Heavenly Father, 00:25:38.659 --> 00:25:39.299 we thank you 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:40.779 for sending Jesus 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:41.639 to the world 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:42.659 at Christmastime. 00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:43.759 And we thank you 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.680 that he wasn't just 00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:46.980 a man that looks like God, 00:25:47.379 --> 00:25:49.639 that in actual fact 00:25:49.639 --> 00:25:51.419 Jesus is God. 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.119 He is part of the Trinity. 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:54.240 He is one with the Father 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:54.839 and the Spirit. 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:56.019 We thank you 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:57.480 for these incredible truths 00:25:57.480 --> 00:25:59.799 about who Jesus is. 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:01.019 And we thank you 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:02.279 that he wasn't content 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:04.099 just to walk around 00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:05.019 and show us 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:06.500 who he was. 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:07.879 But in actual fact, 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:08.680 we thank you 00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:09.859 that he went to the cross 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:11.680 and suffered and died 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:12.919 for our sins 00:26:12.919 --> 00:26:13.599 for all the times 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.740 that we've turned our back on you. 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:15.980 And we thank you 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.059 that he didn't just stay dead 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:19.059 but he rose again 00:26:19.059 --> 00:26:20.919 victorious over death 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:21.980 and darkness forever. 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:23.159 And we thank you 00:26:23.159 --> 00:26:24.019 that he holds out 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:25.000 this light 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:25.740 and this light 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:27.099 to us today. 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:28.259 Lord, 00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:29.640 we appreciate 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:30.740 that there are many 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:31.819 amongst us 00:26:31.819 --> 00:26:32.640 who are struggling 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:34.019 with different things, 00:26:34.140 --> 00:26:34.299 Lord. 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.519 Whether it's 00:26:36.519 --> 00:26:39.480 just with health issues, 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:39.740 Lord, 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:40.660 or with people 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:41.339 that we miss 00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:43.440 or whether it's stress 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:44.859 or weariness 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:47.500 or depression 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:48.839 or other struggles, 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:49.220 Lord. 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:50.640 Lord, 00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:51.119 we thank you 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.519 that Jesus holds out 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:53.140 this light, 00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:53.960 this incredible, 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:55.740 inextinguishable light 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:56.599 and life 00:26:56.599 --> 00:26:57.279 to us today. 00:26:57.279 --> 00:26:58.000 And I just pray 00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:58.980 that you would help 00:26:58.980 --> 00:26:59.539 each one of us 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:00.180 to behold 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.899 this great light 00:27:01.899 --> 00:27:02.399 and life 00:27:02.399 --> 00:27:03.680 found in the glorious 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:04.940 Jesus today 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:05.799 as we walk out 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:06.819 and that we would cling 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:07.759 to him 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:08.920 this Christmas time 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:10.819 and forget 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:13.000 to appreciate 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:13.639 and be glad 00:27:13.639 --> 00:27:14.579 of the good things 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:15.099 of Christmas 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:16.160 but to see 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:17.019 what they represent, 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:19.399 the glorious Jesus 00:27:19.399 --> 00:27:20.539 who has come for us. 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:22.220 And we pray 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:23.339 all these things 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:23.940 in his name. 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:24.920 Amen.