In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

In the fourth century, a pastor by the name of Arius denied that Jesus was true God. He claimed that the Son of God was not equal to God the Father, that the Son of God was not eternal, that the Son of God did not create the world. Further, he actually claimed that the Son of God was a created being, with a beginning in time. Many people followed the false teacher Arius. Some claimed that he made Christianity easier to understand. Others liked the clever songs that Arius came up with to promote his false teaching. Arius had a certain flair for public relations, and seemed to have plenty of followers. He may have been a very popular pastor, but he was one of the worst heretics in history. He did not give proper glory to our Savior. The Nicene Creed was written to confess God's truth in the face of the Arian heresy, and we confess that Creed to this very day. May we never be misled by some false teacher, even if he is a popular, nice, well-liked pastor. May we always give our Savior, Jesus Christ, the divine glory and honor that he truly deserves. May we always...

1. ETERNAL CREATOR

The Son of God is called, "The Word" in these verses. God the Son is the Word who was with God in the beginning and who was God. The Son of God is eternal, without beginning or end. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. And so, Jesus always was, is, and always will be true God. Human reason cannot comprehend eternity in the past. The Triune God is eternal, without beginning or end. We think that we can understand living on into the future eternally, without an end. But who can understand being without a beginning? God has no beginning! God the Son, the Second Person of the Triune God, has no beginning. There was never a time when the Son of God was not existing. We cannot understand that. But we must believe it, because God's Word compels us to believe it.

Further, the Son of God created the world. We usually ascribe this work to God the Father, but actually, all three persons of the Triune God participated in the work of creation. Verse 3 is talking about the Son of God when it says, "Through Him all things were made." The Son of God participated in the work of creation. So, praise Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our eternal Creator! We praise him when we speak the words of the Nicene Creed, "We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made."

Those last words come word for word from John chapter one. "Through Him all things were made." Yet, not all people confess these words, and not all people praise him. Verses 10-11 say, "Though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him." Though the Son of God had created the whole world, when he became flesh, many even among the Jews refused to worship him. They did not receive him. The Pharisees refused to worship Him. The Jewish leaders would not honor Him. False teachers, like Arius, failed to glorify Him. Far too many have said that Jesus was just a man.

Don't be misled by false teaching! Jesus is our eternal Lord and Creator. Every knee will bow before him in the end. May we bow willingly today, by faith! May we worship him gladly, and from the heart. Praise Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the...

2. LIFE AND LIGHT OF THE WORLD

We read verses 4-5, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." The Son of God brought life and light to a world of death and darkness. There simply are no greater opposites than life and death, than light and darkness. These contrasts are as sharp as any we can think of. Jesus is the very opposite of death and darkness. The wages of sin is death. And there is much death in this world. It's everywhere you look, it seems. There is great darkness too. By birth and nature, we were all brought into this world in utter darkness. Darkness depicts sinfulness, unbelief, and lack of knowledge of God's will. By nature, all people are sinful, unbelievers, who don't know the way to heaven. But the Son of God brought life and light. Scripture often connects "light" with salvation and eternal life through Christ. Jesus is our life-bringer, and he is "the light of men." In John chapter 8, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world."

Jesus came to bring us life and salvation. He came to do away with our sinfulness. He came to give us the light of the knowledge of God. He reveals God's will and God's heart to us. And God loves us. He loved us enough to provide a perfect plan of salvation. Jesus, the God-man, lived a pure and holy life and carried our sins to the cross. There, the Light of the world absorbed all of the world's dark sins. And that afternoon, it was dark, for our Savior died on that cross to pay for our sins. But he didn't stay dead. He rose from death with a brilliant display of glory, because he had saved us. And so, your sins are paid for. You are forgiven through Jesus Christ.

We can be very glad that Jesus didn't just come to be the "Light of the Jews." But he came to be the "light of the world," and that means more than just the Jews, it means the United States of America, it means India, and Africa, and Russia, and Great Britain, and Mexico, and all around the world. Jesus came to be the light of the world! And that was what Simeon was talking about when he spoke of the light to lighten the Gentiles! Jesus came to bring life and light to our dark world. He came to save all people from all nations. Anyone who believes in him will receive the gift of eternal life in heaven. So then praise Jesus Christ, the Son of God:

3. GOD IN THE FLESH

Listen again to the words of verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Word, the eternal Son of God, became flesh. He became Immanuel, God with us. This is Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man in one person. The Bible says in Colossians chapter 2, "In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." In Jesus Christ, God dwells with us. Jesus is God in the flesh.

He made his dwelling among us. "Dwelling" really means "tent" or "Tabernacle." In the Old Testament, God dwelled among His people with a special presence in the Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle. In Christ, God dwells among His people in a personal way. Christ is the living Tabernacle of the living God. He is God in the flesh.

John writes, "We have seen His glory." Jesus did not always let his true glory as God shine forth, but the disciples did see His glory. When Jesus was baptized, they saw the dove and heard the voice saying, "This is my Son." When Jesus calmed the storm, they saw His glory. On the Mount of Transfiguration, they saw His glory. When Christ rose from death, they saw His glory. There is much in that phrase, "We have seen His glory." Jesus is not just a man; He is and always will be true God! He is God's Son, in the flesh.

He came to bring grace and truth. By God's grace, we believers become the children of God! Whoever believes in Jesus is adopted into God's family and receives heaven as an eternal inheritance. Listen again to the words of verse 12, "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." All believers in Jesus Christ are counted as God's children. What great love God has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are, by faith in Christ Jesus! We are the children of God!

Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers (Heb 2:14-18). It doesn't matter if your race is Jew or Gentile, it doesn't matter if you were born rich or poor, all believers are included in God's family. God does not discriminate. He made and redeemed all people and all races. All who believe in Jesus are members of God's household. It makes no difference what a person's skin color is or isn't. What matters is what is in the heart. And if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin, you are a child of God, and an heir of eternal life.

Verse 16 says, "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." Isn't that the truth? The Lord has blessed us over and over again. We have received grace upon grace, thanks to Jesus. Moses brought the law, but Jesus Christ brought the gospel of God's grace. May we appreciate that this year. We have begun a new year. Let's make the most of our opportunities to hear God's Word, to worship our Savior, and to reach out with the gospel. Each day, may we put our Savior and His Word first, in everything we do. May we remember that Jesus is in charge! May we pray that His will would be done here. May we follow him, worship him, and receive his grace and blessings. This year, each day, may we PRAISE JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD! Amen.