Like a lot of towns across the U.S., in the town I grew up in, we had a cul-de-sac, that at Christmas time, we called Candy Cane Lane. It was right behind our local hardware store, and when Christmas came around, every house was lit up. It my town there weren’t a lot of street lights, but in the month of December that little turn around, was as bright as day, with every house participating. They provided candy canes and hot chocolate for those that were willing to take the time and walk the five or six houses that made up the sub-neighborhood. Even Santa was known to make an appearance a few days before Christmas. It was one of the things I looked forwarded to as a kid. As I got older, we didn’t do it a lot, and as a teenager, I don’t know if we did it at all, but I remember it still, and it’s one of those Christmas memories that is lodged in my mind.
And it’s lights at Christmas that brings us to our final Carol of Christmas where we are going to start in Isaiah 49:6 to look at the past of Christmas. And as we open up to Isaiah 49:6, let’s look back at the three other carols that we’ve talked about so far.
We’re calling this series the Carol of Christmas because of Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. In that story he presents the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future. So we’ve been talking about how the true Christmas story of God coming to earth to wrap himself in human flesh because his creation is on a path to eternal destruction and he wants to save it because they can’t save himself, and he does this by living the perfect obedient life we were created to live, and then died as a sacrifice in our place, rising from the dead to not only show the sacrifice would cover our sins, but also open the way to eternal life. And whoever trusts in Jesus as Savior, moving forward in obedient living, will have eternal life. This is the true Christmas story, with it’s own past, present, and future.
The first past that we talked about, is that the first hope in the Bible, when the serpent, who is the devil, is cursed, God lets us know that an offspring will be born who will have hostility with the serpent, and will overcome it. This offspring is Jesus, the cross is the hostility, the resurrection is one part o the victory, but the final crushing of the serpent’s head is in the future, when Jesus returns. So we must accept him now while we can, and live in obedience as we look forward to his second arrival.
The second past of Christmas that we talked about, was that the offspring would also usher in a kingdom. But when Jesus arrived, he made it clear that this kingdom was one that went forward on the message of his death on the cross, his resurrection, and how that work transforms the lives of his people. It is a kingdom unlike any kingdom of the earth, because it is based on the holy love of God for humanity, and not on the power makes right mentality of humans. At Jesus’ return, this kingdom will be fully established will all rebellion and sin put away. So we must accept Jesus as Savior, so that we will be citizens of his kingdom.
The final past we talked about last week was how creation praises and glorifies God by acting out it’s created role. This creation, as represented by the Bethlehem star, points to it’s Creator’s arrival in the manger, and its waiting in eager anticipation for the return of Jesus, when it will not only be freed from the bondage our sin placed on it, but also that it may be recreated into something beyond imagination. And until the day that Jesus returns, we must first accept him as Savior so his return will be joyful for us, who are walking in submission now to his will, because it’s only in his will that we will experience true fulfillment. And we must share his work with others that they too will enter his kingdom at his return, leading creation in the praise of God because we were made to worship him and he is deserving of that worship.
With those three weeks out of the way, let’s now turn to the book of Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 6, where we read, “he says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’”
This verse is part of what’s known as the Servant Songs of Isaiah. They’re a series of songs from Isaiah 42 into the fifties, about God’s chosen servant; these begin with Israel but change to focus on one individual. Now if we follow the thread of the child in Isaiah chapters 7 and 9, we’ll realize that the child mentioned there, is the servant that appears in the servant songs. In what we just read, God is speaking of this servant as not only being a Savior for Israel, but for all the peoples of the earth. The language that’s used here is, light for the nations. This child who in chapter seven was born of a virgin, who, in chapter 9, is revealed as God himself come down, will not only save Israel from it’s sins and establish an eternal kingdom, but will be light to the other nations, or people groups, of the world to know where their sins may also be forgiven.
The idea that God is not just the God of the Israelites, but of the whole world isn’t a new concept, but rather is the point of Israel as a nation. See, when we first open the Bible, we’ll read 11 chapters about God’s relationship with humanity as a whole from creation, to fall, to judgment, and then dispersion across the world. But God’s plan, that we got our first hint in week one back in Genesis 3:15, is that God wants to deal with the sins of humanity as a whole, not just the sins of a single people group. But God’s plan to bring about this forgiveness of sin, uses a single group of people. So from Genesis 12 onward, he establishes the nation of Israel for the purpose of forgiveness for humanity. One of the purposes of Isaiah’s writings is to let us know the focal point of this plan, in God coming down to take on human flesh, that he may be the light that points humanity away from their rebellious actions and back to their Creator. This is our past moment of Christmas, that God himself with be a light for all people in the world.
So when we go to Jesus’ story, what are we told in the opening of John’s Gospel starting in chapter one, verse 1? We read this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
We’re told that Jesus’ life is the light of men, meaning that as we go through this world, we are in darkness if we are separated from the God who made us. But Jesus is light that breaks through the darkness that surrounds us. This is why later on in John chapter 8, verse 12, we read, “12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” By saying this, Jesus is pointing back to Isaiah 49:6 because he is the servant who brings light to the world; John recognizes this and declares that Jesus gives light to the world.
But in John’s opening of his book were told that we must choose this light, we must accept Jesus. When we receive his light, we must receive his work, which means we must agree with God that we are sinners in need of a Savior. That means that we have acted in rebellion against God, but lying, cheating, stealing, dishonoring, holding anger and hatred in our hearts towards another, and a myriad of other things. And all of us are in the same darkness of sin, and we can’t break ourselves free of it. It’s almost as if we breed darkness, every time we engage in the types of things that God says are evil. When we desire what we don’t have, when we connive to get what we haven’t earned, when we are envious of what other’s gain, when hurt to get what we think we need, we exasperate the darkness of sin around us. And once we’ve started producing that darkness, we can never do enough good, love enough people, fix our own life enough to be better, because one ounce of darkness is thicker than the thickest fog, and our best with out God, is little more that a momentary flicker of light in a sea of endless dark. And so we need a powerful light to break through and dispel the darkness, not just around us but through us as well. That’s what Jesus does through his work on the cross and his resurrection, and whoever accepts that work, is brought out of darkness and into God’s light.
Jesus’ disciple Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:8-14, “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”
Paul’s call, to awake o sleeper that Jesus would shine on us, is to all of us this Christmas. To the one who hasn’t accepted Jesus as Savior, you are being called out of your darkness and into Jesus’ light. To awake from sin’s death grip, to Jesus’ eternal life. Don’t let another Christmas go by without walking in the light of God who came down, who rescues from sin, rebellion, and eternal destruction. Because there is a future to the Christmas story.
In the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 21, starting in verse 23, we read, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
When Jesus returns and establishes his kingdom, there will be a time when his light will illuminate all things. All nations will walk under Jesus’ light, but only those who have accepted Jesus as Savior, will be able to enter his city. Those who have accepted him before his return, will be allowed in that city of light, while all others will be shut out. And if you think that’s a horrible thought, that’s why God has worked for thousands of years to bring us out of darkness into his light. It’s why he says things like 2 Peter 3:9, “9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But like all things, and end will come and those who do not choose to repent and come to Jesus will forever be in darkness. As Jesus himself states in Matthew 22:13, “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
It will not be a good time for those who haven’t accepted, and that’s why the message of Christmas is so important and why we must take seriously it’s call to follow the God who came down and wrapped himself in our flesh, that he may be a sacrifice for us, to forgive our sin and rebellion, and lead us into eternal life.
And that eternal life is described to us as John is shown it in chapter 22 of the book of Revelation, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
This Christmas, Jesus is calling us our of darkness and into his light. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as Savior, now is the time. We must accept that we are sinners, rebellious to God’s will, and cannot fix it on our own. But Christmas tells us that God himself came to fix the situation; he does this by taking on human flesh living like us, but without being in rebellion. He then dies on the cross, because death is the result of sin. But because he never sinned, his sacrifice is credited to us if we accept him as Savior. When we accept him as Savior, we are ushered into his resurrected eternal life. That life starts today, and as we grow in our obedience to him, we await his return, when the light of God, illuminates all the world for eternity.
My challenge this week is, if you haven’t accepted Jesus as Savior, don’t let another Christmas pass you by. A simple talk with God begins the journey, maybe something like this, “God I know I sin and am in rebellion, I realize I can’t fix it, but I’ve heard that you sacrificed yourself on the cross that I may be forgiven, I accept that forgiveness, and I am ready to be brought into the light of your kingdom, and become obedient to you." The words don’t save you, it’s his work, and our hearts being turned to Jesus. Let that be the gift of God to you at this Christmas time.
To those of us that have accepted Jesus as Savior, what are we waiting for? Let us share the message of Christmas with others, because there will come a day, when we can’t; either by our own death, or his return. Let us not weary of our calling to share the Christmas story. So my challenge for you is to write a Christmas card, with the four Carols of Christmas that we’ve talked about these last four weeks: hope that Jesus will fix sin, excitement at his coming kingdom, worship of the Creator, and light of the Savior.
Let us all share and experience the story of Christmas, that God came to us when we were lost, and brings us to himself, if we let him. Amen.
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