(12/17) This morning we’re remembering that great moment in time when the true light from heaven came down to dwell among us. When the angel declared to Joseph, the virgin will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). This is the one that we celebrate today, a child who was born, a son who was given, this holy one, the anointed one, the Christ, the Son of God who came on a rescue mission to save us from our sins.

The Bible tells us in chapter three of the gospel of John, in this most well-known passage of Scripture, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18).

In other words, this is one Stellar event, as unique in the universe as it is remarkable in history, because there are not many ways to heaven, there are not multiple ways to God, but God the Holy Spirit declared that there is only one way to heaven. And so, God gave his One and only Son Jesus who also testified saying,

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

And so, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, confirmed the exclusivity of the gospel saying that it’s a narrow gate, it’s very small, it’s a narrow road. But as the Bible says in the Psalms,

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalms 119:105).

And Jesus gave this promise, he said follow me because,

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

And so, Jesus came into this dark world, coming to his own, coming to a people sitting in darkness without God and without hope in the world. He came from heaven to shine on those living in darkness, in the shadow of death, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.

And so, that’s the good news about Jesus, because he is the light of the world, and he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, which means good news.

And that’s amazing, that’s the best news ever, that’s a pretty Stellar concept, that the light of the world has come confirming the words of the prophets. But the problem is, the Bible says,

"Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:19-20).

In other words, Jesus, the light of the world has come into the world, but people refuse to come to the light. Day in and day out they choose to live in darkness, seeking only to satisfy themselves, hoping to find some sort of fulfillment in the world, attempting to find purpose in life apart from the One who created them with a purpose. And so, they end up frustrated, never satisfied, because as the Bible says, it’s all vanity, it’s meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Nevertheless, it’s in that context that God sent his Son Jesus as our rescuer, as the answer to our dilemma, because he is the light of the world. Jesus is the light that illuminates the darkness, and its only as we come into the light that we can see ourselves as we truly are. And so, the Bible says, "Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light…" (John 3:21). And whoever comes to the light, receiving the light, living by the truth, and allowing the light to penetrate their hearts will discover that the darkness flees. It is chased away because when you come into the light and receive the gracious forgiveness of your Savior Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven, and the condemnation and death sentence are lifted.

In fact, the promise of God is that, "To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). And yet, there are many that just won’t believe, and so they stand condemned because they have not and will not receive the gospel, the good news of God’s one and only Son. The Bible says there is a reason for this, that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. "The god of this age (our spiritual enemy Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). In other words, they just can’t see it, they don’t see the light, they don’t understand the gospel, and it remains shrouded in mystery.

And so, even though Jesus is the light of the world, the darkness has blinded mankind to the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. But God is so patient, not wanting anyone to perish, and that everyone would come to repentance. And so, the Bible says, "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). In other words, God wants you to see, he wants you to be saved, and so he has given us a sign to make it clear to us. And that’s what we celebrate on Christmas, that the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son.

And that’s exactly what happened 2,000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem. The light came into the world, Jesus came to save us from our sins, and so we want to celebrate what that means to us today. In fact, I want to share with you the description that God gives, telling us about the coming of his son, because what that means to us is so powerful. Isaiah chapter nine, verse six, tells us,

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The Holy Spirit, speaking to the prophet describes a child, a son that will be born, who will be called, "Wonderful Counselor." Which literally means, beyond understanding, it’s a miraculous thing, it’s remarkable, it’s marvelous to see. In other words, your Counselor is just too wonderful for words, because he’s the only one who truly knows you, who knows exactly what you’re going through, and who is able to sympathize with your weaknesses.

Jesus is your "Wonderful Counselor" because having experienced life just as you have, he understands your pain, and yet having been tempted in every way just as you are he was without sin. And so, he’s able to counsel us, advising us, and guiding us according to the purpose of God, because number two, he is our "Mighty God."

This second name is the same word recorded in Genesis chapter one where it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Or again, in the opening of John’s gospel where he tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning" (John 1:1-2). And so, here John uses the same word, "In the beginning God, in the beginning was the Word." And so, before there was time, anyone, or anything, there was the Word. The Word was God and through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3).

And so, the first thing John tells us about Jesus is that he created the universe. Jesus, who became flesh and dwelt among us, taught us, healed us, loved us, and died for us; after also creating the universe. That’s who he is, that’s our "Mighty God," of whom the prophet Jeremiah says, "Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you" (Jeremiah 32:17). Because he’s all-powerful, all knowing, and always present.

He is our "Wonderful Counselor" because no matter where you are the Bible tells us that he knows your thoughts, he knows your heart, and he knows everything about you. He is our "Mighty God," because he can do anything, absolutely nothing is impossible for him. And third, he is also our "Everlasting Father," which suddenly makes this very personal.

The revelation of Jesus as another Father in our lives can cause a flood of emotions both good and bad to rise up in us, but what we don’t want to do is to project the image of our earthly father onto our "Everlasting Father." And so, for just a second, let’s give Jesus the opportunity to reveal who he is through the lens of Scripture, because when we do, we’re going to see our "Everlasting Father" in a way that maybe we’ve never seen before.

The Bible says in Psalm chapter 103, that Jesus, our Everlasting Father, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love" (Psalms 103:8). One of the most liberating moments you may ever experience in your life is the moment when you come to the realization that there is nothing you can do, not a single thing, to earn God’s love. And yet, some of you have been working, trying to earn God’s love, because you feel like you have to do something; because deep down inside you don’t believe that God really loves you and accepts you for who you are.

But this morning, I want you to hear the words of Jesus to those who were trying to earn God’s love. He said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). In other words, he says, just come, just come to me, stop trying so hard, stop working so hard because you think God doesn’t accept you. Because when you come to Jesus, when you trust in Jesus, because of your relationship with Jesus God accepts you. Therefore, there is nothing that you can do to cause him to love you anymore or any less than he already does. And in his presence, you will find rest for your souls, and so he says, just rest, be still, and know that I am God (Psalms 46:10).

And so, when we look at Jesus through the lens of Scripture, we discover that he is compassionate, caring, and abounding in love. In fact, he says, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). And so, Jesus, your "Everlasting Father," has plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future, because he is pleased with you, satisfied with you, and he loves beyond what you can even comprehend.

And then, the fourth name that Isaiah said this child would be called is, the "Prince of Peace." But how are we supposed to understand that peace in the context of our world today? How are we to reconcile that in our minds with all that we see in the news today? Well, when we study Jesus’ name, the "Prince of Peace," we discover that he is so much more than just holding candles and singing silent night. He is more than just a calming influence when we are upset. In fact, in the original language, that word "Prince" means the one who is in charge, the head person, or the leader. And the other half of that name is "Peace," which means rest, to be safe, well, or happy; to experience health and prosperity. And so, if Jesus is the "Prince of Peace," you could say he is the captain of rest, the Lord of tranquility, the chief of contentment, the general of wholeness, the czar or Caesar of completeness.

And the only qualifier is that we must come under his leadership or Lordship, in other words, he must be the one in charge. Because its only when we come under the Lordship of Jesus, the "Prince of Peace," that we can experience his perfect peace. You see, Jesus can give you an inward peace that most people can’t understand. When your private world is falling apart, Jesus can give you a peace that goes beyond our human understanding.

Now, some of you might say, "Well, what if I don’t have this peace?" And may I suggest to you, if you don’t have his peace, it may be an issue of surrender, trusting completely in the "Prince of Peace." And so, maybe you’re trying to live your life your own way, trying to figure things out yourself, trying to solve it on your own, and trying to cope with life outside of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

And so, what do we do when we are outside, trying to make it on our own, and we don’t have peace? Well, the Bible is very clear, we humble ourselves, we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and Philippians chapter four says it this way, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). And so, we pray, presenting our requests to him, saying, "I can’t do this, Lord. I’m giving it to you, I’m trusting you with it, because you’re in charge." And we put ourselves under him, under his Lordship, under his authority, and then the Bible promises, "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). Because he is the light of the world, he is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and he will reign forever and ever. Jesus is the rising sun, the morning light from heaven, shining on those living in darkness and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott