Monday, Dec. 15th

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Monday, December 15

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I grew up in a pastor’s family and one of the great blessings of my life is that I don’t remember a single day when I didn’t know about Jesus and his love for me.

But when I was 8 years old something happened that helped me understand Jesus in a more personal way. A guest preacher came to our small church in Akron, Ohio. He was a traveling evangelist who my Dad had known for several years; his name was Dr. James DeWeerd.

I still remember, even after 50 years, that he had a deep, booming voice and that he told really cool war stories.
Dr. DeWeerd had served as a chaplain during WW2 and was wounded twice on the same day. He was wounded while tending to a soldier in battle; then wounded again when the ambulance he was in was hit by a mortar shell. As you might imagine, his stories captured my 8-year-old imagination!

Later that day he joined our family for Sunday dinner and elaborated on his war experiences. He said his wounds were such that during his recovery he had to learn to breathe out of one lung at a time. He then showed us that it was a trick he could still do. Sure enough, as he breathed you could see one side of his chest filling with air while the other did not. I thought that was the most amazing thing I had ever seen to that point in my young life!

My brother and I spent all afternoon trying to do it.

All that to say that when Dr. DeWeerd spoke, I listened.

At one point in his sermon that day he said this sentence: “You’re not a Christian here today just because your parents are!”

Even though I was only 8 years old I understood what he meant.

He was saying that even though my Dad was pastor of the church; even though I had known about Jesus since I was old enough to understand words; I was not a Christian until I made a personal decision about Jesus.

So the next morning I knelt on the floor of our living room with my Mom and prayed to ask Jesus to come into my heart.

Now I was only 8, and had a great deal to learn about what it means to follow Jesus, but I believe that my spiritual life with Christ started that day!

John writes:

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...

Many, if not most people who believe in God, believe that what God requires of them is to be good people. Most believe that if they are kind to their neighbors, don’t use profane language (at least not very often), and don’t kill anybody, that they will go to heaven when they die.

In other words, they believe they are children of God simply by being born and by making a reasonable effort to be good.

That’s not what John says.

John is telling us that the eternal Word of God, Jesus Christ, came all the way from heaven to be born as a human baby not just to give us a nice, quaint holiday to celebrate once a year; but to save us from our sins.

Christmas is not just remembering that Jesus was born in Bethlehem so long ago; Christmas is remembering why he was born.

In the very last verse of his gospel John writes:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

What Dr. DeWeerd said all those years ago is still true. You’re not a Christian today because your parents were Christians; you’re not a Christian because your grandfather was a Baptist preacher; you’re not a Christian because you go to church or give money or serve the less fortunate.

You are a Christian if you have received Jesus and believe  in his name. And that requires a spiritual decision.

We’ll talk more about that decision tomorrow!

Pastor Brian Coffey