Note from the writer: I returned to Tennessee to become pastor of FBC Columbia in 1996; two years later Lonnie Wilkey became editor of the B&R. So he has been my ‘window’ into Tennessee Baptist life — and into Kingdom work beyond — for nearly 30 years. Lonnie is truly a gentle giant in Christian journalism, and I’m privileged to call him friend. How deeply grateful I am for his invitation to be writing the Bible Studies for Life Sunday School lessons for this, his final edition as editor. Happy retirement, Lonnie! No doubt you’re leaving a major part of your heart in Tennessee, but we know you’re also humming “Nothing could be finer … Than to be in CAROLINA … in the morning.” Enjoy every one of them, my Brother! — Mike Dawson
Focal Passage: John 1:14-18; 3:14-18
A kindergarten class was putting on their holiday play. As the production began, the children were lined across the stage, each one holding up a sign with a large letter on it, spelling out the title of the play, “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S L-O-V-E.” One preschooler was so exuberant she accidentally moved a bit in the line and also held her letter “M” upside down. Everyone chuckled at first, then became serious as they noticed the title now read “CHRIST WAS LOVE.”
That’s what today’s lesson is all about. Called Looking Forward to LOVE, it’s from John 1:14-18 and John 3:14-18. These are ten of the most profound verses in the Bible; the first five present INCARNATION, the birth of Jesus Christ — AND the next five describe SALVATION, the new birth of all who trust in Him as Lord.
John 1:14-18 is from the Prologue to John’s Gospel, which includes verses 1-18. This prologue shows Jesus Christ to be the eternal WORD of God. CHRISTmas is about the historical fact of Christ’s birth. Yet John takes history (‘His-story’) back into eternity past. An old Latin inscription epitomizes what John tells us happened at Christ’s incarnation: I AM what I was — GOD. I was not what I am — MAN. I am now called both — GOD AND MAN.
‘Incarnation’ means ‘became flesh.’ It’s from the word carne = “flesh.” (Think of “chili con CARNE,” meaning “chili without MEAT.”) So John tells us that the eternal Word, who existed before time began, became flesh at CHRISTmastime. It was Christ’s great love for us that compelled Him to leave all the riches and glory of Heaven, to come down to earth, “undressing all the way,” to become a tiny new-born Child, wrapped in a baby blanket. Then growing into Manhood, He lovingly died on a bloody cross for our sins; there is no greater love than this.
Mike Dawson
In these verses John the writer and John the baptizer both testify that Jesus was God before coming to earth, and that now all of us “testifiers” proclaim that He is grace and truth — personified!
Our second set of five verses, John 3:14-18, contain words from a nighttime conversation Jesus had with Jewish ruler Nicodemus. Jesus used an Old Testament story about Moses to point the Jewish scholar to the cross. Then He gave, in 25 words, what I call “The CHRISTmas Gospel”—John 3:16. That verse has five verbs, five action words: LOVED, GAVE, BELIEVES, PERISH, and HAVE.
Let’s connect CHRISTmas with those verbs:
CHRISTmas is about loving …
It’s about giving …
About believing …
It is about perishing …
And, CHRISTmas is about having!
The only verb that might seem out of place is “perishing;” the other four are so positive. But the truth is, we cannot think of CHRISTmas rightly without thinking of those who are missing it!
I’m told that 44,000 people in the world die every day without knowing Christ. That’s the equivalent of 88 jumbo jets, fully loaded with passengers, crashing and burning every day.
Perishing! “Already condemned!”
We who have eternal life must tell those who’re about to perish that they can believe (trust in) the God who gave His Son for them, because He loved them that much. And that’s the CHRISTmas Gospel. B&R — Dawson is pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church, Columbia, and has served as transitional interim pastor at numerous churches across the state since his retirement from full-time ministry.
