Bethel Baptist Church of Tillamook, OR
December 7, 2025
  • Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
  • O Come O Come Emmanuel
  • Christmas Sanctus (Holy Holy Holy)
  • John 1:1-5

    Introduction

    The power of words
                Drive-up at Starbucks – receive what I ordered
                Words of encouragement
                Words of criticism
                AI intelligence – speak and get my answers to my requests or questions
    My words < God’s words much more powerful
    Psalm 33:6 NASB95
    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
    Word goes forth, things happen
    In John’s introduction, Jesus Christ is called the Word; John puts Him in the same category as the Word of God.

    1. The Word is God, John 1:1-2.

    John 1:1–2 NASB95
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
    The baby who entered this world through the virgin birth into a stable was and is the Word of God- the powerful walking, talking Word by which God made the world and does His work.
    In the beginning was the Word – there was never a time that He did not exist. At the very beginning He was with God.
    Note the distinction between God the Father and the Word. The Word is not an idea, a principle, or a message plucked from outer space. The Word here is a person, One who was in existence before the beginning, was with God and is God.
    God the Son-the Word-is united with God the Father in oneness. The Bible makes it clear that there is one God, and those who saw the infant Jesus lying in that manger in that chill night in Bethlehem came face to face with Him.
    We must not forget who Jesus is. The scenes of Christmas are tender and hopeful, as we picture the vulnerable newborn in the manger. But we should not underestimate or misunderstand this child. The Word of God who came into this world is the eternal Word, who was with God at the beginning, and the one who is God Himself.
    He is the eternal God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the embodiment of God’s own message to the world.

    2. The Word is the Creator, John 1:3. 

    John 1:3 NASB95
    All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
    We see here another profound statement about Jesus Christ. God the Father and God the Son co-operated in the work of creation. God the Son carried out the work of bringing creation into being. We can say that the universe rightfully belongs to Jesus because it is His creation.
    As humans, we can create things. When we do, we know how to claim them as our own. As a woman, you may have a craft room or sewing room; a guy may have a workshop, or a place they tie flies for fishing. Whether it is a small craft project, a partial remodel of a home or even building a new home, we feel a sense of ownership and we know our rights.
    Jesus came as the designer, the owner, the creator, claiming that which belongs to Him. In our world, where there is a plethora of ideas, where each philosophy and religion shout out for attention, a small infant lying in a hay-filled manger doesn’t seem significant. But do not let the gentleness and grace of Jesus be mistaken for powerlessness or irrelevance, for He is the creator of all things – the universe, you, and me.
    You may ask “What claim does Jesus have on my life?” If we respond in such a way, we demonstrate our lack of understand the beginning of John’s Gospel and the truth that all things were made through Jesus. The world is, as it were, His workshop and we are part of His creation. We belong to Him; we owe our very existence to Him. Therefore, He is perfectly within His rights to claim us. His call is a legitimate one.
    His call is also a profoundly positive one for us. The invitation is not to simply be reminded of the babe in the manger, but to meet Him—the one who made you and this world, and to whom you owe your very life. He is the one who brings the light we so desperately need in this world.

    3. The Word is the True Light, John 1:4-5. 

    John 1:4–5 NASB95
    In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
    We know that the world is a dark place. Just watching the nightly news reveals the darkness around us. Do not misunderstand me—there is good and pleasant in the world. But there is heavy darkness that is casting its shadow over all that we experience, even in the Christmas season.
    Despite the beauty of creation and the warmth of human relationships, the world is sorely damaged by sin.  We are told in the Bible that when God created humanity, they lived in the light of His presence and experienced His life—a life that would never fade nor end. Questioning God’s goodness, the first humans chose to disobey His one prohibition. Because of that, God sent them out of His life-giving presence and into a world which was now broken and tainted with sin. Because of the first couple’s choice to disobey God, we all now experience the devastating consequences of man’s rebellion against God, choosing to live without reference to Him.
    The implications of this are everywhere around us. Illness, poverty, injustice, natural disasters are some of the consequences of that darkness which we have heard about or have experienced. The swirl of ethical choices batters us, the winds of change whirl around us to the point where a confused society does not even agree on what is right or wrong. We feel the darkness as we confront the tragedy of death, never far from our experience. Indeed, we live in a profoundly broken world. We need God’s light.
    Illustration: The experience of driving through fog.
    The true light of the one and only God has been shining in His creation since the beginning of time, shining in natural world that He has made, despite the brokenness of creation. The Bible tells us that God has made Himself known in and through His creation in a general way. In John’s gospel, we read that the great, true Light—the Light of lights that gives light to all people—has come into the world. He came among us that we might know Him, respond to Him, and enjoy the light that He brings to our lives.
    The light that guided the magi from the east to the Child in Bethlehem, to the very place where He was, shined in the darkness of the night that first Christmas. Just so, the light of the Word shines in the darkness of the world. Inextinguishable, it is through Him we can truly know our creator and confidently navigate through life’s circumstances.

      • Psalm 33:6NASB95

      • John 1:1–2NASB95

      • John 1:3NASB95

      • John 1:4–5NASB95

  • Sing We The Song Of Emmanuel
Bethel Baptist Church of Tillamook, OR
revrlcasper@gmail.com
(503) 842-5598
https://bbc-tillamook.faithlifesites.com
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