Coming to the Light
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 10, 2017
This Christmas sermon explores the fears that keep people from coming to the light of Jesus Christ. Through Luke 2 and many other Scripture passages, the pastor shows that sin causes people to fear God's holiness, but the Savior came humbly to bring true peace and liberation.
The sermon opens by contrasting the romanticized, warm cultural image of Christmas with the actual biblical account of the night of Christ's birth. The pastor emphasizes that the shepherds' first reaction to the angel's appearance was not joy but great fear (Luke 2:9), which is the natural response of sinful humanity when confronted with the light and holiness of God.
The sermon traces this fear back to the Fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis, through Moses hiding his face before the burning bush (Exodus 3:6), Isaiah's lament before God's throne (Isaiah 6:5), and Peter falling at Jesus' feet asking Him to depart (Luke 5:8). The Gospel of John states the central theological principle: people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19-20). Sin not only produces fear but enslaves people — to bad habits, material things, and anxiety — like the cracked cisterns described in Jeremiah 2:13.
The pastor analyzes the specific fears that prevent people from coming to Christ: fear of having their true selves exposed, fear of having to change their lifestyle, fear of losing familiar pleasures, and fear of losing control of their own lives. He explains Jesus' words in John 8:34 that whoever sins is a slave to sin, and uses Romans 7:14-15 and Galatians 5:19-22 to illustrate the inner conflict between the sinful nature and the human desire to live rightly.
Yet the angel brought Good News: Do not be afraid, for behold, today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). The pastor emphasizes that Jesus came humbly, in ways appropriate to each audience — a baby in a manger for lowly shepherds, a bright star for Eastern wise men — so that no one need be afraid to draw near to Him. His light is deep enough for scholars to spend a lifetime studying, yet simple enough for a young child to believe and receive.
The sermon concludes with a call to concrete action: just as the shepherds decided to rise and go to Bethlehem, listeners must voluntarily come to Christ through a clear act of faith. Two Scripture passages close the message — Isaiah 55:1-3 inviting all who thirst and John 6:27, 35 declaring Jesus as the bread of life — to persuade the congregation that only in Him can true satisfaction and eternal life be found.