Logos, Life, and Light, The Lord Jesus Christ is God's Ultimate Communication to Us!
John Hester
The Family of God - John's Gospel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 26 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Emphasize: Jesus Christ is uniquely different from any other baby born into this world. He is unique because His is Logos. A quick word study reveals that this Greek word, logos, means more than just a descriptive word composed of letters and vowels. It literally has the idea that Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate communication of truth about Himself, about God. He is God’s direct divine communication to us.
A.W. Pink, in his Exposition of this great gospel, wrote the following:
“A ‘word’ is an expression: by words we articulate our speech. The Word of God (Logos), then, is Deity expressing itself in audible terms.”
Words are the medium by which we make apparent our thoughts to others. You only know that is in mind when I communicate my thoughts via words. As Logos, Christ is the means by which God has made manifest what it is not seen. We cannot see God, thus, Christ becomes our visualization of God.
Words are also our means of communication. It is how we transmit information to each other. In the same way, God utilized His Son, Logos (the Word), as the means of transmitting to us His life and His love.
Words are a method of revelation. You can often tell what sort a person is within by the words that come out of their mouth. They reveal the intellect and moral caliber of a person. Christ, Logos, perfectly revealed to us God character. He clearly showed all of God’s attributes and perfections.
He was God’s ultimate communication of the truth about Himself.
How was this possible? What made Jesus Christ so radically different than any other human being born into this world? Well, let’s start with what our text teaches us this morning.
Jesus Christ is the God of the Universe
Jesus Christ is the God of the Universe
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
There are several things to note here.
The Holy Spirit begins this great gospel stating these words, “In the beginning...” Now, if there is any question as to what beginning the Holy Spirit is referring to let me take you to Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
There is no doubt that this phrase takes to the very point of origin of our entire universe. Before the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars existed, there was God. He is the One Who “in the beginning” created all that we see. An interesting thought is this. If God existed before there was a beginning, then it stands to reason that there is no beginning for God. In other words, He, God (Logos), is the eternal, preexisting God of the Universe. We see this same reality revealed in Christ’s prayer in John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Thus, we determine from the very start that Logos is the preexisting God of the Universe.
But wait, there is more.
Note again in verse 1 the verb “was.” There are actually two Greek words for this verb. Both of them are located in our text. We have the word “was” in this verse. Then, later, in verse 3 we see it again.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
One of them means “to exist” and the other means “come into being.” Now, obiviously from the context of the verses, you can imagine which word is used. Verse 1 states, “In the beginning WAS the Word.” Verse 3 states, “without him was not any thing made that WAS made.” Verse 1 points us that Christ (Logos), the Word, was/existed in the beginning. Then, later, verse 3 states that He, Christ who is Logos (Word), created all things - “without him was not any thing made that WAS (came into being) made.” We will dive a little deeper into verse 3 in our next point. However, suffice to say for now, Christ is, without any doubt, the God of the Universe. Some further proof given by this word “was” is this. Look down at verse 6.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Now, in this verse, we have the word “was” listed twice. The first is in the original Greek and the second was supplied by the English translators. That first “was” is the same Greek word as verse 3 which means “came into being.”
WHY is this significant? Christ was the Word. He exists as the Word. He existed as the Word before anything and any person was created.
In contrast, John the Baptist, a mere human being, “was (came into being) sent from God.” He was created by the very One Who is Logos, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Universe. Here is a clear picture of Christ the Creator versus John the Baptist the created.
Now, if you need further proof, then look no further than verse 1 once again.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Who existed in the beginning? The Word existed in the beginning. Note some other passages that pertain to this reality.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who is the Son of God? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, God appointed Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, heir of all things by whom also He made (created) the worlds (aka the universe).
Now note something else about this verse. It is through the Lord Jesus Christ that God “hath in these last days SPOKEN unto us.” Christ is God’s final spokesman. He is the ultimate Prophet. He is God’s final Prophet for through Christ God fully revealed Himself to us.
Note this verse.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Now keep that in mind as you read this next one.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Pay close attention to the word “declared.” In the Greek, this word means to tell out.
Now, if you take all three of those verses, we understand that Christ is the One Who is the Spokesman of God. He is tells out or declares to us the Deity of God. He is the revelation of God Himself. It is through Christ that we can know and understand the incomprehensible God of the Universe.
Are you starting to see a theme here?
Go back to our text.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Whenever I talk about the Word of God, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? In most circumstances, I am pretty sure that you think of the Bible. We know it as the Word of God, also known as the Scriptures. Why do we read the Bible? We read it because it reveals God’s mind, expresses His will, makes known His truth, and lays bare His heart. Did not the life of Jesus Christ do the same? Christ displayed God’s power, holiness, grace, and love.
Now going back to verse 1, note this.
The Word (Logos) was WITH GOD. In other words, He was in God’s presence. The Lord Jesus Christ enjoyed great fellowship with God. Proverbs 8:30 helps us know a little bit about Christ’s fellowship with God. Even though this passage in Proverbs personifies wisdom, it does give us some insight about this wonderful fellowship between God the Son and the Father.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,
Before his works of old.
Then I was by him, as one brought up with him:
And I was daily his delight,
Rejoicing always before him;
Logos, the Word, not only preexisted, but there was such a sweet, delightful communion between Him and the Father. It was a relationship beyond our understanding. It was relationship of rejoicing and pleasure.
Note one last fact in our text.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Logos (the Word) WAS God. He exists as God. Christ was not emanation of God. No, He Himself is God. I cannot stress enough the fact that Christ is God manifested to us. He not only reveals God, but is God revealed.
Why is Jesus Christ so much more than baby born in a manger? The answer is simple.
He, as Logos, is the eternal, preexisting God of the Universe. If you truly want to know God, then get to know the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want a deeper, fuller knowledge of God, the study the Lord Jesus Christ. If you truly want to know the personality and character of God, then study the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate communication of God to us. Before He came, the world was without the knowledge of the true and living God.
There are many who make the claim that God is revealed in nature. Even Scripture agrees with that claim. However, nature simply reveals the existence of God and tells us very little about His character. In nature, we witness His power, wisdom, and immutability. Yet, what can you learn in nature about His moral attributes such as justice, holiness, grace, mercy, and love? There is no mercy or pity within nature. For example, if you unwittingly walk over the edge of cliff, you will face the same fate as another person. Such death knows no level of righteousness or holiness. Yet, in contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ fully reveals the fulness of God in all His characteristics and attributes. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Holy One. He is Emmanuel, God come to us in the flesh. For this reason, Christ correctly said his disciple Philip the following.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
This morning, as we enter this Christmas season and we begin this new study of this great gospel, I encourage you to commit to a better, deeper, fuller knowledge of God by prayerfully studying the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, if you will stick with me through our study of John, you will gain such knowledge. For it is in this great book of John that the Holy Spirit constantly draws our attention to the Word, the Logos, the Lord Jesus Who is the God of the Universe.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Seek the face of the Lord Jesus Christ and know that He is God. He is God’s ultimate communication to the world.
Here is my second point for this morning concerning Logos, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that He is more than just another baby born in a manger.
Jesus Christ is the Genesis of All Life
Jesus Christ is the Genesis of All Life
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Again, the Holy Spirit brings us to the reality that Christ is God. Everything that is made was made by Logos, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke it all into existence.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Our text reminds us that “all things were made by him.” I find it interesting that Scripture not only identifies Christ as the Word, but also as the Light. Note verse 4.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
This verse comes on the heels of verse 3 which stated that Logos is the giver of Life. He created life and thus, it stands, that in Him, the Fountain of life, is life. The word “life” here comes from a Greek word that identifies its scope as being all life. In other words, Logos is the creator of both physical and spiritual life. Since life is in the Him, the Creator of all things, then “the life was the light of men.” He is Logos, Light, and LIfe.
There are two important things to understand from the fact “the life was the light of men.”
This statement comes immediately after verse 3 as I already noted. As such, all things, including men, were created by Him. That is the first important thing. The second is that the word “men” means all men, not just believers. Thus, He, the Life (Logos, Creator, God) was the light of all men. Specifically, it is Christ who not only created all men, but sustains all men. Verse 9 confirms this.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
What is the point here? The point is simply this. Christ (Logos), the Genesis of all life, is also the Light by which all men are held accountable. In fact, every man and woman born into this world is born with the ability to rationalize and understand both good and evil.
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Unfortunately, we are also born already darkened by our spiritual condition. Thus, we need a Light that can cut through the darkness and, in doing so, holds us accountable before God. A thought that brings us to our last point for today.
Why is Jesus Christ radically different than any other human born into this world? He is different because He is God and He is the Genesis of all life. However, there is more. Note this last point that we have already touched upon.
Jesus Christ is the Generator of Light
Jesus Christ is the Generator of Light
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Each person born into this world is born a responsible being before God. Each person born into this world will stand before God and give account for his or her life. Why do we stand responsible? The answer was given in Romans 2:15
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The law is written in our hearts, our conscience bears witness, and, a point taken from our text, Christ, who is Logos and Light, has come.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Yet, verse 5, states something incredibly profound.
Jesus Christ is Logos (the Word). Jesus Christ is Life. Jesus Christ is Light. He is no mere human. No, He is God, the second person of the Trinity. He is God’s ultimate communication to us for He is the revelation of God Himself. This is the person who was born into the world on that wonderful Christmas morning. Yet, something dreadful happened and continues to happen even now.
Note that last clause stated, “the darkness comprehended it not.”
Now we see the dreadful reality of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Every person born into this world has within the ability to comprehend the Light of the world. Yet, every person contends with their sinful flesh which disregards the Light, repels it, and keeps them in the darkness of sin.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The unbelieving person is like a blind person. They live in constant darkness. No further proof is needed than the fact the Light of men came and “the darkness comprehended it not.”
But, this is where God’s grace comes into play. The word “comprehended” in the Greek does not have the same meaning that we would understand today. We understand comprehend to mean to understand or grasp fully. However, in the Greek, it means to overtake, to seize the position of with the intent of defeating. Thus, as you read this verse, where it says “the darkness comprehended it not” literally means that the darkness was completely unable to overtake or defeat the Light. This is an incredible statement and one that speaks to the greatness of God. There is no amount of darkness that defeat the wonderful Light who is God. His Light penetrates the darkest dark.
Using light to represent Christ is the perfect example. Think about it. Is there any darkness that can overcome light?
How many of you have ever been inside a cave or cavern? Not too far from here is Luray Caverns. Perhaps you have been there and visited them. A few years ago, my wife and I were staying near Gatlinburg, TN. While were there, we visited one of the many caverns that you can tour. During our tour, the guide brought us into a great big room of the cavern. He claimed that it was on the biggest open rooms within a cavern on the East Coast. It was indeed massive. Then, as he already had informed he would do, he cut the power to the lights within the cavern. It is hard to describe the darkness in that room at that moment. The best way to describe is such darkness is that it so dark that it felt as if it was weighing heavy on you even thought in your mind you know there is no weight to darkness. It was so dark you could not see your hand waving in front of your eyes. Now, think about this. If you were in that cave in complete darkness, how incredibly hard would it be to simply move around much less find you way out. There is no doubt that without light you will ultimately hurt yourself severely if not fall to your death. However, what a welcome relief with the turned the lights back on. Now, here is something you must understand. The moment they turned on the light, the darkness vanished. Darkness has no power over light. Even now, if you get up in the dead and darkness of the night, all you have to do is turn on a light and the darkness vanishes.
How does this relate to the Lord Jesus Christ?
He, the Lord Jesus Christ, radiates light that is unparalleled to any other light known to man. As such, He radiates Light that overpowers any amount of darkness. There is no amount of spiritual darkness within you or me that He cannot overcome. That is the point. Jesus Christ is radically different than any other person born into this world. He is Light. There is no darkness in Him. And, as Light, He is more than capable to overcome all darkness.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Let me say to you this morning, that Jesus Christ is the Light of men and the world. Darkness cannot comprehend or, as we noted, overtake the Light. For that reason, Christ went on to teach us the following.
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
Later, in that same chapter, He stated...
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Whatever darkness in your life this morning, Christ can overcome it for He is the LIGHT of the world. He came as God’s ultimate communication about Himself. He is the God of the Universe. He is the Genesis of all life both physical and spiritual. And, now, He offers Himself to you as the Light that can drive away the darkness within and around you. The question is simple. Will you accept as He is? Will allow the Light to come into your life and drive away the darkness. I find it interesting how many people dread the Christmas holiday. They do find Christmas to be a joyful, happy occasion as it should be. For them, it is always a blue, blue Christmas. Why is that? They are surrounded by darkness even during the brightness of the Christmas holiday. Loneliness, fear, anxiety, and dread grip their soul. I am here to tell you this morning that Christ can overcome all those things. He drives away the darkness. He enters a person’s life filling them with life and light. Thus, He encourages you to “believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” The promise is that “whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Whatever darkness dominates your life, Christ is the answer. He is uniquely qualified. He is the eternal, preexisting God of this universe who has great power in producing spiritual life and light. Even now, He longs to create spiritual life in you. And, without a doubt, His, as Light, can cut through and overpower the darkness in you as well as any darkness that surrounds you.