The Word and the Witness

2023 Spring Branch Church

The Word, and the Witness

John opens with the words “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). If you examine this verse with Genesis 1, you will see some similarities. John is starting off his Gospel a little differently that Matthew, Mark or Luke.

From his very first sentence, John proclaims that Jesus is the eternal, preexistent Word—the one-of-a-kind Son of the Father, the Son who is Himself God.

He doesn’t go into family trees and or lineage’s, which are very important to us. But John is focused on identifying the Word, or the “Logos.”

Greeks understood the Logos to be an impersonal form or force of Reason/Mind/Logic that gives order to the universe. Jews would have understood it to mean “God’s self-expression.” But Jesus would not have been considered to be “God’s Expressed Self,” by the Jew of the Greek.

So, John turns the Greek and the Jew to the cosmos: In the beginning was the Word echoes Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John located Jesus’s existence in eternity past with God. The Word was God: Not only did Jesus exist before creation, but He is also the same God who created the heavens and the earth.

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John is saying to his audience something profound: Listen up world - Jesus is God and He has come to us in the flesh. He is eternal God. Everything that exists is made by Jesus and for Jesus. All of life has its origin, its meaning, and its purpose in Him.

The Word of God communicates God to the world. Just as your words and your conduct reveal something about you, God’s written Word communicates God to us. We get to know God by reading it and studying it.

But how do we connect with a Heavenly Father, Who is invisible? We turn to the Son, of God, the One Who was made manifest. Jesus, the Son of God, is the image of the invisible God. And now to behold, and to look upon the face of Christ, is to look into the face of God.

Many people have come up to me and have spoken these words, “You are Dennis’s boy…; You look just like your daddy boy… poor thang…’ and so on.

If you would have never met my father, Dennis, you would still know something of him by looking at me, and listening to me… But more perfectly… Jesus reflects the Father just as He is… So much so that Jesus says this: “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father (John 14:9).”

So: Jews and Gentiles… Ladies and gentlemen, do you want to know the God of the universe? Do you want to gaze upon the God that the universe cannot hold and time cannot constrain? This God, that is all-powerful and all-knowing… can be known through the Son.

All things were made by Him and for Him… and do you see the light coming up out of the darkness, without a sun or a moon? That light is coming from the Son of God.

He is Jesus. He is Immanuel. What is Christmas about? God coming to us.

(story of all religion leaders before the mountain, seeking god) God has come down to us.

God Has Communicated Himself – He is the Word – The Word is God – The Word is Jesus. Jesus is the Light.

We have the Word. Now let’s look at the Witness…

This is the time of year that we put up lights. People make good money off us, and we pay good money for a good light show.

There is something beautiful about Christmas lights… Not so much during the day time, when the sun is out, but during the night hours, the twinkling lights are a beautiful spectacle to behold and enjoy. They themselves are not the source of light… but they produce light. They themselves are not the Sun, but they imitate the sun in a small way…

In this world: There is the True and Real Light. And then, there are those who point to the light and reflect the light… Like the moon- it does not have its own light but it reflects and points to the True source of light – The sun.

There are false lights in the world. There are bug lights that lead you to destruction. There are those that will lead you in the wrong direction and there are those who will lead you in the right direction. There will be those who will live in their own light and lead you astray, and there are those who will point to God and God’s glory…

So, it was with John the Baptist… John existed to shine and to point. He came during dark days, 400 years after the last prophet, and he came like a massive Christmas light show. John came to prepare the way, to lead others to the true Light Show that has come down from heaven.

He would say, “I am not the Christ… I am not worthy to untie His sandals… I am a Christmas light… He is the Son. I came to baptize with water… Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit… He must become greater and I must become less…I have seen and I have testified that this is the Son of God!

This is what the witness does: The witness testifies. The witness tells others what they have seen and heard… The witness tells others what they know. They themselves are not the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The witness points to the Way, the Truth and the Life.

And the Passion of Christ burned in John the Baptist in such a way that radiated out of his pours. Everyone was coming to see Him. Everyone was coming to hear him. Everyone wanted to know him… But he would point them forward… John would point them beyond himself to the one Who is greater.

Get this: The witness is not the main show. The witness is not the Good News. The witness points the audience to the Main Show, to the Main focus, and to the Good News.

There is One God, One Christ, One Son – And we are not it. The Christmas Figure, The Christmas Savior, the Christmas Message… Is the Light of the World.

What are we? We are Christmas lights. We are the witnesses. We are the pointers. We are the light reflectors. We are the burning ones of God who energized with the Holy Spirit, who have seen some stuff… We have heard some stuff… We have experienced some stuff… We as witnesses know some stuff…

And what do we do? We raise our voices in the wilderness, in the darkness, we bring the mountains down low, making straight paths for the Lord to work in the hearts of men.

In the Christmas story… We have heavenly messengers pointing and leading. We have a light in the sky, in the darkness, leading and guiding… others… to the Light of the World. We see those who have come from God, created, and called by God… leading others to the Creator/Savior.

In our present day… We are the little lights, the witnesses and the messengers in a black sky. We are Baptists… on mission, using every cell of our being to make straight paths for our family, and for whosoever may be around us… to lead others to the One who has created and has called us by His marvelous light.

We are Christmas lights that have our moment and beauty… in the night… before the Son comes. We shine bright, flicker, fading in and out without perfect consistency, driving away the darkness, putting on a show for the Creator, and getting the attention of all that may come our way… as we point forward… to the Light of the World.

“As Christians, where do we get our light source from?” The Light of the World enlightens every man. He can and will give light to every man. He can and will open the eyes of the blind, and give life to every man… who… verse 12… Receives Him…

To those who will receive Him… to them… Jesus gives life, light, the right to become children of God… to those who believe in His Name…

When His Light comes into your world, into your soul, you are brought out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. And His light will shine in you and through you.

If you will believe… Receive His Name...

What is the Name? Jesus. Immanuel.

What is in a Name? Eternal Life and Light.

What is the gift? A Person. Jesus and Immanuel - The God Who saves and the God Who is With Us.

What is in this gift? Eternal life. Eternal light. Eternal love.

But what shall you do with it? Verse 11-12 -Some will reject the gift and some will receive the gift. What shall you do with Him?

Some will pick up gifts this Christmas, shake them and put them down. Some will open their gifts and play with the boxes. Some folks are going to exchange their gifts, misplace or lose gifts.

And some of you will open you gifts and be glad, be excited, enjoy, and take pleasure in your gifts… You may even call and tell others about what you have received.

And faces may radiate...

But with Jesus Christ – Light of the World… Now my soul radiates! Light of the World stepped down into darkness to let me see. His beauty made my heart adore Him… And now I just want to be a Christmas light for Him until the Son comes again.

Do you need life? Do you need light? Are you being a witness to the light or are you hiding in the darkness? Come out and live in the light! Come out and let your light shine!

Receive the Light. Receive the Life. Do not reject this gift!

He is the best Gift you will ever receive. And He is here, now, to receive.

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