Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Witness to the Light*

May 11, 2008

*John 1:6-8*

* *

 It is hard for many of us to accept that we live in a world of darkness.

We are proud of our achievements, our social, technological, and scientific progress.

We point to our impressive achievements in computers, in communication technology, in space travel, in medical science.

We compare these achievements to the state of human knowledge and engineering of fifty years ago, or a century ago, or a thousand years ago, and we say, "See how far we've come!"

We point to our great libraries and universities, and we say, "How can anyone say we live in darkness?"

Yet, if we are honest, we have to admit that regardless of our impressive social and scientific advances, we have made no progress whatsoever in conquering the basic ills of the human condition: Fear.

Hate.

Crime.

Conflict.

War.

Racism.

Injustice.

Sin.

We do not know the answers.

In fact, we often feel we don't even know the questions.

We are like children lost in a dark forest, feeling our way around, hoping to recognize some landmark, yet despairing of ever finding our way back to the path.

We don't know what we may find in the dark, behind the next shadowy tree or bush.

We hope to find a rescuer — but we fear that there is nothing awaiting us but a beast or a deep abyss.

Listen to the politicians.

Listen to the scientists.

Listen to the economists.

Listen to the news commentators.

No one truly understands all the immense complexities and problems of our world today.

No one is in control.

Even our kings and presidents seem to be feeling their way in the darkness.

The opening line of the 1970s song by Simon and Garfunkel is still relevant today: "Hello darkness, my old friend ~/ I've come to talk with you again."

That is how millions feel today: The darkness is our constant companion, a shadow that never leaves us, and from which we have no hope of escaping.

The darkness is not only outside us, surrounding us, but it is within us as well.

Some time ago, I actually read about a husband — a professing Christian — who said to his wife, "Why are you getting so upset at me? What's the big deal?

All I did was have an affair!"

That is true darkness — a darkened heart, a darkened understanding.

Any man who does not comprehend the pain and destruction he creates when he defiles the marriage bed is living in the darkness of self-deception.

This kind of darkness pervades our entire culture, our entire world.

Easy divorce, permissive sex, a decline of moral standards in our entertainment media and our political leaders and cultural heroes — all of these factors are dissolving the glue that holds society together, destroying our families, and sabotaging a whole generation of children and young people.

Anarchy and violence are on the rise and standards of behavior are on the decline.

This is darkness.

Clearly, the words of the gospel of John are as relevant today as when John first wrote them to the dark and evil world of the first century Roman Empire.

With that background of darkness fresh in our minds, let’s turn to John chapter 1 and we’ll read verses 6 through 8:  /“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.

He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.”

/

Let's remember why this gospel was written.

John 20:31, "/These things were written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing have life in His name."/

So my aim this morning as a minister of these words is that you would believe in Jesus as Son of God and that you would experience newness of life.

The reason I say newness of life is because in John 10:10 Jesus said that the reason he came into the world was that his sheep might have overflowing life/: "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly."/

This word (/perisson/) speaks of excess, overflow, surplus.

The idea is that Jesus gives life that is more than ordinary life.

The life of a Christian is life upon life.

Excess life.

Life added to life – “pressed down, shaken together, running over.”

And the way to have this life from Jesus is to believe in him.

John 5:24, /"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."/

Notice: NOT just will I have eternal life some day beyond the grave; BUT I have passed now (by believing) from death to life.

You can have new life this morning: life that is more than the life you have known before, life that is so wonderful it is a passing from death to life.

And even Christians who have weakened in faith and lost the full power of new life can find stronger faith and fuller life in these words this morning.

That's our goal: these things are written (in John) and this message is preached that you might believe in Jesus (like you have never believed before) and believing have life (like you've never had before).

Our text today can be summed up in three statements:

1.    God sent a man named John.

(v. 6)

2.    John came to be testimony to bear witness to the light.

(v.

7a)

3.    The aim of his testimony was that all might believe.

(v.

7b)

Let's take these one at a time and let them move us to the goal of the gospel and the goal of the message: belief in Jesus Christ and overflowing life in his name.

*1.

God Sent a Human Witness *

God sent a man named John.

John 1:6, /"There was a man sent from God whose name was John." /

Why does John, the writer of this gospel, introduce John the Baptist like this right here?

It seems abrupt.

Verse 5 is talking about the light shining in the darkness and the darkness not overcoming it, and verse 9 goes on to talk about the light coming into the world.

And verses 6–8 seem like an interruption.

Why not get Jesus all the way introduced, and then introduce John the Baptist?

Well, John could have written it that way.

But he didn't.

And the effect of the way he did write it is to make crystal clear from the very outset that God's way of letting the light of Christ shine in the world is by human witnesses.

God's way of pushing back the darkness is by human witnesses.

It didn't have to be this way.

God could have caused the light of Christ to spread in some other way.

He could have done it with angels.

He could have written the gospel in the sky with big puffy white letters made out of clouds.

He could have caused the wind to talk.

But instead God chose to call and send human beings to bear witness to the light.

"There was a man [a human being] sent from God, whose name was John."

This general principle is even more clear because John was sent to testify to the light while the light was there.

As soon as the light was in the world—as soon as Jesus came—God prepared and sent a human being alongside the light to bear witness to the light.

Jesus did not need John the Baptist to make himself known.

He could have managed by himself—he was the light of the world.

But evidently God's wisdom dictates that his Son should be heralded, announced, proclaimed by people that he sends.

Evidently God knows that this is the way to bring the greatest happiness to men and the greatest glory to his Son.

There are at least two implications of this for you today.

One is that you should be alert to the possible call of God in your life.

All Christians are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:16).

All are called to witness to the light.

Acts 1:8 says: /but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."/

And 1 Peter 2:9: /but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

/God still calls us in a special way and for special tasks.