Who is "the Word?"

Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA OUTLINE: 1. INTRODUCTION a. What is the Trinity? b. Bible study as detective work 2. TEXT 3. CONCLUSION ------------------------------------------------------------1. INTRODUCTION: - - - I think it’s good to know as much as we can about God o Our God is good, holy, just, righteous, all-knowing, all-powerful, and personifies and defines everything that is great and good o Our God is also triune, and this is probably the most misunderstood things about God – and the most critical; it’s what makes God God! Christians “get” that the Trinity is important, and that they ought to believe it o But, most Christians don’t know why they believe it; they just know they ought to o It comes as part of a packaged theological system, like a sampler kit you receive in the mail o There’s nothing wrong with accepting a pre-packaged theological system out of the box; ▪ we all stand on the shoulders of the men and women of the faith who gave blood, sweat and tears to interpret, understand and define what the Bible teaches over nearly two thousand years o But, there’s a difference between accepting a boxed set of doctrines, and actually believing them because you’ve verified they’re right, because you studied it out in the Bible That’s what I want to do on the mornings we celebrate the Lord’s Supper; o I want to study the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Christ by looking at different passages of Scripture a. What is the Trinity? 1 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA - - Definition:1 o Within the one Being that is God o There has always existed three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, o Father, Son and Spirit This definition rests on three pillars: o (1) There is only one God o (2) There are three divine Persons o (3) These Persons are co-equal and co-eternal ▪ If you take the OT seriously, there’s no dispute about #1 ▪ But, where does the rest come from? ▪ Where can you “see” the doctrine of the Trinity for yourself, so it isn’t just a part of a packaged, boxed set of doctrines? ▪ How can it become something you believe and can be passionate about because you’ve “seen” it in the Bible? b. Bible study as detective work: - - Bible study is like detective work: o (1) Gather the evidence fairly and objectively, whether you like its implications or not o (2) Lay it all out on a table o (3) Evaluate it and figure out what it means o (4) Come up with a conclusion based on the evidence You follow the evidence and you take the conclusion = that’s how you verify whether the pre-packaged doctrine you’ve inherited is correct This series of message will accept foundation #1, and go about showing you why foundations #2 - #3 are correct 2. TEXT: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn 1:1). - What does this tell you about the Word? 1 This definition is from James White, The Forgotten Trinity (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1998), 26ff. 2 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA - o He was there at the beginning = He’s above Creation The Word was with God; what does that mean? o It means the Word, whoever He is, is distinct and different than God The Word was God = the doctrine of the Trinity: o The Word is above Creation o The Word is distinct from God, and co-equal and co-eternal because He was there at the beginning with God o The Word also is God = distinct, yet also One = they share the same nature He was in the beginning with God (Jn 1:2). - Distinction between Father and the Word, once again The Bible never overemphasizes unity in the trinity, or the distinction; o both these must be balanced delicately; o to overbalance is to lose the doctrine altogether All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (Jn 1:3). - - In Genesis, Moses told us that God made the heavens and the earth, but here the Apostle John says Jesus did it – is this a contradiction? o No; this is one of those times where “God” is used in a triune, wholistic sense o God did create the heavens and the earth; in the sense of Father, Son and Spirit Here, the NT breaks this down and shows us the “behind the scenes” glimpse of how Father and Son work together; o it pulls the curtain back on the bare statement “God created the heavens and the earth,” and in doing so it shows us the Trinity: ▪ God created everything in creation through the Word ▪ The Word is the living, active personal agent who God used to accomplish His plan ▪ Distinction between Persons = God and the Word ▪ They’re co-eternal = both before creation 3 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 1:4-5). - - What does it mean that “in him was life?” o It means the Word is the source of all creation, of life, of animation o He’s the source of all living things, because He’s the One who created everything that’s ever been made o He’s equal to God because He is God; but don’t ever forget the distinction, either o Because God is One, all three Persons are involved in everything ▪ But, God moved and led the NT writers to emphasize the different roles of one over against the other in certain places to show us His triune nature very clearly This Word is the light that came to shine in the darkness, and it hasn’t been overcome o This is the familiar contrast of light and darkness o This is a Biblical concept, and it’s been copied in pop culture ever since (e.g. Star Wars) o The Word, not the Father, came here to shine a light of salvation in this dark, sin-cursed world, and Satan still hasn’t overcome it There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light (Jn 1:6-8). - This was John the Baptist’s job; to point people to Word, to the light that came to shine the way to His people who’re trapped in darkness John the Baptist wasn’t the Word, in the very same way the Word isn’t the Father = a clear distinction between Persons The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world (Jn 1:9). - The Apostle John is explaining how Jesus came here: o He’s the true and only light that shows people the way out of darkness 4 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA o He came to this world from outside it He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him (Jn 1:10-11). - - This is the ultimate irony: o Jesus came into the world o Jesus made the world o But, the world didn’t know, care or acknowledge who He was o He even came to His own people (the Israelites), and they didn’t receive Him, either The creation said to the creator; “Who are you and why should I listen to you?” But, the story isn’t all sad and depressing But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (Jn 1:12-13). - - - Some people did receive the Word, and still do What does it mean to “believe in His name?” o It means to accept and believe who He is, His identity as the co-equal, co-eternal Son of God, who came here and added a human nature to His divine nature to be a perfect substitute for us in life and death To folks who receive Him, who believe in His name, the Word gives the right to become children of God Notice the distinction again; whose children does the Word make these people? o He makes them God’s children, not His own o Here, “God” clearly refers to the Father o You become a child of God by believing in and receiving the Son How do people become God’s children? How can you become born as a child of God? o It isn’t by birth 5 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA o It isn’t by any of the natural ways normal children come into the world; your parents have nothing to do with it! o It’s by God’s will o People become children of God, by believing in and receiving the Son, and if all this happens, it’s God’s will – not the Word’s ▪ Again, see the distinction between Persons And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). - This is the story of the incarnation o The Word was there at the beginning, before the beginning o He created everything o He was with God (i.e. distinct from Him), yet He was God, too ▪ Oneness and distinction, at the same time o The Word took on flesh: ▪ He added a human nature to the divine ▪ It wasn’t the Father who took on flesh; it was the Word ▪ You’ll never “see” the Trinity unless you see how the NT writers (i.e. God) ALWAYS distinguishes Father, Son and Spirit from one another o John and the other apostles have seen the Word’s glory; and what about His glory? What was it like? ▪ It’s glory just like the Father’s; it’s the glory of the unique, one and only Son from the Father – full of grace and truth ▪ It’s just the Father’s because they share the same nature ▪ It was Yahweh’s glory: • that descended on Sinai (Ex 19:16-19), • that filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-38) and Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 8:1-11). • It was also His glory that left that same temple during the exile (Ezek 8-10), and hasn’t returned since. • The Word’s glory is just like that 6 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA - ▪ This is the first time the Apostle John drops “God” and goes with “Father,” which tells you that’s how He was using the term all along ▪ He also identifies “the Word” as “the Son” for the first time See the distinction again; it’s glory of the only Son from the Father It also shows the Word is equal to the Father; they share the same glory John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me,’” (Jn 1:15). - - Again, the Apostle keeps pointing us back to John the Baptist, who was the prophet Isaiah and Malachi said would come on the scene to pave the way for Yahweh to come and rescue His people And, who came? o Jesus came o God didn’t lie; Jesus is Yahweh o He just isn’t the Father or the Spirit For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (Jn 1:16). - Why is Jesus’ glory full of grace and truth? o Grace = favor and love from God you can’t ever earn or deserve o Truth = ▪ the one sent from God to explain Creation, Fall, Redemption and to set everything right once again ▪ the one who reveals God’s plan to reconcile everything to Himself by the message of the Gospel; ▪ who lived, died and rose again to reconcile all His chosen people from all over the world to Himself; ▪ who came to rule over the new and perfect creation by destroying Satan and this cursed world, and starting over again with all His chosen people as His subjects, who’ll serve Him in Spirit and in truth forever 7 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA - • Forget the cliched images of “being in heaven forever,” sitting on clouds = the Bible doesn’t teach you’ll be in heaven in forever! • It teaches you’ll be with the Lord forever, and Revelation 21-22 teaches heaven will be a place on a new and better earth, in a new and perfect creation; • Belinda Carlisle was right; heaven will be a place on earth! 😊 Grace upon grace = an unending, ever flowing supply of grace that keeps on being poured out on God’s people Why is this grace so special, so much better than what came before? For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn 1:17). - - There’s something qualitatively different about Jesus than what came before o Moses’ covenant did bring grace and truth, but it was incomplete o Atonement and forgiveness wasn’t permanent: ▪ it was on layaway; ▪ it was like a mortgage = yours, but not really yours o Moses covenant did contain the truth about Jesus, but it only pointed to it indirectly in the repetitive sacrifices and the priestly rituals ▪ It was only a waypoint, a rest stop on the way to the truth The New Covenant isn’t a break from the Old; it’s a fulfillment o Show comparison slideshow What’s so qualitatively different about Jesus, that makes Him better than Moses? No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known (Jn 1:18). - The messenger is what makes it different: o Nobody has ever seen God o But Jesus, the only God and Son who is at the Father’s side, has come here to make Him known to us 8 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA - o He took on flesh and came here, and “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,” (Gal 1:4) ▪ See the distinction again? o When you see Jesus, you see God o When you listen to Jesus, you listen to God o When you disobey Jesus, you defy and spit in God’s face o When you bow your knee to Jesus in repentance and faith; you do the same to God And, did you notice that Jesus is called God again, and He’s distinguished from the Father? o This is equality and distinction 3. CONCLUSION: - - The OT tells you God is One o That’s the foundation o That’s the starting point What evidence does this passage give you about God? o It paints a picture that tells you: ▪ (1) Father and Son are distinct • John uses “God” here as a synonym for “Father” when He refers to Jesus • God made creation through Jesus • If you believe in the Son, you become a child of the Father, by the will of God • Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, not the Father • Jesus is the God who sits at the Father’s side, who has made Him known to us by taking on flesh and dwelling among us ▪ (2) Father and Son are co-eternal; they’ve both been around before creation itself ▪ (3) Father and Son are co-equal • They share the same nature and the same glory • John even says the Son is God o It shows you the doctrine of the Trinity 9 Pastor Tyler Robbins Who is the Word? (Jn 1:1-18) Sunday Morning – September 2, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA o It shows you who, exactly, suffered and bled and died for you o It shows you who, exactly, gave His body and shed His blood so that you might have eternal life o It shows you whose body and blood are represented by the elements in the Lord’s Supper this morning o It shows you who you’re defying and rebelling against if you haven’t repented of your sins and believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ o And, it shows you whose sacrifice you cheapen if you are a Christian, and deliberately don’t live a holy life because you love and fear God o And, it also shows you how loving and kind our Lord and Savior will be to all who come to Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits: ▪ To the saved and unsaved, He will forgive you and make you whole and clean again 10 Pastor Tyler Robbins