The Shining Word: John 1:1-5
The Light Breaks Through: Advent 2020 • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
<<PRAY>>
<<READ John 1:1-5>>
<<ADVENT BOOKLET>>
Have you ever longed, just longed for the voice of God to pierce the silence like sunlight piercing cloud?
This is why so many Christians since the time of Christ have taken time before Christmas to remember what it means to wait, to anticipate, the arrival of the Savior.
The season we call Advent is a time of waiting, longing, and hoping.
LAST WEEK: Nehemiah closes his memoir with another plea, “Remember me, o my God, for good.”
And the Old Testament fades to black. For 400 years, God sent no more prophets to Israel after Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi a generation and more before.
Israel was a people waiting for comfort, waiting for consolation. Like a mourner exhausted but unable to sleep, waiting for dawn.
In the interim, they tried to bring about the New Covenant through their own efforts. Ezra and Nehemiah’s spiritual successors continued studying the Old Testament Law, trying to understand exactly what must and must not be done to fulfill it.
so they earned a name: The separators, the specifiers. In Hebrew, the פְּרוּשִׁים, Pharisees.
Others tried to bring about a new kingdom through revolution. In the 160s BC, Judah Maccabee, one of the greatest heroes of post-exile Jewish history, led a revolt against Israel’s overlords. For just barely a century, Judah and his successors ruled in Israel until the last king, who was really just a puppet, was overthrown by the Roman client king, Herod the Great in 37 BC.
God’s people tried everything to bring about the New Covenant. But none of it worked. Their religiosity couldn’t bring the dead to life. Their revolutions couldn’t bring the Scepter back to Judah.
And like Nehemiah, they cried out for God to remember them, to remember His promise, His covenant.
A few minutes ago, our readers read from Luke chapter 1, when the angel of the Lord stood before Zachariah after years, and years, of longing and waiting for a son. When it seemed all hope was gone, the Lord answered Elizabeth and Zachariah, and promised them a son, to be named John.
After 400 years of silence, a Holy Spirit-filled prophet would open his mouth and proclaim the very Word of God, to prepare the way for the Messiah, the Savior.
Of course, Zachariah didn’t get to tell anybody that until the boy was born, since the angel pressed his mute button.
But the story of the Word of God breaking into the silence doesn’t start in Luke 1, in the final years of the last century BC.
The story reaches back to the very beginning, the beginning of all things.
And this is why, in this interminable year, it is so appropriate to turn to John chapter 1 as we look around for HOPE in the Scriptures.
Here in John 1:1-5, we’re going to answer the question:
Q: Where can I find hope when I’m surrounded by shadows?
Q: Where can I find hope when I’m surrounded by shadows?
Org. sentences: I want to answer the question in four ways. (Take note, take heart, take courage, take hope), starting with a brief overview, and then three ways to apply our text.
I. Take Note: The Word Is God the Son (vv1-5)
I. Take Note: The Word Is God the Son (vv1-5)
John 1:1-18 serve as a prologue to the entire Gospel, raising themes that John returns to again and again. It’s one of the most beautiful portions of all of Scripture,
And here we are introduced to “the Word”. Verse 1 points us back to
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The Word was before creation - the Word is eternal.
Verse 1 continues by telling us that the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
We find out in verse 14 that
14 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.
The Word is how John introduces us to the Biblical idea of the Trinity - that God is eternally ONE, and God is eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Word is eternally God, and the Word has eternally been with God. The Word is how John wants us to understand God the Son before He took our nature in the womb of Mary.
God and the Word are eternally in union (“The Word was God”) and eternally in communion (“The Word was with God”).
Verse 3 tells us that the Word is the one through whom all things were made, and without Him not even one thing has been made. When Gen 1:3 says
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The Word, by which created light came into being, was the eternal Word - the Son who alone perfectly reveals the Father’s glory.
Verse 4 tells us that the WORD is the source of life - the One who was born in Bethlehem, laid in a manger, raised in a Galilean hamlet, rejected by his people, and mocked as He gave up His life on the cross - was the Word - the Life Himself.
To put it another way, He made the men who mocked Him. He made the tree that He was nailed to. He made even the very flesh that He became in Mary’s womb.
The Eternal Word, God the Son who became flesh so that He could be the Son of Man, He is the One who walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve, who breathed life into them, who promised to deliver them, and answered death with resurrection.
And verse 5 tells us that the light shines despite everything.
The light shines. Present tense to everyone who ever reads those words. He shines. Continually. Consistently. Invincibly.
And that is why the Word is the answer to your sorrow, your longing, your fears today.
So look at the text of verses 1-5 with me again, this time, a little closer and:
II. Take Heart: The Word Has Never Been Silent (vv1-2)
II. Take Heart: The Word Has Never Been Silent (vv1-2)
It is no coincidence that John chose the phrase THE WORD to tell us about the Son before He became flesh. A WORD is not the same as a noise. A noise is indistinct, indefinite. But a WORD is intentional, intelligent. A WORD communicates.
THE Word tells us who God is.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
When we look at how the Old Testament talks about the Word of the Lord, we discover that He never stops communicating His nature to us:
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
And:
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Even in the silence of the prophets, the Word was at work in the world. Psalm 29 mentions deer, but in calving season, you go out to any feedlot, and you will see the handiwork of the Word.
Colossians 1:15-20 calls Him
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
In Him all things hold together.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
When God’s people groaned for deliverance in the 400 years of prophetic silence from Zechariah to Zachariah father of John the Baptist, the Word continued to hold them together, to knit their children in their wombs, to speak through His already-written Word.
And in these latter days, He has revealed Himself to us even more fully in the Son.
So take heart: The Word still speaks today.
APPLY:
Do you need to hear the Word today?
Today, God speaks by Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, to you here in the Scriptures, words of pure grace. Words of salvation. Words of reconciliation.
He says to every one of us
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
And in John 14:6:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
In Jesus Christ, God speaks a clear word to you. As He said to Martha at the grave of Lazarus:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
III. Take Courage: The Word Has Never Been Distant (vv3-4)
III. Take Courage: The Word Has Never Been Distant (vv3-4)
Look at verses 3-4 with me again.
By the Word, all created things, without exception, were made.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
When Paul was taken before the authorities on Mars Hill in Athens, in Acts 17, said
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
What a picture of intimacy and nearness. Your every breath is a gift from Him.
Verse 4 says:
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
As He says in
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
The Word was in the beginning with God, and the Word dwells with all those who come to Him poor in spirit. To you who know that your only hope is that He has paid your debts, He has promised blessing - His favor and His saving presence.
Apply:
Have you felt far from God in 2020? Have you been anxious, or afraid, and wondered where He is?
Take courage: The Word has never been distant.
Hear His PROMISES to all who believe in Him:
He says in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
He says in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
And the Word has given you songs to sing in His Scriptures for when you feel far from Him.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
And
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
He is not only the Word, but He is also the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of the sheep who goes astray, and He brings the lost sheep home.
The Good Shepherd calls His own sheep by name, and they hear His voice, and they follow Him, for they know His voice.
He says to you, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”
IV. Take Hope: The Light Has Never Been Defeated (vv4-5)
IV. Take Hope: The Light Has Never Been Defeated (vv4-5)
Let’s conclude with a look at verses 4-5. <<READ>>
Life itself reveals His creative power, His wisdom, His glory. It tells us that He is good, that He is kind, and gracious.
Since light here refers to the LIFE that is a gift from God, darkness refers to sin, evil, and death.
But take hope in this fact: They are not equals. Darkness is never a match for light. No shadow ever snuffed out the smallest candle.
God will not permit sin and death to prevail over His creation. And so, here in verse 5, we read that the light shines. Present tense, the light shines.
You could even take it to mean “The light keeps shining in the darkness.”
When darkness seems to close in like a shroud, when you feel the weight of your own sin and wonder how in the world there could be hope for you, remember what the Word has promised you:
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever 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.
Jesus Christ came to give life. The Word made flesh did not enter death to be smothered by it, but to shatter it and bring you with Him out of it. Peter says:
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
So take hope: The light has never been defeated.
Even in the midst of the darkness of this world, His light has never been conquered. Sin has never scored a point against Him. Death has never outsmarted Him.
Do you need to see the LIGHT of Christ again today? The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah with these words:
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
The Son of God, the Word, the giver of life and light, is the Creator and rescuer of this darkened world. There is no darkness within or outside you that He cannot dispel. He is the mighty, SHINING Word, who speaks the words of life to you today.
Conclusion: The Shining Word
Conclusion: The Shining Word
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
For those who belong to Jesus by faith, John 1:1-5 are words of comfort, encouragement, and hope.
But to everyone who says today, “I’m sitting in that silent place, that darkness, and God may not be far from me, but I sure am far from Him”:
You don’t have to stay there.
The message that Jesus brings is called the Gospel, the Good News. Everything I’ve drawn out of these few verses today has been deeply interwoven with the Good News. And the Good News that Jesus proclaims is this:
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Every one of us is like the people who dwelt in a land of deep darkness. We try a hundred different things to escape the darkness, or ignore it, or domesticate it so we can live with the darkness. But we can’t. Like the Jews awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, all our religiosity and revolutionary thinking just succeeds in making us slaves to something new.
And then we still die.
And none of the religion, none of the attempts at making the world a better place can ever banish the darkness within and outside us. Our only hope is a light that breaks through. A light that banishes the darkness within and reconciles us to God.
We need the Word who speaks life into being, we need Him to speak NEW LIFE in us. You need the conquering Word to shine.
And this is exactly what Jesus has promised and delivered. In order to redeem us, the Author of Life became flesh - He took on true human nature, and lived the perfect life that none of us has ever lived. He willingly gave His life at the hands of evil men, who nailed him to a cross, and He died as our substitute, for our sins. And He was truly raised to new life on the third day.
And everyone who believes in Him shares in His own resurrection life.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
This is the Word for you today: Do you believe this?