Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction:
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”
“Space: the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the…”
“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a…”
“Here’s the story, of a lovely lady, who was…”
“In west Philadelphia, born and raised…”
What are all of these examples of?
Introductions.
Introductions are a given part of life.
In fact, some of you may have introduced yourself to one another this morning.
An introduction tells us something about the person being introduced.
It can be as simple as a name.
“Hi, my name is…”
Or it can be more involved like when a speaker is introduced to an audience.
Whatever the context, the goal of an introduction is to acquaint two parties.
In our passage this week, John is going to introduce us to Jesus.
As with the introductions to the television shows and movies from earlier, a good book starts with a good introduction.
What is this book about?
And why is it worth my time to read?
That’s John’s task this morning.
So grab your Bibles and open to John 1:1-18.
Body:
“In the beginning was the Word…”
This is John’s introduction of Jesus.
He introduces us to Jesus as “the Word.”
The Word in the OT represented God’s power, wisdom, and creative activity:
Genesis 1:3ff And God said…
Psalm 107:20 the Lord sent His word and healed them
Isaiah 55:11 My word will not return to me empty
The Word also represented God’s revelation of Himself, a direct communication from Him:
Jeremiah 1:4 the word of the Lord came to me
Isaiah 9:8 the Lord sent a messenger
The Greeks also had a unique view of the Word as reason, rationale, wisdom, the reason for all that is.
With this as a backdrop, John introduced Jesus as “the Word,” but, as we’ll see in our passage, he defined this “Word” in his own unique way.
John wants us to know that this Word is the Word of God, he was with God, he is God.
P1: Meet the Divine Jesus (John 1:1-5)
D.A. Carson has called this passage “a masterpiece in planned ambiguity.”
No offense to D.A. Carson, but I have to take issue with him here.
This passage is not at all ambiguous.
In fact, there are three unambiguous declarations about Jesus in this introduction.
First: The Word is the Eternal God.
(1-2)
(1a) “In the beginning was the Word”
Jesus was there at the beginning of all beginnings.
(Genesis 1:1)
The Word was uncreated.
There has never been a time when the Word wasn’t.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning…
(1b) “and the Word was with God”
The word “with” suggests intimate proximity of relationship.
1 John 1:2 was with the Father & manifested to us.
This statement revealed that the Word is a person distinct from God the Father yet eternal like the Father.
(18) “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
The Word, being there at the beginning, being eternal, being with God, was also God.
(1c) “the Word was God”
Here God, theos, is in the place of emphasis, “God, the Word was.”
To include the definite article would have been to commit heresy by declaring that Jesus the Son is the same as God the Father.
John was making a clear and unambiguous Trinitarian statement regarding the deity of Jesus.
From eternity past, the Word was with the Father and shared in the fullness of His deity.
There is no ambiguity here at all.
In verse 2, he repeats this claim about Jesus to ensure that we are absolutely clear.
John wants us to meet Jesus and Jesus is the eternal God.
Second: The Word is the Creator God.
(3)
(3) “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
As eternal God, Jesus had a hand in the creation of all that has been made.
Hebrews 1:10 You laid the foundations
Colossians 1:16 by Him all things were created
1 Corinthians 8:6 through whom all things have come
Again, there is no ambiguity here.
“All things came into being through Jesus, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
Third, The Word is the Life-Giving God.
(4-5)
(4) “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”
As the eternal God & Creator of all things it follows that Jesus is the possessor and source of life for all as well.
John 3:15 will have eternal life
John 5:21 the Son gives life to whom He wishes
John 10:10 have life abundantly
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 8:12 I am the light of the world
John 12:46 I have come as light into the world
(5) “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
“Comprehend” “understand” “overcome”
The darkness of mankind could not comprehend the light of Christ, nor could they hope to extinguish it.
John 3:19-21 loved darkness rather than the light
Light a match in a dark room and what happens?
Yet again, there is no ambiguity here.
Jesus is the source of physical life yes, but more than that He is the source of eternal life.
His light that opens blind eyes that we might believe in Him has come and the darkness has not overcome.
This Word is the Life-Giving God.
END P1
John 1:6–9 ESV There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
This is not the Apostle, but John the Baptist.
Isaiah 40:3 A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord
John 1:23 I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness
Matthew 3:3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet…
Luke 1:16-17 And he will turn many of the Sons of Israel back to their God
John was God’s messenger sent to prepare Israel for the coming of Jesus, so that they might believe in Him.
He was Jesus’ forerunner, His testifier, His witness.
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