Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Glory Revealed”*

*John 1.14-18*

I chose this passage this morning because it is included in many songs we sing during the Christmas season.

And I have always been intrigued by some of the language that the Apostle John uses here.

And so I must admit I was driven by some of this fascination and wanted to share some of these great truths with you all.

At this time of Christmas, I want you forget some of your familiarity with the story and be “wowed” by what actually happens when we celebrate a baby born in Bethlehem.

So this will be less Christmas “story” and more Christmas “theology.”

These truths are extremely important and relevant for us.

We will talk more of this in a bit.

We are in John chapter 1 verses 14-18.

But before we dig in here, we need to read and understand the context of the passage.

Let’s read the text and get a feel for the big picture of what John is getting at here.

READ John 1.1-18.

You quickly notice that John uses certain words and images to describe Jesus Christ.

He writes of “word” and “light” to describe him.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Actually, it’s “in the beginning.”

These are the three words with which John chooses to start his gospel.

Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy back to Abraham.

Luke begins with the birth of Jesus in the times of King Herod.

Mark begins with the ministry of Jesus without even going back to his birth.

John has chosen to go to the very beginning of time.

And he indicates that this Word existed before the Creation.

John says he was with God and, actually, he was God!

The Word was involved in the creating of *all things*.

John states that there was life in him which was the light of men.

He is so powerful that the darkness has not and cannot overcome him.

Enter John the Baptist.

He came as a forerunner to Jesus to testify about him – the light.

The light came into the world and though the world */was made through him, /*they did not know him.

We have been studying the Gospel of Mark and we’ve witnessed the many different responses to the person and work of Jesus.

He has been received by some unlikely characters and rejected by those who we would most expect.

But largely, he has been and will be rejected by his own people.

To this point, John has not even mentioned the name of Jesus, but has used descriptions of him before identifying him.

In our text, John will make it clear who he has been describing.

This will actually be a culmination of the things he has mentioned previously.

Our first clue is in the first point:* God and Man.

*The Word became flesh!

Now here is a phrase that is not used very often and may be a bit ambiguous.

What is John trying to say here?

That John uses the term “Word” is significant.

This is the English translation of the Greek work “logos.”

Here it refers to the revelation or communication of God.

And I think John intentionally couples this word with “in the beginning” to communicate something very important.

You see, he brings us back to the Creation account in Genesis 1 where it is recorded that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

And we are familiar that God did not have to /laboriously/ create everything.

He merely had to speak it.

It was through his “/word/” that he created.

In the account of the Ten Commandments given to Moses, you recall that after spending time on the mountain with the Lord, Moses returns to the people only to find they had given themselves to create and worship a golden calf.

In his anger, Moses destroys the tablets on which he wrote the commandments.

And in Exodus 34, the Lord commands Moses to get two more tablets in order to rewrite them.

Listen to the first five verses in this chapter: 1The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.

3No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain.

Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.”

4So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first.

And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone.

5The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed *the name of the Lord*.

“The name of the Lord” refers to his character.

This is why we pray in Jesus’ name.

We pray according to his character and his will.

This section of Exodus (and elsewhere) tells us that God reveals himself through his words.

And “The Word” is the perfect revelation of God.

And the Word became flesh.

So, according to John, the Word was involved in all of creation.

That is quite a resume!

I don’t know about you, but here’s what I do when I am in the midst of a struggle.

In Squamish this is especially effective.

I usually stop what I am doing to go find a place to think and pray.

Sometimes I find myself just walking down by the river or going to Nexen beach, Alice Lake, or a myriad of other places around here.

As I look around at majestic mountains, waterfronts, beautiful forests, and the smells that accompany them, I am quickly reminded of the nature of God – namely his awesome power and creativity.

To realize that the Creator is greater than the creation, brings tremendous encouragement and hope because I understand that the One who is for me is greater than my circumstances.

And the Word, the Creator, became flesh and dwelt among us.

F. F. Bruce indicates that “God’s very Self-expression, who was both with God and who was God, became flesh: he donned our humanity, save only our sin.

God chose to make himself known, finally and ultimately, in a real, historical man: ‘when the Word became flesh’, God became man.”

And this is reinforced by other Scriptures. 1 Timothy 3:16 16Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Philippians 2:7–8 “7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Romans 1:3 “3concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh.”

Galatians 4:4–5 “4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

So why is this important?

Why would Jesus need to come to earth to live and eventually die as a man?

I think Hebrews 2 offers the most complete answer to these questions.

It says, “Hebrews 2:14–18 “14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death 1) he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and 2) deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, 3) so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, 4) to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

So it seems as though it was necessary for him to become like us in every way so that these things could be accomplished.

And apparently this is a very important teaching.

In fact, to deny that Jesus came in this fashion was identified as heresy.

Listen to some of these passages: 1 John 4:2–3 “2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 2 John 7 “7For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.

*Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist*.

Pretty strong words.

The Word who was before all things, created all things is God.

And yet the Word became flesh.

Emmanuel – God with us.

Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Next, we see *God’s Residence.

“*And he dwelt with us.”