Sermon Tone Analysis

One Word

John 1:1-18

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his [glory], the [glory] of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Today is another special day in the life of The Seed.

Last week, we remembered our baptism.

We were able to let go of our past and draw a new name to begin the New Year.

Over the past few weeks, I have been challenging you to consider what is the “One Word” that God is speaking to you this year.

One Word that God wants you work on.

What one Word God does God want to work in you and through you.

One Word that God wants to use to touch you and heal you.

One Word that God wants to use to fill you and use you.

What is the One Word that God has for you this year?

Maybe you know what that word is right now.

Maybe as you read His Living Word, the Holy Spirit will give you a word.

I truly believe that God has a word for each and every one of us.

It is a new year!

We have a new beginning!

On Wednesday night at “Get a Life Group” we decided to dig into the first book of the Bible --- Genesis.

Here is the opening of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”[i]

In the beginning God creates!

God creates light and separates the light from the darkness.

Day 1 is done!

Next, God creates the waters, skies, land and separates them all.

God creates all of the seed-bearing plants, stars, moon, sun and animals and says that they are good!

Last, but not least, God creates humankind, male and female in God’s image and says this is very good.

Do you know that you are created and knit together in your mother’s womb and God says that when you were created that it was very good?

In Psalm 139 the writer tells us that we were knit together in our mother’s womb and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

This is how it is actually recorded in the Bible, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”[ii]

Words.

These are wonderful words to ponder today as we open the Gospel of John.

Before we turn to God’s Living Word, let us come to our Living Lord and pray.

“God of all words, Come and fill our hearts and minds with Your Living Word.

Help us to see You, hear You, feel You and praise You this morning and every morning.

Amen”

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.10

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his [glory], the [glory] of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testifies concerning him.

He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.[iii]

In the Gospel of John, we have a wonderful illustration presented of who Jesus is.

Jesus is the Eternal Word! Jesus is the Creative Word! Jesus is the Incarnate Word! Incarnate means that God became flesh.

God became a human like us with flesh and bones.

The actual meaning of verse fourteen is that God moved into our neighborhood and pitched a tent.

The WORD became flesh and lived among us.

The Word, Jesus, wants to come and live in our hearts.

So What?

What is the ONE WORD that wants to come and pitch a tent in your heart this year!?

Where is Jesus moving in your life?

What one word will allow God’s Word, Jesus Christ in the flesh through the Holy Spirit, to come in and get bigger and bigger in your life.

I love reading C.S. Lewis.

He has written many books.

One of the most famous series that he’s written is called “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

There a powerful seen in the book, “Prince Caspian.”

Lucy, one of the main characters sees Aslan the Lion, the Christ figure, again after many years.

This is how Lewis records the exchange:

“Welcome, child,” he said.

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”

“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not.

But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”[iv]

It is my hope and prayer that every year we remain in God’s Word and that we find God bigger each year!

We find God more creative!

We find God more powerful!

We find God more loving!

We find God more gracious!

We find God more comforting!

My prayer for us is that we will find God!

In the opening prologue of the Gospel of John there is so much for us to look at.

We really don’t have time to uncover all of the gold and all of the wonderful words God has for us.

I encourage you to go home this week, read and reread the first eighteen verses of John and let the Holy Spirit speak to you!

What is the one word that God is speaking to you?

General William F. Dean was a prized prisoner of the Communists during the Korean struggle.

One day, the General was advised that he had five minutes in which to write a letter to his family.

It appeared to be the end.

Calmly he accepted the order and proceeded to write.

In the body of this now-historic letter appears a single line worthy of remembrance: “Tell Bill the word is integrity.”[v]

One Word --- Was

“In the beginning was the Word.”

There never was a time when Christ did not exist.

The word “was” is used six times in the opening four verses.

In the Greek “was” is an imperfect verb.

This means that the writer portrays the action as being done in the past and this action continues into the future.