Sermon Tone Analysis

Central Theme: Know that Jesus has risen, he has gone before us, and he is in our midst.

Interrogative: Why do we have to hear and understand the Word of God?

1.

The Word is eternal

2. The Word is the Creator

3. The Word is life

Introduction

On the day of Good Friday, The National Public Radio (NPR) newsroom wrote an article titled, “Pope to World: Hell Does Exist.”

NPR thought it would be an article of interest given that it was Good Friday.

The piece aimed to examine a report by an Italian journalist who claimed that Pope Francis denied the existence of hell.

The Vatican denied that the Pope ever made such statement and debunked the claim made by the atheist 93-year-old reporter.

However, the interesting feature of this article is not the alluded quotation made by the pope, but the way in which the NPR article referred to Easter.

The article written by Vanessa Romo and proofed by their lead political editor Domenico Montanaro described Easter as, “the day celebrating the idea that Jesus did not die and go to hell or purgatory or anywhere like that, but rather arose into heaven on a Sunday.”

Let me remind you that this was written just over a week ago.

As Christians, I hope you recognize that description of Easter in the report was utterly erroneous.

Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Earth, not on Heaven.

Jesus eventually ascended into Heaven, but that was 40 days after He appeared to His disciples and hundreds of others.

Furthermore, the reporter noted that Jesus did not go to hell or purgatory, which is somewhat dubious as to how the author was emphasizing this idea, taking that she claimed to have a Catholic background.

I assume that the reporter was recalling The Apostles Creed, which is recited by many churches, as a statement of faith.

Written in the second century, it is used to declare faith in Christ publicly.

In some churches, the creed is recited before the public declaration of the faith at baptism.

In any case, the Catholic version of the creed states that Jesus descended to hell, which leads to an assumption that the reporter was recollecting and mistakenly quoting one of the creed’s declarations.

What is disappointing in this event is that Romo and Montanaro claimed to have been raised Catholic, attended a Catholic school, and yet failed to define one of the most important days of our Christian faith.

What is even more deplorable and surprising is that a public and “respectable” news outlet allowed for such blatant mistake concerning one of the most revered days for Christians, in which many American alike celebrate, given its history.

Apparently, the embarrassing error was caught by a Washington Post column, which concluded that the failure was clear evidence of the lack of religious literacy in the NPR newsroom.

Considering the mistake, Rob Dreher of the American Conservative news outlet made a good point when he argued that the if we can’t count on leading journalists to understand the most basic facts about Christian practice and belief, how can we trust them to report accurately on matters that deal with more complicated Christian beliefs.

It begs the question if we cannot trust them to report accurately and account why we believe what we believe, how will the secular world understand our worldview and allow for a meaningful conversation with them?

The point that I am making by bringing up this incident and assessing the NPR article, is that it seems that religious illiteracy is at an all-time high, even to those who claim to have some sort of Christian background.

The idea of being raised as Christian or Catholic but failing on elementary facts results in real-world consequences.

The notion that a news outlet who claim to have “high-standards,” yet betray to report elementary Christianity has even greater implications.

Therefore, if we cannot trust those who claim to have a Christian background, nor “reputable” news outlets, then it is increasingly critical that we grasp the fundamental tenets of our faith, that realize the consequences of not distinguishing essential Christian doctrine.

For it is crucial that we educate those in the secular society on the matters we believe.

It is necessary that we have a grasp of our fundamental Christian norms if we are to honorably and effectively fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission.

The passage we are about to read speaks of one of the most essential principles of our faith.

It is part of our Christology, the doctrine of Christ.

It is the central idea that builds to the doctrine of the Trinity, and it is what differentiates us from other faiths.

The verses that we will read now were the verses that were first taught to me when I became a Christian.

Ultimately, shows us why do we have to hear and understand what and who the Word of God is?

Passage

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

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.”

(, ESV)

1.

The Word is Eternal (1:1-2)

As we read these verses, the reference to the Word is prevalent throughout the passage.

For new readers of the Bible, the Word may sound confusing, particularly in the way it is appropriated in the paragraph.

When I was first introduced to the Bible, a friend suggested that we read John together.

The first thing he asked me was to substitute the “Word” for Jesus Christ.

It made ask why John would not use the literal word Jesus as opposed to an eccentric reference.

The reason was that John was deliberately recalling , for the “Logos,” long unknown within the world, uttered God’s mind, declared His purpose and mediated His power.

John was speaking to a Hellenized as well as Jewish world, in which the term was familiar to both.

John was being cross-cultural to advance a doomed world to an embryonic world with the hope of a savior.

For the Greeks, it was an abstract principle of reason exhibited by an orderly universe.

The Logos was the source of reason.

For Jews, the Word was the revelation of God’s mind.

The Word is the creative wisdom spoken in personal terms (), and an intermediate agent in creation and revelation between God and man.

Thus, within the context of John, the Word had relevance and persuasiveness for Jews and Greeks.

According to R.E.O White, “The Word is the perfect expression of God’s mind, will, and His absolute vehicle of redeeming power.”

Verses 1 and 2 informs us of three important principles.

The Word of God was preexistent, coexistent, and self-existent.

Christ was preexistent.

At the beginning of all things, Christ was previously preexistent.

Christ was there before the creation of the world.

For He was not created or made by anything higher than Him.

Christ has always existed.

Pay attention that the beginning does not mean “from the beginning.”

Socinians claim that the apostle John as He wrote this book described beginning to denote the beginning of the Gospel.

If you are not aware, Socinianism is a heretical system, similar to Arianism, which became popular in 18th century England.

Socinianism portrays Christ to be a mere man with no existence before His birth on the earth.

A modern version of this view is Jehovah’s Witness.

It is entirely dissenting, for it is an aberration of true Christian belief.

For we know that Jesus was always there, He did not become, nor was He created, nor He ever had a beginning.

He was not just a mere man as claimed by Faustus Socinus.

Jesus was always with God in the beginning, for Jesus Himself affirms in , “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

(, ESV)

Christ was coexistent, for the Word was with (pros) God.

The word “pros” denotes both being and acting toward.

Thus, Christ was both being with and acting with God side by side.

He was acting, living, and moving in a perfect relationship with the Father.

Consequently, moving us to an introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity.

Beginning with the two persons of the Godhead, the Father, and Christ.

For they were in a perfect relationship, shared communion, fellowship, an eternal bond.

John declares, “The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—” (, ESV).

Jesus the Son of God, the “Logos,” has always coexisted with God.

Christ was self-existent, for the Word was God.

Although distinct from the Father, He was of the very essence and being of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The Word was of the very nature and character of the other two persons of the Trinity.

In Christ’s distinctiveness, He was nonetheless the radiance of God’s glory ().

He was the image of the invisible God ().

The God over all forever ().

Christ is the fullness of deity in bodily form (). The immortal and who lives in unapproachable light (); and He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord ().

I am reminded of a time when two Mormon missionaries knocked on my door.

At the time, I wasn’t much of a church person, nor did I have a proper understanding of Christianity.

I also recalled several commercials promoting the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.

With such a name, who would not relate them to be some sort of Bible prescribing denomination?

I was curious, so I let them in.

They gave us brochures and explained their beliefs.

But one thing that caught my attention was the idea of continuing revelation.

They spoke of the prospect of doctrinal changes by the president of the church, who talked to God, and who was accompanied by a quorum of twelve living disciples.