Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Stand for the reading of God’s word.

Hands out to receive this.

NRSV

Living as children of God intro: Yesterday we celebrated Luke’s 1st birthday.

Show picture 1

Eating cupcake picture 2.

I love this because he is clearly not worried about diabetes at this point.

or any other issues in his life.

He trusts his parents enough to just be and eat.

or what he looks like and what others will think of him.

Overview

The gospel of John is a story that will reveal to us the most profound mysteries of life.

This story is simply about God, the glory of his character, the nature of his life and his desire to share that life with his creatures.

It is about God come amongst us and the mixed response he received to his offer of divine life.

John does not ease us into such awesome topics; he plunges us immediately into the heart of the revelation by giving in the prologue an overview of the themes that will be worked out in narrative form in the story.

The prologue helps us understand the significance of what takes place in the story and gives us clues as to what to watch for.

Introductory poem that introduces all the themes.

I think you can see three major themes introduced here, with a whole lot packed into each.

We will not have time to discuss them all.

Those themes, I will mention briefly.

drawing our attention back to creation.

A person’s word is distinct and divine

The divine word became flesh in Jesus

Jesus is God’s tabernacle in our midst.

The one true God of Israel consists of the Father and the son.

Word of God

I think we have heard this text so many times we kind of miss the what is going on here.

The weight and beauty of what John does here to grab hold of this theme.

In the beginning was the word:

drawing our attention back to creation.

A person’s word is distinct and divine

Think about this for a second our words that we use are a representation for who we are....we know this right.

Like have you ever heard at the end of a cartoon or tv show or radio show....the opinions expressed in this show do not represent the opinions of views of ABC or whatever.....The disclaimer speaks to the very idea that we know words carry and expression and a power.

We also know that words are distinct.

You would not take these words and mistaken them for me.

Think about this for a second our words that we use are a representation for who we are....and yet they are distinct from us.

What John is doing here would make sense for the Jew and the gentile audience.

The jewish audience in particular had a shelf for this understanding.

The word of God has always been used in this manner:

“Your powerful word leaped from heaven...”

It accomplishes something.

It is God but also distinct from God.

This is the shelf that is being created for God to show the fullness of his glory, Jesus, the word of God.

Jesus as the logos, the word of God is the fullest expression of who he is that is why this introduction closes with

Just meditate on this for a moment, the Word of God, the same word that spoke creation into existence, the word of God is:

God’s declaration to the world

God’s plan

God’s character

God’s redemption

God’s salvation

God’s relationship with humanity

God’s unveiling of humanity’s purpose

God’s proclamation of the value of humanity

Believe or don’t believe?

So what do we do with this?

Acknowledging that the word of life has come.

What does this mean for you and me?

Well the answer is here in the text.

I will not bore you with sentence structure but there is very intentional linguistic structure to this poem.

Some scholars suggest parallel structure of something called a chiasm where the outer most verses parallel and then the next two and so on to show a central verse that is the focus.

Now whether that is for sure the intention of John, we can be sure from the reading of the gospel…a major theme is that some believe and they are children and some do not.

Why do some reject him?

Why do some fall away?

Even as we think of the Christmas message consider the layered response from Mary:

She is the only adult that lasts until the end.

How do some become children of God?

If we had only verse 12 the answer would be human response, for it says that after they receive and believe they are given the right to become children of God.

The word right (exousia) may be misleading since it suggests a legal claim.

Exousia can also mean “power” or “authority.”

The imagery of coming alive as God’s children suggests the focus here is on the power that produces divine life.

But it is a power that must be exercised by the person—John does not say “he made them children of God” but “he gave them power to become children of God” (cf.

Chrysostom In ).

Let’s start first with verse 13 this is accomplished by God

Children of God are not the same as natural birth, in natural birth there is physical reproduction.

A birth in the flesh, not this is spiritual.

It is not of a human decision....in that this is not something solely produced by humanity.

Mom and dad decide to have a child, then it is done.

The one who holds all of creation, the word of God there from the beginning is the one who extends the possibility and accomplishes this new birth.

From John Wesley:

… If any doctrines within the whole compass of Christianity may be properly termed fundamental, they are doubtless these two, -- the doctrine of justification, and that of the new birth: The former relating to that great work which God does for us, in forgiving our sins; the latter, to the great work which God does in us, in renewing our fallen nature.

We often think of the work God does for us in Jesus.

Forgiving our sins, but this speaks of the work that God does in us.

Becoming children is a change of nature.

I cannot stress this enough.....

However, the other answer for how do we become children of God is in verse 12:

Then, verse 12 speaks of nuanced human response:

Then, verse 12 speaks of nuanced human response:

The greek here has different translations:

some say he gave the “power” to become children of God

some say he gave the “privilege” to become children of God

Then some say he gave the “right” to become children of God

If we had only verse 12 the answer would be human response, for it says that after they receive and believe they are given the right to become children of God.

The word right (exousia) may be misleading since it suggests a legal claim.

Exousia can also mean “power” or “authority.”

The imagery of coming alive as God’s children suggests the focus here is on the power that produces divine life.

But it is a power that must be exercised by the person—John does not say “he made them children of God” but “he gave them power to become children of God” (cf.

Chrysostom In ).

In the same gospel, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever should believe in him will not perish but have eternal life....whosoever should believe.

Today is an opportunity to believe again (or for the first time) so that we might stand in this truth, in the fullness of grace.