Sermon Tone Analysis

*THE WITNESSES TO THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, John 1:1-5** *

*Utawala** Baptist Church*

*21~/10~/07*

 

*A.Jesus the Living Word: The First Witness of John the Apostle, 1:1-5*

*(1:1-5)* *Introduction*: This passage is one of the summits of Scripture.

In fact, it \\ probably reaches the highest of human thought.

What is the thought that reaches the \\ height of human concepts?

It is this: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is...

a, the Word of God

b. the Creator of Life

c. the Very Being and Essence of Life.

These three truths have to be deeply thought about to understand their meaning.

A \\ quick reading of this passage leaves a person disinterested, not even close to \\ understanding what is being said.

However, the importance of the truths lie at the very foundation of life.

They cannot be overstated, for they determine a man’s destiny.

If Jesus Christ is the Word of God, then men must hear and understand that Word or else be lost forever in ignorance of God Himself.

1.Christ is eternal *(v.1-2).*

2.Christ is the Creator *(v.3).*

3.Christ is Life *(v.4-5).

*

 

a.

God has given us much more than mere words in the Holy Scriptures.

God has given us Jesus Christ, /The Word/.

As /The Word/, Jesus Christ was the picture, the expression, the pattern, the very image of what God wished to say to man.

b.

The very image within God’s mind of the /Ideal Man/ was demonstrated in the life of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was the perfect expression of all that God wishes man to be.

Jesus Christ was God’s utterance, God’s speech, /God’s Word/ to man.

c.    Jesus Christ was the /Word/ of God who came down to earth in human flesh to bring man into a face to face relationship with God (cp.

John 1:1-2).

Jesus was the /Word of God who came to earth to live out the written Word of God/.

*1.*

*(1:1-2) Jesus Christ, Son of God— Eternal— Preexistent— Revelation*: Christ is eternal.

Note three profound statements made about Christ, the Word.

1.Christ was preexistent.

This means He was there before creation.

He had always \\ existed.

a.“In the beginning  does not mean /from/ the beginning.

Jesus Christ was already there.

He did not /become/; He was not created; He never had a beginning.

He “was in the beginning with God” *(cp.

John 17:5; \\ John 8:58).

*

b.The word “was”  is the Greek imperfect tense which is the word so often used for deity.

It means /to be/ or /I am/.

/To be/ means continuous existence, without beginning or origin.

*(John 6:20.)

*

 

* “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the \\ glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5).*

The testimony of John is that Jesus Christ was the /Word/, the One who had \\ always existed.

He was the Son of the living God.

 

2.Christ was coexistent.

He was and is face to face with God forever.

The word \\ “with” has the idea of both /being with/ and /acting toward/.

Jesus Christ (the Word) was both with God and acting with God.

He was “with God”: by God’s side, acting, living, and moving in the closest of relationships.

Christ had the ideal and perfect \\ relationship /with/ God the Father.

Their life together—their relationship, communion, \\ fellowship, and connection—was a perfect eternal bond.

This is exactly what is said: \\ “The same was /in the beginning with Go/d” *(John 1:2).*

*“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we \\ have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)” (1 John 1:1-2).**

*

 

The testimony of John was that Jesus Christ was the /Word/, the One who had always \\ co-existed with God.

Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God.

3.John did not say that “the Word” was /the God/.

He says “the Word” \\ was /God/.

He omits the definite article.

John was saying that “the \\ Word,” Jesus Christ...

 

1. is of the very nature and character of God the Father, but He is not the \\ identical person of God the Father.

2. is a distinct person from God the Father, but He is of the very being and \\ essence (perfection) of God the Father.

When a man sees Christ, he sees a /distinct person/, but he sees a person who is of the /very substance and character/ of God in all of His perfect being.

*“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his \\ person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).**

*

 

The testimony of John was that Jesus Christ was the /Word/, self-existent and eternal, \\ the Supreme Majesty of the universe who owes His existence to no one.

Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God.

 

*Thought 1*.

Jesus Christ is eternal.

This says several critical things about Christ.

1)Christ reveals the most important Person in all the universe: God.

He reveals \\ all that God is and wants to say to man.

Therefore, Christ must be diligently \\ studied, and all that He is and says must be heeded to the utmost (cp*.

John 5:24).

*

2)Christ /reveals/ God perfectly.

He is just like God, identical to God; therefore, \\ when we look at Christ we see God (see Deeper Study #1—*John 14:6*, Deeper \\ Study #2—John 14:6, Deeper Study #3—John 14:6.

Cp.

John 14:9.)

3)Christ reveals that God is the most wonderful Person.

God is far, far beyond \\ anyone we could have ever dreamed.

He is loving and caring, full of goodness and truth; and He will not tolerate injustices: murder and stealing, lying and cheating of husband, wife, child, neighbor, brother, sister or stranger.

God loves and is working and moving toward a perfect universe that will be filled with people who choose to love and worship and live and work for Him (cp*.

John 5:24-29*).

*Thought 2*.

The very nature of Christ is...

1. to exist eternally.

2. to exist in a perfect state of being, knowing nothing but eternal \\ perfection.

3. to exist in perfect communion and fellowship eternally (cp. 1 John \\ 1:3).

Note: it is the very nature of Christ that shall be imparted to believers; \\ therefore, all three things will become our experience.

*“At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, \\ and I in you” (John 14:20).*

*2.

*(1:3) *Jesus Christ, Creator*: Christ is the Creator.

Note several things.

1.“All things” mean every detail of creation—not creation as a \\ whole, but every single detail.

Each element and thing, each being and person—whether material or spiritual, angelic or human—has come into being by Christ.

*“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in \\ earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or \\ principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Col.

1:16).*

2.The words “were made” mean came into being or became.

\\ Note what this is saying.

Nothing was existing—no substance, no matter whatsoever.

Matter is not eternal.

God did not take something outside of Himself, something less than perfect (evil) and create the world.