The Creating Word

Well, good morning, Church. Would you open with me to the Gospel of John? That's page 833 in the

Pew Bible. This Advent season, we're slowly unpacking the first 18 verses of John's Gospel,

this famous prologue that comes to its climax in verse 14 when John says,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That's what Christmas is all about. The Word,

the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ becoming flesh for us.

But just who is, who is this Word? That's what the opening verses of John's prologue try to show us.

Last week we saw that, in the first two verses, last week we saw the Word's relationship to God.

And what we saw was that from all eternity, the Word was with God, and indeed in the mystery of

God's triune nature, the Word was God. And that meant for us something very profound. It meant that,

you know, there's no God that we might try to find or know or discover behind or apart from the Word.

It's not as if we can sort of get behind the Word to find the real God. No, if we want to know God at

all, we must know Him through the Word, through Jesus, the One who became flesh on Christmas morning.

This Word, John said in verses 1 and 2, is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,

the timeless One who enters time for us. But if that is the Word's relationship with God,

what about the Word's relationship with creation, with everything else? When we think of God,

we must think of the Word made flesh. But what about when we think of creation, of stars and oceans, of

forests and flowers, of sharks and sunsets? What about that? And what about when we think of us as humans?

What's the relationship of this Word to us? Well, let's take a look together. Let's read John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

Now, we're going to focus on verses 3 through 5 this morning, but I'm going to pick up in verse 1. That

might not be on the slides, but you can see it in front of you in the pew Bible. John 1, 1 through 5.

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. Let's pray together.

Oh, Father, as we come now into Your Word, we pray that You would come, Emmanuel, and reveal

Yourself to us. Oh, God, help us to see Your wonder and Your majesty and Your power,

and help us to know Your grace and love this morning in a more rich way as we behold You,

the incarnate Word. We pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Amen. So these verses show us three things. They show us three things about the Word's relationship

to creation. First, John's going to say that all things exist because of the Word, and then all

things thrive because of the Word, and last, all things might hope because of the Word. So all things

exist, thrive, and can hope because of the Word. So let's start with verse 3. All things exist

because of this Word. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that

was made. Now, John here is sort of saying basically the same thing twice, isn't he? He sort of says it

positively at first. All things were made through Him, and then he sort of says, just in case you didn't

get that, I'm going to turn it around and say it negatively. Without Him was not anything made that

was made. Just as in Genesis, where everything came into being, everything that came into being did so

because of God's spoken Word, and remember in Proverbs 3 and 8, where wisdom is the personified

means by which all exists, so here God's Word, now revealed to be the person of the Son, created

everything. And you know, this is actually a pretty common theme in the New Testament. This isn't

something that's sort of an innovation by John, that the pre-existent Christ created all things

is found throughout the New Testament. Consider Colossians chapter 1 verse 16. For by Him, that is

Colossians 1:16

Christ, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or

dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. Or think about

1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 6, where Paul brings out the Trinitarian work of creation. He says,

1 Corinthians 8:6

for us there's one God the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord,

again another name for the one true God, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through

whom we exist, Father and Son at one in the work of creation. Again, we saw the same thing in the book

of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 that we read earlier, where the writer of Hebrews says,

Hebrews 1:2

in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things,

through whom also He created the world.

Now, you'll notice that John isn't interested so much here in telling us how the Word created all

things, or how long the Word took to create all things. Rather, John wants to drive home the point

that no matter your view of how or how long, whether it took the Word six days, or whether it took the

Word 13 and a half billion years, the Word, the pre-incarnate Son, is the One who made all things.

Now, what difference does this make?

Well, you know, if we believe that all things exist

because of the purposeful intention

of a personal God, if all things were made through the Word, the Son of the Father,

then that means the universe is not an accident, but a gift.

Think about it. You see, if matter simply is, if all things exist just because they do and are a product

of blind time and chance, then life is just an accident.

But that's a deeply unsatisfying view of the world, isn't it?

I mean, don't we start to ask a lot of questions in light of that? After all,

why is there something and not nothing?

And why is this something

seemingly perfectly calibrated to bring forth life?

And why are there some living things in this universe, namely you and me,

who seem to have such an indelible sense

of transcendence, of right and wrong,

of beauty and goodness, of reason and truth?

That no matter how hard we tell ourselves

we're just the matter, we're just the product

of time and matter and chance, that sort of sense

of the transcendent, it never goes away.

We go on loving,

and we go on reasoning, and we go

we go on caring about justice all the same,

even though if we were just the product

of time and matter and chance, all those things

would be an illusion.

You know, it's funny, it's easy to say

that all of life is just an accident.

It's much, much harder to actually live that way.

But what Christianity holds forth

is that creation is not an accident,

but a gift.

Think about it.

The triune God did not have to

create the world.

God, Father, Son, and Spirit

existed from all eternity

in perfect love and glory.

If you want to see a little glimpse

of that glory and love

that existed

before creation and eternity,

read the first five or six verses

of John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

God needed nothing

to be utterly perfect,

utterly happy.

God was all that in himself

and will be forevermore.

So the act of creation

wasn't coming from a place of need

or dependence

or loneliness in God.

The act of creation

was not necessary at all.

It didn't have to happen.

It was a sheer gift of God.

Sheer grace.

Now, if the universe is an accident,

it puts us in a posture of despair,

doesn't it?

Perhaps at times,

defiant despair,

shaking our fist against

the nihilistic nothing

that we've thought we are.

But it's despair nonetheless.

But if the universe is a gift,

it puts us in a posture of gratitude.

gratitude.

We did not have to be,

but God in his infinite love

willed it to be so.

And because of that,

we can live not in despair,

but in thanksgiving

and gratitude.

And you know,

here's the beautiful thing.

As Christians,

the object of our gratitude

has a face.

I mean,

look,

you can go on your smartphone

and look for 101 different

gratitude apps,

right?

Matthew McConaughey

can read you a nice story

to put you to bed

and tell you to be thankful

for the universe.

But as Christians,

we actually know the one

that we ought to thank.

The giver of this great gift

of all that we see

of creation of ourselves

is God the Son,

the Word,

who became flesh

and dwelled among us.

He made it all.

And so the proper response

to verse 3

isn't just praise

of the Son's mighty power

and majesty

that he's able

to create all things.

The proper response

is also personal,

heartfelt gratitude

that he has.

That he has created

all things,

including you.

Your life is not an accident.

It's a gift.

But John doesn't

just want us to see

that all things exist

because of the Word.

He goes on to say

that all things thrive

because of the Word.

Look again at verse 4.

In him was life

and the life

was the light

of men.

You know,

part of what John's saying here

is that

the universe

is not a sort of

cosmic crockpot.

You know?

Anyone here

like to use crockpots

for holiday cooking?

Yes.

Well,

what's the beauty

of a crockpot?

You just fix it

and forget it.

You throw in the ingredients,

you turn it on,

and you walk away.

And the thing

just makes itself.

But is that creation?

Is that God's relationship

to the world?

No.

Verse 5 tells us

that the Word

has remained

intimately involved

with all he has made.

Not just creating things,

but sustaining

and enlivening things.

The Word,

because he

is one with God,

shares the self-generating

life of God,

dependent on no one.

And he sustains

all things.

Remember what we read

earlier in Hebrews 1?

Hebrews 1.3,

he's the radiance

of the glory of God

and the exact imprint

of his nature.

And he upholds

the universe

by the Word

of his power.

That is his powerful

Word.

Or again,

in Colossians chapter 1,

Colossians 1:17

verse 17,

he's before all things,

and in him

all things

hold together.

He spoke the universe

into existence,

and then he goes on

enlivening this creation

in all of its manifold beauty.

In him was life,

John says.

Do you remember

the creation account

in Genesis 1?

How on each successive

day of creation,

especially days 4

and 5 and 6,

creation through God's Word

just teems with life.

Plants and birds

and fish

and animals

and not just one or two,

but there are all kinds

thriving and flourishing

in their vast array,

and God delights

in the diversity of it all

and calls it good.

But the Word

doesn't just enliven,

the Word

enlightens.

In him was life,

and the life

was the light of men.

humanity arrives

on the scene

at the end of day 6

in the creation week

of Genesis 1,

and humanity

shares not just

the life

of this creative Word,

but upon them

shines his light.

They are God's image bearers,

set apart from creation

to resemble God,

to represent God

in the midst of creation,

and also to reflect

the praises of creation

back to God.

So the Word

is creation's life

and light.

He enlivens all things,

and he enlightens

all things.

All things thrive

because of the Word.

Now we can apply this

in many, many ways,

but consider maybe

two things this morning

that this means

for us as Christians.

First, it means

that the pursuit,

the pursuit of the arts

and the sciences

is a properly Christian

thing to do.

As we consider creation

teeming with life,

wonderful in its complexity

and beauty,

and as we feel

as humans drawn

to understand its depths

and unfold its beauties

to discover meaning

and to make meaning,

in all of this,

we're not pursuing something

apart from God in Christ.

Indeed, in faith,

we're drawing near

to God in Christ.

For He is the one

in whom this life

and light

find their source.

Whether it's delving

into the intricacies

of molecular biology

or composing a symphony,

the pursuit of the sciences

and the arts

are for the Christian

means of worshiping

the incarnate Word,

in whom is the life

of creation

and the light

of humanity.

these need not be

God-less pursuits,

but God-saturated pursuits.

So if we believe

that all things

don't just exist

but thrive

because of the Word,

then as Christians,

we will pursue

the arts and the sciences

as a properly

worshipful thing to do.

But second,

if all things

not only exist

but thrive

because of the Word,

then that means

we must pursue Christ.

in all our pursuits.

If He is life

and light,

if Christ is not just

the enlivener

but also the enlightener,

then ultimately

we must seek

to know and understand

not just the gift

of creation

but the giver,

the Creator Himself.

If we desire life

and light,

if we desire enlivening

and enlightenment,

then knowing Him

must be our highest aim.

And when anything else

takes His place,

we've fallen

into idolatry.

You know,

it's very interesting

when you look at

just the history

in the West anyway

of the last few hundred years,

you see that so much

has been driven

by these twin pursuits.

A desire for life.

So you have

the romantic movement

that's seeking life

and creativity

and emotion

and depth

and yet doing it

in a way

that's without God.

and then,

of course,

you have the enlightenment

which is seeking

understanding

and reasoning

and trying to throw off

the shackles of tradition

and religion,

seeking light

and yet doing it

apart from Christ.

You know,

if art is only

for art's sake,

if science

is only

for science's sake,

then both become

an endless labyrinth,

an empty echo chamber.

But if these are pursued

for Christ's sake,

then they can be swept up

into the worship

of our Creator

and God can then

use these human pursuits

to advance

His healing of the world.

And that brings us

to our last point.

All things exist

because of the Word.

All things thrive

because of the Word.

But lastly,

all things may hope

because of the Word.

In verse 5,

John writes,

the light shines

in the darkness

and the darkness

has not overcome it.

Of course,

at first,

this seems to be

simply an allusion

to Genesis 1, right?

And God said,

let there be light

and there was light.

But in the context

of the entire prologue

and in the context

of John's whole gospel,

we realize that John

has more in mind.

The light shining

in the darkness

is not just an allusion

to the Word's work

in creation,

but to the Word's work

in redemption.

After all,

all things

are not the way

they're supposed to be.

Are they?

The triune God

created all things

in love

to participate

in His life

and light.

But is that

what we see

in the world?

That's not how

things are now.

Instead of a world

filled with gratitude

and generosity,

we see a world

filled with grasping

and taking.

Whole economies

driven by profit

and greed

and consumption.

Instead of a world

filled with life

and light,

we see darkness

and decay,

senseless violence,

human arrogance,

and little,

if any,

hope.

It seems like creation

is simply winding down

like a top,

spinning its last few

rotations,

ready to topple.

Now,

for many in the ancient world,

this was just

the way of things.

Good and evil,

light and darkness,

they were just two

equal opposite forces,

eternally at war,

neither one bound to win.

It was a pretty bleak view.

But the biblical view

is much,

much different.

Creation's not the product

of two equal

but opposite forces,

battling it out.

God is God

and he has no rival.

Evil is not some

eternal principle

but the deprivation,

the twisting

of God's good creation.

It's a rebellion

against God.

And so,

what does the creator do?

He created everything.

He would certainly

be within his rights

to uncreate it,

right?

In judgment

to simply let

the top

spin and fall.

God

but instead,

the creator

chooses again

to say,

let there be light.

When the world

was yet uncreated,

God spoke

and there was light.

Now,

when the world

has fallen

and headed back

to darkness,

God speaks again

and says,

let there be light.

light.

But this time

when the light

shines

in the darkness,

when the light

comes,

that light

that shines

in the darkness

wouldn't be a

created light

from sun and moon

and stars.

But it would be

the uncreated light,

the word,

God the sun,

the creator

entering creation

to redeem it.

the one who made

all things

becoming one

with a thing

to redeem us.

You see,

if God has created

the world

through his sun,

through the word,

then all things

may have hope.

Why?

Because God

has sent

this same sun

into the world

to save it.

He did not

leave the world

to collapse

into its own darkness

but rather went

himself into the darkness.

And because he

is the creator,

the darkness

cannot overcome him.

But you know,

as we'll see

in the following verses

of John's prologue

next week,

you know,

this hope

that the creator brings,

that the word brings,

this hope doesn't come

into our lives

automatically.

Tragically,

you can choose

to close your eyes

to the light.

You can choose

to stay

in despair

and darkness.

But you don't

have to.

The word

became flesh

and dwelt among us.

The light

shined in the darkness

so we don't have

to remain

in darkness.

So we can come

into the light.

But how do you

make that move?

How do you step

out of darkness

into light?

How do you enter

into this hope?

Well,

first you have

to admit

that the darkness

isn't just a problem

out there,

sort of out there

in the world,

but it's a problem

in here

as well.

Later in John's

gospel,

Jesus says,

this is the verdict.

Light has come

into the world,

but people loved

darkness instead

of light.

Because their deeds

were evil.

If you're going

to come into

the light,

you first have

to admit the darkness

of your own selfishness

and pride.

But second,

you have to see

what this word,

what Jesus has done

for you.

Specifically,

you have to see

that there was

a moment actually

in Jesus' life

when he allowed

when he allowed

the darkness

to overcome.

As Jesus hung

on the cross

in Mark's gospel,

it says,

darkness came

over the whole land

until three

in the afternoon.

The light

of the world

in that moment

was covered

by darkness

and the light

was extinguished.

You have to see,

friend,

that Jesus died

in darkness

to pay for your sins

so you could be forgiven.

If you're going

to come into

the light of hope,

you need to see

that Jesus loved you

that much

and died for you.

But third,

you need to see

that ultimately

the darkness

did not overcome him.

All the gospel

witnesses proclaim

that Jesus rose again

on the third day

and as the light

of a new day broke,

so the light

of a new age dawned.

Jesus says in John 12,

I've come into

the world as light

so that no one

who believes in me

should stay in darkness.

And if you believe

that God raised Jesus

from the dead

and you put your trust

in him,

then you can be sure

that your sins

are forgiven

and your hope

is secure.

The light shines

in the darkness

and the darkness

has not overcome it.

And the darkness

will not overcome you

because you're united

to him,

the incarnate word,

the creator,

the risen son of God.

So when we say

that the word

became flesh

and dwelt among us,

we're saying nothing less

than that the creator

entered creation

for our sake.

All things exist

because of him.

All things thrive

because of him.

But now,

because of his incarnation,

all things may hope

because of him.

let's pray.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

we praise and thank you

this morning

for making us.

And we ask for your forgiveness

this morning

that there have been many ways

in which we have not thanked you

as we ought.

but Jesus,

we thank you

that despite

our ingratitude

and despite our sin,

you came nonetheless

and shone your light

into the darkness.

The darkness

has not overcome it.

You are the victor,

Jesus.

And we praise you.

Help us to praise you

this Advent season

as our life

and as our light.

Amen.

Amen.