John 1

So I am a great fan in my final cabinet on my computer of Christmas sermons.

! And each year I kind of open them up in the last week of November and begin to look.

! Yeah, they're not great, there's lots of them.

And I want to try and really look at, to try and look freshly at John 1.

So I've tried to prepare this, apart from any commentaries. So I don't think any of this is heretical.

It's fresh to me. I hope it'll be fresh to you.

I really want to speak from one verse and kind of expand out from there.

So it's John 1 verse 14. Here's this mind-bending verse,

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt on my flesh, and we have seen His glory.

And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us, and we have seen His glory.

That's what we are going to be celebrating over these next number of weeks.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

And the name of that Word who became flesh, John will tell us, is Jesus.

Jesus is the Word of God who became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

Let's unpack this statement and think about this.

So the first point is from verse 1, and that is that He was in the beginning.

In the beginning was the Word.

There's an enormous interest, isn't there, in origins.

So the TV programme, Who Do You Think You Are?

You go into one of the bookshops, you go into Waterstones in Ealing,

and you'll find shelves and shelves of books on how things began.

What was there before the Big Bang, that sort of thing.

John tells us, doesn't he, that the Word was there at the beginning.

At the beginning, the Word was already there.

And so if you want to know what was there before creation,

John tells us the Word was there before creation.

What do you think of when you think of words?

What do you think of when you think of words?

I think of meaning.

Words mean something.

We have dictionaries, don't we?

Or at least we used to.

And a dictionary tells us the meaning of words.

Thousands and thousands of words.

And every word has a meaning.

Words matter.

And so what was there at the beginning?

There was the Word, says John.

There was meaning.

It's a really popular view of the universe today,

that it is completely meaningless.

That it arose out of chaos, completely by chance.

It might never have happened, but it did.

It arose out of chaos, and it will end in chaos.

And our lives, our little lives,

are part of this chaotic, meaningless affair.

But John says no.

John says no.

In the beginning there was meaning.

In the beginning was the Word,

and words mean something.

He doesn't say in the beginning,

and there was God, and there goes.

He says in the beginning was the Word.

There is meaning behind the universe.

And before the universe,

this universe has meaning.

In the beginning was the Word.

What else do we think of when we think of words?

We don't have meaning.

We also think of personality.

Things don't speak.

Although, we have to say,

when you kind of ring up a company,

you often find when you speak on the phone,

you're trying to ring the gas company or the electric company.

You're speaking to a thing, aren't you?

What's that like?

What's that like?

You're speaking to a kind of voice that comes back to you.

It's not a human voice.

But even that thing which you speak to,

which is so frustrating when you ring the gas board,

all the electricity,

it's been programmed to speak, hasn't it?

Things don't speak.

People, persons, speak.

And so what was there at the beginning?

Nothing.

It's impossible.

Because something can't come from nothing, can it?

So there's always been something.

There's never been nothing.

There's always been something.

And what is the something that's always been there?

Well, was it a chemical reaction?

And was it a mathematical formula?

No, before and behind the physics and the chemistry and the maths,

there was the word, it says John.

There was personhood.

And there was personality.

And so someone like Richard Dawkins,

he wants to argue, doesn't he,

that somehow the impersonal has given rise to the personal.

But John says, no, that could never have happened.

It would never have happened.

No, John says, you see,

it was a person that gave rise to persons.

In the beginning was the word.

Things don't speak.

In the beginning there was meaning.

In the beginning there was a person.

And so if you want to grasp the universe in which you live,

if you want to grasp the centre of the universe,

you have to hear and respond to this word.

You have to know this person.

And you have to have a relationship with this person.

And if you want to grasp the meaning of the universe,

it's not a question of knowing the right mathematical formula.

It's not a question of being able to analyse the chemistry.

It's a question of knowing a person.

Because in the beginning was the word.

The third thing that I think of when we think of the word or words

is communication.

And words have meaning, don't they?

Words are spoken by persons

in order to communicate with one another.

Words are bridges

from one mind

to other minds.

Hopefully that is

what is going on now, isn't it?

That the words I speak

are a bridge from my mind

hopefully into your mind.

As though from your faces

you wouldn't know.

And hopefully my words

are coming to you

and are bridging the gap

between you and you.

That's what words do.

If we want someone else

to know what we're thinking

what do we do?

Children, what do we do?

If we want someone else

to know what we're thinking

what do we do?

What do we do?

That's right.

That's right.

We do, don't we?

We tell them.

We speak.

Words bridge the gap.

If we want to make

ourselves known to someone else

we speak, we use words.

Without words

we wouldn't be able

to know each other.

At all.

What a bleak world

it would be

if it was a wordless world.

And that is

unless you speak to me

I can't know you.

I could analyse you.

I probably couldn't.

But I've tried.

I could get someone

to analyse you

chemically, couldn't I?

I could get someone

to plot your genome system

and your DNA.

We could get you

a CT scan of your body.

We could record

in some scientific way

the workings of your brain.

But I still wouldn't know you

would I?

I wouldn't know you

unless you spoke to me.

And words are wonderful things,

aren't they?

Absolutely wonderful things.

And so some of you

are separated

from your family

by thousands of miles

but you can speak

to each other

on the phone.

You can email

one another.

You know what it's like

on Skype

or FaceTime

my mother.

It's not brilliant

on the technology front.

But when you

can see them

but you can't hear them

it's so frustrating

isn't it?

Or she can hear you

and you can't hear her.

And so we can speak

to people

who are separated

by a thousand miles

whereas people

who live maybe next door

or even in the same house

if they're not speaking

and there's no communication

we don't know each other at all.

because what wonderful things

words are.

What was there before creation?

In the beginning

what was there?

In the beginning

John says the word was

there was meaning

there was personality

and there was communication.

These are the essence of reality.

There was a speaking God.

A God who doesn't keep himself

to himself.

A God who wants

to be known.

A God who wants

to make himself known.

And John says

that Jesus

is that word of God.

And Jesus

is God

revealing himself.

Jesus is God

making himself known.

Jesus is the word of God.

The next thing we learn

about the word

is that the word was

can you see it?

With God.

This one

and the word was

God.

He was with God.

It implies

doesn't it?

A closeness

to God.

It implies

a very close

relationship.

It means

something like this

he was face to face

with God.

He was besides God.

There was nothing else

to be with God

but the word

was there with God.

And Jesus

is the one

who has always

been there with God

in perfect fellowship

with God.

And so you go

later on

in John 17

and the Lord Jesus

prays

and before he

gives himself

to die

and he says

he asks his father

to give him

the glory

that he had

before the world

began.

He was always

there with God.

And John

goes a step further

and he says

he was with God

and he was God.

And that's the only way

you can translate

that statement.

John

begins

and ends

his gospel

with the statement

about the deity

of Jesus Christ.

John 1

John 1:1

verse 1

says

he was God.

Towards the end

of the gospel

after the resurrection

Thomas

falls down

before the risen Jesus

and says to him

my Lord

and my God.

And Jesus

to John

is the word

and the word

is God.

He was with God

and he was God

and I can't

understand that.

I can just

adore it

can't I?

And I can

wonder at it.

And when the

gospel witnesses

come around

your door

and they say

to you

how can you

understand that?

How can you

explain that?

What do you say?

You say

I can't.

You say

I'm sorry

I can't.

But what would

you expect

of God?

I can't even

understand myself.

I can't

understand

how they

are meaning.

Completely

the universe

what would

you expect

from the

God who

created the

whole thing?

Would you

expect to

understand it?

The word

was with God

and the word

was God.

He shared

one divine

nature.

The third

thing we

learnt from

this passage

is that the

word was the

creator of

all things.

I love

verse 3.

All things

were made

through him

and without

him was not

anything made

that was

made.

Far from

being something

that God

has created

like Jehovah

Witnesses

believe,

J.W.S.

believes that

Jesus was the

first created

being.

He was the

greatest being,

the highest

being, the

most wonderful

of all beings

but he was

the first

created being.

He's a

created being,

he's just a

top angel.

But John

says no,

he was never

created.

The word is

not part of

creation.

Everything that

has been made

was made

through him

and so

think right

now,

think of all

that's been

made,

if it was

made,

if it was

created.

It was

created

through him

and by him.

And so

he isn't

created

and he

isn't part

of creation.

There are

two levels

of reality.

There are

only two

levels of

reality.

There is

the eternal

uncreated

reality

and there

is the

created

finite

reality.

And the

word belongs

to the

former,

not the

latter.

He belongs

to the

eternal

uncreated

reality,

not to

the created

finite

reality.

Jesus is

the creator

of the

universe.

And what

that means

is that

this universe

is his,

every atom

is his.

And he

is sovereign

over all

of it and

he rules

over it.

And so

that means

that we

as Christians

have nothing

to fear.

It's

Jesus Christ

the universe

and he

made it.

It also

means that

creation

should be

enjoyed.

And it

should be

cared for.

By Christians

of all

people.

Because when

we enjoy,

when we

care for

creation,

we are

enjoying and

caring for

what belongs

to our

Saviour

Jesus Christ.

So when

we're

caring for

creation,

when we're

enjoying

creation,

we're not

doing something

other than

our Christian

faith.

It's part of

our Christian

faith.

So enjoy

your walking.

Don't drop

litter.

Enjoy the

sunsets,

the hills,

the lakes,

the sea,

Jesus made

them.

They belong

to Jesus.

And if

you're a

Christian,

you have

a duty to

enjoy

creation.

It's like

afterwards.

The fourth

thing about

the word is

that he is

the source

and the

giver of

life and

light.

Can you

see that

verse 4?

in him

was life

and the

life was

the light

of man.

He's the

source of

life and

light.

Two words

that are

very common

in John's

gospel.

He's going

to explore

them.

You can

trace the

themes right

the way

through the

gospel.

So without

a word from

God,

all is

death and

darkness.

darkness.

What was

life like

before

Genesis 1

in the

beginning?

Death and

darkness and

then God

spoke.

And when

God spoke

there was

light.

And eventually

there was

life.

All

light and

all life

come from

the word

of God.

And that

goes for

spiritual

light and

light as

well.

Jesus is

the source

of spiritual

light and

life.

And in

John's

gospel you

find him

saying things

like this.

If you

believe in

me, you

will have

eternal

life.

If you

follow me,

death cannot

touch you.

I am the

resurrection and

the life.

And so you

see him raising

Lazarus from

the dead.

And he

says, I

am the

light of

the world.

I come

into the

world to

bring light

and you

see him

giving light

to a blind

man from

birth.

All is

darkness and

death apart

from Jesus

Christ.

And if you

don't know

Jesus, it

is darkness

and death

without

Jesus.

So the

word was in

the beginning

and the

word was

with God

and the

word was

God and

the word is

the creator

of all

things.

He was

never created

and the

word is the

source and

the giver of

all light

and life.

And then

back to our

verse in

verse 14.

John says,

and the

word became

flesh and

dwelt

to

mass.

The

tenses of

the verse in

chapter 1 are

really, really

important.

And we've

seen what the

word is,

what the word

always was.

In the

beginning was

the word.

The word was

in the

beginning.

Now we

see this.

We say that

the word

became.

There was

one particular

point in

history when

the word

who always

was became.

There's a

point in

history where

the word

who always

was became

what he

wasn't.

What he

had not

been.

The word

became

flesh.

Without

ceasing to

be what

he was,

he became

what he

was not.

There was

a point in

history where

the eternal

everlasting

word became

what he'd

not been

before.

And it

wasn't by

discarding

his deity.

It wasn't

by getting

rid of

his

godness.

God

can't

cease to

be God.

He never

ceased to

be what

he was

God,

but he

took and

he assumed

something that

he was

not.

He took

flesh.

He became

flesh.

And John

chooses

that word

really very

carefully.

He doesn't

say he

became human.

He doesn't

even say that

he took a

body.

He became

flesh.

And the word

flesh in the

Bible has

got all

types of

meanings.

It's a really

rich word.

it can

mean meat.

It can

mean body

tissue.

The stuff

your body

is made

of.

It can

mean that

and it

does mean

that of

course.

But from

that it

came to

mean flesh

in contrast

to God.

So God

is not

flesh.

What is

God?

God is a

spirit.

He's not

flesh.

He is

spirit.

Man is

flesh.

And flesh

came to

mean in

the Bible

humankind

in contrast

to God.

Humanity

in its

frailty

and its

weakness

and its

mortality.

Humanity

in its

liability

to aging

and decay

and suffering

and dying.

Flesh in

the Bible

is what

fades and

perishes

in the

passing of

time.

In other

words,

flesh is

the opposite

of God.

And it

says here,

can you

see in

verse 14,

the word

became

flesh.

Do you

remember how

Jesus said

this?

He said,

the spirit

is willing

but the

flesh is

weak.

Isaiah

says,

all flesh

is like

grass

that

withers,

that

fades.

Flesh

fades like

the flower

of the

grass.

The

apostle Paul

says,

flesh and

flesh cannot

inherit the

kingdom of

God.

Flesh is

mankind,

humankind

in its

weakness

and frailty.

And John

says here

that the

word,

who was

everything

that God

is,

became

flesh.

That is,

he became

everything

that man

is,

which is

everything

that God

is not.

The word

was everything

that God

was,

became

everything

that God

was not.

Flesh.

He who

was one

with his

father in

his divinity

became one

with us

in our

humanity.

That's the

miracle of

the

incarnation.

God

became

man.

The word

became

flesh.

He was

human

physically.

He was

born in

the usual

way.

Nothing

unusual

but his

birth.

He was

not conceived

in the

usual

way.

But he

was born

in the

usual

way.

He

cried.

And he

cried.

Jesus

cried and

he grew

in stature.

He was

one of

us.

All

babies

cried.

Babies

don't

cry,

they're

not

human.

He

was

hungry

and he

was

thirsty.

The

Lord

Jesus

had to

sleep

and he

was

tired.

He

knew

what it

was

to

sweat.

He

knew

what it

was

to

bleed.

He

suffered

real

pain.

died

a

real

death.

He

became

flesh

physically.

He

was

human

emotionally.

He

experienced

the

emotional

pain

of being

betrayed.

He

knew

the

pain

of what

it

was

to

be

misunderstood.

The

pain

of having

his

friends

forsaken

him.

experienced

sorrow

and he

was

bereaved.

He

wept

real

tears.

He

was

a

man.

And

intellectually

he

was

human.

He

had to

ask

questions

to find

out the

answer.

He

had to

be

taught

how

to

talk.

The

internal

words

had to

be

taught

by his

mum

and

dad

how

to

talk.

They

were

really

thrilled

that

day

weren't

they?

They

were

really

thrilled

when

Joseph

came

home

from

work

one

day

and

Mary

said

who

is

that?

And

Jesus

said

Abba

Daddy

his

adopted

father.

Like

every

father

he

was

pleased.

Like

every

father

is

pleased

when

their

child

begins

to

talk

and

recognize

him.

The

eternal

word

helps

learn

how

to

speak.

The

one

who

created

the

universe

had

to

be

taught

by

his

father

how

to

knock

and

nail

in

straight.

He

was

mad

intellectually.

He

was

mad

morally.

He

was

tempted.

He

struggled

to keep

his

line

in

will

with

his

father's

will.

He

prays

in

the

garden

if

it

is

possible

for

this

cup

to be

taken

from

me.

Not

my

will

but

your

will

be

done.

He

was

mad

spiritually.

Sometimes

he

felt so

weak that

he had

to go

to his

heavenly

father in

desperate

prayer in

order to

keep

on.

He

felt the

pain of

being

forsaken.

My

God,

my

God,

why

have

you

forsaken

me?

He

was

mad.

And

the

word

was

everything

that

God

is

became

everything

that

we

are

apart

from

our

sin.

And

this

incredible

act of

self-humbling

was

irreversible.

And we

often forget

that,

don't we?

It was

irreversible.

There was

no going

back from

Bethlehem.

There was

no going

back from

being one

with

humanity.

He's

still a

man's

right.

We've

seen that

in the

last two

weeks of

the

ascension.

That

Jesus is

exalted

at the

right

hand and

he is

still one

of us.

He is

still a

human

being.

There

was no

going

back.

The

wonder of

the

incarnation.

Let me

read to

you from

Thomas

Brooks.

He wrote

this about

360 years

ago.

that Christ

should come

from the

eternal

bosom of

his

father to

a region

of sorrow

and death.

That God

should be

manifested in

the flesh.

The

creator made

a creature.

That he

who was

clothed with

glory should

be wrapped

with rags

of flesh.

He that

filled heaven

and earth

with his

glory should

be cradled

in a manger.

That the

power of

God should

fly from

weak man.

The God

of Israel

into Egypt.

That the

God of

the law

should be

subject to

the law.

The God

of the

circumcision

circumcised.

The God

that made

the heavens

working at

Joseph's

homely

trade.

That he

who binds

the devils

in chains

should be

tempted.

That he

whose

is the

world and

the fullness

thereof

should hunger

and thirst.

That the

God of

strength

should be

weary.

The

judge of

all

flesh

condemned.

The

God of

life

put to

death.

That he

that is

one with

his

father

should cry

out of

misery.

My

God,

my

God,

why have

you

forsaken

me?

That he

who had

the keys

of hell

and death

at his

girdle

should lie

imprisoned in

the

sacral

of another.

Having

his

lifetime

nowhere to

lay his

head,

nor after

death to

lay his

body,

that the

head before

which the

angels do

cast down

their crowns

should be

crowned with

thorns.

And those

eyes

purer than

the sun

put out

by the

darkness

of death.

Those

ears which

hear nothing

but hallelujahs

of saints

and angels

to hear the

blasphemies

of the

multitude.

That face

that was

fairer than

the sons

of man

to be

spit on

by those

beastly

Jews.

That faith

and tongue

that speak

as never

man speak

accused

for blasphemy.

Those hands

that freely

swayed the

scepter of

heaven nailed

to the

cross.

Those feet

like

under fine

brass nailed

to the

cross for

man's

sins.

Each sense

annoyed.

His feeling

or touching

with a

spear and

nails.

His smell

with stinking

flavour.

Being crucified

about Gold

Gotham,

the place

of skulls,

his taste

with vinegar

and gall,

his hearing

with reproaches.

And the

sight of his

mother and

disciples bemoaning

him, his

soul comfortless

and forsaken.

And all

this for

those very

sins that

Satan paints

and puts

fine colours

on.

His point

is this

really.

It's a great

book,

precious

remedies

against

Satan's

devices.

His point

is that

is what

the incarnation

cost the

Son of

God.

The

misview of

the incarnation.

The word

became flesh

and made

his dwelling

amongst us.

And the

word made

his dwelling

has literally

pitched his

tent.

Tabernacle

amongst us

is a

reference to

the wilderness

where God

dwelt amongst

his people

in a tent,

a portable

travelling

sanctuary,

a tent.

And that

tent, that

tabernacle was

filled with the

glory of God.

The glory of

God came and

filled the

tabernacle.

And that was

the sign that

God had taken

possession of

his tent.

That would be

the place where

Israel encountered

God.

It would be

where sacrifice

was offered.

It would be

where prayer

was made.

But it was

just a shadow.

A temporary

shadow.

And John is

saying that

here now,

Jesus is

now God

with us.

God dwells

in our midst

not in a tent

or temple

but in a

person.

In a

manifesting

Emmanuel

God with

us.

And he is

where we

encounter God

now.

The word

became flesh

and made

his dwelling

amongst us

and we saw

his glory.

John was

an eyewitness.

I saw it.

John was

there at the

cross.

He saw the

blood and

the water

flowing from

the crucified

one.

We saw his

glory,

said John.

It is a

story that

people have

made up.

John was

there.

So what

does this

wonderful

truth of

the incarnation

say to

us?

It says

that God

has spoken.

That the

ultimate

communication

from God

to this

world

life.

He spoke

before him

and he

spoke creation

into being

let there

be light

and there

was light.

He spoke

his words

to the

prophets,

to Moses,

but in

Jesus the

word,

everything

that God

had to

say,

everything

that God

possibly

could

communicate

of himself

is in

Jesus the

word become

flesh.

And so

Jesus is

God's

full and

final word.

And so

what can we

say about

the incarnation?

Three things

to be

closed.

What does

incarnation

teach us?

It first

of all

teaches us

affirmation.

Affirmation.

It's an

affirmation of

the value

of humanity.

The word

became flesh

and dwelt

amongst us.

Even though

humanity is

sinful and

his, even

though humanity

is fallen,

God assumed

humanity.

And what a

compliment

to humanity

what an

affirmation of

the value

of human

beings to

God.

Second

thing is

identification.

God

identifies with

humanity.

He became

flesh,

suffering,

dying,

flesh.

He

identified with

us in our

suffering and

the difficult

lives that we

live.

He came and

lived a

difficult life

with us.

Affirmation,

identification,

and lastly,

salvation.

It's not the

incarnation that

saves us.

It's not.

Jesus doesn't

save us by

becoming a

human being.

But the

incarnation was

that first

wonderful step.

The first

awesome step

that the

words took

in order for

him to die

for us.

he became

flesh.

And what

happens to

flesh?

Flesh dies.

And flesh

suffers.

And he

came to

suffer and

die for

us,

for our

sins.

Salvation

and adoration.

And so the

call is this,

oh come let us

adore him.

who is he

on yonder

store?

At his

feet,

the shepherds

fall.

Tis the

Lord,

isn't it?

The King of

glory.

Tis the

Lord,

oh wonder

story.

At his

feet we

humbly

fall.

Crown him,

crown him

Lord of

all.

And yet the

dark side

to Christmas

is John

talks about

in the

preface.

The sad

truth is that

mankind has

largely rejected

the word.

The light

has shone

into the

darkness.

In all

his glory

but men

love darkness

rather than

light.

People love

the darkness

and as soon

as the light

comes into

the world

they scurry

away.

It's like

lifting up a

rock in the

garden at the

moment and

you see

the bugs

scamper

back to the

past.

And Jesus

has come into

this world

and he shone

his light

into the

world and

God has

spoken.

What is

the effect

of mankind?

Creatures

don't like it.

But to

those who

receive him,

to those who

come to the

light, to

those who

believe in

his name,

to those who

hear his

word,

who respond

to the

word in

faith,

he gave

the power

to become

children of

God.

And those

who receive

Jesus are

born again

as God's

children.

And that