Southwest Community Church
December 14
- Joy to the World!
- Light Of The World (Sing Hallelujah)
- IntroThis Advent, we are beginning our journey through the gospel of John. The journey will walk us right through the longing and anticipation of Advent into Christmas and through Epiphany - the reminder that the gift of Jesus’ birth is for the whole world! Then, our journey will trace the life and ministry of Jesus and follow Him into his death - Good Friday - and resurrection on Easter Sunday.We are reading a gospel that was written originally for “a faith community struggling with their identity and feeling external and internal pressures.” (h/t Judy Fentress-Williams) Feels relatable, right? “And John’s Gospel is crafted to introduce its readers to the Jesus they all thought they already knew.”So, whether you know Jesus well and have known Him for a long time, or you’re new to this Jesus thing, or whether you’re not sure you know Him at all, come along with us as we let John’s gospel introduce us once again.The gospel of John doesn’t begin like Matthew, Mark or Luke. John’s gospel begins with an opening often called The Prologue
John 1:1–18 NIV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.Our teaching today will look at vs 6-9 and 15-18. But let’s begin at the beginning, shall we?As you are able, please prepare your hearts to read God’s Word by standing.John 1:1–5 NIV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.John 1:6–8 NIV 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.John 1:15–18 NIV 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.This is the Word of the Lord.THANKS BE TO GOD.First! A disambiguation of JohnWe know John as John the Baptist. But if you look in the Gospel of John, you will not see John the Baptist called that. We know him by that name from the other gospels, the synoptics.And, to clarify, the John after whom the Gospel is named is not the same John who is named in vs 6. We have John the disciple for whom the Gospel is named. John in vs 6 is Jesus’ cousin John. Again, from Luke especially, we have the story of cousin John. The miraculous child born to Elizabeth & Zechariah. But in the fourth Gospel, John the Baptist could be rightly called John the Witness.Two connections to note as we begin: John 1:1 and 1:18 & John 1:6 and John 21:24John 1:1 and John 1:18I want us to notice the connections between vs 1 and vs 18 - the beginning and the end of the Prologue.John 1:1 NIV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 & John 1:18John 1:18 NIV 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.John 1:18 reiterates what John 1:1 says.The verse begins with the easiest part: No one has seen God. Ok.But then it continues… and translators struggle here to get the phrasing just right. If I can summarize it, I’d say: But God (the Word made flesh) has made God known.This sounds simple. Or maybe like a nice turn of phrase. But it’s earth-shattering.If we compare it to John 1:1, we can see the parallels, I think.[edit this slide in Proclaim!]In the beginning was the Word - the One and only Sonand the Word was with God - who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Fatherhas made him known - and the Word was God.The God that we cannot see - for to see God is to die - has been made knowable. Has been revealed. We can know God and experience God and see what God is like because of Jesus.Jesus, the Word, who is with God and is God explicates God for us. Explains. Develops the idea of God in detail. Or, pun absolutely intended, Jesus fleshes God out for us.Second connection to note as we begin: John 1:6 and John 21:24But there’s also an important connection between the Prologue (the opening) and the Epilogue or the last part of John’s gospel.The gospel begins with the Prologue - 18 verses of overture. But the gospel ends with two verses that are sometimes called the Epilogue.In the Prologue, we are introduced to a witness - a man named John.John 1:6–7 NIV 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.In the Epilogue, we hear from the Beloved Disciple, the writer of the fourth gospel, also a witness.John 21:24–25 NIV 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.The thing I want us to notice here is that first of the witnesses is referenced in John 1:6 - John the Baptist. Now, at the end of the gospel, the gospel writer - the beloved disciple - stands at the end of gospel. John the Baptist and the Beloved Disciple “stand at the beginning and end of the story as representatives of the whole body of witnesses…caught up in a chain-reaction of grace.” (Lesslie Newbigin) And, as readers of the gospel, we, too, are invited to get swept up in that chain-reaction of grace.John the WitnessDid you notice there was an abrupt transition when we moved from vs 1-5 into verse 6?Poetic lines about the Logos and creation and light shining in darkness. And then suddenly, there was this guy named John.For now, let’s just notice that there is a shift. A juxtaposition, maybe. The Incarnate God and John the Baptist or John the Witness.This abrupt shift highlights the entrance of one of the 8 themes of the gospel of John: that the human and the divine are held together.“God has fully committed God’s self to everything that it means to be human, and the human Jesus reveals the full divinity of God.” Karoline Lewis8 themes of the gospel of John: that are present in the Prologue and then will also appear throughout the gospel:Jesus and Creationorigin & identity of Jesusthe Word made flesh reveals Godhuman & divine held together in the Incarnation, in the God revealed in Jesus “God has fully committed God’s self to everything that it means to be human, and the human Jesus reveals the full divinity of God.” Karoline Lewiscontrast between light and darknesswitness as the primary category of discipleship - You want to follow Jesus? Pay attention to him - to who He is, what He does, what He says…children of GodabundanceWhat other themes did you notice in the reading?Abundance - grace upon grace already givenJohn the Witness is another major theme.Commentator Karoline Lewis describes him this way: “He will testify or witness to the light and will show us what testimony and witness look like later in the first chapter.”And so, we must ask, (mustn’t we?) what is John the Witness’ testimony about Jesus?John 1:6–8 NIV 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.So John is a man sent from God.He is sent to be a witnessFor the express purpose of pointing others toward the One in whom they might believe.And the gospel writer, always wanting to make sure that their readers get it, reiterates…John is not the lightbut a witness to the light.And in vs 15, we catch our first glimpse of what John bearing witness to the light might look like:John 1:15 NIV 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”)And, if we were to keep reading in John 1 after the Prologue ends in vs 18, we’d hear more of John’s testimony:John 1:19–34 NIV 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”John’s testimony, John bearing witness includes clarity about who he is. (And who he isnt’)I am not the Messiah.I am not Elijah. (even if I’m dressed in my Elijah costume!)I am not the Prophet. (referring to Moses.)Lesslie Newbigin:“John the Baptist is the last link in the chain of prophecy that stretches back to Moses…Moses had asked to see God, and God had given him the Torah - the gracious and true teaching that was to guard and guide Israel.”John knows who he is and what his role is:John 1:23 NIV 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”He’s firmly ensconced in the tradition even as he’s turning it on its head.And we hear him declare clearly:John 1:29 NIV 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!John 1:34 NIV 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”So Jesus, the Word made flesh is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is God’s chosen one - God’s anointed, the Christ.John knows who he is. And John knows that his role is to bear witness to the light. When he sees the light shine in the darkness, he sees God incarnate as a human - his cousin, remember! John sees Jesus and knows that this is the One. This is God’s chosen, the Messiah who is the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world.John the Witness fulfills his role. He sees and tells. He notices and announces. He directs people to towards the light… he reflects the light of Christ.Recently, there was a glorious full moon here in Kamloops, British Columbia. Mack and I were driving across town as it rose from behind Mount Paul and the sight was glorious. So glorious that we stopped again and again to comment on it and to take in its beauty. But the moon, in all its splendour, was a reflection of the “true light” of the sun. The moon does not have its own light, it cannot produce its own glow. The moon simply witnesses to the reality of the sun. And, as it does, it reflects that light to us all through the night until the sun rises once more. John bears witness to Jesus the Word just as the moon bears witness to the sun. John reflects the Light of the world “so that all might believe.” John showed the world what the light would look like until they could see that Light for themselves. Sometimes in our longing to see the world around us come to believe, we begin to think we must shine brighter, must work harder to illuminate ourselves. The moon is a helpful corrective, reminding us that our light comes from bearing witness to the light of Christ. In this Advent season of preparation, we are invited to be like a moon and to bear witness to the God who comes to be with us and to let that be what illuminates us. Jesus, show us who You are that we might bear witness to the Light of the world. John 1:1–18NIV2011
John 7NIV2011
John 1:1–5NIV2011
John 1:6–8NIV2011
John 7NIV2011
John 1:15–18NIV2011
John 1:18NIV2011
John 1:1NIV2011
John 1:18NIV2011
John 1:6–7NIV2011
John 7NIV2011
John 21:24–25NIV2011
John 1:6–8NIV2011
John 7NIV2011
John 1:15NIV2011
John 1:19–34NIV2011
John 1:23NIV2011
John 1:29NIV2011
John 1:34NIV2011
- A Christmas Alleluia
Southwest Community Church
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