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,
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?
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?
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.
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
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.
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
can happen
to you
tonight.
Let's pray.