Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Outline

Introducing the Incarnate God so that we might believe and have eternal life – John 1:1-18

Jesus as Pre-existent God

Jesus; the eternal God – John1:1-2

Jesus; the high creator – John1:3

Jesus; life itself – John1:4

Jesus; the truth light – John1:4-5

Self-revelation of a pre-existent God.

A man sent that we might believe – John 1:6-8

Failure to believe; failure to live – John 1:9-11

The right to life – John 1:12-13

Rivers of grace from a pre-existent God – John 1:14-18

A tabernacling God – John 1:14

Glory of the One and Only – John 1:14

Grace and Truth – John 1:14

The High-Ranking God – John 1:15

Fullness of Grace – John 1:16

Law and Christ – John 1:17

Invisible God Revealed – John 1:18

Sermon Body

Introducing the Incarnate God so that we might believe and have eternal life – John 1:1-18

Jesus as Pre-existent God

Jesus; the eternal God – John1:1-2

Jesus; the high creator – John1:3

Jesus; life itself – John1:4

Jesus; the truth light – John 1:4-5.

Rivers of grace from a pre-existent God – John 1:14-18

A tabernacling God – John 1:14

Word became flesh

This is a theme that pervades scripture.

Rom 1:3, 8:3; Gal 4:4; Phil 2:7-8; Col 1:22; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 2:14; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7.

Consider just one - 2 John 7

So essential to the gospel is his incarnation that to deny is to be a deceiver and an antichrist.

Became Flesh

Does not imply he somehow JUST NOW came into being.

John 1:1-5 well establishes his eternality.

Does not imply he became LESS THAN GOD.

Again, John 1:1-5 well establishes his deity.

He became flesh IN ADDITION to his deity.

By becoming flesh, he was adding to his being, not changing or downgrading.

The “Word” is the eternal name for the young Child of Bethlehem.

He is so called because He is the revealer of the Father, the exponent of Godhead.

He is so now; He was so in the days of his flesh; He has been so from eternity.

The names Christ, Immanuel, Jesus, are His earthly ones; His names in time connected with His incarnate condition; but the names “Word” and “Son” are expressive of His eternal standing, His eternal relationship to the Father.

What He was in time and on earth, that same He has been in heaven and from eternity.

The glory which He had “before the world was” (John 17:5), and of which He “emptied himself” (Phil.

2:7), was the glory of the eternal Word, the everlasting Son.

As the eternal revealer of Godhead, the “brightness of Jehovah’s glory, and the express image of His person,” His name ever was THE WORD; as the declarer of the mind of God to man, His name is no less THE WORD, with this addition, “the Word made flesh.”

The Word Was Made Flesh – John 1:14, 1887.

Horatius Bonar

The eternal God, whose form is Spirit, entered flesh

FOR US

Does this not blow your mind?

Eternal God

Creator God

Life itself

The true light

Condescended himself, limiting himself to the confines of created flesh.

FOR US

He become flesh AND DWELT among us.

Dwelt among us

Literally, tabernacled; Pitched his tent

Imagery from Exodus 25:8.

God, gives his people instructions for the construction of the tabernacle.

As he is establishing his covenant with the people, as he gives them the commandments to follow, it is KEY that God established his residence IN THE MIDST OF THEM.

The tabernacle was to be situation at the CENTER of their assembly (Numbers 2).

Full of Eyes, a devotional by Christopher Powers depicts it like this....

Commenting on his art, he states.

Exodus 24:16, “The glory of YHWH dwelt on Mount Sinai…”

Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”

Exodus 24:16 tells us that the glory of the LORD dwelt on Sinai.

Of course, we know—as did Moses—that God is “omnipresent,” but in a unique way, His glory dwelt at the top of Sinai.

This is, no doubt intended by both YHWH and Moses as the author to be an echo of the “cosmic mountain” motif that was common in Ancient Near Eastern thought, Sinai representing the exalted throne of the universal deity (this interpretation is enforced by the “throne room” style vision in 24:10).

Then, in 25:1-8, and especially 8, we learn that YHWH’s desire is to descend from this heavenly throne, as it were, and dwell among His people in a tent made of wood and leather and cloth.

This much is clear from the Exodus text and seems intended by the dual use of “dwell” in close proximity (24:16, 25:8).

It seems to me that John picks up on this specific dynamic and highlights it in his prologue, especially, 1:14 where he says,

“The Word became flesh and dwelt (literally “tented” or “pitched His tent”) among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth (echoing “steadfast love and faithfulness” from Ex.34:6-7).”

John understands the descent of YHWH from His Sinaitic throne into the nomadic tabernacle as a foreshadowing of the true descent of YHWH: the incarnation, in which the Son descends from the true throne and dwells with His people in a tent of flesh and bone.

An awesome connection and one that I think the Holy Spirit Himself makes for us….Note also that the Tabernacle is not just the tent structure, but it includes within its bounds the “throne” of God, represented by the Ark of the covenant, and the altar of burnt sacrifice.

When YHWH dwells with His people, it will be in a structure that combines both exalted glory (the throne / ark) and bloody sacrifice (the altar).

Gloriously, we see these same two realities united in the true dwelling of God with His people, the man Christ Jesus.

The Ark and Altar are united at the cross where the King of Israel, in climactic steadfast love and faithfulness, is enthroned on the altar of sacrifice (Matt.26:64,

27:42).

And this unity of throne and altar never ends, in fact, John’s final vision of the eternal state has at its very center the Altar-Throne of the Slain and Risen Lamb who is the radiance of the glory of God and lamp of the New Heavens and Earth (Revelation 22:1).

Christopher Powers

God descended, condescended himself to dwell in the midst of his creation.

Why?

Why on earth would the eternal God, creator, source of life, and light do this?

Hebrews 2:14-16.

He did it so that he could know us better and we could him better.

God is THAT interested in relationship to us.

And don’t ask me to explain why.

Because there are days I can barely stand myself.

I have no idea how God stands to be near me, or why he wants to be near me.

But God became flesh and he dwelt among us because he loved us and wanted us to have life in Him.

His coming exposed to us His glory in a way that was never before seen.

Glory of the One and Only – John 1:14

We have seen His glory

We - The eyewitnesses

John 2:11; Luke 9:32; 2 Peter 1:16-17; 1 John 1:1; 4:14