Jesus Christ: The Word

John 1:1-5
January 9, 2022
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our God has given us the Bible for our salvation. And our God has given us the book of John so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name (John 20:31).

This was John’s hope and desire. May this be yours as well. Dear Highland, in these last days, let us learn everything that we can about Jesus. Let us relearn everything that we know about Jesus. And let us get back to the love that we had at first for Jesus. May your faith, hope, and love in Christ be strengthened. And may you grow in the grace and knowledge of the risen and exalted Son of God in whose name you have life.

Today’s passage is the famous opening words of the book of John. And while Jesus’ name does not technically appear anywhere here, make no mistake, these opening words are about Jesus. In these five verses, John tells us four foundational truths about who Jesus is. First, Jesus is the Word. Second, Jesus is the divine Word. Third, Jesus is the sovereign Word. And fourth, Jesus is the life-giving Word. Today we will look at the first: Jesus is the Word.

Why does John call Jesus the Word? Why didn’t he just write his opening sentence like this? “In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God (the Father), and Jesus was God.”

John had a purpose. John intentionally used the word “Word” instead of the word “Jesus” in order to bring us back to the beginning of all creation and the glorious and jaw-dropping truth about how God… spoke his word. Listen to these words from Genesis 1:1-3. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” God spoke his word. John also intentionally used the word “Word” instead of the word “Jesus” in order to bring us back to the Old Testament times and the glorious and jaw-dropping truth about how God… spoke his word to his people. God communicated with his people. He made a covenant of grace with them that was fundamentally built upon words - words of revelation and truth, words of relationship and love, words of promise and salvation. God spoke his word.

This is huge. Much more huge than you think. You must remember that most of this unbelieving and unrepentant world thinks that God is neither a real nor a personal being. The Greeks back then in John’s time took pride in their idea of what they called the “logos” - an impersonal force or an abstract philosophical concept that provided the reason for all existence. The logos for them was their ultimate truth and ultimate reality. John took the Greek word “logos” that the Greeks in a sense ultimately stole from God and John used the Greek word “logos” as a name for Jesus. This means that the Greeks back then were wrong about everything - and this unbelieving and unrepentant world today is wrong about everything. There is a God. There is a real and personal divine being. And he has spoken his word.

Listen to Revelation 19:11-13. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.”

And listen to Hebrews 1:1-2. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”

Dear Highland, know and remember this. Jesus is the Word. He is the logos. Jesus, who is the Son of God, who is the second person of the Trinity, spoke divine words. Our God has spoken to us. We have a real, personal, covenantal relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Jesus spoke words of blessings in his sermon on the mount. To the sinful woman who wept at his feet, Jesus spoke and said, “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” To Zacchaeus, Jesus spoke and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.” Jesus is the Word.

Jesus is not like a man-made idol made of silver or gold, which has a mouth but cannot actually speak (Psalm 115). Jesus spoke and said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He or she who has ears, listen to Jesus. Jesus is the Word.

And Jesus did not just speak to us with his words. He spoke to us with his work - his work of salvation. If you’re the type of person who believes that actions speak as loud as words, then consider how God demonstrated his love for you in that Christ Jesus died for you. In the words of Hebrews 12:24, the blood of Christ speaks an amazing word. Consider how every single word of the law was fulfilled by Christ Jesus in his life of perfect obedience and righteousness and wisdom. Jesus is the Word. And consider how Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. His resurrection was a statement - a statement of vindication and victory. Jesus is the Word.

Just as God made all of creation with the power of his word, God also made you a new creation through Jesus who is the Living Word. Praise be to our God. To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has spoken to us. This is glorious and jaw-dropping. God has communicated with us. He made a covenant of grace with us that was fundamentally built upon words - words of revelation and truth, words of relationship and love, words of promise and salvation. God spoke his word. Jesus is the Word.

Please consider the following applications.

First, if the Word is personal, then for non-believers this means that Jesus is either receiveable or rejectable. Technically speaking (and I admit that I am pushing the envelope here), every human being by default has a “relationship” with Christ in the sense that every human being is made in the image of God and every human being must give an account of their lives before Christ Jesus on the day of his judgment. Every human being is either an enemy of God or a friend of God. Everything is personal. Because above everything is the Word. And the Word is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. For non-believers, it is personal. But is it no less personal for believers as well. If the Word is personal, then for believers this means that our Christian lives are very, very personal. When you sin, you are not merely breaking laws or commands. When you sin, you are breaking honor and love and worship to the Word who is Jesus Christ. For believers, it is personal. Jesus is the Word.

Second, if Jesus is the Word, then let us read the Bible more and more. God has spoken to us. He wants us to receive his communication. And he has given us the Bible. This is profound. This means then that all of your Christian life is rooted in whether or not you are reading the Bible. There is so much that God wants you to know. There is so much that God has said to us. Read the Bible then to know what God wants you to know. Read the Bible then to hear what God has said to us. Read the Bible. God knows you through and through, and his written word that is the Bible is good for you and necessary for you and sufficient for everything that you are going through in these last days. God has words to say when we are sad, discouraged, lonely, anxious, tempted, and disciplined. Read the Bible. Perhaps you may think or feel like God is far away from you. Perhaps your relationship with God is not as good as you wish it to be. If you are not reading the Bible and consistently receiving God’s words in the Bible, then your relationship with God will not be good. Read the Bible. And let us read the Bible with more and more love and joy and seriousness and studiousness. Read the Bible at home. At church. At school. At work. On your couch. In your bed. On the bus or train. As you are driving (reading by hearing). Our religion is fundamentally based on hearing God’s word and reading God’s word. Read the Bible.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Soli Deo Gloria