What Did He Say? Series

WHAT DID HE SAY?

John 1:1-2

S: Jesus as God

Th: Christmas: It’s About Jesus

Pr: JESUS IS GOD.

?: How? How do we know?

KW: Qualities

TS: We will find in our study of John 1:1-2 three qualities of Jesus that are communicated to us in the description as the Word.

The ____ quality that is communicated to us in the description of the Word is His…

I. CREATIVITY

II. ETERNITY

III. DEITY

RMBC 12/3/00 AM

INTRODUCTION:

ILL Notebook: Communication (C & H—loopholes)

In the comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin is sitting at his desk in school, taking a test. He is quite dismayed when he reads the first question: Explain Newton’s First Law of Motion in your own words.

In the second frame, a big smile comes across his face as it is obvious as he has an idea.

In the third frame, he begins to write: “Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz.”

In the final frame, having made the answer in his own words, Calvin sits back with his hands behind his head and says, “I love loopholes.”

Which brings me to this significant question…

1. Isn’t the goal of communication clarity?

Isn’t it true that when we speak, we want to be understood?

And isn’t it tiring to always have a response of, “What?” “What did you say?”

When we speak, we want people to listen.

When we write something down, unlike Calvin, we are not looking for loopholes, we want to our thoughts to be grasped.

And when someone is speaking to us, we want them to speak in a language that we can understand.

It is frustrating when they speak in a coded language or in a mysterious way.

We want to understand.

In fact…

2. We appreciate it when people speak to us directly.

ILL Notebook: Communication (you can talk to me)

Jim Brademas found a new doctor for his 90-year-old mother since her fam-ily physician had died. After examining her, the doctor called them both into his office and, ignoring his mother, proceeded to give Jim the results. His mother interrupted and said, “Doctor, do you do crossword puzzles?” “Yes, I do,” he replied. She then asked, “Do you do them with pencil or pen?” “Why, with a pencil,” replied the doctor. “Well, I do mine with a pen,” said Mother. “So you can talk to me.”

TRANSITION:

1. When it comes to the Christmas story, clarity should be our goal.

This is the reason we have been doing the Pilgrimage.

Since we do it so early in the season, we sometimes fail to get warmed up in our thinking about it.

Simply, Christmas is about Jesus.

It is not about family and friends.

It is not about shopping.

It is not about Santa Claus and reindeer.

It is not about giving and receiving gifts.

It is about Jesus!

Was I clear enough?

ILL Notebook: Christmas (8’ long, 3’ wide)

The pastor of a small town church sent one of his parishioners to the big city to order a Christmas sign to be hung outside on the door of the Church. The parishioner lost the note that the pastor gave him which gave the dimension of the sign and the inscription that was to be printed on it. So he wired the pastor: "Rush copy of motto and dimensions." A new lady clerk in the Western Union office got the reply and almost fainted. It read: "Unto us a child is born. Eight feet long, three feet wide."

That’s some baby!

Well, for certain, that message was not clear to her (but, of course, neither was it intended for her).

But there is a message that we are all to get.

It is found in the gospel of John.

In fact…

2. The first eighteen verses of the gospel of John are clear and eloquent in their description of Jesus.

Specifically, we are considering the first two verses this morning, and especially verse one.

Did you know that…

ILL Notebook: Communication (cabbage)

"The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words."

--Atlanta Journal

In the Greek, verse one contains 17 words.

Those 17 words, according to one commentary, are the “most compact and pulsating theological statement in all of Scripture.”

Another writer says of the first verse, “…the force of what he says is so staggering that the words almost seem to bend under the weight that are made to bear.”

John is clear about his intention.

For…

3. John’s goal for us is belief (20:31).

He says toward the end of the gospel…

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.