October 22, 2006
Title: A Servant Church Empowers
Text: John 1: 1-13
Focus: To them gave He power to become the sons of God.
During one of my recent moments of relaxation I watch a movie video entitled, Akeelah and the Bee. The story was about an 11 year old girl who lived in the Compton, California community named Akeelah Anderson played by Keke Palmer.
She had a unique talent for spelling words that was recognized by the principal, but ridiculed by her peers. Her principal believed that she could go to the state championships, thereby bringing honor to the school that had a sullied reputation. She won that school championship, but the principal knew for her to advance to the state and possibly the national rounds, she would need a coach. He brought his college friend to meet her – Dr. Larabee, a character played by Laurence Fishburne. He had been a spelling champion, but didn’t win the national championship.
With his help, she won the state championship and was headed to the nationals. He informed her that the competition would be stiff and that she should learn all of the words from the previous championship rounds. He presented her with a flash card set of 5,000 words and told her to learn them.
She looked at the words and said it would be impossible for her to learn the words. He pulled out another set of books: Greek, Latin, Spanish, Slavic, and told her that she needed to learn word origins and that she needed to learn the root words.
He told her that big words come from little words and if she learned the little words she would be able to spell any big word. In other words he told her that the ability to conquer the challenge of her life - the national spelling bee - was contained in the power of a word.
She read this quote by Marianne Williamson that was framed on his wall.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
The ability to conquer life challenges is contained in the power of a word – Jesus.
That idea of the power of the word is the idea John seeks to communicate in this text.
“In the beginning was the Word”... John is my favorite of the gospels and the most beautiful beginning of any of the books I think. But have you ever wondered what John means that Jesus is the Word? It does seem like a peculiar way to describe Jesus, but... I want us to see this morning that the WORD is a powerful name for Jesus because it is so rich and full in meaning... NOT just to Jews, but for ALL people!
John wasn’t writing just to Jews. Nor was he writing just to Gentiles. No. He wanted everyone to hear the good news and come to faith in Christ! That’s why he picked a word so rich in meaning to describe Jesus! He is the WORD.
The WORD had a rich meaning for EVERYONE
In terms of the Greek background, the Logos/ or Word goes back
at least 500 years before the time of Christ to a Heraclitus of Ephesus. His chief concern was to understand how order and symmetry could function in all the chaos of our world. He clearly saw that there was a certain order, but there also seemed to be a lot of chaos. His answer was that there is an invisible force of reason that sustains everything.
He used the term Logos or Word as a technical term to describe the orderly function he saw in the universe; an impersonal force “by which all things are steered through all things” he said.
Plato, the greatest of all the Greek philosophers, further developed the idea of the Logos. He said, what we see here in this life isn’t real. Ultimate reality exists in some transcendent universe somewhere.. and what we see here are only ‘forms’ or shadows of the realities that exist in that other world. So, how can we know of those realities? Only through Logoi... or words that describe to us that reality.
For Plato words like ‘beauty’ or ‘justice’ were logoi that represent to us the ideal beauty or justice that only existed in that other ‘real’ world.
For Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, the idea of the Logos came to mean a thing’s definition, the conclusion or total proof of an argument. It was the bottom line or definitive word on a matter. And so, for the Greeks, the Logos steers the universe and keeps its forces in balance. It points beyond itself to ultimate reality and gives understanding about the true nature of the world. It pervades all things and is the final, definitive answer to all things!
For the Jews...The Jews were influenced much less by ‘philosophy’ and much more by Scripture! Yet, the Jews of the first century lived in a culture that greatly influenced by Greek culture. For example, the Jews had been forced to learn and use the Greek language from about the fourth century B.C. on. Sometime in the 3rd century B.C. a Greek-language translation of their Bibles had become the standard of the day. The Septuagint, as it is called, was the Bible that was best known by Jews of the first century in Jesus’ day, particularly those who lived outside of Palestine.
Gen 15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." (NIV)
For God to speak was also for him to act, for his word was powerful!
Ps 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (NIV)
So, the logos was a typical way to think of God speaking and acting. What’s more, it was even used by the Jews to represent God at times. Even though Greek was the common language of the day, when they’d read aloud their Bibles in synagogue, they still read the Hebrew. But since many Jews of the day didn’t even understand their native language, a running commentary in Greek was often given. Since they never read aloud the divine name of God (YWH) , they would substitute other words...Greek words, ‘adonai’ which meant Lord; ‘Holy One’; ‘the Name’ and even ‘the Word/ logos.’
In fact a close study of the word Jehovah is the derivative of the two words YWH and adonai. When translators encounter these words together they developed the name Jehovah.
So Jews were use to associating ‘the Word’ as another designation for God.
Why is all of that important? I think it helps us see the beauty of Scripture and the wisdom of God in selecting this particular term. When John came to write his gospel he intended it NOT just for Jews and NOT just for Gentiles, but for everybody... yet there was such a cultural divide between the two!
How do you describe Jesus in a way that captures the attention and interest of everybody? You use a term like ‘the Word’ that would have meaning for both audiences! And it fully captures ALL that Jesus was and IS if you think about from both perspectives.
He is the force that steers the universe. He is the final word/ authority on matters. He is the embodiment of God upon this Earth, his message/ word to us!
The ability to conquer life challenges is contained in the power of the word – Jesus.
Therefore, the Servant Church has in its hands the ability to empower by preaching and teaching the word of God so people will know that they are children of God.
The Servant Church has in its hands the ability to empower by preaching.
Preaching is proclamation and that’s important:
1. Medium of manifestation – through the use of words concepts that are abstract can have meaning. Love, beauty, salvation, forgiveness, caring,
2. Means of communication – it allows language to be the universal means of communicating one with another.
3. Method of revelation – you come to know the mind of God and his purpose by his word
Preaching is also demonstration.
1. Where your creed and your deed line up.
2. Where your talk and your walk are in sync.
3. Where your oughtness and your isness connect.
Therefore, everyone should be preaching!
The Servant Church has in its hands the ability to empower by teaching.
Teaching is information and that’s also important.
1. medium for cultural relevancy
2. means of communicating ethicacy
3. method for developing competency
Teaching is also inspiration.
1. How you become proud of who you are, because of whose you are.
2. How you develop the soul force to keep on going despite the odds.
3. How you connect to your history to direct your future.
What is it that the Servant Church must preach and teach?
If you believe in Jesus Christ, if you receive Jesus Christ, then you will know that you are a child of God.
When you are a child of God, you have a synergistic relationship with God.
Jesus says just like my Father and I are one, then you and the Father are one.
When you are a child of God, you have a symbolic relationship with God.
That means that when you see the sign of the cross, you don’t think of it as a symbol of shame; you know it as your liberation.
At the cross at the cross when I first saw the light and the burdens of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith, I received my sight and now I am happy all the way.
When you are a child of God, you have a salvific relationship with God.
What can wash away your sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus? What can make you whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus? Because of your salvific relationship with God you find that there is power in the blood.
The Servant Church has in its hands the ability to empower by preaching and teaching the word of God so people will know that they are children of God.
