Video: Bible Connection (available on SermonCentral.com - 2:10 min)
The Bible, it’s not just for Sunday anymore.
The problem is people don’t know the Bible or the truth of the Bible if it hit them square in the middle of their face. In our nation today, we have great Biblical illiteracy rate.
(Opening Illustration) On a cold winter day, January 12, 2007, A man wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington National ball Cap, went into a metro (subway) station in Washington DC and near the entrance next to some garbage cans opened his violin case, took out his violin and began to play, laying open his violin case to collect tips. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, over a thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.17. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the absolute best violinist in the world. His violin was a rare Stradivarius made in 1713, and worth 3.5 million dollars. Three days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell played at a sold out Boston’s stately Symphony Hall where the seats average $100 each. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? [1]
Jesus experience much the same thing:
John 1:10 (NKJV) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Jesus, who made the world, came into the world, but the world did not know Him and even today still does not know Him, but He left us his Word.
Why Trust the Word? Why should we believe? Because: Jesus is the Word
John 1:1–5 (NKJV)
The Gospel of John introduces Jesus far different from the other Gospels. Matthew and Luke list Jesus’ genealogy and prophecies and describes the events surrounding His incarnation as a baby, born of Mary, in the little town of Bethlehem. Mark starts off by introducing John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus’ public ministry.
But John is way different. Through the John’s Gospel, it was clearly John’s purpose to let people know in no uncertain terms that Jesus came from God and that Jesus is God.
John 20:31 (NKJV) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
In fact, even to the most casual observer, John’s Gospel starts off in a very familiar way.
John 1:1a (NKJV)
In the beginning
We know these words from Genesis 1:1 – “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Jesus was in the beginning. Time has a beginning and it is clearly documented in Genesis 1:1. Jesus was there at that beginning point in time. Like God, Jesus was present before there was time.
We would say eternity past, but what is eternity? Our mind cannot comprehend the non-existence of time. But the scriptures are clear. Time itself is a creation of God and time had a beginning and time will have end. So eternity is not so much as time without end, but timelessness. And there was Jesus before time began.
Isn’t it interesting that John introduces Jesus as the Word.
“In the Beginning [was the Word]” In the Greek the word is “logos”. In Greek culture, the Stoics understood “logos” to be the rational principle by which everything exists, and which is of the essence of the rational human soul. More generally, “logos” can refer to inner thought, hence ‘reason’, even ‘science’. “logos” can refer to outward expression, hence ‘speech’ or ‘message’, which is why ‘Word’ is still thought by many to be the most appropriate term, provided it does not narrowly refer to a mere linguistic sign but is understood to mean something like ‘message’ as in the following. [2]
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV) For the [message] of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
“Message in this verse is the Greek “logos” Jesus is God’s message to us. Jesus is God’s Word because “the Word was with God.” But the John 1:1 goes even further. Not only was the Word, the Logos, came from God, and the Logos was with God, but John makes it very clear, “and the Word was God” This is foundational to the the doctrine of the Trinity. Thought the Holy Spirit will be included later, the fact is, Jesus the Word, Jesus the Logos, is God.
Beware of anything that tell you different. The Jehovah Witnesses have a Bible Translation called “The New World Translation” which is an abomination. They translate this verse as “The Word was a god.” Anything that denies the deity and co-equal status of Jesus with God the Father is heresy. As the Word that was with God and the Word that is God, we see that the Word was the very agent of creation.
Psalm 33:6 (NKJV) By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
And
Psalm 33:9 (NKJV) For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
God spoke the “Logos” and creation happened.
Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
The Word of God we hold in our hands is the very power of the universe. Words have letters as we read. And Jesus calls Himself:
Revelation 1:8 (NKJV) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Notice the last two words, “The Almighty.” Those word are reserved for God alone. Jeus is God and Jesus is all in all, and Jesus is everything. So John introduces Jesus, as the one from the very beginning.
John 1:2–3 (NKJV) 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Again, it must be emphasized. The Word, the Logos, Jesus is from the very beginning. The Word of God, spoken by God, who was God, spoke all things into being. You see the very words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God.
So what does that mean for us?
John 1:4 (NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The Word, the Logos, does not merely possess life, He is life and the giver of life.
John 11:25 (NKJV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
Jesus gives not only physical life, but more importantly, He gives us spiritual life in Him.
John 17:3 (NKJV) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Knowing Jesus, knowing the Word, the Logos is with God, and the Logos that is God, is the very definition of eternal life. And that life is “the light of men.” What did Jesus say about the light?
John 8:12 (NKJV) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus is that light. But there is problem with that light, the darkness doesn’t like the light:
John 1:5 (NKJV) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Like the world class violinist who played in the subway as a street musician, those who passed by did not hear or appreciate the talent right before them. Jesus came and brought light into a world of darkness, but the world failed to see or to even notice, and still does not see today.
In the Gospel of John, life and light are central themes. Isn’t interesting about life and light in comparison to death and darkness. Death is the absence of life, and darkness is the absence of light.
John 3:19 (NKJV) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Because men reject the very light that is life, they are clearly choosing their own death because the reject the One who is life. But here is the greatest miracle of all time, the greatest miracle of the entire universe:
John 1:14 (NKJV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Why is this so significant?
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is truly Good New. This is truly the Gospel. But even though God sent the Word, the Logos, He sent Himself into the world, to be the Light of the world, and Life that brings life, that light that is life, it is rejected by men.
John 1:11 (NKJV) He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
The Word we hold in our hands is all about Jesus through and through. It is in this understanding that all of scripture need to be viewed and interpreted:
John 5:39 (NKJV) You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
The Word points us to Jesus, the Word testifies of Jesus, the Word is Jesus. Moses pointed out to the children of Israel in the desert:
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV) I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
Moses put it out plain and simple. Choose life. Yet man will conscientiously choose death. The Word is rejected. The Word that light, the Word that is life.
"Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, "I am the bread." (John 6:35) He did not come merely to shed light; He said, "I am the light." (John 8:12) He did not come merely to show the door; He said, "I am the door." (John 10:7) He did not come merely to point the way; He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) [3]
Why trust the Word? The Word is all about Jesus. The Word is Jesus.
John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Have you received the Word, the Logos, have you received Jesus? There is no other way
[1] https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-glory-rodney-buchanan-sermon-on-humanity-of-christ-106899?ref=SermonSerps and https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2014/10/14/gene-weingarten-setting-the-record-straight-on-the-joshua-bell-experiment/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bf51342ce117 and https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bell-curved/
[2] D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 114, 115.
[3] J. Sidlow Baxter, pastor and theologian. https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/84158/jesus-by-dr-larry-petton?ref=TextIllustrationSerps
