This sermon was preached by Scotty L Killingsworth to the Evergreen Church on April 4, 2004. It is from a series of sermons entitled: “Why did Jesus have to die?”.
Sermon title: Jesus died to reveal the glory of God
The Biblical text is from John 1:1-9
In 1938 Baltimore racism had the city in a strangle hold. The city was deeply divided and blacks didn’t dare venture into the white part of town. A black man was not allowed to try on a coat until he paid for it because a white man might later try on the jacket. There was deep division and fragmentation of the society. There was one event that welded the black community into a solid group. It was a fight – a boxing match. There was a black man named Joe Louis who was the heavy weight boxing champion world. White folks questioned how God could allow a black man to be the champion of the whole world. Joe gave the black community something they needed to unite them.
In 1936, (two years before), Max Schmeling knocked Joe out in the 12th round of their first encounter. Max was German and the white hope from Nazi Germany. When Joe went down the white man’s world view was validated and they all slept comfortably that night. A white man was champion of the world. All was well and God is in his heaven.
But now it is 1938 and in Baltimore’s black community hope soared as Joe and Max were scheduled for a rematch. The second fight didn’t last long. In two minutes and nine seconds Max Schmeling was laying senseless on the canvass. Joe Louis had just revealed the glory of the black man.
The world was listening to the fight on the radio, but no part of it more intently than the black district of Baltimore. A parade of black people came out of their ghettos and on to the street. For a few minutes they rode on the courage of Joe Louis and took Baltimore’s streets back for the common man. It was the first civil rights march and it was completely spontaneous. Like the fight the march didn’t last long. In just five minutes or so the crowd dissolved into the shadows and returned to their homes.
These marginalized people had shared persecution too long and as a community they pushed back and for five minutes danced in liberty and joy. For five minutes everyone in Baltimore was equal in their eyes. For one night discrimination against a race didn’t matter. They were a community united and proud as one of their very own was the heavy weight boxing champion of the world. For one night they were proud of being black. They were just as good as any man! And tonight the entire world would know and nothing could ever change the fact that Joe Lois has knocked the begebbers out of Max the Nazi.
Jesus was part of a marginalized people. He was part of a persecuted race. The Roman’s had drawn lines and said you live here and we live here and don’t you ever cross the line. The Romans were so powerful. They built on the heals of Alexander the Great-Greek a nation that ruled with a fist of iron. They KO’d everyone in their way.
One day a man walked the back roads of Palestine whose name was Jesus. Some began to hope! Large crowds gathered to hear him and to witness the miracles that followed him. But the Roman sword was too powerful and Jesus was crucified. His glory must have been temporary at best they thought. So his body was laid in a tomb and forgotten except by the Roman squad ordered to keep it safe and the close inner circle of Christ followers.
One morning news began to spread. Jesus has risen, someone whispered. He is alive, another said. A spontaneous parade/march took place that is still going on today.
That sir is the glory of God. Madam, you have just seen God at his best. The glory of God is revealed as completely as human minds and hearts can understand.
We have been dealing with the reason behind Jesus’ death for several Sundays now and today we will deal with another facet of the reason. Jesus died to be our substitute, our sacrifice, to get us out of our tree, to make us a new person and to show us the outrageous and furious love of God. Today we will try to make the case that his death revealed the glory of God.
The glory of God is not an easy concept to explain. The Greek word, “Doxa”, means a
most glorious condition, most exalted state. In the death of Jesus we see more of the glory of God than we have seen before. His exalted state is the direct result of his death. In his crucifixion we see God irrevocably committed to redeeming humanity – Oh glorious condition. He will stop at nothing to accomplish it.
How do we describe the glory of the indescribable One? What do we do to cause our friends and family to catch a glimpse of his glory? When His glory is revealed there is only one response – total acceptance or ridiculous rejection. This is why the enemy of our souls blinds the eyes of the man so we will not see God’s glory and accept Jesus’ sacrifice and be saved.
When the Baltimore black community saw Joe Louis they saw hope. When we see Jesus, we see the glory of God. When was the last time you saw the glory of God?
If you have never beheld his glory, this would be a great day to begin.
Where may we see the glory of God?
In Consummate Community v 1-2
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
Community is a great way to understand the relationship of the Godhead. God is in perfect community with himself. He needs no other relationship to complete himself because from before time he was already complete within the divine community of Himself. His invitation to join him is a gesture of grace not need.
God invites us to join him in his divine community. He says come and let me be in you and you in me, as I am in my Father. You don’t have to be alone any more. You can be part of the family.
He invites us to confess our sins and receive full pardon and redemption. When we are under the blood we are part of the family of God – the eternal family of God.
An isolated Christian is not normal. We were born for community. We were made for relationships. We do best in groups. Because man is created in the image of God we enjoy and thrive in community. God’s glory is seen in community. Although there is nothing else like God he exists in consummate community with himself.
The extinction of the American Passenger Pigeon is the direct result of this community concept. They needed community to exist. When their numbers reached a low enough number they could not sustain their existence. They ran out of reproductive energy and became extinct. They depended on community to live.
After The Old Testament’s Ruth lost her husband she was alone and in desperate need of community. She turned to her mother-in-law Naomi and committed herself to life-long community with her. This need for community in time (with God’s hand on it) gave birth to a direct ancestor of Jesus the Messiah.
If you attend Evergreen church and have not committed yourself to a community group you are in danger of spiritual disease. Healthy Christians are enmeshed and engaged in diverse relationships. There is health in Christian community, as well as protection and support. My best advice for you if you desire to live as you were created to live would be to open your life up to others and they will open up a place for you.
We do not have one Community Group or small group that is exclusive. There is not one Evergreen ministry that has a membership too complete that more are not welcomed. We are a church of open arms and hearts. Join in and be part of us.
Geese flying in formation are a marvelous example of community. We can learn much from geese! They fly in a V formation which reduces the air resistance for those geese flying behind their leaders. As they fly the honk encouragement to their leaders and every once in a while they change places and give the worker/leader some rest. They are so loyal to each other that when one is sick or injured its mate will stay with it and protect it.
When the Bob White Quail roosts at night the entire covey forms a circle with their heads facing outward. When they are roosting the Quail community looks in 360 degrees at once. The same is true of a good church or community group. Together we are better!
You will experience community with God and with his people in a local church. Leave you life of isolation and come into the family of God. In the community of faith you will see the glory of God revealed best in this world at this time.
Let me summarize:
God is a perfect community within himself.
He invites us to join his divine community out of love for us not out of need on his part.
Once in the Divine community you have all the rights and responsibilities of heaven
While on earth we are to be investing our lives in others. The best way to accomplish that is in Christian community.
So we understand that the glory of God is revealed in consummate community, but that is not the only place we will see his glory. We can see it in his compulsive creativity.
In Compulsive Creativity v3-9
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
The glory of God is seen in his creativity. He made everything. Philosophy 101 usually deals with the question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” The answer is revealed in the Bible. God is compulsively creative – that’s why there is a universe full of stars. He creates and creates and seems to not be able to stop creating. A dime held at arms length against the nights’ sky obscures millions of stars if we had the visual acuity of the Hubble telescope. The universe if full of stars.
Jesus was not only with God and is God, but he is Creator God. Everything made was made through Jesus (Word). Nothing exists in the universe that was not made by the Word (Jesus). In Genesis 1:1 where it says, “In the beginning God. . . “, it is talking about Jesus the living Word of God.
In Eden we have a beautiful picture of God creating Adam. He fearfully and wonderfully creates him from the elements of earth and then does his God thing and gives the clay body life – zoe/existence.
Jesus is The Living Being. All life comes from Him. Existence, Zoe, the Greek word used in John for life, has its fountain head in Jesus. All life flows out from him. As all rivers flowed out of the Garden of Eden, existence flows out of Jesus. Nothing lives that he does not create and sustain. You are an extension of the life that originates in Jesus.
Next John takes the life idea and changes the metaphor to light. He wants us to realize that life is from a compulsive creator who also gives light, or in our case he gives us the ability to receive the divine light.
Man alone on earth is created to be aware of existence and of God. We think the birds are singing to God, but in fact they mostly are either saying, “Hey, cutie if your looking for a little companionship – I’m here, or Get your feathered tail out of my tree.”
Man is God-aware instinctively. It is written on our hard drives. Once and again a fool will say in his heart there is no God and try to have us pledge allegiance to a nation that is not under God, but they are the exception to the rule. Man is God-aware. It is the light in us as well as life.
Man, anthropologically, is made with a sense of God. Someone said we are all created with a God-shaped hole in our soul and we will never be satisfied until we fill it with God. “Our souls will never be at rest until they rest in Him”, Augustine said.
5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The word understood is really not accurate. A better understanding is found in the sense of laying hold of so as to make one’s own; hence, to take possession of. So, when the life became light it found itself in a dark world, but that darkness was not able to overwhelm it or own it. In other words light overcame darkness. This means that every time there is a battle between light and darkness, light will win.
Clayton Anderson said in his most recent newsletter from his Upon This Rock Ministry that he was learning that what happens in the physical is an echo of what has already happened in the spiritual. He says if God says something is fixed it is fixed even if it seems broke. This is exactly what is happening here. We may feel the battle between light and dark is currently being waged and we participate in the skirmishes and win some and loose others. But it is not so. When the battle is over in the spiritual we are only hearing the echo. Light has overcome darkness. It is a done deal. It may be dark in your life, but it will not always be dark. The light has won – deal with it.
John 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. The first Baptist said, that the light is coming. Are you still living in the dark? The idea that darkness will win is a lie and an illusion. The True Light has come and we have seen his glory as of the only begotten Son of God.
Let’s talk further of the compulsive creativity of the life that is light. We are beginning holy week today. This is Palm Sunday. Each day of this week is significant on the Christian calendar. This historic week witnessed the most compulsively creative and unexpected act of God. We saw God die. Community came apart at Calvary. There was a necessary and temporary split in the God head. We heard the cry of horror and abandonment, “Why have you forsaken me?” The pain ended with the words, “It is finished” and his broken, bloodied and beaten body was taken down from a cross and laid in a tomb.
All that God is was laid on the altar for you. The community was broken for you. The creativity stopped to catch your falling soul so that he could tuck you under his arm and call you a child of God.
Now the ball is in your court:
Do you choose to accept the offer of family? The choice is yours but all of heaven is straining in anticipation of your decision to join the family and community of God.
If you have been attending Evergreen for a week or several years and have not yet officially become a member I challenge you to cast your lot with us. Come be part of a church that celebrates worship, is creative in ministry and compassionate in service. We need you and you need us.
Each Sunday morning at 9:45 we offer a membership class in the church library. When you have been born again, been baptized and have taken the membership course you will become a member of this church.
But more important than that – Join God.
If you have stopped allowing the Creator to continue his work of molding you into the image of his son will you come and place yourself back on the altar so God can get on with his work.
There are so many wonderful people living within and under your influence that need to know Jesus. Tell them about him. Tell them he can forgive their sins and make them new people.
God can create in any person a new heart. He just wants us to open the door.
