Synopsis of December 22, 2024 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

John 1:1-14 
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 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.

I.          INTRODUCTION

1. The beauty of our relationship with God is in who He is. He is the son of the living God. God sent his son as a savior to the whole world.
2. Everything we have, would not be possible without Jesus. He is then the reason for the season.
3. You can’t embrace his glory fully without the birth narrative. He was born of a virgin in Judah. Jesus began long before Mary gave birth to Him.
4. He is the Word. The more you get to know him, the more you will realize that the Word was always at work.
5. John was in Jesus’ inner circle. He was a fisherman when Jesus first called him. John was an Apostle which meant He witnessed Jesus up close. John was so close to Jesus; he witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he witnessed the agony Jesus suffered on the cross. He was standing with Mary at the foot of the cross.
6. An Epistle is a formal letter with a purpose. John is accredited for writing 3 Epistles in the New Testament. They are I John, II John, and III John. He also wrote Revelation and John the gospel.
7. He writes love truth and the divinity of Jesus Christ.
8. John wrote in a pattern. In John 20:31 (NKJV) it says 31 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.- John says these things I write that you might believe.
9. In one of the Epistles, 1 John 5:13 (NKJV) it says 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.- John writes this one so that that we might know and believe. You must not only believe, you have to know too.
   1. If you don’t know, you can have Jesus and not know it, meaning you that you can lose him and not miss him. It is important to believe and know.
10. Another of John’s book is John. It is written about the past, the present, and the future.
    1. The distinction of John from the other synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) is they write about Jesus chronologically from birth. Unlike them, John starts with the beginning of everything, explain how Jesus was the Word. John wants us to know who Jesus really was. He was the preexisting God. In the beginning he was preexisting, coexisting, and self-existing all at the same time)
11. Through this message, you will understand the relationship between the word of God and the Jesus whom we celebrate today.

II.          THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WORD

A.  The Word Was Before The Beginning 

1. The beginning did not begin the Word. Logos, the Latin word for “Word”, signifies Jesus Christ. It is the breath of God.
2. The Word coexisted with God himself. The Word is eternal. The Word was before us, then it was with us, and will be after us.
3. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word will last forever. John said God so loved the world that God gave his only begotten son. When you accept Him, you go to your spirit self where you inherit eternal life.

B.  God And The Word Are One 

1. The sun’s light gives us light and warms us. Sunlight is not separate from sun. Like unto it, the Son is not separate from God. He is the part of God that we can comprehend. God sent Himself in a form that we could comprehend.
2. The Old Testament always pointed us to heaven. The Old Testament can be complicated. For example, if you need to get directions to the airport and you were getting them from someone that lived here, they would give you so much detail, that you couldn’t remember it all. This is how the Old Testament operates.
   1. The New Testament simply says, take up your cross and follow me. The New Testament shows you what to do and where to go.
3. The Bible says the Word was God. The Word and God is one. The Word, the Son, and God can’t be separated. This is how we get the Trinity.

III.          THE CREATIVENESS OF THE WORD

• All things were created by the Word. God used the word in the beginning of time to create the heavens and earth.
• When we have a relationship with God, we have creative power. Every visions we have is connected to a creative word.

A. The Word Makes Something Where There Is Nothing 

1. This idea of creation stands apart. A sovereign God creates the universe with nothing but His word. It is the doctrine of ex nihilo which is a Latin word meaning “out of nothing”.
   1. When you build a house, you talk to builder, but they have to talk to the subcontractors, before giving you a quote. In other words, the builder has to go to secondary source before building your house. God doesn’t, because He is already the source.
2. God came from nowhere, used the word to create everything that exists. He came from nowhere, because there was nowhere for Him to come from. He stood on nothing and created something. No one said anything, because there was no one around to say anything.
3. This is why the power of life and death is in your tongue. Your speech is to bring creativeness in places where there is nothing. The more word in you, the more word you can release into the world.
4. When in a relationship, you never despise small When we start with nothing, we know this is when God creates. Everything you have, started with the word of God.

B. Everything You Have Started With The Word 

1. Your children stared with a word. Your relationship started with a word. Everything starts with word. Whether its instructions, your thoughts, or whatever, it all starts with a word.
2. God used the word to create everything that exists. The enemy loves high jacking our word, to prevent our destiny.
3. Music creates modes. King Saul for example, used to have bouts of depression. David played music and brought his spirit back.
4. Before the beginning began, humans weren’t the first thing God created. God created the angels before us. One of the first things God created was a heavenly court that would give him praise! Ezekiel 28:13 (NKJV) says 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. – God created Satan and his anatomy was nothing but music.
5. Satan was responsible for the sound in glory. God let him control the sound, but God would create the lyrics which were, “holy, holy, holy”.
6. Satan got kicked out of heaven, because he tried to change the lyrics. Satan wanted the glory to go to him.
7. Satan wants to control the melodies and control the message. The words have the ability to change your mindset.
8. If you were in the studio for the song, “Back That Thing Up”, you wouldn’t have a problem with it until you hear the lyrics. The track itself doesn’t get you, but the lyrics change your whole mindset.
9. Once you hear the lyrics, it doesn’t matter if you have just the music playing, you will go back to that same mindset, because you can’t unhear the lyrics.
10. This is why we have to be careful of what you let your kids listen to. Satan is trying to change their morality. The lyrics is about changing your morality. Remember, you can’t unhear it.
11. If you can hear, you can’t unhear what you know is right. The same goes with talking about the word of God. Once you hear the word, you can’t unhear it.

IV.          THE CLUELESSNESS OF THE WORLD

• This Word came into the earth. The Word that created the world, came into the world and the world didn’t even know him.
• The world is so materialistic, it doesn’t know what it has in Jesus. You look for joy in a broken relationship, not knowing that you have a friend in Jesus

A.    The World Doesn’t Know What It Has 

1. We don’t chase paper, we chase purpose! We chase Joy, goodness, peace, and love!

B.    Culture Rejects What It Cannot Control 

1. All rejection ain’t bad!

V.          THE CHRIST OF THE WORD

• That word that was self-existing, became flesh and dwelt among us.
• This is why the angel had to talk Joesph off the ledge. That which was above us, came among us.
• Gods’ presence is so amazing, you can’t comprehend it. God had to package himself in a body, so that we could comprehend him. So, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

A.    The Word Became Flesh That Flesh Might Become The Word 

1. Our life should be the manifestation of the Word. It’s about our understanding.
2. The more word you get, the more you look, walk, and talk like the Word. You are advertisement for the Word.
3. If you have the word I have, you will have peace. It’s not what you believe, it’s about what you know. This is how you handle a season when everything is falling apart.
4. Your life is a manifestation of the Word.

B.    Whatever The Word Manifests Is For God’s Glory 

1. It isn’t about you. It’s for God’s glory. When you behold his glory, you know where the glory goes.
2. Psalms 91:1 (NKJV) 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.- Even the heavens behold His glory. Look at the times you almost had a nervous breakdown, but God kept us.
3. Look at how you could have walking to church instead of riding.
4. Lots of people don’t appreciate your glory, but we beheld His glory.
5. Full of grace and truth – The enemy tried to tell us what he thought we should hear. Truth brought change. Grace makes salvation possible, and truth eliminates the path to freedom.
   1. The enemy said you were unworthy, but grace and truth said you were more than a conqueror.
6. Mistakes will find you – You are a new creature. Old things have passed away, but this doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes.
7. Depressed – I will bless the Lord at all times. Whether things are good or bad, we will bless the Lord at all times.
8. When you know what you know you can behold his glory!.