SERMON: THE WORD

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
19 February 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 1

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was with God in the beginning.
3. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
7. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
8. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
13. children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

-- when I was a child, I discovered magic and power beyond belief -- one day, I opened the page of a book and I was swept away to a magical land where boys floated on rafts down the mighty Mississippi River -- where battles raged between countries and men of valor fought with bravery and skill -- where knights courted fair maidens and fought for justice and righteousness against evil and against dragons -- when I was a child, I opened a book and discovered the magic and power of the written word
-- there is something magical about the written word -- by opening a book and reading the words written there in black and white, you can be transported instantly to a realm that only exists in the mind of the author -- by opening a book, people and places and events that you could never even dream possible suddenly become real as you enter the world of the author
-- there is something special about the written word -- as you all know, I enjoy going to the movies -- I enjoy seeing how a director takes the written word and transforms his image of the word to the big screen for all to see -- but I have never seen a movie that could compare to the images I see on the screen of my mind when I become totally and fully immersed in a great story
-- when I grew older, I learned more of the power of the word -- as I learned to write, I learned that the true power of the word was not in just reading what others had written -- but in creating -- in writing yourself -- in taking your own dreams and worlds and characters and bringing them to life through the word so that others might experience for themselves what previously had only existed in your own mind

II. The Power of the Mortal Word
-- recognizing the power and magic of words is universal -- from the time that Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden up to our modern times, words have always been the most important and longest lasting facet of a society -- in all places and in all times and in all cultures -- whether the word was written on paper or passed down through stories told again and again and again around a campfire -- we have always recognized the power of the word
-- words have the ability to bring thoughts and emotions and feelings to life -- words have the ability to bring ideas and plans and passing thoughts to life -- words spoken with love have the power to change hearts and lives forever -- and words spoken in anger or in haste can affect lives in a negative way forever

-- when I was a kid on the playground and others used to yell taunts at me or call me names or make fun of me, I used to call back with that familiar rhyme that we all know, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"
-- but when I became older, I came to realize that there was a lot more power in words than in sticks or stones -- I got into the occasional scuffle in school -- got bullied from time to time -- but I can barely remember any of the actual blows that I took along the way -- I can't remember the pain from any time I was ever hit or pushed
-- but, the words that were said and the names that I was called -- those have stuck with me to adulthood and still affect who I am and what I do to this day -- no, there's a lot more power in words than in sticks or stones -- that is why we often say, "the pen is mightier than the sword" -- and that is why the poet Eric Idle changed the words of this children's rhyme to, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go into a corner and cry by myself for hours"
-- Frank Peretti, one of my favorite authors, penned a semi-autobiography called "The Wounded Spirit," in which he talks about how childhood taunts and name-calling dramatically affected him for life and wounded his spirit and how these taunts and words thrown around so carelessly in our schools today are destroying a new generation

-- I think we all can recognize that there is power in our words -- power to hurt and to cause harm to our family and friends because of our careless use of words
-- but, in our words, there is also power to encourage and to heal and to strengthen others -- I can't tell you how many times I've stood with families who have just lost a loved one and I've listened to them talk about the one who they just lost -- and most of the time, they talk about how that person encouraged them and strengthened them and showed love to them -- not only through their life -- but also through their words
-- in the Kairos ministry I help with in the prisons, all of the team members are required to write a letter to each of the prisoners involved in the program -- some of those men have never received a letter in their life -- some of those men have never heard an encouraging word from a soul -- and I have watched as grown men -- hardened criminals -- wept at words of encouragement and hope and love sent to them by people they had just met a few days before -- words have a power unlike anything else in our world
-- parents -- grandparents -- if you get nothing else from this message this morning -- never forget the power that your words have in the lives of your children and grandchildren -- with your words, you can bring life -- you can bring hope and strength and encouragement -- or, you can bring harm and chaos and hurt that will last a lifetime

-- you see, the power of words lies in its creative ability -- when you speak a word or when you put a word on paper, you are creating life -- you are giving life to a thought or idea -- whether good or bad -- and that word leaves you to affect others around you
-- so when you speak words of encouragement and hope and life to others, they are positively affected by those words -- and, on the other hand, when you speak words of hatred and anger and hurt, they are negatively affected by those words
-- a pastor friend of mine used to say constantly, "don't speak words of death on a situation -- it will come to pass -- speak only words of life to a situation, so that things will get better"
-- we need to always keep in mind that there is power in the words that we use

III. The Power of the Spiritual Word
-- and, if there is power in our limited, mortal use of words -- whether written or spoken -- can you imagine the power that is wrapped up in the words of our God?
-- look back at verse 1

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was with God in the beginning.

-- now we're all familiar with these verses -- we often use them as a proof text to prove to others that Jesus -- who John calls the Word -- the Logos -- the Divine Expression of the Lord God Almighty -- was God
-- verse 14 says that the Word became flesh and made His dwelling place among us -- meaning that God Himself became flesh and lived among us as Christ Jesus
-- but what is John telling us here in regards to the power of the Word? -- look at verse 3

3. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

-- here we see the power of the Word of God -- John tells us that in the beginning, there was nothing but God -- nothing but His Word -- but then, God spoke and through His Word, all things were created

-- turn over to Genesis 1 and let's look at a parallel passage
-- verse 1

1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
4. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
5. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

-- this passage in Genesis is a very close parallel to the first five verses of John 1 -- John opened with the statement "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" -- then he goes on to say that God created all things through the Word
-- in this passage, the writer tells us "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" -- so, how did God create the heavens and the earth? -- how did He bring life to the heavens and the earth? -- it tells us in verse 3 -- "And God said" -- God spoke -- the Word came from the mouth of God and spoke life into existence -- when God spoke, He spoke with power -- when He spoke, whatever He had imagined -- whatever He had thought of in His mind -- came into being -- it was made manifest -- it was created

-- look at verse 6 -- And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."
-- and verse 9 -- And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.
-- and verse 11 -- Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

-- "God said" and it happened -- all the way through the creation story in the book of Genesis, we read these words, "God said" and life was created -- the Word of God spoke and things were never the same again -- and, that, more than anything else, is the message of the Bible
-- that in our lives and in the lives of this world, God is constantly speaking and bringing His power and presence to bear in any and all situations

-- in the Old Testament, when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, God spoke liberation and freedom through a burning bush and Moses led God's people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land
-- when the nation of Israel clamored for an earthly king, God spoke and a shepherd boy -- a man after His own heart -- led God's people into a great nation and turned the hearts of the people back to their God and Savior
-- later in the Old Testament, as the Israelites forgot the covenant of God and turned away from Him to chase after foreign gods, God spoke discipline and justice and sent His people from the Promised Land and into bondage in foreign lands to bring their hearts back to Him through repentance
-- throughout the Bible, God would speak through His prophets -- and everything that He spoke -- everything that He ordained -- everything that He promised -- would come to pass just as He said
-- finally, in the New Testament, we see the Word of God becoming flesh in the person of Christ Jesus -- everything the Father thought -- everything the Father had spoken -- everything the Father wanted man to be -- was made manifest through His Son
-- when we failed to understand God's Word -- when we failed to understand what it meant to love our neighbor as ourself -- Jesus showed us through His life -- when we failed to understand what it meant to love our God with all our heart and all our mind and all our strength, Jesus demonstrated through His relationship with the Father
-- when we failed to keep God's Word given to us in the Law, Jesus stepped in and fulfilled it for us, showing us exactly what God intended when He first spoke it into being
-- but Jesus did not just live out God's Word here on earth -- He not only was the Word -- He also spoke the Word -- through His words, lepers were cleansed, the lame were restored, the blind were given sight, and sinners were forgiven
-- in every single instance of healing in the Bible -- with the only possible exception being the woman who reached out and touched His cloak -- Jesus healed through His words -- He spoke and they were healed -- He spoke and their sins were forgiven -- He spoke and their lives were changed through the power of God's Word
-- even from the cross, Jesus continued to speak words of healing and power and hope -- it was from the cross that Jesus said, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do" -- and "It is finished"

IV. Closing
-- but, the great thing is, is that Jesus is still speaking today -- the Bible tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father at this very moment, interceding with the Father on our behalf -- that means that right now, Jesus is speaking words of healing and power and hope and strength and encouragement on our behalf right now -- both to the Father and to us -- as He speaks life into us every single moment of every day
-- Jesus continues to speak to us today -- through our prayers -- through His church -- through the Bible, His written word -- and through the circumstances of our life
-- what is Jesus saying to you today? -- as you look at your life -- as you look at situations and events and the things going on in your life, what is the Word of God saying to you?
-- is He saying, "come to me and take my yoke?" -- is He saying, "Come, and follow me?"
-- is He saying to you "your sins are forgiven" -- is the Word you are hearing "Saved?"
-- is He saying to you "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life"
-- is He saying, "go and sin no more"
-- is He saying, "your faith has healed you"
-- is He saying, "I will never leave you or forsake you"
-- or is He saying "I am the love you have been looking for"
-- what is God saying to you today?

-- no matter what situation you are in -- no matter what is going on in your life -- know that the Word of God is still speaking today -- He is speaking words of life -- words of love -- words of hope -- that have the power to change hearts and to change lives and to change you
-- all you have to do is listen for His voice -- hear His words -- and allow them to change your situation and your life for the better
-- if you have heard God's voice today, then I invite you to respond to His Word before you leave here today
-- let us pray