There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
5 sermons cite this verse
… By authority. And his authority lies in being commissioned to do what he does. John begins, there was a man sent from God. There was a man sent from God. That is the basic authority out of which pulpit ministry emerges. That there have been countless people who have banged up against a box. Religious fellows speaking with emphasis and interested in doing a nice job for people in the community—that that has happened time and time and time again—should not be confused with the nature of the call of God and the equipping of God to be a pastor-teacher to equip the saints and to evangelize those who as yet do not believe. And the reason that John could speak, for example, with such authority to the religious people was because he knew where he was and why he was where he was, and he knew who he wasn't. And it's because he knew who he wasn't that he could understand what he was. Until we understand what we're not, we cannot understand what we are. …
… And the darkness has not overcome it There came a man sent from God His name was John. He came as a witness to the light so that all people would trust, would believe through him. He himself was not the light. He only came as a witness to the light. The true light who gives light to all people was coming into the world. He was in the world. And though the world was made through him, the world did not know him. He came to his own people, but his own people did not receive him. but to those who did receive him, to those who are trusting in his name, he gave them the authority to become children of God. Children born not in a natural way, not of a human decision, not of a husband's will, but children born of God. And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son sent from the father, full of grace and truth, full of steadfast love and faithfulness. …
… and the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. The question we have is, is that worth the wait? Like, is what God has done, is that worth the wait? Because think about this, from the beginning of the story, from the actually very first story. Here's Genesis chapter one and two, chapter three, everything falls apart. But in the midst of Genesis chapter three, Genesis chapter three, verse 15, God promises, he promises that there is going to be one who crushes the head of the serpent. There is gonna be one who restores all things. And then the whole rest of the story is people waiting from Abraham to Isaac, to Jacob, to the judges, to the kings, to the divided kingdom, to the civil war, to exile, through all the whole entire story, all the way to Jesus. is that worth the wait? I was thinking about, you know, this, think of right now, Christmas Day. I think a lot of us, we get really excited. …
… is not comprehended by the people of darkness. And John goes on to say, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He's referring to John the Baptist. This man came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world." Now this metaphor of light and darkness is not found simply in the New Testament or in Christian literature, but it's found in other sources and other philosophies, and it was certainly one of the favorite metaphors of the philosopher Plato. Some of you may remember from your studies in college or even in high school of having read The Republic of Plato that Plato has a famous analogy or a parable where he tells the story of slaves who are confined to their quarters within a cave. and there's a little fire going in the cave, but these men are tied up in there, and the only light that they have is a vague light that reflects shadows on the wall of the cave. …
… created the heaven and the earth. John is saying, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. That sentence in and of itself was enough to keep the theologians busy for three hundred years because on the one hand the Word is distinguished from God and then from a different perspective is identified with God. And since we looked at that somewhat closely during the Advent season, I'm just going to remind you that it's there as pregnant as it is in significance and is the basis basically more than anything else for the church's confession of Trinity. We read, He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. Without Him nothing was made that was made. So that Jesus who came to this earth is now identified as the incarnation of that member of the Trinity for whom, by whom, and in whom all things were made. So that what John is saying in extraordinary ways is this, the one I'm going to tell you about, the one that I want you to believe in, and the one in whom there is life is the one who created you in the first place. …