Message

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The Word Became Flesh (zoe in logos)

John 1:1-18

Key Verse 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Welcome to St. Louis and Easter Bible Conference. You drove a long distance, so you must be tired. But in fact, you are not tired because you knew where you were going, you knew your destination, and you expected something great to happen at this conference. No matter how long the distance you drive, as long as you know where you are going, you are not tired. But many people in this world say that they are tired, not because they work hard, but because they do not know where they are going. They do not know who they are, where they came from, and why they must live on this earth. John said that they live in darkness. This is the reason why philosophy and religion appeared on this earth, leaving all these questions more complicated and unsolved. They did not give us clear answer.

To find the answer today it is important to know about the beginning and the origin of this world. In verse 1 John said that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The question starts with the word “Who was in the beginning?” not “What was in the beginning?” “Who was in the beginning?” comes from a theistic viewpoint whereas “What was in the beginning?” from an atheistic viewpoint? Which is right for you? Did you come from someone or from something? I believe that all of you came from someone, from your parents. In Hebrew Bible there was God in the beginning. Genesis 1:1 says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:1 says that the Word was in the beginning. John used the word, ‘Word,’ which is logos in Greek in place of the word ‘God’ for the sake of those who speak in Greek. At that time Greek was the world language like English today. The Greeks used the word ‘logos’ for ‘word’, ‘principle of reason, or ‘the First Cause of this world’. Greek philosophers said that this world came from water, fire, earth, and wind. Others said that this world came from the atom. They finally concluded that this world came from logos. Logos is the first cause of the universe. The Jews replaced logos with ‘Theos’ which means God. In verse 2 the word ‘Word’, logos, is replaced with the word, ‘He’, a person, who indicates Jesus Christ. He was with God in the beginning (2) Jesus was with God in the beginning. John wants to talk about Jesus as logos.

Verses 1-2 teaches us the Holy Trinity, which is God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Son Jesus was with God the Father. There are three persons in one God. Someone may ask, “1+1+1=3, not 1” This is a human calculation. But God’s mathematics with spiritual calculation is different. In God 1+1+1=1. Three persons in one God exist in community and unity as three different individuals.

Look at verse 3. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John said that all things came from logos. Without logos nothing was made that has been made. In logos we have life because our life came from Him. The words “All things were made” is significant to find the purpose of this world because the word ‘made’ contains the meaning of purpose. All things were made by logos for purpose and with purpose

Look at verse 4. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men. In Greek there are two kinds of word of ‘life;’ bio’ and ‘zoe’. Bio is a physical and temporal life like animal life while zoe is a spiritual and eternal life. In the beginning God gave us both bio and zoe. But Adam sinned against God, and we lost zoe. Jesus came to this world to restore zoe for us. In Jesus there is zoe, happy, blessed, eternal, spiritual, meaningful, fruitful, and satisfying life. Men are truly happy when we have zoe. John said that zoe is the light of all mankind. This is because zoe is the life which all men seek and desire. In Jesus we have zoe.

John said that the light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. In other version it is said that the darkness has not understood it. People in darkness do not understand zoe. They do not know even there is zoe in logos.

Now look at verse 14. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In this verse John said that logos became flesh. The word of truth, the First Cause of the universe, the true light, the Creator God appeared as a man, who is Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and lived in a small town of Galilee for 30 years as a son of a carpenter. He made his dwelling among us for 33 years until he went back to his Father. The appearance of Jesus did not happen all of sudden or out of nowhere. The incarnation of logos had been prophesied in the Old Testament 456 times (Alfred Edersheim) through many prophets such as Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Zechariah, and so on. Jesus Christ fulfilled all these prophecies and promises in the OT. John added one more prophet who came to testify about Jesus, whose name was John the Baptist. In verses 6-8 John the Baptist came to testify about Jesus, who is the true light.

Why did the Creator God come to this world? Why did Jesus make his dwelling among us? Jesus came to this world to heal the sick. He came to this earth to call sinners and make friends with them. He came to meet you today. Above all, Jesus came to this world to die on the cross. So later, when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29) Here the Lamb of God was the sacrificial lamb who was going to be killed for the sins of the world. Jesus was born to die. Jesus came to this world to open the gate to heaven for sinners like us. This is an amazing story that the Creator God logos became a man. Can you imagine that the Creator God, who is greater and bigger than the whole universe, appeared as a man, who is much and much smaller than a dot? The more remarkable story is that the Creator God came to die on the cross. So, people did not understand this. So, verse 5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it. We also do not understand this story. How did God become a man and die for sinners like us? Verses 9-11 describes well this situation. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John described Jesus as the true light. The light came to his own world, but the world did not recognize him. The appearance of the light was written in the beginning. When God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” (Ge 1;3) Paul said that God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts through face of Jesus Christ. (2 Co 4:6). Hebrews 1;3 says that the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.

Personally, Jesus became a light to my life because he answered all my life questions: Who am I? Where did my life come from, and where I am going? I was looking for the answer. I wanted to live a meaningful life. So, I quit my job and went to an art school, thinking that being an artist seemed to live the most meaningful life. But, one of my friends died and I buried him under the ground. I thought that death is the end of everything after taking away all my dream and life struggle. But I was wrong. I saw the light. I found that death is not the end of everything, but there is zoe in Jesus Christ. In Jesus was zoe, and that zoe became the light of my life. This is not all. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life (zoe), and have it to the full.” Amen!

Since I have zoe in me, I became a child of God. I was born again. Still, some of you may ask, “How can I have zoe?”, “How can a man be born again?” John answers in verses 12-13. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” God did not give us the way of salvation from complicated philosophy. God did not give us the way of salvation from remarkable work or achievement, but from an easy and simple way so that all people of this world may believe and be saved. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Amen! The way of salvation is ‘faith,’ faith in Jesus. God promised to give the right to become children of God to whoever receives Jesus and believes in his name. The name of Jesus has power, the power to forgive our sins, the power to give us freedom, and the power to make us children of God. When people believe in the name of Jesus, they become born again. They are born again not by human will or condition but born of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The moment you repent of your sins and ask for the forgiveness and believe in Jesus’ name, you will receive the Holy Spirit. You may ask, “How do I know that I become a child of God?” Romans 8:16 answers that the Holy Spirit will speak to your spirit that you became a child of God. (Ro 8:16) Amen.

Some people may underestimate the appearance of Jesus because they think that Jesus is not with us anymore. They say that Jesus made his dwelling among us for 33 years and went to heaven, and he is no more with us. But this is not true. Jesus promised to be with us forever (Mt 28:20). How can he be with us forever? He is with us forever through the Holy Spirit. The night before he was arrested and suffered, Jesus promised his disciples to send the Holy Spirit in his place as Another Counselor. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would take over his place, his work, and his position. Now logos appears again and made his dwelling among us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus works in us and with us through the Holy Spirit. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” He continued in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Amen!

Again, I welcome all of you to St. Louis and this conference. I believe that you came to the right place because you came to the light. You are no more in darkness. You are not alone. The Lord Jesus is with you and in you through the Holy Spirit until you find zoe in you. I pray that the Holy Spirit may open your spiritual eyes to see Jesus and enlighten your heart to experience his presence, his love, and his power through this conference. Amen!

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