The Word Became Flesh || Victory Church [Book of John #1]

All right, what are your favorite Jesus quotes, right? Like, I am the vine, you are the branches. I am the light of the world. I am the bread of life. I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe. All those and more from the book of John. All right, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, okay? If you're curious, this is the same John who laid his head on Jesus's chest at the last supper. He was Jesus's best friend. Five times in the book of John, it actually says that this is the disciple that Jesus loved. In another book that John wrote, first John 1, 1, here's what he said. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched. Are you seeing how tactile this is, right? This we proclaim concerning the word of life. Why, because John heard Jesus, saw Jesus, touched Jesus, walked with Jesus. Jesus said, come, follow me. John's ears heard what Jesus's voice sounds like. Jesus washed John's feet, and that John wrote this gospel. In fact, he literally ends the book of John with this, John 21.

He says, this is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. All right, so here's the thought. If there was one person ever who had the authority to write on Jesus, it was John. John knows what he's talking about when it comes to Jesus. He saw him, he talked to him, he walked with him, firsthand, like eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus, okay? So right at, about six months ago, God started talking to me about this, because I don't know if anybody else is like this, I'm pretty hardheaded. And so Jesus has to kind of like warm me up to some stuff sometimes. And so whenever it's really difficult, he has to talk to me in advance. So six months ago, God started talking to me about this, which has led us to this day where we are kicking off the book of John, and we will be here for the rest of the year, all right? We are kicking off 11 months in the book of John. Now here's, some of you are like, wow, that's a long time, okay? Now here, if you're gonna spend this long in a book, it better be able to support the wait. You know what I'm talking about? Like we're not spending a year in Jude, which is like 25 verses, all right, you know? Some of you would be like,

well, that's really stretching that thing. No, like John can support the wait. And here, let me just say it like this. You just need to get ready for a journey that's gonna change your life as we're beginning to walk through here. So John is what's called the fourth gospel. We're not all on the same page, so let me just kind of walk you through, so I'll know where you're at. There's four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. All right, gospel means good news. Each one of the four gospels is telling the good news of the earthly life of Jesus, okay? And so Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what's called the synoptic gospels. It means there's a lot of overlap. Some of you didn't know that, and somebody just told you to like, you should start reading Matthew. And you're like, awesome, and you read Matthew. And you're like, this is fantastic. I guess I'll just read the next book, and I wanna see what happens from there. And you start reading Mark, and you're like, this looks familiar, right? And then you hit Luke, and you're like, what is happening? Like, what is, is the whole thing just telling the same story? No, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels,

which means parallel. There's a lot of biblical thinking, theological thinking, that Matthew and Luke borrowed from Mark to write some of their stories. Same stories, different sets of eyes, looking at it from different perspectives, writing for different reasons. But John stands alone. John is different. If I can say it like this, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are more informational. John is revelational, right? John tells stories. John tells less stories, but he tells longer stories. If I can say it like this, John uses all the colors in the Crayola box for his stories. Come on, y'all remember when you're little kids, and you're so jealous about the person next to you that had the full, like, 256 box? And your mama had gone to the dollar store and bought you a three-pack of, like, black, white, and red? You're like, what am I supposed to do with that? And they got deep sea foam green, you know? I'm like, what, what? So John is the guy with that box, and that's how he writes his stories. That's how he tells his story. He gives you details nobody else gives you. He gives you the why behind the what. And each of the four gospels

is written for a different reason. Maybe you've never heard this before. I'm gonna help you to understand John here. Okay, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Matthew is written to the Jews, to the Jewish people. Okay, why, how do we know that? Well, one, he tells us, but he goes through a lot of Old Testament prophecy, but he specifically tells the genealogy of Jesus, the family history of Jesus. Going back to Abraham. Abraham, right? Because the Jews' story went back to Abraham. Why? Because Matthew's writing to the Jews. Well, who's Mark writing to? Mark's writing to the Romans, all right? So the Romans at that time, I mean, they're thinking Caesar, empire, power, king. And so in that culture, how you knew somebody was important is when they came on the scene, before them would come somebody to announce them. They would say, hey, Caesar is here. And so how does Mark open up his gospel? John the Baptist comes on the scene and say, hey, the Lamb of God has come because he's writing to the Romans. Well, Luke is the only non-Jewish author in the Bible. He's called a Gentile. And so he's trying to help everybody know,

hey, this story actually goes beyond. It's not just for the Jews. So his story begins with the genealogy of Jesus going past Abraham all the way to Adam because he's trying to show you, hey, this isn't just for the Jews, it's for everybody. But John begins in a different place. His first three words are in the beginning because he's telling a bigger story than everybody else. So in essence, if I can say it like this, Matthew is telling a very Jewish story. Mark is telling a kingly story. Luke is telling a human story for everybody. John is telling a cosmic story that's actually the size of the whole universe. That's how he tells the story. In fact, I'm gonna keep pressing a little deeper here. The early church took an animal and they assigned it to each one of the four gospels. That sounds random until you see Revelation 4 and Ezekiel 1 talk about the four living creatures, these crazy looking angels that are surrounding God's throne. And the early church took the face of each one of those animals and applied it to one of the gospels. So Mark, the face that they used there, was the lion. Why? Because the king. Okay, Luke was the ox showing the strength of Jesus. Well, John, they symbolized with the eagle. Why? Because eagles can fly higher than every other bird

and they have a very unique ability to stare directly into the sun. So why did they select an eagle for John? Because John goes up higher than every other gospel and has the courage to stare, can I say it like this? To stare straight in the face of the cosmic glory of Jesus Christ. Now, I know some of you right now are like, bro, that's too much, too fast, I'm drowning. Okay, I'm super intimidated right now. Cosmic glory, what am I supposed to do with that? Well, one of my professors said it like this. Other people have said it first, but I'll attribute it to him, I love this. He says, what's amazing about the book of John is that it's shallow enough for children to play, but deep enough for elephants to swim. Here's what I mean. God is kind and he will not let you drown, okay? So whether today you're an unbeliever, you're a new believer, or you're a 100-year-old saint, I promise you this. Every time you thumb through the pages of John, you're gonna get something, every single time. Why, because I promise you this, maybe you've been doing it long enough to know this. You will never reach the depths of God. You will never reach the heights of God. You will never reach the width of God. But God, in your exploration, will keep you safe.

He won't let you drown. And that's on purpose, the why John writes this way, that it's shallow enough for the children to play, but deep enough for the elephants to swim. It's on purpose, because John is aware you're there. Okay, when he's writing this book, he's aware you're there. In other words, we didn't find John's diary, like after he died. No, no, no, John is writing for a listener. He knows you're listening, and he has a goal. Do you wanna know what John's goal is? To convert you. John wants to convert you, and he tells you flat out, again, at the end of the gospel, John 20, here's what he says. "'But these are written, that you may believe "'that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, "'and that by believing, you may have life in his name.'" I love that, I love that. Then, that by believing, you would have life in his, do you understand, you can have life in his name. All right, so listen, John's writing for two big reasons. One, is that you would believe if you don't believe already. Okay, here's the second reason why John's believing, is that if you do believe, you would believe deeper than you've ever believed before in your entire life. All right, listen, John is writing for two reasons, to awaken faith in the unbeliever, or to deepen faith in the already believer, okay?

So two things are gonna happen this year on this journey that we're kicking off today, okay? Here's the first thing that's gonna happen. You are going to believe deeper in Jesus than you ever have, all right? Am I in the right place? Does everybody care about that? Come on, all right, okay. I know it's rainy outside, don't let it be rainy in here. Okay? Listen, I promise you, you're gonna believe deeper in Jesus than you ever have. I think there's a problem in the capital C, big church, not just here, but the big church. especially in America, is we have made Jesus way too small. Listen, we've sanitized him, we've emasculated him, we've made him really safe, put him in a little box that we carry around, and whenever we're in the mood, we'll let him out. Or maybe on a Sunday, we'll come visit him and do him a favor. I promise you, it's gonna start today, but you're gonna start getting introduced to the Jesus that's bigger than your box. He's taller than your box, he's deeper than your box, and you're gonna believe deeper in Jesus than you ever have. I promise you, if you stick with this, you're gonna fall more in love with Jesus than you ever have, you're gonna receive more revelation of Jesus than you've ever received,

you're gonna be more excited about Jesus than you've ever been excited, you're gonna be more committed to Jesus than you've ever been, you're gonna be more evangelistic about Jesus than you've ever been, and I promise you, by the end of this series, you're gonna be one of those people that from John 1 to John 21, it's just gonna be straight highlighting. Like the whole thing's gonna be yellow. Like the whole thing. This is so good. You're gonna believe deeper in Jesus than you ever have. Here's the second thing that's gonna happen on this journey this year, that this is the year we're gonna rob hell. This is the year we're gonna rob hell. All right? I said that in December, why? Because God was already talking to me about this. I knew what the journey that we were gonna start, and I believe that that's some of the words that God has given us, that this is the year we're gonna rob hell, that we are gonna plunder hell and populate heaven for the glory of God in Jesus' name. And so here's what that means, okay? If you're curious about Jesus, just stick around. Just stick around. If you're agnostic, you are welcome. Even if you're flirting with other religions,

you're welcome. You're welcome to come in here because I believe in the power of God to reveal himself to you. Okay? I believe that some of our loved ones, our friends, families, kids, coworkers, whoever it is, you're gonna invite them in, and they're gonna come to know Jesus. All right, we have two imperatives that's go and tell and come and see. And so it's our job to go and tell, but it's also our job to invite others to come and see. And I believe over the next few months, the people who come in, that you invite to come in, they will come and see. And I believe that God miraculously, supernaturally, will open up blind eyes and unplug deaf ears and remove hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh. And here's the good news, I believe that they will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, they would have eternal life in his name. I believe that, and I believe that for you, and I believe that for your loved ones. So over this journey, again, that's kicking off today, we're gonna spend week after week after week after week getting to know God as we get to know Jesus.

Do y'all wanna get to know God more? Yeah. That's the journey that we're on as we go through the book of John. So let's go. All right, verse one. Verse one. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. Stop. That's a lot. That's a lot. Let me just say one more thing about this series, okay? There's gonna be times over the coming months where we kind of zoom out and go fast. There's gonna be other times where we zoom in and go slow. Today is one of those slow days, all right? Because that right there, let me just say it, these three verses are 1,000 sermons, 1,000 sermons. Like, if you grew up in church like me, you've read this 1,000 times, and you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, what does it mean? Jesus stuff, like, I don't know. We don't know. Like, we just buzz straight past it, right? And so we're gonna zoom in and go slow, okay? So in the beginning, all right, go slow.

Why in the beginning? Because remember, John is telling a cosmic story. He's telling a universal story. We call it the meta-narrative. It's not just a narrative. It's not one of many narratives. It's not one of many stories. It's the ultimate. It's the supreme. It's the meta. It's the meta-narrative. In other words, you don't just have your story, and I have my story, and they have their story, and the people in the past had theirs. No, no, no, it's all contained within the great meta-narrative, in the beginning. This is God's story, that the whole story is God's story, all right? In the beginning, okay? For all my scholarly Bible theologians, do you recognize those three words? Where do you find them? Genesis, the first three words of the Bible, right? There's a good start in the beginning, all right? So in what's called the Greek Septuagint, I'm gonna give you some Greek stuff today. It just helps us out. The Greek Septuagint, which is the Greek version of the Old Testament, which was originally written in Hebrew,

but the Greek Septuagint is the Greek version of the Bible. So the first word of Genesis 1.1 is arche, it's spelled arch, but it's arche. John uses that same word for John 1.1. So in other words, here's what he's saying. Guys, let there be no mistake, I'm directly retelling Genesis. said, I'm using the same word in the beginning. Well, why? Why does he do that? Because Genesis records the creation of mankind. John is telling the recreation of mankind. Genesis is trying to tell us how God created everything. Well, the problem was then we bit the apple and we rebelled against God and we fell and we died. How can we ever get ransomed? John 1.1, in the beginning, mankind needs to be recreated. So let me introduce you to the one who can recreate in his name is Jesus. And so here's the thought guys, I can kind of read John's mind for a second. It took John over three years to begin to grasp the fullness of who Jesus is. And John, as he's starting to write, he's like, I'm not even going to let them go three verses without beginning to understand the fullness of who Jesus is. And so what he's saying is from the very beginning in our minds, we have to understand the majesty and the deity of who Jesus is. John 1.1. In the beginning was the logos. That's the word in Greek. In the beginning was the word. In the beginning was the logos, literally the logos. So what is logos? Logos means word or message or wisdom. In the beginning was the word. In the beginning was the message. In the beginning was the wisdom of God. So why on earth would John use that word? Okay. So just go deep with me for a second. Here's a really important thing to understand as you're reading the Bible. The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you. You understand that John was not writing to Samantha in 2026 in Atlanta. No, he's writing to Greek and Jewish culture. Good news. God's supernatural. The word of God is just as powerful today and transformative as it was 2000 years ago. So although the Bible was not written to you, it was written for you. Who did John write it to? People who would understand what logos is. So the Greek culture, here's how they understood logos. Logos, the word, get this. Logos was the supernatural power of the gods that held the universe together. The logos is what kept the atoms in structure. Logos. To the Jews, logos was the law, was the will, was the wisdom of God. In fact,

they actually believed that the Torah, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, existed in heaven with God before God gave it to Moses. So it wasn't like the first time God had had that thought. No, no, no. God basically gave them the logos. He didn't invent the logos. No, the logos was in heaven with them. So here's the thought. When John writes, the word was with God in the beginning, that's not challenging. Because the Greeks are like, yeah, of course the gods own the logos, right? And the Jews are like, yeah, obviously the Torah was with God. Yeah, yeah. The word was with God in the beginning. But then John shows his cards and he continues writing and he says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Can we say that together? And the word was God. One more time. And the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. John is saying this. It's not simply that the word was with God. The word was God. And that word then created all things. And that's, spoiler alert, listen, that word is a he. That word is a he. It's not an it. The word is a he and he is Jesus. He is Jesus. Okay, guys, I just kind of put it out there just so there's no confusion. Maybe you're new to Victory. We are not Mormons. We do not believe that Jesus was a man and just progressively became God. We are not Jehovah's Witnesses. We do not believe that Jesus was created as the archangel Michael and then kind of came and did his thing. We are not Muslims who believe that Jesus is just a good man, a good man, but a prophet, but no more than that. No, John does not blink and John does not stutter when he proclaims that Jesus is preexistent and God. And what John is saying, guys, if you're ever going to actually understand Jesus, if you're going to worship Jesus rightly, if you're going to worship God rightly, then you have to associate Jesus with God and then associate him with humanity. What? Jesus was with God since the beginning and is God still today. He is the Word of God. In fact, Revelation 19, get this, John also wrote Revelation and this is at the very end, okay, judgment day. I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true with justice. He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire and on his head. are many crowns he has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself he is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the word of god this is jesus jesus is the word of god jesus here's what john's trying to get us to understand guys jesus was there not in genesis one he was there before genesis one and he created all things psalm 33 6 by the word of the lord the heavens

were made their starry host by the breath of his mouth jesus is that word by the word of the lord by what okay by jesus the heavens were made their starry host by the breath of his mouth jesus is that word without jesus nothing has been made that means if it was made jesus made it does that make sense that's what john says if it was made jesus made it that means jesus is uncreated which means jesus is god because the definition of god is to be unmade you just are you are yahweh you are you say i am that is who god is he is unmade jesus is unmade he is the creator of all things if it's created he created he couldn't create himself john paul tries to add some language here colossians 1 he says christ is the visible image of the invisible god he existed before anything was created and is i love that word supreme overall creation for through him god created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth he made the things we can see and the things we cannot see such as thrones kingdom rulers authorities in the unseen world everything was created through him and for him he existed before anything else and he holds all creation together in other words if jesus took his hand off your life your body would scatter into atoms christ is also the head of the church which is his body he is the beginning supreme again over all who rise from the dead so he is first in everything for god in all his fullness was pleased to live in christ and through him god reconciled everything to himself he made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of christ blood on the cross i know that's a lot but it's shallow enough for the children and deep enough for the elephants and what's happening right here in john 1 and john 2 john is showing us and this is so important guys because i don't know what you were told if you came to faith i don't know where jesus is in your mind in your faith okay john is showing us that the word of god who taught us who healed us who loved us who died for us on the cross is god who also created the universe jesus created everything you can see not just church buildings grand canyon boom jesus okay in the early church we got to be careful when we get into this parts of the roles of god okay because we can get into heresy pretty quick but the early church had a way of saying that's when it came to creation they said that the will of like the desire the will of creation began in the father the wisdom of how to order creation came through jesus and the work of creation itself came through the holy spirit okay so let's say bring it down that in some mysterious way the father had the will to speak jesus is the words that were spoken and the spirit was the

power that created it and so if if you're not beginning to notice here in john 1 1 i give you another big word here it's the beginning of trinitarian thought okay which means that god is a trinity it's not fully formed it'll actually get fully formed as we go we'll get there at the end of john okay but here's the big idea god is a trinity maybe you've heard that before god is trinity now here here's how john says it jesus is with god and jesus is god wait what like what what do i do with that right jesus is with god and jesus is god okay um just so you know christians are not polytheist we are monotheist so how do we reconcile that well god is trinity god listen god is one and god is three but never forget god is three and god is one all right everybody clued up on that we're on the same page okay so people have tried to put words to this all right maybe a way i can say it is this how how does the the the actor in the story describe the author of the story who stands outside the story i can only see the top of the of the booklid i can't see past it to see who he is unless he writes himself into the story and then i can look at he how he revealed himself to try and find language even though my language is limited because it's human and he's author language i'm creation language so all of my language will always fall short to try and describe the creator of the story that I'm in, okay? But people have tried, okay? And they've given their life to trying. If you're looking for a good way to fall asleep later, go look up the Nicene Creed, and you can read it with your small group. Nicene Creed, like 1700 years ago, they tried to put language to the Trinity. I encourage you, actually, go read it, okay? There are words like this, which again, they try and like, if you can go there, three co-equal persons who share a single essence while remaining distinct in personality, okay? Thank you. Here's some more words. These are six actual biblically accurate affirmations

of the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father, okay? Here's what I can tell you, though. All in perfect unity, perfect love, perfect oneness, divine yet distinct. And I wanna give you one more set of words, okay? Because this is how people have thought about this for a very long time. Gregory of Nazianzus, here's what he said. No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three. And no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. That's 1700 years ago, okay? But ultimately, here's what we have to acknowledge. Words fall short because the Trinity goes beyond human comprehension, okay? That Jesus is with God and is God. That is not a problem, okay? Because let me just say it like this. If you could fully know God, you would be God. That's not a cop-out, that's just common sense. Like if you could fully, like, yeah, I can fully define God, now you're God. Like you have ownership over him. Here's what we have to know. God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways.

Deuteronomy 29 says the secret things belong to the Lord. And the Trinity is true, even if my human, frail, created mind can't fully process it. And this is critical because, listen, if Jesus Christ is not God, he could not accomplish your salvation. Okay, so if you throw away the deity of Jesus, you throw away your soul, so be careful. But here's what we acknowledge. What the head cannot fully understand, the heart knows to be true. That Jesus is God. That Jesus is God. That Jesus is God. Jesus is God. But here's the crazy thing. John's not through yet. The best is yet to come, and I'm gonna give you one more verse, okay? Because it would be one thing if we learned that there is this thing called the Logos, right, or the Word, and it created the universe, and it's the power that holds the universe together, and it was with God in the beginning, and oh my gosh, wait a second, hold on. The Logos is God? Okay, give me a second. Okay, I think maybe, I don't know, maybe one day I could actually put my arms around that. But then John takes it a step further,

and he writes what I would just simply call, he writes his masterpiece. It's in verse 14. That the Word became flesh. The Word became flesh. And he made his dwelling among us. Hold up. Wait, wait, wait. God came to earth? Can I just pose something to you real quick? I don't know where you're at. I don't know where you're at with the Lord. I don't know, but listen. I don't care, agnostic, whatever, okay. Can we just get on the same page for a second? If the God who created the universe put on skin and walked on the earth, that changes everything. Even if you don't believe it, okay? Listen, even if you don't believe it, if it's true, it changes everything, okay? And that is why John 1, 14 is one of the most important verses in the entire Bible. I call it top five. Top five most important verses in the entire Bible. Why? Because John 1, 14 is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion, okay? No other religion can touch John 1, 14. Why?

Because there's a lot of religions who make pretty crazy proclamations, declarations, okay? But not one other religion dares to say the creator of the universe put on the stuff of his creation and walked on his creation. There's not other one, they don't dare say that. Tertullian said this 1,800 years ago. He's trying again, trying to add language. We believe that there is only one God, but this one and only God has also a son, his word, who proceeded from himself. That's Nicene Creed language. By whom all things were made and without whom nothing was made. And we believe that he was sent by the father into the virgin and was born of her. Again, being both man. God, the Son of Man, and the Son of God, and was called by the name of Jesus Christ, Tertullian, 1,800 years ago. He said we believe God and man, Son of Man, Son of God, fully God, fully man, big theological word, the hypostatic union. You can get really geeked out about that later and search it on Google. Hypostatic union. What does it mean? 100% God, 100% man. Reset your theology. Jesus was not 50% God and 50% man. He was not 51% God and 49%. He was not 90 and 10. No, 100% God, 100% man. And it gets crazy right here. Again, it boggles the mind, especially back then, okay? Maybe some of us have come to terms with it. But in Greek, that word for flesh, the word become flesh, the Greek word is sarx. Sarx. It's a dirty word. Sarx. Because whenever you describe God, it's upward, it's high, it's holy, it's majestic, it's big, it's up there. God is up there. Sarx is down here. Sarx is gross. Sarx is dirty. Sarx is moldy. Sarx gets wrinkles. Sarx gets sad. Sarx has to go to the bathroom. Come on. Sarx can

bleed. Sarx has bad days, right? So God is pure. Sarx is impure. God is holy. Sarx is unholy. But the word became sarx? What do you do with that? What do you do when the holy puts on something we've always called unholy? The Logos became sarx. God became flesh. What do you do with that? The best word we have is incarnation, where deity wraps itself in humanity and becomes Immanuel, God with us. So the question is this. Could it be true that God does not simply speak from afar? Could it be true that God was not content sending us letters? Because he's like, if I just got close, I'd ruin all of you. You're not worthy to be in my presence. Could it be that God stepped into this world and entered into our experience? Because if he did, it changes everything. As we started this year, I started going through my Bible reading thing like cover to cover. I'm gonna do that this year. And so I'm just kind of ending the Hebrews desert season, right? If you're familiar with that, God sets them free from slavery in Egypt and he's taking them to the promised land. It took them 40 years to get there. Should have been about like a month trip. And it's their fault because they're terrible. If you just read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, they're terrible, just like us. They complain about everything. They're like, God, why'd you bring us out here into the desert? It's better back in slavery. You know what I'm saying? Again, literally in my notes, like in the Bible, I write in the margins, again? I can't tell you, again? They're complaining again. But just like us, we complain about everything. And so on this journey from slavery to the promised land, as they're wandering around the desert, if you can catch kind of, if I can just say it like the mind of God, then what I would be like is like, well, they're gonna be out here for a long time. How do I show them that I'm with them? How do I show them that they're not alone? How do I show them that they're not just this, that like this is really is a God story that they're a part of. And so God tells them to construct this thing called the tabernacle. Okay, the tabernacle, nice way of saying it is, it's a fancy tent, okay? I'm not trying to be irreverent, but it God gave them really precise instructions on how to build this tent, okay? Now, later in the future, it became the temple. You can still go to the

temple in Jerusalem, and inside the temple is the Holy of Holies, where God lived. Well, the tabernacle, since they were nomadic for those 40 years, whenever God led them to stop, they would set up the tabernacle. And as soon as it was set up, the cloud would move in. And at night, the cloud would be replaced with the pillar of fire. And what it was, that in that smoke and in that fire, it was the God of creation actually came down to dwell inside that tent. The tabernacle was the presence of God with them. The tabernacle was the one place on earth where God made contact with creation. The tabernacle was the sign that God was with them. The tabernacle was the thing that they could look at and know, I'm not alone. God didn't give up on me. I still have hope because God's here with us in the tabernacle. And you'll never guess the word that John uses in the Greek, in verse 14, to describe Jesus. The word became flesh and made his tabernacle among us. What is he saying here? He wants you to go straight back to the desert stories. He wants you to go, wait, hold on, wait a second. Wait, the tabernacle is God present with it. Hold on, wait, the Word is God, hold on, wait, what? Here's what he's saying, guys. In one moment, the Word that created the universe crashes to earth, puts on flesh, and tabernacles with his creation. The preexistent wisdom of God that architected the universe puts on skin. The scriptures put on skin. The power of God that holds the atoms together walks the streets that he created. The tabernacle was God with his people on their journey from slavery to the promised land. Jesus is God with his people on our journey from slavery to his promised land.

Why is Jesus called the Word of God? Because logos means message. Jesus is the message. Jesus is God's message to humanity. Jesus is God's words to the world. Jesus is the message. Not just the words he said, but the life he lived. Listen, you can look at all of it. Don't look at all of me, because I'm gonna disappoint you. Listen, I try and live like Paul. First Corinthians 11, follow me as I follow Christ. But listen, my life will let you down. Listen to my words, but don't watch all my life, because I'm not always congruent, and I will let you down. But Jesus, you can look at his words, you can look at his life, you can pattern your whole life on him, you can build your whole life on a firm foundation, and he will never let you down. He will never let you down. Jesus is God's word to the world. Jesus is the point of contact where divinity touches humanity. Jesus is God tabernacling with us. Jesus is the temple on two legs. Jesus is the walking holy of holies. Jesus is the great I am, who breathed breath into dust, and then he's walking on the dust that he created. And if you could sum up God in one word,

that word is Jesus. If you wanna know what God looks like, look at Jesus. If you wanna know how God feels about sinners like you and me, look at Jesus. And every other religion, listen, when you actually get down to it, every other religion calls you to ascend the mountain of God. But God knew that you couldn't climb that high. Every time you fall down, you're like, I'll never do it again, then you do it again. And God knew you could never climb up high enough, so the word put on flesh and climbed down the mountain to come and tabernacle with us. You're not alone, you're not forsaken, you're not forgotten, you're not abandoned. He's not like, you have to be holy before I'll ever touch you. No, he walks on the dirt before you even made a move. So here's the good news, guys. It doesn't matter if you're on the mountaintop or in the valley. It doesn't matter if you're in abundance or wondering where your next meal's gonna come from. It doesn't matter if you're in the best health of your life or you just got the bad doctor's report. Here's the good news. God has walked the world. And that, remember, changes everything. If God walks the world, everything changes.

It's almost like we should reset time if that happens. And that's the point. John's intention as he's writing the gospel is for us to read, I encourage you, please. Some of you are gonna go home today and start reading, John. I encourage you to do it. But John, as he's writing, his purpose is this, is that you would read worshipfully and maybe slowly and intentionally and reverently and awestruck that in just a few weeks, you're gonna see that the man, here's what he wants you to know, that the man at the wedding in Cana in chapter two, that means God. That the man with the woman at the well in chapter four, that man's God. And in chapter 13, while this man is washing dirty feet, yeah, yeah, that's God washing feet. That the words and the deeds of Jesus are the words and the deeds of God. The voice of Jesus, the red letters of Scripture are the words of God. It's the voice of God. And as we will see today, but unpacking more and more and more, this Jesus is the only hope for this dark world. This Jesus, the only hope. There is no governmental hope. There's no war to end all wars. We've tried, and we fail every time. But Jesus Christ is God's life preserver thrown to a drowning world, and there's only one way to be saved.

So today, what's your response? I don't know. What's your response to the fact that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. And He created all things, and by Him nothing was made, except He made it. And then that same Word put on flesh and tabernacled among us. How do you respond to that? My encouragement is this, if you believe already, it's time to believe deeper. It's time to take that lid off the box that you put Jesus in and let him to come out. Because He's not just this meek little lamb. He's also the roaring Lion of Judah, pre-existing King of all kings. It's time to believe deeper than you ever have. But if you don't believe, maybe you came in here skeptical. Maybe you came in here a little curious. Good news, the table's set, the door's open, Jesus is here with their arms wide open, and it's time to believe. And through believing that He's the Messiah, the Son of God, you will have eternal life in His name. Let's bow our heads, let's talk to the King. Jesus. There's no better name to say than Jesus. God, it's actually beginning to make sense, because we live in a world where you can say every other name, and nobody bats an eye. But when you say the name of Jesus, people freak out. Because when you say the name of Jesus, darkness retreats. Demons tremble, addictions are broken, and the dead get out of their tombs at the name above every name, the name of Jesus the Christ. Because He's not just a good man. He's not just a prophet. He's not a human being who slowly became a God. No, He is the

pre-existent King of glory, who created all things, the architect of the universe. So we give glory to Jesus, the name that is above every name. And God, as a people today, we thank you that the Logos put on sarks, that the Word, God Himself put on flesh. It changes everything. One of the reasons it changes everything is because that flesh was bruised, and that flesh was whipped, and that flesh was pierced. That flesh suffered. That flesh bled, and that flesh died on the cross for the sins of the world. But three days later, that flesh breathed again, and Christ rose from the grave, forever alive, which is why when we believe on Him, we receive eternal life. Because He's alive. The tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive, because He's not only man, He's God. And I thank you, God, that that is good news for us who already believe. Some of us need to be reminded today. We've just minimized you. God, I pray that we would maximize you. Begin us on that journey today. But God, for those in our midst who need to turn from the way they've been going, because it's a dead end. We know it. It's not working. And we need to put our faith in Jesus, the King, God Himself. I thank you that in just a second, some of us are gonna receive eternal life in His name. So if that's you today, and you just need to give your life to Jesus, just say, my way doesn't work, I'm gonna repent. Repent, it's a big word. It just means a 180. I'm just gonna stop going my way. I'm gonna change the way I think, and I'm gonna start going God's way. I'm gonna put my faith in Christ. I want to pray with you, but I would love to know who I'm praying with. Would you just lift your hand up if you say, today's the day? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's a lot of us. Yeah, this isn't that Jesus to be ashamed of. So lift it up. Yeah, I love it.

You can put your hands down. I'm gonna pray with you, okay? And if today is the day, here's the good news, guys. What's about to happen is a supernatural. That means it's above a natural moment. Okay, it's more than meets the eye. And so I'm gonna lead you in this prayer, and family of God around you is gonna pray with you. Let's pray like this. Say, Jesus, today's the day I put my faith in Jesus Christ. I repent of my sin. And the way I've been going, I turn from it to go your way for the rest of my life. I believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He's the Son of God who took my sin at the cross. And right now, through belief, I receive eternal life. I will live forever because of Jesus Christ. I am forgiven. I am free. God is my Father. I belong to the kingdom of God for the rest of my days. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Come on, can we celebrate? Come on, let's celebrate that right now. God, so good. Hey, do me a favor, if you're able. Why don't you stand up to your feet? We're going to just take three minutes, I promise, like three minutes right here. And listen, if you just put your faith in Jesus Christ, best decision you'll ever make in your entire life. I know you're like, I'm so excited, but still like, I don't know what I'm doing. It's awesome, okay? You're in the right place, okay?

We're going to give you another step in just a few minutes. But before we do that, I want us to have the opportunity to not just hear a word like this and be like, well, that was nice, and then leave. But let's kind of refrain a song that we sang earlier, that there's no other name like the name of Jesus. And let's lift up our voice to the King of all kings, and let's worship Him like He's the King. So just kind of like stick our hands in our pockets and just kind of wait. No, no, no, I'm not trying to beat everybody to lunch. No, I'm actually going to lift my voice up, and I'm going to give God the glory that's due His name. Jesus Christ is the name that is above every other name. Let's sing it over our family, sing it over your kids, sing it over this city, sing it over America, sing it over the nations, and ascribe to God the glory that's due His name. Come on, let's worship together. Thanks for being a part of Victory Church on the Pando app. We hope this content was a blessing to you, but we want you to know that you're not done yet, because we want to hear from you. So send us a letter and tell us things like what God is doing in your life, how we can pray for you, or even content that you would like to see us create in the future.

We just want you to know that we see you, you're important to us, and we'd love to continue to create some things in the future that will bless you. So send us a letter, and we hope to hear from you soon.