- Use 1:36 mark
John 1:1-5, 14 (NIV) 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.
. . .
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.
- Logos is the Greek word for "word" used here. While used by Plato, it also corresponds to the Aramaic word "memra," a technical term used by rabbis, centuries before and after Christ when speaking of God's expression of himself
- How does John describe the word?
- Word existed from the beginning
- Word was with God
- Word was God
- Word was with God from the beginning (note the word is expressed in a pronoun "he")
- Word is both God and separate from God (two aspects of the trinity). Word is eternal in existence
- Other facets of the word?
- Through "him" or "word" or "logos" all things were made
- The word is the creator -- "nothing was made that has been made"
- A little play on words since everything ultimately was made out of nothing
- Additionally?
- In "him" was life -- the word is the source of life for all mankind
- Note John 6:33 "I am the resurrection and the life"
- He, the word, is the light of men
- John 8:12 "I am the light of the world"
- What is the darkness?
- The darkness is the world which chooses to be ignorant of God's existence and rules
- Word for comprehend is katalambano, meaning, to take, sieze, or possess. In other words, the world refuses to accept the word
- If we substitute X for Logos, we would have:
- X == God; X<> God; X == creator; X == infinity; X == life; X == light; X== Flesh or Jesus
- The word became flesh and skenoo (meaning to tent or encamp or tabernacle) among us
- In the past, God's presence (shekinah glory) encamp in a tent, later a temple
- When Jesus came, God live among the people in Jesus, later in our hearts through the HS
- APPLICATION: This is the message. Can we communicate it? The word was God, was with God, and became flesh. It is unique in all of human history because of the signs and wonders which validated it
John 1:6-9 (NIV) 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.
- Before Jesus comes, God sends a man to testify to the light, why?
- Unique time in history
- God sends a special announcement
- What was John's purpose?
- To prepare people's heart
- To help people to believe
- To tell them that the true light was coming into the world
- (I wonder if it was also to warn people)
- APPLICATION: God sends warnings all the time. Are we listening to his warnings in our own life?
John 1:10-13 (NIV) 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.
- So God himself was in the world and how does the world respond?
- It does not recognize its creator
- Isn't that still true today? We still don't recognize God as the creator of the world
- He came to his own -- who were his own?
- The people of God, Jews, believers in God
- His own did not receive him. Even those who should have known him better than anyone else did not recognize the times
- What is the promise to those who did believe?
- The right to become children of God
- How does one not become a child of God?
- Natural descent -- you cannot be born a Christian or born in a Christian nation and be a Christian
- Human decision -- you can't just choose to be a Christian, which is different from believing
- A husband's will -- someone like a husband or parent can't choose for you to be a Christian
- There is only one way to be a Christian, what is it?
- To believe and receive him
- To be born of God
- APPLICATION: A lot of people call themselves Christians in America, but the only ones who are truly Christians are those who have believed and received. God warns people that there is only one true way to salvation
John 1:15-28 (NIV) John testifies concerning him. He cries out,
saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed
me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have
all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God,
but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent
priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but
confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to
take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am
the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the
Lord.'"
24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him,
"Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the
Prophet?"
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but
among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the
thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
- John says that he is not Elijah, but what does Jesus says?
- Jesus did not say he was Elijah but is Elijah in his spirit
- The prophet is something that Moses promised God would send in the future
- Some believe that Elijah and the Prophet are the two witnesses who are killed during the tirbulation
- John calls himself the "voice of one calling in the wilderness?"
- APPLICATION: Do you feel like the voice of one calling in the wilderness? Do you shrink back at the mention of Jesus' name? You have life and light by the very fact that God dwells in you, and there are people out there without life and light. Yeah, their lives look like they don't need God, but the reality is that most people are really looking for meaning. What are we doing to share with them? At a minimum, can you pray for your non-Christian friends?
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