12.11.08 John 1:9-13 (NASB)
Audio Sermon File: John-1:9-13
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling Spiritual Tragedy and Transformation
Here are just some of the greatest tragedies of recent years that will mark our generation for years to come:
The Columbia - February 1st, 2003 - seven crew members of the space shuttle were instantaneously killed as their space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. The Indonesian Tsunami - boxing day 2004 - leaving 130,406 dead - 36,836 missing - and displaced 504,518. Overall Damage from the tsunami is estimated at $5 billion.
Hurricane Katrina of 2005 was the United States most costly at 81.2 billion - and as well as one of its five deadliest in their history. It caused major damage along the Gulf coast. New Orleans was hit the hardest with every levee breached causing flooding to 80% of the city - and leaving at least 1,836 people dead. The effects of the devastation still are present today. Moving into 2008 is the Myanmar cyclone in May with a 12 foot high tidal wave wiping out entire villages - killing about 146,000 people, and thousands still missing. It is feared that the total fallout in human terms will be close to 1 million lives affected as foreign aid efforts was hampered by the military government. The sum of the damage is pegged at $10 million. Falling on the heals of this disaster was the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in central China also in May. The toll exceeded 69,000 deaths - and 86 billion in damage, being the 3rd costliest disaster in human history. It left 4.8 million people homeless - some estimating that figure to be up to 11 million. Then in July - this time in southern China was the mass flooding killing over 60 people and destroying 5.4 million acres of crops. Finally - the news of the past few months and weeks - as it relates to the sub-prime mortgage problems which have led to a worldwide financial credit crisis - this could be the economic tragedy of our generation.
Today in our passage from the Gospel of John - we are also going to look at TRAGEDY. This TRAGEDY is in the realm of the spiritual - which is of a magnitude greater than any of the physical tragedies I have just listed. It might be fitting that we are into this section of the gospel of John as we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend. Because for us the Christian - it is a time where we especially fix our thoughts upon the things that God has done in our lives - as we examine the issue of TRANSFORMATION which we give thanks to Christ for. A spiritual TRANSFORMATION which frees us from the ultimate TRAGEDY.
Upon Christ’s entry into our world, man can find himself in 1 of only 2 categories:
TRAGEDY or TRANSFORMATION. We who find ourselves confronted by Jesus Christ the Light - can only be marked by TRAGEDY or TRANSORMATION. TRAGEDY brings about conscious eternal spiritual death, and TRANSFORMATION brings about the blessings of spiritual eternal life. So today as we unfold this passage we will ask these 2 questions:
1. Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?
2. Is my life a witness to the TRANSFORMATION work of Christ in me?
John 1:9-13 states - There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Let us look at our first applicational question - and point one:
1. Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?
(beginning at verse "9 and ending at verse 11"- or perhaps we could say verses 9-1-1 or "9/11")
The TRAGEDY that we witness is the outright rejection of Jesus Christ by those He created. In verse 9 we are given the concept of ‘truth’ which is another one of the central themes of this Gospel.
The word - ‘true’ in v.9 - indicates that Jesus Christ is steadfast, faithful, and dependable. Jesus Christ is the true Light and the Apostle John makes clear that this is the ‘real thing’ not some false Christ. In the previous verses (vv.6-8) as we examined the last time - John the Baptist - was only a witness to the true light.
It was Jesus Christ the light - who entered into the fabric of life in a way which had never been seen by the world. He enters our world into human time and space - God in the veil of human flesh - and speaking to us revealing the reality of God to all people. And becuase of this, people owe their existence to Him, but because of sin - people intentionally refuse to know Jesus Christ.
This truth is seen in Paul’s letter to the Romans 1:28-32:
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Our world as a system - has no desire to comprehend the manifested Word and has no place for Him. You don’t have to look to hard to find evidence of people openly rejecting God and Jesus Christ. People openly are defying God ordained authority - like their parents, police, teachers, government. Unbelievers are essentially self-centered as a result of sin - and they will do anything to climb the ladder of self success - as opposed to doing things to please God.
This kind of depravity is the basis of rejecting Christ and casting hatred towards Him. Those around Christ when He was on earth, had a superficial comprehension of Him.
This world we live in belongs to God, and it is His world, created by Him through the agency of Jesus Christ as we recently examined in verses 3-5. Yet our world has pushed out the reality that it is controlled by Christ. Christ’s role in creation is rejected by secular theories - that we came into being through evolution. Jesus is rejected by commercial marketing that Christmas and Easter is replaced with happy holidays - and Thanksgiving is about turkey and not God’s provision. Jesus is rejected by making the Lord’s Day (Sunday) into a day for one’s own enjoyment and self focus. The spirit of this age has replaced the reality of a living Saviour who will judge sin - in favour of embracing a secular Jesus who loves and receives everyone into heaven. And Jesus is rejected by this world so that be reduced to a good man and one of many viable religious leaders - and that God is only an option. God is even being slowly depreciated within mainline evangelical churches.
Despite this world’s rejection of God, we are still the object of God’s love - as we are told in Jn 3:16-21:
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
The world did not know Jesus Christ, not in the sense of having an intellectual knowledge, but the Apostle John speaks about having a depth of personal knowledge of Jesus Christ - saving knowledge.
If we look to verse 10 of John chapter 1 - you will find the word - know. This word is a reference to a certain type of knowledge. In the Greek there are 2 words which can be translated into the English as ‘know.’ The first word for ‘know’ can be defined as a knowledge of someone, which is basically superficial. Well Tuesday is election day right? How many of you know who Stephen Harper is? All of you could say you know him. But none of you know him though personal experience.
Now there is also another Greek word translated as ‘know,’ which can be defined as a experiential knowledge. A knowledge that goes beyond the surface and into a personal relationship. This type of knowledge is like the way you would know your brother or sister, or you would know your husband or wife. You know that your wife likes chocolate. You know your husband hates clothes shopping. You know what make him/her tick because there is a personal relationship. So what is the importance of realizing the difference of these two Greek words?
The message for us today is - in which way do you know Jesus Christ? Is it by name only and on a superficial level? Or is it on a deeper level - on a level where there is a vital and active relationship between Jesus Christ and yourself - a personal relationship. Does your relationship with Christ end after you leave this building? Or maybe it has not even begun. Or does your relationship with Christ extend into the week? And you find yourself meditating upon His awesome glory, His Word, talking with Him, praising Him, worshipping Him, conforming your life according to His image. The point that the Apostle John is making can be summed up in this familiar saying - "it is not what you know - but it is who you know."
These are the kinds of spiritual challenges that the Gospel of John deliver to us today. It certainly would be a tragedy - not to know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship as your Lord and Saviour! It takes more than knowing the facts about Jesus. Mere facts, intellectual knowledge alone, will not save you… James 2:19 states: You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Demons, ie - fallen angels, have a very good understanding of who God is….since they used to be in close fellowship with God. But even with this knowledge of who God is, they do not have a saving personal relationship with God. Despite their knowledge of God, these mere facts will not save the demons from eternal condemnation.
Jesus Christ made the world and it belongs to Him, it is His own property that Jesus Christ comes to visit; He inherently owns everything and has authority over it all - including each one of us - whether we believe in Him or not. When Jesus Christ came to His own creation (in the context of the people of Israel). But in verse 11 - the apostle John reveals to us that - His own did not receive His - they did not accept and embrace Him - as one might expect them to do
Jesus Christ was Israel’s Messiah and they knew about Him through OT Scripture, but when He came to them He was rejected, because they had no desire to know Him as Lord and Savior. They rebelled against the Creator’s authority over their lives - even though they were made by Him.
John is picturing the sad reality that when Jesus Christ (The eternal Word, God the Son) came to earth - coming in the likeness of men, the people that He created rejected Him. What a grim picture of this reality, Jesus Christ came to save those who were lost - Jesus Christ didn’t come to judge, but to offer eternal life - but He was rejected. John realizes that the world that he lived in was not a nice place, and John doesn’t present Jesus Christ’s entry into this world to make it nicer. John’s realization is still relevant today…for we live in a world that continues to reject the truth, and replace it with relative truths - lies - that vary from man to man.
Where do you stand today in relation to the true Light? Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?
Despite this grim picture of TRAGEDY, it is through the coming light - Jesus Christ - that we might consider our second applicational question:
2. Is my life a witness to the TRANSFORMATION work of Christ in me?
John 1:12-13 states - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
So it is in these verses that we find TRANSFORMATION…the TRANSFORMATION upon the sinners soul as it is changed by the Light. The infallible proofs of who Jesus Christ is, that were all laid out from verse 1, now come to a focal point in verse 12. This verse is the defining statement for those who are confronted with the eyewitness truths of John’s Gospel. These verses partner with the overall theme and purpose of the Gospel in 20:31 - but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
And as a result - people today - and perhaps some of us here today - need to seriously ask - "Have I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour?" "Do I have a personal, vital, and active relationship with God through Jesus Christ?"
Verse 12 tells us that some did receive Him, and those who did - it effected in their lives belief. We who have received Jesus Christ are given the blessings and privileges that are part of being a member of the family of God offered by Jesus Christ. The Apostle John equates the two terms "received" and "believe" in verse 12. We might ask what does it mean to receive Jesus? Receiving Jesus Christ means that when He offers to you eternal life - you welcome Him and accept His loving command to repent of sin in your life and to be reconciled to God. It is to place your complete faith in Jesus Christ alone, to give your full allegiance to Him, and to acknowledge all His claims: He claims to be God in human flesh; He claims to come and take away our sins through the sacrifice of His sinless life upon a cross; He claims that you must trust in the historic reality of His life, death, and resurrection on the third day from the grave, etc.
John Piper writes this about receiving Jesus Christ:
If he comes to you as Savior, you welcome his salvation. If he comes to you as Leader, you welcome his leadership. If he comes to you as Provider, you welcome his provision. If he comes to you as Counsellor, you welcome his counsel. If he comes to you as Protector you welcome his protection. If he comes to you as Authority, you welcome his authority. If he comes to you as King, you welcome his rule.
Receiving Jesus Christ is to abandon sin and to submit and be obedient to His righteous ways. It calls for repentance as we examined last time. The picture of repentance in the Bible, is more than just an intellectual change. It encompasses more, and includes a change in a person’s thought and will. The emphasis of Biblical repentance is the person’s decision for the whole of himself to be changed.
Believing on Jesus’ name is the key element in receiving the revelation of the Word of God - who is Jesus Christ - that has come into the world. The resulting effect is that you instantaneously enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, who grants you the right to enter into the family of God as one of its members - and as an heir of all that He possesses as children of God. Believing in Jesus Christ’s name is more than just a ‘name’ which a person is given. So what does it mean to believe in the name of Jesus Christ? Believing in the name of Jesus Christ encompasses believing in the very character and person that the name is associated with. When I mention the name Hitler what comes to mind? When I say Wayne Gretzky what comes to mind? What comes to mind should be the character and deeds of that person.
Looking down at verse 12 - only Jesus Christ has the ‘right’ - having delegated authority / power to grant to the believing person the position of being a child of God through His gift of grace and faith. All of us have been given gifts - whether for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. When we are given a gift and we receive it, our action represents our confidence in the trustworthiness and reality of that gift (tangible or intangible) - that it becomes part of our possessions.
The result of receiving God’s gift of forgiveness for sins, through Jesus Christ, is that we become His spiritual child. Without Jesus Christ we are not His spiritual children and in fact a person in this category is a child of God’s wrath (Eph 2:3). Therefore as we are received by Christ, a change in nature takes place in our spiritual state. If we do not believe in Christ then we are under God’s judgement, but if we do believe in Christ then we - become children of God (v.12).
Today many preachers say all you need to do to become a Christian is to believe in the name of Jesus but what does this mean? It is not what you know and what you believe, but it is whom you know and in whom you believe in. There is no easy formula for believing - true spiritual change must be demonstrated in one’s life; no spiritual change = no eternal life.
In verse 13 - John continues and speaks about those who receive Christ - who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The new relationship, between God and man which the child of God enjoys is made actual, not simply by a physical relationship, and certainly not via sheer human decision. But it is through a divine imparting of eternal life by Christ. This a new birth - spiritual rebirth, not physical / biological birth. Human birth is dependent upon the desire and will of a man and a woman. It is the uniting of the husband and wife, in bringing forth a child who is of a blood relationship. Spiritual birth is not by this means, but is wholly an act of God who grants a person saving faith in His Son the Word, Jesus Christ
Many people today would think they are saved because they may have parents that are Christians - or maybe they think that ritualistically attending church will save them - and on this basis they feel that they have an inside track to God - as if this would give us some brownie points with God. But this is far from the truth, because these things do not constitute a saving relationship that can be established simply through a blood connection. It also is not brought about by our own efforts. Saving faith through Christ, does result when we cease to trust and rely upon our own merits and achievements and come to trust solely upon Christ and His merit alone - as we come to him in repentance (the confession of - and the complete turning away from our love of sin).
Saving faith must be established by a right and holy relationship with Christ - it is a reconciliation which only Christ can grant to the sinner. Faith in Christ’s name brings hope of life, which only God can accomplish in a person’s life, therefore salvation cannot be achieved through human relationship, personal achievement, or by human will power.
A life marked out by TRANSFORMATION will evidence itself by having an intimate experiential knowledge of the work and person of Jesus Christ, through the Word of God. Since the Bible is God’s source and power unto salvation for the sinner. The relationship is based upon objective truth - therefore you can have a true relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world - Jesus declared this is John 8:12 - Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." The light has come and it touches all people including those hostile to God, as He demonstrates His love. The illumination that the true Light provides is this: the dispelling of the darkness of sin and unbelief. But - not every man desires to be enlightened by the light - because of his love of sin. There is only one hope - that our darkened and sin stained world has - and that is God through Christ. I know that we all would agree and are painfully aware, that the world that we live in is not perfect - there is no hope that we can save the world ….but ….we can have hope that our souls may be saved in Christ.
As we close off , I would like to read an illustration titled - One Cottage Burned (W. W. Weeks):
Years ago a fishing fleet went out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there came up a great storm. When night settled down not a single vessel of all the fleet had found its way into port. All night long - wives, mothers, children, and sweethearts paced up and down the beach, clasping their hands together and calling on God to save their loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of the cottages caught fire. Since the fishermen who were also the towns firemen were all at sea, it was impossible to save the home.
When the morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet found safe harbor in the bay. But there was one face which was a picture of despair— it was on the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, "Oh, husband, we are ruined! Our home and all it contained was destroyed by fire!" But the man exclaimed, "Thank God for the fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that guided the whole fleet into port!"
True TRADGEDY is marked by a sole focus on the burned out house - a focus on ourselves and the world around us that we love so much. BUT true TRANSFORMATION is marked out by the saving results of focusing upon the eternally burning Light - Jesus Christ.
Is your life a witness to the TRANSFORMING work of Jesus Christ - which results in thanksgiving? OR is it marked out by thanklessness - an eternal spiritual TRAGEDY?
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Further Food For Thought
Perhaps today you have realized for the first time that you are responsible before God for the light you do possess. You must admit that it is true – this world and all that is therein did not just happen. And furthermore, your conscience bears witness to right and wrong according to the Law of God. The fool has said, "There is no God" (Ps. 14:1)! The Hebrew word fool is - nabal - meaning one who lacks character – it is moral and not intellectual foolishness. But, surely you are not willing to pin your whole future on rejection of the truth are you? There are consequences that are tragic – eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire forever and ever. Jesus Christ made the world; He made you – do not reject Him. He would have you to turn from your sin and confess Christ as Lord of your life. Do it now. To wait is a gamble that you might lose, because you do not know what tomorrow, or even the rest of this day holds.
Oh, believer, you know these things are true. But to address you – is there something in your life you hold to that you use to justify yourself or some sin that easily hinders your walk for the Lord. Now, turn from it. Trust the Holy Spirit to empower you to depart and not look at and harbor the unclean thing again. He can and He will if you will let Him. Be sure that we are accountable to a holy God. He is merciful and full of blessing. But He cannot deny Himself. He must deal with that that opposes His holy nature. Let us all with one voice lift up praise to God who dwells on high, let us glorify Him in word and deed.
By Noah Ressler
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A true saving relationship with Christ may be somewhat described with 3 words - HEAD, HEART, and FEET:
A vital relationship with Christ requires intellectual understanding of the person of Christ and our sinfulness, which causes spiritual change lead by the Holy Spirit. This is ‘HEAD’ knowledge that we acknowledge our complete sinfulness before a Holy God. We utterly realize that we need Christ alone to save us from our own depravity. We know that we will be judged according to our sins, if we choose to reject Jesus Christ.
A true saving relationship with Christ will also involve the ‘HEART’ - which signifies the personal, emotional aspects of a relationship with Christ. This will lead to a genuine humility before a Holy God. There is a broken-heartedness which manifests itself in confession and repentance from one’s sin. There is present, through the work of the Holy Spirit, a true love for God and a devotion to His glory.
And a saving relationship with Christ also incorporates the ‘FEET’ - as true believers we will walk in the paths of Christ’s righteousness and away from sin. We walk in obedience to the full counsel of His Word - the Bible. This is characterized by devotion to God’s ways. There exists continual prayer, and selfless love. We increasingly grow apart from the desire for the things that this world offers. Continued personal spiritual growth is observed. And there is a commitment to Christ through obedient living and the desire to bring and proclaim the Good News of Christ to others.
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
John 1:6-8 Unveiling The Witness To The Light
05.10.08 John 1:6-8 (NASB)
Audio Sermon File: John-1:6-8
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Witness To The Light
Imagine if you were walking down the street and in the near distance - there was a man approaching you. What would you think if this man was loudly proclaiming rebuke, cursing, and used very strong language? Would you think he was a drunkard? Mentally deranged? Strung out on Meth? Would you think that God would have anything to do with such a man?
Today we are going to meet a man whom on the surface could be mistakenly put into the fore-mentioned category. But the man that I am alluding to was certainly no addict - no a drunkard, and in fact he had never had any wine or fermented drink. He was sober and his mind was sharp, for from birth he was "filled with the Holy Spirit."
The Man that I have been speaking about also had a unique outward appearance, being dressed in a garment made from camels hair, strapped on with a leather belt. A man that worked in the great outdoors. A man that was living off a unique diet - consisting of locusts and wild honey - the common diet of the poor.
This takes us to the starting point of this our message as we unveil God’s witness to His Light - His Son Jesus Christ. We also will examine the call for each one of us as Christians to be a witness to the Light.
Let us meet this man - from the Gospel of John. Please turn to the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 6-8 - it reads: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light.
John was "The Witness to the Light." He prepared the way for the Word - Jesus Christ. And today we will discover the mission God prepared for him. Through 3 aspects of John’s ministry we will understand why God sent John ahead of Christ. And in understanding John the Baptist’s calling - may it be a reminder of the Lord’s calling upon each of our lives as Christians.
The first aspect of John’s ministry could be summarized as the presentation of the witness: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John - v.6
As we begin verse 6 there is a sudden shift from the heavenly exaltation of the character and nature of Jesus Christ - as the eternal - self existent - exalted creator, God…. to a special man - yet only a mere mortal and nothing more. This witness is none other than John the Baptist.
All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts. Now we have the historical appearance of John the Baptist as undeniable evidence as to the nature of Christ expressed in the first 5 verses. Allow me to paint a profile of John the Baptist for you.
John the Baptist is one of the NT’s most mysterious figures. With John the Baptist’s arrival, it signified the end of nearly 400 years of silence between the OT and NT. There was no revelations from God nor His prophets. And now through John the Baptist - Israel was about to once again to experience God’s powerful Word. John the Baptist was born through the miraculous intervention of God, to a childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were advanced in years (Lk. 1:7). John’s birth was foretold in a supernatural way - one of God’s angels, named Gabriel, came and announced his birth (Lk. 1:11-25). As an interesting side note - the angel Gabriel is the same angel that announces Christ’s birth. John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:36). His ministry was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah of the OT about 700 years in advance (Is. 40:3-5; Lk.3:4-6). John the Baptist, was a herald, who prepared the way for the Messiah calling all to repent (Lk. 3:3). He proclaimed God’s wrath upon the unrepentant. He revealed that he baptized with water, and the One that would follow him would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Lk. 3:16). John the Baptist ministered in the spirit and power of God, a lot like the prophet Elijah. There is more about John the Baptist, but we will leave that for a little bit later.
At this point I want to draw your attention back at verse 6, and look at the word - sent. The emphasis of the sentence, is on that word ‘sent’ - meaning that John was commissioned - and under someone’s authority to reveal the truth. John was - sent - by God by divine commission and under His authority - and as a result, everything that John spoke of - regarding the Word of God… Jesus Christ - was true and life changing.
As we apply this passage into our own life, we must understand that as a Christian we share something in common with John the Baptist - and that is that - like you and me too - we must acknowledge that:
1. I Am Sent Out By God
For we are sent out by God to accomplish the full scope of the Great Commission. We have been sent by Divine commission - under the authority of Jesus Christ - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV).
For some of us it is in our family, others it in your high school or university campus - and for the rest it could be at the workplace, shopping mall, on the bus - wherever there are people to interact with. And in light of the applicational aspect of today’s sermon - I ask you to consider - how much of the Great Commission has been worked out in your life since you became a Christian?
It is only in the dependence upon the Holy Spirit, like John the Baptist, and the outworking of our calling that we can have courage and boldness to be sent out by God - to call all to repentance and to make that spiritual turn about in their lives - a 180 away from unrighteousness - to a sincere and humble response to Jesus Christ’s salvation and righteousness. May we be like an Isaiah - that we be reminded of his calling and response - we read from: Isaiah 6:8 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
And we know that Isaiah was faithful as God sent him right into a very spiritually dire situation in his nation where the people would reject his warnings and exhortations - his calling and the Word of God.
God sent His witness, John the Baptist to arrive on the scene before Christ as a witness to the Messiah. Therefore John had a distinct calling which gives us the purpose of the witness:
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him (v.7).
Laid out in our verses today we have the human agent God uses as His witness, to testify about the Light - a witness to the TRUTH of the light, that would follow his ministry. The subject of ‘witness’ - as we find in our verses this day, is another one of the main themes contained in the Gospel. What we have going on, beginning in verse 7 is the emphasis of John the Baptist being a witness. The scene can be likened to a courtroom setting - with John the Baptist - being ‘A Witness to the Light’ - he is now introduced as a star witness, and he prepares to step into the witness stand to give his testimony.
What was the purpose of John the Baptist’s witness? The purpose of the witness was to testify to who Jesus Christ is - and we had a glimpse of who Jesus is, the last 2 lessons. In the preceding context of chapter 1 of this Gospel - John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ of Jesus Christ who - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ….. That Christ is eternally the light - the Creator and life giver. Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation. Therefore He has the ultimate authority over each one of us. If Jesus Christ did not exist then we also would not exist, since Jesus Christ is the source of all things which came into being.
John’s the Baptists purpose as a witness was to point out that true life is found only in Jesus Christ because all things exist in Him; He is the cause, source, granter, and preserver of all life.
In Jesus Christ there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation - we are made in God’s image. But sin damaged this special relationship and we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because of this Jesus Christ was sent to us so that some would be saved by Him through His voluntary and sacrificial death on the cross as payment of our debt of sins … and three days later His resurrection from the dead - effected for those who believe - eternal life.
Jesus Christ desires that we come to Him as our Light, through the repentance of our sins and entering a personal relationship with Him. True hope and ultimate victory in our lives is found only in Jesus Christ the Word. So it is as we look back to verse 7 - that God purposed through John the Baptist’s testimony - that all might believe - this is John’s purpose as a witness.
In verses 7 and 8, the emphasis is on the - witness. So the focus of these verses is not the person of John the Baptist - but it is the message that he bears that is important. A witness is important in establishing the truth and that is what John the Baptist functions as. John the Baptist’s preaching prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah: Mark 1:1-4:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.' " 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
John’s purpose was to prepare and point people to Jesus Christ. John The Baptist confronted people with the message that they, and likewise us today - that you need to take a stand - to make a decision - acceptance or rejection - a response to faith or a response to continued faithlessness in Christ. This is the ‘Purpose of the Witness.’ Now it comes to our purpose as believers - and you and me must understand that like John the Baptist’s calling -
2. I Am Called To A Purpose
As a faithful Christian who walks by the Spirit - you are to be disciple makers - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. The key verb in the Great Commission is not ‘GO’- but it is ‘MAKE’ - that is we are to be purposefully engaged in evangelism to make disciples of all the nations. We can’t say that God doesn’t need us to be involved in this noble task. As we understand Jesus’ words to His disciples - and by extension that includes you and me - we certainly cannot escape the fact that the Great Commission is a command - it is a Divine imperative - to MAKE disciples - and Jesus provides the means to fulfill His command.
This is through the Spirit of Truth - who is powerful alone for the task of witness - and He is the only One who can convict a sinner of the truth - but God calls us to a purpose - and that is to partner with Him in this venture. John the Baptist was given a specific function - and with the Holy Spirit’s help - he was to be - a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
This is what Merrill C. Tenney wrote: "Without the witness of the Spirit, the disciples’ witness would be powerless; without the disciples’ witness, the Spirit would be restricted in his means of expression."
So far we have examined the presentation and purpose of John the Baptist - and we have been exhorted to know that - I am sent out by God - and that - I am called to a purpose… Now let us complete the portrait of "A Witness to the Light" and examine the proclamation of the witness…. He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light (v.8).
John was only the forerunner to Christ therefore - He was not the light. He called people to repent - calling people to have a change in their personal being. A change that was in preparation of meeting JC, the Son of God , the Messiah - who was about to be unveiled to the world in His public ministry.
As a side note - it would be helpful to understand what repentance means Biblically. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. "Meta" has the same meaning in the English as the Greek, it means change. "Noia" is Greek for mind . So when we put these words together, the basic meaning of repentance is a change of mind. The picture of repentance in the Bible, is more than just an intellectual change. It encompasses more, and includes a change in a persons thought and will. The emphasis of Biblical repentance is the persons decision for the whole of himself to be changed.
John the Baptist appeared as ‘A Witness to the Light’ in order that God use him to preach a baptism of repentance . (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4). The symbolism of John’s Baptism likely had it’s roots in OT purification rituals (Lev.15:13). John’s baptism indicated that a person had repented; he had changed his mind about his sin and his relationship with God. It was a public way of saying, "Through God’s grace I have taken a 180 degree turn towards God - I have changed my mind about my sinfulness. I now look at sin in the same way that God views my sin. I am a sinner and I cast myself on God’s mercy and His salvation to prepare me for the coming Messiah." As a result he was now intentionally and actively submitting himself to God and His Word for cleansing and forgiveness. It was a repentance that had to be demonstrated with a changed life in preparation for Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah.
Jews accepting John’s baptism were taking a bold step of faith. These Jews were admitting that they had been living like Gentiles - enemy pagans devoid of any spiritual life - unclean - blasphemers - God haters. So these Jews who came to John for baptism, were by their very actions - publicly - declaring their need to become the true people of God - genuinely, inwardly. This was an amazing admission by a Jew, because there existed a strong animosity toward the Gentiles by the Jewish nation - Gentiles were unclean - they were blasphemers - God haters.
John’s baptism dealt with those who were yet to come to faith in Christ, since Christ’s earthly ministry had not begun. The baptism that we observe today is different from John’s baptism. What we as a church observe is commonly called - ‘believer’s baptism’ - since it is administered to us as believers who have been forgiven of our sins in Jesus Christ before we are baptized. It is an expression of obedience to Christ for the salvation He has granted us. It is often said that our baptism is - ‘an outward sign of inward grace.’
The "Proclamation of the Witness" was a call to repentance. As we move on to the end of our passage in verse 8 - we now find out - the hard part of John the Baptist’s calling which was - to testify about the Light.
Now let us return and finish our profile of John the Baptist. Because of John’s ministry among the common people - it resulted in his notoriety. But among the political and religious authorities, he received mixed reviews - largely negative - rather than positive. John the Baptist was a forthright man and did not care for political correctness, but instead he spoke God’s truth. And in the end his bluntness in dispensing the truth - pricked the consciences of those who oppose Christ - and the preached truth became a threat to the authorities, which landed him in prison (Lk. 3:20). In the end John the Baptist’s life was suddenly terminated by a wicked plot. He was executed - his head being decapitated and displayed on a platter at a birthday party before all the guests (Matt. 14:6-11).
The hard part that many of us neglect in our Christian calling - is in the realm of Christ’s instruction that we are to bear witness for Him - meaning that you and:
3. I Must Be A Witness To The Light.
We are all to be engaged in evangelism - missions - the Great Commission. Yet their is an inherent - high cost - of being a witness for Christ like John the Baptist. If you look at the word testify - in verse 8 (witness in the NIV). In the Greek - we find something very interesting - we find that the word - testify comes from the root word martureo (also the words witness and testify in verse 7). And that word martureo is where we get the modern day English word martyr from. A person was given the title of a martyr - because that person was called to die for their uncompromising testimony concerning someone.
A martyr is someone who gives their life up for a cause - called to die for their uncompromising testimony - and in the context of John the Baptist - that cause was for the sake of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - as it states in verse 7 - so that through him all men might believe. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ and that included - as Luke 3:18 states - So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. You and I must - testify about the Light - despite the inherent cost. And we can be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission because we are not alone - because we have the Helper - the Holy Spirit of truth. When we read the other 3 Gospels we find that despite persecution the disciples were able to be bold - courageous in evangelism. For example - in Matthew 10:16-22 - let me read that to you.
Jesus is instructing His disciples as He is about to send them out to preach - that the Kingdom of God is at hand:
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to [the] courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 "For it is not you who speak, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father [his] child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
What Jesus is saying is that if His disciples remain faithful to their calling - and as they go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel - they are going to be put under the gun - under intense scrutiny, rejected, pressured to renounce their Lord - they will be persecuted and even put to death for the sake of the Gospel - because the world loves sin and hates God.
And in Acts 5 as Peter and the other apostles - who were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel - after being providentially released from prison by an angel - they continued to courageously proclaim the Gospel - let me pick up and read from Acts 5:29:
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and [so is] the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
We must be witnesses - to testify about the Light - it is a non-negotiable. The witness of Jesus’ disciples - and likewise every Christian - is also powerful because it is through our redeemed and transformed lives that the world can have tangible evidence that Christ is able to save people from their sins.
Therefore through our changed lives in Christ - and our faithfulness to Him - the world’s rejection of Christ would be refuted. So it is then - that the indwelling Spirit of God - in each believer of Christ - you are fully equipped with the spiritual tools - so that you can be a partner in the Gospel. You are energized by the Holy Spirit to be bold in proclaiming the truth.
Isn’t it true that the best lessons are through doing? So may we prove ourselves to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers (Js. 1:22) and therefore feel the full effects of the power of God’s Word being worked out in our lives - and see the Gospel changing lives. So let us be exhorted today that we can have courage to share the Gospel because we have the sure testimony of the Word of God before us. And so it is - that we are responsible to bring to bear upon the world the knowledge of Christ’s saving grace and love. John the Baptist had a special purpose given to him by God, who sent him to His people - he was to be A WITNESS TO THE LIGHT.
May we also be truth bearers this week as the Lord sends us out to be His witnesses.
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Exegetical Note:
In the Gospel of John, the Apostle John never mentions that the John, that he is writing about, is John the Baptist. The reason for this is that the Apostle never states his own name - as he always made reference to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It has been already granted that the, John, that the Apostle now is writing about - is well known to the audience of the Gospel. Therefore the only other John that is of major significance is John the Baptist. All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts.
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John the Baptist like the Apostles of Christ were credible in their witness because they had been eyewitnesses to the truth - and had personal knowledge of Christ from the beginning of His earthly ministry. As the Apostle John wrote in his letter 1 John 1:1-4:
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
And so this witness now comes to us through the testimony of the Holy Scripture. Jesus comes into our sin darkened world, as God veiled in human flesh, because as the life giver - He is the Light of the world. And Jesus never ceases to shine as the Light of the word. John the Baptist’s purpose as a witness was to establish the fact that Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to take away the spiritual darkness in our lives. Only Jesus Christ can overcome the power of the darkness of evil and sin. The life giver - the Word of God - Jesus Christ, who made all things is worthy to be trusted with our character and lives as we turn to Him for the complete forgiveness of our sins.
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What have we learned through this lesson? To sum things up we find that the Apostle was careful in distinguishing that John the Baptist was not the light (Messiah) but that he was only ‘The Witness To The Light’ - sent by God. John was the witness to God’s unfolding plan of redemption in Jesus Christ - like the function of a lamp which is to let the light be seen and that was John the Baptist’s role was. The purpose of John the Baptist’s witness is the same as the central purpose of the Gospel which is found in 20:31: but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Therefore the only true Light is found in Jesus Christ, and that true meaning and purpose in life is not found in ourselves, from others, or even in things, but it is only found in Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist was not the light. But he was the forerunner to Jesus Christ who is the light of the world, offering eternal life to those who would follow Him. What is the bottom line of John’s witness? He is telling us that JC is the only true Savior, none that came before Him or after Him - despite their claims they are not the "real thing."
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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Audio Sermon File: John-1:6-8
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Witness To The Light
Imagine if you were walking down the street and in the near distance - there was a man approaching you. What would you think if this man was loudly proclaiming rebuke, cursing, and used very strong language? Would you think he was a drunkard? Mentally deranged? Strung out on Meth? Would you think that God would have anything to do with such a man?
Today we are going to meet a man whom on the surface could be mistakenly put into the fore-mentioned category. But the man that I am alluding to was certainly no addict - no a drunkard, and in fact he had never had any wine or fermented drink. He was sober and his mind was sharp, for from birth he was "filled with the Holy Spirit."
The Man that I have been speaking about also had a unique outward appearance, being dressed in a garment made from camels hair, strapped on with a leather belt. A man that worked in the great outdoors. A man that was living off a unique diet - consisting of locusts and wild honey - the common diet of the poor.
This takes us to the starting point of this our message as we unveil God’s witness to His Light - His Son Jesus Christ. We also will examine the call for each one of us as Christians to be a witness to the Light.
Let us meet this man - from the Gospel of John. Please turn to the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 6-8 - it reads: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light.
John was "The Witness to the Light." He prepared the way for the Word - Jesus Christ. And today we will discover the mission God prepared for him. Through 3 aspects of John’s ministry we will understand why God sent John ahead of Christ. And in understanding John the Baptist’s calling - may it be a reminder of the Lord’s calling upon each of our lives as Christians.
The first aspect of John’s ministry could be summarized as the presentation of the witness: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John - v.6
As we begin verse 6 there is a sudden shift from the heavenly exaltation of the character and nature of Jesus Christ - as the eternal - self existent - exalted creator, God…. to a special man - yet only a mere mortal and nothing more. This witness is none other than John the Baptist.
All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts. Now we have the historical appearance of John the Baptist as undeniable evidence as to the nature of Christ expressed in the first 5 verses. Allow me to paint a profile of John the Baptist for you.
John the Baptist is one of the NT’s most mysterious figures. With John the Baptist’s arrival, it signified the end of nearly 400 years of silence between the OT and NT. There was no revelations from God nor His prophets. And now through John the Baptist - Israel was about to once again to experience God’s powerful Word. John the Baptist was born through the miraculous intervention of God, to a childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were advanced in years (Lk. 1:7). John’s birth was foretold in a supernatural way - one of God’s angels, named Gabriel, came and announced his birth (Lk. 1:11-25). As an interesting side note - the angel Gabriel is the same angel that announces Christ’s birth. John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:36). His ministry was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah of the OT about 700 years in advance (Is. 40:3-5; Lk.3:4-6). John the Baptist, was a herald, who prepared the way for the Messiah calling all to repent (Lk. 3:3). He proclaimed God’s wrath upon the unrepentant. He revealed that he baptized with water, and the One that would follow him would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Lk. 3:16). John the Baptist ministered in the spirit and power of God, a lot like the prophet Elijah. There is more about John the Baptist, but we will leave that for a little bit later.
At this point I want to draw your attention back at verse 6, and look at the word - sent. The emphasis of the sentence, is on that word ‘sent’ - meaning that John was commissioned - and under someone’s authority to reveal the truth. John was - sent - by God by divine commission and under His authority - and as a result, everything that John spoke of - regarding the Word of God… Jesus Christ - was true and life changing.
As we apply this passage into our own life, we must understand that as a Christian we share something in common with John the Baptist - and that is that - like you and me too - we must acknowledge that:
1. I Am Sent Out By God
For we are sent out by God to accomplish the full scope of the Great Commission. We have been sent by Divine commission - under the authority of Jesus Christ - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV).
For some of us it is in our family, others it in your high school or university campus - and for the rest it could be at the workplace, shopping mall, on the bus - wherever there are people to interact with. And in light of the applicational aspect of today’s sermon - I ask you to consider - how much of the Great Commission has been worked out in your life since you became a Christian?
It is only in the dependence upon the Holy Spirit, like John the Baptist, and the outworking of our calling that we can have courage and boldness to be sent out by God - to call all to repentance and to make that spiritual turn about in their lives - a 180 away from unrighteousness - to a sincere and humble response to Jesus Christ’s salvation and righteousness. May we be like an Isaiah - that we be reminded of his calling and response - we read from: Isaiah 6:8 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
And we know that Isaiah was faithful as God sent him right into a very spiritually dire situation in his nation where the people would reject his warnings and exhortations - his calling and the Word of God.
God sent His witness, John the Baptist to arrive on the scene before Christ as a witness to the Messiah. Therefore John had a distinct calling which gives us the purpose of the witness:
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him (v.7).
Laid out in our verses today we have the human agent God uses as His witness, to testify about the Light - a witness to the TRUTH of the light, that would follow his ministry. The subject of ‘witness’ - as we find in our verses this day, is another one of the main themes contained in the Gospel. What we have going on, beginning in verse 7 is the emphasis of John the Baptist being a witness. The scene can be likened to a courtroom setting - with John the Baptist - being ‘A Witness to the Light’ - he is now introduced as a star witness, and he prepares to step into the witness stand to give his testimony.
What was the purpose of John the Baptist’s witness? The purpose of the witness was to testify to who Jesus Christ is - and we had a glimpse of who Jesus is, the last 2 lessons. In the preceding context of chapter 1 of this Gospel - John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ of Jesus Christ who - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ….. That Christ is eternally the light - the Creator and life giver. Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation. Therefore He has the ultimate authority over each one of us. If Jesus Christ did not exist then we also would not exist, since Jesus Christ is the source of all things which came into being.
John’s the Baptists purpose as a witness was to point out that true life is found only in Jesus Christ because all things exist in Him; He is the cause, source, granter, and preserver of all life.
In Jesus Christ there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation - we are made in God’s image. But sin damaged this special relationship and we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because of this Jesus Christ was sent to us so that some would be saved by Him through His voluntary and sacrificial death on the cross as payment of our debt of sins … and three days later His resurrection from the dead - effected for those who believe - eternal life.
Jesus Christ desires that we come to Him as our Light, through the repentance of our sins and entering a personal relationship with Him. True hope and ultimate victory in our lives is found only in Jesus Christ the Word. So it is as we look back to verse 7 - that God purposed through John the Baptist’s testimony - that all might believe - this is John’s purpose as a witness.
In verses 7 and 8, the emphasis is on the - witness. So the focus of these verses is not the person of John the Baptist - but it is the message that he bears that is important. A witness is important in establishing the truth and that is what John the Baptist functions as. John the Baptist’s preaching prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah: Mark 1:1-4:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.' " 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
John’s purpose was to prepare and point people to Jesus Christ. John The Baptist confronted people with the message that they, and likewise us today - that you need to take a stand - to make a decision - acceptance or rejection - a response to faith or a response to continued faithlessness in Christ. This is the ‘Purpose of the Witness.’ Now it comes to our purpose as believers - and you and me must understand that like John the Baptist’s calling -
2. I Am Called To A Purpose
As a faithful Christian who walks by the Spirit - you are to be disciple makers - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. The key verb in the Great Commission is not ‘GO’- but it is ‘MAKE’ - that is we are to be purposefully engaged in evangelism to make disciples of all the nations. We can’t say that God doesn’t need us to be involved in this noble task. As we understand Jesus’ words to His disciples - and by extension that includes you and me - we certainly cannot escape the fact that the Great Commission is a command - it is a Divine imperative - to MAKE disciples - and Jesus provides the means to fulfill His command.
This is through the Spirit of Truth - who is powerful alone for the task of witness - and He is the only One who can convict a sinner of the truth - but God calls us to a purpose - and that is to partner with Him in this venture. John the Baptist was given a specific function - and with the Holy Spirit’s help - he was to be - a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
This is what Merrill C. Tenney wrote: "Without the witness of the Spirit, the disciples’ witness would be powerless; without the disciples’ witness, the Spirit would be restricted in his means of expression."
So far we have examined the presentation and purpose of John the Baptist - and we have been exhorted to know that - I am sent out by God - and that - I am called to a purpose… Now let us complete the portrait of "A Witness to the Light" and examine the proclamation of the witness…. He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light (v.8).
John was only the forerunner to Christ therefore - He was not the light. He called people to repent - calling people to have a change in their personal being. A change that was in preparation of meeting JC, the Son of God , the Messiah - who was about to be unveiled to the world in His public ministry.
As a side note - it would be helpful to understand what repentance means Biblically. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. "Meta" has the same meaning in the English as the Greek, it means change. "Noia" is Greek for mind . So when we put these words together, the basic meaning of repentance is a change of mind. The picture of repentance in the Bible, is more than just an intellectual change. It encompasses more, and includes a change in a persons thought and will. The emphasis of Biblical repentance is the persons decision for the whole of himself to be changed.
John the Baptist appeared as ‘A Witness to the Light’ in order that God use him to preach a baptism of repentance . (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4). The symbolism of John’s Baptism likely had it’s roots in OT purification rituals (Lev.15:13). John’s baptism indicated that a person had repented; he had changed his mind about his sin and his relationship with God. It was a public way of saying, "Through God’s grace I have taken a 180 degree turn towards God - I have changed my mind about my sinfulness. I now look at sin in the same way that God views my sin. I am a sinner and I cast myself on God’s mercy and His salvation to prepare me for the coming Messiah." As a result he was now intentionally and actively submitting himself to God and His Word for cleansing and forgiveness. It was a repentance that had to be demonstrated with a changed life in preparation for Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah.
Jews accepting John’s baptism were taking a bold step of faith. These Jews were admitting that they had been living like Gentiles - enemy pagans devoid of any spiritual life - unclean - blasphemers - God haters. So these Jews who came to John for baptism, were by their very actions - publicly - declaring their need to become the true people of God - genuinely, inwardly. This was an amazing admission by a Jew, because there existed a strong animosity toward the Gentiles by the Jewish nation - Gentiles were unclean - they were blasphemers - God haters.
John’s baptism dealt with those who were yet to come to faith in Christ, since Christ’s earthly ministry had not begun. The baptism that we observe today is different from John’s baptism. What we as a church observe is commonly called - ‘believer’s baptism’ - since it is administered to us as believers who have been forgiven of our sins in Jesus Christ before we are baptized. It is an expression of obedience to Christ for the salvation He has granted us. It is often said that our baptism is - ‘an outward sign of inward grace.’
The "Proclamation of the Witness" was a call to repentance. As we move on to the end of our passage in verse 8 - we now find out - the hard part of John the Baptist’s calling which was - to testify about the Light.
Now let us return and finish our profile of John the Baptist. Because of John’s ministry among the common people - it resulted in his notoriety. But among the political and religious authorities, he received mixed reviews - largely negative - rather than positive. John the Baptist was a forthright man and did not care for political correctness, but instead he spoke God’s truth. And in the end his bluntness in dispensing the truth - pricked the consciences of those who oppose Christ - and the preached truth became a threat to the authorities, which landed him in prison (Lk. 3:20). In the end John the Baptist’s life was suddenly terminated by a wicked plot. He was executed - his head being decapitated and displayed on a platter at a birthday party before all the guests (Matt. 14:6-11).
The hard part that many of us neglect in our Christian calling - is in the realm of Christ’s instruction that we are to bear witness for Him - meaning that you and:
3. I Must Be A Witness To The Light.
We are all to be engaged in evangelism - missions - the Great Commission. Yet their is an inherent - high cost - of being a witness for Christ like John the Baptist. If you look at the word testify - in verse 8 (witness in the NIV). In the Greek - we find something very interesting - we find that the word - testify comes from the root word martureo (also the words witness and testify in verse 7). And that word martureo is where we get the modern day English word martyr from. A person was given the title of a martyr - because that person was called to die for their uncompromising testimony concerning someone.
A martyr is someone who gives their life up for a cause - called to die for their uncompromising testimony - and in the context of John the Baptist - that cause was for the sake of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - as it states in verse 7 - so that through him all men might believe. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ and that included - as Luke 3:18 states - So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. You and I must - testify about the Light - despite the inherent cost. And we can be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission because we are not alone - because we have the Helper - the Holy Spirit of truth. When we read the other 3 Gospels we find that despite persecution the disciples were able to be bold - courageous in evangelism. For example - in Matthew 10:16-22 - let me read that to you.
Jesus is instructing His disciples as He is about to send them out to preach - that the Kingdom of God is at hand:
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to [the] courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 "For it is not you who speak, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father [his] child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
What Jesus is saying is that if His disciples remain faithful to their calling - and as they go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel - they are going to be put under the gun - under intense scrutiny, rejected, pressured to renounce their Lord - they will be persecuted and even put to death for the sake of the Gospel - because the world loves sin and hates God.
And in Acts 5 as Peter and the other apostles - who were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel - after being providentially released from prison by an angel - they continued to courageously proclaim the Gospel - let me pick up and read from Acts 5:29:
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and [so is] the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
We must be witnesses - to testify about the Light - it is a non-negotiable. The witness of Jesus’ disciples - and likewise every Christian - is also powerful because it is through our redeemed and transformed lives that the world can have tangible evidence that Christ is able to save people from their sins.
Therefore through our changed lives in Christ - and our faithfulness to Him - the world’s rejection of Christ would be refuted. So it is then - that the indwelling Spirit of God - in each believer of Christ - you are fully equipped with the spiritual tools - so that you can be a partner in the Gospel. You are energized by the Holy Spirit to be bold in proclaiming the truth.
Isn’t it true that the best lessons are through doing? So may we prove ourselves to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers (Js. 1:22) and therefore feel the full effects of the power of God’s Word being worked out in our lives - and see the Gospel changing lives. So let us be exhorted today that we can have courage to share the Gospel because we have the sure testimony of the Word of God before us. And so it is - that we are responsible to bring to bear upon the world the knowledge of Christ’s saving grace and love. John the Baptist had a special purpose given to him by God, who sent him to His people - he was to be A WITNESS TO THE LIGHT.
May we also be truth bearers this week as the Lord sends us out to be His witnesses.
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Exegetical Note:
In the Gospel of John, the Apostle John never mentions that the John, that he is writing about, is John the Baptist. The reason for this is that the Apostle never states his own name - as he always made reference to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It has been already granted that the, John, that the Apostle now is writing about - is well known to the audience of the Gospel. Therefore the only other John that is of major significance is John the Baptist. All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts.
______________________________
John the Baptist like the Apostles of Christ were credible in their witness because they had been eyewitnesses to the truth - and had personal knowledge of Christ from the beginning of His earthly ministry. As the Apostle John wrote in his letter 1 John 1:1-4:
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
And so this witness now comes to us through the testimony of the Holy Scripture. Jesus comes into our sin darkened world, as God veiled in human flesh, because as the life giver - He is the Light of the world. And Jesus never ceases to shine as the Light of the word. John the Baptist’s purpose as a witness was to establish the fact that Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to take away the spiritual darkness in our lives. Only Jesus Christ can overcome the power of the darkness of evil and sin. The life giver - the Word of God - Jesus Christ, who made all things is worthy to be trusted with our character and lives as we turn to Him for the complete forgiveness of our sins.
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What have we learned through this lesson? To sum things up we find that the Apostle was careful in distinguishing that John the Baptist was not the light (Messiah) but that he was only ‘The Witness To The Light’ - sent by God. John was the witness to God’s unfolding plan of redemption in Jesus Christ - like the function of a lamp which is to let the light be seen and that was John the Baptist’s role was. The purpose of John the Baptist’s witness is the same as the central purpose of the Gospel which is found in 20:31: but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Therefore the only true Light is found in Jesus Christ, and that true meaning and purpose in life is not found in ourselves, from others, or even in things, but it is only found in Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist was not the light. But he was the forerunner to Jesus Christ who is the light of the world, offering eternal life to those who would follow Him. What is the bottom line of John’s witness? He is telling us that JC is the only true Savior, none that came before Him or after Him - despite their claims they are not the "real thing."
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
John 1:3-5 Unveiling The Life Giver
28.09.08 John 1:3-5 (NASB)
Audio Sermon File: John-1:3-5
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Life Giver
Recently the CBC opened up to Canadians the opportunity to nominate their picks for ‘The Seven Wonders of Canada.’ The result was that there were 25,000 nominations for a variety of things and places like - the Northern Lights, Cabot Trail, The Montreal bagel - just to name a few). The voting began on these nominations and there were over 1 million votes cast.
Here are the winners that the judges picked:
The canoe, the igloo, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec City, Pier 21 Halifax, Prairie skies, and the Rockies.
It is interesting to note that out of the 7 - there are 4 of the finalist that are made by man - and the rest a part of creation. Of the things that are made - they needed to come into existence by using materials already in existence, but not one of these persons in making something like the igloo - can create.
And that is how it is primarily in our world - that people can only take existing things - and then reformat them into new combinations; this is all they can do. Only God alone can create - something as spectacular as Niagara Falls.
And today as we continue in the Gospel according to the Apostle John - we will discover that God created all things through Jesus Christ, and He does so out of nothing. We will see that the Apostle John unveils to you - "The Life Giver." There is a popular saying - ‘I have good news and bad news….which one do want first.’ Today I going to give you the bad news first - we are all born sinners and are condemned to God’s wrath - because He is a Holy and just God - and hates sin.
Now here is the "good news" - that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day - in order to save us from the penalty of our sins. Without the "good news" that salvation from sin is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ… we would utterly be eternally lost and condemned.
Only the Life giver Jesus Christ offers to give you life, eternal life - so that you may respond with a life saving decision to accept Him as your God and Saviour. Through our sermon series on John - we will benefit from the spiritual lessons of this Gospel - which will draw us closer to Christ in Worship. It will also play a unique role in our defense and proclamation of our faith, against secular and cultic influences. Last week, we began by Unveiling The Saviour - Jesus Christ from the first 2 verses of chapter 1. John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD/Logos.
As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - he has no beginning or end. Christ has an active, critical, fundamental, and indivisible relationship with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ eternally existed and was in the beginning with God.
Therefore John clearly reveals the Deity of Christ which is an essential foundation to Christianity. Those who oppose Christ inevitably will attack this doctrinal truth. By doing so it is a foolish attempt to destroy the core of our faith; which is foolish because it is absolutely impossible to do - as evidenced by history and Scripture. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to, accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners, to provide salvation to an utterly depraved and lost humanity which is under God’s judgement.
John brings to the forefront of the gospel the importance of understanding who Jesus is. To correctly understand who Jesus is, is important - since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving an utterly depraved and lost humanity. But, because Jesus is God Himself - possessing the nature of sinless perfection - Jesus’ death has paramount value. Does not the Bible declare - "He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21)
Therefore - the good news is that Jesus’ death is supremely effective to deal with the reality of our sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like" - Jesus Christ is God coming down to us, veiled in human flesh - it is God with us in a most meaningful way.
The Gospel of John starts off hard-hitting as we discovered last Sunday, and the gospel continues to confront us with its truths. Today we will discover that The Word, Jesus Christ - is "The Life Giver" offering eternal life to those who believe - having given us, the opportunity to make a life saving decision to believe upon Him, for salvation from the heavy and damning weight our sins.
John 1:1-5 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
Today’s sermon verses:
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Jesus Christ is the granter of eternal life, He is "The Life Giver." He is "The Life Giver," because of 3 essential and unchangeable realities:
1. Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (the agent of Creation) (v3)
2. Because Jesus Christ is God, He is the only Source of Life (v.4)
3. Jesus Christ is the real Light of the World (v.5)
What will you do with these facts as they are revealed? How will you respond to the truth presented by John today - as a person with Jesus as Lord and Saviour - and even those who are Christians?
JESUS CHRIST has the right to be "THE LIFE GIVER" because
1. Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation - v. 3
Please look again at verse 3 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Beginning in verse 3 is a transition from the relationship between the Word and the Father found in vv.1-2; it now transitions, in verse 3, to the Word’s relationship to - and involvement in creation. What is being presented by John is that God is the Creator. And Jesus Christ as the Word of God - is the agent of creation. What this means is that anything that is created out of nothing is brought into existence through Jesus Christ. In creation both God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son are working in unison as the Trinity. Therefore through Jesus Christ all things came into being - not one single thing was made apart from Christ - which is the literal meaning of the word nothing. The implications of John’s inspired statement is that even the smallest physical matter is created by Christ. It also expresses that Jesus Christ was not a created being as some cults believe.
If you follow the news and science news in particular - you may have recalled a recent story of the launch of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator complex in the world. It is buried 50-175m beneath the Fronco-Swiss border near Geneva Switzerland. It is contained in a circular tunnel 27km long. It’s construction was approved in 1995 - and it has taken about 13 years to complete at a unknown final cost - with estimates of upwards to 6.4 billion euros. On Sept. 10 - earlier this month the switch was turned on this massive machine - and they celebrated it as ‘Big Bang Day.’ It’s purpose is to investigate the smallest known particles - the fundamental building blocks of all things. They hope to re-create that conditions just after the ‘Big Bang’ - to figure out how the world was created. After all these years of hype and billions of dollars spent - ironically - a few days later the machine was shut down - in other words the LHC broke. It is slated for re-opening in the spring next year.
According to what we have here in the Gospel of John - "researchers will not have a much clearer idea as to how the fundamental events of Genesis occurred. I would say they will have a much more convoluted idea of how these fundamental events occurred - and pass it on as truth."
We didn’t come into existence by some BIB BANG as these scientist hope and theorize. Nor did we come into existence by the never to be proven theories of evolution - we came into existence because God created all things through the agent of creation - Jesus Christ - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus Christ made us, and all atoms, matter, anti-matter - and whatever new particles that scientist will discover with the LHC.
Here are some parallel Bible passages which affirm this powerful truth:
Ps 33:6 - By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
Col. 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Heb. 1:2-3 - in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.
By the testimony of Scripture we see that everything is created through Jesus Christ. If you will carefully notice - verse 3 is stated in the positive and the negative as the priority of Christ over creation is taught. There are implications for each one of us here this today… since Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation - He has authority over us. Without JC we would not exist. Therefore - we see once again the assertion that Jesus Christ is Deity/God - for He is the source of everything coming - into being. The ultimate fact is that this world and everything in it is made not by some force, or an unknown power, but it is made by a Person, the Almighty God and through His Son Jesus Christ all things came into being - Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (JC is the agent of Creation).
This has immense implications for us. Since we are His creation, we didn’t come into existence by evolution - that we are a higher form of animal here to do good. I have had people tell me that is what they believe - that people think we are some kind of glorified monkeys. It is hard to understand how people could ever believe such a ridiculous thing. Yet this kind of false teaching is rampant in our society. By implication the Apostle John is saying in our text - that expressly and categorically - that we are not animals from evolution, but that we are created. As His creation, we are made in His image - Gen. 1:26-27: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
"Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation," and He created us in His image, not by means of the BIG BANG, and not by evolution - so we should realize that there is some significant purpose for our lives if we are found in Christ.
Not only is JC the "The Life Giver" because He is the agent of creation -
2. Jesus Christ is the Source of Life (v.4)
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
The words ‘life’ and ‘light’ - are repeatedly used in the Gospel of John. ‘Light’ is used in the Gospel to describe physical life and spiritual life. The word ‘life’ - is used over 3 dozen times in this Gospel; just over one quarter of all references to ‘life’ in the NT are found in John’s Gospel.
"John’s Gospel constantly associates life with the Word of God, Jesus Christ….. you might want to WRITE DOWN the following REF’s - read them later on your own:
The life of Christ is the light of men because it is a glorious revelation. JC shares the self existent life that belongs to the Creator as distinct from the creature - JC the Word could be termed "infinite." Or as we learned last Sunday from verses 1-2 that He is eternally pre-existent - because He has no beginning and no end and is beyond time and not constrained by time.
We as people, can be defined as being "finite" because we all will physically die, and possibly at any given moment.
Because JC eternally pre-exists - it is true, that only JC can impart life to you. Because all things exist in Him... because JC is the cause and source of all life... because He is the imparter and sustainer of your life, my life…and because JC is the life giver and the preserver of your life. In JC was life, and because HE is the SOURCE of life - continuing in v.4 - He is, the light of men. One person once stated that - "JC is an efficacious power like the sun, bestower of grace and faith; perfecter of our future glory."
What this conveys to us is that genuine Christ centered - spiritual change - floods in when we turn our lives over to Him, like the earth’s dark surface being lightened and illuminated by each morning’s rising sun. OR like when even the tiniest of candles is lit, it can fill a room full of darkness with its light.
In JC there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation, and because of this JC desires that many come to Him as our light. JC is our light, and He is not only interested in our knowledge of Him, in some general fashion, or as some inconsequential truth. But more specifically He desires that we know Him personally, deeply - intimately - through His salvation offered - through His death and resurrection. Jesus said Himself in John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life : that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
JC is the conveyor of life - and the light bearer - as He is our only hope of entering God’s righteous purposes.
We live in a generation that is rationalistic, answers to life are searched for in closed systems of science or logic - as evidenced by the building of the Large Hadron Collider. But John searches outside these boxes and goes to the ultimate reality and meaning in life found only in "The Life Giver." So here in verse 4, what we have is a picture of hope and ultimate victory in JC the Word. JC is the light of the World, and John in no uncertain terms expresses that JC is the SOURCE of life. The profound realization that we all should have as we understand this verse is this - What you decide about Jesus is absolutely crucial. What response are you going to make knowing that JC is "The Life Giver?" Does not the Bible declare - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Through Him all things were CREATED, and JC is "The Life Giver" because He is the only SOURCE of LIFE and….JC comes into our world - God veiled in human flesh, because…
3. Jesus Christ is The Light of the World (v.5)
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Audio Sermon File: John-1:3-5
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Life Giver
Recently the CBC opened up to Canadians the opportunity to nominate their picks for ‘The Seven Wonders of Canada.’ The result was that there were 25,000 nominations for a variety of things and places like - the Northern Lights, Cabot Trail, The Montreal bagel - just to name a few). The voting began on these nominations and there were over 1 million votes cast.
Here are the winners that the judges picked:
The canoe, the igloo, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec City, Pier 21 Halifax, Prairie skies, and the Rockies.
It is interesting to note that out of the 7 - there are 4 of the finalist that are made by man - and the rest a part of creation. Of the things that are made - they needed to come into existence by using materials already in existence, but not one of these persons in making something like the igloo - can create.
And that is how it is primarily in our world - that people can only take existing things - and then reformat them into new combinations; this is all they can do. Only God alone can create - something as spectacular as Niagara Falls.
And today as we continue in the Gospel according to the Apostle John - we will discover that God created all things through Jesus Christ, and He does so out of nothing. We will see that the Apostle John unveils to you - "The Life Giver." There is a popular saying - ‘I have good news and bad news….which one do want first.’ Today I going to give you the bad news first - we are all born sinners and are condemned to God’s wrath - because He is a Holy and just God - and hates sin.
Now here is the "good news" - that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day - in order to save us from the penalty of our sins. Without the "good news" that salvation from sin is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ… we would utterly be eternally lost and condemned.
Only the Life giver Jesus Christ offers to give you life, eternal life - so that you may respond with a life saving decision to accept Him as your God and Saviour. Through our sermon series on John - we will benefit from the spiritual lessons of this Gospel - which will draw us closer to Christ in Worship. It will also play a unique role in our defense and proclamation of our faith, against secular and cultic influences. Last week, we began by Unveiling The Saviour - Jesus Christ from the first 2 verses of chapter 1. John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD/Logos.
As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - he has no beginning or end. Christ has an active, critical, fundamental, and indivisible relationship with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ eternally existed and was in the beginning with God.
Therefore John clearly reveals the Deity of Christ which is an essential foundation to Christianity. Those who oppose Christ inevitably will attack this doctrinal truth. By doing so it is a foolish attempt to destroy the core of our faith; which is foolish because it is absolutely impossible to do - as evidenced by history and Scripture. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to, accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners, to provide salvation to an utterly depraved and lost humanity which is under God’s judgement.
John brings to the forefront of the gospel the importance of understanding who Jesus is. To correctly understand who Jesus is, is important - since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving an utterly depraved and lost humanity. But, because Jesus is God Himself - possessing the nature of sinless perfection - Jesus’ death has paramount value. Does not the Bible declare - "He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21)
Therefore - the good news is that Jesus’ death is supremely effective to deal with the reality of our sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like" - Jesus Christ is God coming down to us, veiled in human flesh - it is God with us in a most meaningful way.
The Gospel of John starts off hard-hitting as we discovered last Sunday, and the gospel continues to confront us with its truths. Today we will discover that The Word, Jesus Christ - is "The Life Giver" offering eternal life to those who believe - having given us, the opportunity to make a life saving decision to believe upon Him, for salvation from the heavy and damning weight our sins.
John 1:1-5 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
Today’s sermon verses:
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Jesus Christ is the granter of eternal life, He is "The Life Giver." He is "The Life Giver," because of 3 essential and unchangeable realities:
1. Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (the agent of Creation) (v3)
2. Because Jesus Christ is God, He is the only Source of Life (v.4)
3. Jesus Christ is the real Light of the World (v.5)
What will you do with these facts as they are revealed? How will you respond to the truth presented by John today - as a person with Jesus as Lord and Saviour - and even those who are Christians?
JESUS CHRIST has the right to be "THE LIFE GIVER" because
1. Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation - v. 3
Please look again at verse 3 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Beginning in verse 3 is a transition from the relationship between the Word and the Father found in vv.1-2; it now transitions, in verse 3, to the Word’s relationship to - and involvement in creation. What is being presented by John is that God is the Creator. And Jesus Christ as the Word of God - is the agent of creation. What this means is that anything that is created out of nothing is brought into existence through Jesus Christ. In creation both God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son are working in unison as the Trinity. Therefore through Jesus Christ all things came into being - not one single thing was made apart from Christ - which is the literal meaning of the word nothing. The implications of John’s inspired statement is that even the smallest physical matter is created by Christ. It also expresses that Jesus Christ was not a created being as some cults believe.
If you follow the news and science news in particular - you may have recalled a recent story of the launch of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator complex in the world. It is buried 50-175m beneath the Fronco-Swiss border near Geneva Switzerland. It is contained in a circular tunnel 27km long. It’s construction was approved in 1995 - and it has taken about 13 years to complete at a unknown final cost - with estimates of upwards to 6.4 billion euros. On Sept. 10 - earlier this month the switch was turned on this massive machine - and they celebrated it as ‘Big Bang Day.’ It’s purpose is to investigate the smallest known particles - the fundamental building blocks of all things. They hope to re-create that conditions just after the ‘Big Bang’ - to figure out how the world was created. After all these years of hype and billions of dollars spent - ironically - a few days later the machine was shut down - in other words the LHC broke. It is slated for re-opening in the spring next year.
According to what we have here in the Gospel of John - "researchers will not have a much clearer idea as to how the fundamental events of Genesis occurred. I would say they will have a much more convoluted idea of how these fundamental events occurred - and pass it on as truth."
We didn’t come into existence by some BIB BANG as these scientist hope and theorize. Nor did we come into existence by the never to be proven theories of evolution - we came into existence because God created all things through the agent of creation - Jesus Christ - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus Christ made us, and all atoms, matter, anti-matter - and whatever new particles that scientist will discover with the LHC.
Here are some parallel Bible passages which affirm this powerful truth:
Ps 33:6 - By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
Col. 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Heb. 1:2-3 - in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.
By the testimony of Scripture we see that everything is created through Jesus Christ. If you will carefully notice - verse 3 is stated in the positive and the negative as the priority of Christ over creation is taught. There are implications for each one of us here this today… since Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation - He has authority over us. Without JC we would not exist. Therefore - we see once again the assertion that Jesus Christ is Deity/God - for He is the source of everything coming - into being. The ultimate fact is that this world and everything in it is made not by some force, or an unknown power, but it is made by a Person, the Almighty God and through His Son Jesus Christ all things came into being - Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (JC is the agent of Creation).
This has immense implications for us. Since we are His creation, we didn’t come into existence by evolution - that we are a higher form of animal here to do good. I have had people tell me that is what they believe - that people think we are some kind of glorified monkeys. It is hard to understand how people could ever believe such a ridiculous thing. Yet this kind of false teaching is rampant in our society. By implication the Apostle John is saying in our text - that expressly and categorically - that we are not animals from evolution, but that we are created. As His creation, we are made in His image - Gen. 1:26-27: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
"Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation," and He created us in His image, not by means of the BIG BANG, and not by evolution - so we should realize that there is some significant purpose for our lives if we are found in Christ.
Not only is JC the "The Life Giver" because He is the agent of creation -
2. Jesus Christ is the Source of Life (v.4)
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
The words ‘life’ and ‘light’ - are repeatedly used in the Gospel of John. ‘Light’ is used in the Gospel to describe physical life and spiritual life. The word ‘life’ - is used over 3 dozen times in this Gospel; just over one quarter of all references to ‘life’ in the NT are found in John’s Gospel.
"John’s Gospel constantly associates life with the Word of God, Jesus Christ….. you might want to WRITE DOWN the following REF’s - read them later on your own:
- JC died so that people might have everlasting life (3:16).
- Only those who come to Him have life (5:40).
- JC gave his flesh for the life of the world (6:51)
- JC came that people might have life and have it more abundantly (10:10).
- When JC gives life people perish no more (10:28).
- JC said that He has power to lay down his life and to take it again (10:18), and He did just that.
- As the Lord of life - He raised Lazarus from the dead (ch. 11).
- Twice JC said that He is ‘the life’ (11:25; 14:6).
The life of Christ is the light of men because it is a glorious revelation. JC shares the self existent life that belongs to the Creator as distinct from the creature - JC the Word could be termed "infinite." Or as we learned last Sunday from verses 1-2 that He is eternally pre-existent - because He has no beginning and no end and is beyond time and not constrained by time.
We as people, can be defined as being "finite" because we all will physically die, and possibly at any given moment.
Because JC eternally pre-exists - it is true, that only JC can impart life to you. Because all things exist in Him... because JC is the cause and source of all life... because He is the imparter and sustainer of your life, my life…and because JC is the life giver and the preserver of your life. In JC was life, and because HE is the SOURCE of life - continuing in v.4 - He is, the light of men. One person once stated that - "JC is an efficacious power like the sun, bestower of grace and faith; perfecter of our future glory."
What this conveys to us is that genuine Christ centered - spiritual change - floods in when we turn our lives over to Him, like the earth’s dark surface being lightened and illuminated by each morning’s rising sun. OR like when even the tiniest of candles is lit, it can fill a room full of darkness with its light.
In JC there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation, and because of this JC desires that many come to Him as our light. JC is our light, and He is not only interested in our knowledge of Him, in some general fashion, or as some inconsequential truth. But more specifically He desires that we know Him personally, deeply - intimately - through His salvation offered - through His death and resurrection. Jesus said Himself in John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life : that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
JC is the conveyor of life - and the light bearer - as He is our only hope of entering God’s righteous purposes.
We live in a generation that is rationalistic, answers to life are searched for in closed systems of science or logic - as evidenced by the building of the Large Hadron Collider. But John searches outside these boxes and goes to the ultimate reality and meaning in life found only in "The Life Giver." So here in verse 4, what we have is a picture of hope and ultimate victory in JC the Word. JC is the light of the World, and John in no uncertain terms expresses that JC is the SOURCE of life. The profound realization that we all should have as we understand this verse is this - What you decide about Jesus is absolutely crucial. What response are you going to make knowing that JC is "The Life Giver?" Does not the Bible declare - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Through Him all things were CREATED, and JC is "The Life Giver" because He is the only SOURCE of LIFE and….JC comes into our world - God veiled in human flesh, because…
3. Jesus Christ is The Light of the World (v.5)
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
In the same way that John links life with Christ, so he links light with Him also.
- Christ is ‘the light of the world’ (8:12; 9:5).
- He has ‘come into the world as a light’ (12:46).
- Anyone who follows him "will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (8:12).
- People can be urged to believe in the light (12:36), for "JC is the Light of the World."
- And just as "The Life Giver," gave life to the dead (Lazarus - ch.11), so JC who is the light of the world gave sight to the man born blind (ch. 9).
Did you realize that the first recorded words of God in the Bible - are ‘Let there be light’ (Gen. 1:3), and in this chapter - what we have being unveiled is the knowledge that the Word is the source of light. Jesus Christ - the Word - look back at verses 1 and 2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. Therefore it is the Word - who shines His light and takes away the spiritual darkness - for only JC can remove the darkness of evil and sin.
The tense of the word "shines" in Greek of verse 5 is in the Greek present tense. So what that tells us as we interpret this verse is that the light - is continually in action. Therefore this phrase clearly expresses that the light of men, who is eternally Jesus Christ - never ceases to shine. Without the continual light of Jesus Christ, our world would still be totally engulfed in condemning spiritual darkness.
If we look down at verse 5 of the NASB, the word "comprehend" (NIV - understood) is better translated as "overcome." Therefore we have - this translation - The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it . "Overcome" is a better translation because it reflects the very forceful Greek word used here (katelaben). A word which has the meaning in the NT of a designated attack of evil powers (cf Mk 9:18). It is like the evil that is referred to in 2 Peter 2:17 - These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.
So it is - that this attack of evil would be upon the "light" - Jesus Christ…But even the invading darkness of sin could not - can not - and will never overcome the light. And that is the ‘good news.’
I think most of you have either watched a solar eclipse on TV or have even witnessed one live - the last one visible in Canada was Aug 1. Just in case you haven’t seen one - apparently the next total eclipse visible in Canada is scheduled for April 8, 2024. Here are some - Eclipse Facts:
The longest duration for a total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes. There are at least two solar eclipses per year somewhere on Earth. Local temperatures often drop 20 degrees or more near totality.
Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles. The width of the path caused at total darkness reaches a maximum of 167 miles wide.
By way of our illustration - Like the unstoppable bursts of light that shine forth behind the moon in a total eclipse - the darkness of sin and unbelief is cast out and "overcome," through the powerful illumination of JC the light.
Light and darkness are opposites, but not in terms of power, and the following Bible reading, is a preview of the triumph of light over darkness:
- 1 John 2:8-11 - On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment
to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is
passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who
says he is in the light and [yet] hates his brother is in the darkness
until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and
there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his
brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not
know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
This truth makes a huge difference in our outlook on life. If the Light triumphs - and He does - this reality will gives us a pure sense of victory, over sin if we are found in Christ’s salvation. Because darkness cannot overcome the light - and we as children of light will be successful in our earthly struggles. Sin cannot ever overpower the righteousness of Christ - nor those who believe in Him.
"The Life Giver" is the Word of God - Jesus Christ, who made all things and is supremely worthy to be trusted with our character and lives. Martin Luther - "If Christ is not true and natural God, born of the Father in eternity and Creator of all creatures, we are doomed ….we must have a Savior who is true God and Lord over sin, death, devil, and hell. If we permit the devil to topple this stronghold for us, so that we disbelieve [JC’s Deity], then His suffering, death, and resurrection profit us nothing."
Jesus Christ is the granter of eternal life, He is "The Life Giver." He is "The Life Giver," because: Jesus Christ has created you; Jesus Christ is the one who sustains you; Jesus Christ is your only hope of Light in this world. "Consider the infinite majesty of the Word who is Jesus Christ. We admire and worship the Word, who gave us true religion and revealed a God of greater goodness than the world had ever known, because the key-note of his life was sacrifice and its crown the cross" - Bib illus. p. 12 (C.Short, modified).
We live in a world of fashionable truths, but John presents the only truth. I will leave you with some Bible verses from Matthew 11:25-30:
25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from [the] wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 "Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal [Him]. 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Is your faith placed solely in "The Life Giver" - Jesus Christ - or is your significance misplaced ?
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Exegetical Notes:
The book of John is known as a "Gospel" - The Greek term for "gospel" originally had pictured a messenger receiving a reward for delivering some type of good news, for example - the good news of victory in a battle which is delivered to a king. The word is euaggelion in the Greek, is formed by adding a prefix meaning "good" (eu) to the word messenger (angelos). Therefore the combined meaning developed out of this is the common term to express the "good news."
Today and even in the early church, Christians used "gospel" to refer to the good news of Christ’s salvation for man. In essence the Gospels are the account of the "good news" of the saving nature of Christ’s work demonstrated through His life, death, and resurrection - that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
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That Jesus Christ created everything (cf. Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2) offers two further proofs of His deity. First, the Creator of all things must Himself be uncreated, and only the eternal God is uncreated. The Greek text emphasizes the distinction between the uncreated Word and His creation, since a different verb is used here than the one used in verses 1 and 2. As noted in the previous point, John used a form of the verb eimi ('to be'), which denotes a state of being, to describe the Word in verses 1 and 2; here, speaking of the creation of the universe, he used form of the verb ginomai (came into being). That Jesus is the Creator also verifies His deity, because God is portrayed throughout the Bible as the Creator (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 102:25; Isa. 40:28; 42:5; 45:18; Mark 13:19; Rom. 1:25; Eph. 3:9; Rev. 4:11). ~ John MacArthur
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
John 1:1-2 Unveiling The Saviour
21.09.08 John 1:1-2 (NASB)
Audio Sermon File: John 1:1-2
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Saviour
Today I am going to UNVEIL to you something that we as Christians depend upon. It infiltrates everything that we think, do, and are. Our very being - who we are - absolutely depends on this. Today we are going to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR - so that you will know, with certainty that the SAVIOR is Jesus Christ, and that Jesus is God - and Jesus is man - according to the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God - and we will unfold this reality in the weeks ahead as we launch into the Gospel of John.
John in his Gospel reveals to us in clear - certain terms the truth about Jesus. He does this so that you may make a decision to accept Him as God or reject Him as God.
The overall reason that we have been given the Gospel of John, by God - is to establish that Jesus Christ is "The Son of God." And it is this very purpose that God has given us this gift of the Gospel of John - for if you turn to John 20:31 - this is the key verse of the Gospel is John - 20:31 - "these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."
The overall nature of the Gospel of John, brings all who are confronted with its treasure, to make a personal decision about Jesus Christ. For those who are unbelievers will need to seriously consider the SAVIOUR. For the born again Christian - it will challenge you to go deeper in your submission and obedience to Christ the SAVIOUR. Because the truth contained in this book is definitive - it is concrete - it is black or white.
Allow me to read to you today’s sermon verses - 4 powerful statements….
John 1:1-2
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.
The Apostle John hits hard as he begins the first round of his Gospel with one of the unparalleled statements in the New Testament . There are 2 other statements concerning Jesus that we need to keep in context Col. 1:15-20 and Heb. 1:1-13. John’s first inspired words, authoritatively exalt the person of Jesus Christ. And how we know this is about Jesus Christ is not given until later in section (v.14,17).
These opening verses of the Gospel of John set the focus for the rest of the book. Instead of starting with a genealogy of Christ’s lineage, or even a record of His birth and early years, John takes us to a point before creation - to eternity past.
John writes "In the beginning was the Word…" which launches what is known as the prologue, or in other words the introduction, of John’s gospel. The prologue of the Gospel of John is found in chapter 1, verses 1 to 18. The prologue reveals clearly the proper identity of Jesus Christ.
One Chistian writer (NAC, Borchert) states:
"This Prologue is one of the most complex theological statements in the Bible….Study takes time, but those who ponder these magnificent words will learn that God will reward His children who diligently and prayerfully seek understanding. The reader is welcomed to an intellectual, spiritual, and life-challenging pilgrimage with an evangelist who continues to call us to new dimensions of believing."
What John clearly does for us in these first 2 verses - he unveils the Saviour. He communicates a truth so deep that no one in human history could fully describe how - the eternal and infinite God emptied Himself and became the likeness of men in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:7) - and being so - is identified in these 2 verses as the WORD.
Today we will discover this truth through four realities of the Word:
1. The Word is Eternal (has no beginning or end) (v. 1a)
2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)
3. The Word is God (v. 1c)
4. The Word is with God (v. 2)
1.The Word Is Eternal (v. 1a)
In verse one, we find that it is composed of three fundamental affirmations of our faith.
The first affirmation is "In the beginning was the Word." This establishes the association of the Word with the beginning. For those who are familiar with the Bible it should draw our attention to WHAT PASSAGE? Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God…" Yet John does not link the beginning to God as in Genesis. But John instead links the beginning to the Word. The proper name "Word" in Greek is perhaps known to you, which is "Logos."
Why does John use the designation "the Word?" What does it signify? For both Jew and Greek it was understood to express a person’s reasoning or thought. For the Jew - it brought to mind God’s creation of the universe through His Word:
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light (Gen.1:3)
Further it was the Word which guided the prophets
Thus says the Lord - Amos 1:3…
The Word delivered His people:
He sent His word and healed them - Ps. 107:20..
And it was through the Word that God accomplished His will:
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not
return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And
without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it (Is. 55:11)
To the Jew, God’s Word was active and powerful. The name of God was considered too holy to say or to read out aloud, so Jews would substitute God’s name, with the phrase "the Word of God."
To the Greek , it would draw their minds to the starting point in time - the original beginning. They would philosophically think about the Word as the eternal, impersonal Reason that guided and permeated the universe. So both Jew, Greek, and even Gentile had an understanding, - though perhaps an improper understanding - of what John was driving at in His opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word."
Therefore what John is stating is that God and the Word were together, already present at the beginning - they are both eternal - or a better description is that the Word is CO-ETERNAL with God. By using the description CO-ETERNAL, we mean that both the Word and God are in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time. The Word, eternally exists, and is not limited by time. Being eternal - the Word is uncreated - and being uncreated - we understand that the Word is Deity.
John concisely forces our attention to the fact that we really need to consider who Jesus Christ the Word - is. And you must examine critically the impact of this truth upon the destination of your life. Acceptance leads to eternal life and rejection leads to eternal condemnation. As I have said before - The Christian faith is not a blind faith, but it is an informed faith.
John strongly brings to bear that the Word was pre-existent before anything that was created. John intentionally uses a Greek verb (h\n) - translated in the English Bible with - "was," which expresses the eternal pre-existence of the Word. ‘Was’ - in this verse is in the Greek imperfect tense - which gives us the knowledge of a continuing action in the past - which tells us that the Word - was eternally pre-existent - continuously present before the heavens and the earth were created.
If John meant to express that the Word was made or created by God - then he would have used another specific verb (ejgevneto), which would be translated - "was made / came into being" - as found in verse 3. Therefore John brings our thoughts back to a point prior to the beginning when finite time began - a point before human history began. The Word predates time and creation. Literally translated the opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word," could be translated - "When the beginning began, the Word was already there."
If the Word is eternal and God is eternal, and we are created in God’s image, it must mean what? It means that we are eternal beings also. Though we may die physical deaths, our immaterial soul lives on, it never ceases to be. There are only 2 places our souls will remain at the end of our physical life…one is heaven and the other is hell.
Do you know for certain the final destination of your soul?
John in the first segment, of the very first verse of the Gospel John declares that ‘The Word Has No Beginning Or End,’…not only is the Word Eternal but he gets deeper and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us that:
2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)
The second affirmation is "the Word was with God"- speaking about the Word’s active relationship toward God. The English "the Word was with God" - doesn’t begin to express the fullness of meaning of the Greek. On the surface it seems that John is simply stating that Jesus existed with God. Rather the Greek has the deeper expression of picturing 2 personal beings - face to face - active in deep, intimate fellowship. So we unveil that Jesus has always been with God - that there has always existed 2 Persons from eternity past - active in deep, intimate fellowship. And this underscores the reality that there exists a Trinity.
This phrase emphasizes that there is a relational difference between God and the Word. This does not suggest that there is a difference between the essence of God and the Word. The Word shares the same essence with God and is not any less than God. Essence is the core of what makes the Word what He is, without being something else apart from God. The Father and Son are equal in all their attributes and Deity, yet they have a relationship different in function.
This verse in the Gospel of John is one place in the Bible we start to get the picture of the Trinitarian nature of God….
God being the first person of the Trinity,
The Word being the second person of the Trinity,
and the Holy Spirit being the third person of the Trinity.
The emphasis in the language of John is - the relational difference between the Word and God. The relationship difference is that the Word is "God the Son," and God is "God the Father."
Being One, how can we define the relational differences of the members of the Trinity? In the context of our verse we will only look at the relational aspects of the Word and God (it should be understood that the Holy Spirit is actively involved also). The relationship is the different functions of each member of the Trinity as it relates to creation, the world, and redemption. With our limited time we will focus briefly upon creation and redemption.
With creation, it was God who spoke the words that brought the world into existence - Genesis 1:3 for example - Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. But it was God the Son - the eternal Word of God, who brought to completion God’s creative decrees. This can be seen in verse 3 of John chapter 1 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
In the work of redemption, it was God the Father who planned redemption and to accomplish that, God sent The Son. This is testified to in the Bible, as seen in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Here we see that God the Father did not come and die for our sins, but it was the God the Son who obeyed the Father - and accomplished redemption for sin, for those who believe upon the cross.
From these verses we can see that the role of the Father was in the planning and direction of His will, and it is the Son whom carries it out. This reality is pictured, even though imperfectly - in a human model of a father and a son.
My father, who now has passed away, was the head of our family before I got married. My father had direct authority over me as his son. Whenever he asked me to do something - like cut the grass, and because of my relationship to him, I would obey and respond to my father’s directions (most of the time anyway - yes I still sin - this is where this illustration breaks down).
The relationship that exists between the Word toward God, has practical implications for each one of us. For all of us sitting here, we just have looked at the fact that Jesus Christ - the Word is the agent of creation of each one of us. By reason of this fact then He has authority over you, for you are created in His image. But because of your sin, this relationship is broken - so God sent His Son to redeem you and give you eternal life in Christ.
If you do not know what it means to have Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour then you must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His offer of forgiveness from your sins?
For those who have been saved from the guilt and penalty of your sins -having received eternal life with God, through Jesus Christ, we must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His authority over you? Are there any areas of your life which are not fully submitted to Christ? How can you improve your relationship toward God?
As important it is to know that "The Word has no Beginning or End - eternally exisiting" and "The Word enjoys eternal deep, face to face, intimate fellowship with God…John now reveals that "The Word is God."
3. The Word is God (v. 1c)
The third affirmation is "the Word was God" - which is likely the most explicit declaration of the unity between the Word and God. John is telling the reader that the Word is of the same Divine essence with God. Another way we express this is that - Jesus, the Word - is God. Jesus states this clearly later in John 10:30 - where He says of Himself - I and the Father are one (also cf. 14:9).
We have already discussed in point number 1, that "The Word Has No Beginning or End." This means that both the Word and God are equally in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time.
We know this of God:
God has the attribute of Omnipresence - that is that He is present
everywhere;
God is Omniscient - He is all knowing;
God is Omnipotent - He is all powerful;
God is Immutable - His attributes and character do not change.
So what John is stating then, is that the Word is CO-EQUAL to God, therefore the Word is also all present everywhere, all knowing, all powerful, and unchanging. "The Word was God," is testified to in the Bible through many passages. We will look at just a few of these parallel passages which support the truth that "the Word was God."
In the Bible, the Word, attributes to Himself a name that belongs to God:
Exod 3: 14 - God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.' " The name "I AM" is a declaration of eternal self pre-existence. Compare this with - John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Works that belong to God are demonstrated and accomplished also by the Word, such as the forgiving of sin:
Exod. 34:6-7 - Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave [the guilty] unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Compare this with - Mk. 2:5 - And Jesus seeing their faith ^said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
The attributes of God are also attributed to the Word. Both God and the Word are Omniscient (all knowing):
John says of Jesus in chapter 2:24-25 - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. And the disciples recognized this when they declared in John 16:30: "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."
The act of worship is to be offered to the Word in the same manner as to God Himself. The OT states that worship is only to be offered to God:
Deut 6:13 - "You shall fear [only] the Lord your God ; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name." Compare this with - the NT teaching that Jesus Christ is to be worshipped - Rev. 5:13-14 - And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, [be] blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped. In short, the Word is God the Son, who is Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior.
How does this revealed truth, that "The Word Is God," affect your view of the importance of who Jesus is? Does the knowledge that Jesus Christ is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, and unchangeable affect the way that you conduct your daily life? How will your attitudes be transformed? How will the way you do things be changed? How will your evangelism be impacted? Knowing that only Jesus Christ can forgive sins, how will you deal with the penalty for your sin? These are just a few of the implications as we UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR and learn of the truth about Jesus.
John wants you to make sure you did not miss his point…. So he backtracks and we are told…
4. The Word is with God (v. 2)
In verse 2 - John restates his basic thesis - "He was in the beginning with God" - and he does this for you the reader, so that you do not miss the importance of what has just been stated.
The Word is the One who was with God in the beginning. John’s statement serves to place emphasis on the focus and affirmations of verse one, namely, that from the very beginning the Word was God. There is no way to escape John’s confrontational truth, given to us. It is clear that the Word of God - Jesus Christ, is not a mere man. And due to the nature and character of the Word, John calls each of you here to see your need to be reconciled with God - in a right relationship with your Creator through Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is that He is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD. As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - He has no beginning or end. The Word has a fundamental in-divisible nature with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God. To believe that Jesus Christ is not God, or is "God-like," or is in some fashion a super-natural powerful created being, or anything in a like manner - is heresy - it is blasphemy.
A famous Christian writer and teacher - BB Warfield wrote, "The Word is declared, in the most express manner possible, to be all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of attributes which make God God."
Any attack on the Deity of Christ is an attack on the core of our faith. Understanding who Jesus is, is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving us from the penalty of our sin. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation for those who believe.
And, because Jesus is God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be completely effective to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness.
One theologian puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (Enns p.224). And as such He alone is able to save us from our sins - for He alone is perfect - as the Scripture declares - He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). In these 2 short verses - John begins to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR. How will you respond to Him today?
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Going Deeper - added notes and insights
The first two short verses of John 1 contain very important information. How can we as believers use this in the defense of our faith? Has this ever happened to you?
KNOCK KNOCK – How are you today? We are in your
neighborhood and we are asking your neighbours "Do you think we can find peace on earth?"
The 2 people wait for your response…they respond and elaborate on the question asked…all the while not identifying themselves….eventually they hand you a magazine "Watchtower"…and offer to come back to answer any questions.
These people are from the cult - The Jehovah Witnesses. The Jehovah Witnesses have their own interpretation of verse 1 of John, in their version of the Bible - The New World Translation. In the last phrase of John 1:1, instead of translating the verse as "and the Word was God" - the JW’s translation states - "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god [emphasis mine]."
The JW’s claim that the Word was not God, but only "a god" - that the Word - is a heavenly being which is not Deity, not the One True God. They believe that Jesus Christ the Word, is a created being - the angel Michael.
If you look down in your Bibles at the last 5 words at the end of the sentence in John 1:1 - "and the Word was God" - you will see that there is the definite article "the" present before "Word." This is translated properly from the Greek. But you will notice there is no definite article, "the" in front of "God" in our widely accepted Christian translations (like NIV, NASB, NKJV, etc.) - just as in the Greek also. Since there is no "the" in front of God, JW’s claim that it is not referring to God Almighty, but only to "a god."
What the JW’s neglect is a recognized Greek grammatical structure referred to as "Colwell’s rule. Simply put, this rule states that the absence of the definite article, only indicates that the subject of the sentence is not "God," but the subject is "Word." John is making it clear here that his intended subject is the "Word." Therefore John reveals the "Truth About Jesus" which is - that The Word is God Himself.
In isolation, there is basis for the JW’s translation, but the context of the surrounding verses, which refer to God Almighty (vv. 2, 6, 12, 13, etc.) make it clear that the person that is being referred to is, God the Almighty Creator. As a side note if the JW’s wanted to be consistent in their translation then in vv. 6, 12, 13, and 18, should also be translated as "a god," since they also do not have a definite article -"the" - before them either in the Greek.
So how do we deal with JW’s when encountered? We first need to have a firm foundation on what the Bible teaches about the truth concerning Jesus Christ. Even armed with proper doctrine, speaking with JW’s is a challenge. Do try to point them to the real Christ - but it will be difficult. They are well versed in select Bible verses and are trained to recite them with high efficiency to defend their error. If approached by JW’s simply be polite with them, and reject any materials they bring by giving them back to them; as not reflective of Biblical Truth.
At this point they may want to discuss what issues you have. But, continue to be polite and then send them off - yet pray for them, that the Lord open their eyes to the true gospel.
God is able to convert the sinner and open their eyes to His truth. With out God’s intervention, JW’s and any unbelievers, continue to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" and are "futile in their speculations, and their foolish [hearts are] darkened" (Roman 1:18 ff). But, remember this was our state before Christ saved us.
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Theological Tidbits
The ontological argument for the doctrine of God is a priori and deductive. The word "ontological" comes from the Greek word "ontos" which is translated as "being" or "existence." The basis of the argument is not inductive but rather it is philosophical. Enns quotes the reasoning behind the argument as "If man could conceive of a Perfect God who does not exist, then he could conceive of someone greater than God himself which is impossible. Therefore God exists" (p. 185) All men have an awareness of God and therefore the ontological argument builds it position from this fact. The further premise is that God must have placed the innate understanding that there is a God since the concept is universal.
The pre-existence and eternality of Christ is shown in John’s Gospel. The Greek word hen translated as "was" is in the imperfect tense and brings out a continuous force of the past in the phrase "in the beginning." Our attention is drawn to the fact that in Genesis’ opening it draws the reader back to the beginning and everything that starts from that point. But John’s gospel takes the reader’s thoughts back to a point prior to that, to a point when finite time began. Therefore the Word was already in existence before the beginning began and the Word predates time and Creation. The emphasis from John is that the Word is continuously existing.
The deity of Christ is an essential foundation to Christianity, therefore any attack on this doctrine is an attack on the core of our faith. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation to a lost humanity. Understanding who Jesus is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving the world. But, because Jesus is also God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be efficacious to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like." For Christ is fully equal with the Father’s Person and work. Enns puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (p.224).
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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Audio Sermon File: John 1:1-2
Going Deeper: Study Guide
Unveiling The Saviour
Today I am going to UNVEIL to you something that we as Christians depend upon. It infiltrates everything that we think, do, and are. Our very being - who we are - absolutely depends on this. Today we are going to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR - so that you will know, with certainty that the SAVIOR is Jesus Christ, and that Jesus is God - and Jesus is man - according to the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God - and we will unfold this reality in the weeks ahead as we launch into the Gospel of John.
John in his Gospel reveals to us in clear - certain terms the truth about Jesus. He does this so that you may make a decision to accept Him as God or reject Him as God.
The overall reason that we have been given the Gospel of John, by God - is to establish that Jesus Christ is "The Son of God." And it is this very purpose that God has given us this gift of the Gospel of John - for if you turn to John 20:31 - this is the key verse of the Gospel is John - 20:31 - "these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."
The overall nature of the Gospel of John, brings all who are confronted with its treasure, to make a personal decision about Jesus Christ. For those who are unbelievers will need to seriously consider the SAVIOUR. For the born again Christian - it will challenge you to go deeper in your submission and obedience to Christ the SAVIOUR. Because the truth contained in this book is definitive - it is concrete - it is black or white.
Allow me to read to you today’s sermon verses - 4 powerful statements….
John 1:1-2
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.
The Apostle John hits hard as he begins the first round of his Gospel with one of the unparalleled statements in the New Testament . There are 2 other statements concerning Jesus that we need to keep in context Col. 1:15-20 and Heb. 1:1-13. John’s first inspired words, authoritatively exalt the person of Jesus Christ. And how we know this is about Jesus Christ is not given until later in section (v.14,17).
These opening verses of the Gospel of John set the focus for the rest of the book. Instead of starting with a genealogy of Christ’s lineage, or even a record of His birth and early years, John takes us to a point before creation - to eternity past.
John writes "In the beginning was the Word…" which launches what is known as the prologue, or in other words the introduction, of John’s gospel. The prologue of the Gospel of John is found in chapter 1, verses 1 to 18. The prologue reveals clearly the proper identity of Jesus Christ.
One Chistian writer (NAC, Borchert) states:
"This Prologue is one of the most complex theological statements in the Bible….Study takes time, but those who ponder these magnificent words will learn that God will reward His children who diligently and prayerfully seek understanding. The reader is welcomed to an intellectual, spiritual, and life-challenging pilgrimage with an evangelist who continues to call us to new dimensions of believing."
What John clearly does for us in these first 2 verses - he unveils the Saviour. He communicates a truth so deep that no one in human history could fully describe how - the eternal and infinite God emptied Himself and became the likeness of men in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:7) - and being so - is identified in these 2 verses as the WORD.
Today we will discover this truth through four realities of the Word:
1. The Word is Eternal (has no beginning or end) (v. 1a)
2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)
3. The Word is God (v. 1c)
4. The Word is with God (v. 2)
1.The Word Is Eternal (v. 1a)
In verse one, we find that it is composed of three fundamental affirmations of our faith.
The first affirmation is "In the beginning was the Word." This establishes the association of the Word with the beginning. For those who are familiar with the Bible it should draw our attention to WHAT PASSAGE? Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God…" Yet John does not link the beginning to God as in Genesis. But John instead links the beginning to the Word. The proper name "Word" in Greek is perhaps known to you, which is "Logos."
Why does John use the designation "the Word?" What does it signify? For both Jew and Greek it was understood to express a person’s reasoning or thought. For the Jew - it brought to mind God’s creation of the universe through His Word:
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light (Gen.1:3)
Further it was the Word which guided the prophets
Thus says the Lord - Amos 1:3…
The Word delivered His people:
He sent His word and healed them - Ps. 107:20..
And it was through the Word that God accomplished His will:
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not
return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And
without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it (Is. 55:11)
To the Jew, God’s Word was active and powerful. The name of God was considered too holy to say or to read out aloud, so Jews would substitute God’s name, with the phrase "the Word of God."
To the Greek , it would draw their minds to the starting point in time - the original beginning. They would philosophically think about the Word as the eternal, impersonal Reason that guided and permeated the universe. So both Jew, Greek, and even Gentile had an understanding, - though perhaps an improper understanding - of what John was driving at in His opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word."
Therefore what John is stating is that God and the Word were together, already present at the beginning - they are both eternal - or a better description is that the Word is CO-ETERNAL with God. By using the description CO-ETERNAL, we mean that both the Word and God are in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time. The Word, eternally exists, and is not limited by time. Being eternal - the Word is uncreated - and being uncreated - we understand that the Word is Deity.
John concisely forces our attention to the fact that we really need to consider who Jesus Christ the Word - is. And you must examine critically the impact of this truth upon the destination of your life. Acceptance leads to eternal life and rejection leads to eternal condemnation. As I have said before - The Christian faith is not a blind faith, but it is an informed faith.
John strongly brings to bear that the Word was pre-existent before anything that was created. John intentionally uses a Greek verb (h\n) - translated in the English Bible with - "was," which expresses the eternal pre-existence of the Word. ‘Was’ - in this verse is in the Greek imperfect tense - which gives us the knowledge of a continuing action in the past - which tells us that the Word - was eternally pre-existent - continuously present before the heavens and the earth were created.
If John meant to express that the Word was made or created by God - then he would have used another specific verb (ejgevneto), which would be translated - "was made / came into being" - as found in verse 3. Therefore John brings our thoughts back to a point prior to the beginning when finite time began - a point before human history began. The Word predates time and creation. Literally translated the opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word," could be translated - "When the beginning began, the Word was already there."
If the Word is eternal and God is eternal, and we are created in God’s image, it must mean what? It means that we are eternal beings also. Though we may die physical deaths, our immaterial soul lives on, it never ceases to be. There are only 2 places our souls will remain at the end of our physical life…one is heaven and the other is hell.
Do you know for certain the final destination of your soul?
John in the first segment, of the very first verse of the Gospel John declares that ‘The Word Has No Beginning Or End,’…not only is the Word Eternal but he gets deeper and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us that:
2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)
The second affirmation is "the Word was with God"- speaking about the Word’s active relationship toward God. The English "the Word was with God" - doesn’t begin to express the fullness of meaning of the Greek. On the surface it seems that John is simply stating that Jesus existed with God. Rather the Greek has the deeper expression of picturing 2 personal beings - face to face - active in deep, intimate fellowship. So we unveil that Jesus has always been with God - that there has always existed 2 Persons from eternity past - active in deep, intimate fellowship. And this underscores the reality that there exists a Trinity.
This phrase emphasizes that there is a relational difference between God and the Word. This does not suggest that there is a difference between the essence of God and the Word. The Word shares the same essence with God and is not any less than God. Essence is the core of what makes the Word what He is, without being something else apart from God. The Father and Son are equal in all their attributes and Deity, yet they have a relationship different in function.
This verse in the Gospel of John is one place in the Bible we start to get the picture of the Trinitarian nature of God….
God being the first person of the Trinity,
The Word being the second person of the Trinity,
and the Holy Spirit being the third person of the Trinity.
The emphasis in the language of John is - the relational difference between the Word and God. The relationship difference is that the Word is "God the Son," and God is "God the Father."
Being One, how can we define the relational differences of the members of the Trinity? In the context of our verse we will only look at the relational aspects of the Word and God (it should be understood that the Holy Spirit is actively involved also). The relationship is the different functions of each member of the Trinity as it relates to creation, the world, and redemption. With our limited time we will focus briefly upon creation and redemption.
With creation, it was God who spoke the words that brought the world into existence - Genesis 1:3 for example - Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. But it was God the Son - the eternal Word of God, who brought to completion God’s creative decrees. This can be seen in verse 3 of John chapter 1 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
In the work of redemption, it was God the Father who planned redemption and to accomplish that, God sent The Son. This is testified to in the Bible, as seen in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Here we see that God the Father did not come and die for our sins, but it was the God the Son who obeyed the Father - and accomplished redemption for sin, for those who believe upon the cross.
From these verses we can see that the role of the Father was in the planning and direction of His will, and it is the Son whom carries it out. This reality is pictured, even though imperfectly - in a human model of a father and a son.
My father, who now has passed away, was the head of our family before I got married. My father had direct authority over me as his son. Whenever he asked me to do something - like cut the grass, and because of my relationship to him, I would obey and respond to my father’s directions (most of the time anyway - yes I still sin - this is where this illustration breaks down).
The relationship that exists between the Word toward God, has practical implications for each one of us. For all of us sitting here, we just have looked at the fact that Jesus Christ - the Word is the agent of creation of each one of us. By reason of this fact then He has authority over you, for you are created in His image. But because of your sin, this relationship is broken - so God sent His Son to redeem you and give you eternal life in Christ.
If you do not know what it means to have Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour then you must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His offer of forgiveness from your sins?
For those who have been saved from the guilt and penalty of your sins -having received eternal life with God, through Jesus Christ, we must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His authority over you? Are there any areas of your life which are not fully submitted to Christ? How can you improve your relationship toward God?
As important it is to know that "The Word has no Beginning or End - eternally exisiting" and "The Word enjoys eternal deep, face to face, intimate fellowship with God…John now reveals that "The Word is God."
3. The Word is God (v. 1c)
The third affirmation is "the Word was God" - which is likely the most explicit declaration of the unity between the Word and God. John is telling the reader that the Word is of the same Divine essence with God. Another way we express this is that - Jesus, the Word - is God. Jesus states this clearly later in John 10:30 - where He says of Himself - I and the Father are one (also cf. 14:9).
We have already discussed in point number 1, that "The Word Has No Beginning or End." This means that both the Word and God are equally in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time.
We know this of God:
God has the attribute of Omnipresence - that is that He is present
everywhere;
God is Omniscient - He is all knowing;
God is Omnipotent - He is all powerful;
God is Immutable - His attributes and character do not change.
So what John is stating then, is that the Word is CO-EQUAL to God, therefore the Word is also all present everywhere, all knowing, all powerful, and unchanging. "The Word was God," is testified to in the Bible through many passages. We will look at just a few of these parallel passages which support the truth that "the Word was God."
In the Bible, the Word, attributes to Himself a name that belongs to God:
Exod 3: 14 - God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.' " The name "I AM" is a declaration of eternal self pre-existence. Compare this with - John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Works that belong to God are demonstrated and accomplished also by the Word, such as the forgiving of sin:
Exod. 34:6-7 - Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave [the guilty] unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Compare this with - Mk. 2:5 - And Jesus seeing their faith ^said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
The attributes of God are also attributed to the Word. Both God and the Word are Omniscient (all knowing):
John says of Jesus in chapter 2:24-25 - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. And the disciples recognized this when they declared in John 16:30: "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."
The act of worship is to be offered to the Word in the same manner as to God Himself. The OT states that worship is only to be offered to God:
Deut 6:13 - "You shall fear [only] the Lord your God ; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name." Compare this with - the NT teaching that Jesus Christ is to be worshipped - Rev. 5:13-14 - And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, [be] blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped. In short, the Word is God the Son, who is Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior.
How does this revealed truth, that "The Word Is God," affect your view of the importance of who Jesus is? Does the knowledge that Jesus Christ is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, and unchangeable affect the way that you conduct your daily life? How will your attitudes be transformed? How will the way you do things be changed? How will your evangelism be impacted? Knowing that only Jesus Christ can forgive sins, how will you deal with the penalty for your sin? These are just a few of the implications as we UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR and learn of the truth about Jesus.
John wants you to make sure you did not miss his point…. So he backtracks and we are told…
4. The Word is with God (v. 2)
In verse 2 - John restates his basic thesis - "He was in the beginning with God" - and he does this for you the reader, so that you do not miss the importance of what has just been stated.
The Word is the One who was with God in the beginning. John’s statement serves to place emphasis on the focus and affirmations of verse one, namely, that from the very beginning the Word was God. There is no way to escape John’s confrontational truth, given to us. It is clear that the Word of God - Jesus Christ, is not a mere man. And due to the nature and character of the Word, John calls each of you here to see your need to be reconciled with God - in a right relationship with your Creator through Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is that He is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD. As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - He has no beginning or end. The Word has a fundamental in-divisible nature with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God. To believe that Jesus Christ is not God, or is "God-like," or is in some fashion a super-natural powerful created being, or anything in a like manner - is heresy - it is blasphemy.
A famous Christian writer and teacher - BB Warfield wrote, "The Word is declared, in the most express manner possible, to be all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of attributes which make God God."
Any attack on the Deity of Christ is an attack on the core of our faith. Understanding who Jesus is, is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving us from the penalty of our sin. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation for those who believe.
And, because Jesus is God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be completely effective to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness.
One theologian puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (Enns p.224). And as such He alone is able to save us from our sins - for He alone is perfect - as the Scripture declares - He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). In these 2 short verses - John begins to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR. How will you respond to Him today?
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Going Deeper - added notes and insights
The first two short verses of John 1 contain very important information. How can we as believers use this in the defense of our faith? Has this ever happened to you?
KNOCK KNOCK – How are you today? We are in your
neighborhood and we are asking your neighbours "Do you think we can find peace on earth?"
The 2 people wait for your response…they respond and elaborate on the question asked…all the while not identifying themselves….eventually they hand you a magazine "Watchtower"…and offer to come back to answer any questions.
These people are from the cult - The Jehovah Witnesses. The Jehovah Witnesses have their own interpretation of verse 1 of John, in their version of the Bible - The New World Translation. In the last phrase of John 1:1, instead of translating the verse as "and the Word was God" - the JW’s translation states - "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god [emphasis mine]."
The JW’s claim that the Word was not God, but only "a god" - that the Word - is a heavenly being which is not Deity, not the One True God. They believe that Jesus Christ the Word, is a created being - the angel Michael.
If you look down in your Bibles at the last 5 words at the end of the sentence in John 1:1 - "and the Word was God" - you will see that there is the definite article "the" present before "Word." This is translated properly from the Greek. But you will notice there is no definite article, "the" in front of "God" in our widely accepted Christian translations (like NIV, NASB, NKJV, etc.) - just as in the Greek also. Since there is no "the" in front of God, JW’s claim that it is not referring to God Almighty, but only to "a god."
What the JW’s neglect is a recognized Greek grammatical structure referred to as "Colwell’s rule. Simply put, this rule states that the absence of the definite article, only indicates that the subject of the sentence is not "God," but the subject is "Word." John is making it clear here that his intended subject is the "Word." Therefore John reveals the "Truth About Jesus" which is - that The Word is God Himself.
In isolation, there is basis for the JW’s translation, but the context of the surrounding verses, which refer to God Almighty (vv. 2, 6, 12, 13, etc.) make it clear that the person that is being referred to is, God the Almighty Creator. As a side note if the JW’s wanted to be consistent in their translation then in vv. 6, 12, 13, and 18, should also be translated as "a god," since they also do not have a definite article -"the" - before them either in the Greek.
So how do we deal with JW’s when encountered? We first need to have a firm foundation on what the Bible teaches about the truth concerning Jesus Christ. Even armed with proper doctrine, speaking with JW’s is a challenge. Do try to point them to the real Christ - but it will be difficult. They are well versed in select Bible verses and are trained to recite them with high efficiency to defend their error. If approached by JW’s simply be polite with them, and reject any materials they bring by giving them back to them; as not reflective of Biblical Truth.
At this point they may want to discuss what issues you have. But, continue to be polite and then send them off - yet pray for them, that the Lord open their eyes to the true gospel.
God is able to convert the sinner and open their eyes to His truth. With out God’s intervention, JW’s and any unbelievers, continue to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" and are "futile in their speculations, and their foolish [hearts are] darkened" (Roman 1:18 ff). But, remember this was our state before Christ saved us.
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Theological Tidbits
The ontological argument for the doctrine of God is a priori and deductive. The word "ontological" comes from the Greek word "ontos" which is translated as "being" or "existence." The basis of the argument is not inductive but rather it is philosophical. Enns quotes the reasoning behind the argument as "If man could conceive of a Perfect God who does not exist, then he could conceive of someone greater than God himself which is impossible. Therefore God exists" (p. 185) All men have an awareness of God and therefore the ontological argument builds it position from this fact. The further premise is that God must have placed the innate understanding that there is a God since the concept is universal.
The pre-existence and eternality of Christ is shown in John’s Gospel. The Greek word hen translated as "was" is in the imperfect tense and brings out a continuous force of the past in the phrase "in the beginning." Our attention is drawn to the fact that in Genesis’ opening it draws the reader back to the beginning and everything that starts from that point. But John’s gospel takes the reader’s thoughts back to a point prior to that, to a point when finite time began. Therefore the Word was already in existence before the beginning began and the Word predates time and Creation. The emphasis from John is that the Word is continuously existing.
The deity of Christ is an essential foundation to Christianity, therefore any attack on this doctrine is an attack on the core of our faith. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation to a lost humanity. Understanding who Jesus is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving the world. But, because Jesus is also God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be efficacious to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like." For Christ is fully equal with the Father’s Person and work. Enns puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (p.224).
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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