John 1:18
Part 1
John 1:1–18 (ESV) 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. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John 20:30–31 (NLT) The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
God obviously gave us four different gospels:
Matthew emphasizes his kingship, Mark his servanthood, Luke his manhood, and John his Godhood.
John was the last gospel to be written.
John emphasized different things than the other gospels.
The word “life”
The word “world”
The word “light”
The word “love”
The word “witness”
The word “believe”
John 1:18 through chapter 12 is about Jesus and the crowds.
The pictures are built around seven great signs or miracles that Jesus worked –
Jesus turned the water to wine at the wedding party.
Jesus healed the nobleman’s son
Jesus healed the man at Bethesda.
Jesus feeding of the 5000
Jesus walked on the water
Jesus healing of the blind man
Jesus raising of Lazarus.
During those seven signs there are seven times Jesus says, “I am”.
Seven individual people that shine out of this crowd.
John the Baptist, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman,the official and the son that He healed, the man that He healed at Bethesda, the man born blind that He healed, Lazarus whom He healed.
There are a lot of personal interviews in the book of John.
Simple application bridge: Start with “then”. I ask myself this question “What did it mean to the original hearers? Then I want to think about “What’s the implication of that for my life? What’s the timeless principle in this?” Then I want to say, “What’s the personalization?” Take that principle, that truth and do it.
The word had several ideas behind it when John wrote: it meant sometimes the idea of God’s mind.
The word also had behind it the idea of human reason and human virtue
Some people said that the word was the eternal order behind things.
There were some that felt like the word was something that everything came from and everything was going to return to it.
John writes this book and talks about the Word:
“In the beginning was the Word.” Eternally Preexistent
“The Word was with God.” Eternally in Relationship
“and the Word was God” Eternally God
“The world was created by the word.” Eternally Creator
Colossians 1:16–17 says: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Hebrews 1:2–3: “… in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
Revelation 4:11: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 says: “… yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
“The word came to His own but was rejected.”
“The word became flesh and He lived for a while among us.”
The word is Jesus Christ.
The main point of the book of John is Jesus is God.
Truth: Jesus is God
what does it mean to me? What does it mean to my day tomorrow that Jesus Christ is God?
One thing it means is Jesus Christ, the one who made everything has things under control.
2. Truth: Jesus is life.
Four different responses to the light that people have:
Some people are witnesses to the light.
Verse 6 “There was a man sent from God named John. He came as a witness to testify to the light.” John testified. Some people are witnesses to the light.
People didn’t recognize or understand the light.
“The world didn’t recognize the light. The world lived in darkness and it didn’t recognize the light.”
The people who already had the word didn’t receive the light.
Some did receive Him.
John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him to those who believed in His name He gave the right to become children of God.”
The question behind all of this is What does it mean in my life that I am God’s child? Stability, Security, Strength, Confidence, Forgiveness and Hope
3. Truth: Jesus became flesh.
Verse 14 “The word became flesh and dwelt [or lived] among us for a while.”
three things that all of us need to understand about God’s presence.
1. In the Old Testament, God showed His presence in a tabernacle or a temple.
2. The second thing to understand, when Jesus came into the world God was present in our world in Jesus Christ.
3. The third thing to understand is now that Jesus has left this world, God’s presence is in us, as believers, through God the Holy Spirit.
16 “From the fullness of His grace we receive one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Law is demand. And grace is supply.
4. Truth: Jesus Fully Makes God Known.
“No one has ever seen God but God the only Son who is at the Father’s side He has made Him known.”
Comments