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Ralph Sorter

418 sermons

December 2009

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on John 1:1–18
by Ralph Sorter

Sermon

The Incarnation of the Son of God

John 1:1–18

Title:  *THE INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD*
Text:  John 1:1-18
Introduction:
            John’s gospel is really a gospel of *life*.  Since his purpose with the gospel is so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and believing in Him we might have life (20:31), John’s account of the life of Christ sheds the light of life on every page.  No verse puts it better…no verse is more well known than 3:16, “…that whosoever believeth in Him might have everlasting life.”  Then there’s 5:24, “"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  
            The life you will find in the pages of this book is not just about the air to breathe and survive.  The life you will find in Christ is abundant (10:10), full of purpose and blessings, and eternal (3:16).  Everything came into existence through Christ (1:3) and everything holds together by His power (Col. 1:17).  The passageway into the next life was made possible by Him, and through Him alone (14:6).  He is our bread of life (6:35), and so to /have a relationship/ with Christ is to /eat/ of the living bread.  As the Son lives through the Father, we find our life through the Son and are sustained by Him (6:40).  
            All this comes about as a consequence of God becoming a man, dying in our place, and becoming our mediator to the Father.  Just think of it…God becoming flesh…risking, vulnerable, witnessing impurity, experiencing hunger, pain and death.  What a wonder!  /What an indescribable gift!/ (2 Cor. 9:15)  And that’s what our text is all about.  *Read text.*
            That expresses in a unique poetic style the truth about the /life/ in the Gospel of John.  To know it and experience it is God’s offer to every child of the human race.  To proclaim it is our high privilege.  The more profoundly we know it, and the more fully we experience it, the more effectively we shall make it know.  Let’s learn more.
 
1.      In the most unique way, John opens his gospel with introducing the “Word” to the reader.  Who is the “Word?”  How can you prove it?  (1:14-15 Jesus)   \\  \\ 
2.      Words are used to communicate, describe things, action and express needs.  Why do you think John used the “Word” as a title for Jesus? \\ *Insight:* /Hebrew speech has fewer than 10,000 words, where Greek has about 200,000.  To the Hebrew a word was far more than a mere sound; it was something which had resident power and actually did things.  To them the spoken word was fearfully alive. Once spoken, the power was engaged and nothing could stop it, nor could it be retrieved.  /*Gen. 27:15-40*  \\  \\ 
3.      Give some examples of where God’s spoken word has power.  *Gen. 1:3; Mk. 9:25-26; Matt. 9:6-7; Jn. 11:43-44* \\  \\ 
4.      To hear a “word” from God, what do we need to do to be ready?  (Quiet our soul from outside distraction so that we can hear His whisper; empty ourselves of selfish desire; get our heart cleaned up; read the Word.) \\  \\ 
5.      John does not say the Word was created in the beginning, but was present in the beginning when things were made.  Look at these other passages that reveal Jesus is indeed deity that was there at the beginning.  *Gen. 1:26; Jn. 17:24; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:18-20*  \\  \\ 
6.      Verse 4 states that in Him (the Word, Jesus) was life.  We have life in us.  What’s different about the life that Jesus has in Him and the life that we have in us?  (Ours is fragile and ends with death; His is eternally durable.  Jn. 20:30  Ours cannot be proportioned out to others, His is abundant for all.  10:10  Ours is fragile, His will never perish.  10:28) \\  \\ 
 \\ 7.      John also equates “life” with “light.”  What do light and life have in common?  (Things do not grow in the dark; living things need light to grow; when the light of Jesus’ life enters our soul, the darkness flees.)  *Matt. 4:16; 8:12*  \\  \\ 
8.      Verse 5 states the darkness did not comprehend the light.  Why not?  *Jn**. 1:10-11; 3:19-21; 1 Cor. 2:14-15* \\  \\ 
9.      What does the Prince of Darkness do to attempt to diminish or extinguish the light that is in our soul? \\  \\ 
10.  Since the darkness is hostile to the child of God, what do you do to keep the light shining and reigning in your heart?  *1 Tim. 6:11-14; 2 Tim. 2:22 \\  \\ *
11.  From verses 6-8, 15, describe what would be on a resume for John the Baptist. \\  \\ 
12.  Verse 9 mentions that Jesus is the “true light.”  Are there false lights?  How can we distinguish these false lights?  *Matt. 7:15-16; 1 John 4:1-3* \\  \\ 
13.  From verses 11-13, what descriptions do you find of someone who accepts the Light into their life?  (Receive, believe, born of the will of God) \\  \\ 
14.  What does it mean to be born of the will of God?  *Jn**. 3:6; 1 Jn. 2:28-29* \\  \\ 
15.  Verse 14 states that those around Jesus beheld His glory.  What glory were they referring to?  *Lk**. 9:28-32; Jn. 2:11; 17:22-24* \\  \\ 
16.  Verse 16 says that we have all received the full measure of the fullness of Christ.  To receive Christ “in full” means what?  *Jn**. 3:34; Lk. 21:14-15; 1 Cor. 1:4-8* \\  \\ 
17.  Verse 18 says that no man has seen God at any time.  When God has shown His glory so frequently, why do you think He has not revealed Himself directly?  *Ex. 33:20; 1 Tim. 6:14-16*
 
Conclusion:
            What an awesome God we serve!  To have Him is to have Light and Life…and the darkness flees.  Yet to receive Him we must believe in Him.  We get all that He has in store for us…even His glory.  Yet He is so full of glory and purity that no man can see His face and live.  Just think of the day when our impurities are removed and we get to stand before Him face-to-face in all His glory.  Hallelujah!
 
Matt. 25:31-32  "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  And all the nations will be gathered before Him…”
 
Jude 24-25  “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
* *

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