A gospel message - John 1:1-13

Scripture Reading

John 1:1-13 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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Before we begin I want to thank you for the opportunities to give the message here over the past four months. It has been such a blessing to my family and I have grown in more ways than I can count through this ministry and through preparing God's Word.

PRAY

BEGIN RECORDING

Our Scripture today focuses on introducing who Son of God is and who we are. In many ways it encapsulates the core truths of Scripture and presents much of the gospel message. I want to take four core points from our text today and focus on them.

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1) Jesus is God

2) Jesus is light and Jesus is life

3) Man is sinful

4) Faith in Jesus alone saves

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Jesus is God

-   In the beginning was the Word

- The phrase in the beginning is a direct reference

- Genesis 1:1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

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- The Word WAS in the beginning     - The word WAS here shows that the Word before the beginning.      - The Word existed before the creation of the universe.

- The Greek word for Word here is logos.

- It is where we get the word logic from.  It has an impersonal feeling to it.

- It is a reference to divine reason, the divine mind, or even divine wisdom.

- This word would have meant something both to those familiar with the Old Tesiment writings

- As well as to the Greek philosophers of the day.

- It carries with it how God is the source of knowledge, how God is the source of wisdom.

- However what John is saying to them, is just as important today as it was for them.

- If we are trained in Scripture much like the teacher of the law, we can think of the Bible as The Word.

- Indeed God has given us this inspired written revelation for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

- However John is making it clear that the Word that we can often see as something impersonal, that give us knowledge.

- Is some ONE personal.

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- John is bringing helping us to see that sometimes we have placed our trust in written word.

- When the written word was given by God to point us to Him.

- That sometimes we are trusting in the promises of God.

- Rather than understanding that the promises are true because of who the promise keeper is.

- John 5:39-40 Jesus tells the Pharisee: You search the Scripture because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

- Come to Jesus today!

-   Word was with God

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- We begin to see here the eternal relationship of the Son of God with the Father God

- It shows the nature of God being eternally in relationship in the trinity.

- Here we see Father & Son. We know that God is three distinct persons.

- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet One Holy God.

- This verse clarifies that the Word being described in verse 1

- Was in relationship with God

- This is restated again in vs. 2 He was in the beginning with God

- Not only is the Word with God but the

-   Word was God

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- The Word is the declared to be God.

- The second person of the trinity in intimate fellowship with God the Father throughout all eternity.

- The Son of God is God

- Phil 2:6 who existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

- The Son of God is equal in value with the Father. Today we have a great misunderstand of what equal means.

- We think that to be equal in value means to somehow be equal in authority, equal in roles, equal in gender.

- Equality means equal in value. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have different roles.

- Yet they are all fully God, equal in their nature of being God and in the Godhead.

- Col 2:9 For the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ.

- All three persons of the trinity have the full nature of God.

- The Son of God has the fullness of God's nature

- Although The Son of God humbled himself to be with us, that fullness dwelt among us.

- Immanuel God with us

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All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made

- The Son of God was not only involved in creation he created all things for the Father.

- The Son was the agent by which the Father created the universe.

- Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

- Hebrews 1:2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed her of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.

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Jesus Christ is life and light

-  Jesus is the life.

- Not only is this a reference to the reality that Jesus gave us life at creation

- Breathing the breath of life into Adam, He upholds our very breath

- But moreover it is a reference to eternal life

- John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live."

- John 14:6 Jesus told him " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

- Jesus is the light

- Again John uses a phrase that many trained in Scripture would relate to biblical truth or moral purity.

- Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

- However John declares here and throughout the book of John that in Jesus is the light!

-  John 3:19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

- John 12:46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.

- 1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.

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- The light shines in the darkness

- The light of Jesus Christ shines in the darkness of the devils kingdom.

- The light of Jesus shows us our sin and the way of salvation.

- His love at the cross, will drive out the darkness of sin.

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- and the darkness has not overcome it

- The darkness is not able to overcome or conquer the light.

- We can refuse to accept the light and suppress the light by remaining in the darkness.

- But the darkness cannot overcome the light

- In the same way the darkness of a room cannot destroy the candle that brings light to the entire room.

- We can receive the light and be enlighten by Christ.

- When we receive Christ and follow Him.

- He will be the lamp for our feet and the light for our path.

- His light, the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

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Man is sinful by nature

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- God in his sovereign power has give every man enough truth to be held responsible.

- God has planted His knowledge in man through creation and conscience.

- However this knowledge does not produce salvation rather it condemns us.

- No one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

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-  He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.

- The light came not only into the world but it came to a people that were called by his name.

- Because of the faithfulness of their forefathers God promised the Jews deliverance from sin.

- God promised them the destruction of this evil world and the coming of a new kingdom.

- Now the light of the world had come and the Jewish nation did not receive him.

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- By nature man is sinful, no one is righteous no not one!

- It does not matter who your fathers are,

- it does not matter how you were raised,

- it does not matter how much Scripture you know.

- Man is sinful by nature and will by nature concern himself with the kingdoms of this earth.

- Without placing your faith in Christ alone man stands condemned to eternity in hell.

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- The physical nation of Israel at this time was focused on the physical nation of Israel.

- They were very concerned about the Roman oppression and the power they could keep under it.

- They were blinded to the light right in front of them because they saw it as a threat to their earthly kingdoms.

- Some were not only wanting to reject the light, some wanted to destroy it.

- You know one of the great things about God is that God always keeps his promises.

- However there was a remnant among Israel who were ready to receive the light.

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Faith in Jesus Christ alone saves

- But to all who did receive him

- Among Israel there was a group of rag tag fishermen, political zealots, and a tax collector

- When Jesus found them he called them by name.

- Who were willing to drop the things of this world and receive the true Word.

- Just as there are people today who are willing to turn from the darkness of this world and follow the true light.

- The light of eternal life.

- When a gift is given we must receive it.

- What does it look like to receive the gift of God's grace?

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- Who believed in his name

- It looks like believing on the name of Jesus

- To turn away from our own head knowledge of God to the living God

- To turn away from building our own kingdoms in this world to an eternal kingdom that has no end.

- To believe in Christ alone for salvation. To know that Christ is enough.

- When we believe in Christ alone...

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- He gave the right to become children of God

- There are allot of people worried about their rights as citizens today.

- When we believe in the name of Jesus we become a citizen of heaven.

- We are given the right to be called a child of God.

- This is a permanent status.

- When we are born into the family we are part of the family through faith.

Who were born not of blood

- Being a child of God does not come from your national heritage

- John is making it clear that Israelites are not simply going to get into heaven because they are Jewish.

- Neither will anyone get into heaven because they came from a family of believers.

Nor of the will of the flesh

- There is nothing man can do through an act of his flesh that can save him.

- We can not expect that by doing something in our flesh we will be born again.

- We are not born again by being baptized.

- We are not born again simply by saying the sinners prayer.

- We are not born again simply be coming up to the alter.

Nor of the will of man

- Nor is it through our own decision making process are we saved.

- We do not have to know everything about Christianity in order to be saved.

- Being born of God has nothing to do with simply agreeing that Jesus died on the cross.

- It is not an intellectual accession.

- Even the demons agree that Jesus died on the cross.

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But of God

- We must be born of God.

- We are not born of the flesh but we are born of the Spirit

- We must surrender to the work of God's Spirit on our heart when we hear the message about Christ.

- We must recognize that it is not us that saves but it is Christ that has saved us at the cross.

- It is not our will that saves but we are willing to receive His salvation.

- There is nothing we can do, we are week but He is strong.

- We have failed and He has finished the work.

- Repent and turn from the kingdoms of this world and to the kingdom that is coming.

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- Ephesians 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

- If you have not surrendered to Jesus Christ. Come to Jesus today.

- Stand with me as a child of God. In a new family. In the eternal kingdom.     - Come to the cross today. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today!