The Light Has Come
Notes
Transcript
Handout
John 1:6-8.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He 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.
Who is represented by light?
Jesus is represented by light.
Which John is being spoken of here?
John, the Apostle, is referencing John, the Baptist.
What is John the Baptist doing?
He is bearing witness to Jesus, who is the light.
What example does John the Baptist set for us?
He sets an example of bearing witness.
What does that witness look like for us?
It is to be faithful to speak of the gospel and its affect on our lives personally. This is how we bear witness to the light.
What is the purpose of bearing witness to the light?
The purpose is to give opportunity for others to believe in the light.
How does one believe in the light?
The foundation would be to believe in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and that he is God revealed to us.
John 1:9-13.
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.
Is Jesus just ordinary light? What adjective is used to describe Jesus?
“True” is the adjective.
If he true light then are there false lights?
Yes, Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Since there is deception out there, we take John’s advice and “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
What do we test them against?
We test them against the revealed Word of God, and their confession of Jesus as Lord.
Who is the true light available to?
Everyone has access to the light of life.
Where did the light leave and where did it come to?
The light has left heaven and come into the world.
What is the great irony of verse 10?
The world did not even know its Creator when he showed up.
Who is meant by, “He came to his own”?
John is speaking of the nation of Israel.
Sadly, the majority of the Jews did not receive Jesus as their Messiah because he was not what they expected. He was the Suffering Servant, rather than the Conquering King.
Praise God not all rejected him and for all those who did receive through belief, what right did they receive?
The right to become children of God.
On what basis was this right of rebirth given?
It was given on the basis of God’s will.
John 1:14-18.
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.
In verse 14, John references back to the Word in verses one and two. What does he state about the Word in verse 14?
He states that the Word became flesh. God, then, became flesh. When Jesus became flesh, we call it the incarnation.
What does the Incarnation reveal to us?
It reveals the glory of God in the person of Jesus, who is the only unique Son of God.
What is the message that he brings in the revelation of the Trinity?
He brings a message that is full of grace and truth.
How can we define grace?
We define grace as the Trinity’s favorable disposition towards us, and all three acting to transform us into the image of Jesus. This is the grace that works in our hearts 24/7.
How do we know truth?
Truth is revealed to us in God’s Word and in the person of Jesus. Jesus says, in John 17:14-19:
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Who is this truth we are set apart in?
It is the person of Jesus, as John 14:6 clearly states.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
How can we know God fully?
We can know him fully because he has been revealed to us in the God Man, named Jesus.
Let us then bear witness to his work in our lives, trusting in his will, as John the Apostle, and John the Baptist, and so many other saints before us have done.