How Jesus Can Fulfill All Your Needs

INTRODUCTION:

Dad coming home from trip bringing gifts.

Key chains joke, blue ribbon - could I be any cooler?

Now that I am a father, I realize that everything I give is a gift.

CONTEXT

Jesus has come from heaven to earth. He didn’t come empty handed.

TENSION

We want the big flashy gifts, but in reality Jesus comes and gives us gifts that fulfill our needs.

He Gave You:

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.”

was - made. The same one who made all things in previous verses. Made John.

sent - apostle. Sent out on a mission or messenger.

John - Not the author, we call him the John the Baptist - (baptist joke)

witness - martyr. He would one day die as a martyr.

light - a reference from last week that we Jesus.

all might believe - The book of John continually shows that God was trying to save all the world.

Through him?????

He was not the light - Many thought that he was the messiah.

But came to bear witness about the light - This was the John’s purpose. It is our purpose as well.

A PURPOSE (John 1:6-8)

Its the same purpose as John. To bear witness to Jesus. Moon reflection or block things.

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.”

The true light - there is only one true light.

everyone - all know him - To have first hand personal knowledge of him.

his own - his own possession, a smaller subject of all. Likely referring to the Jewish people. receive him - means to believe in his name.

right to become children of God. - adopted into his family. Legal term, given the legal right to be part of his family.

were born - not physically born, but spiritually born. New spiritual life.

AN IDENTITY (John 1:9-13)

God placed you in a community of God.

illustration - you’re a Hastings

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.”

Word became Flesh - We already discussed that Jesus is God. But now he becomes human as well. Hypostatic union. When he became flesh, he did not stop being the word. Instead he added the flesh.

Dwelt - live in a tent. He lived in the muck and mire with us.

Glory - doxa - we couldn’t see the Father’s glory, but because the son shielded himself in humanity we can now see his glory.

Grace and truth -

after me before me because he was before me - Normally the older is greater. This shows that even though Jesus was physically younger, he was older.

Fullness we have received - He was full of Grace and that overflowed onto us.

Law - made us aware of that we fall short.

grace and truth -

V18 -

Exodus 34:6–7 ESV

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

IMAGE - Imagine knowing God was back there, everything you needed was back there and you couldn’t get there.

Grace - goes past Mercy. Pull over illustration .

GRACE (John 1:14-18)

CONCLUSION

the best present is his presence. the best part of my dad comung home, was i got to see my dad.

Illustration - Tent. presense.

circle back to intro, giving dad gift when he got home?