John 1:1-11/ Who is the Word?

Who is the Word?

Introduction

Good morning,

Today we are going to begin a series called “Who is this Jesus?”. I mentioned in a video post this week that there are a great many things we want to do....

But Jesus says there is something better. Well according to Jesus its worship. Yes we want to do so much and grow so much, but when we do that we miss out on our higher call- to glorify God.

Luke 10:38–42 (ESV)

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

We’re going to develop a “Christology” because to know Jesus is to love Him.

Everyone who reads about Jesus likes Him, how much more for Christians?

As we grow in knowledge of Jesus, we’re also going to grow in worship of Him. The

We are going to begin in the Gospel of John, this is the book we usually tell new believers to start reading because there is nothing else in the bible like it.

Join me in reading the first verse of the first chapter in the years we will spend in the Gospel of John, and then we will pray.

John 1:1–11 (ESV)

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.

1. Jesus, the Message

John 1:1 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Unlike Pastor Jim, I do not read ancient koine Greek. It is a fantastic tool that I hope to learn one day, but I did take a class in Greek and this is day one stuff. The word here is Logos (la-gas), and it means, well- word. But, that doesn’t really help us today.

John 1:14 ESV

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.

So- this word is Jesus.

But in what way is Jesus the word?

According to Andreas Kostenberger [1], there are three schools of what word could mean here

It could refer to an idea in Greek Philosophy, who of course shared a language with the writings of John. In philosophy there are different schools, and one called Stoicism started by a guy named Zeno. In Stoic thought, logos was reason, the impersonal rational principle governing the universe. To stoics, the philosophy of self control and reason, logos was found in everyone in varying degree and must be obeyed at all cost.

Whats wrong with this? The Logos stoics worship is not God Himself, just the concept of a universal reasonable God. It is very ethereal and like kostenberger says, John is giving us actual historical accounts.

2. It could refer to the wisdom of God. In scripture we sometimes see the Wisdom personified as a her poetically. Proverbs 8 is her speaking about herself.

Proverbs 8:32–36 ESV

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

In this chapter wisdom even says she was there as the first of His creations, which sounds kind of familiar in comparison with our verse today. But we will see today that Jesus along with being a He, is also not a created thing.

3. The third theory, the one I like the most, is that it is a reference to Genesis 1. This means that the word that God spoke when the universe is created is Jesus Himself. Jesus is the word- the will of God the Father. We can see that played out in in Isaiah chapter 55, verses 9-11:

Isaiah 55:9–11 ESV

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

John Piper simplifies this for us, I’m paraphrasing here, saying that Jesus is the word of God- that is the message of God.

What does the Father want to say to all of creation? What is His message for every living thing to hear? He is saying “Jesus”.

If you were to call out to God, asking Him what do you want to say to me, according John, He would say “Jesus”!

[1] Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective, ed. Walter A. Elwell, Second Edition., Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 40.

2. Jesus, God the Son

John 1:1–3 ESV

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.

Now I’m about to share something with you that you may not fully understand. I am going to share what every true Christian historic figure, seminary, pope, bishop, priest, pastor has ever taught and has ever believed. In fact, we say that salvation is a matter of faith, but if you don’t know this, I will doubt your salvation. If you say you worship God, and you don’t believe this, you are worshipping another God: Jesus is God.

John 1:1–2 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

No one has any problem with the word being with God, it is the was God that’s a problem.

Other religions, some even that call themselves Christians stumble over this verse and either change it in their translations or omit it.

One time is was in a parking lot of Publix and a Jehovah’s witness came up to me and asked me if she could tell me about Jesus, and I said “yes ma’am can i tell you about Him?”

She claimed “was God” was a bad translation, so I asked her what about verse 3?

John 1:3 ESV

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

I grabbed a napkin and drew a line for her: it’s on the screen. (Not made, made)

This, and dozens of other places from Scripture are where we get the Trinity. We will have many years to talk about that, and I have many office hours to talk about it, but the Trinity is the most biblical of doctrines (teachings). You might think Christian doctrines are things a bunch of dudes in a room made up after reading a bible, but biblical doctrines are case files of scriptures.

Trinity is the doctrine that God is one in essence but exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are fully and equally God, sharing the same divine essence, yet they are not three separate gods but one God in unity, possessing the same divine attributes and authority."

It’s a lot like a detective who comes investigate the scene of a crime of a missing necklace. The jewelry store owner says she saw her employee take a necklace. The employee is on camera taking the necklace and she has been on camera the entire time. The police found the missing necklace in the employee’s pocket. This is an open shut, case right? We know, by putting the facts together that the employee stole the necklace.

Yeah- the employee didn’t say “I did it”, but we know she did, right?

Likewise the bible never says the word “Trinity”, but it doesn’t need to- it’s an open and shut case. I’m not saying it’s easy to understand, but the evidence is everywhere. As we read the Gospel of John, we’re going to find evidence all over the place. At the end of our journey you’re going to ask, how does anyone read the bible and not see this?

How do we get it so far?

John 1:1–3 ESV

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.

3. Jesus, the Light

John 1:4–11 ESV

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.

Now, reading this passage in full, you might notice there is an interruption- the mention of John the Baptist. Many people were confused about who John the Baptist. Was he the messiah? No in fact he doesn’t even quite understand who he is; he denies being Elijah, but Jesus says he is elijah if you’ll have him. So John the Apostle clears the air in the middle of the sentence: John the Baptist is here to bear witness, he is not the light.

That being said, the verse actually flows very well without the interruption. Let’s read it again and study it:

John 1:4–5,9-11“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… “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.”

Lets walk through this

John 1:4–5,9 (ESV)

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. The true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”

Jesus is the light.

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Christ Centered Exposition:

Exalting Jesus in John Why Did Jesus Come to Earth? (John 1:4–5)

Why did Jesus come to earth? Jesus came to call people from death to life—to a living, vibrant relationship with God—through faith in him. Those who believe he makes alive and gathers into a living community that bears the fruit of his life flowing through them. Together we demonstrate and declare his life.

Jesus brought life to the spiritually dead and light to the spiritually darkened (v. 5). Though a different metaphor it pictures the same truth. We have a great need we cannot meet. We need to be rescued from the domain of darkness, and we’re powerless to do anything about it. Jesus came to earth because only he could meet that need. We could never come to know what God desires and expects from us unless Jesus revealed it. We would be staggering about in the darkness of our own opinions if Jesus had not brought the light of God’s revelation. Hundreds of years before Jesus came, his coming was predicted with these words: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness” (Isa 9:2; emphasis added). When Jesus came, he said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12; emphasis added).

Conclusion:

In Jesus is ETERNAL LIFE! That ETERNAL LIFE is the light of men.

What is the light of men? It is the only thing that gives us hope. It is the only thing that defeats the darkness we’re surrounded by. It is the only thing the we can use to see the path ahead. The light shows us the truth around us.

Jesus is THE light- not a light. He is the only goodness, the only thing of worth. If you have found goodness in mankind, it is because they are being illuminated by the true light Jesus.

Matthew 27:45–50 ESV

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

Our God made flesh, Jesus, died and the world turned dark! He died and the world turned dark- do you know why? He took on death, He took on darkness, so that you and I could in turn have his life, his light.