JESUS:THE WORD OF GOD

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Jeff Hopson

Fellowship Baptist Church

Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted a month ago • Presented a month ago • 29:04

John 1:1–18

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Series: John: Written that ye might believe

John 1:1-15 JESUS: THE WORD OF GOD

Intro: The Gospel of John was penned by the aged Apostle between 85 and 97 AD. It was the last of the four Gospels to be written. By the time this book was circulated among the Christian community, the other Gospels were household words. People the world over had already the accounts of the life of Christ as recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke. These first three Gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels. The word “synoptic” means “to see together.” This means that the first three Gospels contain many of the same stories and teachings, but told from a different angle. Yet, each fully inspired by the Lord.

John’s Gospel is different! In the pages of this wonderful book, we see a side of Christ that the other Gospel writers do not touch on. John was part of that blessed inner circle. That handful of Disciples that was with Christ during some of His most intimate moments. In this Gospel John gives us 21 wonderful chapters. Chapters that, as each unfolds, presents a new facet of His divine character.

In this opening chapter, John paints a picture of Jesus: The Word Of God, and it that image that we want to focus in on today.

Let’s look together at Jesus: The Word Of God.

Three truths are revealed in these verses about the Word of God.

I. JESUS IS THE PREEXISTENT WORD-VS. 1-3

Our Lord Is Eternal Our Lord is Eternal and Preexistent.

By preexistent we mean that the Son of God lived before his incarnation.

An American Dictionary of the English Language INCARNATION

INC̵ARNA´TION, n. The act of clothing with flesh.

2. The act of assuming flesh, or of taking a human body and the nature of man; as the incarnation of the Son of God.

By eternal we mean that the Son of God has always existed and will always exist. Jesus’s life as a man began in Bethlehem, but his life as God did not.

A. He Is The Constant Word-vs. 1

According to this verse, Jesus has simply always existed!

He didn’t come into being in Bethlehem, but He has been here throughout all the endless ages of eternities past. (Ill. Was in verse 1 = “always has been.” Contrast this with was in verse 6. This word used concerning John the Baptist means simply “to become.” John became, but Jesus always has been!) Thank God He is the constant, unchanging Word of God -

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

That is why the Christian can depend on Jesus. He will never fail us nor leave us -

Hebrews 13:5–6 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Matthew 28:20 KJV 1900

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

B. He Is The Communing Word-vs. 1

This phrase says that Jesus “was with God.”

That is, He was present in the heavenlies in the presence of God, yet He stood as a distinct Person.

This verse teaches us that Jesus is God, yet He is still a unique being.

Jesus was there when God moved to make man in His image - Gen. 1:26.

Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Jesus was there in Heaven when the plan to redeem the world was formulated Rev. 13:8; Eph. 1:4; Titus 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:19-20.

Ephesians 1:4 KJV 1900

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Revelation 13:8 KJV 1900

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Since before time began Jesus was with the Father in Heaven.

Titus 1:2 KJV 1900

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

C. He Is The Controversial Word-vs. 1

When Jesus came preaching repentance, Mark 1:15, men thought He was strange.

When He began to heal and perform miracles, men thought He was a prophet sent by God, John 3:2.

When He spoke the Word of God with power, men thought He was amazing, Luke 4:36.

However, when Jesus claimed equality with God, men thought He was crazy, John 19:7.

He stopped being a blessing and became a controversy when He claimed to be God, John 14:9, “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Men still grapple with these truths! They are willing to accept the humble Christ, the teaching Christ, the meek Christ, the dead Christ, the serving Christ.

However, they will not give acknowledgment to the God/Man Jesus Christ. He is still 100 % God and 100% man all wrapped up in one. It is best summed up by Paul in Phil. 2:5-8. In these amazing verses, the Apostle sets forth in clear, concise language, the fact that Jesus existed before Bethlehem. That He willingly humbled Himself and came to this world in the condition of a servant. (Ill. Form = condition)

Jesus is God in human flesh!

These three truths, taken as one give us the clear teaching that Jesus is the pre-existent Word of God.

He has always been and He always will be! Thank God, there will never be a day throughout eternity that doesn’t include Jesus!

No matter where we wind up, or what we have to face as we travel through this world, we can rest assured that the pre-existent One is, and always will be, there for us.

He is the pre-existent Word of the Living God!

II. JESUS IS THE PERSONALIZED WORD-VS. 14

This verse is one of the clearest in all the Bible regarding the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Incarnation simply means “the bodily manifestation of a supernatural being.”

A. The Manner Of His Incarnation

This verse tells us that “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” The manner of His incarnation is a mystery. How could God become a man? The answer to this question lies in the mind of God alone. All we know is that God chose a virgin named Mary and caused her to miraculously conceive and bring forth a baby. I do know that on that night when Jesus was born, God had come to earth. Somehow, the Word, became flesh! While Jesus himself had existed from all eternities past, He took up on Himself a robe of flesh there in Bethlehem. The Creator was born to the creature. God placed His life in the hands of mortals. My what a scene that must have been!

(Ill. This verse says that God “dwelled” among us. That word is rich in meaning. It literally means that Jesus pitched His tent here among mortals. He lived among us, worked among us, prayed among us, suffered among us and died among us. God walked upon the earth and was unrecognized by many who came into close contact with Him. Ill. What a tragedy that men came in contact with the Savior and still failed to recognize Him.)

B. The Mystery Of His Incarnation

The word was “made” flesh. This word carries the meaning “to appear in history, to step onto the stage.” There in Bethlehem, God stepped out of eternity and onto the stage of human history. He came a tangible proof of the existence of God and of God’s willingness to save mankind.

When He was here on earth and through the record left to you and me, we can see that Jesus came to this world to reveal God to man. He did this through the medium of His flesh - 1 John 1:1. (Ill. Often, I envy those men, then I remember the words of Jesus - John 20:24-29. Not everyone who saw Jesus on this earth came to faith in Him!

C. The Majesty Of His Incarnation

(Ill. “We beheld His glory”) John actually saw the glory of Jesus in a very real sense. In Matthew 17, John, along with James and Peter accompanied Jesus upon a mountain side. There Jesus allowed the veil of His flesh to be pulled aside and He revealed the glory that was concealed beneath. Jesus concealed His heavenly fame within an earthly frame. However, His greatest glory was revealed the day He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross and died for sinners. On Calvary, the glory of God was in sharp focus! After all, That was the reason Jesus left the halls of Heaven and came to live among men. He took upon Himself a robe of flesh so that He might be able to die for mankind. That is what He did for each and every one of us this evening. To me the greatest evidence of the glory of God is the broken body of Jesus Christ having demonstrated His love for me in the clearest of terms, Rom. 5:8.

Jesus is the personal Word

III. JESUS IS THE PROCLAIMING WORD-VS. 18

(Ill. According to this verse, Jesus came to reveal God to man. The word “declare” means “to unfold.” Every thing Jesus Christ did was simply in an effort to unfold more of the revelation of God to man.

Men needed to see God not just as a Lawgiver, but also as a loving God.

Not only as a judge, but as a justifier.

Not as some stern, hateful being, but as a saving, caring God.

Jesus did just this by His life - John 14:7-9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3.

John 14:6–9 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”

Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Jesus came to put God on display before men and He did this in two primary ways.

A. He Came To Proclaim Light-vs. 4-9

He came to a world in spiritual darkness and opened the curtains of grace revealing the truth of God to men wandering in darkness.

Jesus came to illuminate the pathway for men toward God.

This light will accomplish one of two things.

It will either cause men to repent of their sins and run to the opened arms of the Lord.

Or it will cause them to reject the light and continue on their course of darkness. One will lead to salvation, the other will lead to damnation! John 3:36

John 3:36 KJV 1900

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Thank God for the light that He gave fallen man!

Now, we do not have to be bound by the stringent rules of Law but are free to respond to the lovely pleadings of grace.

And, praise the Lord, this light reaches out to all men - v. 9!

B. He Came To Proclaim Life-vs. 10-13

Jesus came to His people, who had His Word and were living in His promised land. He came to tell then that there was a way to come to the Father and to experience eternal life.

Vs. 11-In what may be the saddest verse in the Bible, they refused this call from the sinner’s friend to come to Him.

However, verse 12-13 make is clear that anyone who will respond positively to the light of God and will come to Jesus and receive Him into their heart and life will experience the new birth and will enter into eternal life.

John makes it clear in verse 13 that this life comes not by our natural birth (not by blood), not by our own good works (not the will of the flesh), not the work of another, (the will of man), but only through the will of God.

And, just what is the will of the Father? John 6:36-40-turn and read

There is only one entrance into life and that is through the Son of God.

He is the Door,

John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

and He is the Way, John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

If anyone will enter into life, they will only enter through Jesus!

Conclusion:

I can’t say that I understand all these truths that are contained in this passage, but I can say that I like them pretty good!

I just praise the Lord for revealing Himself and His Father to people like us.

I am glad that an old sinner like myself can come to Jesus by simple faith and can be eternally saved by His grace. I may not know a lot about this old Book, but I am glad I know the Word of God personally this afternoon. How about you? If you ahve never met Jesus in the free pardon of sin, now is your time. Jesus stands ready to reveal the Father to you.