You Need Jesus

Introduction

Scripture

Father God, we thank You for Who You are. A great Big God who sees each and every one of us here and cares deeply about us. We ask this day, as we are continuing in this time of worship to You, reading Your Word and hearing Your Word, that You refine us with it. Mold us, make us, shape us, rearrange us so that we can more like You, and more made into the image of Christ. Help us be a people who love You and love others so much, that we are moved into action by whatever it is You are going to show us about Yourself today and what that means in our lives. Help us do this, because all to often our selfish and sinless flesh war against our will to follow Yours. As we are doing this, and as we are coming into Your Word today, we ask that You take away any distraction that we may have, and make it go as far away as it possible can, because we want to see and we want to know You better. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

Context

This week, we are beginning our easter sermon series. This year, we will touching some of Jesus’ life and ministry highlights while on earth. With that, what better place to start is their then where we are today? In a description of Jesus before creation and the beginning of his life on earth in The Gospel of John, which aptly enough is written by the apostle John, a man who was one of Jesus’ hand chosen disciples, an apostle, someone who saw a witnessed all of Jesus’ ministry and testifies/witnesses/tells us about The Savior Jesus Christ the Righteous.

In today’s sermon, it is important for you take away that The eternal Word of God (Jesus) is your light. A light that you need, because without him, you are walking in darkness, unable to tell where you are, what you are doing, or where you are going. So, let’s learn more about him today, so that we can understand and love the fullness of the Savior all the more, so lets jump in to the text where,From the text, I want you to see and know these descriptions of Jesus because you need Him

Message

The first description about Jesus is that He is: The Word of God 1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,[a] and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome[b] it.

Here we begin looking at a description of the being that, of all others, is somehow most difficult and most easy to explain to people. So, this description, though easy to understand and get, is at the same difficult and takes both thought and need to think outside of the norm of what we experience here in creation on earth. We look at this description of Jesus, He is called “The Word” the Logos, He was their at the beginning of creation (meaning he was their before it, as He (Jesus, the Word always was), he was with God meaning, He is equal/the same as God. He (Jesus) was always God, the second person of what we today call the Holy Trinity (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). All things, meaning everything and everyone you have ever come across, be it as insignificant as dirt or sand and as significant as you loved ones, were created through, and without Him (Jesus) nothing would have been created.

In him is what life, both as the creator and the savior. The creator of all things and the savior from our sin, which separates us from God. He is truth, He is light, who shines in the darkness, though the darkness (Satan and Sin) tried to overcome it.

The truth is believer, without Jesus, The Word of God, the savior of the world, you remain in darkness and have no light. Fortunately, there is a much needed lifeline, a way to escape the darkness…. The eternal Word of God (Jesus) is your light! So, once your eyes are opened and they can see, Know that both you and everyone you’ve ever knew or will ever know Need Jesus, lest without him you leave this world eternally separated from God because of sin. You need Jesus, The Word of God. Let’s keep going.

The next description of Jesus is that He is: The Light giving Light 6-9

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.[c] 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.[d]

Our bible’s describe a man, named John. This John is not the same as the one who wrote this book, this John is also known as John the Baptist and Jesus Himself describes John the Baptist, as the most important of the prophets of old. His message was an important one. Jesus is coming, make straight your paths, believe and repent in Him, behold the kingdom of God is at Hand!

John witnessed about Jesus, even telling his own followers and disciples, you need to stop following me and spending time with me, look the savior, the messiah, the one who will take away our sins is here, Jesus! You need to follow Him!

In your bible, light is often used emblem of God. Why? Because light is good, it is needed, and it reveals the truth, as opposed to darkness (which is usual used as emblem of Satan) who is bad, is the enemy and tells lies. Jesus Himself, as God is the light (the truth) which reveals the truth, just as turning on a lightswitch in a dark room reveals what is in it to you. The eternal Word of God (Jesus) is your light. So, don’t turn to darkness and the father of lies, don’t wallow in your sin that separates you from God, instead seek the light giving light with you all self because you need Him, you need Jesus lest you perish and know only permanent separation from God.

The third description of Jesus is that He is : The life giver. 10-13

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be[e] children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent,[f] or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,[g] but of God.

Jesus, though He was God from on high, came into the world, and was among us. Even though he created it all, his own creation, the world, mankind, did not recognize Him. He was even among his own people (the people who God had chosen for Him to come through and hold them time and time He was coming) did not welcome Him or receive Him. Instead, they murdered Him, seeing more as a problem. Which fallen mankind is all to often prone to do, especially those who are so fallen into their sin that they don’t even know that they are doing wrong.

Even though most rejected him then and many (if not most) reject Him today, Jesus gave a special right to all who believe in Him as The Son of God, the Savior, The Lord, and follow Him. He gives the right of as a child of God, no longer are these people born just as flesh and blood and water, now they are also born of the spirit, meaning when they die they will know spiritual death, but eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus is the life giver. Noone and nothing else can give life other than God. The best we can do is rearrange how something was created or let the seed that God made grow. Jesus, as the creator who everything that was ever created was made thorugh and to is the life giver. As you have received your life through Him, even if you have never heard it before, you are hearing it now, The eternal Word of God (Jesus) is your light. So, but aside darkness, but aside sin, put aside death, which know has come because of sin, and instead take on and share/witness about Jesus, the giver of life.

Another description of Jesus is that He is: The Giver of Grace 14-18

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt[h] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[i] from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”) 16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon[j] grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side[k]—he has revealed him.

So, what then is Grace? It something that we all need, and it only has one source that we can access. This is the tap that is the forgiveness of sins through accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to pay for (atone) for your sin. John writes in this Gospel of the Bible, that he saw and observed Jesus’ grace and truth face to face. John testified about it, and yes, everyone receives from the free flowing steam of grace because of Jesus’ fullness of God who put their faith in the truth of Jesus as the Christ, the savior, the redeemer from sin.

Grace is the undeserved and unmerited favor and kindness given to us, even though there's nothing we can do or say to deserve it. Grace is God deciding to suffer and die for you, to allow you to be restored to Him because He loved you so much as His creation. Grace has nothing do with you, outside of your willingness or unwillingness to take it.

Grace is also us finally, after all the fallen years of mankind, getting to see the fullness of God, His essence and natur as God. Sure we have seen representations or parts of Him, but never Him fully, until Jesus, God the Son, who is both God and with God the Father revealed the fullness of God, His nature, His essence, all that is Him, to us. Without Jesus, you cannot know God outside of His judgement and wrath. Jesus is the giver of Grace, the eternal world of God, your light that not only reveals sin and truth, but also God to yourself.

Conclusion

Beloved, as the saying goes, every heart has a God shaped hole in it that needs to be filled. And just as the young child who doesn’t know any better yet, tries to put the triangle through the square hole and it isn’t able to work, so we try to fill our God shaped hole with sin. Don’t do that non-believer! Stop doing that believer! Get the shapes right! That shape is the shape of Jesus who is The Word of God 1-5, The Light giving Light 6-9, The life giver. 10-13, The Giver of Grace 14-18. He is both God and reveals God to us, and is the only way that you can be whole. Put all other things that keep you from worshiping Him and knowing Him more aside, because you need Jesus who is the eternal Word of God, your light, your missing peace.

Gospel Presentation

Prayer