Grace upon Grace
Notes
Transcript
Lesson:
Percentage of people who claim Jesus is not God……
The Mormons do not believe that Jesus is equal to the Father. That Jesus became a god just like we can become a god. Where from scripture would you show that is wrong?
John 1:1–5 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Why does it matter that Jesus has always been God?
It matters greatly for Jesus could not be God if HE has not always been God. IT would be impossible for Jesus to become God for God is by definition eternal.
Notes:
John 1:1-18
The prologue is the introduction into the rest of the book. It is giving insight into how the rest of the book will be understood.
Jesus is the Word and the Word is God and through the Word was everything that was made.
John 1:1–2 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.”
The whole gospel is an attempt to explain this first verse.
John: An Introduction and Commentary 1. Prologue (1:1–18)
The deeds and words of Jesus are the deeds and words of God; if this be not true the book is blasphemous.’
In the beginning was the Word is an obvious echo and call back to Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Just as God was before the beginning so was the Word before the beginning.
John–Acts 1:1–5. The Life-Giving Word
The Word is the communication of the Father. He is the rational force of Fatherly fulsomeness overflowing in infinite goodness. That Word was no impersonal force but a full person, alongside the Father at the principial moment of all things. The Word was both with God and was God. Was and with. What God was, the Word was. The Word was God, and the Word was with God. Coequal, indistinguishable, yet distinct.
Word = Logos
Jesus is the very expression of God. Jesus is God communicated.
Hebrews 1:3
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
If you want to understand God the Father look to God the Son.
John 1:3 “3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Not only was Jesus in the beginning it was through Jesus that all things were created.
1 Corinthians 8:6 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
We exist though Jesus and for Jesus
Colossians 1:16 “16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
Hebrews 1:2 “2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
Without Jesus there is nothing. Without Jesus we are nothing.
John 1:4–5 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Life is only found in Jesus. Light gives life. Light does not belong to us but comes through Jesus. Life does not belong to us but comes through Jesus. Everything we have is from Jesus.
The light of Jesus cannot be overcome by darkness. Jesus will win because light always beats darkness. Darkness has no power it is only the absence of light.
If we want to be a light to the world we must be connected to the source of light which is Jesus. If we are connected to the source of light then we cannot be overcome by darkness.
We are all lamps. But unless the lamp is plugged in it is useless. We must plug into the power source. Jesus Christ the Word that became flesh is our power source.
John 3:19 “19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”
People love to be in the darkness because they love their sin. Sin is the only thing that can grow in the dark. Everything else is killed by darkness. Light gives life to everything but sin. Light kills sin. Expose our sin to the light and it will shrivel and die. Expose our life to the dark and it will shrivel and die.
Isaiah 9:2 “2 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.”
John 1:8 “8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”
We are not the light. We are not the point. We only bear witness about the light. If we are every pointing to ourselves we are pointing to the wrong person. We must only point to Jesus. He is the light. He is the only one that can do anything in the lives of people. Are plans, ideas, advice, will come up empty. We are proclaimers of good news for the hopeless, bread for the hungry, freedom for the slaves, light for those living in darkness.
Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death/darkness we are comforted because He is with us. Light personified is with us.
We are not the light. We only point to the light.
1 John 2:8 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Darkness will not last because the light is already shining.
John 1:14 “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.”
Jesus became flesh. What a humbling thing. The step down from heaven was as big as the step up to the cross.
Philippians 2:5–6 “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,”
This act of humility of humiliation of Jesus taking on flesh is how we are to act towards others. There should be no depth we are not willing to stoop in love and service of others.
He came to be like us so we could be like Him.
He came full of grace and truth. That phrase is used twice in this text. The law came through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17 “17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
We are not to embody Moses but Jesus. We are not here to smack people with the law but grace and truth.
Truth is a grace and real grace is always true.
This means we do not lie as we give people grace and we we always give people grace in order to help them not tear them down.
John 1:16 “16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
It is from Jesus that we receive grace upon grace. An abounding grace, a never ending grace, grace upon grace upon grace comes from Jesus. More un metrited favor then we know what to do with. Grace comes through Jesus we must share Jesus with others.
