The Gospel of John (2)

1. Introduction.

The writings of John are some of the most significant writings found in the Bible. We do have some new Christians in the fellowship, and they have asked me which book they needed to read first, and I told them the Book of John, and I wanted to study First Peter for Wednesday nights, but because of the eagerness to learn those new Christians possess, I felt led by the Holy Spirit for us to study John.

If you think this is too elementary, I apologize, but I do have an obligation to those who are spiritual infants too. I have an obligation to “ground” them in the faith.

John wrote 5 books in the New Testament.

You can find all kinds of speculation about dates and authorship, but I have no doubt that these 5 were written by the Apostle John, and I am relatively certain of the dates each were written. I believe all 5 books were written between 85-99 AD.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were written while John was in Ephesus prior to being exiled.

Revelation was written while John was on Patmos in exile. He was in Patmos from 94-96 AD.

John boldly stood for Christ, and that boldness resulted in a 90-year-old man being chained in a cave on an isolated island. During the day, he would work in the rock quarry, and at night he would be chained in a cave, and the Bible tells us why John was exiled.

Revelation 1:9 NKJV

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John was exiled because he stood on the Word of God and for confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.

John would not confess Domitian as Lord. To John, there was only one Lord, and that One was the Lord Jesus Christ, and this old man was willing to make a stand regardless of what that stand costs him. By this time in John’s life, the other disciples had all been martyred because of Jesus Christ. The first disciple to be martyred was his brother James who was killed by the sword by Herod. The 11 disciples were willing to lay down their lives instead of denying Jesus Christ.

Do you have that same boldness?

Domitian was assassinated in 95 AD, Nerva became emperor for a short time, and Nerva released John who returned to Ephesus to start preaching again. It was during this time, the latter years of John’s life (96-99 AD) that John wrote his gospel.

The Gospel of John, according to my examination of what is written in the gospel of John, were the last words written that were canonized into Scripture.

To me, the Bible itself makes this declaration. In some of the last words of the gospel, John declares why he wrote the Gospel of John.

John 20:30–31 NKJV

30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John wrote his gospel for two reasons:

For you to believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

For you to have eternal life

The Gospel of John is the only book written specifically for those two purposes. That Gospel of John was not written to Jews. It was not written to the Romans. It was not written the intellectual Greeks. The Gospel of John was written to everyone so that everyone could believe that Jesus is the Son of God and so that by believing that, anyone could have eternal life.

As John put down his pen and parchment, everything that was needed for you to believe in Jesus as the Christ had been written.

Nothing new needed to be added. Think about it.

What could possibly be added through new revelation would change your mind about Jesus? If you refuse to believe in Jesus in the face of all the evidence presented in the Bible, you will not believe if you were given new revelation either, but, dear friend, nothing new is going to be revealed to you.

Hebrews 1:1–2 NKJV

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

Everything that you need to know has been revealed through Jesus Christ. I am serious about this. One sure way to identify a false teacher is if you hear one saying he or she has received new revelation. If you hear one say that, PUT A BIG X ON THAT PERSON.

If you consider the purposes for why John wrote his gospel, you will see that John is very specific. He does not give a chronology of events. He only includes 7 of Jesus’s miracles, and He includes 7 “I AM” statements which clearly link Jesus’s humanity and deity. John does not include any of the parables as written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Why?

Because John was writing so that everyone could know Jesus as the Christ and by knowing that everyone could have eternal life.

As a result, John begins his gospel by immediately by identifying Jesus Christ.

2. The Pre-Incarnate Jesus Christ.

You must understand this about Jesus Christ, and I know it is hard to comprehend, and I know that I cannot completely explain it, but it is the truth.

Jesus Christ is fully human.

Jesus Christ is fully God.

Jesus Christ was not created.

Jesus Christ has always been.

Jesus Christ did not come into existence when He was born in Bethlehem.

There are two terms that you must understand if you are going to understand who Jesus is.

A. Pre-Incarnate.

Pre-Incarnate refers to the existence of Jesus Christ before His human birth.

Since Jesus Christ is God, He is an eternal being. He is the beginning and the ending.

Jesus Christ has always existed. Let me show you how John says it.

John 1:1–2 NKJV

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.

1. Jesus Christ is the Word (the Logos).

As the Word, the Logos, Jesus Christ is the divine expression of God.

In other words, Jesus Christ, in all His nature and attributes, is God. He is not less than God. He is God. While on earth, Jesus Christ submitted Himself to God’s authority.

Philippians 2:5–8 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

As God, Jesus Christ could not die, but He submitted to the Father’s will, became flesh, and died for all men, but that does not mean that He came into existence when He was born. He is the Word, the eternal Word. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

2. Jesus Christ is eternal.

In all five of his books, John stresses the humanity and deity of Christ and the eternality of Christ.

Here in the opening verse of his gospel, John says, “In the beginning was the Word.”

I know that seems like an insignificant verse, but dear friend, it is incredibly significant.

The Greek word translated beginning is arche. It means commencement or at the first.

Here is what John is saying.

John is saying that with the Word, with Christ, all things commenced, all things began. Christ did not begin. He was the beginning. All things began with Him.

Since Jesus Christ has always been, what did He do before He was born?

3. Jesus Christ appeared in His Pre-Incarnation in the Old Testament.

Now, Jesus Christ appeared many times in the Old Testament. He appeared too many times for me to give you every appearance, but let’s look at a few.

a. The Pre-Incarnate Christ was the AGENT OF CREATION.

John 1:3–4 NKJV

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Colossians 1:16–17 NKJV

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Everything you can see, touch, feel, taste, or hear was created by the Pre-Incarnate Christ.

You might say, “Well, I thought in the beginning God created.” He did, and that is the point God created, but Jesus Christ is God. As a matter of fact, the Trinity was involved in Creation.

Genesis 1:1–3 NKJV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

God the Father, in verse one, initiates Creation.

The Holy Spirit, in verse two, was moving over a dark planet.

The Word, Jesus Christ, acted as the agent of Creation in verse 3. It was the Word who said, “Let there be light.”

God created, and all three members of the Godhead who make up the One God were involved.

b. The Pre-Incarnate Christ was the ANGEL of the LORD.

In the Old Testament, many times, Christ appeared as the Angel of the Lord, and when He appeared as such, it was always for something specific and something special.

1. The Burning Bush.

Exodus 3:1–2 NKJV

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

Exodus 3:6 NKJV

6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

2. Fellowshipped with Abraham.

Genesis 18:1 NKJV

1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.

Genesis 18:13–14 NKJV

13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

3. Wrestled Jacob.

Genesis 32:24–28 NKJV

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

4. Comforted in the fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:24–25 NKJV

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

We could talk about the Pre-Incarnate Christ appearing to Moses in the Tabernacle. We could talk about the Angel of Lord appearing to Balaam. We could talk about the Angel of the Lord appearing to Joshua and Enoch, but you get the point.

The Pre-Incarnate Christ was very active in the Old Testament. He is the Word, and the Word is God, and the Word has always been with God. Jesus Christ did not become the Son of God after He was born. Jesus Christ did not become the Son of God when He was baptized. Jesus Christ has always been God.