Intro to the Gospel of John: How to Find Life in Jesus

Intro

Have you ever come into a story halfway through and felt completely lost—unable to figure out what was going on or why it mattered? That happened to me with Harry Potter. I went to see the fifth movie with some friends who really wanted to watch it. I thought, I’ll be fine. I can figure it out as I go.

Nope!

Halfway through the movie, I had no idea what was going on, who all the characters were, or why any of it mattered. Everyone around me had seen the previous movies and were completely engrossed. I was just wondering when it was going to end.

I think that’s how reading the Bible feels for a lot of people. We jump into the middle of the story, but we don’t always understand the context. We’re reading events that we know are supposed to be important, but without the big picture, it’s easy to feel lost.

As we start a new year, we’re going to be reading through the Gospel of John together over the next four months. And today, I want to zoom out and help introduce you to this book of the Bible.

Because John tells an amazing—and true—story. And his purpose is clear: to show us how to find true life in Jesus. So this morning, I want to introduce you to the Gospel of John. We’re going to take a look at who wrote this book, why it was written, and how John tells his story.

My hope is that you leave here today ready—and excited—to step into the life-changing story of the Gospel of John.

Read John 1:6-18

As we begin, I invite you to open your Bibles to John 1:6. Last week, we read John 1:1–9, focusing on Jesus, the Light of the World. This morning, we’ll read verses 6–18 as we step back and look at the book as a whole.

I encourage you to read along with me as we look at John 1:6–18.

John 1:6–18 NKJV

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Prayer

1. Who Wrote This Gospel?

Keyword: Love

Not John the Baptist- John the Disciple

A great way to get grounded in any book of the Bible is by asking: Who wrote this book? As you might guess from the title—John.

But as we read verse 6, we already see a place where it’s easy to misunderstand the story. It says that John came to bear witness to the Light. You might think, “Oh, this is the book of John, so this must be the author introducing himself.”

But this John is not the author. He’s John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, who started a powerful movement and pointed people to Jesus.

In fact, John was a very common name in Jesus’ day. There were a lot of men named John:

John the Baptist, the prophet and witness to Jesus

John Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Mark

John, the father of Peter

The disciple of Jesus named John

In the Gospel, the author never calls himself by name. He identifies himself as “the Beloved Disciple.” Through the witness of the early church and careful study of the Gospel, it’s clear that this Beloved Disciple is John, son of Zebedee, the disciple of Jesus.

John, along with his brother James and Peter, was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. He was an eye witness to the miracles Jesus performed, a student of His teaching, and most importantly, a close friend of Jesus.

The Beloved Disciple

This close friendship transformed John’s identity. He didn’t call himself John. He didn’t even use the nickname “Son of Thunder,” which Jesus had given him and his brother because of their fiery personalities.

Instead, in the roughly 50 years since serving as Jesus’ disciple, John reflected on his time with Jesus. What stood out above all? What transformed his life and guided his ministry? The love of Jesus. For John, the best way to define himself was simply: a disciple, a student, loved by Jesus.

Now, that might sound a bit exclusive. Why John? What about the others? But John isn’t claiming that Jesus loved him the most. The point is personal: I am loved by Jesus. That is who I am.

Jesus’ love for all people is a central theme of this Gospel. Think of the most famous verse: “For God so loved the world.”

The Gospel of John is written not just by an eye witness to the events of Jesus’ life, but by a man who was an eye witness to the transformational power of Jesus’ love. As you read John’s Gospel, you’ll see that love on full display—and you’ll be invited to experience it for yourself.

2. Why Was This Gospel Written?

Keyword: Believe

Now that we know who wrote the Gospel, the next question we can ask is “why?” Why was this Gospel written?

We don’t have to wonder. As he closes out the Gospel in chapter 20, John tells us exactly why.

Listen to what he says in John 20:30-31:

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.

Believe

John wrote his Gospel so that you—the reader—would believe. But believe what?

Believe that Jesus is the Christ. The word “Christ” is a Greek word for the Jewish word Messiah or “anointed one.” It points back to the Old Testament story.

Creation ⬇️ – God creates the world as His good, ordered home, placing humanity at the center.

Rebellion ❌ – Humanity rejects God; sin enters, and the world is broken.

Promise ➡️ – God calls Abraham and forms Israel, setting in motion His plan to rescue the world. From Genesis 12 onward, the Old Testament unfolds this promise, pointing forward to the coming Messiah, or Christ who would recue humanity from their captivity to sin and bondage to death.

John is writing this Gospel so you come to believe that Jesus is that Christ, that savior that God ha promised. An he is not just an earthly ruler or a mighty king of history. He is divine, the Son of God, and at the same time God Himself.

The goal is not just information. John is not simply giving us facts about Jesus to memorize. He wants us to place our faith in Him. And this is not faith like what we might have in a textbook or an abstract idea—it’s faith like a child has in a loving parent.

I don’t know if you’ve ever held someone else’s baby. Maybe the baby starts crying, but the moment the child is returned to their parent, suddenly they’re calm. Why? Because the baby doesn’t trust me. They believe in their parent.

John writes his Gospel with the same goal: to show you who Jesus is—the Christ, the Son of God—so that you will believe in Him like that, with trust, dependence, and love.

Life

And what happens when you believe? “In believing you have may have life in His name.”

John has found that life for himself. He’s also seen other’s have their lives transformed as they have experienced that life.

He’s seen broken sinners find forgiveness, purpose, and community.

He’s seen self-righteous religious people break out of the bondage of hypocritical rule-following and come into a true relationship with God.

He’s heard Jesus’ teaching on the coming day of judgement and realized the only way to stand before a Holy God on judgement day is through belief in Jesus who lovingly paid that debt for us on the cross so that we can have life in Him.

That life—abundant, eternal, transformative life—is found in Jesus. And the Gospel of John is written so that you would come to know Him, believe in Him, and experience that life for yourself.

3. How Does John Tell the Good News?

And how did John go about telling this Gospel Story, or Good News of life in Jesus?

I’d like to share with you four key words that help see how he tells of this.

a. Witness (7 I Ams)

The first word is witness. We see that word in verse 7. Many translations make this flow better in English by saying something like John came as a witness to testify to the light.

One reason I prefer the NKJV is they try to translate in a way that sticks close to the original meaning. Since the same root word is used repeatedly, they translate that John came as a witness to bear witness to the light. It’s a bit repetitive, but that’ the point.

John is hammering home the idea that people like John the Baptist, the disciples, the Scriptures, his own writing all bear witness to the truth of who Jesus is. But the greatest witness is Jesus himself.

Throughout his Gospel, Jesus repeatedly bears witness to who He is through the “I Am” statements. Each begins with “I Am…” and then something about His identity: the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, and so on.

“ Bread of Life” (6:35)

“ Light of the World” ( 8:12)

“Door of the Sheep” ( 10:7)

“Good Shepherd” (10:11)

“Resurrection and the Life” (11:25)

“Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6)

“True Vine” (15:1)

For Jewish listeners, the shock wasn’t just in the metaphor. It was the words themselves—“I Am.” God had revealed His name to Moses as Yahweh—“I Am.” Jesus was saying, I am God Himself.

b. Signs (7 Signs)

The second key word is signs.

The other Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—focus on Jesus’ miracles to show His divine power. John also tells of miracles, but he calls them signs, and he records fewer of them—only seven.

Water turned to wine (2:1–11)

Official’s son healed (4:46–54)

Lame man healed at Bethesda (5:1–15)

Feeding the 5,000 (6:1–14)

Jesus walks on water (6:16–21)

Man born blind healed (9:1–7)

Lazarus raised from the dead (11:1–44)

Why just seven signs? Because John wants us to focus on their meaning. Each sign points to Jesus’ identity as the Christ, the Son of God, and calls people to believe in Him.

The Christian faith is not blind faith. John is witness to us that Jesus has worked in history revealing his power and identity through signs.

Next Sunday, we’ll look at the first sign: Jesus turning water into wine. But as you read John, watch for these signs. See how each one reveals Jesus’ purpose and invites us into faith in Him.

c. Belief (7 Conversations)

The fourth word that helps us see how John tells this story is belief.

We’ve already seen in this opening chapter that John highlights belief and rejection side by side. It’s not just a theme—it drives every action and every conversation in the Gospel.

When Jesus reveals who He is to people, the question John always asks is “How did they respond?” Did they receive Jesus? Did believe? Or did they reject him?

John is unique among the Gospels because he records longer, more personal conversations Jesus has—not just public teaching, but private interactions with individuals, followers, and even opponents.

I’ve grouped these into seven major conversations that shape the Gospel:

New Birth with Nicodemus (3:1–21)

Living Water with the Samaritan Woman (4:1–42)

Authority of the Son (5:16–47)

Bread of Life (6:22–59)

Light of the World (7:14–8:59)

Good Shepherd (10:1–21)

Farewell (13:1–17:26)

In every one of these conversations, people come face to face with Jesus. And sooner or later they are forced to ask the same question: Do I believe that Jesus really is the Savior God has promised?

Some believe and receive life. Others reject Him—and walk away.

John tells this story so that we won’t remain neutral. He writes so that we, too, would believe.

d. Life (climax)

The final theme, is the result of that belief- life in Jesus.

We see in the first chapter that life is found in Jesus. As we continue in John’s Gospel we see that Jesus, the eternal light of God offers life to all who believe. Again and again Jesus teaches on life. His climactic seventh sign is raising Lazarus from the dead, back to life.

And as the story reaches it’s climax Jesus goes to the cross laying down his life, so you might live.

And on the third day Jesus is raised to life. It’s not just what Jesus did. It’s who he is. Jesus said: I Am the resurrection and the life.

As you hear John’s witness to the life of Jesus,

As you see the power of his signs,

Will you believe in Jesus and receive that life?

Conclusion

Jesus first words in John are “What do you seek?” (John 1:38 )

If you seek the perfect expression of love,

If you seek light to shine in darkness around and within you.

If you seek life, eternally in heaven and abundantly now.

If that’s what you are seeking, friends John wants you to know how he found love, light, and life in Jesus and how you can too.

Jesus next words in the Gospel are still calling today: “Come and see.”

Invitation

John Reading Plan

Join us in reading through the Gospel of John over the next 4 weeks. Here’s a reading plan with additional readings from the Old Testament for this first week

Week 1 (January 4–10)

☐ Day 1 – John 1:1-5 + Genesis 1:1–5

☐ Day 2 – John 1:6-18 + Isaiah 53:1–3

☐ Day 3 – John 1:19-28 + Isaiah 40:3

☐ Day 4 – John 1:29-42 + Isaiah 53:11

☐ Day 5 – John 1:43-51 + Genesis 28:10-15

Sermon Notes

1. Bible Translation

I’m choosing the NKJV for preaching because I believe it offers the strongest balance of faithfulness to the historic text of Scripture, clarity for modern readers, and continuity with the church’s worshiping tradition.

At the same time, I deeply value other faithful translations—such as the NASB, ESV, CSB, and NIV—which also serve the church well and can enrich our understanding of God’s Word.

2. Commentary Recommendation's

I have found the following commentaries helpful in my study of John.

Introductory

Explore the book in greater depth. Ideal for curious church members, Bible study leaders, and Sunday School teachers who want a clearer understanding of the text without being overwhelmed by technical detail.

1. Holman New Testament Commentary: John by Kenneth O. Gangel

2. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John by Matt Chandler and Josh Wredberg

3. Be Alive (John 1-12) and Be Transformed (John 13-21) by Warren Wiresbe

Intermediate

More advanced, with increased attention to historical context, theological nuances, and interpretive questions. Best for teachers or small group leaders seeking a scholarly yet accessible examination of passages.

1.Signs of the Messiah: An Introduction to John’s Gospel by Andreas J. Köstenberger

2. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: The Gospel of John by Grant Osborne

3. ESV Expository Commentary: John by James M. Hamilton Jr.

In-Depth Study

These are a bit more advanced than the previous recommendations and go into more depth. These resources are ideal for those preparing lessons or sermons and looking to engage more deeply with the biblical text.

1. New American Commentary: John 1-11 and John 12-21 by Gerald L. Borchert

2. Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John by D.A. Carson

3. New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John by Leon Morris

3. Quotes and Illustrations Used

Seven-Stage Story of Scripture

My seven-stage summary of the story of scripture is modified from Christopher J. H. Wright, How to Preach & Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth (Zondervan, 2016), 34–36.

I made two changes: 1. His framework has six stages but I added judgment to make it more symmetrical and account for this prominent part of the biblical story that he had not included.

2. I flipped the arrow for mission to point back to the cross to highlight how the mission of the church was fundamentally about sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

4. Scripture References

Often I’ll include additional Scriptures that shape the sermon. The list is a bit too long this week, so here is a fun challenge for you.

A. Using Bible software like https://www.biblegateway.com/ search for the following words.

B. Or look for these words as you read through John. Consider highlighting or underlining them.

Love

2. Witness

3. Sign

4. Believe

5. Life