Jesus Who?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Logos
Logos
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Like in Genesis, John opens with “In the Beginning”. Verse 1 establishes first that Jesus was existent in the beginning. He was not created or born. Jesus has always existed. He was with God and he is God. It has been this way since the beginning.
Greek word for Word is Logos meaning word or spoken word. John isn’t just saying Jesus is God’s speech. He is saying Jesus is the eternal divine Reason, the Wisdom of God, the One who speaks creation into existence, sustains it, reveals God to us, and gives life.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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.
When God was creating the world and everything in it, Genesis says “God said, and it was so”. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the spoken word of God. So, when God said it, the words of God were carried out. In this case you could say the Logos was carried out.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
This has always been the case. Jesus, since the beginning of creation, has always carried out the will of the Father. God the Father had the vision for creation, spoke it into existence, Jesus the Son, carried out the Will of the Father and did the work of creation, and the Spirit of God, who was hovering over the face of the waters supervised the work by Jesus and declared that it was good.
This fact of Jesus being with the Father in the beginning is further demonstrated in the next part of the sentence when it says that the Word was with God. Jesus was present with God the Father in the beginning.
22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, 26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
It would not make sense that God would be referring to himself and the angels here. God does not account the angels to be equal with himself. The us here, to make grammatical sense, would have to refer to others that would account equal to himself.
Then it goes onto say that the Word was God.
30 I and the Father are one.”
45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
Light
Light
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Light is not the opposite of darkness. It is the absence of. Darkness cannot exist where light exists.
We are nothing but darkness without Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world. He is our source of life and our source of light. The only thing good about you comes from Jesus.
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
It is only in Jesus that humanity finds life.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The light of Jesus shines in your darkness. It drives it out. It cannot exist. This light has always existed since the beginning. This light was prophesied by Isaiah.
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.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Sin cannot overpower Jesus. If you try to fight darkness with darkness, you will only get more darkness. We have no ability in ourselves to produce light. No matter how good we try to be. On the flip side, there is not enough bad that you can do that Jesus can’t drive out. You’re never too far gone. You’re never too evil. You’re never too dark. Jesus is the only source of light that can drive out the darkness.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John was only a witness to the light. He was not the true light. John understood what Isaiah said. He knew his role and he played it to perfection. We have the same obligation as John the Baptist did. We need to know what our role is and not step outside of the lane that God has designed for us.
Jesus presented himself to his own people and they didn’t receive Him. They were there for the miracles, the signs, the wonders, but they refused to believe.
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Those people had a choice and so do all of us.
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. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
This is extremely important. Those that would have heard John at that time, would have known exactly what he was talking about. This is the one that was promised. This is the one that they have heard about. This is the Messiah.
Testimony of John the Baptist
Testimony of John the Baptist
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The original listeners of John would have made the connection to what he was saying from the Prophet Isaiah.
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
But also from Malachi
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
John didn’t let people decide who he was.
He let Scripture decide who he was.
And Scripture says the same about us —
we are not perfect people,
we are not the Savior,
we are not the solution.
We are sinners saved by grace, called to love God and love people.”
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
When the Israelites were in slavery to Egypt, the final plague involved death. In order to avoid this penalty, a lamb had to been slain. The blood of that lamb would be spread over the doorpost of their houses so that the spirit of death would pass over their house and they would avoid the penalty of disobedience. It had to be a lamb without blemish or spot. It had to basically be perfect.
Jesus is our sacrificial lamb. He is the lamb that pays the penalty of our sins. His blood saves us from the death penalty that we so very deserve.
The same Jesus who created the world as the Logos, and shines into our darkness as the Light, now comes to deal with our sin as the Lamb.
The lamb in Exodus covered one family; the Lamb of God covers the world.
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
What an infamous question. Nathanael would soon find out that indeed something good came out of Nazareth. In fact, there are so many that ask a similar question, “Can anything good come from being a Christian?” For those that are unsure, like Nathanael, I invite you to come and see.
Conclusion
Conclusion
“In John 1 we see Jesus in His fullness.
He is the eternal Word who created all things.
He is the Light shining into our darkness.
He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the Son of God who opens heaven to us and invites us to follow Him.
The question of John 1 is not ‘Who is Jesus?’
John answers that clearly.
The real question is:
‘What will you do with Him?’
Will you reject the Light like many did,
or will you receive Him,
believe in His name,
and become a child of God?
Today, the same Word that spoke creation into existence
is speaking to your heart.
The same Light that darkness cannot overcome
is shining into your soul.
The same Lamb who died for the world
is calling you, like Andrew and Peter and Nathanael,
to come and see.”
How can the idea of Jesus being the Lamb of God influence how we deal with our own sins and those of others?
Why is it important for you to understand that Jesus is the light in your life?
What are some ways you can invite others to 'come and see' Jesus just like John the Baptist did?
How does knowing that Jesus is the source of all light affect your self-image and confidence?
Why is it significant that John the Baptist recognized his role and purpose? How can you find yours?
