In the Beginning
Greater Love • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
There was a student who showed up for his last final exam on what he hoped would be the last day of college. It was just this exam standing in his way.
He had to pass and he knew that it would be hard. The time limit was 90 minutes.
And when his professor said pencils down, he still had a few to go. So people started working their way to the front to drop off their exams.
And then it was just him left. Feverishly writing to finish the exam. The professor started yelling again, pencil’s down.
After everyone was gone. He finally finished. Brought his exam to the front of the class.
The professor said, I’m sorry you fail. I’ll see again you next semester.
The student looked confidently at his professor and boldly asks, “Do you know who I am?”
Irritated that a student would be so bold to threaten him with his identity, the professor matched his boldness and said,
“I don’t know who you are nor do I care. No one get’s special treatment.”
The young man responds, “So you really have no idea who I am?”
Again the professor said, “I have no idea who you are and I don’t care what you are trying to pull.”
With that, the young many shoved his exam into the middle of the pile and ran out of the door…and thus completed his college experience.
Identity is important.
In a lecture hall of over 100 students, it would be difficult for any professor to know all of his or her students.
But unless you know who someone is, it’s difficult to truly understand them.
In all of history there has never been a more important person that Jesus of Nazareth.
And throughout history there has never been a single person whose identity mattered more than Jesus of Nazareth.
And there has never been a person who people got wrong more than Jesus’ of Nazareth.
Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to John 1:1-5. As i stated a few weeks ago, the Gospel of John has always been attributed to the Apostle John. The son of Zebedee, the brother of James. one of the sons of thunder.
In history He is known as the Apostle of Love because He mentions love 80 times in his writings.
100 times He talks about believe.
Something you need to know about why John wrote His gospel is that it was a corrective from something called gnosticism.
Core Beliefs: Gnostic traditions are highly diverse, but they generally share several foundational concepts:
The Transcendent God vs. The Demiurge: Gnostics believed in an unknowable, supreme, and purely spiritual God. The material universe, however, was not created by this supreme God, but by a lesser, flawed deity called the Demiurge (often equated with the creator God of the Old Testament). [1, 2, 3, 4]
Dualism of Spirit and Matter: Gnostic cosmology is strictly dualistic. Spirit is viewed as purely good, while the material world (including the physical body) is considered inherently evil, flawed, or a prison for the soul. [1, 2, 3]
The Divine Spark: Gnostics believed that humans possess a "divine spark" (a fragment of the supreme spiritual realm) trapped inside their material bodies. Salvation is achieved through mystical insight into one's true, divine origin. [1]
The Role of JesusMany Gnostic sects were heavily influenced by early Christianity and incorporated Jesus Christ into their systems. However, their understanding of Jesus differed radically from orthodox Christian views. Rather than focusing on his death and physical resurrection, Gnostics viewed Jesus as a divine emissary who came to Earth to deliver the secret knowledge (gnosis) necessary for humanity's spiritual liberation. Because they believed the physical world was evil, some Gnostic groups (known as Docetists) argued that Jesus only appeared to have a physical human body, while his true nature was entirely spiritual.
John wrote to combat this gross misunderstanding of the identity of Jesus. But he did it with simplicity and clarity.
It’s as though John were asked, explain it to me like I’m 5. This is the Gospel that I encourage many to start with…and surprisingly many Christians have never read. So if you are explaining this to a 5 year old, where do you start…
At the beginning….
to answer answer the first and most important question:
Introduce:
Big Idea: WHO is this JESUS?
Big Idea: WHO is this JESUS?
Read: 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.
Big Idea: WHO is this JESUS?
Big Idea: WHO is this JESUS?
By the time of John’s writing, Jesus’ crucifixion was a someone distant memory. Many put the Gospel in the late first century in the 80s. By this time, the church’s influence was already apparent. This little sect wasn’t going anywhere.
The more the Romans killed, the stronger the church became. So many people were asking, “Who is this Jesus?”
Didn’t He die? And when a leader dies, doesn’t the movement die?
And why are all of His followers joyfully giving their lives for this Jesus?
And even today, people continue to recognize the church’s influence in the world. Many think it’s negative. But they don’t deny that Christians are influential in the world and His followers around the world are joyfully willing to die for Him.
So still they ask, “Who is this Jesus?”
John doesn’t beat around the bush. He gives us 3 answers this question that are really 1. The Bible really likes the number 3 and then reducing it to 1.
First.
1. This is the ETERNAL GOD. (John 1:1)
1. This is the ETERNAL GOD. (John 1:1)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Explanation: How do we square this with verses like Isaiah 44:8
8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
With this, you get the basis for the Trinity.
Big for the Jews. All over the OT.
Transformational for the gentiles.
This changes everything.
Illustration: Dan Dennison….”Two Powers.” Binitarianism.
Angel of the Lord. Psalm 24:7-10
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
This is Jesus.
Application: So if this Jesus is God, we might want to pay attention to Him and treat him accordingly.
If you miss this, you miss everything.
Just a good teacher..
good man.
Miracle worker
John is clear….this Jesus is God.
So many missed this in John’s day....and even today.
2. This is the ALMIGHTY CREATOR. (John 1:2-3)
2. This is the ALMIGHTY CREATOR. (John 1:2-3)
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.
Explanation:
Certain sects look at this and say, it just says that Jesus is “a” God. But this is creator.
LOGOS….the Word.
If go back to Genesis…how did God create?
3 And God said,
The word…the Logos is creator.
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.
Illustration: C.S. Lewis show this with Aslan in the Magicians Nephew. But I love what C.S. Lewis does….Aslan sings.
I can’t prove this….but the word of Creation would probably be music to our ears.
Application: My dad used to say….”I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it.”
If Jesus is creator, he deserves our reverance and awe.
3. This is the LIGHT for a DARK WORLD. (John 1:4-5)
3. This is the LIGHT for a DARK WORLD. (John 1:4-5)
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.
Again we go to Genesis and the first words of God recorded by Moses….
3 “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Explanation: That’s interesting…
This idea of light permeates throughout all of the Gospel of John.
John likes doublets.
Light and darkness
death and life
above and below
Love and love…which we will get to later as well.
Light and Darkness all over John
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Illustration: In Genesis people often ask, how can there be light before the sun? Because all the light we have on earth is the result of the sun. The colors we see. Our eyes our perfectly made to discern the color spectrum put out by our sun.
Therefore science says, the Bible is wrong.
Nah, let’s leave the beginning and go to the end….Revelation and what does it say about our eternal home.
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus has always been our light.
And in saying let there be light, He was bringing himself into creation.
And a creation with no sun for light, the darkness was not able to overcome the Light of Christ.
And our dark world won’t either.
Light is powerful.
If we turned off all of the lights in this room and I lit a candle, every single person in this room would look at it. You wouldn’t have a choice, you’re eyes would be drawn to it.
But if I brought a high lumen flashlight, you would have to look away because it would be too jarring.
That was the effect Jesus had on people. You were either drawn to Him or repelled.
And the longer you spend in darkness….
Application:
Don’t look away from the light.
Embrace it and believe.
Become the light as you allow Christ to shine through you.
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Same response every week…
Response: Are you READY to BELIEVE?
Response: Are you READY to BELIEVE?
from here on out to the end of the question John asks with every single story he tells about Jesus. Every sign. Every teaching. Every claim begs the question, are you ready to believe?
So our response is not going to change that much this year.
Will you believe in this Jesus?
Will you trust in His name?
Will you let Him build your life around Him?
Summation: Get his identity right!
Big Idea: WHO is this JESUS?
1. This is the ETERNAL GOD. (John 1:1)
2. This is the ALMIGHTY CREATOR. (John 1:2-3)
3. This is the LIGHT for a DARK WORLD. (John 1:4-5)
Response: Are you READY to BELIEVE?
Closing Illustration: No one likes to have their identity mistaken.
And we all have something we want to be remembered for which is not always what we are remembed for.
Mistakes
dumb things that we did.
physical appearance
stuff.
Jesus is remembered in many ways for all the wrong things.
teaching
miracles
absolutely abliterating the legalistic pharisees and religious leaders.
But we must remember him for being immanuel…God with us.
Not because God shown through Him or did great things by His hand.
But because
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We must remember Jesus for who He is…and that changes everything.
What John wants us most to know is that this is not a deist God who set the world in motion and left us to fend for ourselves.
This Jesus is a God who is intimately engaged with us.
As Paul said, “in Him all things hold together.”
And in our greatest need, Jesus is the God who came down to us to save us from our sins.
Because He loves His people that much.
The Eternal God, almighty maker of heaven and earth, the light of the world….shown in our darkeness.
That by believing we might have life in His name.
May you believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing you will have eternal life in His love.
Let’s pray.
