John 1:6-10

HOUSE OF PRAYER

05 March 2017 –

Clarity, Authority, Passion

Focus Question (What does…?)

What does “The Word became flesh” mean, and why is it important?

Timeless Truth (Truth of God’s Word)

His redemptive power, and His deity- This Gospel has taken the Creation account and connected the re-creation of the believer moving from darkness to light.

Background / Context (Context: Theme, Date/ Time, Speaker, Audience, and Situation)

Written in a time subsequent to 70 A.D. but believed to be between 70-100 AD

I. THEME

o Christ’s Deity (THE LIGHT)

II. DATE / TIME

o 70 AD was the date of the destruction of the temple, John dies before 100 AD – so we can be sure that it was not any later than 100 AD.

o We can discern this because this was during a time that the Sea of Tiberias was the name typically used for the Sea of Galilee (6:21, 21:1)

III. SPEAKER: John (The Apostle that Jesus “loved”)

IV. AUDIENCE: Different from the synoptic gospels as it is written to everyone (Greek and Jew)

V. SITUATION: John focuses on events that are not found in the synoptic gospels to prove one thing to the reader – JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH, that the eternal WORD came to earth, had been born of a virgin to die as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Not discussing: genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, casting out of demons, parables, transfiguration, communion, sweating blood in Gethsemane, or His ascension.

Scripture

(ESV) pg 517

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Cross-Reference

(ESV) pg 499

40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

(ESV) pg 331

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.

(ESV) pg 347

3 A voice cries in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God

(ESV) pg 353

6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The word “testify / witness / testimony” appears specific to John’s writtings over 60 times (as a Noun, and only approximately 10 times does he use it as a verb;

the verb “believe” occurs 98 times expecting a response from John’s audience;

I. THE LIGHT

a. Isaiah

b. (was “a” God) – a predicate nominative never follows a verb

II. THE WOMB

a.

b.

c.

III. THE OLD

a. – the first gospel

b. Passion of Christ – last week of prep

c. His crucifixion

IV. Illustration (Optional, note: This is not an embellishment, it must be directly applicable to the theme being communicated by the text.)

The Perfect Storm – who calms that storm? Is the storm our responsibility, or is staying on course? ()

And when He got into the boat the disciples followed Him and behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying “Save Us Lord; we are perishing.” (imagine the discussion of who was gonna wake Him up) And He said to them “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him?”

Prosperity is a false gospel…

V. Application (Most important part of message. Within this section, the following questions are answered using the focal text covered: “SO WHAT?” Why is this important to me…? How do I apply this to my life?)

If you are dead, and at the bottom of the ocean, can you reach for the surface?

SO WHAT? – The so what part of the message is that Jesus Christ bought you for a price ( pg 556) you are not your own, for you were bought with a price, not only did HE buy you for a price that included HIS own blood…HE knew what HE was getting when HE paid that price for you! Not a better you, not a future you, not a cleaner, or shinier you…you! You today! ()

VI. Invitation (Challenge question: So what decision will you make today?)

So, what are you going to do about it? HE wants you, HE wants you to be HIS…HE is obviously drawing you to Himself…cry out to HIM, beg HIM to be the Lord of your life. Repent (about face) from whatever sin has a stronghold on you and cry out to HIM.

Jesus’ Seven “Signs” in the Gospel of John

1. Changing water into wine in Cana (2:1–11)

2. Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46–54)

3. Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1–18)

4. Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5–14)

5. Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:16–21)

6. Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1–7)

7. Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1–45)

Jesus’ Seven “I Am’s” in the Gospel of John

1. “I am the Bread of Life” (6:35).

2. “I am the Light of the world” (8:12).

3. “I am the Gate for the sheep” (10:7; cf. v. 9).

4. “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14).

5. “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).

6. “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (14:6).

7. “I am the true Vine” (15:1; cf. v. 5).

Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 269). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

The Word Became Flesh (1:1–18)

No other book in the Bible has a prologue as overtly theological as does the Gospel of John. First, John made a clear and decisive statement regarding the nature of Jesus: “the Word was God” and that “Word became flesh.” John wanted it known that Jesus Christ was fully God in human form. That is the meaning of “incarnation,” from the Latin incarnatus, which means made flesh. God has made Himself known through Christ. Christ was both “Word” and “flesh,” not one to the exclusion of the other, and thus was the perfect and only God-man. Christ made His “dwelling” with us, a word associated with “tent” or “tabernacle,” intimating the literalness of God’s coming to humanity. This word usage should not be lost on the reader, for the tabernacle of the Old Testament was an earthly building filled with the glory of God ().

In using the term “Word” (logos), John was using a term familiar to both Jews and Greeks, though each attributed a different meaning to the term. For the Greek mind the “Word” referred to the rational principle that supervised or governed the universe. To the Jew, “Word” was a reference to God. Thus John wanted to equate the “Word” with God while noting that the Word was distinct from the Father. John stated that Jesus was with God “in the beginning” and that through Christ “all things were made.” Jesus is therefore seen as co-eternal with God and as the Creator.

John then discussed the purpose of the Word becoming flesh, namely that Christ brought life, a life that serves as the “light” for all people. The life Christ offers is beyond that of mere human life; it is life eternal with God. Therefore Jesus brought the light of truth and the life of salvation. The questions and concerns of this world that find no ultimate answers are met by the Light that pierces all darkness with the brilliance of truth, yet this truth has been rejected.

The bitter irony of this should not be lost on the reader. John emphasized this irony, stating that though He created the world, the world did not recognize Him. Though He came to His own, His own did not receive Him. God has come to the world for acceptance and relationship. Those who accept the Light, who believe in the message Christ proclaimed about Himself, are given the “right to become the children of God.” To be born into the kingdom of God is not something achieved on human energy (see ) but by the grace of the living God through Christ Jesus. This is to be balanced by the emphasis on the need to “receive” Christ. Though we bring nothing to God and contribute nothing to our salvation, the gift itself is dependent on our willingness to receive it from the one who offers it.

White, J. E. (1998). John. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (pp. 466–467). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

B. The witness of John the Baptist (1:6–8).

1:6. In addition to the eternal Word, a man came on the stage of history: his name was John. This John did not author this Gospel but was the great forerunner of Jesus known as John the Baptist. He was sent from God, which was the secret of his importance. Like the Old Testament prophets he was equipped and commissioned by God for special ministry.

1:7. The word witness (both as a noun [martyria] and verb [martyreō]) is important in this Gospel (cf. v. 15, 32, 34; 3:11, 26; 5:31–32, 36–37; 18:37; 19:35; etc). (See the chart with the comments on 5:33–34.) John the Baptist was sent for people’s benefit to be an additional pointer to the truth of Jesus, the Revealer of the Father. People in sin are in such darkness that they need someone to tell them what is light. John’s goal was that all men might come to trust in Jesus.

1:8. John the Baptist was great, but he … was not the Light. Some evidence suggests that the movement begun by John the Baptist continued after his death and even after the death and resurrection of Jesus (4:1; cf. ; ). Twenty years after Jesus’ resurrection (cf. ; ) Paul found about 12 disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus. A Mandaean sect still continues south of Baghdad which, though hostile to Christianity, claims an ancestral link to the Baptist.

C. The coming of the Light (1:9–13).

1:9. This has been called the Quaker’s text because of that group’s erroneous use of it and their stress on the “inner light.” The words was coming (erchomenon) may refer to every man (as in the niv marg.) or to Christ, the true Light (as in the niv text). The latter is preferred, for it suggests the Incarnation.

Christ gives light to every man. This does not mean universal salvation or general revelation or even inner illumination. Instead, it means that Christ as the Light shines (phōtizei) on each person either in salvation or in illuminating him with regard to his sin and coming judgment (3:18–21; 9:39–41; cf. 16:8–11).

1:10. The world (kosmos) means the world of men and human society which is now in disobedience to God and under the rulership of Satan (cf. 14:30). The Logos came among people in the Incarnation, but mankind did not recognize its Maker (cf. ). The failure to recognize (egnō, “know”) Him was not because God’s nature was somehow “hidden” in people, as some suggest. Rather, it is because of human ignorance and blindness, caused by sin ().

niv New International Version

marg. margin, marginal reading

niv New International Version

Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 272). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.