The Prologue

The Purpose of John’s Gospel Account: John 20:30-31

John emphasizes Jesus as the eternal Son of God

The purpose of this gospel is to build faith and confidence in Jesus Christ so that we may believe that He truly was and is the Son of God.

John 20:30-31 “The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.”

John starts his Gospel account specifically identifying to his audience who Jesus is.

Jesus was fully human but Jesus was fully God.

When Jesus was fully human, he still was fully God. Jesus has never ceased to exist, he always was, and he always will be. Jesus not only taught what the word says but he was the word and he performed the word. What Jesus did is not separate of who He is or what he said.

About the Author?

The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John.

The son of Zebedee.

The brother of James.

One of the twelve disciples.

John lived the longest of the 12 disciples and was the only one that died a natural death.

Other scripture contributed by John the Apostle is I, II, III John and Revelation

John’s Audience?

Jews and Gentiles living two generations after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This writing is useful for every person today.

Jerusalem has been attacked by Roman Empire and the temple had been destroyed.

Jews have been scattered throughout the Roman Empire meaning Jews and Gentiles were more frequent in contact. He writes to a mixed audience. Timing of the writing of this gospel is Between AD 70 and AD 100

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the story of Jesus Life:

His Birth

His Life

His Ministry

His Death

His Resurrection

His Legacy

His Second Coming

What is the Logos?

What does John mean by the Word?

In the context of the old testament scripture the word was:

Agent of creation

Source of God’s Message - God spoke to his people through Kings, Priests, Prophets, Moses

God’s law/his standard of holiness

In Greek society the word was the principle of reason. Reason, thought, philosophy governed their system of thing.

In hebrew society the word was an expression of God.

We need to understand who Jesus is so that we have a health view of the Trinity. Human and God.

The idea that God was/became human for the Hebrew society was blasphemy. They could not piece together that a man was God or that God became a man.

The idea that a word/the word was a man does not make sense to the person of science, thought, or that uses reason to frame their world.

Key Point-

WE ARE TO FRAME OUR WORLD BY HIS WORD WHICH WE HAVE TO BELIEVE IN WHICH REQUIRES FAITH, TRUST, OBEDIENCE, and CONFIDENCE in Jesus as the Source of all things and complete TRUTH!

Four Biblical Truths Concerning the Logos: Eternal, Equal, God, Creates

We need to understand this basic truth about Jesus because this is the foundation of all truth. We must believe this basic truth and have faith in what the word says at all times.

The word is Eternal

The word is Equal

The Word is God

The Word Creates

The Word is Eternal

The word is lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning. As far back as you can think or imagine the word was here.

* God has no beginning

* God has no ending

The Word is Equal

Jesus is Equal with God

Considered to be the same as another in status.

Jesus and the Father are one -

THE WORD WAS WITH God = Special relationship of eternal Fellowship and Mutual Connection/Intercommunication. The son and the father are in close constant fellowship/relationship

Jesus is face to face with the father God in fellowship

The Father, son, and Holy Spirit are all God. Not three Gods, One God.

The Word is God

Divine status, the creator and supreme being.

Jesus is God Himself “The word was God”.

Whenever you have a question about where something comes from or why it is or how it is your answer should always be because of GOD. Not human first. God first.

The Biblical Explanation of God: Monotheism/Trinity

Trinitarian Explantions that are Not Biblical

Modalism

Modalism teaches that Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not distinct personalities, but different modes of God's self-revelation.

The idea is that there is only one God, but that this one God reveals himself in different ways and different forms - sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometimes as Holy Spirit.

Tritheism

Tritheism portrays Father, Son and Holy Spirit as three independent divine beings; three separate gods who are linked together in some special way - most commonly by sharing the "same substance" or being the same sort of thing.

People often make this mistake because they misunderstand the use of the word "persons" in defining the Trinity; it does not mean that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate personalities.

Partialism

Partialism is the idea that Father, Son and Holy Spirit together make up God. This would suggest that each of the persons of the Trinity is only part God, only becoming fully God when they are together.

Monarchianism

Monarchianism stresses God as One and downgrades the idea of the Trinity; it comes in various versions:

Adoptionism

Christ was born human and adopted by God at his resurrection (or baptism).

Arianism

This isn't a strictly Trinitarian heresy but it's relevant because it's the idea that the Son is in some way less fully God than the Father.

The Word Creates

The word has creative power (v. 3)

Brings all things into existence.

He makes something out of nothing.

Create is always used of God as the subject.

Only God can create.

Man can only rearrange what is already there and what has already been created by God.

Man cannot create in the same sense as when we used the word create to describe what God does.

How does God Create?

God Speaks His Word.

In the Beginning......

Comparing John 1:1-5 to Genesis 1:1-5 Parallels are found here.

What does John want his readers to hear?

* God is one God but he exist in three persons. Not only did God create the heavens and the earth but God created you.

* Jesus Christ and his word comes to bring life to everything that is formless and empty in your life.

* The word of God is for us to give our life His shape and His purpose. We are not to be formless and empty but we are to be filled with the light of God and to shine forth in the earth his glory (the spirit of God was present at creation too).

* Jesus Christ comes to produce a light in your heart to deal with every area of darkness that comes to separate us from God’s love.

* Light is Good. God is Good. He wants us to experience His love, goodness, and mercy through HIs Son Jesus Christ.

What/Why Did God Create?

The Light Principle

1. The word brings light (v. 4 and v. 5)

What is the Purpose of the Light?

2. The Light helps us to see (what does god want you to see.

1. He wants you to see yourself.

2. He wants you to see your need of Him.

3. He wants you to see his plan for your life

4. He wants you to see your purpose for being here (you were made by him)

5. We are to reflect his light. we do not produce light on our own

6. Light prevails over darkness. v. 5 - The WORD is VICTORIOUS OVER ALL DARKNESS. Not Opposition can stand against God’s Light

7. Shines in darkness

8. Darkness can never extinguish light

9. Light invades the dominion of darkness

10. Satan the ruler of darkness and his subjects will resist the light

11. Satan the ruler of darkness and his subjects will mimic the light

The Life Principle

1. God’s word gave life to everything (v. 4)

2. The word gives life (it gave life, it brought life) v. 4

God created life Because He wanted to. You are choosen.

God thought about you. (Intention) You are not a mistake or accident

God had something in mind for you. A Purpose.

There is something God wants to do for you and through you. Destiny & Dominion

Life Biblical Application for You Today:

* The Word is essential for everything we are and everything we do as a believer in Jesus Christ.

* The word is what God used to make everything happen

* The word brings clarity

* The word gives

* The word gives life

* The word brings light

The Coming of the Light - John 1:9-13

The Incarnation and Revelation - John 1:14-18

Questions for Reflection/discussion:

What is different about the opening of John’s Gospel compared to Matthew, Mark, Luke?

What parallels do you see between John 1:1-5 and Genesis 1:1-5?

(there is a motif. Motif - a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition. Pattern)

List everything we learn about Jesus from John 1:1-5?

What do we learn about life and light when we receive Jesus?

What was John the Baptist role and ambition? v. 6-8 and 15

Why did God’s people (jews) reject him if we was the fulfillment of OT prophecy? What was there issue?

What do verse 9-13 teach about how to become a child of God?

In what way are we supposed to let the light of God shine in our life? How do we do this properly?