WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:10.240 We get to start a brand new book, and that's that's always exciting, and I'm especially excited because it's the Gospel of John, and I just love the Gospel of John. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:34.719 But I want to give you a heads up because this morning, as we start this off, it's gonna feel more like a classroom today than it is gonna be a sermon because we want to establish a foundation that really springboards every sermon that comes in the rest of this book from now on, and really establish uh that foundation for us to leap from. 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:42.560 So today uh we're gonna do an intro to the Gospel of John, and then we're gonna go through verses one through five together. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:47.840 And there's gonna be moments where it's gonna feel like a fire hose, and I'm not apologizing for that. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:49.359 I'm just giving you a heads up. 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:55.600 You know, if you need to go grab your coffee, grab your coffee because there's a lot coming at you uh here this morning. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:05.200 Um, but in verses one through five, it's probably, in my opinion, my humble opinion, the greatest thesis statement of all time. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:11.680 Of he's he's gonna be telling us what he's gonna be talking about for the next 21 chapters. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:21.359 Uh, everything that we go over in these next 21 chapters of John, um, we're gonna be able to go back to these first five verses and say, see how he's now addressing that. 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:26.400 So we're gonna get into some really nitty-gritty details uh today. 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:42.079 We're gonna be going over some Greek definitions and things like that because looking at those definitions is really gonna help us to see um the eternal God, the eternal Jesus Christ, and how he is God and how he is the Son of God. 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:52.879 So we're gonna be defining a lot of terms, we're gonna be looking ahead a lot at a lot of verses that are to come in John to kind of show what John's talking about in these first five verses as well. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:57.840 Um, so let's start off with our intro to John with a little bit about the author. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:02.879 So, John, he was a disciple of Jesus Christ. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.719 But before that, he was a disciple of John the Baptist. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:11.439 And then after all that, he becomes one of the apostles. 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:23.199 And to see the kind of relationship that he had with Jesus, John refers to himself in his own writing, in this book of John, as the disciple Jesus loved. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:31.599 You know, when he thought of how Jesus saw him, it was as the disciple Jesus loved. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:50.400 You know, when he, well, let's put it this way, I think Jesus wants us all to have that same perspective as his disciples, as his followers, that when we think of how Jesus sees us, that we think of ourselves as the disciple that Jesus loved. 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:59.840 You know, we'll see John in chapter 13 reclining with Jesus, it says, Really leaning on his breast is what that means. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.039 Um, there was this close love and bond. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:10.400 I mean, when Jesus Christ was on the cross in chapter 19, he's gonna tell John, this is your mother. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.800 He's basically gonna entrust the care of his own mother to John. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:21.919 So they have this close love, they have this bond and this trust that's between Jesus and John. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:29.280 And this gives us really such an insight into John's perspective of Jesus as he writes this gospel. 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:36.560 And I think some insight as well to why he wrote this gospel, which we're gonna get into in a little bit. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:41.280 But first, we know that John is the son of Zebedee. 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.319 And there's a good chance that John's mom's name is Solome. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:54.240 The Solome that is mentioned as one of the women that was there as a witness of the crucifixion with Jesus' mother Mary. 00:03:54.400 --> 00:04:00.080 Um it says that she was a follower of Jesus and one of the people that took care of Jesus. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:10.319 And there's even the possibility that Solome was Mary's sister and therefore Jesus' aunt, making John Jesus' first cousin. 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:15.840 But none of that can be proven strictly through Scripture, so we're not going to go down that rabbit hole. 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:28.079 But if you want to go down that rabbit hole, it's kind of fun to try and piece all the pieces together and see what you come up with, because there's some people that are like, he is the first cousin, there's others like there's no way he's the first cousin. 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:31.759 Um, but it doesn't really matter in the end, but it's a fun rabbit hole. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:38.959 Um we also know that John's brother is James, who is also a disciple of Jesus. 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:42.800 And together they had one of the best nicknames in history. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:52.560 Jesus called them sons of thunder, which makes me, I have a lot of questions about that, or exactly how they arrived at that. 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:57.360 But I think these guys are pretty fiery guys from uh from everything we see. 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:05.759 And John and his brother James were part of the three that got to do some very special things with Jesus. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.319 You know, the three being Peter, James, and John. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.399 We see those three together a lot. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:17.439 And for instance, they were the three that Jesus chose to come with them, and they got to witness the transfiguration. 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:22.800 And we get to see them do a lot of other things in a much smaller group with Jesus. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:34.959 So, all that to say, John knows Jesus in a very special way that probably only a few people did while Jesus was on earth. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:39.279 Just a few people probably knew him as well as John did. 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:44.240 And he writes this gospel with that intimate perspective of Christ. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:47.360 So let's talk a little bit about when it was written. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:53.600 You know, there's many things that point to John writing this between 70 AD and 100 AD. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:06:05.120 You know, some of the language John uses points to his writing after the fall of Jerusalem, which took place in 70 AD, by some of the language and some of the geography that he refers to. 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:10.079 And most think that John died somewhere around the turn of the first century. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.360 So somewhere in there is where John wrote that. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:25.120 You know, some extra-biblical history, so we don't find this in scripture, but through extra-biblical history, um, point to John writing this from Ephesus when he was approaching 90 years old. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:27.680 So there's a possibility of that. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.480 But again, that's another rabbit hole that you can go down on your own time, but not today. 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:39.759 Also, church tradition holds that John is the only one of Jesus' disciples that died of old age. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:46.160 We know that Judas killed himself, and then all of the other disciples of Jesus were martyrs. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:55.519 So John's unique in that way, that he had a very old life, especially for that time to live uh to be 90 was old. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:07:05.519 And it's thought that John's primary audience in writing this was really not to the Jews, but to a greater Greco-Roman audience. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:09.680 Because we're gonna see him explaining Jewish customs in his writing. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:17.759 Uh, he's gonna translate some Aramaic terms into Greek for the readers, and we'll see him describing the geography of Israel. 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:23.120 So these are all things that you really wouldn't need to do if it was just for a Jewish audience. 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.160 And this isn't the only book that John wrote. 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:33.439 John also wrote the epistles, 1, 2nd, and 3 John, and he also wrote the book of Revelation as well. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:39.199 So five of the New Testament books that we hold in our hands today were written by this John. 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.439 So let's take a look at how this book is set up. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:54.240 So the first 11 chapters, so 11, 1 through 11, focus on ministry and proof of Jesus' divinity. 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:57.040 So that's really what he's writing about in the first 11 chapters. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:02.399 And then 12 through 17, it's gonna be instruction to his disciples. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:06.399 And if you're a follower of a Christ, that's you too. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.040 Instructions to his disciples. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:12.160 So there's gonna be a lot for us to glean from that. 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:26.800 And then in chapters 18 through 21, it's really focuses on the time from Jesus' betrayal through his resurrection, and then also some of the things that he did in between his resurrection and his ascension from earth. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:36.320 So let's talk a little bit about the purpose of why the Holy Spirit inspired John to write this gospel. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:43.759 You know, when the Holy Spirit also inspired three other authors to do the same thing and write their own gospel account. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:51.279 Well, we have the benefit of John coming right out and telling us why he wrote his account of Jesus in John 20. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:58.480 He says, Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:02.320 But these are written, and so here's the purpose of his writing. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:12.960 These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:20.240 So, first, to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, that he's also fully God, the Son of God. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:30.240 And then, second, it's for the purpose of evangelism, that by believing in Jesus, he says, that you may have life in his name. 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:37.679 So it makes sense that the most famous evangelistic verse that anybody in the U.S. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:39.679 knows comes from this book. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:41.279 It's John 3.16. 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:43.919 For God loved the world in this way. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:10:03.039 And really, in the first five verses that we're gonna cover here this morning, John will establish all of this that we're talking about. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:21.600 He's gonna establish all of this, and then he's gonna continue through the rest of this book proving that Jesus is the Messiah, proving that he is God, God the Son, and Jesus is the only way to eternal life with God. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:29.600 And this book is really him expounding on and proving these themes that we're gonna see in the first five verses. 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.919 But before we jump into that, I also want to talk about a few other things. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:42.879 So in this book, we're gonna find seven metaphorical statements that Jesus makes that start with I am. 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:46.399 The seven I am statements is what they're known as. 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:48.480 And we'll throw them up there on a slide. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.000 He's gonna say, I am the bread of life. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:11:04.720 I am the light of the world, I am the gate for the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:08.399 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.399 And then he's gonna say, I am the true vine. 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:17.440 And these describe metaphorically who Jesus is. 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:29.840 But we're gonna see two more statements where Jesus is gonna say, I am, but not metaphorically, but as an outright declaration of being God. 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:42.559 And we really should probably go back a little bit to the story of Moses when Moses was on Mount Sinai and God was explaining his plan for bringing the Jews out of Egypt. 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:54.799 And it says, then Moses asked God, if I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your ancestors has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:56.559 What should I tell them? 00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:01.440 And God replied to Moses, he said, I am who I am. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:08.879 This is what you are to say to the Israelites, I am has sent me to you. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:15.840 And we will see Jesus make these statements that he is the I am. 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:23.919 And when we think about that as the name of God, as I am, it really speaks of self-sufficiency. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:38.720 It speaks of self-existence, having no beginning and having no end, but having an eternal existence, past and future, that is not dependent upon anything else. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.639 You know, it's something that only God can say. 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:45.519 And Jesus says it. 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:56.080 And to say this at this time in Israel, it was considered blasphemy by the Jews, and you were to be stoned if anybody said that about themselves. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:08.960 And so when Jesus says in John 8, 58, Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am, the Jews knew exactly what he was claiming in that statement. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.279 And they got so mad, what did they try to do? 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.120 They tried to stone him, right? 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.759 Because he was claiming to be God. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:22.080 Now, the second instance of this that we're going to see is in John 18, verses 4 and 5. 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:31.759 This is when, if you remember the soldiers and the officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees, they all come to Gethsemane with Judas to arrest Jesus. 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.919 And Jesus asked them as they're approaching, you know, who are you seeking? 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:40.159 And Jesus, and it says, they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:42.480 And Jesus said, I am he. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:49.120 And it says when Jesus told them, I am he, that they stepped back and they fell to the ground. 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:55.519 The I am said, I am, and they fell over. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:59.440 And they still had the audacity to arrest him. 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:03.200 I mean, at any point along the road, he could have just been like, I am, boom. 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:05.759 I am, boom, you know. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:10.480 Which just goes to show that Jesus was not forced to be crucified. 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:14.159 He went of his own free will to the cross. 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:18.879 So we're going to be looking as we go forward at these I am statements. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:24.960 Now, in John, we'll also see some words that are used over and over again. 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:30.559 So I want to take a look at a few of those words just as a little taste of what's to come. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:35.840 He uses the word father a hundred and thirty-four times in this book. 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:42.159 You know, showing the connection and the oneness of Jesus the Son and God the Father. 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:48.559 He uses the word no, K-N-O-W, a hundred and five times. 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:53.519 And then he's going to use the word believe 98 times. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.440 Remember, why did John write this gospel? 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:06.960 So that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:12.159 You know, know and believe are really evangelistic words, aren't they? 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:18.240 And John wants people to know the love of Christ as he knows the love of Christ. 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:23.679 He wants people to believe in Jesus as he believes in Jesus. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:27.519 And John knows these things from first hand knowledge. 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:36.080 So we get to learn these things from John, from his first hand knowledge as he writes these words and we get to read them together. 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:49.200 So, one last thing before we jump into the verses, let's talk a little bit about how John's gospel is different from the other three Gospels that we see, from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:56.879 And Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as synoptic gospels because they cover a lot of the same events. 00:15:57.120 --> 00:16:08.480 For example, Mark is the shortest gospel that we have, and you can find about 90% of the content that is in Mark's Gospel in Matthew's Gospel. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.840 So about 90% of Mark you can find in Matthew. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.080 And about 50% of Mark you can find in Luke's Gospel. 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:21.840 So there's a lot of crossover between those three books talking about the same events. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:27.840 And the Synoptic Gospels are where all of Jesus' parables are found. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:31.759 So in John, you're not going to find a single parable of Jesus. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.159 Those are all in the other three Gospels. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:40.480 And the Synoptic Gospels really focus mainly on Jesus' ministry in Galilee. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:45.200 And John's going to focus more on Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:49.440 There's crossover in both, but the main focus is different. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:56.559 And we'll see that John's Gospel gives us a lot of unique material that we don't find in the other Gospels. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.440 We're going to see a lot concerning the Trinity. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:05.200 We're going to see a lot of John proving that Jesus is God. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:12.799 And a lot of our doctrine that we hold regarding the Trinity comes from this Gospel of John. 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:20.319 You know, the Trinity being one God in three persons, it's clear from the first chapter of John 1. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:24.319 And we're going to see it very clearly again when Jesus gets baptized. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:27.839 So the Gospel of John is unique in that way. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:34.400 So keep all of that mind as we in mind as we launch into these first five verses. 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.519 So let's start John chapter 1, verse 1. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:41.200 If you're able, please stand for the reading of God's Word. 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:52.160 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:54.319 And the Word was God. 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.279 He was with God in the beginning. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:05.200 All things were created through him, and apart from him, not one thing was created that has been created. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:10.160 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:15.759 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:17.119 Let's pray. 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:22.079 Lord, we thank you for this new book that we get to jump into. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:37.440 Lord, I pray that even if we've read through this a ton of times, or maybe we're hearing it for the first time, Lord, I pray that you would open our minds, that you would open our hearts, that you would open our ears to the things that you have for us. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:43.359 That you would uh be the one that's teaching us through your word. 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:50.640 And that this wouldn't just be great head knowledge that we're gaining as we go through this, Lord, but it would be heart knowledge. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:55.680 It would be things that change us and make us more like Jesus as we study through your word. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:04.640 So, Lord, I pray that you would use your word as a carving knife on our hearts, Lord, to mold us and to and to shape us and that we would truly be clay in your hands. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:11.599 Lord, would you mold us and make us into the people that you desire us to be as we become more like Jesus, we pray. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:12.799 In Jesus' name. 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:13.759 Amen. 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:26.480 So in the first five verses, John's gonna show us who Jesus is in relation to five different things or persons. 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:30.799 And we're gonna go over each in detail, but I want to give you a heads up first. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:45.440 So Jesus, we're gonna see Jesus in relation to time, we're gonna see Jesus in relation to the Godhead, Jesus in relation to the universe, Jesus in relation to mankind, and then Jesus in relation to darkness. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:47.119 Just in these five verses here. 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:50.319 And we'll talk about each one of those as we go along. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:20:01.039 And there are two things that I think as believers that tend to tie our brains in knots as followers of Christ and as students of God's word. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.680 The first thing is trying to wrap our brains around the Trinity, right? 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.880 One God, three persons, how exactly does that work? 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:18.079 And the second thing that we struggle to wrap our brains around is trying to think outside of time. 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:25.759 Like when we talked about God being I am, what does it mean to be outside of time? 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:31.599 You know, what does it mean that God has always existed and doesn't have a beginning and doesn't have an end? 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:38.400 And how does God interact with man, which is stuck in time, when he's outside of it? 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:45.440 You know, all of these things can be really hard to wrap our head around because all we've ever known is time. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.640 All we've ever known is this life on earth. 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:54.240 Everything that we've pretty much known in the physical has a beginning and has an expiration. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:59.200 So it's hard for us to think about something existing outside of time. 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:02.079 And guess what we're talking about today? 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:05.759 The Trinity and being outside of time. 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:15.359 But as we talk through these hard concepts, I want to encourage you by uh by asking you a question. 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:19.279 And here's the question I really want you to stop and think about it. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.880 Would you want to worship a God that you fully understand? 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:28.720 Really think on that. 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:32.799 Would you want to worship a God that you fully understand? 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:47.119 And I'll tell you right now that I would not want to worship a God that I fully understood, because if I can fully understand something, that makes me equal to or greater than whatever it is that I fully understand. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:52.880 You know, I'm really okay not fully understanding how the Trinity works. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:59.759 And that's not an excuse to not try and understand the Trinity better, but I'm okay with the mystery of. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.480 And the wonder that I'm left in when I think about those things. 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:09.920 You know, I'm okay with not fully understanding how God always has been. 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:22.720 Because I'm limited in my thinking, and I realize that because I've only known time, and I have no frame of reference for being outside of time and what that means and how to comprehend that. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:30.319 So instead of these things bringing frustration, really they should lead us to awe and wonder. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:34.319 They should lead us to worshiping God more. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:41.680 They should lead us to thanksgiving that God is so much greater than us that we can't fully comprehend Him. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:46.720 And that should confirm to us that He's worthy of our worship. 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:52.640 So if we leave here and all of our questions are not answered, that's okay. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:23:00.720 Don't get frustrated, but instead I want to encourage you to allow that to put you in awe of all that God is. 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:05.359 You know, Warren Wearsby said in his book, Real Worship, one of my favorites. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:09.119 He said, if it's not awe, it's not worship. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:14.000 We need awe in our relationship with God. 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:21.759 We should never be short of awe when we're thinking about God and when we're thinking about these things. 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:36.240 You know, mystery and wonder and awe should be a natural part of what happens when we think about God, when we think about his greatness, when we think about the Trinity, when we think of him being outside of time. 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:39.440 So I just want to encourage you, don't get frustrated with those things. 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:48.319 But allow that to bring thanksgiving into your heart of how amazing God is, and that we get to be his sons and his daughters. 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.279 So let's take a look at that first chunk of verse 1. 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:54.559 It says, In the beginning was the word. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:58.640 So first we're going to look at Jesus in relation to time. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:13.039 Now, this first part here, in the beginning was the word, should really make us go back and think of Genesis 1.1, where it says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:23.759 And what John's doing is he's placing Jesus right there, as Jesus taking an active role in all of creation. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:48.079 Not beginning in the beginning with creation and time as we know it, but in existence since eternity past, and taking part in the creation of time, in the creation of the universe, the creation of earth and everything that's on it, and in the creation of you and me. 00:24:49.279 --> 00:25:00.079 You know, even in the creation of people that were born before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, people like John the Baptist and even Abraham, as we already talked about. 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:04.079 He said, Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am. 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:09.759 Which we can't even use proper English for that, right? 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:14.319 When we look at that from a like a grammar perspective, that doesn't make sense. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.799 Truly I tell you before Jesus was, I am. 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:20.720 It's like that already starts tying our brain in knots a little bit. 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:23.759 But look at the word was here. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:32.400 Because John is going to use the this word in this form of was four times just in the first two verses. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:38.400 And in the Greek, this verb is used in an imperfect tense, it's called. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:42.160 It's the same idea, really, of I am. 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:47.279 It's a continuous, self-sufficient existence. 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:53.519 You know, you could say, in the beginning, continuously exist the word. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.720 And that doesn't even make sense in English either. 00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:04.799 But when you see the word was, think of existing from eternity past through eternity future. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:10.880 Okay, when we see it for the next four uses, it has that continuous vibe to it, really. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:19.039 So John says here in chapter 1, verse 1, in the beginning was continuously the word. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:22.640 Now let's look at the word word. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:25.680 Here it's the Greek word lagos. 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:37.200 And John uses this word here, and also he uses it in 1 John 1.1 in his first epistle, and he also uses it in Revelation 19, 13 in his writing there. 00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:45.039 And if you look up the word Lagos in the Greek, it's the longest definition that I have ever seen in the Greek dictionary. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:57.920 So we're not gonna look at the whole thing because there'll probably be like five continuous slides, but there's a few parts of it that I would like to highlight because it's gonna help us to understand what this word means in the Greek. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:04.240 And uh sometimes looking at definitions helps us to understand really what those things mean. 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:14.799 So the first part that we want to look at is Lagos, and it says, of speech, a word uttered by a living voice embodies a conception or idea. 00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:19.440 What someone has said, a word, the sayings of God. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:21.920 So I want to start with a question for you. 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:26.640 What does it take for somebody to know your thoughts? 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:34.079 Well, you have to express your thoughts through your words, through your speech, right? 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:39.440 In order from your thought to go to something that somebody else understands, right? 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:45.839 Well, Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 through 3 talks a little bit about this. 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:53.440 It says, long ago, God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:58.319 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:05.519 God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:09.440 The Son is the radiance of God's glory. 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:20.079 And here's the part I really want you to focus on, and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:25.200 Jesus is the exact expression of God's nature. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.160 You know, we use words to express our thoughts and so that people can know who we are. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:36.640 God uses Jesus to express his thoughts and so that we can know who he is. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.640 So that's that first part of Lagos, that word. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:51.920 Now the second part that I want to focus on, section three of the definition, defines specifically how John uses this word in his writings. 00:28:52.079 --> 00:29:26.319 And it says in John, denotes the essential word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life, both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shown forth conspicuously from his words and deeds. 00:29:26.799 --> 00:29:30.559 You see how much is packed into this one word, word? 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:46.480 And how Jesus is the expression of God, the exact expression, as it says in Hebrews, he's the physical representation of all that is God, because he is God, the Son. 00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:54.880 You know, Jesus says in we'll get to, you know, in uh chapter 8, he says, if you knew me, you would also know my father. 00:29:55.359 --> 00:30:00.720 In chapter 14, he's gonna say, if you know me, you will also know my father. 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:09.200 From now on, you do know him and have seen him, because they saw Jesus and they knew Jesus. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:15.680 Because Jesus is the word, the expression of all that God is. 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:17.759 Now look at the second part of verse 1. 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:24.400 It says, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:27.519 Remember, when you see was, think continuously forever. 00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:36.000 So, and the word was with God, and the word was God, he was with God in the beginning. 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:40.799 So, who is Jesus in relation to the Godhead? 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:42.480 He is God. 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:55.119 And John clarifies here that Jesus was, you know, there's that word, with God the Father, and is God also, God the Son. 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:58.240 He's the second person of the Trinity. 00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:07.279 And the word with here, it speaks of not just being there next to God, but it speaks of a togetherness. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.799 It speaks of a unity between the Father and the Son. 00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:14.799 It speaks of communion taking place between the Father and the Son. 00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:30.079 And John makes sure that we can't mistake that God the Father is God the Son by saying that Jesus was both with God and was also God at the same time. 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:32.960 Same God, different person. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:33.839 Got it? 00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:36.079 Alright, look at verse 3. 00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:44.079 All things were created through him, and apart from him, not one thing was created that has been created. 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:48.880 So now we're going to look at Jesus in relation to the universe. 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:52.079 Basically, he created it. 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:59.599 Psalm 33 tells us the heavens were made by the word of the Lord and all the stars by the breath of his mouth. 00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:05.440 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap, he puts the depths into storehouses. 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:07.920 Let the whole earth fear the Lord. 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:12.720 Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:16.000 For he spoke and it came into being. 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:45.039 So the word, which is Jesus, spoke the words that spoke creation, all of creation, into existence. 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:55.359 And in verse 3 here, he's saying that all things that have ever been created individually came from the one that has never been created. 00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:59.440 The one that has always existed. 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:01.359 Look at verse 4. 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:05.920 In him, so in Jesus, was life. 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:10.319 Again, there's so much packed into this. 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:13.359 And again, this should take us back to creation. 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:27.920 Genesis 2, 7 says, Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man, and the man became a living being. 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:29.119 We just sang that, right? 00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:30.799 It's your breath in our lungs. 00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:32.400 That's what that song is talking about. 00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:36.799 He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:39.119 But it's more than that. 00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:42.240 John's also talking about spiritual life here. 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:44.960 Jesus says in John 14, 6, what does he say? 00:33:45.119 --> 00:33:48.559 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:52.640 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:55.119 Jesus is the creator. 00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:03.599 And in Jesus was all life. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:09.599 In Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior, is all of eternal life. 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:14.079 Verse 4 isn't saying that Jesus was alive as a human. 00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:20.079 It's saying he is the source of all life, biological and spiritual. 00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:28.639 So John says in verse 4, in him was life, and that life was the light of men. 00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:33.840 So what is Jesus in relationship to mankind? 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:40.000 He's our source of life and the light of men. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:49.360 You know, again, going back to creation, Genesis 1, 3 and 4, it says, Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:54.880 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 00:34:55.199 --> 00:35:01.119 Jesus, the creator of light, is light himself. 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:05.280 And one of the themes of John that we're going to be seeing is light. 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:08.320 And Jesus being the light, that spiritual light. 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:11.039 And this is our first mention of it that we get to see. 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:19.199 In John 12, he's going to say, I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness. 00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:34.639 In 2 Corinthians 4, 6, it says, For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:44.880 Jesus is the manifestation of God's glory, the expression, the exact expression of God's glory. 00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:52.079 You know, sin and the curse have brought spiritual darkness into this world. 00:35:52.559 --> 00:35:59.760 So God sent his light to shine into the darkness to be the light of men. 00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:06.000 You know, something that has baffled scientists forever is darkness. 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:07.840 Because what is it? 00:36:08.079 --> 00:36:09.760 How do you define it? 00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:16.239 The best definition that anybody's ever come up with for darkness is the absence of light. 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:20.719 It's defined by what it's not or by what it's lacking. 00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:23.519 It's the absence of light. 00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:30.239 So in the physical, it's the absence of God's created light. 00:36:30.639 --> 00:36:34.079 And God's creation, which reflects light. 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:41.440 So if God is light, then spiritual darkness is the absence of God. 00:36:42.320 --> 00:36:49.920 You know, twice in Matthew, Jesus uses the phrase outer darkness to describe where the rebellious will spend eternity. 00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:56.079 And then he follows it by saying there's going to be wailing and gnashing of teeth in that outer darkness. 00:36:56.400 --> 00:37:01.360 Eternal separation, eternal darkness. 00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:08.320 Hell is existing apart from God's light, which is Jesus Christ. 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:15.199 But what does eternity look like for those that trust in Jesus, who is the light? 00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:28.719 Well, in Revelation regarding New Jerusalem, it says, the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 00:37:29.519 --> 00:37:31.920 Jesus is light. 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:33.599 Now think about this. 00:37:34.239 --> 00:37:38.400 Where would we be without life and light? 00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:42.000 Or where would we be if we just lacked one of those things? 00:37:42.239 --> 00:37:43.760 Well, let's put it another way. 00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:50.159 Does anybody here enjoy walking through a cemetery at night all by yourself? 00:37:52.719 --> 00:37:54.559 We fear death. 00:37:54.880 --> 00:38:02.480 At least, if you're a believer, maybe not, you don't fear where you're going, but nobody wants to go through the pain or, you know, of death. 00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:06.000 But we tend to fear death and we fear darkness. 00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:08.639 We fear the absence of life. 00:38:08.880 --> 00:38:11.440 We fear the absence of light. 00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:15.280 We fear the absence of Jesus. 00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:21.760 Have you ever been in a cave or a really dark place where you can't even see the hand in front of your face? 00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:23.119 Have you ever been there before? 00:38:23.280 --> 00:38:26.320 And it's at first, it's like, whoa, this is crazy. 00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:29.280 Okay, so we turn the light back on. 00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:33.039 It's just like there's something about us like it's a little bit disturbing. 00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:36.800 We weren't created to be in darkness. 00:38:37.920 --> 00:38:42.480 We crave, think about this, we crave who Jesus is. 00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:45.840 He is life, and he is light. 00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:54.159 In him was life, and that life was the light of men, is what John writes. 00:38:54.320 --> 00:39:03.199 And John says in verse 5, that light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. 00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:07.360 So let's look at how Jesus relates to darkness. 00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:11.920 Jesus shines and darkness disappears, right? 00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:13.519 Think about this. 00:39:13.760 --> 00:39:21.440 The only way that darkness can come back into a lit place is if the light goes away, right? 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:23.280 Let's put it this way. 00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:31.840 So tonight, let's say you're in bed, there's a piece of chocolate cake in the refrigerator, and it starts. 00:39:34.239 --> 00:39:36.880 And that piece of chocolate cake starts calling out to you. 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:41.760 And your stomach starts churning a little bit, and you're like, oh, I need to go eat that piece of chocolate cake. 00:39:41.840 --> 00:39:54.079 And so you walk in your house and it's dark, and you walk into the kitchen, it's dark, and you put your boxing gloves on, and you just start fighting that darkness until you can chase it away and it disappears. 00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:55.920 That makes no sense, does it? 00:39:56.239 --> 00:39:58.960 No, you go and you flip the light switch on, right? 00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:03.360 And allow the light to chase the darkness away. 00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:08.800 Because you shine light, and darkness goes away. 00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:13.840 Jesus never tells us to fight the darkness, does he? 00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:17.840 He only tells us to be a light. 00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:21.280 To reflect his light. 00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:28.159 We are to shine the light and reflect the light that is Jesus Christ. 00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:31.679 Because we don't stand a chance against darkness, do we? 00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:36.639 But darkness doesn't stand a chance against Jesus Christ. 00:40:37.119 --> 00:40:40.320 The battle against darkness is for Jesus. 00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:42.400 And what does John say? 00:40:42.639 --> 00:40:47.920 The darkness could not overcome the light of Jesus. 00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:52.960 Some translations say could not comprehend, could not understand. 00:40:53.679 --> 00:40:56.000 Darkness cannot overtake light. 00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:58.559 Darkness cannot defeat light. 00:40:58.800 --> 00:41:02.400 Basically, with Jesus being light, darkness has no chance. 00:41:02.559 --> 00:41:03.840 It can't stick around. 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:06.079 And it can't fight back either. 00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:14.000 And Jesus desires us and he wants us to be in this relationship with him. 00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:19.920 And he wants to send his spirit to live inside of us to be that light. 00:41:20.239 --> 00:41:31.199 You know, if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we're saved. 00:41:32.400 --> 00:41:34.079 We can call him Savior. 00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:38.159 We can call him friend and become his bride. 00:41:38.320 --> 00:41:40.960 And I think we should be in awe of this. 00:41:41.199 --> 00:41:44.719