John- Believe in Jesus and live!!!
“THE WORD”
John 1:1-5
Have you ever watched someone who is really good at trading horses?
They look at every animal with a very skeptical eye.
Picking up feet
Mashing on their back
Poking and prodding
Looking in the mouth
Walking them
Watching the seller ride them
Looking at them from
Every angle
Every direction
Trying to see through the spit and polish
And find fault with the prospective purchase
We live in a skeptical society
We are taught from a very early age that if something looks too good to be true it is
We get slammed with messages via technology daily if not hourly
T.V. ads
Radio ads
Emails
Texts
Through these messages someone is always trying to influence our decisions
Turn on the news and watch as the politicians or those seeking political office
Lie and manipulate the truth in an effort to get your vote
Entertainers use smoke and mirrors and hype
Trying to sway your opinion in hopes that you will spend your hard earned dollars on their songs and movies and such
It seems that even some unscrupulous religious figures are trying to separate you from your money
Or worse separate you from the bible- the true word of God
In order to sell their views or agenda
Think about it
In this world where we are taught to use a discerning eye
Taught to be skeptical
But
We can be convinced
We have the ability to dig fact out of the fluff
Otherwise we would never buy anything
Vote for anyone
Etc...
So
What exactly does it take to convince you that a message is true?
That something is the real deal?
John
One of Jesus; apostles wrote his gospel to convince people
Jews and Gentiles alike
Throughout the ages to believe in Jesus and live!
John 20:30-31
30 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.
That we may believe and live!!!!
That is John’s whole purpose for writing
In fact in the original languages the Greek word translated “BELIEVE” is used 98 times in John’s gospel
John writes so that we may have life by the power of the name of Jesus
This type of belief
The type that produces life
Is far beyond getting convinced that a horse is sound
It is far beyond accepting the word of a presidential candidate
This belief
Is
Accepting truth for truth
Placing confidence
All confidence
Faith
All faith
Trust
All trust
In the person who make up those truths
To be all in
If you want to think of it that way
To believe in Jesus
Truly believe
Is to accept his words as truth
It is to place our total dependence on him
Here and now in this life
And in eternity
Trust in Jesus for LIFE
Trust in him and LIVE
Life
What kind of life does John write about in his gospel?
John records Jesus’ words in John 10:10
“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
A rich and satisfying life
Life to the full
The word life in this verse refers to life in the spirit and soul
Jesus is talking about eternal life
But he also speaks of a life of fulfillment and purpose while we are here on this earth
John wants his readers throughout time to know
Know that
Jesus
Jesus Christ
Our Lord and Savior
Offers
Amazing life
Abundant life
Eternal life
To those who believe
To those who accept him
And
To those who Place their trust in him as their Lord and savior
John writes differently than do the other Gospel writers
He does not write a historical account of Jesus’ life
But
Instead he strives to
Show us a powerful
Undeniable
PROOF for Jesus being who he said he is
John proves to those who will
Listen
But more importantly
Hear
To those who will open their eyes to the truth
That Jesus is
Was
And always will be the very heaven sent
Son of God
Fully human and fully God
John focuses on Revelation
That is understanding
In Cowboy terms
He focuses on us getting it
He focuses on Redemption through belief
That is
Salvation
In this gospel we see Jesus as we are meant to see him
Jesus
As our Lord and savior
Through this sermon series and the morning bible studies
Over the next several weeks
We will study
And learn
About Jesus’ public ministry
A period of about 3 ½ years
Where Jesus’ preached
And taught
He healed
And performed many miracles
Many more that are recorded in this book as John 20 states
We will see how Jesus took 12 ordinary regular guys and transformed them into his Apostles
John the writer of this gospel
Was as rough cut as ever there was a disciple of Jesus
He was hard charging
Rough talking
A working man
A human with all the flaws and weaknesses that humans have
But we will see that
Jesus used the raw material of John
To transform him into a useable instrument of God
This should show us that there is indeed hope for us as well
That he can and will use us for his glory if we will just let him
The last half of our studies will focus on Jesus’ private ministry
That is the period of time that is roughly 3 ½ days long
We will focus on Jesus as he spent intimate times of instruction with his disciples
As he prepared for the completion of his mission
As he gave his final instructions
As he gave comfort and love to those closest to him while he was here on earth
The purpose of this study is three fold
It is first off my desire that through this study
You may see Jesus as the Savior- the Messiah
Move from knowing about Jesus
To knowing Jesus
Move from religion
To relationship
Move into a personal
Life changing – world shaking
Relationship with the living Word of God
Jesus Christ
Second
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and kind of stalled out
Maybe just you ‘r Just coasting
Still doing it your way
And expecting Jesus to bless you in spite of your disobedience
It is my prayer that as we show you the truth as written by John
That the word shows you the truth
The real truth
The living eyewitness proof
About Jesus
And
That you will be
Inspired to move further in your walk
Motivated to increase in your knowledge
Dedicated to Increase your faith
Moved to walk in obedience to him
To truly let Jesus
Fill you
Guide you
Direct you
Move you
And
Move in you and through you
Third
It is my goal to give
You mature
Or maturing Christians
The tools
To defend your faith
To defend Jesus as the Savior
To defend Jesus as God
To defend Jesus as the perfect sinless human being
It is not simply enough to know what you believe
You need to know why you believe what you believe
In order to fulfill our purpose as Disciples of Christ
We must show people the truth of Jesus
In order to do that
Just like our study of Genesis
We must study to learn
And learn so we cannot only teach others but
So that we can defend
The truth against all comers
To defend Jesus against the doubters
To defend Jesus even
Against our own skeptical minds
We live in a world full of people who are searching for truth and meaning in their lives
As I said earlier many people are trying to get our attention and our loyalties
There are many false religions
Many even that claim to be Christian
Those are trying to convince you
And
Me and those who are searching
That Jesus
Was just a good man
Just a prophet
Just a teacher
Not really God
Not really human
Not really the Savior
Not really the only way to God the father
One claims that Jesus was just “a” God
One among many
Another that he was the greatest man who ever lived denying his deity altogether
Or many others are trying to convince you that Jesus alone is not enough
That you must have a mediator – The Virgin Mary- A priest or pope or somebody to reach Christ
Or
That you must do something to earn or attain Salvation
That you must have Jesus
Plus something else
That you must
Join a certain church
Or do good works prior to meeting Jesus in order to show that you are ready
Or be dunked in a water trough as a condition of salvation
They say you must do these things
Before you can be saved
Jesus says
All who believe in me will be saved
The words of my Lord
That’s good enough for me
There are many that will try and teach you that
Salvation is not assured
That no one can ever be sure
That if we live a good life and are lucky we may get to go to heaven
Or worse that
You can do something to lose your salvation
Jesus does not loan us deliverance
He gives it to us
Grace is through faith in Jesus and that alone
You can’t buy or earn this gift
Jesus says he will not lose any that the Father has given to him
He says no one can pluck them out of his hand
The words of My Lord and my Savior
Jesus Christ
Once again
Good enough for me
Many will take God’s word out of context
Not use scripture to prove scripture
Use their own ideas
Or other sources of writings
And try to prove that Jesus alone is not enough
It was John’s intent to show you Jesus as the whole deal
The complete package
The full meal deal
How us that he is as we need
That he and he alone is enough
And that is my goal as well
Today we begin our study in John in chapter 1 verse 1-5
In the beginning
We start this study in a similar place that we started Genesis
In the beginning
John 1: 1:5
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Jesus is the Word
The living breathing WORD
Jesus revealed his true and full nature in what he did and what he said
John in chapter wrote about Jesus as fully God
Jesus created everything
Being God
All creation came through him
And fully human
This is core of our belief
The truth that Jesus existed before creation
That he has always been – he has always existed
He was not as some claim
Created by God
Nor was he merely a human that God inhabited for a while
He as John states Jesus was here from the very beginning
Furthermore he says Jesus was with God
With God
When God says
Man was created in our image
That was GOD the Father, God the SON, a God the Holy Spirit
And
Was God
The second part of the trinity
If you do not or cannot or will not accept this reality
If you do not or cannot or will not accept Jesus’ true identity
There is no way you can fully trust your idea or what someone has tried to sell you
About eternity or where you will spend it
Whatever that may be
Without Jesus
There is no way to get to God- He and he alone is the way
Without Jesus
There is no redemption
No forgiveness
Without Jesus there can be no salvation
Without Jesus there is no heaven
But make no mistake without Jesus
There is a hell
And it is still hot and about half full
Without Jesus we are just bumping around this earth waiting to die
No hope
No future
No Mercy
No Nothing
If Jesus did not become a man
A living
Breathing
Man
Then there is no way
He could have died to pay for our sin
If Jesus was not fully God
Then his humanly death could not have delivered us
The humanity of Jesus is just as important as the deity of Jesus
Jesus was born as a human being while still being totally divine.
The concept of the humanity of Jesus co-existing with His deity is difficult for the finite mind of man to comprehend.
But
Jesus’ nature—wholly man and wholly God—is a biblical fact.
And
Not believing don’t change the facts
Only a human could understand our weaknesses and temptations.
Only God could be the sinless sacrifice required for redemption
In His humanity, Jesus was subjected to all the same kinds of trials that we are,
And
He is able to understand us and to help us.
He was tempted;
He was persecuted
He was poor
He was despised
He suffered physical pain
And
He endured the sorrows of a cruel death.
Only a human being could experience these things, and only a human being could fully understand them through experience.
Finally, it was necessary for Jesus to come in the flesh because believing that truth is a prerequisite for salvation.
Declaring that Jesus has come in the flesh is the mark of a spirit from God, while the Antichrist – the false teachers and all who follow them will deny it
1 John 4:2–3
“This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet[a] acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. “
Jesus has come in the flesh as john 1:14 states
“So the Word became human[a] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[b] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
He is able to sympathize with our human frailties
His human blood was shed for our sins
And
He was fully God and fully man.
The Bible is clear about the divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ as well
In the beginning was the word- Jesus
And the word- Jesus- was with God
And the word – Jesus-was God
Colossians 2:9,
For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Jesus is fully God and fully man, and the fact of His incarnation is of utmost importance.
He lived a human life but did not possess a sin nature as we do.
He was tempted but never sinned
Sin entered the world through Adam, and Adam’s sinful nature has been transferred to every baby born into the world, for Jesus.
Because Jesus did not have a human father, He did not inherit a sin nature.
He possessed the divine nature from His Heavenly Father.
Jesus had to meet all the requirements of a Holy God before He could be an acceptable sacrifice for our sin n unblemished sacrificed
One untainted by sin
He had to fulfill over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah that God, through the prophets, had foretold
Since the fall of man, the only way to be made right with God has been the blood of an innocent sacrifice
Jesus was the final, perfect sacrifice that satisfied forever God's wrath against sin
His divine nature made Him fit for the work of Redeemer;
His human body allowed Him to shed the blood necessary to redeem.
No human being with a sin nature could pay such a debt.
No one else could meet the requirements to become the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world
If Jesus were merely a good man as some claim, then He had a sin nature and was not perfect. In that case, His death and resurrection would have no power to save anyone.
Because Jesus was God in the flesh, He alone could pay the debt we owed to God. His victory over death and the grave won the victory for everyone who puts their trust in
These are biblical truths that cannot be denied.
Step one of this study is to accept that in him is life
Believe in him and live!!!
Close from the heart Pray
