John Series

October 23, 2021

Today the book of John.

Once again, the author of the book is not identified within the text. Early church tradition identifies John, “the beloved disciple” as the author and it is widely believed that it was the final book of the New Testament to be written = between 95-100 AD from Ephesus.

My Favorite Thing About JOHN is The Deity of Jesus – the Great “I AM”.

The central theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God. “In the beginning was the Word…… not just any word, but the self-existent, eternal Word. Nothing exists without this Word. He is life and light and He came to shine light in the darkness…. That same Word became flesh and lived among us. We beheld His glory. He was full of grace and Truth …. And His name is Jesus. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus came to reveal Him to us.”

Right from the beginning, John proclaims that what Jesus is – God is. To see Jesus in action was to see the Father in action:

• Ellen White {LHU 26.6} - In word and in deed the Messiah, during His earthly ministry, was to reveal to mankind the glory of God the Father. Every act of His life, every word spoken, every miracle wrought, was to make known to fallen humanity the infinite love of God. . .

John highlighted seven “signs” in his book:

• Water Turned to Wine (John 2:1-11)

• Healing of the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54)

• Healing of the Lame Man at the Pool (John 5:1-17)

• Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6:1-15)

• Walking on the Water (John 6:16-21)

• Healing of the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41)

• Raising of Lazarus from the Dead (John 11:1-47)

Every “sign” added evidence to John’s assertion regarding Jesus’ Divinity and he selected them specifically for their ability to help his readers believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

• John 20:30-31 - Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

In addition to the seven “signs”, John records the “I AM” statements of Jesus - which do not occur in the other Gospels. Before we look at those statements, let’s go to the Old Testament:

• Exodus 3:13-14 - Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM’ has sent me to you."

Ellen White says straight up that Jesus is the “I AM” Moses encountered at the burning bush {DA 24.3}, but let’s see what the Bible has to say.

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The Bread of Life - John 6:1-35

Jesus had recently fed the 5000 and casually walked on water. He was now on the other side of the Lake. The people there wanted to know how He got there. He responded by saying, “I know that you only follow me around in order to get a free meal. Be more concerned about the food that leads to eternal life. Food that only I can give you.” The crowd didn’t understand and asked again for a miraculous sign as proof that He was who He claimed to be - They even brought up the manna their forefathers had eaten in the wilderness…

I AM the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Light of The World – John 8:1-59

Jesus was in the Temple when the scribes and Pharisees came to Him with a woman who had been caught in adultery. They were looking for a way to trap Him, but as always, Jesus did something they didn’t expect – He began writing their own sins in the dirt….. The encounter ended with not a scribe or Pharisee in sight. Jesus looked at the woman and said, “There is no one here to condemn you. I don’t condemn you either. Go and sin no more.”

When Jesus spoke again, he said, “I AM the Light of the World.”

He followed that declaration with an invitation — “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus was not claiming to be “a light” He was claiming to be “The Light”. He was declaring Himself to be the Messiah – the only One who can pierce the darkness of sin {see Is 49:6}.