"The Light-Bearing Word of God Revealed"
Sterling C. Franklin
Given October 17, 2010 at Glorious King Jesus Christian Church
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14
John 1:1-14 (NKJV)
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ’He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ "
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Prayer
Background:
The Gospel according to John is a very rich book focusing on a close disciple’s view of His Savior, Jesus. Let’s first take a look at the writer:
Who was John?
- Son of Zebedee, brother of James
- One of the Twelve Apostles
- Disciple of Jesus
- Close Disciple of Jesus (Matthew 17:1, Matthew 26:37, Mark 5:37, Luke 22:8, John 13:23-25)
- Beloved friend - Took care of Jesus’ mother after Crucifixion (John 19:26-27)
- Elder - In 2 & 3 John, he uses that title
- Writer of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation
Why did John write this Gospel?
John 20:30-31 (NKJV)
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
- To record the works of Jesus
- To foster belief (or faith) in the reader
- To lead the reader to life through Jesus
- John was quite possibly the only Apostle who died of natural causes.
- A man exiled to Patmos, who was boiled in oil, yet survived through it. Tertullian records this boiling in oil:
"How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood! Where Peter endures a passion like his Lord’s! Where Paul wins his crown in a death like John’s where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile! See what she has learned, what taught, what fellowship has had with even (our) churches in Africa!"
- Tertullian, Prescription against Heretics, Chapter 38
Many of the followers of Christ went through other serious forms of torture and martyrdom for being believers. Even today, many people are martyred for their faith in Jesus.
Mentioned in Scripture:
James - put to death by the sword at Herod’s command (Acts 12:1-2)
Stephen - Stoned to death (Acts 7)
If what is recorded later by early church fathers as the deaths of some of the other apostles, many of them also died as martyrs, giving their life for the sake of Jesus in various painful ways.
Many devoted and even gave their lives to make Jesus known. The purpose of this study is to make Jesus known, both to those who have not begun a relationship with Him, and to those who love Him and want to know Him more. Scripture speaks deeply about the person of Jesus. He isn’t a figure who simply lived 2,000 years ago in a humble Jewish town. He is the Savior of the world, who lives even today, and who promises to return for those who trust in Him in due time.
About the Passage
John 1:1-14 is a fairly well-known passage of Scripture. Our text is part of the intro or prologue to John’s Gospel, and thus, is a good place to start. The passages here focuses on various aspects of Jesus. He is called ’The Word’ and ’The Light’ many times throughout this passage.
John’s Introduction of Jesus, the Light-Bearing Word of God
Basic Outline
I. Jesus is the Preexistent Creator, who is the Word of God (1-3)
A. Definition of ’Word’ (1)
1. Meaning to Hebrew readers
2. Meaning to Gentile readers
B. Preexistent, from the beginning (1-2)
1. Elsewhere in Scripture
2. Implications of Preexistence
C. Creator of All Things (3)
II. Jesus is the Light (4-9)
A. Source of Life (4, 9)
B. Light vs. Darkness (5)
C. Background on John (6, et al)
1. "Bearing Witness" - Meaning (7-8)
2. Purpose of Bearing Witness (7)
III. Jesus has been Revealed (10-14)
A. Significance of coming to the world (10)
B. Responses of people (10-13)
1. Unbelief (10-11)
2. Belief (12-13)
a. Children of God (12)
b. Born of God’s Will (13)
C. The Word Made Flesh (14)
1. Eyewitness account
2. Descriptors
I. Jesus is the Preexistent Creator, who is the Word of God (1-3)
John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
The Word:
- In the beginning - Pre-existent
- With God - Had communion with God
- God - Is Divine
Self-existent
What does ’Word’ mean?
John often uses terms that are easily understood to his audience
The term is ’logos’
From OT:
Word - Means or personification of the execution of God’s Will, and often, a literal word of speech
Even from Genesis, we see that by the Word of God, all things were Created - at His literal command/desire for things to be done.
We see from Verse 3 that Jesus is the Creator of all things, without exception
Creation:
God the Father spoke things into existence
The Son of God was present
The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters
Creation exists to show God’s glory
Some usages in Psalms:
- Psalm 107:20 - He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
- Psalm 119:89 - Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
- Psalm 147:15-18
15 He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Jesus was God incarnate (in the flesh). He is God of very God.
From Greek Usage:
The means by which God created things.
A way that the Creator communicates with us.
Tie between God and the universe He made.
So we see that:
- Jesus was the physical expression and manifestation of God.
- Jesus was our mediator -- literally, our provided way to God.
From the first three verses, we also see the key truth that Jesus is preexistent.
Paul highlights this truth in Colossians 1:16-17 (NKJV):
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Where else in Scripture can we see this?
There are many examples, and here are a few:
- Isaiah 9:6-7 - The child to come…called "Everlasting Father"
- Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
- Zechariah 2:10-11
10 "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," says the LORD.
11 "Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you."
- John 8:58 - Before Abraham was, I AM
- John 17:4-5 - Glorified with/by the Father before the world began!
- Revelation 22:13 - Alpha and Omega, First and the Last
Application: What does Jesus’ preexistence mean for us?
- He is God
- He has always been there
- He is Sovereign and all Powerful. Any situation we go through is never too big for Him
- He has a plan. He had a plan in Creation, and as we will see later in the passage, those who believe on Him were even born of God’s Will.
II. Jesus is the Light (4-9)
John 1:4-9 (NKJV)
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
4)
The use of ’light’ here at the very least refers to the source of natural life, as it carries on from verse 3 with Jesus as the Creator of all things, but it also has a spiritual meaning that Jesus is the hope of men (as a sort of typology).
Essentially, Jesus is available to all, and in Him is life, though not all will receive Him.
5)
Image and contrast: Light vs. Darkness
The darkness did not ’comprehend’ it -- Does not understand, does not perceive, does not come to a knowledge of it.
Do we see our wickedness?
Light - exposes what is hidden. What is hidden is often hidden for a reason.
We see very clearly from various other passages that Jesus sees what is hidden in our hearts. Are we going to admit and turn from our sins, or are we going to remain hardening our hearts toward Him?
Do you have this light? Are you walking in the light? Or are we enjoying darkness?
6)
John, namely John the Baptist or John the Baptizer
Parallel: Being known for something you do.
Amish Country News --
"Occupation often figures into a nickname. "Butter Jake" made and sold butter, "Elevator Ike" invented a farm elevator, "Crusher John" worked in a stone quarry, "Jockey Joe" traded horses, and "Lawyer John" seemed to have skills in legal matters, even though he was not a lawyer. Then there was "Chicken Elam," who owned a chicken farm, and "Chickie Dan," who worked for him. "Cherry John" used to sell cherries, but was known as "Butcher John" when he had that occupation."
- Brad Igou, "Amish Nicknames," Amish Country News, 1996.
Last names often had these origins. Smith - Could have been a Blacksmith. Franklin - Could have been a landowner OR a freed slave.
So, John wasn’t a Baptist denominationally, but He was quite well known for baptizing people.
Note also that John the Apostle/Disciple is not the same man as John the Baptizer.
7-8)
Jesus again is referred to as the Light
John the Baptizer was the one to prepare the way of Jesus, as mentioned in Isaiah and Malachi (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1)
John bore witness of who Jesus was.
When we say ’Witnessing’ --
Illustration: In court, bearing witness is telling the truth about what you’ve seen and heard. John the Baptizer was doing the same about Jesus. If we witness, we can tell others about something the Lord has done in our lives, whether relating to Salvation or some other matter of His provision. We can witness to others about His healing, His sustenance (He gets us through things), His grace, etc. The purpose of bearing witness about Jesus is so that others may find Him and believe to eternal life. ’Wit-ness’ literally refers to having a knowledge about something, and we need to share what we know about Jesus!
Application: Do we bear witness of the Light? Note that the purpose of both the testimony of the Apostle John and John the Baptizer was to bring people to believe in Jesus. Are we doing this?
Witnessing is literally telling others what the Lord has done and who He has been in your life. What has He done in your life? How can you tell others?
After verse 8, the Apostle John goes back to talking about Jesus:
9)
True Light - The light theme is continued.
Gives light to every man - We all receive natural life from our Creator. Note that not all receive the light spiritually, that is, the revelation of Jesus as Savior. This is not a universalist statement. We will see throughout John that it is clear that some believe to righteousness and some reject to punishment.
The world He created did not want the light.
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about the Light in John 3:
John 3:19-21
19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Illustration: Plants love to grow, and one major thing they need is light. Spiritually speaking, our natural bent is to flee from the light and embrace darkness. We are all stained with sin, and we often will enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin as opposed to come clean by exposing things to the light. We ought to be as plants, eager to grow and eager to face the light.
III. Jesus has been Revealed (10-14)
John 1:10-14 (NKJV)
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
10-11)
Jesus mentions several times in John’s Gospel that He is ’not of this world.’ He is not saying that He is from a UFO. Rather, He is showing us the dynamic between the world and the Kingdom. The world is cursed and under Satan’s control (cf. Eph. 2:2). The Kingdom is characterized by freedom and purity as well as submission to our King. Many do not want to partake, and so many missed out and still miss out on who Jesus is.
12-13)
Good news -- some do receive the Light, and through faith, we can be children of God.
This passage even goes as far as to say that those who believe were born of God’s Will
- We are literally ’born again’ spiritually through faith in Him. Jesus also talks much about this in John 3.
Dynamic: World vs. Other-worldliness
Where is your Kingdom?
14)
The Word became flesh
Dwelt among us
We beheld His glory
As of the glory of the Father
Full of Grace and Truth
Jesus was literally brought to us. Matthew and Luke begin with genealogy, focusing on the details of Jesus’ lineage. John focuses on Jesus, the Creator of all things, coming to us in the flesh. He brought in a covenant of Grace -- unmerited favor -- which God had planned from the beginning.
Application: What does this mean for us?
- We have a God who can and who wants be known. Do you know Him?
- He has reached down to us, providing a means to forgiveness. Have you turned from sin and received His forgiveness?
- We have a compassionate High Priest (cf. Hebrews 4:14-16), who lived as we lived and experienced all the trials and temptations, yet without sin.
Call to Action
Since He has been revealed -- Jesus, God in the flesh -- will you come to know Him?
Many did not want the light, but living in darkness leads to destruction. Jesus has offered us a path that leads to a clean slate. He took on our sins on the Cross, and we can take on His pure life through faith in Him. If you haven’t done this, do so!
Repentance is key. That involves admitting and turning from sin. Jesus’ message was, ’Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!’ (Mark 1:15) We need to repent.
Faithful belief is also key. Paul mentioned to the Philippian Jailer in Acts 16, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." We deserve the wrath of God, but we can be ’saved’ from what we deserve through bowing humbly before Jesus and accepting His sacrifice for us.
So if you need to make any decisions today, make important ones. Repent from sin. Believe in Jesus. Live life that is forgiven and free. Let’s pray, and make those decisions as we close, focusing on our Lord, the Creator of all things and the revealed hope of mankind.
Closing Prayer
As we continue in John, we will learn more about Jesus and His ministry here on earth. May we grow closer to Him as we seek Him for all things.
Full Prologue (1:1-1:18, NKJV)
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ’He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ "
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Bibliography
Tertullian. Prescription against Heretics. Translated by Peter Holmes. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.
Igou, Brad. "Amish Nicknames." Amish Country News (August 1996). http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles/nicknames.htm
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
