“THIS JESUS” John 1:1-18
FBCF – 3/5/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – LET’S TALK ABOUT JESUS! Not just any Jesus, b/c it was a common, ordinary Jewish name in the 1st century. But there’s nothing common or ordinary about THIS Jesus, the Jesus that Peter referred to in Acts 2:36 when he said, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” It’s just like God to take the ordinary & turn it into something extraordinary – to take the common & turn into something uncommon – to take something that’s an everyday sort of thing & turn it into something that will change the way you live every day for the rest of eternity!
We’re not talking about just ANY Jesus – we’re talking about THIS Jesus – THIS Jesus:
- Who was talked about by the OT prophets for hundreds of years before He ever came.
- Who was born to a virgin in Bethlehem, announced by angels, & worshiped by shepherds.
- Who was baptized by John the Baptist, identifying Himself w/ sinners.
- Who was tempted by Satan in every way that we are yet without sin.
- Who preached the truth of the K’dom of God, who showed the reality of the love of God, who hung out w/ the sinners, the scum, & the strays.
- Who touched people that no one else would touch, who loved people that no one else would love, who talked to people that no one else would talk to, setting an example for all to see & follow.
- Who infuriated the religious zealots, & enthralled those who were cast out & cast aside by the religious zealots.
- Who healed the sick, fixed the broken, fed the hungry, & raised the dead.
- Who was ridiculed & humiliated, beaten to a pulp, slammed to a cross, pierced w/ thorns, nails & a spear, gave eternal life to a thief in the last moments of his life, forsaken by His Father, & forgave His killers before He breathed His last breath, purchasing our salvation.
- Who rose from the grave & commissioned a scared ragtag group of disciples before He ascended back to the right hand of His Father’s throne where He is right now interceding for you & me.
- Who one day SOON will hear His Father say, “GO!” when He will return in power & glory to take us how to be w/ Him forever.
That’s who we are talking about today! THIS JESUS – King of kings – Lord of lords – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world – Our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend, our soon-coming King!
So, what would we be doing right now if we knew that as soon as we finish this service, this Jesus was going to come again? Walk right through these doors & stand in front of us & speak to us as His Body. Or walk up & down these rows & stand before each one of us individually on the condition of our hearts & lives. What would we be doing? What would we be saying? How would we be worshiping?
EXPLANATION – John 1:1-18 (p. 886)
John differs from Matthew, Mark, & Luke. Style of writing different. Purpose for writing different. Whereas Matthew, Mark, & Luke wrote about Jesus in a chronological narrative form, John’s purpose was given way over in John 20:31 – “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, & that by believing you may have life in His name.” John wanted his readers to truly know Jesus, not just facts about his life.
- He was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He might have been Jesus’ best friend – his BFF!
- Had a close, intimate relationship w/ the Lord Jesus
- Wanted his readers to know Jesus intimately right now.
- Sad that some people go their whole lives as Christians & never really try to get to know Jesus in an intimate way! Maybe they’re scared to, or don’t want to change anything. Just want to know they’re going to heaven, & that’s good enough for them.
- But if all you’re worried about is having your “fire insurance” paid up & don’t really have a passion to know the Lord personally & powerfully, there’s a good chance that you really don’t even know Him at all! If there’s no fruit of that relationship, then there’s no root in that relationship.
- Adrian Rogers illus – Newlyweds – leaving church to go on honeymoon. New wife turns to husband, “Beautiful wedding…Take me home now.” “Our house isn’t finished yet, plus we’ve got to go on our honeymoon.” “No, not that home. I mean my home. Take me home to my parents.” “What do you mean? We’re married now.” “I know. I’ve accepted you as my husband, but I want to go home to my parents. Don’t expect me to change the way I’ve been living. I just don’t want anything else to change in my life. I love you & I hope to see you on weekends if it’s convenient. Of course, since I’ve taken you as my husband, I expect that you’re going to take care of me when I’m sick or need something. So take your hands off my life & please just take me home to my parents now.”
- A lot of people have that concept of their relationship w/ Christ. You may have walked an aisle, prayed a prayer, even gotten baptized, but never truly confessed Jesus as the Lord of your life & yielded your life completely to Him.
- Matthew 7:23-24 – “When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ 23 Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’” (GNT)
So it’s no wonder that John jumps right into the truth of the eternality of Jesus Christ & His place in the Trinity & His participation in creation. He doesn’t just start at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life – He starts at the beginning of time! If there’s any place in the Bible that shows that Jesus is God, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, it’s this passage.
APPLICATION – Jesus is eternal & gives eternal life to anyone who trusts in Him alone for salvation.
THIS JESUS:
HE’S THE ETERNAL WORD WHO SHOWS US WHAT TO BELIEVE – v. 1-2, 14
What does it mean that Jesus is “the Word”? All through OT, God’s word made things happen. He spoke & the universe was created. His word carried power, authority, demanded obedience. His word made things happen.
Proclaiming Jesus as THE Word means that He is going to make things happen just the way God wants them to happen. He is going to have same authority as God b/c He IS God. He is going to have same power as God b/c He IS God. He is going to demand obedience as God did b/c He IS God.
When the Bible says that Jesus is THE Word who was with God & who WAS & IS God, it is saying that Jesus is the full & final revelation of God. If you want to know God, then look at Jesus. He is THE Word, not just A word.
- Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (NIV)
So when you need to know what to believe about God, look at Jesus & listen to Jesus b/c when He speaks, He speaks the words of God!
- Want to know about God’s love, mercy, & GRACE? Look at Jesus!
- …God’s power? God’s perfection?
- …God’s compassion for those whose lives are broken & messed up, those who are kicked to the curb by society, those who are sick & dying?
- …God’s plan for saving people from their sins?
- …God’s judgment on sin?
HE’S THE ETERNAL LIGHT WHO SHOWS US WHERE TO WALK – v. 4-9
Wed night REFRESH – Matt led us in “Here I Am to Worship.” Starts w/ these words: “Light of the world you stepped down into darkness, Opened my eyes, let me see – Beauty that made this heart adore You, Hope of a life spent with You.”
Jesus – the Real Light, the True Light, the Brightest Light, the Eternal Light stepped down into the darkness of our world. He has come into the world, & if you follow Him, He said you “will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!” (John 8:12).
Why do we need this Jesus, the Eternal Light? B/c you & I were floundering & lost in the darkness of our sin. Paul said in Ephesians 5:8 – “You were once darkness…” We weren’t just IN the darkness – we WERE the darkness. The black darkness of sin was who we were. And the evidence of that darkness is seen everywhere.
- We walk this way & that way trying to find meaning & purpose in life
- We stumble everywhere, giving into temptation & falling headlong into sin
- We think if we walk as good as we can, we will be able to walk right into heaven – if we walk into church a lot – if we walk as obediently to the 10 Commandments as best we can.
But this Jesus came as the eternal light to show us where to walk.
- Walk away from your sin.
- Walk to Him.
- Walk w/ Him.
HE’S THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD WHO SHOWS US HOW TO BE SAVED – v. 12-13
NLT – “But to ALL who believed Him & accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan – this rebirth comes from God.”
When a person is born physically, that places them in a physical family. When a person is born spiritually, that places them in God’s family for all eternity!
CONCLUSION – So come to Him today & be saved!!!
