John 1:1-3
1 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.
John is the inspired writer of this book, this Gospel. God is the Author. All scripture is breathed out inspired by God. (2 Tim. 3:16)
Let me tell you some things about John…
Zebedee (“gift of God”) was John’s father. And not only John but also James…John’s brother.
Both James and John were followers of Jesus.
Jesus called these two brothers the “Sons of Thunder”.
John’s name means “God is gracious”.
One day James and John were working with their father in his family fishing business, repairing their nets.
Earlier, Jesus had told another set of brothers, Andrew and Peter “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Jesus went a little further up the shoreline and found James and John. He offered them the same opportunity …the same invitation to join Him. The Bible says, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” (Matt. 4:19-22)
Hearing Jesus’ Word/invitation and their immediate obedience changed everything…changed their lives, their livelihood, purpose for living…changed their eternity!
John became an eyewitness to Jesus’ public ministry. John experienced all the miracles and the healings. John was there for all the teaching, parables, stories and illustrations…all that Jesus would do and say.
John was there.
John was there when Jesus turned the water into wine.
John was there when Jesus met the woman at the well.
John was there when Jesus fed the 5,000+ from the five loaves of bread and two fish.
John was there when Jesus walked on water.
John was there when Jesus healed the lame, the blind, the deaf and mute.
John was there when Jesus cast out demons.
John was there when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
John was there in the garden when Jesus was betrayed. John was there when they arrested Jesus.
John was there when they crucified Jesus.
John was there to witness Jesus’ death on the cross.
John was there when all the disciples were huddled together in the upper room fearing the Romans and religious leaders would come for them too.
John was there when news came that Jesus’ body had been stolen!
John was there at Jesus’ tomb. He looked in and saw it empty!
John was there when Mary Magdalene declared to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” after His resurrection.
John was there when Jesus suddenly appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.”
John was there as Jesus spent time with the disciples after His resurrection.
John was there when Jesus uttered the Great Commission. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matt. 28:19
John was there when Jesus ascended to Heaven from the Mount of Olives.
John was there for “many other things”. John wrote… “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25
John became an apostle. John wrote the Gospel of John. He also wrote 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. ?Very creative in his book titles, lol!
John is also known as John the Revelator.
God gave John the incredible assignment of writing down the book of Revelation.
The Bible says of John, “...He sent an angel to present this revelation to His servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:1b-2
God called John a servant. God called John faithful. If those things aren’t enough…John will reference himself in this Gospel four times as “the one whom Jesus loved”.
John understood Jesus loved him. He didn’t feel Jesus loved him more than the others, but he truly understood Jesus did love him. John never got over that.
Jesus’ love changed him. And, it will change anyone who comes to know this truth…Jesus’ Truth!!!
Imagine meeting Jesus. John did! John did more than meet Him. John walked with Him, talked with Him, ate with Him…followed Him, prayed with Him…believed Him…loved Him, proclaimed Him and wrote about Him!
Some fifty+ years after Jesus ascended to heaven…John penned the words contained in this book.
Those are some things about John. But, the Gospel of John isn’t about John. It’s about Jesus!!!
John wants you to believe just as he did. John wants your life, your purpose, your destiny/eternity to change just as his was. John wants you to know that Jesus loves You!
John 1:1
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John opens with an important thing to know/believe…
Jesus is Eternal… Jesus didn’t come into existence at His physical birth. Little baby Jesus in a manger at Christmas is not Jesus’ beginning. Jesus’ always been.
“In the beginning the Word already existed.” What “beginning”? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1 That beginning!
John 1:2
He existed in the beginning with God.
Jesus was at creation, not Jesus became at creation. Jesus has no beginning. Jesus has no ending.
He is Eternal. He is forever.
There has never been a moment of time that Jesus has not existed. He was before there ever was.
This cannot be said of anyone, or anything else aside from God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.
You, and I have a beginning. We were conceived and then we were born into this world.
For those of us who have accepted Jesus as Christ, we will live forever. A believer has no ending, although we had a beginning.
For those who do not accept Christ they will have an ending. They will experience death…both, physical and spiritual.
Angels, had a beginning…the earth, the universe…places we have not even yet explored in space beyond our galaxy, had a beginning.
If we knew nothing else about Jesus, other than this…that alone should drive us to worship Him,
and Him only. That alone is reason enough to trust Him.
satan had a beginning. satan didn’t always exist.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a beginning. She did not exist before her birth. Therefore, she cannot be greater than the eternal Son of God!
John’s opening verse does not say…Mary was the Word, and Mary was with God, and Mary was God. Yet, many believe they should pray to her. That is not God’s Word!
Jesus tells us later in the book of John when praying to God the Father… Now, Father, bring Me into the glory We shared before the world began. John 17:5
Jesus forever was, forever is, and forever shall be.
Not only is Jesus eternal…but, Jesus is the “Word”...
In school you were taught to never define a word by itself.
Ex. “What color is red?” Answer: “Red.”
This is impossible to do when explaining that Jesus is the Word. The definition of the Word is Jesus. And the definition of Jesus is the Word.
Hebrews 1:1-2
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
John 1:1
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
“Word” - “logos” Gr.
“the Word” inspired by God given to John is to explain that Jesus is God’s revelation to man.
John 1:14
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.
One preacher declared… “I may poorly preach Christ, or I may poorly translate His Word, but the simple truth is, both the Scriptures and Christ are the eternal Word of God.” -J R Rice
Jesus is eternal. Jesus is the “Word”.
Jesus Coexists with God.
John 1:1
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus is a distinct person of the Trinity.
For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 1 John 5:7
Jesus said, The Father and I are one.” John 10:30
“The Word was with God” explains the close relationship between God the Father, and God the Son.
Jesus would proclaim, “... Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! …” John 14:9
Jesus Christ, the Word, is the Son of the Living God, and He is God. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.
Colossians 1:15
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
John 1:18
No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Life Application…
You may be thinking this is all interesting, maybe a little overwhelming, but what’s the point. What difference does it make?
“A man was seated on a park bench when a little boy of about five sat down beside him [playing with his] watch. "My, what a [nice] watch," remarked the man. "Does it tell you the time?" "No sir," replied the boy; "you gotta look at it."
God's Truth is everywhere, but you must look for it and at it to see it.” -https://www.studylight.org/pastoral-resources/sermon-illustrations-archive/y.html, unknown
John’s opening words guide you to Who you should be looking at. Whom you should be seeing. Whom you are to know. Whom/what you should believe…
Do you see Jesus for Who He is?
He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. Rev. 19:13
Jesus is the Word!
Jesus is God’s revelation to man!
Jesus works in perfect harmony with God!
Jesus is God!
Jesus is forever! Always has been…always will be!
Jesus is everything you need.
Jesus is God revealed to man.
God moved John to write these words so that you would believe!
John 20:31
But these are written so that you may continue to believe 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.
