Go! And Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of John
Introduction
Church, let me begin with a question: What do you really believe about Jesus?
In our world, people say many things about Him. Some call Him a great teacher. Some think He was just a revolutionary. Others dismiss Him as a myth. But John the Apostle, the disciple whom Jesus loved, gives us a Gospel that cuts through the confusion and brings us face-to-face with Jesus as He truly is.
At the very end of his Gospel, John tells us why he wrote it:
John 20:31 (NLT): “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.”
John didn’t write to entertain. He didn’t write for academic curiosity. He wrote so that people like you and me, living two thousand years later, might believe—and keep believing—that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through Him we might have life.
This morning our message is titled: “Go! And Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of John.”
We will unpack three great truths John reveals about Jesus:
Jesus is God made flesh.
Jesus is the Lamb who takes away our sin.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
And as we walk through these truths, my prayer is that your heart will be stirred afresh with wonder, worship, and faith.
1. Jesus is God Made Flesh
John 1:1, 14 (NLT): “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God… So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
John begins with the eternal. Unlike Matthew who begins with a genealogy, or Luke who begins with history, or Mark who launches straight into action, John opens with eternity past: “In the beginning…”
The Greek word translated Word is Logos. For the Greeks, Logos meant the rational principle that ordered the universe. For the Jews, Logos recalled God’s Word that spoke creation into being (Genesis 1:3: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’…”).
John brings both ideas together and declares: This Logos is not an abstract force. He is a Person. He is with God, and He is God. And in verse 14, John shocks the world: “The Word became flesh”—the eternal God took on humanity. The Greek word sarx (“flesh”) is raw and earthy. John is saying: the infinite God wrapped Himself in human skin.
For the early Church, this was a staggering claim. Pagan gods were thought to be distant. Philosophical gods were abstract. But John proclaims the transcendent God became immanent. He pitched His tent among us.
As Charles Stanley observed: “Jesus did not cease to be God when He became man, but He became man that we might know God.”
In a world where people feel forgotten, unseen, and unheard, the Incarnation is God’s message: I am not distant. I am with you.
When you feel abandoned, remember: Jesus has walked the dusty roads of life too.
When you feel tempted, remember: Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin.
When you feel weary, remember: Jesus sat at a well, thirsty, and understands your weakness.
A missionary translating John 1:14 into an African tribal language used the phrase: “He pitched His tent in our village.” What a picture! Jesus pitched His tent in the brokenness of our world so that He could bring us life.
2. Jesus is the Lamb Who Takes Away Our Sin
John 1:29 (NLT): “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
For the Jewish people, this statement was thunderous. Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the Temple for sin (Exodus 29:38–39). At Passover, a lamb’s blood on the doorposts meant deliverance from judgement (Exodus 12). The prophet Isaiah foretold of a suffering servant “like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).
John the Baptist declares that Jesus fulfils all of these images. The Greek word airo for takes away means to lift up and carry away. Jesus doesn’t merely cover sin like the old sacrifices—He removes it completely.
This is substitutionary atonement. Jesus takes our place, bearing our guilt, carrying our punishment. As Peter later wrote:
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT): “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
Tim Keller explains: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
We live in a culture that renames sin. People talk of “mistakes” or “bad habits.” But John says sin is real. It is heavy. It is deadly. Yet Jesus, the Lamb, has taken it away.
No addiction is beyond His cleansing.
No guilt is beyond His grace.
No shame is beyond His covering.
Imagine carrying a backpack filled with bricks, each brick representing a sin: lies, pride, anger, selfishness. Life becomes unbearable. But Jesus comes and says, “I will carry this for you.” He takes the backpack, puts it on His shoulders, and walks to the cross.
That is what John saw: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
3. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25–26 (NLT): “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’”
Jesus speaks these words at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. Notice carefully: He doesn’t say, “I can give resurrection.” He says, “I AM the resurrection.”
The Greek word for life is zoe—not mere biological life (bios), but fullness of life as God intended: abundant, eternal, indestructible.
Death is humanity’s greatest fear. But Jesus declares He has authority over death. His own resurrection proved it. As Paul later wrote:
1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (NLT): “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
John Piper comments: “Jesus did not come mainly to give bread, but to be bread. He did not come mainly to give life, but to be life.”
In 21st-century Britain, death is the unspoken fear. We mask it with humour or hide it in silence. But for the believer, death is not the end. It is a doorway into eternal life with Christ.
When a Christian dies, we do not say “goodbye,” but “see you soon.”
When grief weighs us down, we remember that death has lost its sting.
A young Christian girl dying of cancer was asked, “Are you afraid of dying?” She replied with a smile: “No, because when I close my eyes here, I will open them and see Jesus.” That is resurrection hope.
At the funeral of D. L. Moody, the great evangelist, someone read his words: “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”
The Gospel Presentation
This is the heartbeat of John’s Gospel:
Jesus came and lived a sinless life.
He died on the cross as the Lamb of God, bearing our sin.
He was buried.
He rose again on the third day as the Resurrection and the Life.
This is the Gospel.
Romans 10:9 (NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The cross is where God’s justice and mercy meet. The empty tomb is where death was defeated.
Call to Action:
So let me ask you: Do you believe this?
If you are not yet a Christian, today is the day of salvation. Repent, turn from your sin, and trust Jesus as Lord.
If you are a believer, John calls you to deeper faith. Abide in Christ. Walk closely with Him. Proclaim Him boldly.
Max Lucado once said: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.”
Church, this is the call: Go! And believe. Go! And live. Go! And proclaim.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, Jesus Christ is reaching out to you. If you have never surrendered your life to Him, pray this with me:
“Lord Jesus, I confess I am a sinner. I believe You are the Son of God who died and rose again. Forgive my sins. Be my Lord and Saviour. I trust You with my life, now and forever. Amen.”
Benediction:
As you go this week, remember:
John 20:31 (NLT): “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.”
So go! And believe. Go! And abide. Go! And proclaim.
Amen.
