INTRODUCTION
(DRAMATIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE DISCIPLES)
Go back with me to the crucifixion and arrest of Jesus. Think of the disciples and the way that they reacted when Jesus was taken away by the Roman soldiers. They all ran and hide, they did not want to take up any cross! In John 20, Mary Magdalene had told the disciples that she had seen the risen Jesus. Later that evening we find that the disciples were hiding in fear of the Jews. (John 20:19 ) So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
Early in Acts we find Peter boldly preaching the message of God. The Apostles died martyrs deaths. They were all carrying their crosses, even to the point of punishment and death. They were able to present their bodies a living and Holy sacrifice acceptable to God when they truly understood who Jesus was! 1 Corinthians tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter, James and all of the disciples (1 Corinthians 15:7).
The turning point for them was when they knew who Jesus was.
Have you met Jesus, has He changed your life? That has to be the beginning of your journey.
Today we are going to really get started on our journey with Jesus through the gospels. Today we will start our journey, “IN THE BEGINNING.”
As we journey with Jesus, I pray that you will get to know Jesus so well and that you will grasp the love that He has for you to the point that you will surrender your life to Him.
SERMON
In the beginning Jesus was with …
I. GOD. 1-2
A. The significance of John calling Jesus “The Word”.
Why did the Holy Spirit inspire John to call Jesus the “WORD”? Why didn’t John just say “Jesus” in these passages? Was it to confuse people, or was it to convey a truth about Jesus.
The Word. The Bible gives many titles or names to Jesus (“Christ” for example). Each title describes an aspect of Jesus. When He is called “the Word,” we are reminded of His role in the Godhead from the very beginning. Human speech has the capacity to unveil thoughts, feelings, and emotions; to reveal the person behind the words. God expresses Himself through Jesus. This title, “the Word,” teaches that Jesus is now, and always has been, the One through whom God expresses Himself.
B. Jesus is eternal. V1-2
In verse 1 and 2 we find that Jesus was with God in the beginning, He is eternal. Jesus is not some created being.
The Greek language, the language that the New Testament was written, is very precise in the meanings of words.
John uses the imperfect tense of the verb “was” to indicate that Jesus had no beginning, that He is eternal
JOHN 17:5 "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
In John 8:58 Jesus says, “Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." If Jesus had a beginning, John would have used the word meaning, “to become”. He uses this word in this verse when talking about Abraham. In verse 3, John says, “all things came into being” because of Jesus. The verb that he uses shows us that that “all things” had a beginning point. By contrast, the verb He uses for Jesus shows He had no beginning.
The pre-existence of Jesus is taught in 1 John 1:1-2, Philippians 2:6-ff, Colossians 1:17, etc.
Jesus is worthy of our love and praise because HE always has and will always be. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end! (Rev 22:13)
C. The nature of Jesus. V1-2
When Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father, Christ answered in gentle rebuke. “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John14:9). Another time Jesus explained to His disciples, “No one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Luke 10:22). He is distinct personality from the Father because for Him to be with God, He must be a distinct personality from God.
Being “with” God is more than just hanging out with God, Jesus shares God’s nature, Jesus is divine, He is God! The Word was with God as a deity, not just “a” god as the JW’s say.
Jesus is fully God and was fully man. Philippians 2:6-ff tells us that He emptied Himself of the Glory He had in order die on the cross for our sins.
Admittedly, it is difficult to swallow this claim that Jesus, the man, was God incarnate. If John was the only one to make such a claim we might dismiss him as a lunatic or a poet. But he is accompanied by both Peter and Paul who equate Jesus with God in their letters. Furthermore, both Jesus’ friends and foes allude to his divine nature. More than that, Jesus claims it himself (John 10:30-33). He accepts worship as God (Matt 8:2). He performs works unique to God (Luke 7:48). In addition, he makes specific claims to his deity (John 14:6). This doesn’t even include all of Jesus’ “I AM” statements in John.
In The Beginning Jesus was a part of…
II. THE CREATION PROCESS V3
1 Cor 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
HEB 1:2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Through Jesus all things were created, no exceptions!
Jesus still is the power by which all things are held together! HEBREWS 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
A few years ago the Government was going to give some group in Europe ½ a billion dollars for the construction of a 16 mile long Proton Collider, the purpose of this to find out about the origins of the universe. GIVE ME THE MONEY, I WILL TELL THEM FOR FREE.
In the beginning, all things came into being through Jesus! (John 1:3)
In The beginning, Jesus was
III. THE LIFE AND LIGHT OF MAN V4-5.
A. Jesus is the giver of life. V4
Since Jesus is the creator of all, then John can say that Jesus is the giver of life.
There are actually three Greek words for life:
The word (), which John uses here, is the intensive life. It means a real genuine life, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God.
John could have used the word (bios) that we might call “being alive.” In fact, when John talks about “eternal life” he only uses this word Therefore, the life Jesus gives us is not a quantity of life, but quality of life.
How many of you just want to just be alive or do you want all you can get out of this one life that you have to live?
How many of you kids want to make the most of your life?
Through Jesus, you can live life to the fullest, your life will have meaning and purpose, your life will be a blessing and it will be fulfilling.
READ EPHESIANS 2:1-7
WE are made alive together with Jesus! We were dead, but through Jesus we were made alive.
B. Jesus is the light of men. V4
In John’s writings the terms light and darkness are often moral terms. Light represents moral purity, holiness, righteousness, good. In contrast, darkness as a moral term represents evil, all those warped and twisted ways in which sin had perverted the good in man, and brought pain to individuals and society.
The main function of light is to expose things, to make it possible for us to see.
In the movie Castaway, Tom Hanks character was on the island and there was a cave that would provide him protection, but until he got a flashlight, he did not want to walk into it because of not being able to see the potential pitfalls.
The main function of light in John’s writings is to expose the reality of that which surrounds us. Those who walk in the light, are the ones who are able to see the world for what it is. They are able to be innocent because they are able to see and respond properly to their surroundings
Jesus is the light of the World; He is the way to righteousness and holiness. When we have Jesus, He lights our path and we are able to navigate through this life in a spiritually safe manner. We will be able to see temptations for what they are and avoid them.
C. Jesus overcomes darkness. V5.
The meaning of the word “comprehend indicates a “holding down” in some way or another whether physically or intellectually.
There are two directions that this word can go. First, it can indicate an intellectual holding down (i.e., understanding, comprehending, apprehending; cf. Acts 25:25; Eph 3:18).
Second, its primary meaning is physically holding something down (i.e., overcoming, subduing, extinguishing; cf. Jn 8:3; 12:35; 1 Cor 9:24; 1 Thess 5:4). These two thrusts are seen in the various translations
Various translations of the verse.
(John 1:5 NLT) The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
(John 1:5 NCV) The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
This means that the world and its’ darkness has tried to hold down the light from an intellectual standpoint. This means that the world has tried to subdue Jesus and His light through its philosophy.
It also means that the world has tried to physically restrain the light of the gospel from spreading.
When you walk in a room and flip on a light, the darkness does not squelch it. When Jesus, the light, came into the dark world, he conquered, not vice versa. The second emphasis states that the darkness did not apprehend the truth/reality of the light. The truth of Jesus has not been grasped.
CONCLUSION
Do you know Jesus? When the disciples were in hiding fearing for their lives, they knew a lot about Jesus, but they did not know Jesus. When they understood who Jesus was, their lives were changed forever!
When you get past the point of knowing about Jesus to knowing who Jesus really is, your life will never be the same!
When the disciples finally understood who Jesus was, they gave their all to Him.
Listen to what the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:8:
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
This came from the pen of a man who KNEW JESUS! What about you? Do you know Him?
