John 1:1-18 - Part 1 (The Word was God, and the Word Became Flesh)

Описание: We are going to begin a new study going through the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is a great book for new or young Christians because it intentionally helps the reader understand the significance of Jesus. What becomes increasingly clear as you read through this book is that Jesus does not fit the image of someone who is simply a nice moral teacher. Only a lunatic would make the claims that Jesus makes for Himself, that is, unless He was who He said He was. You will find that John leaves no room for indecision. John was evidently among the Galileans who followed John the Baptist until they were called to follow Jesus at the outset of His public ministry. These disciples were later allied to become full-time disciples of Jesus, as seen in Luke 5:1-11. John only identifies himself in this book as the disciple “who loved Jesus”. So, you need to understand that all references to “John” in this book is speaking of John the Baptist. Many can get confused on this fact but understanding it from the beginning makes it clearer.

John’s Gospel is a book of simple yet profound truth, relying on metaphor and
symbols to reveal Jesus to be the only begotten Son of God. That does not mean a created being, but that He was the only one of His kind. John is the brother of James, both of them were given the nick names of “sons of thunder” by Jesus. John was also the author of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. Chronologically, the Gospel of John was the next to last book of Scripture, written at the end of the first century. Only the book of Revelation came later, and yet, the Gospel of John is often the first book we recommend to the person curious to know more about Christ or Christianity. John’s Gospel is so memorable, partly because of its uniqueness among the Gospels, and John’s distinct purpose in writing it. By the time John’s Gospel was written, the church had come to recognize that God’s timetable for Jesus’s return was much longer than first anticipated. All but one of the apostles had died, and second and third generations of followers were now leading the church. The church was being embraced by Gentiles, even as its early Jewish constituencies were dwindling rapidly. All this made clear that the promise of a coming Kingdom needed to be understood with a new appreciation and patience. Therefore, unlike the other gospel writers, John approached his Gospel with the purpose of strengthening the church for the long period that lay ahead. John was Jewish, but wrote for an increasingly Gentile church, and therefore, he took the time to explain Jewish words, customs, and geography. He wanted believers to live in Christ and depend on His word.

John’s Gospel is also known for its seven statements of “I am”. Jesus said “I am the Bread,” “I am the Light,” “I am the Door,” “I am the Good Shepherd,” “I am the Resurrection,” “I am the Vine” and “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” The phrase “I am” evokes the name of God that was provided to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. Reminding us that while God has revealed Himself in many ways, through Moses and other prophets, in these last days, He has spoken through His Son. Understand, that the knowledge of who Jesus really is, is the key to the knowledge of who God really is. And so, John wrote His Gospel to reveal Jesus as the light Who came into the world and conquers the darkness. He is the Provider, the Life Giver, the Good Shepherd, He is the One Who receives all that Father sends and loses not one.

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Ephesians 2:8-9, 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith (through simply believing), and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works (there is nothing you can do of yourself to be worthy), lest anyone should boast.

Romans 10:9-10, 9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14, 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

That gate, that door, is Jesus. Sadly, few find it. But for those who do find and choose it, they will find peace and eternal life, growth and increase “pasture”

Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Know that your eternity is secure. Choose today whom you will serve. Tomorrow is not promised.
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