April 7, 2024
Morning Service

Today we will begin a study in one of the four gospels written about the life of Jesus. In 2021 we traveled with Matthew as he shared with us his journey with Jesus.  He wrote his gospel aimed mainly at Jewish believers as he gave great detail in things they found important like Jesus’ lineage, His teaching, and OT prophecies He fulfilled proving He was the long-awaited Messiah.  Mark, who was not an apostle, had Peter as his source of information and focuses on Jesus being the obedient Servant who is always ministering to others physical and spiritual needs.  Luke, also not an apostle, was a doctor who took it upon himself to thoroughly investigate the facts to write an accurate an account about Jesus.  His focus was the human side of Jesus as he also goes into great depth in describing Jesus’ ancestry, birth, and development.  He shows Jesus as the perfect Son of Man and how He endured many of the same sorrows we face helping Him to identify with us and the struggles we experience in this life.  These three gospels share the same approach as they follow along in a biographical or chronological order to them.  That brings us to the fourth Gospel, written by John the Apostle.

 John was known with his brother James as “the Sons of Thunder” for their quick temper. Their father was Zebedee, a fisherman, and their mother was Salome.  John was called by Jesus to follow Him at the time Peter caught the abundance of fish.   His brother James was the first apostle to be martyred in the Book of Acts (CH 12).  Peter, James, and John were the inner circle of Jesus’ ministry.  There were times where only they were invited to accompany Jesus (the transfiguration Jaurus’ daughter, in the Garden).  John often refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.”  His gospel is written intimatley from the perspective of one who considered himself to be Jesus’ best friend as you could argue no one knew Him better.  He lived a long life following Jesus from perhaps his teens into his 90s.  It was a long life, but sometime difficult one often being persecuted for his faith.  He was exiled to the island of Patmos later in his life where he was given wonderful visions of heaven and future events which he wrote about in the Book of Revelations. He is the only apostle to die of natural causes.  His Gospel differs from the other three in that rather than telling a story in order, he hand picks events to prove a certain point. The point he emphasizes is that Jesus is the Son of God.  His close relationship with Jesus empowers his words to have extra special meaning as an insider rather than one observing from the outside. He actually states the purpose for writing this account near the end in chapter 20.

John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; (31) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

            John writes this with an evangelistic theme and with that single purpose in mind.  He wants to share with us who Jesus, whom he loved and walked with, really was; “the Christ, the Son of God.”  His goal is for us to believe and find “life in His Name.”  He shares this so we can enter into the same fellowship he had with Jesus.  This Gospel is the place I recommend any new believer to begin as John lays down the foundation of Jesus identity very clearly for us to grasp.  As we go through this study, be prayerful in asking God to show you the true Jesus. John uses accounts of seven miracles to help prove to us Jesus’ deity.  He also will use seven “I AM” statements as further proof that He is God.  Seven is often referred to as the number of perfection.  John does not begin his account with Jesus birth, but returns to the true beginning of everything again reinforcing that Jesus was more than just a Man.

 

Joh 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  (4)  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  (5)  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

            John here refers to the person of Jesus as the “Word.”  He shows that He was not created, but simple always was with no beginning.  He “was with God” showing a separate and distinct personality but yet was Himself God.  John leaves no doubt here that Jesus is God, not “like God” or a “god;” He is God.  The Godhead, as it is called, can be a very deep subject as we can see God in three personalities (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), but the three are always referred to as being One.  This is something I encourage you to accept by faith and not struggle with trying to fully understand it.  I have learned to accept that God is bigger than what my mind is able to comprehend and I for one am glad of that.

 

            We see here also that Jesus (The Word) was the Creator as “all things were made through Him.” Everything we see in this world was Created by Jesus as “without Him nothing was made that was made.”  Paul affirms this in Colossians chapter 1 speaking of Jesus:

 

Col 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16)  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  (17)  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

            Paul, through revelations from the Spirit, affirms all that John is telling us about Jesus being the Creator and goes a step farther in showing us that He also holds everything together (in Him all things consist) and “all things were created by Him and for Him.”  Colossians is the best place for you to go if the Godhead has drawn your interest.  John’s point is made that this Man Jesus was not only Man, but God.

            John tells us also in verse 4 that “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”  This points to Jesus as the source of all life meaning both physical and spiritual life.  Physical life is given to us through Him when we are born (it is He who opens the womb), and spiritual life is given to us when we accept Him as Lord and are “born again.”  Jesus not only brings us life, but also light for our path.  He provides for us guidance and direction that is necessary for us to successfully walk our life journey with Him.  He reveals to us the true meaning of life and guides us down a path where by obedience we know Him intimately and become more like Him changing who we are. He lights the path that we are to walk.  Again Paul confirms this in the Colossian letter:

 

Col 2:9-10For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (10) and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

            Complete means lacking nothing so we can honestly say all we need is Jesus.  He completes us in every way giving us life, light, and a path to salvation. Without Him we are nothing.  The key to becoming complete is to pursue Jesus as in His own words He promises this:

 

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

          When we “seek God first” we are pursuing Jesus.  This means being proactive in our spiritual life to put Him and His will for our life at the front of the line.  Jesus demonstrated that for us in the Garden as we saw the agony He was in as He faced physical abuse and the sins of the world to be cast upon Him.  He cried out to His Father for another way, but in the end yielded to His Father’s will and chose to go to the cross for us.  When we make that choice to put Him first, He promises to “add all these things to you.”  This means if we trust Him fully and completely and put Him first, He will take care of everything else for us.  Think about what a freeing promise that is for us.  Place all your trust in Him and He will take care of you.

            In verse 5, John says “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  Reading these verses today affirms that you are no longer in the darkness.  John has shown you exactly who Jesus is; the Christ the Son of God.  With the help of these few verses, I hope you can say you can now comprehend and believe who Jesus is.  It is now up to you to be “doers and not hearers only.”  Since we now are in the light and know that Jesus was the Creator of all we see in the physical world, and has also created a path for us to be born again into His likeness in the spiritual world, what do we do with that?  Do we accept that by faith believing all that John has told us from first-hand experience and choose to follow Him and let Him guide us to a better life and eternal life?  John wrote this Gospel for that purpose.  Christianity is not just a self-help program to improve how you see the world and make you happier.  It is a relationship with Jesus, our Creator, who now wants to become part of your life and show You all He has prepared for you. He is able to change your life for the better from the inside out.  You are complete only in Him.  As we continue this study our faith will be built stronger and stronger in this fact.

 

Heavenly Father thank You for this Gospel which shows us the truth about Jesus.  Open our hearts to understand Your love for us and build our faith through this study that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and He alone completes us.