The Nature of Jesus | John 1:1-14

• Sermon Transcript

  Alright. Good morning. Good to see you here this first day of October, not as crisp as maybe you would like to have it outside, but it is anyhow. We are in John one today is we hit the New Testament. And yesterday I was watching some college football on TV, of course, even took the kids to the CSU game last night. And John David always wants to know, who's the bad guy? You know, when we're playing, we're watching and, and he doesn't quite know the names of schools is really understand that concept. Right? So I said we're the Buccaneers and says that the pirate said yes, the pirate out there and says well, whose other team? And I said, I have no idea. Because it was Kennesaw State. And so I don't know what their what their Yes, hours. I know now. So I googled real fast and said, That's the owls. And he said okay, they're the bad guys. I said, yeah, they're the bad guys. And so every time you watch you watch a game, he has to ask who the bad guys are. And if sometimes I don't really care, I'm just watching a football game. So yesterday afternoon before we left for watching the game and and he said, who were the bad guys, and I was watching these two teams play. It wasn't Clemson just me. You know, right? This is two teams play. And I said they're both bad guys. Both bad guys. And he was confused. So why? How are they both? So they just are they're both bad guys. And then he quit asking questions about it after that. But anyhow, you know, as a four year old, he's still learning life. He's still trying to understand how life works and operates and he has everything categorized into good and bad and, and you know, good and evil. And that's just kind of how he thinks through things. He has a soccer team now that he's on and he keeps telling me you know, who the bad guys this week? And I said, we know they think that you're the bad guy. Did you ever think about that? And no, we're not. We're the good guys. And so he's still trying to understand identity. And who is this? And who is that? And today we're talking about the identity of Jesus. Because even at a young age, we're trying to figure out who is what and what do they do, right. Today, we're talking about just who Jesus is. And he was not the bad guy. If anything, he was the only truly good guy to ever live. John chapter one starting in verse one. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. And without Him was not anything made, that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John, He came as a witness to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light, the true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know Him, He came to His own and His own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from Father, full of grace, and truth. Heavenly Father, we thank you that Jesus is you are full of grace, which we need every day. And truth are which we also need every day, to understand who is who and what is what in, what identity is this and who was good and who is bad and all these things, Lord, that we even as a young child wonder about life. We thank you for giving children parents and naturally at least that's your plan to give them parents. Many grandparents and other mother and father figures sometimes fill that void Lord, but but getting put putting people in, in lives you can understand help people understand the way the world works, Lord, we know that there are generations 1000s if not millions of children, who have no idea who you are. So that we are blessed that many of us have known you for a long time. And we take passages like this for granted. So Lord to help us truly understand who you are, so we can tell others who you are confidently. And then an understanding really though that we understand this truth, we not fully comprehend it. But we know it enough to know it's true. So Lord, I pray that You would speak through me, or that you would have your words speak, that you would fill me with your Spirit today and that your spirit receives this message to our people today in Jesus name. Amen. I'll give you three realities of the nature of Jesus, three realities that we see in this passage of the nature of Jesus. Number one, Jesus is eternal. This is the first thing that John writes, in his Gospel in his letter, so to speak, to tell people about Jesus. He starts with the eternality of Jesus. He says, In the beginning, what's the word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God. Now, John's gospel, if you read it carefully, sounds familiar. Because it's almost identical to how Genesis one begins. Genesis one, the very first words of the Bible says in the beginning, and so we see John one here, in the beginning. But instead of saying in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, He says, In the beginning, was the word was Jesus. So John, clearly knowing this, opens up the gospel, in this fashion. And you know, he had to know and had to believe that he was writing scripture, or he would not have had the guts to do such a thing. The Holy Spirit was directing him through his own personality and his experience, to write this. But instead of speaking about creation, He reveals that the word another name for Jesus was also in the beginning. And the beginning at creation, Jesus was with God, Jesus is God, Jesus existed in eternity past, he did not just start to exist when he came to earth, in the form of a man, His birth was not the beginning of his existence. He was God, He is God and came to earth as God in the form of a man. And that's what he wants to make sure people understand. Jesus is not just some Prophet, just some teacher, just some holy man, just some god, quote, unquote, God to worship, he existed. It the beginning, verse three, but then he goes even further. He says that all things were made through Him. And without him, was not anything made. That was made. He seemed that Jesus, and what we know is his pre incarnate his pre human form, that he made the universe. When we talk about God, making the world, it was Jesus making the world and Jesus because He is God, because he has no beginning, because he has no end he is infinite. Now we can't completely understand this because we do not have the mind of God. We are limited and fully understanding God in that way. But we're not limited in knowing God. Jesus God has always existed. Look at Isaiah 4028. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. The Lord is the the everlasting. So we see this in Isaiah, this is not a new teaching. Psalm 92 says this, Before the mountains were brought forth, forever, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Hebrews 13, eight, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. We'll see this even further out in Hebrews. So when you reject when a person rejects the reality of God, or the notion that God is eternal, the mind then has to reach to try to explain existence. And you end up having all kinds of crazy theories floating around about there about our existence. And in the one that I've been hearing more and more about, is, is this idea I've even heard it from Elon Musk's threw this out in an interview. And the belief is that we're all live thing in a giant computer simulation. This is this is this is gaining steam, by the way, among so called smart people, right? We're living in a, in a computer simulation, kind of like the movie, The Matrix that are our lives are just part of a simulation, and some kind of computer game. That's where you end up. When you reject the notion of an eternal God, we end up somewhere like this. And now that we know about computers, we understand computers, now we can understand how we are made. But you know, years ago, we didn't know this right? But that theory still doesn't have an answer for this question. Who's playing the computer game? Who designed the computer game? Who created this simulation that we're living? So they're still forced to say, well, we don't know. Or lot? What are they hear now is, believe it or not, a lot of will say that it's some type of aliens that have done it, right. And the fact that the world was created by aliens, or living species is actually also gaining popularity. But the question still remains, who created aliens. desperate attempts to explain where life originated, still can't deal with the problem of eternity. They still can't go back far enough, they still can't go back further enough to what is the uncaused cause every action is result of cause and effect except God, he is what's called the uncaused cause. And we can't fully comprehend that. But at some point, God caused everything to exist, and He is eternal. And so as Jesus, Jesus is eternal, now, instead of scaring us, you try to try to wrap your mind around this concept, this reality actually should be very comforting for us. The eternal uncaused cause of the universe came to this earth for you and me, and lived and suffered and died for us. Amen. It's not just some 20 year old playing a computer game in his mother's basement. And we're part of the simulation. That's not what this is. The eternality of God should put your life in perspective, in a good way, that God is so powerful, he is so transcendent, yet is so loving, that he knows the number of your hairs on your head, that He is eternal, that he came to this world, and he made you right with God made you right with himself in some way. So Jesus is eternal. And that answers a lot of life's questions if we understood this truth. Secondly, Jesus is light. Jesus is light. First, for In him was life. And the life was the light of men. Jesus is the Creator of life, as we mentioned, and the life that Jesus gives, illuminates to mankind, what is true, and what is false. That's the other issue we're dealing with in our culture constantly. What is true? What is false. Throughout his life, Jesus eliminated what was true and false. What was light and dark. And now we have both the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible to do that. Jesus gives light to man, he is the source of that light, that exposes truth from false and this is how we know about Jesus because we have His Word. Verse five says this, that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. No amount of marketing. No amount of censorship, or oppression, or faulty logic, or doublespeak, or intimidation, or canceled culture will be able to hide the truth that the light of Jesus shines in the darkness. You can't cancel Jesus. You can try. But the light will shine in the darkness, because that's the nature of light. That's what light does. That's why people who who really reject Christianity have never truly really opened their life to the light of Jesus. It's why that they don't actually read the Bible. They might semi study it. They might look at it. For perceived inaccuracies or inconsistencies, but they're truly not trying it. With the light shines in their life, they've got to do something about it. They're not giving it a chance or not allowing the light to shine into their darkness. They know that deep down when they start reading the Bible, especially if you have some experience with it, that Jesus's light will shine into their dark areas, you'll never find someone who confesses to be an unbeliever who's reading their Bible every day, it is impossible. You will never find someone reading the Bible every day. Who's not a believer. They'll either quit reading it, or they'll believe Jesus doesn't shine his light to condemn us. Our sin is what condemns us. Our our sin is where our guilt comes from. But guilt is the result. When light shines into the darkness, just like when you wake up in the morning. And if someone just turns your light on real fast, and it's still dark outside, it's hard to see. That's what happens when God's truth comes into our life. It's a little difficult to see. That is that guilt, that is the result when light shines into darkness. Look at first John one seven. What if we walk in the light as He is in the light? We have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Jesus, the Word of God shows us what we don't want to see shows us what has been hidden. What's been kept in the darkness every now and then I'll go into I won't tell you which one will my children's rooms. And I'll point out things on the floor. collections in the room they shouldn't be collecting that should be thrown away. They don't want me going in there. This is embarrassing. They know it they know it's not it's not doesn't look good. Right? They know it's not healthy. They know that Deac would shut us down right? They came in the house. They don't want me in there. We don't want many times especially unbelievers and Christians to sometimes we don't want God's Word in our heart, do we? Well, we don't want there's areas we don't want that in there. Because we know God's light will shine. Right now without Jesus reality is still there. We just can't see it. Jesus brings it to light. For six, there's a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might live believe through him. He was not the light that came to bear witness about the light. John the Baptist came as this witness to bear witness about Jesus why so that all might believe in him. But he was not the light. Christ is the light. Look at John 812. Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Amen. We follow Jesus. We have the light. We don't have to walk in darkness. Sometimes we choose to for some reason. We have his light if we walk now, pastors, teachers, Christians, we are not the light. And I think sometimes we need to be reminded of that we're not the light. Jesus is the light. And just like John the Baptist, we are to shine that light into others lives. Jesus is the light. But we are called to be little lights. Right? Little lights. Look at Matthew 514. Jesus told us this. You he says, are the light of the world. Now we know we're not the real light because you just said he is. But he says you in light of the world. A city sit on the hill cannot be hidden. Look at Acts 1347 For so the Lord has commanded us saying I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. This is what we are to do. Right? We are little lights pointing to the source of the light. You know what our lights are kind of like if you're trying to find parking in a football game at night. You're looking for parking and and you have those parking attendants and they have those orange things you know in their tendency to come through where to park that's us right there. That's who we are. We're not the big lights of the stadium. That's that's Jesus, where there's little orange things pointing people here, here's where you go, here's where you go. But every now and then I don't want to deal with those people say But there's a space over here. Can I just go that way? Oh, this way? What are they gonna do? They're gonna arrest me, right? No, we're resting power, but they're telling me to come this way come this way, sometimes I'm gonna come up to him be like, what are you gonna do but if I know. But But I obey and I go and do what they tell me to do, right? I go and that's how we are Christians we are like this Parkington is showing people, it's over here, here's the light, here's where you're done. You don't have to go this way. But here's where you need to go. We are little lights pointing to the source of light. What sad is when people who claim to be Christians have those light deals have those little ones, and they're pointing in the opposite direction. And it happens. Woe to those who do that. Make sure we're always pointing people to the true light and Jesus. Number three. And finally, Jesus is God. Jesus is God. He's not just a teacher. John wants to make sure you understand this. He's not just a good person, not just a prophet. He's God, verse nine, the true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world, he was in the world. And the world was made through him. Yet the world did not know Him. John repeats the teaching that we've already covered that Jesus the light was coming into the world. Yet he was already in the world as this pre Incarnate Christ, but the world did not know Him. And they did not believe him, even though they should have believed him. Paul reminds us of this in Romans chapter one says this, For what can be known about God is playing to them, people mankind is what he's talking about. Because God has shown it to them, for His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him. but they became futile and their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. People see the proof of God's existence, every where they look. Everywhere they look, they see it as leaves change colors. In the fall. They see it as they view the mountains towering over the valleys. They see it as they sit on the beach and watch the powerful waves lapping the beach, one after the other. They see it when they put their fingers on their pulse, and feel their heartbeat, which never stops. They see it when they're in a laboratory. And they scan a person's brain. And they see how different sections of the brain respond to different types of stimuli. They see it when they fall in love. They see it when they're heartbreaks and experienced grief. They see it when they experience the birth of a child. They see it all throughout life and a daily basis and everything they experience it but they suppress the truth in their minds and their hearts don't work like they should. And they say we're in a silly video game. It's a tragedy. But you know, we can blame the people all we want. We can blame the culture all we want. But again, who are the little lights? We are. Jesus says this is why I've left you here. This is why you are here. Jesus's own people, the Jews rejected Him. Verse 11 says this He came to His own and His own people did not receive him. Jesus's mission was to reveal Himself as the way to salvation to Jews and then all other people. But even his own people did not recognize them for who He was. And that's the tragedy of life. Verse 12, but to all who did receive Him who believed in his name. He gave the right to become children of God. Amen. Didn't matter who you were. Didn't matter if you were from the tribe of Judah or tribe of Israel or not. Doesn't matter if you're Mongolian, Korean, Native American or there was no America back then. European no matter who you were, are aware. The good news is that the good news is good news for all people. Jesus's mission was to come to the earth, to live the perfect, sinless life that we cannot live to die on the cross and satisfy the wrath of God that we deserved through His death and His resurrection and make peace for us to God, and whoever believes in Him, whoever believes that are God's children were adopted into his family. When people reject Christianity as being unloving or, or somehow unkind, or, or whatever it is, they're not talking about Jesus. They're not talking about what we're talking about. They're talking about some religion or something that made up in their mind or some idea of what they think it is. God is the most loving thing that can exist. Look what he's done. That adopted into his family, you know, when children are adopted, they don't know what kind of family they're going into. They could have they could win the lottery, basically, or they could be adopted into a horrible situation. But as God's children were adopted to the best family that can exist. we're adopted into his family, and we have the same rights and privileges. His rights, his privileges, because God is our Father. Verse 13, were children of God who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man. But if God were born again, I bought not by our own power, but by God's power. We believe in Jesus Christ, something happens in our soul and our spirit, and we are been born again we have this this new life. Not by our own works, not by our own willpower, but by God's power. Verse 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory, glory, as the as the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth. When Jesus came into the earth, people saw his glory. Can you imagine seeing Jesus can you really imagine seeing him face to face, God and in and human flesh, sinless, and perfect, and walking with him and seeing him and seeing his glory? And still rejecting people did that's never gonna go away, unfortunately. Still rejecting him, but many people didn't. And praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, not by our own doing, or there is a decision making an effect. That if you KNOW Jesus Christ, that you received His salvation, amen. Praise the Lord that. God had in a position to hear the gospel. Whether it was a family, a church, whatever it is, that he had in a position to hear it. Jesus is God. Jesus is God and we are still here. You wonder why Jesus hasn't come back yet. Many Christians bemoaned the fact that Christ hasn't come back. And many of us will agree that we're in the end times. We might wonder, why is it come back yet? He hasn't come back yet. Because there's still people who are lost and don't know him. And he is patient and loving in long suffering God in church, where the lights were the little lights pointing to the light. And every day he doesn't come back every day he Terry's is another day for us to show people where he is. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for who you are, for you being the light. It's our obligation to point people to you and Laura, if they reject us, they're not rejecting us. They're rejecting you. It's not personal. It's got nothing to do with who we are. But you are the source of truth, the source of light. Help us have that courage and that determination to lovingly guide people to where they need to be to guide people to you. Father, there's one here This never placed their faith in you never admitted that they were a sinner and needed a savior that that needed to turn from their sins that today they would do so they would place their faith in you that they will be born again, they will be saved. Or maybe there's one in here today that just needs its prayer Lord. They didn't need to come down and just let me pray with them or I'll be glad to pray with them. Maybe they just need to come down to these front steps and do some business with us or they have requests for you or something that they would do that today. Well, whatever it is, wherever you're working in their life, Father, I pray that today during this invitation time, you will work in their lives. We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.