JOHN 1:1-18
Lesson # 1
THE PROLOGUE
I. Introduction:
Note:? Tonight we begin our study of the Gospel of John.? It will take over forty sessions, and we will look at every single verse together.? In spite of that, we will only scratch the surface, but it is my hope that our study will be used by the Holy Spirit to exalt and glorify Jesus, and that His light may give us life.
II.? The Life-Giving Power of the Word of God:? John 1:1-3.
>>>>? Have someone read Genesis 1:1-3.
Q? How did the light come into being?
An = Through God’s voice, through God’s spoken Word.? God’s Word creates the heavens and the earth, the light, the expanse in the midst of the waters, the gathering of the waters, the lights in the expanse, the life in the sea, the creatures of earth and finally the human beings…. All with His voice, His Word.
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:1-3
Q Was Jesus created??
Q What is Jesus’ relationship to creation?
An = He is its origin, it came into being through Him. John sees Jesus as creator.?
Note: However, we will see that John sees Jesus not only as the creator of the world but as the creator of clean hearts. He is not just the creator of objective physical life, but the potential creator of spiritual life.?
>>> Have someone read John 15:3.? Jesus has meaning for us personally.? One of our goals is to explore how that can happen in a significant way in our personal lives.
Q? Does John see Jesus as wonderful teacher, a great healer, a spiritual guide, or as more?
An = John sees Jesus as one with the Father. John sees Jesus as God.? What our adventure will be is to see how John came to that conclusion….
>>>>? Have someone read Psalms 119:105
Q? What does this verse mean to you.What does it mean?
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:4
Q? How does John see Jesus??
An = Jesus is God, He is the Word. Jesus is the Word of God.? The Bible is only secondarily the “Word of God”, Jesus is the actual, primary Word, the Living Word.? This is certainly not to denigrate Scripture. As we go through, verse by verse, you will only grow in your love of Scripture and seeing its power, its beauty, its ability to bless, but the real goal is to come into the light Himself, for in Him is life.
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:5
Q? What does this verse mean, that Jesus came into a dark world and it (the darkness) did not understand Him, or not overpower Him?
An = Remember this, the Gospel will speak much of the world trying to overpower Jesus and much of the world not comprehending Him. Both will astonish you, but the Gospel of John is a true guide to reality and to truth and both of these facts were true during Jesus’ time here on earth and true today in our lives.
III. The Role of Great Leaders, Like John the Baptist:? John 1:6-8
Q Have you ever seen people confuse the truth of God with a personality, a great youth leader, or pastor or parent.
Q Why do we do this as humans?
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:6-8
Q? What is the role of John the Baptist?
An = He was a “witness to the light”, not the light itself.? John was an amazing figure in his day.? (By-the-way, John the Baptist, is not the John who is the writer of this Gospel).? In Jesus’ day, John the Baptist was much more popular than the humble writer of this book.)?? John the Baptist was an astounding character.? He amazed people with his boldness and the power of his preaching.? However, John was a true servant of God.? He pointed to God, not Himself.? He was much like the great servant Isaiah pointed to….
>>>? Have everyone turn to Isaiah 43:8-13 and let someone read it to the group.
IV. Rejection and Acceptance: John 1:9-13.
Note: One of the great themes of John is how the world reacted to Jesus (and thus we are instructed as to how we can expect the world and ourselves to react to Him today). There are two basic reactions: rejection and acceptance. Both are options. God allowed and gave both options to those alive when He was here in the flesh, and He has given both options to us.
A.? Rejection: John 1:9-11
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:9-11
Q? What does it mean that the world or His own did not know or receive Him?
Q? How was it done then?
Q? How is it done today?
An = Perhaps, it might help to see that this is the story of the human race…>>> Have someone read Isaiah 1:2-4
B.? Acceptance: John 1:12-13.
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:12-13
Q? Does God want us?
Q? How does one receive God, so as to become His children, born of God?
An = Have everyone turn to Isaiah 2:3 and let someone read it.? Notice that God desires to be our “instructor” so that we can walk in His paths.? Jesus is the path.? His life, as we read it will be the best example of how to “walk in the Lord’s ways” you will ever witness. His ways of doing things may surprise you, and it may even shock you.? The disciples were often shocked and even dismayed and God will do the same with you.?
Religion may be an empty thing for you tonight, that is fine. Religion will not save, religion is often a great hindrance to salvation.? It will be in the name of religion that they will kill Jesus.? His path is so different, so different….
>>> Have someone read Isaiah 1:18.
Note:? In the end you will have to decide:?
>>> Have someone read Isaiah 1:19-20
V.? The Word Became Flesh:? John 1:14-18.
Note:? God wants us to know His paths, His ways, to “see” His light, to have real life.? Some of you come to a study such as this, but if you were really honest, you do not “see” God and as far as you are concerned religion is not life to you.? Deep inside you hurt.
RQ? So how do you find life, how do you “see God”, how do you penetrate the darkness?
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:14
Q? Why is God’s message given to us “in the flesh”? Why is the message in Jesus, who was born like us, as a human being?? Why did He have to “dwell among us”?
Note:? When John looks back on what he experienced of Jesus, he calls it glory, and not just the glory of a great man, but the glory of God Himself in the flesh.?
John, the writer of this Gospel will have a title for himself, “the one whom Jesus loved”.? It is a simple title, a charming title.? It is both self-effacing and strangely bold as a title.? It says nothing of John’s worth, purity, religious goodness, or talent but only that “Jesus loved him”, but at the same time it is an almost audacious title, to think that God personally loved him.? John says more about Jesus than himself, he says we beheld His glory.
But, John was not the only witness….
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:15
Q? How did John the Baptist, not John the writer of the Gospel, see himself in comparison to Jesus?
Q? What hint do we draw from this courageous, powerful, anointed man of God?
An = That perhaps the way to see God entails humility, not self-confidence.? John had the latter in abundance and such a commodity is not a sin, but it does not help us see God.
Note:? The way to see God comes in a strange way.? If you do not believe that then you will when you get through reading the book of John.? It is the strangeness of grace.
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:16-17.
Q? What is grace?
RQ? What if we know all the definitions, all the formulas, all the stories, and yet we do not understand grace?
Note:? It is OK to be such, just begin the adventure…John, the “one this Jesus loved” invites you.
>>>>? Have someone read John 1:18
Note:? Jesus will explain God, the very essence of God, the only begotten of God, will explain God and you will be amazed at the explanation!