Come And See

3. Not everything concerning Christ is written on pages for us to read, but John concludes that there is enough information or evidence given for us to come in faith to Christ. (John 21:25)

4. This faith in Christ is essential, seeing that everything in the Old Testament pointed forward to Christ (Galatians 3:24,25), and everything in the New Testament after Christ points back to Him (I Corinthians 15:11-22).

6. Many struggle with coming to the Lord and putting their trust in Him, because they don’t really know who Jesus is, and how to come to faith in Him. (John 9:35-38; John 12:32-34)

A. John begins in the beginning (John 1:1; Genesis 1:1)

1. “In the beginning was the Word…”

-John is showing that the “Word” was there from the beginning.

-John goes back to when the earth was void and nothing had yet been created, and there we find the “Word”.

2. Therefore, whoever the “Word” is, was uncreated, eternal, and had no beginning.

B. John reveals the “Word” (John 1:14)

1. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (See Hebrews 10:5)

-As the only begotten Son of God, Jesus dwelt upon the earth.

-Before the beginning of creation, He already was, but God’s will called for Him to leave His home in glory to come, bleed, suffer and die for our sins. (John 1:15)

2. Therefore the “Word” had to become flesh and dwell among us, because man had sinned and the Father’s love called for the ultimate sacrifice.(John 1:29)

C. John says, “the Word was with God…” (John 1:1)

1. This idea means more than co-existence, but signifying two persons, one with another.

-This shows that not only is the “Word” eternal, but personal

-He was with God before He came to reveal God

2. To be “with God” identifies the “Word” as one of the persons of the Godhead, yet He is able to have His own identity.

D. John then says, “the Word was God…” (John 1:1)

1. Notice the emphasis not on the word was but on the word God.

-The ultimate conclusion is that the “Word” was and is Deity

-John does not say that the “Word was a god” like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

-John does not say the “Word was the God” like some contend.

- John says in very plain words, “the Word was God…” (John 1:1)

-When the “Word” became flesh, He was given a name (Matthew 1:23)

2. The “Word” was God in His nature, and in His being, possessing the fullness of divine being, power, and attributes.

-The Hebrews writer said it well (Hebrews 1:3)

-Theologians use the word “essence”; He was the very essence of God.

-In His relationship to Deity, He existed before creation; therefore, He was eternal. He was with God, personal, in communion with Him. He was Deity itself, the very image of the divine essence, and still is.

A. John continues with the beginning to discuss the creation. (John 1:3)

1. “All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made…”

-Everything, one by one was made by the “Word”, Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus was the active agent by which all things came into existence. (Colossians 1:12-18; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:1-2)

3. The Bible tells us that Jesus has been involved with the world at all times, by ordering, controlling, guiding, and as the Hebrew writer says “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3)

4. Paul also stated that it is by Christ that, “all things consist…” (Colossians 1:17)

B. Some would say that God created all things (Genesis 1:1), and they are correct

1.They are right in that it was God who planned and organized creation.

2. They are also right in the sense that Jesus is God, Deity. (John 1:10)

-Consider the song of the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:11).

3. All things were in the mind of God before coming into existence, but it was the creation itself that serves as the expression of His will.

- It was by God’s will that they were, but they were created by Jesus Christ as the “Word” of God.

-This my friends puts Christ before all things, both in time and in preeminence.

A. John states that from Jesus (the “Word”) , comes life.

1. After the time of creation, the “Word” was sent to become flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14).

2. John informs the reader that, “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

3. In other words, “Life in all its fullness and completeness was in Him” Hailey

4. Jesus made the claim to be the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)

-This signifies that he has now spanned the great separation between the sinner and God, between the moral and the immoral, between the Jew and Gentile to lead them to the light of life. (John 14:1-6)

B. John also states that from Jesus, the “Word” comes light.

1. From Him proceeded the light of revelation (John 8:25-32), which appeals to the conscience and reason of man, turning all mankind to follow the Lord.

-John mentions that Jesus was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14b)

2. The life that is referred to, give the light that is needed in a dark world (sin), but also motivates man to respond to the light. (Hebrews 1:2)

3. This light calls for all mankind to respond and accept the salvation in Christ (John 8:12; I John 1:5-7; Hebrews 5:8-9)

-Many will not respond to the light of the truth because of darkness (II Corinthians 4:3-6)

C. Although Jesus serves as “light” and “life” man must accept Him

1. The “life” which was the light of men was immediately challenged by darkness.

-The passage says “And the light shineth in the darkness…” (John 1:5)

-Then John records, “the darkness comprehended it not…” (John 1:5)

-The Light came to challenge darkness by illuminating every man, but the Bible tells us of the condemnation of mankind (John 3:19-21)

-Notice the light did not over power the darkness nor the darkness push out the light, but that they co-existed together and man had a choice to follow either one, like he still does today.

2. John who is not the Light, is now introduced as the one to come and bear witness to the light (John 1:6-8)

-Then John penned, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9)

-Yes friends, the true Light was now coming into the world, the “Word” in person.

-John said, “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not…” (John 1:10) Why is that?

-Paul explained the reason in I Corinthians 1:21 when He said, “the world through its wisdom knew not God”

-Paul also explained in Romans 1:21,25, “that knowing God, they glorified Him not as God” and “that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever…”

3. It was this Word, eternal Deity, Creator, And Sustainer of the universe, who in the flesh had now come into the world to reveal God.

-John wrote, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him” (John 1:18)

-Men had seen visions of God, angelic appearances of God; but until the coming of Jesus in the flesh no man had seen God in person. (John 14:9)

-He who was with God from the beginning and who was Deity itself, has revealed, interpreted, unfolded God, becoming the exact representation of His image and nature.

-The book of Isaiah records the prophecy of the coming of Christ by saying:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

-From the time of the fulfillment of Christ’s birth to the time after His resurrection one fact stands…God was with us!(Matthew 1:23; John 20:28)

A. John said that Jesus, the “Word” was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)

1. John said in John 1:16-17 of the grace we have received:

“And of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

-How did grace and truth come by Jesus Christ?

-The Bible does not leave us without answers…

2. When God saw man in sin, he sent His Son, and in Him is God’s grace

-The Bible has revealed, that it pleased the Father, that in Him (Christ) should all the fullness dwell (Colossians 1:19-20)

-It is in Christ that we receive the blessing of God’s grace.

-Paul also mentioned in Colossians 2:9-13, how it is that we can share the blessings of grace in Christ.

B. It is written, “We are saved by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

1. Grace is found in the sending of Christ, faith is found in the obedience of mankind. (James 2:18-20; 21-24)

-Man did not have to work to earn the gift of God’s Son (Romans 6:23)

-The “gift” of God’s Son and the hope of eternal life are a free gift and not something that we earn. Consider our state (Romans 5:6-10).

-God offers this free gift to all who will trust in Christ (John 3:16, 36)

-True faith and trust will lead to total obedience to the Lord

2. When we put our trust in Christ, it is coming to Him in humble obedience. (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46)

-Remember Hebrews 5:8-9 “He became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him.”

- Some may ask: What do I have to obey? The truth!

C. Truth also came in Christ

1. Jesus said while praying to the Father “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth” (John 17:17)

-Jesus realized that it was God’s will that mattered, even if it meant for Him to go to the cross on behalf of mankind. (Matthew 26:39)

-Jesus came with God’s will to share it with mankind (John 8:28b, 29b)

“but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things…” v. 28

“for I do always those things that please Him…” v. 29

-Jesus then was able to say: “If you continue in my words then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…”

2. Do you need to obey the truth and be set free?

-Some say, “free from what?” (Romans 3:23)

-Some in Jesus day said the same thing…(John 8:33-36)

-When we are in sin, and have never received the grace of God through obedience to Christ, we are in the bondage of sin.

-Paul not only received the remedy for His sin (Acts 22:16), but was willing to tell other about the way to forgiveness. (Romans 6:16-18; 1-8)

-God chose the avenue of water baptism to bring us into contact with Christ’s shed blood. (Galatians 3:26-27)

-God chose the avenue of baptism to save those who obey (I Peter 3:21).

-THE ESSENSE OF DEITY IN THE GODHEAD

-THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD IN THE BEGINNING

-THE LIGHT AND LIFE OF MAN IN SIN

-THE GRACE OF GOD IN THE PLAN OF SALVATION

-HEAR John 12:48

-BELIEVE John 8:24

-REPENT Luke 13:3,5

-CONFESS Matthew 10:32-33

-BAPTIZED Mark 16:16

-FAITHFUL Matthew 24:13

3. If you are a Christian and need to repent of some sin, let us pray with you and for you  (I John 1:9)

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Last modified: 05/02/08

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