Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is worthy of our worship.

This lesson begins a unit of seven lessons about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as told in the Gospel according to John the apostle. John started at the beginning, telling about the eternal origin of the Son of God and his coming into the world. This lesson addresses deep truths about Jesus as the pre-incarnate Word and Christ of God, and as the incarnate Word and Christ of God, that are highly relevant to our faith and practice as believers in Christ. In John’s Gospel, the mystery of the eternally begotten son of God points the way to the practical response of people to God‘s own son, Jesus Christ. Our response to Jesus Christ is of eternal significance.

GOLDEN TEXT: John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Questions: Who is Jesus?

What are some popular views of Jesus today?

Before getting into the lesson, understand this; the Apostle John though being raised with and being a witness of Jesus by watching his every move, was totally convinced that He was The Christ! Why? Because he knew Him that well. It is so much easier to believe in someone that you know.

1. THE WORD AND THE WITNESS

A. The Word is God

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

…….Opening this book, John proclaimed Jesus as the very spoken but living “word” of God. A man so close to God that he actually operated as if God was speaking through his life, and He did.

2  The same was in the beginning with God.

…….John here also says that Jesus was with God from the very beginning. So just as God, Jesus was with Him in the very beginning of everything just as was the Holy Spirit.

3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

…….Here John implicates that in his creating of the earth, just as it is spoken in Genesis 1, that nothing was made without Christ. Someone turn to Genesis 1:1 and listen to this.

4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

…….This life that John speaks about here is not just any life, but a life that can be understood by every person who has had a transforming, salvation, sanctifying relationship with Christ!

That light (which is the Spirit of Christ) that now shines in the transformed child of God exposes the things inwardly that need to be eliminated, and illuminates the things that build the kingdom of heaven! Jesus we need your light!!!

5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

…….The darkness is the sinfulness of this present world. Just as it was in Christ’s days, the darkness at times and in certain places has no comprehension or understanding of Christ! But, the word says “shineth” which is a word of present tense and continuation! No matter how dark the world becomes or is, His light will always shine and will always be available! There will be a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the King of King’s and Lord of Lords!

B. John the Baptist’s Ministry

6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

…….This man John the Baptist was so devoted to God that he lived totally separated from the world. A man who’s diet was locusts and honey from the wilderness. I can only imagine the revelations of Christs ministry he received in his alone times, revelation of a man that hadn’t even come on the scene yet! If you want to grow closer to the Lord, sometimes you just have to get alone with him. Find that wilderness spot in your life where you can focus on nothing else but Him!

7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

…….John the Baptist was sent by God to be the forerunner of Christ, a man that proclaimed what God was going to do through the Messiah before it actually happened. This man’s life was so ministry driven that he even separated himself and lived in a wilderness to be alone with God. His sole desire was that “all men through him might believe” in Jesus Christ and the work that was to come!

8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

2. RESPONSES TO THE LIGHT

A. Rejection of the Light

9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

…….Though John the Baptist’s ministry was great, he never wanted the focus on himself! Those who desire ministry for a stage or a spotlight will never succeed for the kingdom of heaven! There may be those false proclaimers that live majestically on this side of heaven, but their reward will not be eternal! Before you ever step into ministry, never let it slip that it’s not about you!

I don’t want Christ’s ministry without His power because I can’t handle the attacks, nor the rewards that come with it within myself!

10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

…….We may ask, how could the Son of God will the face of this earth and still there are those who didn’t realize it? My answer is this: because sin is the blinding! Don’t ever think a little sin won’t hurt because a little sin will take complete control!

11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

…….This scripture here will ring throughout eternity and especially on the day of Judgement! Jesus came into creation to reveal the creator, and as natural as it should be to be drawn by Him, most have refused to listen to His voice!

B. Acceptance of the Light

12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

…….I love that word “receive” and the way it’s used here. Not one person has to beg for God to come into their life. God is waiting on everyone to look up and find him knocking! Not only do we receive a loving, guiding relationship, but also power! Power for what? To overcome the enemy and to live in complete liberty! To believe on his name means to believe everything about him and fully accept his ways. After salvation, no matter what family you were born from, you are now born of God and made members of His family.

3. THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD

A. The Word Became a Human

14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

…….The Word of God, which has always been, became a living being from the beginning of time! He is eternally begotten if the Father and the only one of His kind. Just as God, He has no beginning and will have no ending.

B. Grace and a Truth Embodied

16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

…….The law was a gift given by Moses through God by grace and could only show us our sins. But, the gift of grace that came through Christ was unmerited favor and forgiveness which brings forth a healing of and from sin. The truth is everything in Gods word and everything about Christ!

18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

……. Jesus, the incarnate Word, was the full expression of God. He revealed God more fully than anyone before or after him. Jesus said, “he that has seen me has seen the father” (John 14:9)”. Therefore, if we desire to know God, we must look no further than Jesus Christ. Christ the Son is the exact representation of the invisible God.