Four Facts About Jesus

[0:00] I would like you to turn this morning in your Bible, if you would, to John chapter 1.

[0:10] ! We are going to study John chapter 1 verse 1. And as we begin this morning, I'm going to ask that you join me in prayer and that through the remainder of our time together that you continue in prayer.

[0:23] That means multitasking. You pray, I will preach, and we will rely upon the Spirit of God to work in us that we might rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ and have delight in the one that someday we are going to see face to face.

[0:45] Let us pray. Precious Father, this morning we who are your children, blessed beyond our full comprehension with salvation, with the indwelling Spirit, with the companions of people that love the Lord Jesus Christ, and with the written Word of God, which is the revelation that you have given to us of your Son, we who are richly blessed as we are come again to ask that your Spirit would work in us, that the Lord Jesus might be exalted, and that we would grow in our affection for Him and our likeness to Him.

[1:38] And we ask this in your precious name. Amen. I want you to listen as I read John chapter 1, verse 1, and just have it framed in your mind, if you would, with me.

[1:51] It says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. As we look at that opening statement, I want you to understand that the Apostle is doing what is an important feature in good teaching.

[2:11] He begins by telling you what he's going to say. And then you can expect that in the remainder of the book, for pretty much the entire book, he is going to lay out various pieces of information that bear in on what we are going to see and understand in John chapter 1, verse 1.

[2:32] And as you might suppose, at the close of the book of John, he comes back around, and in John chapter 20, verse 30 and 31, he says, Listen, there's a lot I could tell you about, about the ministry and the testimony of Christ, but the things that I've chosen, they are the things that are going to focus in, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and believing in Him, you may have life.

[3:00] And as we look at this passage this morning, one of the things that I want you to understand at the very outset, is that as we take up the book of John, one of the things that I always want to have fixed in our minds, and be thinking about, is the fact that where we are today is not the end of the story.

[3:19] I want you to have that clear in your mind. The fact of the matter is, is that every single one of us here this morning, will someday stand before God, and give an account for our life, and those of us who have come by faith, to know the Lord Jesus Christ, as our personal Savior, will enjoy eternity forever with Him, and we are going to delight in His presence, and the blessing of being there with Him.

[3:45] For those of you who are here today, and do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, I have no doubt that there will be moments in eternity, where you will perhaps think back, and remember, I remember hearing the gospel, I remember hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ, and oh, the wretchedness of my heart, that hearing the sweetness of who Jesus is, I turned away, and rebelled, and walked out into the darkness, and ultimately into eternity of suffering and hardship.

[4:16] I want you to understand, as we take up this book this morning, in John chapter 1, we are looking at a very, very central statement, about who the Lord Jesus Christ is. And as we consider what it says here in this passage, I want you to recognize that we who know Christ are dependent this morning on the Spirit of God helping us to comprehend, and then apply the sweet truth that we find here.

[4:42] I want to draw attention in this one verse to four truths that the Spirit of God tells us about Christ. Let's begin by recognizing that John the Apostle says something about Jesus repetitiously in verse 1 that we're going to use as a starting point.

[5:01] It says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And so I want you to recognize this morning, as you take this passage in hand, that Jesus is the Word.

[5:15] When it says, In the beginning was the Word, John is the only one of the apostles and the writers of the Gospels that refers to Christ by this title.

[5:28] And as the title repeats itself over and over again in the first verse, it is fitting for us to ask the question, So what is John saying? What's the point that he actually wants us to pick up on and have stuck in my mind?

[5:42] Allow me to go back just for a moment to something I said last week. And it was this, that as a person reads through John, one of the repeated questions that should be asked is, Okay, who is Jesus, and who is he to me?

[5:56] And as we have this little statement that John makes again and again, Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Word, the question then is, Okay, what does this tell us about Christ? Now, we have a tendency sometimes just to think that words are just blah, blah, blah.

[6:12] In fact, you may have grown up as a child and your mother or father wanted to kind of soften some of the criticisms of life and so they taught you that little ditty.

[6:24] Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. And that, is that true? Not at all. Not at all. Words have far greater impact than we may want to admit on the surface, but the truth of the matter is, words are very, very significant.

[6:41] And I want you to understand that words really, and this is something that I want you to recognize and identify and accept. Words give expression to the inner thought that someone else is having.

[6:54] I want you to turn just for a moment. You're there in John chapter 1, but I want you to turn, if you will, over to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

[7:08] Give me just a second to get there myself. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11 says, For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him?

[7:24] I don't know what you're thinking. I may on occasion say, I know what you're thinking, and I may be able, on the basis of recurring experience, say, I think I've got a reasonable guess at what you're thinking, but the truth of the matter is, I don't know what you're thinking unless you, what?

[7:46] Open your mouth and out come indications of what's really going on in your mind. And that's the reason that I think for one thing, we who are believers, listen to me carefully, need to be more careful about what we say with our lips.

[8:03] Isn't that right? Because the things we say should reflect favorably on the Lord Jesus Christ in every instance when we open our mouth.

[8:15] Words tell other people what is inside. And words tell us things about the speaker.

[8:28] Furthermore, going back to John chapter 1, I want you to recognize that in the case of God, His words don't just tell us about His character, and that is true.

[8:38] His words do tell us about His character, but His words are also powerful to accomplish things. You and I, we can't do anything other than put out a little bit of hot air and maybe influence other people's thinking, whatever, but our words don't have the same kind of power that God's words have, do they?

[9:03] My word, when I say, brakes be fixed, the car looks at me and says, yeah, what's going on? No, I can't change anything by virtue of my mere words in a physical sense, but God, when He says something, it actually takes place.

[9:20] We understand that the worlds were created, the world was created by God, what? Merely speaking it into being. And not only did He speak it into being, but He did so out of nothing.

[9:35] Not just, well, I'm going to take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and I'm going to make something out of it. God, by virtue of His word, created all that we see around us and we understand that God's word is powerful, it is active, it accomplishes what He intends to accomplish and we recognize also that by His word the universe is sustained.

[10:02] By His word, sinners are converted. By His word, those who were rebels and enemies of God become the children of God and by His word, we receive eternal life and the blessings that are full for us who are His children.

[10:19] So when John calls Jesus the word of God or the word, he is announcing several very important facts that I want you to fix in your mind and have there locked in.

[10:31] Number one, Jesus is the complete revelation of God the Father. When John says in John chapter 1 verse 1, in the beginning was the word, the word, the word, he is telling us that Jesus Christ is the full, complete, accurate revelation of who God the Father is.

[10:54] In relationship to this, I want you to look at a couple different passages that are going to amplify this in your thinking and so turn over to Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 through 19.

[11:06] By the way, as we are going to this passage, let me explain one of the characteristics of learning to be a good Bible student. You recognize that the scriptures are entirely reliable and we can gain further understanding of one scriptural truth by looking to see where else that scriptural truth appears in scripture and putting those things together helps us gain a greater and more complete understanding of whatever the point is that we're seeking.

[11:39] So when I say to you that Jesus is the complete revelation of God the Father and I have you turn to Colossians chapter 1, my purpose is to kind of hammer the point down and get you to understand it more clearly.

[11:52] He, verse 15, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible, invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things are held together and he is the head of the body, the church.

[12:20] He is the beginning of the firstborn from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent and then verse 19, well worth underlining and remembering in your heart, it says this, for in him all the fullness, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and that word that is used there, fullness, is saying it's all there.

[12:46] In Jesus is the entire complete revelation of God the Father. Have you look at another passage in relationship to this same point and turn over to Hebrews chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 2 and 3.

[13:02] In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son whom he appointed the heir of all things through whom also he created the world.

[13:17] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. As we look at this passage coupled with the Colossians passage, we understand that when John penned that statement, Jesus Christ is the word, he was telling us that Jesus is the complete revelation of God the Father.

[13:46] Furthermore, Jesus is the perfect expression of the will of God. Not only does he tell us or Jesus serve as a revelation of the character and nature of God, but he also serves to tell us exactly what the will of God is.

[14:03] Now, let me back that up when I say exactly. Are there parts about the will of God that I will never understand? The answer is yes. However, that which is given to us, revealed in the scriptures, about the will of God, Jesus explains in its entirety.

[14:17] And Jesus shows us what love is. He shows us how love acts. He tells us what lengths grace will go to to accomplish salvation.

[14:28] He makes his heart and his affection for his children evident. He also makes it clear what it is to fall under the judgment and condemnation of God.

[14:39] I want you to recognize one of the interesting truths about the Lord Jesus Christ is that most of what the Bible tells us about hell was actually told from the mouth of Jesus himself.

[14:52] He was the one who talked about hell more than anybody else. And so Jesus is not only the complete revelation of God the Father but he's also the perfect expression of the will of the Father.

[15:05] I want you to look at a little statement that Philip made in John chapter 14. You're there in John chapter 1 but go to John chapter 14 if you will just for a moment.

[15:18] In John chapter 14 verse 8 Philip said to him Lord show us the Father and it's enough for us. Say hey listen the one thing we want we want to see the Father.

[15:30] And how did Jesus respond? Well wait a minute I've got a little more to teach you. That's not what he said. He said have I been with you so long and you still do not know me Philip?

[15:44] Now remember what Philip had said is we want to see the Father. And Jesus immediately responds and says hey have I been with you so long and you still do not know me?

[16:02] Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say show us the Father? Do you understand that point? Jesus is saying to Philip don't you get it?

[16:13] I am the complete and satisfying revelation of who the Father is and when you know me you know the Father.

[16:25] Going back to John chapter 1 I want us to recognize secondly that Jesus is eternal. In the beginning was the word.

[16:35] And as John opens up his gospel if you know much about the scriptures at all that little statement in the beginning takes you back to which other book?

[16:48] Takes you back to Genesis. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And here as John begins to open up his gospel for us he says hey listen I want to remind you of who Jesus is and set him against the backdrop of creation because he indeed is God he is eternal and when that little statement is made in the beginning the intention of the apostle is to remind us good Bible students that we are of the fact that there is that connection between Christ as the creator and God of this universe and in speaking about the beginning John is not using the term to!

[17:32] identify a beginning Lord Jesus Christ rather he is marking the fact that Jesus existed from all eternity past and even at the start of all known history Jesus was already present already active already engaged and in communion with the father in other words when that little statement is made in the beginning was the word that little word there that is used could be put this way was continuing the word actually was already there and was continuing Christ from the very beginning of not just recorded history but from the beginning in terms of eternity past Jesus is actually there and it is a recognition that he is part of the triune God John makes it clear that Jesus is God who alone is eternal all other things have a beginning in the creative work of

[18:38] God look forward just a little bit if you will to verse two and three he was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made only God is not a created being do you understand that Jesus Christ was engaged and part of the creation of all things and he alone is God and we recognize that I particularly love the way Jesus nails his eternality over in John chapter 8 verse 58 and so turn forward just a little bit if you will to John chapter 8 verse 58 in John chapter 8 we find Jesus having one of those famous discourses with his adversaries particularly with the

[19:38] Pharisees and in the course of conversation they accuse him of being a Samaritan and having a demon and he goes on and explains hey listen you're not interested at all in what I have to say and he goes on and nails it down this way there in verse 58 he says truly truly I say to you before Abraham was what's he say next I am can anybody think of where else we hear that phrase I am remember when Moses in the wilderness at the burning bush said hey by the way who shall I tell them you are who shall I explain has sent me he says well you can refer to me as I am I am God and here is Jesus taking that little phrase that every good Jew would have known quite well from Exodus and he says hey before Abraham was I am an excellent declaration of the deity of

[20:40] Christ and how did the Jews respond you look there in the passage verse 59 so they picked up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple the reason is they understood that Jesus was saying I am God I'm God so as we look at this passage I want you to recognize that Jesus is telling us not only that that he is the revelation of God but he also is eternal God eternal further more as you look at the passage in John chapter 1 we find another fact stated about Christ it says and the word was with God the word was with God it's amazing that the doctrine of the trinity is not an easy one to understand we accept it the only reason I believe in the trinity is because it's in the

[21:41] Bible it doesn't make logic that 3 1 right and here is Jesus saying I am God and I am with God when he makes that statement the word was with God he is pointing out that he and the father have this interaction with one another and relate to one another inequality from the beginning the word with that is used here in the Greek carries the idea of nearness and communion in other words what Jesus is saying is that I am in communion with the father in complete equality and nearness and closeness because of my relationship with him and I want you to understand that Jesus who is our savior is not some kind of senior created being like the Mormons would recommend the idea is well Jesus kind of worked up the ladder and he's ahead of us a little bit no the fact of the matter is is Jesus makes it clear that he is

[22:47] God the son and equal to the father in every aspect I want I want you to recognize also that when Jesus saved us and called us his own he draws us into communion and relationship with him and with the father in very much the same way in which he is in communion with his father I want you to turn over if you will to John chapter 17 and take a look at this issue of union with the father that appears over and over again in John 17 John chapter 1 verse 1 it says the word was with God in communion closeness unity and in John chapter 17 as Jesus prays his high priestly prayer he wants all of us to understand that he is interested in the unity of the body of Christ together because of our relationship with him look at if you will at verse 11

[23:54] I am no longer in the world but they are in the world and I'm coming to you holy father keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one how even as we are one now let's stop just for a moment and think about this how easy is it to be one how easy is it to be one it's a whole lot easier to talk about than to do it why is that does anybody have an idea it's because of our nasty little old problem called what self sin pride whatever it is and here is Jesus praying listen father I want you to work in them so they can be one like you and I are one follow along if you will also in John chapter 17 verse 21 that they may all be one just as you father are in me and I in you then again in verse 22 the glory that you've given me I've given to them that they may be one even as we are one verse 23

[25:01] I in them and you in me that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you love me what is the relationship that believers are supposed to have with one another what is it it is something completely different from what the unbelieving world experiences the only time the unbelieving world really has any kind of unity is when there is some self-serving purpose behind the scene right yeah we're interested in accomplishing something and so we kind of partner to pull it off but there is not that affinity and that union that really comes out of a genuine relationship with one another and with the Lord Jesus Christ and as we look at the foundational issue of the character of Christ we understand that he is in union with God the Father and as a result we who are his children are to be in union with one another I want you to look at another fact here if you will

[26:03] Jesus is with God but then we come to one other point and there in John chapter 1 it says and the word was God when John wrote those words the word was God John was not declaring that Jesus is one of God's subordinates God's how many of you have ever had Jehovah Witness knock on your door ever had that one of the things that Jehovah Witnesses struggle with Morim struggle with Muslims struggle with is the idea of the Trinity the idea in their thinking is that there really is only one God and they argue and try to mess with the scriptures and don't get very far with it I want you to understand that here in the very opening verse of John chapter one the apostle nails the issue of Jesus absolute relationship and equality with the father he says

[27:04] Jesus is God Jesus Christ is God I love the way in which John's gospel will back up that opening declaration of the deity of Christ with one miracle after another in fact as we are working our way through the book of John one of the things you're going to recognize is that after every one of the incidents or pictures that we're going to see of Christ the underlying question is yeah and who is he and guess what the answer is in every case that Jesus is God I shared with you last week that the week previous I ended up in a conversation with a young lady that was interested in having her wedding performed here and as I was going through the process of what it meant to have a Christian wedding I ended up sharing the gospel with her and talking to her about the Lord Jesus and I shared in that context I said listen one of the things I want you to do is I want you to read the gospel of John by the way

[28:04] I happen to have a little copy of the gospel of John I want you to know that Pastor Saul has ordered 100 of them and they fit in your pocket like this pardon yes he will order some more why do we want you to carry a copy of John it is not to stop a bullet I want you to carry the gospel of John in your pocket prayerfully so that you prayerfully looking for opportunities to talk to people about the sweet truth of who the Lord Jesus is when you end up in one of those conversations as the conversation kind of develops you can say hey why don't you read don't have to read the whole Bible 66 books just do

[29:06] John and surprise I have a little copy right here in fact I'll share it with you you can have it now the copies of John that we have these are pretty slick these little gospel copies have all different kinds of fronts you're involved in the medical field there's one for doctors or nurses you're involved in trucking there's one for truckers they're involved in HVAC there's one for Bob we'll figure it out okay and in fact Jack McEverican is the one that came to me and he had one for golfing I'm not doing that but you know they have ones for hunters and the idea is that here you are you're talking with people about the Lord Jesus and you say I want you to read this little book and as you're reading it

[30:10] I want you to keep on asking yourself the question who is Jesus who is Jesus and every one of the stories that the apostle relates to the reader put people on the spot of either confessing that Jesus is the Christ and the savior of the world or they put them on the spot of refusing to believe the evidence and denying his deity and his ministry and so as we are working our way through the gospel of John one of the things that you are going to find is over and over again there's going to be evidence this is God who has come to be our savior let me step outside of the book of John just for a moment to give you a couple illustrations of where Jesus did things and people said wow look at that that must be God turn in your Bible you're in John so turn back if you will to

[31:12] Luke chapter 5 verse 23 Luke chapter 5 verse 23 in this case Jesus heals a man who is paralyzed and you'll remember the story that after the man who had been brought on the bed is brought into Jesus presence instead of healing the man of his physical affliction what's the first thing that Jesus does he says hey I'll forgive your sins and that really rattles the chain of the Pharisees because who can forgive sins only God I want you to know that nobody has ever come to me and said pastor will you please forgive me for the sins I've committed I would never suppose that I have any place and authority of forgiving anybody's sins only

[32:18] God can forgive sins and so as you look in this passage in Luke chapter 5 verse 23 we find Jesus forgiving the man for his sins and then while the Pharisees are over there kind of biting their tongue he says hey let's try this one which is easier to forgive sins or heal this man and what does Jesus do he does a slam dunk!

[32:43] he he try the healing part and undeniable evidence this is God let me have you look at another illustration turn over back actually to Mark chapter 4 verse 39 through 41 in Mark chapter 4 we find Jesus out on the sea of Galilee in the boat with his disciples and amazingly enough he is sleeping my wife awakened the other morning and said man did you hear that storm you know what no I mean it was booming and clattering and there were bits and things of trees all over my neighbor's lawn didn't hear it here's Jesus asleep I love what happens verse 38 and when he was in the stern asleep on the cushion and they woke him and said to him master do you not care that we are perishing now in that statement what were they admitting they thought about

[33:51] Jesus they thought he could do something about it do you follow that and he awoke and he rebuked the wind and said to the sea hey quiet out something like that you know it's like peace be still and the wind ceased and there was great calm and he said to them why are you!

[34:11] have you still no faith and they were filled with what great fear and said one to another who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him do you know what the question is who is this Jesus he is God he is God the son and he has complete power and so as we work our way through John from the opening text on we are going to find one illustration after another that calls us to either believe the facts and evidence that Jesus is the Christ and the savior of the world or to deny it and refuse and turn away into eternal condemnation I want you to recognize that as John works his way through the opening sentence he is telling us that Jesus is our eternal God and savior he is telling us also that Jesus is in complete and perfect union with the father and he is telling us that

[35:14] Jesus is fully divine and so you cannot read these opening statements without getting a sense of John's passion and his desire that the reader looking at these facts gets his hands around the truth this Jesus is the savior of the world and he is the only one in whom I may have hope and confidence of my eternal destiny so I want you to understand this morning as you look at the gospel of John in this opening passage I want you to come to grips with the fact that it is only Jesus Christ who alone he himself is the one who can save you from your sin and make all the difference in the you the question is this do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior not just the fact that he came but is he your savior and do you have a personal genuine relationship with him when we open up the book when we come to grips with the fact that

[36:26] Jesus is indeed God and savior then it becomes incumbent upon you you who sit here this morning to have your life affected by that reality and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or to consciously and deliberately refuse to confess him as Lord and savior and then wait for the judgment when you will stand before God and pay the penalty for your rejection and your hardness and so I want to appeal to you this morning I want to appeal to you if you're here and you do not know Christ as your savior this morning where you sit I want to plead with you that you believe the reality of number one that your heart is dark and hard and marked by sin and there is no remedy for sin apart from what

[37:27] Jesus Christ did in dying on the cross to satisfy the judgment of God and offer you salvation through his blood can I tell you something to turn your back from the free gift of God in the face of the convicting power of the spirit that says you're a sinner and you need Christ is to magnify the consequences in eternity for that rejection do you understand that here's what the Bible says unto whom much is given much is required and so if you are here this morning and you've never come to grips with the reality that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and you are one of them I would plead with you this morning to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord and Savior and find deliverance from the burden of your life let's close our eyes bow our heads and come to

[38:29] Christ our Father God this morning as we consider the reality of what the scripture tell us we understand that the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners we are thankful that he indeed is God and that he is the Savior of the world and this morning as we ponder that reality in our lives it means one of two things we either know him and rejoice at the blessing we have of having complete forgiveness through the Lord Jesus or we stand and sit today under the burden of our sin and the scriptures make it clear that if your spirit is prompting us that we may cry out and say I need Jesus to be my Savior and if that is our prayer this morning Father we are thankful that you promise that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and we pray Lord that today today you would work to draw those who are in our fellowship that need

[39:32] Christ to the Savior we ask this in Jesus name amen let's stand together as John leads us in our closing song and as we are singing this