[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       Considering the history of the world, there have been a few moments in time when big events happen, and over the course of the next several months, we are going to talk about and contemplate one of those big events. What we are talking about here is God's coming into the world, and the whole mission of this first coming, if you will. We will try to understand the details from the Gospel writer John, as we consider how things happened during this time according to John. We will try to think about what he said an an expository manner, which will be quite the endeavor in and of itself. And hopefully, as we work to accomplish this, fruit will be borne. Fruit that leads to repentance for sins; fruit that leads to new ways of looking at things; and fruit that comes about from things we already knew. John will give us insight into certain, unique perspectives at times, that among the other Gospel writers, only he will bring forward. He will also give us a closer look at Jesus' relationship with his disciples. As we are undoubtedly familiar with a lot of these stories, hopefully as we consider them again, some things will be presented in a new light, with a new perspective.

       While eagerness sets in for us, that eagerness to get to the text and to start contemplating what it has to say, there are some background things that are beneficial for us to consider in what we are going to be talking about. For clarification, and to better drive things home, it's good for us to start with an underlying definition of what the Gospel of John is all about. Thankfully, we already have that matter answered for us by the author himself. Indeed, it is stated in John 20:31: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The first point is a common one that we are going to see as we go throughout this book. That is, “believe.” “That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ.” That’s the first thing John wants to emphasize for us. The belief being brought forth at this point constitutes the foundation to each one of our personal relationships with God. Invariably, we are aware that this then is fundamental to our salvation, and by that we mean the deliverance from all our sins cumulating throughout our lifetime. The two points lead to a third point, and it's now that John is setting it forth before us. That is the concept of having, obtaining, and actually experiencing "life," which we might think of as 'real life.' That's the journey as well as the end result of our personal relationship with God. It is a new life through God's regeneration of our spirits, through our born-again-is-ness.

       We don't have to stop at this point, but actually we can consider what is being discussed, at a further, or higher level. John said, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” Our familiarity with the Scriptures, those which are called the Old Testament, remind us that the people written about therein, whom we know as God's original chosen people, they were waiting for a Messiah. The eyes were focused in the future toward the One who would arrive on the planet to, really, at the core essence, ultimately save them from their sins. The writings before this time had gone silent for approximately 400 years, as the last truly approved words were recorded by the prophet Malachi. We see a direct glimpse of what we are talking about in certain disciples of John the Baptist early on, in that they themselves were looking for this Person who was to come. And to step out for a moment in all of this, Jesus' disciple John, the writer of this Book we are considering, is in effect telling all who will listen, even today, in our time, that the Person he is writing about—that specific person—is indeed this Jewish Messiah. And the beautiful thing he goes on to show, is that this Jewish Messiah is actually the Messiah for the whole world, saving anyone from anywhere of their sins against themselves, others, and the Creator himself. And ironically and interestingly, if that wasn't enough already, he actually is also telling us that this Messiah, this Person come to the earth, is truly God himself. God himself. God come to his own people. Specifically, he is God the Son, the Son who is equal to the Father. It's a noteworthy, startling, and incredible conclusion. Thus, in summation, this Jesus who appeared on the earth scene for a little while was God in human flesh, God incarnate.

       Coming back in a bit, we can next move to the question of what actually qualifies this man named John, this disciple of Jesus, to have written this account, that which we are about to dive in to, in the first place. Why this man named John? Why should it be thought that what is written out is true? To start, we learn, in the first chapter of his book, the he originally was a disciple of John the Baptist. John the Baptist—a different John afore to mentioned. Out in the wilderness at the time before Jesus’ appearance, was this man whom had been sent by God ahead of his Son, with the intent of telling everyone the Son was in fact coming. The Son would be right around the corner. The message was for people to get ready, to get ready by repenting of their sins. Thus, the writer of this Gospel was originally a follower of this man—this man John the Baptist. When Jesus appears on the scene, John the Baptist in effect tells his disciples to follow Jesus, and that’s what they do. Once the disciple John learns Jesus is the Messiah, he leaves John the Baptist and becomes a disciple of Jesus. In reading the account, we understand that this was with his older brother who was named James. There was also a close friend involved named Peter. Thus, these three guys come to end up being Jesus' closest friends during the time of his venture, what we call his earthly ministry. Drawing this roundabout, by the time John is writing this whole account, some fifty to sixty years after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven (around 80 to 90 A.D.), John has already had an extensive career, to use today's terminology. Notable in that is having served as one of the chief leaders in the first Christian church in Jerusalem, the first Christian church of all time (see Acts 8:14 & Gal. 2:9).

       A notable point of significance regarding John is that he was the apostle who will live the longest—the longest of all of Jesus' original Twelve disciples. We read, in John 21:22 to 23: "“Jesus said to [Peter], “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” This seems to imply, looking at this from the 80 to 90 A.D. future, that the Apostle John is apparently the last Apostle still living. The conclusion could also be made that some time has passed since Peter had been martyred by the time this is actually written. Truly, it is theoretically possible that John is still alive somewhere on the earth today, if in actuality Jesus has had him live for that long. Perhaps hidden away somewhere waiting for Jesus’ return, or perhaps rather waiting for the rapturing of God's people.

       What else can be noted as pertains to John? As already stated, he had an older brother named James. We know James was the older one because, when the two of them are mentioned together in the Scriptures, James is always listed first, which, in Jewish custom, would note he is the older brother. Now this James we find was martyred in the early persecution of the Christian church in Acts 12, not too long after Jesus returned to Heaven. John is probably in the lower end of age of all Jesus’ disciples (see John 13:28). Anyway, their father’s name was Zebedee. Their mother’s name was Salome, who may have in fact been Mary’s (the mother of Jesus) sister. That would mean, if that were the case, that Jesus and John were cousins. We perhaps understand this from John 19:25, where it says, “standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” It would be this second Mary, who is named “his mother’s sister” of which we are referring to. Anyway, it is interesting to think about. Perhaps different from Jesus, in a way, was that John was known to be a little bit heated at times. In thinking about John, we probably don’t think of him being like this, but rather we likely see him as a meek and mild man, likely pretty chill and calm, and full of love. But, we understand that Jesus names James and John as “Sons of Thunder” (see Mark 3:17). And, consider this next verse. Luke 9:54: “And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Our minds had probably deleted John from that episode.

       Now, when we read the Gospel of John, we can note that John himself is not mentioned by name. Actually, we will note rather that he refers to himself as ‘The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.’ That’s how he addresses himself. The fact that John is not named is evidence that he wrote the book. Besides, numerous early church fathers credited John with being the author. So, there really isn’t any creditable or reasonable evidence to show he is not the author. We know that the author was Jewish, as he was looking for the Messiah to come. He is particularly familiar with Jewish geography, and where locations are at in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The author is also very familiar with Jewish customs (see 2:1-10, 11:55, & 18:28 for instance). He is familiar with the various Jewish feasts, like the famous Passover. Regardless, John refers to himself in the third person as the author in John 21:24, after mentioning himself in verse 21 as the one whom Jesus loved, of which verse 24 says, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true” (ESV).

       In contemplating all of this, and as we are about to dive headfirst into the text, there are some particularly unique features we can note about this account, versus the other somewhat similar accounts. To begin, we note John’s Gospel does not open with a genealogy that traces Jesus’ linage, like Matthew and Luke do. While Matthew traces Jesus’ linage back to Abraham, and Luke to Adam, John, we could say, traces his linage all the back in eternity, since he establishes Jesus as God. Traveling the other way, into the future, John will end his Gospel by focusing on Jesus’ promise to believers that he will truly return one day. Let us not forget John's most famous other writing—that special preview of Christ's return, the fact that Jesus will return, and this account also presents a whole host of other things along with that. This is the text of The Revelation of John. The unique vision of Christ's return. The fact that John saw this with his own eyes, in some manner, could fulfill what we already referred to as pertains to John being alive until Jesus’ second coming. If he’s not still on earth today, he was around, in a sense for it due to the fact he saw the vision of the Revelation.

       Quickly, and before we hit the water, let's ruminate on three more things. The most interesting, and one fact that is applicable to us, is that John will record famous passages about Jesus' discussion in regard to the Holy Spirit—the Third Person of the Trinity. Indeed, some of the most famous passages regarding him come to us in the form of John's Gospel. Particularly, we note chapters 14 to 16. It is in chapter 14 that we first learn, for instance, that the Holy Spirit is our helper as believers. A second point of note, and this contrasts interestingly with what was just discussed, are some head-scratching absences. As far as the miracles of Jesus are concerned, in this Gospel we are not going to see any casting out of demons. That’s not present for whatever the reason. We also aren’t going to hear any Parables, which are prevalent in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Finally, we aren’t going to be presented with any of the lengthy end times monologues. So, for those who love this third area, you aren’t going to find it in John. And finally, the third thing. It should also be noted that John, as a writer, is expecting his audience to be already familiar with the other three Gospels. This is yet another reason to show this Gospel was written last. We can understand this by noting John 3:24, for example, where the Apostle assumes that his listeners are going to know that John the Baptist was put in prison. Another example would be John 11:1, where he is assumes his audience already knows of Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters.

       Let us not forget in finishing this discussion that the whole purpose of John in his account is really to present the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. This contrasts with Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who rather seem to show what he actually did. The desire of John is that his audience understand Jesus as truly the Son of God, and that by believing in him, individuals may gain new life.

       With all of this being laid out, it's time to set our gaze ahead toward the text. Let's take the plunge. Starting off... John 1:1: “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 any thing made that was made” (ESV).

       In the familiar way as The Book of Genesis sets forth, John starts the text with the phrase, “In the beginning.” “In the beginning.” He says, “In the beginning was the Word.” This makes plain to us, vividly, that Jesus Christ was in the beginning of our world with God. We can presume that the title "Word" signifies Jesus because it's what the end of verse 1 relays to us. It says, "the Word was God." That's the starting point of the whole thing. Jesus Christ has had his journey to the earth taking on human flesh. This is made straight from the start. It is even re-emphasized in verse 2: “He was in the beginning with God.” It’s as if he’s trying to say, “There is no question about it.” Certainly, by the time when John is writing his Gospel here, by the end of the first century, false teachers with their heresies had already been infiltrating the church. This fact was brought up in the study of Colossians. Bringing it to mind, we recall it was those pre-Gnostic people who tried to say that Jesus Christ had not really come in human flesh, but rather that he was simply a spirit. A spirit being; no flesh. To them, all physical materials were evil, and God himself surely would not inhabit a physical, human body. But John begins straightaway refuting that notion.

       Why did John use the title “Word” to describe Jesus Christ? Knowing that John himself was Jewish, and that a lot of those listening to this book are going to be Jewish, this then would tie in to what took place in the Old Testament. To understand this, we can think of the first word from God given in his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. That’s where God started speaking specifically to his chosen group of people. Then, of course, going down the line we end up with all the words that God gave to Moses, which are recognized as the Jewish Law. Therefore, the point is being made this this word from God has actualized as living. It has become alive. True to his word, God accomplished what he said he was going to do. The Messiah arrived on the scene, as he's about to tell us, on the earth itself. We could also say, and as some theologians have noted, the use of “Word” here would also be noteworthy for Gentile peoples. Since in the Roman world, or Greek world, there was a great emphasis on the intellect, and trying to understand God from that point of view, the Word spoken of in the text would be like the answer to the “unknown” God that those individuals where really looking for. Or, we might say, the real God. This God, whom John is speaking of, is the God of which both Aristotle and Plato were looking for.

       In keeping Genesis in the forefront of his listeners' minds, he continues by speaking of the creation of the world. Jesus Christ, as the Word, is said to of helped create everything that is in our universe. John is pointing out that Jesus was included in the phrase, in Genesis 1:26: ““Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” “Let us,” the verse says. “Let us… in our.” That not only includes God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, who was introduced in Genesis 1:2, but also God the Son. Anyhow, the fact that all things were made through Jesus denotes that he is God of the whole world. It's not argued that there are multiple Gods with borders and boundaries to their reign, or as if it depends on a person identifies, that is, what religion they are or whatnot. Rather, John interweaves the foundation that Jesus, in creating all things, shows that he is the true God. Everything that is has its root, its source, its potentiality, back to him. Paul even noted in Colossians, that “in him all things hold together” (1:17, ESV). Remember that? So not only has God the Son created everything, but even to this day he sustains the created order. It doesn't mean that what is seen with our eyes now is perfect. We are aware that it's not because of sin. Nonetheless, the Son keeps the earth moving around its path. Without his presence, it would all fall apart.

       Verse 4: “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” (ESV).

       John points to the reality that Jesus used to be here on the earth, but that he is no longer here. We see that in his use of the past tense. When he was here, he was the embodiment, the essence, of having true life. Everyone everywhere is always looking for true life. ‘How can you have a truly fulfilled life?’ is a common question. Many avenues are tried, and many ways contemplated. John cuts straight to that question, in saying if you want that, if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s found in Jesus Christ. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Thus, this life was our light, humankind’s light, so that they could see the Truth, and as we are about to learn, see what’s wrong with the human condition. Everyone knows that something is wrong. Looking at the world, it’s obvious that circumstances are not at the potentiality they could be. Sure, a lot of the world works out, and a lot of things go well, but a lot of the world doesn’t work out, and all does not go well. Yet, this light John is speaking of “shines in the darkness.” It allows persons to uncover the root, the source, of what is truly wrong. Various religions and philosophies have their opinions on what is wrong, but Jesus Christ shows us what the answer is, what is truly wrong in us. Thus, “The light shines in the darkness.”

       Strangers we are not to the fact that darkness is in the world, and yet, John informs us that this darkness, however great in power it may appear at times, has not overcome the light. Despite all that Satan (God’s arch enemy; the true originator of all evil) and his forces have accomplished in the past, going all the way back and getting Adam and Eve to sin, to all the way forward to the present day, whatever you consider, John tells us that this darkness has not overcome the light. That’s a big verse, a big verse. It seems we often miss it. We can get so drawn into the world, so engrossed in thinking that everything is messed up and nothing will ever be right. Yet, John reminds us, or perhaps points out to some of us for the first time, that the darkness has not overcome the light. Satan has not overcome Jesus. And truly, he never will. Try as he might, reap havoc on this and that, do this and do that, he can’t ultimately have the victory. Goodness triumphs over evil, and always will. Darkness is absence of light. God overcomes in people’s situations now, and he will ultimately overcome Satan at the end of our current time period. God is to win, and there’s nothing Satan or any of his fallen angels can really, at the end of the day, do about that. Sure, they can try to mess up circumstances for God and individuals now, but their day of judgment is coming. One day they won’t be able to do that anymore. The darkness can’t ultimately succeed.

       Continuing on. Verse 6: “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” (ESV).

       Thus, manifesting on the scene is a forerunner for the Nation of Israel, a messenger out in the wilderness sent by God to try to prepare them for the Christ, the coming Messiah. The last they had heard from God, before this time, was some 400 years earlier, when the prophet Malachi spoke to them. God spent the first couple chapters of that book calling out Israel for their sins. But their hearts were hardened. As pertains to John the Baptist’s message, we know, many believed, and many became disciples of John the Baptist themselves. It’s also true, though, that many did not choose that pathway. John instructed people to repent of their sins. At the heart of it, that’s the issue, sin. Truly, sin is always the issue. It’s what went wrong from the very beginning, back with Adam and Eve in the garden. And what is sin? How can we define sin? We can define sin as behaving in a way in anything of which God does not approve, in a way that goes against the very laws of nature. That which goes against the human conscience a lot of times. Some persons have indeed seared their conscience and don’t have much of one left. That’s called the hardening of the heart. We are going to get into that later in the Gospel of John.

       These religious leaders present, already had a problem before John appeared on the scene, and God was providing a warning to them through John. What was their problem of heart? What was wrong inside of them? The issue at hand was that they were practicing religion (in truth, were masters at it), but they weren’t practicing in a way that begot love toward God in their hearts. A mode of existing where one goes through the motions but with secret, ulterior motives. Whether they realized it or not, whether they were consciously aware of it or not, they weren’t serving God for the right reasons. Each one was, as the Apostle Paul would say later of himself, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel… a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee… as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5, 6, ESV). They were masters of going through the motions.

       Verse 10: “He [the true light] 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 of the will of man, but of God” (ESV).

       The blinding power of sin—that’s what we are dealing with in this text. That’s the problem becoming visible. The light shown in the darkness, but the people didn’t all receive this light. The Nation of Israel as a group, as a collective group, rejected it. Some individuals believed, but the group as a whole, the group in a ‘big picture’ perspective, did not believe. John will tell us in his own Gospel at times that individuals, fellow Israelites, believed on Jesus when he spoke and they saw the things he did. Those in charge, though, we know that they’re not going to believe as a whole. A few did, but the whole didn’t, and the power of darkness won over in their hearts. Even all the way through the beginning of The Book of Acts, even all the way up to Acts 7, the Jewish people rejected the message of the Messiah. It’s truly a sad state of affairs, heartbreaking for us to see, and one that had to break God’s heart, and continues to break his heart. Again, the Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse into this, when he writes the Roman believers, “Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1-4, ESV). The double application of this makes itself known, that this just isn’t Paul’s thoughts, but the mind of the Spirit himself.

       What then, what does it mean to become a child of God? John speaks of us who believe having “the right to become children of God.” The Apostle John expounded on this point for us in his epistle of 1 John. There, in chapter 3, he writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3, ESV). The right of becoming one of God’s children, indeed something we have chosen by our free-wills, our free-nature, is also shown by John to exemplify the love that the Father has toward us. This isn’t a physical, human birth, like the birth we first have when we arrive on this planet. In contrast, it is a spiritual birth. It’s a birth that’s brought about by God himself in the human’s action and will of believing. It’s a one-time process. The physical part, that rest of the whole picture, the taking off of our sin-natures, that part won’t be accomplished until later, as John said in his first epistle. This happens for us at The Rapture of the Church, which occurs before the end of days. This hope of our being made complete actualizes the purification of our souls, and indeed, we surrender to this in our life’s journey of sanctification. This obedience is what God desires of the human soul, that of avoiding those behaviors which would corrupt us.

- Daniel Litton