The Beginning
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The Beginning
The Beginning
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
With today being a special day :
The beginning of two AM services
The beginning of new classes and schedules on Sunday Evening
It id a great time to talk about the beginnings
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The beginning of a matter is significant to the whole. Where one begins greatly influences where one ends.
The beginning of a matter is significant to the whole. Where one begins greatly influences where one ends.
What we determine as truth about our beginnings colors the rest of the details of our life.
God understood this and faithfully provided His eyewitness account of our beginnings.
He chose His servant Moses to record them for us so that even thousands of years later we retain a reliable account of earth’s history; including the history of man.
Jesus used this as a witness for the truth of who He is. He appealed to the words of Moses as He spoke to the Jewish religious leaders
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
I had a beginning at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta Georgia, March 25,1960.
My Father was Fred Ayers
My Mother was Patricia McCray Ayers
This was true and identified me ....
Background!
According to the majority of Biblical scholars John wrote his Gospel as an old man, perhaps in his eighty's, around the year 90 AD. John had become a disciple of Jesus when he had been in his youth, perhaps not even 20 years old.
So the Gospel of John is a long look back on what how Jesus had changed the direction and shape of his life.
What could you write about how Jesus has Changed you life?
The moment we pick up John’s gospel we are aware that it is different from the others.
There is no genealogy, no manger scene, no boyhood, no baptism, no temptation, no mount or transfiguration, no Gethsemane.
There are only a few special miracles chosen by John as “signs.” We have the famous I AM sayings of Jesus and many discourses found nowhere else.
There are no scribes, no lepers, no publicans, and no demoniacs.
There are no parables. It would almost seem, as others have pointed out, that John sits with a copy of Luke’s gospel open before him, deliberately leaving out things Luke puts in and putting in things Luke leaves out (W. Graham Scroggie, A Guide to the Gospels, London: Pickering and Inglis, 1962).
Luke had written to show that Jesus was the Son of man; John is writing to show that Jesus is the Son of God.[1]
Once John became a disciple of Jesus, he came to have a special place in Jesus' inner circle. He was probably one of The Twelve, as we count the disciples.
He was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, meaning that Jesus had a special affection for John ().
After Jesus' death and resurrection, John became an influential leader among the early churches that spread across the Mediterranean world. He wrote letters to several of these churches, and we have them in our NT as First, Second and Third John.
He witnessed the persecution of Christians. He himself was imprisoned for a time on the island of Patmos, a prison-colony of the Roman Empire.
First, Second and Third John. He witnessed the persecution of Christians. He himself was imprisoned for a time on the island of Patmos, a prison-colony of the Roman Empire. It was during that imprisonment that John saw the visions which make up the last book of our NT which we call the Revelation of John. So, John has the last word in our Bibles: Amen, Come Lord Jesus! (.)
It was during that imprisonment that John saw the visions which make up the last book of our NT which we call the Revelation of John. So, John has the last word in our Bibles: Amen, Come Lord Jesus! (.)
To get started right John must show that Jesus is God
We call that the deity of Christ
To be God he had to be there at creation
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
I Jesus the Beginning
I Jesus the Beginning
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John decides to go back to the beginning of all beginnings, to what he calls the ''arche''. It's the Greek word from which we get our English word, archeology, which is the study of earlier beginnings.
Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary A. The Lord’s Ineffable Person (1:1–2)
After becoming one of the Lord’s disciples, John knew that Jesus of Nazareth was God. He simply tells what he knows. No turn-of-the-first-century liberal or cultist was in a position to deny the sublime statements John makes in his opening sentences. All John has to do is bear witness to the truth. He was not concerned to confront all the vagaries and varieties of error. He knew what the truth was and he contented himself with that.
After becoming one of the Lord’s disciples, John knew that Jesus of Nazareth was God.
He simply tells what he knows.
No turn-of-the-first-century liberal or cultist was in a position to deny the statements John makes in his opening sentences.
All John has to do is bear witness to the truth.
He knew what the truth was and he contented himself with that.[1]
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
Word: Jesus
Word: Jesus
First, we focus on the term word. “In the beginning was the Word.” The most important thing to know about this Word is found in verse 14:
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.
The Word refers to Jesus Christ.
we are not going to get into the entomology of the word - Just remember the Word is Christ
The Word refers to Jesus Christ.
we are not going to get into the entomology of the word - Just remember the Word is Christ
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word refers to Jesus Christ.
John knows what he’s about to write in these 21 chapters. He is going to tell us the story of what Jesus Christ did and what he taught.
This is a book about the life and work of the man Jesus Christ — the man that John knew and saw and heard and touched with his hands ().
He had flesh and blood. He was not a ghost or an apparition appearing and vanishing.
He ate and drank and got tired, and John knew him very closely. Jesus’s mother lived with John in the last part of her life ().
Therefore, what John is doing in is telling us the most ultimate things about Jesus that he can.
We find at the end of the age Just is also referenced as the Word
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
It took John more than three years to figure out the fullness of who Jesus was. But he does not want his readers to take more than three verses to find out what took him so long to know. He wants us to have in our minds, fixed and clear, from the beginning of his Gospel, the eternal majesty and deity and Creator rights of Jesus Christ.
Ladies from these first three verses we can discern that Jesus is God was at creation
Illustration - i was in freshman Physics class at Auburn University in fall 1978. The first day at the first class my professor said lets get something straight from the beginning:
Not high school no one is going to make you study or go top class
Physics is hard and requires work
Most in this class will fail not because they are not capable but because they did not understand #1 and #2 above
from the beginning a large portion dropped out of the class for another major.
I want you to know you must accept the beginnings of this book to become a Christian
The Word, Jesus Christ was with God, and he was God. He is God, and he has a relationship with God.
He is God, and he is the image of God, perfectly reflecting all that God is and standing forth from all eternity as the fullness of deity in a distinct Person. There is one divine essence and three persons. Two of them are mentioned here. The Father and the Son. We learn those names later on in the book. The Holy Spirit will be introduced later.
Beginnings matter. Once a cornerstone is laid, the geometrical lines of the rest of the structure, no matter how large, are determined.
The first scene of a movie sets the tone for the rest of the script. The conception of a baby provides its DNA and the rest of that child's life will be the outworking of that genetic structure. Beginnings matter.
Right out of the gate - Jesus was at the beginning all things were made by him and he God!
john 1.1-
That ends the debate with all other religions
Illustration - Chemistry 101 Auburn University - settle it right now if you can not balance chemical equations then the rest of the course make no sence
If you can not put bait on a hook - no fish
If you can not hit a baseball you will not score
If you can not pass the drives test you can not drive \
Thus - if you can not accept the fact that Jesus is God then you can not be forgiven for your sins.
II Jesus the Brightness
II Jesus the Brightness
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1.
But not everyone is blessed with a good beginning. Children are not always loved and nurtured. Many children are left unprotected from people and influences which harm them. There are children who grow up with little or no encouragement. Some families fracture. Sometimes a mother or father is taken away by an addiction, or an accident, or by death.
Don't think that your deficits make you deficient forever. If your beginning wasn't all it should have been, you can have a new beginning.
The Bible is full of potential beginnings for us to claim as our own.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
we all must have a new beginning with a new birth .....
When you are facing storms, go back and take your place on the boat with the disciples when they thought a storm was about to toss them to drown in the sea. Hear Jesus say''Peace, be still'' and take courage. It's yours if you will receive it. Begin again.
When you are filled with shame for something you've done, don't live forever in condemnation - either the condemnation of others or your own self-condemnation. Go take your place with the woman caught in adultery and watch how Jesus turns away those who wanted to condemn her. Hear him say, ''Let those without sin cast the first stone.'' Watch your accusers walk away along with those standing in judgment on that woman. And accept Jesus' words to her as also for you: ''Go, and sin no more.'' Begin again.
When you are bewildered by your life and can't make sense of it, and you're wondering if there is any purpose to live for, go stand with the disciples who heard Jesus calling to them, ''Follow me'' and give your life to the Lord to make something of. Begin again.
III Jesus Beguiled
The Word of God, which was at the beginning of all beginnings, still calls us to new beginnings.
The Apostle Paul, whose life began again when he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, said it like this: '
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 cor
I know this isn't easy to affirm when life seems to be moving against you. Life isn't all sweetness and light. John understood.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
john 1.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The term “life” (zōē) is uniformly used throughout the Gospel. Wherever it appears, it refers either to the principle of physical life (vitality) or, most often, to spiritual life.
Frequently it is coupled with the adjective “eternal” to denote the quality and power of the believer’s life. It occurs thirty-six times in John. The life was embodied in Christ, who demonstrated perfectly what eternal life is by his career (cf. ; ). Christ is the “life” that is the “light of men.” In him God’s purpose and power are made available to men. He is their ultimate hope.[1]
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1 John
Spiritual Life is in the son!
lets settle this now
It not in works - we will talk about that later
Its not in religion
It not in church or giving
Its in the son
We all must have a beginning and that begins with the new birth....
III Jesus the Beacon
III Jesus the Beacon
john
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
john 9.
Even before he came into the world in the incarnation, to be the light of the world (8:12; 9:5), he made God known through creation, of which life itself is the most marvelous mystery and the loudest voice.
Even before he came into the world in the incarnation, to be the light of the world (8:12; 9:5), he made God known through creation, of which life itself is the most marvelous mystery and the loudest voice.
The more we know about life, the more complex and elusive it proves to be. Life, rising from the dust in myriad forms, beckons to us and says, “This is the finger of God” (compare ).
19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
exodus
Every cell, every membrane, every complex molecule, every strand of DNA, picks up the chorus: “The hand that made us is divine.”
But darkness now enfolds the children of fallen Adam’s race.
There is the darkness of the religious mind, which leads otherwise intelligent people to harbor superstition or embrace all kinds of high-sounding nonsense.
There is the darkness of the philosophical mind, which speculates vainly about the ultimate nature of things.
There is the darkness of the carnal mind, which is entrenched against God and is quite prepared to entertain a thousand hurtful and destructive lusts.
There is the darkness of the scientific mind, which says in one breath that life is bewildering in its complexity and in the next breath declares that “life is only chemistry” and that therefore there is no reason to believe in God.
Quote - When the light shines in all its strength, darkness flees. In the heart of every person is the recognition of God and of right and wrong. That light has never been extinguished. Nor can the most virile propagation of atheism and humanism blot it out. At Calvary the power of darkness had its moment of precarious victory when the light went out. But on the resurrection morning it blazed forth again, triumphant forever. Soon will dawn “the perfect day” ().[1]
perfect day” ().[1]
We are born into darkness and that why we need a need birth
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Have you had a new Beginning?