There’s a word that’s very important to understanding the Book of John, particularly Chapter 1.
That word is translated here simply as the word word.
However, the word used for word is not actually word. The word used for word is logos.
Logos comes from Greek philosophy.
John chose logos to communicate something powerful to both a Jewish audience and a Greek audience.
In Greek philosophy, logos referred to reason, order, or even to the power that holds the universe together.
In the Jewish world, the Old Testament concept of God’s word was not just a spoken word or a written word. It represented power. It represented authority. It represented something from God Himself.
In John’s time, as the Greek-speaking world infiltrated Israel, some of the Jews started using a Greek Old Testament. Guess which word was often used in the place of the word, word? The word logos was used.
So, John chooses to use this word, logos, in Chapter 1 to communicate to both the Greek world and the Jewish world about something, or someone, who is the personification of order, reason, authority, power, and the force that holds everything together in the universe.
The word that John used is logos, which in English, we actually translate back to word.
Today, we’re going to talk about Jesus: The Word.
Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
The Gospel of John is unique among the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) due to its theological focus on who Jesus is.
You see, the other Gospels are intended to be more of a historical account of what Jesus did on the earth. In fact, we call these other three gospels the “Synoptic Gospels” because they are very similar, or synonymous, to one another.
However, John stands out on its own. The Gospel of John wants to get at the heart of who Jesus really is.
Of course, when taken with the other three Gospels, you get a full picture of who Jesus is and what He did while on the earth.
The Gospel of John is widely believed to have been written by the Apostle John, one of the three closest disciples to Jesus.
In fact, John refers to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved.”
By the way, John is also the author of the Book of Revelation, as well as 1, 2, and 3 John.
Ok, that’s a bit of an introduction. Now, let’s look at the passage together, then dive into what God is teaching us here.
Look at John 1:1-18:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”) 16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
Ok, as we look at this passage, let us now notice three revealed truths about Jesus.
First, . . .
I. Jesus: The Word at the beginning.
Pay attention again to verse 1. John says:
“In the beginning was the Word . . . ”
In the beginning was the logos.
In the beginning was this force, this presence, this order that holds the universe together.
However, this logos of which John spoke is not just a force.
John continues:
“ . . . and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Well, that changes everything! This logos is not just a force; this logos was with God, and this logos was God!
Wow! What is this thing that is with God and is God?
Well, it’s not a thing; it’s a He! John says in verse 2:
“He was with God in the beginning.”
He was in the beginning. He was with God. He is God.
Of course, that He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World.
In case we’re left wondering if this is really Jesus, skip down to verse 14.
John says:
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Well, of course, that’s Jesus, who is elsewhere called Immanuel, “God with us.”
What’s more, the entire Book of John is devoted to Jesus, so we know that the Word spoken of here is, in fact, Jesus.
So, first, we see Jesus, the Word at the beginning.
Second, we see . . .
II. Jesus: The light testified by John.
Ok, let me just set things straight here.
John, the author of this Gospel, is talking about a man named John, but it’s not him.
John is talking about John the Baptizer.
Verses 6-8 say:
“6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”
So, we’re talking about John, the son of Zebedee, the disciple of Jesus, and the author of this Gospel; and we’re talking about John the Baptizer.
John the Baptizer was a prophet of God who prophesied about the greatness and light of Jesus.
John pointed people to Jesus, so that all might believe through Jesus.
John was not the light, but Jesus was, and John came to tell people about that light.
Jesus is not just the light, He’s the true light!
Indeed, Jesus said of Himself later in the Gospel of John, in John 8:12:
“I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus is the light sent from God to reach a dark world who desperately needs light.
Listen, friends: As John pointed people to the light, so can we.
John was sent by God, and so are you. John told others about Jesus, and so can you.
We can carry hope (as we learned last week), and we can take light into the darkness.
Third, we learn about . . .
III. Jesus: The source of light and life.
Here’s a way to summarize this truth: Everything good in this world finds its source in Jesus.
John said in verses 3-6:
3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
John continued in verse 10:
10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.
Don’t miss this first reality in verse 3: Everything on this earth was created through Jesus.
The world did not just come to be.
The planets, stars, and galaxies didn’t just fall into place.
The majestic mountains, valleys, rivers, seas, forests, swamps, deserts, and plains didn’t simply develop from nothing.
Jesus Christ created all of those by His powerful handiwork.
The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:16–17:
“For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”
Everything finds its origin and life through Jesus!
You might say, “Wait a minute, Pastor Matt! Are you saying Jesus created mac and cheese? Are you saying Jesus created the Nike basketball shoes? Are you saying Jesus created a Ford Mustang?”
No, but Jesus created every atom and every element that compose all the ingredients and all the components of those things.
Did you know that the modern iPhone is made up of roughly 800-1,200 individual components (depending on the model)? Every single one of those components (if you trace it back far enough) finds its origin in the creative genius of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What’s more, Jesus created the intelligent humans who created those things, including Mr. Truett Cathy, who helped create the Chick-fil-A sandwich, to which all God’s people said, Amen!
All life is found in Jesus.
Also, all light finds its source in Jesus.
We know from elsewhere in the Bible that God is light and His glory radiates light.
Jesus brought that light to our world.
Genesis 1:3 says:
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Light came into the world, both physically and spiritually, by the creative power of the Lord Jesus, the Word.
So, Jesus brought light into the world at creation, but He also brought light into the world when He came as a human being into our dark world.
As we read in verse 5, the darkness did not, and will not, overcome Jesus the light.
However, not everyone recognized the light. But to those who did, the light changed everything.
Finally, see . . .
IV. Jesus: The one full of glory, grace, and truth.
Look at verses 11-18 again:
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”) 16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
There’s so much in these final verses. Let’s just focus on a few powerful truths:
First, not everyone will receive Jesus the light. Why? Because darkness is powerful.
However, make no mistake, Jesus will win; the light is more powerful than the darkness.
Still, not everyone will receive Jesus. In fact, His own people, the people of Israel, rejected Him and had Him crucified.
However, that leads to our second powerful truth: Anyone who does receive Him will have the right to be called children of God.
Isn’t that awesome? We who were once in darkness can step into the light and become children of God.
Third, notice that Jesus brought God to earth.
Verse 14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God became human and lived with us!
Verse 18 says that the Son (Jesus) is God Himself and that Jesus has revealed God to us by coming to the earth!
What a miracle! God came to us, in the flesh, so that we might know Him.
Finally, we see this fourth truth, that Jesus brought grace and continues to bring grace.
Verse 14 says Jesus was full of grace and truth.
Verse 16 says we have received grace upon grace.
Verse 17 says grace and truth came through Jesus.
Jesus is the one, full of glory, who brought grace to the earth!
Jesus has blessed us and continues to bless us.
Jesus is God Himself and revealed God to the earth to be with us and to save us!
That leads to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: We find God in Jesus.
We find the light in Jesus.
We find life in Jesus.
We find grace in Jesus.
We find glory in Jesus.
We find God in Jesus.
That’s what John 1 is all about: We find God in Jesus, the Word.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Discover more about the Word.
There is so much to find in Jesus. Also, in Jesus, we find God.
Have you found God in Jesus? If not, do so today.
If you’ve already discovered Jesus, the Word, keep learning more, keep loving Him more, and keep discovering how wonderful He is.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
(Benediction)
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