SAVED BY GOD S SON SESSION 3. The Point. The Passage. The Bible Meets Life. The Setting. Jesus came to earth to rescue us.

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1 SESSION 3 SAVED BY GOD S SON The Point The Passage John 1:1-5,9-14 The Bible Meets Life Some assembly required. Many of us dread those words. Maybe you ve known that terrible feeling that comes when you finish assembling some item, only to find you have one part left over. Everything seems to be in working order, but you stare at that unknown piece wondering. It s not always easy to determine the purpose of some things. And that goes beyond spare parts. Maybe you ve even asked yourself that all-important question: What am I here for? One person who never questioned His purpose was Jesus. The apostle John began his account of Jesus life by making sure his readers had a clear understanding of Jesus purpose. We could use a lot of good theological terms to express that purpose, but let me state it simply: rescue. The Setting The Prologue to the Gospel of John introduces Jesus Christ as both as the eternal, preexistent Word of God and the incarnate Word become flesh. The apostle John bears witness to the fact that he and others were eyewitnesses to the events surrounding the revelation of the incarnate Son of God, who revealed God the Father and accomplished salvation for those who believe in Him. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 37

2 What does the Bible say? The Word (v. 1) In the first century, the Jews used logos to refer to the authoritative word of God, especially as He spoke through the Old Testament. For the Greek philosophers, logos was the principle that guided the order of the world. John used this term to refer to Jesus as the One who brought both God s power and light to those in the darkness of sin and separation from God. His own (v. 11) Jesus was born to Mary, a Jewish mother who was married to Joseph, a man whose lineage included such heroes as Abraham, King David, and King Josiah (see Matt. 1:1 16). Jesus came as the Messiah God promised through the Old Testament prophecies to send to His people. John 1:1-5, 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 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. 9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, 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 blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 38 SeSSion 3

3 THE POINT GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Question #1 on page 29 of the PSG: When have you felt captivated by a rescue mission? Notes Note: Remind group members they didn t have to be involved with or witnesses of the rescue mission. This question works well for discussing news items, or even fictional stories. GUIDE: Call attention to The Point at the top of page 30 of the PSG: Jesus came to earth to rescue us. GUIDE: Direct group members to The Bible Meets Life on page 30 of the PSG. Introduce the topic of Jesus purpose in our world by reading or summarizing the text or by encouraging group members to read on their own. ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Supplement the some assembly required angle of The Bible Meets Life by encouraging group members to complete a puzzle together. You may also consider adding a little excitement by giving the group a time limit in which to complete the puzzle. Note: If your group has more than eight members, you may want to provide two or more puzzles and let everyone work in subgroups. You could even have a competition to see which subgroup finishes first. ENHANCEMENT: If you have access to Pack Item 3, Among Us, you can cut the poster into puzzle pieces and use it for the optional activity above. PRAY: Transition into the discussion by affirming the value of Jesus rescue mission for the world. Pray that God s Spirit would enable and empower you and the members of your group to join that mission on a deeper level in the weeks to come. TIP: Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog. Visit lifeway.com/ groupministry. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 39

4 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes John 1:1-5 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 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. READ: John 1:1-5 on page 31 of the PSG. Read the text out loud or ask a volunteer to do so. GUIDE: Use the first two paragraphs on page 41 of this Leader Guide to highlight the intentional connection John made between the first chapter of Genesis and the first chapter of his Gospel. ALTERNATE QUESTION: Where do you see the light of Christ overcoming darkness in today s world? DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 32 of the PSG: What does the imagery in these verses teach us about Jesus? Note: The bullet list on page 32 of the PSG offers a number of suggestions to help group members begin discussing this question. DO: Direct group members to complete the activity Jesus the Light on page 33 of the PSG. As time permits, encourage volunteers to share their responses. What are some of the ways you depend on light in your everyday life? Record your answers under the images below. TRANSITION: As we continue with verses 9-13, we ll learn more about Jesus rescue mission for the world and for us. 40 SeSSion 3

5 THE POINT John 1:1-5 Commentary [Verses 1-2] Do you recall another Bible book that starts with the phrase In the beginning? Look at Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Clearly, John wanted his readers to connect what he was about to say with God s creation of the world. In the Genesis account, God created everything by speaking it into existence through the simple power and authority of His word. John began his Gospel by linking the Genesis account to his Gospel, referring to the Word (or logos). John used this term to refer to Jesus as the One who brought both God s power and God s light to those in the darkness of sin and separation from God. John noted several unique facts about this Word. First, He was In the beginning (v. 1) and He was with God in the beginning (v. 2). This Word, this Person we know as Jesus, existed before God created the universe. In other words, He is eternal with no beginning or end. Second, He is divine. Not only was He with God but He was God (v. 1). Jesus and many of the New Testament writers refer to God as Father (see Matt. 6:9; Eph. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2) and to Jesus as His unique Son (see Heb. 1:2; 1 John 1:3). Though Jesus is distinct from God the Father, He is of the same nature (or essence) as God the Father. Both are God, yet they are distinct Persons there is one God in three Persons (Father, Son, and Spirit). [Verse 3] Third, John described what Jesus accomplished: All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. God the Father worked through Jesus the Son in creating the universe. The apostle Paul echoed this same teaching in Colossians 1:15 16a: He is the image of the invisible God, and the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him. [Verse 4] Fourth, not only did Jesus participate in creating all the inanimate objects that exist, He also gave life to human beings. We know from Genesis 1:27 that the life in human beings is unique because only human beings were created in the image of God. That s why human beings have a special capacity to relate to God, who loves them. Unfortunately, all people are separated from God due to sin. However, God shines His spiritual light into the world to show us the way to Himself and to His salvation. For centuries, His light came through great spiritual leaders such as Abraham and Moses and then through great prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. But the day finally came when God gave the world the perfect light, His unique Son. [Verse 5] Though Satan tried to use the spiritual darkness of the world to destroy Jesus, he failed. The light shines in the darkness, yet darkness did not overcome it. The light that Jesus brought continues to shine. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 41

6 5 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes John 1: The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, 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 blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. READ: John 1:9-13 on page 31 of the PSG. RECAP: Help group members approach this passage of Scripture by highlighting the first two paragraphs on page 34 of the PSG: The central story of the Bible is how God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from sin. The Old Testament points to our need for a Savior, the promised Messiah. God planned our rescue, our redemption, before creation. What we celebrate at Christmas is the fulfillment of that plan. God s Son came as a human as one of us! He was born of Mary, a virgin. He is Immanuel, God with us (see Matt. 1:23). God has revealed Himself through His Word, Jesus Christ. And there are only two possible responses to that revelation. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What s the difference between following Jesus and believing in God? DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 34 of the PSG: What do these verses teach us about salvation? Note: The final two paragraphs on page 43 of this Leader Guide offer helpful information and guidance for engaging this question. TRANSITION: We ll conclude this session by examining one of the most famous verses in the Bible John 1: SeSSion 3

7 THE POINT John 1:9-13 Commentary [Verse 9] Many false leaders had come through the centuries, all claiming to be sent by God to tell people who God is and how to please Him. God s prophets had warned against these false teachers (see Ezek. 11:1 4; Mal. 2:1 9). Jesus, on the other hand, is the true light. Jesus referred to the false leaders of His day as blind guides (Matt. 23:16) while He described Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). Jesus is the true light because He alone is qualified to show us the way to the Father. [Verses 10-11] There were no banquets or honors to celebrate Jesus arrival. Instead, the world did not recognize Him. Though many benefited from His mercy and power as He healed and fed and taught them, most people saw only a great prophet (see Matt. 16:13 14), not the divine Son of God. Sadly, even His own people did not receive Him. Even the people of His hometown of Nazareth saw Him only as the carpenter, the son of Mary (Mark 6:3). Almost all of the Jewish people rejected Jesus and refused to believe that He was the divine Son of God sent to be the Savior of the world. [Verse 12] Though most of the Jewish people rejected Jesus, some did believe in His name. In Jewish thought, a person s name was a symbol of his or her total identity and character. To say that someone believes in the name of Jesus means much more than merely giving mental assent to the truth about Jesus identity as Lord and Savior. When a person believes in Jesus name, they accept Him as the person He claimed to be and commit to following and obeying Him (see Luke 9:23). [Verse 13] John then described what happened to those who believed. He said the change they experienced was radical because they were born of God. He stressed that this birth was totally different from physical birth. This birth was not of blood. There are differing views as to exactly what John meant. Perhaps he was describing the ancient view that the blood of the parents united in the mother s womb to form the child, or perhaps John was emphasizing that becoming God s spiritual child was not a result of one s heritage, as Jews often claimed (see Matt. 3:9; John 8:33). Neither did this new birth come merely through the sexual desires of the parents or because of their desire for children. Since both the second and third conditions relate to human will, perhaps together they stress a similar contrast: not by the will of the flesh, but by the will of the Holy Spirit (see John 3:6); not by the will of man, but by the will of God. When we put our faith in Jesus as God s unique Son and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, God s Spirit creates a new person (see 2 Cor. 5:17) and makes His home in us (see 1 Cor. 3:16). This change is miraculous and can only happen through the power of God s Spirit. We are truly born of God. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 43

8 15 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. READ: John 1:14 on page 31 of the PSG. GUIDE: Use the second and third paragraphs on page 45 of this Leader Guide to help group members understand the connection between the Old Testament tabernacle and Jesus taking up residence among us. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How can we reflect God s glory? DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 35 of the PSG: How did Jesus earthly life reveal God s glory? Note: The third paragraph on page 45 of this Leader Guide offers helpful information for engaging this question. RECAP: Highlight the fourth paragraph on page 35 of the PSG to help group members appreciated how Jesus demonstrated both grace and truth: During His earthly life, Jesus truth did not lessen His grace, and His grace did not lessen His truth. We should follow Christ s example. We who have experienced God s grace should be truth people. And we who believe God s truth should also be growing in grace. We need both clarity and charity. Too often we choose one to the exclusion of the other, but Christ never did. As Paul wrote: Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head Christ (Eph. 4:15). DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 35 of the PSG: What is your next step in joining Jesus on His rescue mission? GUIDE: Refer back to The Point of this session: Jesus came to earth to rescue us. As time allows, encourage group members to share any final thoughts and questions. 44 SeSSion 3

9 THE POINT John 1:14 Commentary [Verse 14] This verse is a simple summary of the reality of the incarnation of God becoming a human being. John deliberately said the Word became flesh. At the time John wrote his Gospel, false teachers were claiming that Jesus only appeared to have a body. These false teachers believed that all matter was evil and created by some being less than God. Therefore, they assumed Jesus could not have actually existed in a body, but rather only appeared to have one. John stressed that God came to earth to live in a body of flesh and blood. Jesus was both fully God and fully man. John said that Jesus not only came in a body, but He took up residence among us. This imagery goes back to the Old Testament accounts of the tabernacle and the temple. When the tabernacle, the portable tent for worship where God met with His people (see Ex. 33:7-10), was completed, God s glory appeared over it as a cloud (see 40:34 35). This cloud continued to lead the children of Israel through the wilderness and symbolized God s presence among His people. After Solomon completed the temple in Jerusalem, once again a cloud descended, representing God s favor and His presence among His people (see 1 Kings 8:10 11). When Jesus came to earth from heaven, He laid aside His glory (see Phil. 2:5 8). In His high priestly prayer (see John 17), Jesus asked His Father to restore to Him the full glory He had before the world existed (17:5). Though Jesus glory on earth was limited in comparison to His position in heaven, He still revealed His deity while He was on earth through what He said and did. Just as God had revealed His glory to Israel through the cloud, now God revealed His glory on earth through His Son. Peter described how he and James and John were eyewitnesses of His majesty while they were with Him on the holy mountain (2 Pet. 1:16 18; see Mark 9:2 8). Jesus lived among people while He was on the earth so they could know He was God s Son and the Messiah, and put their faith in Him. John ended his great summary of the gospel by saying Jesus was full of grace and truth, two simple words but so charged with meaning. First is the word grace. In the New Testament, grace carries the sense of a gift that is undeserved. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God s gift not from works (Eph. 2:8 9a). We don t deserve God s gift of Jesus and the salvation He brought. We can never be good enough to earn the right to be children of God (John 1:12). The second word is truth. How does anyone consistently make wise decisions that will be in his or her best interest? The only way is to have a clear view of reality. What we really need is a clear certainty about what is true and real and worth living and dying for. We find this by looking at Jesus. He is more than a bearer of truth and ultimate reality: He is the truth (John 14:6). This is why the Word became flesh, to enable us to know the grace and truth that sets us free (8:32). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 45

10 5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes GUIDE: Direct group members to page 36 of the PSG. Encourage them to consider the following options for responding to the truth of Jesus rescue mission: > > Consider the impact. Make a list of ways Jesus coming to earth impacts you today. Thank Him for leaving heaven, taking on flesh, and giving His life so that you might be adopted into His family. > > Show grace. Be on the lookout for ways to show grace to others around you. Represent Christ well in the way you interact with others. > > Speak truth. Stand for truth in today s culture, but let the truth be immersed in God s grace. Wrap It Up TRANSITION: Read or restate the conclusion from page 36 of the PSG: Jesus rescues us and gives our lives purpose. And that purpose is to follow Jesus and bring glory to God. PRAY: Conclude by expressing your desire to join Jesus in His rescue mission. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of you and your group members so that you can see opportunities to make a difference for God s kingdom in the days to come. 46 SeSSion 3