BELIEVING BRINGS LIFE John 1:1-18 INTRO: BELIEVING IS THE WAY TO ABUNDANT LIFE Turning Point Church 2/24/2019 The key word in the Gospel of John is "believing" used 98 times! I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV) 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31 (NIV) Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25 (NIV) 1
28 Then they asked him, What must we do to do the works God requires? 29 Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. John 6:28-29 (NIV) John 12:37 (NIV) Dear God, Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin. I want to give you control of my life. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life. Help me to know you better and to learn from the Bible how I can live a life that pleases you and helps others. Amen. 1. BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS GOD 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 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 (NIV) 2
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. Very truly I tell you, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am! Psalm 33:6 (NIV) John 8:58 (NIV) 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me? 33 We are not stoning you for any good work, they replied, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. John 10:31-33 (NIV) The Jehovah s Witnesses the Word was a God. This goes against the standard rules of Greek grammar. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Colossians 2:9 (NIV) 8 Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. 9 Jesus answered: Don t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? John 14:8-9 (NIV) 3
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 2. BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE LIGHT 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NIV) 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:6-13 (NIV) 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband s will, but born of God. John 1:6-13 (NIV) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 3:19 (NIV) John 8:12 (NIV) 4
186,000 miles/sec 100 million watts Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light. 3. BELIEVE THAT GRACE & TRUTH COME THOUGH JESUS John 12:36 (NIV) 5
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. JURASSIC PARK John 1:14-15 (NIV) 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, This is the one I spoke about when I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. ) John 1:14-15 (NIV) 6
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. (NLT) John 1:16-17 (NIV) From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16 (NLT2) 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. CONC: JESUS IS OUR BEST SOURCE FOR KNOWING GOD Revelation 21:22-23 (NIV) No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of his being, John 1:18 (NIV) Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) 7
All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. INTRO: BELIEVING IS THE WAY TO ABUNDANT LIFE 1. BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS GOD 2. BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE LIGHT 3. BELIEVE THAT GRACE & TRUTH COME THOUGH JESUS CONC: JESUS IS OUR BEST SOURCE FOR KNOWING GOD Matthew 11:27 (NIV) Follow- Through Guide 8