The Point Jesus came to earth to rescue us. The Passage John 1:1-5,9-14 The Bible Meets Life During the Christmas season, our attention turns to Jesus as a baby. Even non-christians might display a manager scene in their homes; in the midst of their gifts, parties, and emphasis on Santa Claus, they may still acknowledge the birth of Jesus is the reason for Christmas. Unfortunately, we often forget the reason why Jesus came to earth. The Gospel of John begins with the focus on Jesus as God who came to earth for our salvation. The Setting The Prologue to the Gospel of John introduces Jesus Christ as both 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
What does the Bible say? The Word (v. 1) Logos is the Greek term translated into English as Word. In the first-century world, the Jews used logos to refer to the authoritative word of God. 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 (Matthew 1:1 16). Jesus came as the Messiah God promised through the Old Testament prophecies. John 1:1-5,9-14 (HCSB) 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. 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
THE POINT Jesus came to earth to rescue us. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Invite your group members to turn their attention to the image at the bottom of page 29 of the Personal Study Guide (PSG). Ask: When have you felt captivated by a rescue mission? ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Find and show a short video clip of a daring rescue. Ask your group to identify what parts made it so engaging, so mesmerizing. SUMMARIZE: Some assembly required. Many of us dread those words. Maybe you ve known that feeling. After you ve finished assembling your item, you have one part left over. Everything seems to be in good working order, but you stare down at that unknown part. You can tear the whole thing down and start over or simply ignore that part and throw it away. Down the road when the item stops working properly, or something falls off, you realize that little part had a purpose after all. Notes TIP: As you prepare to lead, become familiar with the content by highlighting or making notes in these margins to get a grasp on what you want to highlight as you teach. It s not always easy to determine the purpose of some things. Some of us even wonder about our own purpose. You may ask: What am I here for? SAY: One person who never questioned His purpose was Jesus. The apostle John began his account of the life of Jesus by making sure Jesus purpose in coming to earth would be clear to everyone who reads his Gospel. ENHANCEMENT: Bring your group s attention to Pack Item #3 John 1:14a poster, as you discuss The Point. GUIDE: Call the group s attention to The Point on page 30 of the PSG: Jesus came to earth to rescue us. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study by praying. Thank God for sending His Son, Jesus, so that we might fully know Him and experience the life He has for us. Display Pack Item #3 to communicate the session topic. Cut apart Pack Item #4 and have it ready to distribute to your group. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 39
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 1:1-5 Notes 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: Ask a group member to read aloud John 1:1-5 RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 32): The Word. John used this phrase to describe Jesus. In John s day, the Jews equated the Word with Scripture, the Word of God. Words communicate, and Scripture the Word is how God has communicated about Himself. Here, John introduced the idea of Jesus being the Word. The Word is a fitting title for Jesus because He is the ultimate way God has revealed Himself. 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? (Leader note: Be sure the conversation includes discussion of the terms Word, light, and darkness. ) SUMMARIZE: Consider what John s words about the Word reveal about Jesus. Eternal. Before anything was created, Jesus existed. We come into existence at the moment of conception, but not Jesus; He did not begin to exist at the virgin conception. He had no beginning and He has no end He exists eternally. Divine. Jesus is God and He is not dependent on anything else, but everything else is dependent on Him for its existence. Jesus is unlimited by time, space, knowledge, or power. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is God. Life. When God created all things He said, It is good, but all that was messed up by our sin and rebellion. Jesus came to restore life to us. Light. Jesus did not come to give us light, only for us to continue to walk in darkness. TRANSITION: We find guidance and assurance in Jesus who created us and gives us life. 40 SESSION 3
THE POINT Jesus came to earth to rescue us. John 1:1-5 Commentary Jesus is God who created us and gave us life. All four of the New Testament Gospel accounts have much in common. They all give an accurate record of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each Gospel is unique in its style and approach in its account about Jesus. However, the first three have obvious similarities, not only in their specific content but also often in their wording. Scholars have determined John wrote his Gospel many years later than the other Gospels. False teachings about Jesus had developed, and one of John s primary goals was to combat these wayward ideas. Verses 1-2: John began his Gospel with the phrase In the beginning. This phrase also begins Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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 linking the Genesis account to his Gospel, referring to the Word. Logos is the Greek term translated into English as Word. In the first-century world, 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 God s light to mankind. John noted several unique facts about this Word. (1) 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 Christ, existed before God created the universe. He is eternal with no beginning or end. (2) Jesus, the Word, is divine. Not only was He with God but He was God (v. 1). 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: (3) John described a third trait in terms of what Jesus did: 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, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him. Verse 4: (4) Jesus 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 and created them. Unfortunately, all people are separated from God due to sin. God shines His spiritual light into the world to show us the way to Himself and to His salvation through 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 the darkness did not overcome it. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 41
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 1:9-13 Notes 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. DO: Divide your members into groups of three or four people each. Within each small group, direct members to take turns sharing aloud their responses to the activity on page 34 of the PSG. Word of God: Circle each of the words or phrases used to describe Jesus. 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. Which of these words or phrases is most meaningful to you? Why? READ: Ask a group member to read aloud John 1:9-13. ALTERNATE QUESTION: Why is following Jesus an all-or-nothing proposition? SUMMARIZE: 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. Through Scripture, we see how God planned our rescue our redemption before creation. DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 33 of the PSG: What do these verses teach us about salvation? 42 SESSION 3 SUMMARIZE: God has clearly spoken. He s revealed Himself through His Word, Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus for who He is the revealed Word of God He gives us light and life.
THE POINT Jesus came to earth to rescue us. John 1:9-13 Commentary Jesus came to earth to make us God s children. Verse 9: Jesus is the true light because He alone is qualified to show us the way to the Father. Of course, He Himself is that way (14:6). Jesus light is available to all who will come to Him (3:16 17). John was an eyewitness to Jesus life, death, and resurrection; and he wrote his Gospel so everyone could know the truth about Jesus and come to Him and be saved. Verse 10: When Jesus came into the world, the world did not recognize Him. Though many benefited from His mercy and power as He healed and fed and taught them, at best they saw only a great prophet (Matthew 16:13 14), not the divine Son of God. Verse 11: We might understand that those living in the Greco-Roman culture of the first century would have had difficulty recognizing this itinerant rabbi from Israel as the divine Son of God, but surely His own people, the Jews, should have realized who He was. His birth fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah (Matthew 1:1,22 23; 2:5 6,15,17-18). The crowds quickly realized that Jesus taught with a unique kind of authority (7:28 29). The many miracles He did were signs of His divinity and authority (John 14:11). Jesus came as the Messiah God promised (through Old Testament prophecies) to send to His people. Despite all the evidence, His own people did not receive Him. 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 believed. John wrote that they believe in His name. In Jewish thought, the name of a person was a symbol of the person s 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 not only accept Him as the person He claimed to be but commit to following and obeying Him (Luke 9:23). John also said that they receive Jesus. God offered His Son as a gift to all who would receive Him. Those who believed chose to receive God s gift. They exercised their faith and were able to see Jesus for who He truly is, the true Light (John 1:9). Verse 13: Those who believed were born of God. This birth was totally different from normal physical birth. John was not talking about a second physical birth (John 3:4) or some kind of reincarnation. Jesus told Nicodemus that in order to have an eternal relationship with God each person must be born again (v. 3) and born of the Spirit (v. 5). 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 (2 Corinthians 5:17) and makes His home in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). This change is miraculous and can only happen through the power of God s Spirit. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 43
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE John 1:14 Notes 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: Ask a group member to read aloud John 1:14. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How can we reflect God s glory? RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 35): The Word became flesh. This is the miracle of the virgin birth: God became flesh. God, the One who is eternal, came in the fullness of time. God, the One who lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) became visible. DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 34 of the PSG: How did Jesus earthly life reveal God s glory? SUMMARIZE: Throughout the Gospels, we see glimpses of Jesus Deity in His miracles and His teachings. Through what He said and did, Jesus revealed Himself as the One and Only Son of God who came to bring God s offer of grace and truth to humanity. Ultimately, Jesus death on the cross for our sin demonstrated the depth of God s mercy. DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 35 of the PSG: What is your next step in joining Jesus on His rescue mission? TRANSITION: The Word became flesh so that we may know the grace and truth offered to us. Once we place our faith in Christ, we re called to show that same grace and truth to others. 44 SESSION 3
THE POINT Jesus came to earth to rescue us. John 1:14 Commentary Jesus came to earth to bring God s glory and grace to us. Verse 14: John deliberately said the Word became flesh. At the time John wrote his Gospel some 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 that 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. Over and over John clearly stated that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. John said that Jesus not only came in a body but took up residence among us. The imagery of this phrase goes back to the Old Testament accounts of God s presence in the tabernacle and the temple. When Jesus came to earth from heaven, He laid aside His glory (Philippians 2:5 8). 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. 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. In the New Testament, grace carries the sense of a gift that is undeserved. 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). Jesus came to earth from heaven to live as a demonstration of God s grace, ultimately by dying for our sins. Jesus came to bring us God s offer of grace and to become the way (14:6) of providing that grace. The second word is truth. Jesus is more than a bearer of truth and ultimate reality: He is the truth (v. 6). In addition, Jesus promised His disciples that after He returned to heaven He would send the Holy Spirit to guide them into all the truth (16:13). When we put our faith in Jesus as the embodiment of all that is true, then we are able to distinguish between what is meaningless with only temporary value and what has eternal meaning and rewards. This is why the Word became flesh, to enable us to know the grace and truth that sets us free (8:32). God s grace and truth make it possible for us to live in an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father through the light of His Son (1:4). Previous Biblical Illustrator articles In the Beginning A Comparison of Genesis 1 and John 1 (Winter 2006-2007), To Tabernacle (Summer 2005), The Word in John s Gospel (Fall 1997), and Light in John s Writings (Winter 1982) relate to this lesson and can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at www.lifeway.com/ biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 45
5 minutes LIVE IT OUT SAY: How can the truth of this passage make a difference in your life? Notes GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 36 of the PSG. Commit John 1:1-5 to memory. Write this passage on a note card and stick it in your wallet or on your mirror. Repeat these verses aloud every day until you have them memorized. Dig deeper into God s Word. Complete a word study of the term light. Use a concordance or Bible dictionary to learn more about Jesus being our light and life. Have coffee or lunch with a Christian senior adult. Ask them how they came to know Christ as Savior and what they ve learned about living as His child. ENHANCEMENT: Distribute Pack Item #4, John 1:1-5 Memory Verse Cards, and encourage your group members to commit this passage to memory. Wrap It Up SAY: Jesus rescues us and gives our lives purpose. And that purpose is to follow Jesus and bring glory to God. Get expert insights on weekly studies through the Ministry Grid (MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife). 46 SESSION 3