5.28.17~John 1:1-5, “The Word of God.”

John’s opening verse states a most profound truth:
Read John 1:1... Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Here in John 1:1, the “Word” was n the beginning, the Greek word translated beginning means source, origin, ruler, one in authority. The Greek word translated “Word” [Logos] means the embodiment of all divine authority, power and wisdom. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself to the world; and in fact, He is the final word from God to mankind about salvation (see Hebrews 1:3).

John tells us that not only was the Word in the beginning, but that the Word was with God - the Greek for the phrase “was with God,” actually means “face to face,” i.e., the Word [Christ, God the Son] was in an intimate, up close and personal, fellowship with God the Father long before anything was created; and not only is that significant, the Word was God. Jesus Christ is God!
Read John 1:2... John more clearly defines the “Word,” notice, John says “He” was in the beginning with God. The “He” of course is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made “His” dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” No wonder Jesus said (John 14:6), "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Again, the Word, Christ, being there in the beginning means that He is God, because only God is preexistent and eternal, everything else is created.

The major truth declared by John is, Jesus is God!

Paul declared (Colossians 2:9), “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Peter (2Peter 1:1) calls Jesus “our God and Savior,” and the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:8) says about Jesus, “Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever.”
Read John 1:3... Christ was there before anything was created or came into being; and so He is not a created being, but instead, He is the creator of all beings and everything that was and will be created.

Only God, the Creator, has always existed, everything else was created by Him. The Word of God, Christ (in the flesh of Jesus), is the Creator of the universe (see Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2) and the Ruler of the universe (see Colossians 2:10; Philippians 2:8-11).

Jesus and God are called by the same pronouns: Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13)
Holy One (Isaiah 10:20; Acts 2:27; 3:14)
I AM (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24)

Judge (Genesis 18:25; 2Timothy 4:1, 8)
Light (Psalm 27:1; John 8:12)
Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17; Revelation 17:14)
Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6; 10:21)
Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14; 48:17; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12) Savior (Isaiah 43:11; Acts 4:12; Titus 2:13)

Jesus’ attributes are unique to God alone: Eternal (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6)
Immutable (Hebrews 13:8)
Omnipotent (Philippians 3:21)

Omnipresent (Matthew 18:20; 28:20) Omniscient (Matthew 11:27; John 16:30; 21:17)

Jesus does things only God can do:
Creates all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16)
Sustains all things (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3)
Forgives sin (Mark 2:10-11)
Raises the dead (John 5:21; 11:25-44)
Receives worship (John 9:38; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 1:6)
Receives prayer (John 14:13-14; Acts 7:59-60)
Read John 1:4... The themes of “life” and “Light” permeate John’s gospel; the word [Greek, zoe] translated “life” refers to the life Jesus gives His true disciples, i.e., spiritual life or eternal life; this is differentiated from the [Greek, bios] word translated “life,” that refers to physical life, also given by God.

Jesus Christ, had zoe within Himself, because He is self-existent - He was not created, He is the Creator who is eternally existent. That is, in a way, the awesome nature of God’s name “I AM,” (Exodus 3:14).

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the
Almighty.’"

There was a time when the universe did not exist; but there was never a time when God did not exist. Jesus Christ, the Word [Logos], is God, He has always existed.

In Christ was the life and light of God - you cannot have life [zoe] from God without the Light [revelation] of God. Jesus is the source of life from God (see John 11:25; 14:6; 1John 1:1-4); He is also the source of Light from God (see John 8:12; 9:5; 1John 1:5-7).

Read Genesis 1:1-4... Without the light of God there is only darkness, Satan’s domain (see Ephesians 6:12)

Read John 1:5... The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood [lit. overcome] it.

It is not that darkness hasn’t understood the Light (see Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:34; James 2:19). The demons of darkness understand very well the judgment awaiting them in Christ. They have tried relentlessly to keep the Light and life of God from mankind (see 2Corinthians 4:4-6):

Throughout the OT Satan tried to destroy Israel so that Messiah [the Christ] could not be born.

Satan, through Herod, tried to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16).

Satan tried to deter Jesus from going to the cross, by tempting Him (Matthew 4:1-11).

Satan used one of Jesus’ followers (Judas) to betray Him into the hands of the Jews (Matthew 16:21-23).

Satan thought he had won the battle when Jesus was nailed to the cross to die, but in reality, Satan brought about his own defeat and signed his own death warrant (see Acts 2:22-24; Colossians 2:15; 1John 3:8).

The Word of God is Jesus, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 16, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known.”

John 14:6, Jesus said, “"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Everyone who calls on this Jesus, the Word of God, God the Son, to forgive their sins, will be saved!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><