The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make - John 1:1-18

THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU WILL EVER MAKE IS TO
“ACCEPT GOD’S PROMISED SAVIOR”

Every day of the week, including Sunday, a publisher in every major city in this country publishes a newspaper. Millions of American citizens read their favorite part of the paper, and some read all or most of it. Daily papers can not be absolutely correct in everything that is written, but for some reason, a majority of the readers believe the predominance of what they read to be truth. Carnal man or woman is always the author of articles written, and none are inspired by a higher power that enables them to be truthful. I believe, as you do, that most write what they think to be truth, but we all know that the author’s personal opinion often overrides in news casting, and it is subject to scrutiny. Never-the-less, readers believe what they read in the paper, and accept it with greater confidence than they have in the inspired word of God. I just can not understand how this is possible.

The reason [or excuse] given by many for not believing the Bible is that they do not believe that biblical writers were inspired by a higher power that prevented error. If any unbeliever will honestly analyze and answer one question they surely will change their mind. That question is: “How were the prophets of old able to predict [thousands of years before it happened] the exact circumstances regarding the birth of Christ? They knew the linage of his family tree; they predicted the exact time, place and circumstances surrounding his birth; they knew his life would be threatened and that his parents would escape into Egypt; they knew and wrote about his ministry, his rejection [by his own people] and all about his death, burial and resurrection. They knew—and predicted with almost unbelievable precision—yes, the question is: “how is this possible for mere man to do without being ‘inspired’ by a higher power…God almighty?

It is Christmas, 2007 and we are taking time out of our busy schedules to recognize and praise our wonderful Savior. The title of our lesson today is a profound offer and suggestion that every one should: “ACCEPT GOD’S PROMISED SAVIOR.” Matthew, Mark and Luke all approach the Christmas story as it starts in Bethlehem with the Babe in the manger and wise men traveling from afar to adore him. But John had something different in mind that would stretch our imaginations all the way back to the Genesis story that tells us that “in the beginning was God; Christ; Holly Spirit; and THE WORD. Dear readers, this is no accident, because this class has been in a new study beginning with Genesis, which is the beginning, and this is another example of the way God works his way into the lives of believers in order to help them understand his will and way for their lives. {Oh, yes, I believe that God had a hand in planning this very lesson we are studying today. He knew that we would be studying the beginning in Genesis, and he knew that John’s explanation of the Birth of Christ would be the best lesson for today, because it fits in with the study of Genesis.} Radical? Extreme? Say what you will, but I believe that my God is involved in every moment of my life. If one hair falls from my head, he knows the exact count of those that are left. If this is true, then why would he not make sure that I am teaching the lesson he has for his people on this twenty-third day of December, 2007? Oh dear ones, nothing else is as important as the fact that you must ACCEPT GOD’S PROMISED SAVIOR.

The striking difference in the Christmas story as recorded by the first three apostles and the story by John is nor meant to cause confusion, but it is presented to strengthen our understanding of the beginning of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you read [and diligently study] the first five verses of John, you are made to understand the true identity of our Savior. The next four verses in John deals with the witness of our Savior. Make very sure that you do not miss-understand verses 10 to 13, for it is herein that you are to be encouraged to receive the gift he has for each of us. Finally, as you come to a full understanding of what the Savior’s GRACE really means…be sure you are open minded and willing to place your faith in the only power on earth that can save you from your sins.

Both of the books, Genesis and the gospel of John, start with the same words—“In the beginning.” This phrase, ‘in the beginning’ refers to the very first mini-second of time. In the beginning time was! In the beginning God was! In the beginning Christ was! In the beginning the Holy Spirit was! We worship a triune Master, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Moses asked God, “Who shall I say is the one who sent me?” The answer from God was—“Tell them that “I AM” sent you”

In the first verse, John called Christ the WORD. Then he said, the word [Christ] was with God, and the Word was God. He [Christ] was with God in the beginning. Remember that God spoke [he used a word] things into existence. Then when he got to man, God said: “Let us make man. Who were “us”? It was God and God the son, for they were both present in the beginning. Why did John call Christ the word? I will tell you why. John is writing to the Greek population and explaining a Jewish concept. The Greek had no idea who the Jews were referring to when they spoke of the Messiah. The Gentile world did not know about Jewish history and had never heard that there would be a coming savior—Messiah. John found a term which was “word” that had the same meaning to both Greek and Jew alike.

The Greek author, Plato and other Greek philosophers used the term [logos] which means [word] to refer to the spoken word, but they also used it to refer to the unspoken word—that is the word that is still in the mind which they referred to as reason. When they applied it [the term logos, or word] to the universe, they meant the rational principle that governs all things. Jews said that God governs all things. Listen to me now! The Jews said God Governs. The Greek said that a logos [the word] governs. Therefore, John found a term that both nationalities would understand because it had the same meaning to both Jew and Greek—the terms were WORD AND CHRIST or GOD, the one that governs. And so John wrote that in the beginning was the WORD OR CHRIST, OR GOD.

Open your Bible to John, first verse. Compare to the following: “In the beginning was the Word” [with a capitol W] and could have been Christ. “And the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was with God in the beginning.”

Verse 3: “Through Him [Christ] all things were made.” Therefore Christ and God, both in one, created all things. They were both there. Just remember that God could have told Moses that God, Christ, and The Holly Spirit were three in one, and you can tell the Egyptians that we are I AM.

Verse 4-5: “In him [Christ] was life, and life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Christ is the life, the light, the way, and there is no other way. One of the laws of nature is that everything has its opposite. Electricity has a positive and negative force; cold is the absence of heat; and there is male and female; regarding this lesson there is light which is Christ and perfection and darkness which refers to the world without Christ and imperfect. The word darkness refers to the sinful world that can not see without light…and when Christ came in flesh the world did not understand and therefore they rejected him.

The first three gospels started their books dating it from Christ’s birth in a manger, and this is the moment in time when he became a man, flesh and blood as we are. It was good news and the first holy Christmas. John started when God, Christ and the Holly Spirit WAS…IN THE BEGINNING. They just WERE and no man knows for sure when that moment in time really was.

I do not read the original language, Greek, in this instance, and therefore I have to accept the word of my commentaries regarding the meanings of words. I have at least three sources that tell us that “the Greek verb tense found in the verbs used by John in the first verse denotes continuous existence. If this is true [and I believe it is true] then in that very first instant of time the Word [God, Christ] already existed continuously.

I personally believe that they were and are total SPIRIT, and I doubt that there was ever a moment anywhere in the past eons of time [as we know time] that they were ‘born’ or ‘created’…They WERE, they ARE, and they WILL ALLWAYS BE. If I am wrong, and they did have a beginning, then will someone tell me WHO CREATED THEM? It is by my faith that I accept, love, and worship GOD. Remember that ‘faith’ is the evidence of things unseen, and impossible to fully understand with mortal mind.

John agreed with and wrote in full agreement with Genesis. Then later on even in the very next verse of our lesson today, he agreed with Matthew and the others. There is no contradiction here, only a new perspective that helps us understand the total lordship of the one we know as the Christmas child.

Verse 6; announces the coming of John the Baptist, who was sent from God. John came as a witness to tell the people around Jerusalem that the Messiah was on his way. John says that John the Baptist came to his people to tell them about the LIGHT that would soon appear. The Baptist came to call men to repentance [Mark 1; 4], and to prepare the way for the coming Messiah [1:24]. The OT has many occasions where God sent a prophet to warn people of coming disaster and issue a call to repentance. The Baptist is the last of these great prophets. He was the advance courier making the way clear for the new coming King. His message was very simple…he called on the people to get ready for the coming Christ.

Verse 10; told his listeners that actually Christ was already in the world—he said Christ made the world—but had not been recognized. He will come here to you [his own people] but you will not believe and receive him. John condemned the Jews for their unbelief, and then told them that if they would believe in Him that Christ would adopt them into his family, and they would be his children, not by natural birth, but by being born again spiritually.

Verse 14: tells the Christmas story as told by John in today’s lesson, and as the other gospels told it when they said Christ was born in a manger. John said: “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…no one has seen God, but you will see his One and Only and through him you can know what God is like.”