Sermon Notes - John 1:9-18 - Littleby Baptist Church - August 21, 2022

 1.     In the first 8 verses we saw that:

a.      Jesus existed before everything.

b.     He has been in constant fellowship with the Father.

c.      He created all things.

d.     He has given all of creation life.

e.      He is the source of Light, redemption, to those who repent and follow Him.

f.      As we draw near to the Light, our Lord Jesus, the darkness is pushed away.

g.     As we continue to follow Jesus, we see that He is victorious over the darkness in our lives.

h.     He will be victorious over the darkness in this world.

2.     John 1:9

a.      Last week we talked about John the Baptist testifying that people needed to repent for the Lord was coming.

b.     His job was to point people to Jesus.

c.      To point people to the True Light that was coming to this world.

d.     Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, that gives light to all.

e.      Some, those who turn to Jesus, receive the Light that pushes away the darkness, that wipes away the sin, and see the path to Salvation.

f.      Others, the Light points to the sin in their lives in hope that they will repent and turn to Jesus before judgment comes.

g.     The Light is going to shine on our lives, and we will either respond and rejoice for all eternity or we will face judgement day all on our own.

3.     John 1:10

a.      Jesus came to this world, the world He created, but they did not recognize Him.

b.     John the Baptist was trying to point people to Jesus, but the world did not listen.

c.      The religious leaders of the day, the learned scholars, those that were supposed to be the watchmen for the coming of the Messiah did not recognize Him.

d.     Jesus was not hiding, prophecies had been given, His majesty can be seen all around us.

e.      2 Corinthians 4:4

f.      Sin kept the religious leaders from seeing Jesus.

g.     Regardless of the words that were spoken, or the miracles performed, the world did not recognize Him.

4.     John 1:11

a.      Touched on this a bit already, but this brings it home.

b.     Jesus came to His own people, those who had the Scriptures, those that studied the prophecy, but they did not recognize Him.

c.      Isaiah 53:1-3

                                                    i.     He grew out of the root of David as foretold.

                                                  ii.     He did not come as a warrior king.  

                                                iii.     Jesus came as a simple poor man, one who suffered, who understood sickness and He was rejected.

d.     Jesus was rejected by those who should have had every inclination that He was God Incarnate.

5.     John 1:12

a.      Not everyone rejected Jesus.

b.     They were not all blinded by their sin.

c.      Remember the Light of the World, Jesus, will shine on our darkness.

d.     Some reject the Light and face judgement on their own.

e.      The others see the Light for who it is, and their sins are forgiven.

f.      Matthew 16:13-17

                                                    i.     Blessed are those whose eyes were opened to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.

                                                  ii.     They believed that He is the Son of the Living God.

g.     Those that received Jesus, received His teaching and learned.

h.     Galatians 3:25-29

                                                    i.     Through faith that Jesus is God.

                                                  ii.     Through faith in the fact that Jesus can and will cleanse us of our sins.

                                                iii.     Through faith all can become children of God.

                                                iv.     It is no longer only those who were of Jewish decent.

                                                  v.     Repent of your sins and choose to follow Jesus and you are grafted into the family of God.

                                                vi.     When we belong to Christ, we are heirs, Romans 8:17 says ‘coheirs with Christ”.

i.       When we receive Christ and believe in His mighty name… we are part of the family.

j.       We receive the inheritance of an eternity in Glory.

6.     John 1:13

a.      Those that believe are born or as we say born again through the work of God.

b.     When we come into this world, we are given life.

c.      When the Holy Spirit works in us and we see who Jesus is, what He did for us, and choose to follow Him…

                                                    i.     We are given new Life.

                                                  ii.     We are born of God.

                                                iii.     We are a new creation through the blood of Jesus, the one and only Creator, Sustainer, and Savior.

d.     We cannot do it on our own, we need Jesus.

7.     John 1:14

a.      John continues to point out to his readers that the man Jesus was God incarnate.

b.     He became a man so that He could dwell with us.

c.      In the original Greek the words used for dwelt or lived among us are reminding the Jewish audience of how God dwelt or filled the Tent of Meeting in the days of Moses.

d.     God did not change; He did not become less of God to fill the Tent in the OT days.

e.      Jesus did not change; He did not become less to fill a human tent.

f.      Jesus being fully God and fully man lived among His people for a time.

g.     When John states, ‘we observed’ he is stating that he and those with him witnessed God’s glory in Jesus.

                                                    i.     They saw the miracles, they watched how Jesus lived His life, they saw His brutal death, and then they talked to the Risen Jesus.

h.     They saw it firsthand.

i.       They knew and believed without a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God.

8.     John 1:15

a.      This verse is talking about John the Baptist.

b.     If we think back to the when Mary was pregnant, Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist.

c.      John was the older of the two.

d.     But John the Baptist understood who Jesus was.

e.      Understood that He was fully God and understood that Jesus existed before John, even though John was born first.  

9.     John 1:16

a.      ‘We all received grace upon grace from his fullness’

b.     Everyone one of us receives grace after grace after grace after grace, because of who Jesus is and what He did for us.

c.      These are words that should fill us with His Hope and Joy.

d.     Being that our Lord is Creator, Sustainer, and Savior.

e.      Being that His power has no limit.

f.      That though our faith in Jesus, through the repentance of our sin and our trust in Him, we are saved.

g.     We are given grace after grace as we follow Him.

h.     We are forgiven and each day, each moment, our sins are washed away.

i.       Grace upon grace only made possible because Jesus the man who died on that cross, was also fully God.

10.  John 1:17

a.      The Law, a Testament, a Revelation of God was given to Israel through Moses.

b.     They are the only people to have that blessing, it was a huge privilege.

c.      But the revelation of Grace and Truth that came through our Jesus is so much more.

d.     The Law was for the Israelites.

e.      The Grace of Jesus is offered to all humankind.

f.      It is offered to you and me.

11.  John 1:18

a.      Moses saw a bit of God’s Glory from a crevice in the rock.

b.     God’s glory filled the Tent of Meeting.

c.      But no one has seen God.

d.     There is no way to Know God on our own.

e.      We need Jesus.

f.      It is through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus that God’s nature has been fully revealed.

g.     Read John 1:1

h.     Through Jesus we can finally know God and spend forever with Him.

12.  John has continued to explain who Jesus is.

a.      He was making sure to fully introduce Jesus as a man who walked this earth.

b.     But also, as God the Son, the Creator of everything around us.

c.      The Word came to His people who had been led astray by the sin in their lives.

d.     Thankfully, Jesus ultimately came for all who believe.  

e.      It is through our faith in Jesus that we are saved.

13.  John has given us a glimpse of who Jesus is.

a.      As we walk through the Gospel of John remember that Jesus is not human or God, but fully God and fully human.

b.     As we walk through this life, KNOW that Jesus was a man who died for you. But He is also the Son of God who was victorious over death.

c.      Holding on to that truth should fill us with His Joy and His Hope.

d.     Knowing that He has given us the gift of Grace, which opens up an eternity in His awesome presence for us.

e.      Jesus is our King and our Savior.