John 1:1-25

John actually does injustice. Taking it all the way back to the very beginning at the beginning point being is Jesus never wasn't. He always was in the beginning something in the beginning was the word in the book of Job just to Jesus Christ is. Today we continue our countdown scripts top 40 messages on the connect with Skip Heitzigs of you in the number 18 spot is a message in which Skip teachers from John chapter 1 feels the important truths that the apostle Paul communicated about your Lord and Savior first want to let you know about an exciting opportunity to visit the land of the Bible invited to join Skip the spelling 2022 places for the offense of the Bible and inexperience will be encouraged in your faith. That's where it comes to life for you and only ever has before.

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Christmas.com/BQ John chapter 1 as we dive into the teaching, Skip Heitzigs. I love the gospel of John we were talking before the service about the gospel of John being the go to gospel that we usually tell new believers we want them to read.

You see, Matthew's Gospel was written for the Jewish people and often repeated phrase and word is the word fulfilled, or so that it might be fulfilled.

We find that phrase in the gospel of Matthew because it's written for the Jews to show the Jewish people to Jesus. This Jesus that is presented in Matthew is the fulfillment of the Old Testament predictions to the Jewish nation become to the gospel of Mark, the gospel of Mark was written for a Roman audience is the gospel of action.

It's short, it's fast, it's about doing it's about accomplishing it's about getting the job done it as the Roman audience in mind we get to the gospel of Luke. It's as though he's writing to a Greek audience. Luke being a Gentile physician being a little more exact. A little bit different in his language and covering a different angle altogether speaks about Jesus and his perfect manhood. He is the Son of Man.

That's how Luke presents a and two Greek philosophers. The ideal man was often discussed by their philosophers and in their school.

So Jesus, the perfect man, full of compassion, full of love we get to the gospel of John. It seems as though the audience is not the Jews are just the Romans or just the Greeks. It's as though the audience here is the whole world, and it presents Jesus probably in the fullest of his character. It speaks of him as the son of God.

In fact, God himself as God in a human body God in human flesh, so in the gospel of Matthew. The focus is on what Jesus said we have the great discourses in Matthew that are presented in the gospel of Mark, we have what Jesus did. It's that rapid action short fast-moving gospel words like immediately or employed a lot. He did this and then immediately and then the bend and then it moves quickly the gospel of Luke is about how he felt the gospel of John is about who he was. Or think of it this way. Matthew Mark and Luke, which are also called synoptic Gospels because they're very similar in their approach. John is very different in his approach. It's as though Matthew Mark and Luke are snapshots, but John is a studied portrait to studied portrait. We beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth and cellulitis.

The John goes back in his genealogy in verse one all the way back further than Matthew or Mark or Luke to the very beginning itself like the book of Genesis.

In the beginning. In the beginning. In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men in the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe he was not that light was sent to bear witness of that light. The gospel of John was written by John very good, although his name does not appear as the author of the gospel is never introduced as the writer of the gospel in the gospel when he begins in verse six and says there was a man sent from God's name was Johnny speaking about John the Baptist right so we have John the apostle, the author not mentioned as the author writing about. At first John the Baptist just so we get that squared we get that straight. So, if John is not mentioned is the author of the gospel. How do we know then that the gospel of John is indeed the gospel of John. That's a fair question right. Would you like the answer okay.

The reason we know John wrote the gospel is because a guy in the beginning of the second century, named Ira Naess said he wrote it will hold so not. Polycarp was a direct disciple of John the apostle, so he would've known and he would've told Ira Naess so Ira Naess is the first one.

Historically, the tells us the guy that wrote this gospel was none other than John the apostle now he does call himself. He goes by an interesting title in his own writings. You know what I'm to say some of you right he's called the, the, the apostle, whom Jesus loved you I said about himself. Then there was in no the apostle Jesus loved, and I won't say his name but it sort of sounds like John so he says that about himself and in some people and hearing that think that's sort of arrogant to say I'm the one Jesus loved, I don't see as arrogant as at all.

I think it's confident, not arrogant, you're the disciple Jesus loved as well and so on. My when you can know that and you can personalize it and I'm the one that Jesus loved. He loved them all. But John experienced on a personal level, the love of Christ.

So he calls himself the disciple of the apostle whom Jesus loved John as part of an Inner Cir., Peter, James and John. We find those three. Although he had those 12 apostles made more disciples beyond that, there seem to be a special core of guys that were just closer to the Lord than the rest. So when Jesus healed gyrus's daughter raised her from the dead. He brought in with him. Only Peter, James and John when he was transfigured with Moses and Elijah.

He took with them. Only Peter James and John in the garden of Gethsemane. During his temptation. He scurried off from the rest of the crowd just Peter, James and John.

John was the first apostle at the tomb of Jesus. He was also at the cross he stood at the cross. He watched his Savior died the other disciples had fled John alone was there. He was next to Jesus mother Mary. In fact, at the cross, Jesus entrusted Marion to John's care woman behold your son son behold your mother then after the resurrection. When the woman said he's not net tomb.

You guys he's gone. It says that Peter and John, Peter and the other disciple disciple Jesus loved ran to the tomb and it says that John beat Peter to the tomb.

I just find it fascinating that John again writes of himself. Not only is he the guy whom Jesus loved, but he's the guy who beat Peter to the tomb. Just saying he eat it does it tickles me and that the other disciple did outrun Peter as I was and is a little fast. We get to the gym.

First, it says he looked in first and he was thinking about what he saw that it's as Peter went into the tomb.

These are scratches that like I can figure this out Dennis as John went in also and he saw and he believed so. John was not only the first of the tomb.

He was the first to believe of the apostles Jesus had risen from the dead. He is one of the sons of Zebedee, who was the other son of Zebedee. James yeah, James and John were with their dad Zebedee in the fishing business around the Sea of Galilee. They also happen to be partners with a couple other brothers Peter and Andrew around the Sea of Galilee, so they were involved in a fishing business. They were known as the sons of Zebedee. But Jesus called the sons of Zebedee by a nickname Bo energies or Sons of thunder is translated and that is probably because and it's interesting that it was John, James and John and the rest of the gang were going toward Jerusalem they're going through Samaria.

They wanted to stay there. The Samaritans wouldn't receive them because they had set their face steadfastly toward Jerusalem, and there is been a long going animosity between those in Samaria and those in Jerusalem. So because they were not well treated, James and John said to Jesus. Listen the question you I know you know that some of you, but for others of you, but for all of us and still amazingly humorous. They sincerely asked him, Lord, would you like us to call fire down from heaven and consume this village Lord, if it so all the same to you. We like to do Snoopy's people is that okay with you, which is what I like Wooderson and Newcomen oblivion and Jesus said you you don't know what manner of spirit you are is not my heart you even know what you're talking about. Son of Man came to save lives to destroy lives. So Jesus, it would seem from that calls them. Sons of thunder sons of Zebedee and the thunder now why that's a little odd and and should be interesting to us is that John has been dubbed. You know it is been called the apostle of love. He's been called the apostle of love by how tender he writes the story and how tender he was toward Jesus and for many reasons. That shows an intimacy in a warmth and a tenderness in John and yet he really seemed to have a temper seem to be short on the fuse are temperamental, angry, impetuous, some of the things we typically ascribed Peter that was part of James and John's makeup, but it shows you how Jesus can change a life in 3 1/2 years to turn men from Sons of thunder to sons who are tender and egg John so tenderhearted that he would lay his head on Jesus bosom at that Last Supper for so many other reasons I love the fact that lives can change if they're willing to hang out with Jesus long enough and he hung out with Jesus for his ministry, so we need to go over these verses and really understand them.

And again were in no hurry. I always set my sights hi, I was single.

We can cover at least a chapter may be too but at least a chapter but you're looking down thinking that's quite impossible. By this time, but that's okay, here's the joy of Wednesday night we have our time. We do what we do and we pick it up next time we go through the gospel because we want to get certain principles and certain versus understood by all.

Some of you have read the Bible, but not all of you have understood it.

So let's go to the gospel of John.

Now enter concept by concept in the beginning was the word verse one and the Word was with God and the word was God. I notice this, he speaking of the word.

Sounds like he speaking of an inanimate object. The word a piece of conversation. A word but he the word he was in the beginning with God. So Matthew begins the genealogy of Jesus Christ. You remember, with whom was first in the genealogical record, Abraham Luke decides to take the genealogy of Jesus Christ go back even further, all the way to Adam begins with that much as far back as you can get. You would think.

But John actually does him justice. Taking it all the way back to the very beginning at the beginning. The point being is Jesus never wasn't. He always was in the beginning sound like Genesis 1 in the beginning God created the heavens and in the beginning was the word that that sounds strange to D be talking about a human being. A person, an entity and an entity with the human body. Personality but to call the personality by the term.

The word sound so mystical ethereal philosophical. What's with calling Jesus the word. Why is that, here's what you need to know the Jews would sometimes refer to God as the word.

The Hebrew word is member. The Greek word is log us and that is because the Jewish people had such a high respect for God they would never uses given name in the Old Testament Yahweh. They wouldn't say Yahweh said they it was such an affable name and unpronounceable name you perfect holy name. They would either say Adonai or simply say hi, Sam.

Which means the name or sometimes in their writings, like the targums, which are commentaries on Old Testament Scriptures, they would simply use the term member or the word as a designation of God himself.

So it was familiar among the Jews. If you were to say the word, they would think that means God but also in that day and age among the Greeks. They believed what they called the log's the word and and that was a term used by Greek philosophers.

For you see, the Greeks understood that the world in which we live has a level of design it would seem more. At least predictable patterns.

The light begins in the morning ends in the evening. There are rotations of and orbits of planets, etc. there are seasons are length of days that you can afterwhile observe and thus predict. So then they would ask the question what is the source and what is the origin of all of this ordered principal in the universe why the order why the symmetry why the predictability is that it must be because there is a first principle in ordering principle.

They called the log us. The reason for the order in the universe.

According to Greek philosophers is because there existed a log off a word so appealing to Jewish listeners appealing to Greek listeners member he's writing for the world.

In the beginning was the log us the ordering principle. The first cause, God himself. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God few years ago I heard a knock on my door during the day and I looked through my little eye hole in the door see what was I was in my study that I am and I want them. I looked in there and I saw two people there with little green Bibles. Green covers and a little magazine that said awake so I knew that they were Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Christian witnesses so that will this will be interesting so I opened the door. We began having the conversation and I am pretty kind of know where the conversations going. Other lines in over there to say and what they've been taught know how they been disciple and it finally got to the point were I brought up John chapter 1 verse one and they were ready, and one of them said well you know in the Greek it says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word was a God and I looked and I said are you sure about that. Oh yes, well attested to it is supposed person show me his Bible said it's not been the beginning was the Word was with God and the Word was a God. So I asked a couple questions I was like dancing first question. Can you provide to me a list of the translators of the New World translation your translation they couldn't do it. And at that time, the watchtower tract Society couldn't and wouldn't provide a list of their translators because every time they do the translators. They quote say we didn't say that you're misquoting us so when they told me that the Greek says the word is a got it piqued my interest and I when I grab my Greek New Testament out of my office and I opened it up to the gospel of John a spread and I said show me here in the Greek here is a Greek New Testament written in the Greek language. Read it. Show me now I'll I'll admit I was being a little persnickety little pesky little mischievous. You know, I know great Greek scholar. Trust me, but I II was during that time.

Taking a Greek class from our resident Greek scholar Dr. Steven Collins and so I was sort of been right in the throes of that. So you II had been studying that passage, I said show me where it is in. They both looked as it we can't read Greek so I said okay then let's just go through the first couple verses NRK analog skyhigh log us in crosstown thing on Chi they say and how log us right here.

Okay, nothing.

You'll notice that last part that I just read Chi thing us in how log us in the notice that there is no direct article before they us because in the predicate notice to the predicate is moved to the front of the sentence not typically an English but to the end of the sentence like we do. But notice that it's move forward and it's done that way to to prove a point by the author. The author is trying to show the essence of something or someone. So it literally reads in English.

Chi thing us in the logons or and God was the word. That's how it is literally written and that is because with John is saying is this the word as to his essential being an essence is God he is in very nature God, that's how the Greek construction goes. The conversation ended very quickly after that I tried actually to bring them in and I tried to go through the Scripture and I could tell that one was discipling the others and on. We got ago we have a go and under their breath when I could be back but it you you can rely on this translation in your English.

This is what it says that this is a faithful translation from the Greek manuscript and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of man, Jesus created all things.

He is the creator is the source of life becomes that there is the source and the origin of life that Skip 18 message fully messages come to its from the series expound your message and more Skip's teachings and watch him teach live twice a week@youtube.com/Calvary ADK.

Now we want to share about a special resource will help you grow stronger in your faith. There's a top 10 list for just about everything. What about a top 10 list they can actually impact your faith. See my six top 10 messages will really make a mark as a symbol from what most people don't know about have somebody once said they're very good to be at least three surprises in heaven. First of all, who's there that you thought would never make it.

Second, who's not fair that you were sure would make it in the number three. The fact that you yourself are there by God's grace.

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Plus you a copy of reload love filing hundred 19 to 18 to him tomorrow if Skip Heitzig pictures of top 40 message from acts chapter 1 and looks back at the beginnings of the early church sharing vital truths to bolster your faith don't want to miss it. He left, he ascended into heaven. He's out here, he's gone. How can Jesus continue to do and teach anything if he left the ascension into heaven answer, the Holy Spirit, that he promised, I'm leaving it's expedient that I go is if I don't go.

I can send a helper to you if I send a helper to all things, is struck and he's going to be another, as we mentioned the last three weeks. Just like I have been another one.

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