Let's turn to John 1. John 1. John 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was
life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth
in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Let's pray
together. Lord, we come to you in the name
of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we give you thanks for bringing
us here today and for allowing us another opportunity to hear
of you. Lord, we ask that you might show
us your face today, that you would shine the light on us and
allow us to see our savior and allow us to see something of
his glory and his awesomeness and that we'd be made to bow
to him. We ask that you would do this
for our loved ones, for our friends and family. We ask that you would
do this for those that are struggling and that you give them the grace
to look to you at this time for their comfort and for what they
need. Be with Aaron this morning and give him a message for us.
Ask that you would, in all things, that you would get glory and
that we would be thankful for who you are and all of your attributes.
It's in Christ's name and for Christ's sake that we pray, amen.
All right, verse one. In the beginning was the word
and the word was with God and the word was God. Three times
we read of the word. That's a name for the Lord Jesus
Christ. A lot of times in the scriptures,
like this, there's a capital W on Word. That's oftentimes
a name for Him. More often than not, it's gonna
be a name for God, for our Savior. And it's gonna be a good name.
It's gonna be something that exalts Him and glorifies Him
and teaches us more of Him. And this is a great example of
that. He's called the Word. Turn to Revelation 19. Revelation
19. Verse 11, this will show us that
this is indeed speaking of Christ himself. Revelation 19, verse
11. And I saw heaven opened, and
behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge
and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that
no man knew but he himself. He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God. Now
you notice in verse 11 yet there's two more names for our Lord.
He's called faithful capital F true capital T and in verse
13 the word of God. Now notice it is the word not
a word or one of many words it's the word the singular word. So
when it says in the beginning was the word in the beginning
was the only word. when it says the word was with God, the only
word was with God, the word was God, the only word was God, the
singular word was God. Christ is singular in everything
in the gospel. Back to John 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the word. Genesis 1-1 starts, the Bible
starts with in the beginning God. This is of great comfort
to us to know that before we ever were, before any man was,
before this earth was, God was. It's especially a blessing to
see that the man that's called the friend of sinners was on
this earth before any of us were. Before we sinned and before Adam
sinned, God was. The man that came to save sinners,
he was on the throne, he was ruling and reigning, nothing
has ever happened without him on the throne. That's of comfort
to us. That's something that we should be thankful for. In
the beginning was the word and the word was with God. Christ
was with God the entire time he was on this earth. I think
a lot about the communion that they had. You know they spoke
together. The son spoke to the father while he was on the earth.
I'll read this to you John 12 verse 50. And I know that this
commandment is life everlasting whatsoever I speak therefore
even as the father said unto me so I speak. He spoke, the
father spoke to the son and the son said those words. Now by
nature we don't have communion with God but in our evil flesh
we have no way to access him but in Christ we can actually
have communion with him. That's why whenever we pray we
pray in his name and for his sake because we're coming in
him and in him alone. It says, in the beginning was
the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Jesus
Christ is God. John 10 verse 30 says, I and
my Father are one. There's no tiers to God. There
is not the Son who's beneath the Father, the Holy Spirit who's
beneath the Son, and there's an order there. They are all
God, all equally. So when he came on this earth,
it was God himself. The Word was God. Turn to John
chapter 11. John chapter 11. This is right before God raised
Lazarus from the dead. He's speaking to Martha here.
John 11, verse 25. Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She said
unto him, yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the
Son of God, which should come into the world. The word was
God, that's what Martha's saying. She's saying, you're not like
God, you are God. Because of that, you can raise
Lazarus from the dead, if you will. You're not a type, you
are indeed him. Back to John 1, verse 2. John 1, verse 2, the same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made. that was made. Whenever
we think about all things were made by him, I feel like a lot
of times we just think about the earth. And this earth is
quite an amazing creation, that he made this earth and how perfect
it is for us and that we have a place to dwell here. But it
doesn't stop at the earth. He made all of us. He made our
children. He made our friends and family.
And it doesn't stop with things that we see. God made heaven. Exodus 20 verse 11, for in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth a place we cannot see.
He has actually made a dwelling place for himself and for all
his people. He's created not just places,
he's created peace. Peace was created by him, there
was no peace before God. Ephesians 2 verse 14, for he
is our peace. I think one of the most special
ones to me and to the Lord's people he created love. That's
our love that's the love we have for those that we love the dearest
and what a special thing it is to love but his love he created
that he created that love that actually saves that actually
does things that accomplish salvation for his people. That's quite
a creation. I mean that's that's not something
that's on this earth. We don't have love like God has love but
his love. What a creation that is. Turn
to Ecclesiastes 12. Ecclesiastes 12. Verse one, remember now thy creator,
capital C, in the days of thy youth while the evil days come
not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure
in them. He's so much the creator it's another name. of him, Creator,
capital C, and he's the only one that can answer to that.
We're going to see that in verse 3, but nobody else creates except
God. He's the only one that can say, I am thy creator. That's my name. Back to John
1. John 1, verse 3, all things were
made by him, and without him was not anything made that was
made. I read something on this I thought
was really good, I could not find who wrote it but it's like
it's one of those really old writers but he wrote this about
this passage, when men think they've created something they've
just discovered one of God's creations and God led him to
that discovery. I thought that was pretty good.
Only God creates. We do not create anything. And
when you read of creation or creates or the creator in the
scriptures, that is always the Lord. He creates things that
were not there before. Verse four, John 1 verse four.
In him was life and the life was the light of men. And when
it says life, this is life in the widest sense of this word.
This is not just our life. It is our life. I mean, it's
our heart beating right now. It's our lungs pumping. It is
our life. But it's not just our life. It's
animal life. It's plant life. It's things
you got to look at a microscope to see that we can't see by the
naked eye. It's that life too. In him is all that life, he is
giving all of that life. It exists because of him and
his spiritual life. Turn to John 6. John 6, verse
61. John 6, verse 61. When Jesus knew in himself that
his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, doth this
offend you? What in if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up
where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth,
the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit and they are life. In him is spiritual life.
It says the words he speaks are spiritual life. That's his power.
He just speaks it and it's spiritual life. He's called the word in
verse one. He's the word of spiritual life
for every one of his people. Back to John one. John chapter one, verse five. And the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not. Now look down in verse
six. Light is actually another name
that our Lord's given in his word. John 1 verse six, there
was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came
for a witness to bear witness of the light, capital L, that
all men through him might believe. He was not that light, speaking
of John, but was sent to bear witness of that light. that was
the true light which lighted every man that cometh into the
world. So when it says light shineth
in darkness really Jesus shines in darkness. He's the one that
shines in darkness he is light. Now what is darkness? Darkness
started when Adam fell. Romans 5 verse 12 says wherefore
as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and
so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. Now
before Adam fell Adam walked with God, Adam had light but
when he ate of the fruit darkness and after us darkness and we
haven't really been fighting the darkness we enjoy darkness
quite a bit. So it's not just like Adam's fault and then we
just you know we're trying to get light but we can't no we're
in darkness and we like darkness by nature. Now this darkness
is not something we see from birth. We have no knowledge of
darkness, it's the opposite actually, we think we have light, we're
born into this world thinking we have light and that we see
clearly and that we know God better than he does and we don't
need to read the scriptures and that we have control over God,
that's what we think. What happens is when a sinner sees something
of the Lord and something of the light, that's when they see
they're in darkness. you can compare yourself to men
all you want, and you'll start feeling pretty good about yourself.
You'll cherry pick things that other men are doing that you're
not doing, that you're better at them, that you'll forget about
all the things that they're better at than you. I mean, I'm an expert
at this. I could go all day, okay? But when you see something of
him, and you see his power, and you see his sovereignty, and
you see his holiness, and you see his perfect, accomplished
work, and you see his love, and then you look back on yourself.
That's when you see darkness. That's when you see what darkness
is and you see that you're a sinner. It's an action by him first to
show the light. We don't just wake up one day
and like, oh, I understand what sin is now. No, the Lord has
to show us who he is so that we can see I'm not that. I'm
not like him. I'm not, I mean, we're not even
the same thing. He is light. He is It's quite
something when he shows that to you. I mean, it hits you in
the face like a ton of bricks. Anybody in here that's been saved
of the Lord, they know what that feeling is, to finally see something
of who he actually is. And this thing of darkness, it's
not fun, you know, to know that you're sinning against God all
the time, 24-7. But this knowledge of darkness,
this is one of the greatest blessings we're given on earth. That shows
us our need of the light. That'll make us look to the light.
And if we see our darkness, we've already been given light. Like
I said, it's when he shows you his face, it's when you see the
light, capital L, that you know you're in darkness. So when you
see that darkness and when you see your sin, he's already done
something for you. And that's a blessing. It's hard
at times to know that, but it's still a blessing. Now what is
the hope for somebody that's in darkness? Is there a hope
for light? Turn to John 9. John 9. We're going to briefly
look at a story when God gave light to a man that was in darkness. This will sum this up way better
than I can explain it. John 9 verse 1. And as Jesus
passed by, he saw a man which was born blind from his birth. Now there's two things true about
this man. Blind from his birth, he's been in constant darkness.
Since the day he was born, he's been in darkness. And up to this
day, he's in constant darkness. Number two, this darkness is
its complete darkness. No light gets through. This man
has never seen light. There's things like nowadays
that can help some with blindness. That stuff wasn't around back
then. This man is in complete darkness from his birth. Verse
two. And his disciples asked him,
saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that
he was born blind? Now, they're trying to make blindness
a bad thing, first of all. And they're trying to make it
a matter of man's hands. They're trying to say, well, what did this man
do that I didn't do? It's what I was just talking
about. They're trying to find a difference in him to make themselves
look better. Verse 3, Jesus answered, neither
hath this man sin nor his parents, but that the works of God should
be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him
that sent me all this day. The night cometh when no man
can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of
the world. And God very plainly tells these
men, it's not a matter of his sin. It's that the works of God
should be made manifest in him. What that really means is, I've
got something to do with this man. This is one of my children.
And I've come, I've been sent. It says here, I must work the
works of him that sent me. He was sent this day to this
man. Verse six, when he had thus spoken,
he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed
the eyes of the blind man with the clay, said unto him, go wash
in the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation sent. He
went his way therefore and washed and came seeing and he said the
works of God should be made manifest in this man and here it is, the
works of God were made manifest. God gives this man sight and
he comes seeing. It's a beautiful thing, it's a work of grace.
Now you would think that these other men, the Pharisees, would
worship God for this, they would be in awe of this, they would
be thankful for this but that's not the reaction. Verse 14. And it
was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his
eyes. Then again, the Pharisees also asked him how he had received
his sight. And he said unto them, he put
clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and do see. He tells them exactly
what happened. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, this man
is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said,
how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was
a division among them. They say unto the blind man again,
what sayest thou of him that he hath opened thine eyes? He
said, he is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe
concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight
until they called the parents of him that had received him
sight. Yet again, they make it a matter of works. They say,
well, it was on the Sabbath day. This wasn't God. Then they say,
you weren't blind. They go to his parents to try
to prove what he's saying. They don't believe this man.
Look down in verse 30. After a lot of back and forth,
between the Pharisees and this blind man. This is this man's
final plea. This is his final, I'm telling you what happened.
Believe it or not. Verse 30, the man answered and
said unto them, why, herein is a marvelous thing that ye know
not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. That's
what God does for his people. He opens their eyes. When he
gives them light, their eyes are opened to see him. Now we
know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshiper
of God and do with his will him he hereth, since the world began,
was it not heard that any man open the eyes of one that was
born blind? If this man were not of God,
he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him,
Thou wast altogether born in sins, and thus thou teach us. And they cast him out. And the
Lord did a work of grace in this man. He gave him sight. And look
at the results of it. He's cast out of the synagogue. Verse 35. John 9, verse 35. Jesus heard that they had cast
him out. And when he had found him, he
said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? First notice
that Jesus went and found him. This man wasn't looking for God.
Back in verse 1 it says, And as Jesus passed by, he saw a
man which was born blind. The man again was not looking
for God. God was looking for him. And after he's cast out
of the synagogue, after he's at his lowest point, God comes
and finds this man. Now, he asked him a question,
does Sal believe on the Son of God? Very important question,
very plain question. It's kind of a yes or no deal
here. I think the answer is pretty obvious, right? I mean, God just
gave this man sight. He was blind from birth and God
gave him sight. Of course, he's going to say
yes, absolutely, right? Look down verse 36. He answered
and said, who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Now when
I read that the first time, I kind of thought it was a little odd.
I thought he'd say, yeah, absolutely. It was wrong of me to think that,
because the more you think about it, is that not our experience?
I mean, God gives us light, and yet time and time again, we have
to have that question answered. Who is he, Lord? that I might
believe on him. That's why we're here. I mean,
if you don't need to have that question, I mean, that's basically the
gospel is who he is, who he is and what he's done. So if you
don't need to know that, there's no reason to be here, but that's
what the Lord's people need to know is who is he, Lord. You
notice he's not saying, I know most of who you are, but I have
one more question. He's saying, who are you? It's
like he's back in complete darkness again. And I relate to that. And I think the Lord's people
relate to that that we constantly find ourselves back in that place
because we are in darkness. We still have an old nature that
sins against God and we're still in a dark evil world walking
around getting just the darkness of the world all over us. This is. This is our story. I mean, this
is really from the heart of the believer. When you really look
deep, you see that this is the question that we have to have
answered all the time. Now look at verse 37. This is
the Lord's response to this. This is what's really important.
What is the Lord's response to this man's question? Who is he,
Lord? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and
it is he that talketh with thee. He doesn't get frustrated with
this man. This is not done in a manner of, hey, I just showed
you five minutes ago, I just gave you sight, how could you
forget? No, this is done with compassion, and this is done
with grace, and this is God meeting this sinner where he's at, and
telling him what he needs, which is, yet again, you see, he says,
thou hast both seen him, I've already showed you who I am,
and it's he that talketh with thee, I'll show you again who
he is. What a blessing that the Lord
does that for his people time and time again when we come to
him in darkness he shows us again the light. Verse 38 and he said
Lord I believe and he worshiped him. This is always the response
when God gives light to a center. They say this right here they
say I believe and they worship him and this man didn't have
a choice really. He didn't have a choice to say
no. This is just what happens. I mean, when God shows a sinner
light, they believe and they worship. There's no option. That's
what the world believes is that when that's made, that there's
an option. There is no option. And we're thankful there's not
an option because if there was, we'd make the wrong choice. But
because he's God and he's sovereign and he's in control over all
things, like we said, in the beginning was the word. Because
of that, when he gives a sinner light and shows them the light,
they believe and they worship. And we're thankful that it's
that way. Verse 39. And Jesus said, for judgment
I am come into this world that they which see not might see,
and that they which see might be made blind. This proclaims
what this whole book proclaims which is that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners. He's saying here I came to save
this blind man and I came to save people like this blind man.
You saw the Pharisees. The Pharisees thought they had
light in this story. They were. That's what we are
by nature. We're just like the Pharisees. We think we have light
but they didn't have light. OK. And because they thought
they had light they're going to be in darkness forever. But
this man who was born blind, who the Lord sought out, he will
be the one that has light. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. One last scripture, turn to John
chapter 12. John chapter 12, verse 46. John 12, verse 46. I am come a light into the world. that whosoever believeth on me
should not abide in darkness. You saw what that man said. He
said, I believe, and he worshiped him. There's no question about
where this man is with God. He has light now. He does not
abide in darkness. That place heaven that God created,
he will be there for eternity. And that is where the Lord's
people that he has shown the light to graciously, that is
where we will be the place where he created specifically for his
people. What an amazing God. What a God
that is worthy of our belief and worthy of worship. All right.