I please God to bless us together
this morning as we meditate in his word. Let's turn to the Gospel
of John, chapter one, and we'll read the first five verses. The
Gospel according to John, chapter one, and reading the first five
verses. 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. Well, as we all know, we distributed
the Gospel of John to some 2,000 houses in the neighbourhood yesterday. And perhaps people, we pray that
people may have been opening that Gospel of John and perhaps
reading some of these early verses. Now, the Gospel of John is a
wonderful Gospel, as of course all the Word of God is. And there
is much of John which is so easy and simple to understand. And
yet perhaps, as we read these first verses, on the face of
it, it may not be easy to perhaps interpret, recognizing the great
truth that it contains. So I thought I would just run
through these five verses for the benefit of us all, and perhaps
especially the benefit of our younger people, Because it's
always possible that we may be challenged as to what these statements
might mean. And it's always good to be able
to answer. If you're not able to answer,
it's always good to confess that you don't really fully understand.
Never pretend to understand things that you don't. But here we have
this great statement in this first verse. In the beginning,
You may say, well, what was the beginning? Well, there was, of
course, no beginning with God. God is eternal. And that, again,
is something which is not possible for us to really understand.
There was no time. Eternity had no time, had no
beginning beyond our comprehension. There was a beginning when the
Lord created the heavens and the earth. There was a beginning
and that beginning was the beginning of time. And time therefore exists
with regards to our earth and of course the universe. But again
there will be a situation that will come when time will cease.
There will not be any more days and nights. And time will cease. And we will continue in eternity. So we have eternity all around
us. But we today live in time. And there was a beginning of
time. And in the beginning, we're told here, was the Word. And the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. Now you may think, well, what
actually is the Word? Well, first of all, we should
note that these words aren't just ordinary words. They commence
with a capital letter, and they clearly, therefore, are not to
be considered just as a normal word. And in actual fact, In
the original Greek, it really means the divine expression. And therefore, what is the Word? The Word is none less than the
Lord Jesus Christ himself. And that will become clearer
as we just move on through these words. But here is this important
truth. In the beginning was the Word.
And the word was with God. The Lord Jesus Christ was with
God. God the Father. And the word
was God. He was God. The Lord Jesus was
God. And there is that word in John's
gospel. Sorry, in John's epistle. And
in the fifth chapter and the seventh verse, we're told, and
for there are three that bear record in heaven. The Father,
the Word, capital W, the Lord Jesus Christ, Father, the Word
and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. They are united together. They
are co-equal and they are co-eternal. They ever were and they ever
will be. And that is a great and important
doctrine to the Church of God. Well, the Apostle tells us here,
in the beginning, the beginning of the world, the beginning of
creation, was the Lord Jesus Christ. he was with God and he
was God. So therefore we have a very clear
statement and it's reiterated really just to confirm this fact. The same, that means the word,
was in the beginning with God. So there's no misunderstanding. To prove to us very clearly and
very forcibly and very faithfully that the Lord Jesus Christ does
occupy this very unique position, and how wonderful and how glorious
it is. The Apostle then tells us, all
things were made by him. I'm referring of course here
to the Lord Jesus Christ. All things were made by him. And there are many references
in the Word of God to confirm such a great and glorious truth
as this. And it's good that we understand
the truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, see we're
not limited to John, We have the epistles, we have Paul, and
he tells us here in the first chapter, in the epistle to the
Colossians, and in verse 15 and onwards, he speaks about the
Lord and he says, who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature, for by him, the Lord Jesus Christ,
were all things created. that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible. Some things we can see, can't
we? Some things we can't see. They are invisible to us. Whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers,
all things were created by Him and for Him. You see, the Lord
created all things for Himself. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. Again, a very clear statement
that Christ didn't commence, he wasn't born in this earth,
he was born in this earth, but that was a natural body he had,
his life was eternal. And the apostle goes on, and
he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have
the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell." You see, it was the purpose of
God that Christ should take this position. Again, not exalted
above the Father or the Holy Spirit, but equal with them. And the same was in the beginning,
and all things were made by him. And also in the epistle of Paul
to the Ephesians, we read similar statements. And we read, unto
me who am less than the least of all saints of this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ, and to make all men see what is fellowship of the
mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid of
God who created all things by Jesus Christ." So it's very clear,
isn't it? We have these wonderful words
of confirmation to direct us to the glorious state of the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The same was in the beginning
with God who All things were made by him and without him was
not anything made that was made. The Lord made everything, all
things. And how important it is therefore
that we have a right view of this. And clearly the Word of
God describes these things so positively for us so that there
is no doubt that these things are indeed true. all things were
made by him and without him was not anything made that was made."
And you know the Apostle again when he commences his epistle
to the Hebrews we have those glorious words which commence
the epistle and he said, who at sundry times and in divers
manners, that's many places and ways, spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds. See, everything made by God. Here it is clearly set before
us. Who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high." So we have the wonderful
picture here of the Saviour making all things, and being the brightness
of the glory, and when he finished his great and glorious work on
this earth, He then ascended into glory and he's now today
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High. And the
wonderful blessing is, of course, we know that he is there to intercede
for us. He's there to hear, to take our
prayers and present them unto his Father. And what a blessed
and glorious office it is that we have by the Lord Jesus Christ. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made." And then
we come to these important words, in him was life, and the life
was the light of men. Now we read together in this
chapter, in verse 14, we're told, and the word, again capital W,
was made flesh. It means the Lord Jesus Christ
was made flesh. That means he assumed our human
nature and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten Father, full of grace and truth. the testimony of John, who we
know was the apostle recording this account. And how, of course, he was with
the Lord for those three years, that time when John the Baptist
baptised the Saviour, and he was revealed then as the Son
of God, and how important it is that we Again, don't pass
over these great and glorious truths because the Lord Jesus,
sorry, John the Baptist tells us when he said, and I saw and
bear record that this is the Son of God. And it was a wonderful
revelation to him that he bear record. I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove and abode upon him and I knew him not.
But he that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto
me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining
on him, the same is he which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost."
And John saw and bear record that this is the Son of God and
it's recorded in the Word of God. for our encouragement, for
the strengthening of our faith, to know that we today come and
serve this great Almighty God. And indeed, we also read, following
on those verses, which we just read, those first five verses,
we read about John the Baptist and we're told he came for a
witness, to bear witness of the Light. Again, capital L, the
true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ. that all men through him might
believe. This is the great and glorious
and blessed way of salvation. It is indeed to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the
one who is the true, great, glorious Son of God, the one who humbled
himself and came obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross, this great and glorious Saviour, who is a light that
we might believe. And again, John the Baptist tells
us, he was not that light, says one of the apostles tells us,
he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that
light. God in his glorious plan of salvation called John the
Baptist. And it was prophesied years ago
in the Old Testament that there would be one who would be raised
up as one crying in the wilderness to foretell of the arrival of
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it came to pass. And so we have the truth of it
here. The same came for a witness,
to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might
believe. He was not that light, but was
sent to bear witness of the light. That was the true light. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is
the true light. He is the only true light. There
are many false lights. There are many false views. But
the Lord Jesus Christ is the only true light. And it's only
through believing in Him and the Holy Spirit shining into
our hearts by His Spirit and giving us the evidence of that
light that we might indeed believe. He was not that light, but was
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was
in the world, and the world was made by him. The Lord was in
the world. He had taken on him our human
nature. He was in the world, the great
and glorious Saviour who created the world. Isn't it a wonderful
truth to realise that? The Creator then came into the
world that He created and lived on the world for those 33 years. He was in the world and the world
was made by Him and the world knew Him not. No, the world didn't
appreciate who He was when He was in the world and people today
don't appreciate the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do
they do? They dethrone him. They don't allow that he is the
only begotten Son of God. They don't allow that he is co-equal
with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. They dethrone him. They lower the Saviour from his
throne. But how sad this is. The world knew him not. And the
world today, generally speaking, knows him not. The Muslims recognize
Jesus as a good man. They don't recognize him as the
only begotten son of God. Many religions may acknowledge
Jesus, but don't acknowledge him as the only begotten son
of God. They don't acknowledge him as
the savior of sinners. They don't acknowledge him as
the one who gave his life, who died upon Calvary's cross to
redeem their souls. They remain dead in trespasses
and in sins. It's only as you and I receive
the great and glorious gift of faith to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ as our all-sufficient Saviour that we shall be saved. Otherwise, we are eternally lost. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. Tragic, isn't it? For the most
part, the Jewish people who observed him, saw him, did not believe
in him. And so today, not only do the
Jews still not believe, in the Lord Jesus Christ, generally
speaking. There are, of course, those whom the Lord has graciously
called. But know that a day will come
when the Lord will return to his people, and their eyes will
be opened. There will be a wonderful and glorious awakening when the
light shines into the hearts of the ancient nation. It's evidence,
really, if you read the 11th Romans, He was a very clear picture
of that condition and that situation. And so here we're told, he came
unto his own, and his own received him not, but of course not only
those. Today people reject the Lord Jesus Christ. How tragic
it is, isn't it? How terrible it is to reject
the only begotten Son of God, the Saviour of sinners. to cast
him away, cast him aside. Oh, my friends, how solemn and yet
how blessed to be granted that faith. Again, it's God given
faith to believe in the only begotten Son as our only Saviour,
but as many as received him. To them gave you power to become. the sons of God even to them
that believe on his name. Well, what a blessing it would
be for us today if God has given us that living faith to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. You see, we all have
to come to that personal situation in our spiritual life. It's no
good depending on the religion of others. No good depending
upon the religion of our fathers, or our mothers, or our friends.
You see, you and I, every one of us, need that personal application
by the power of God to show unto us the need we have of salvation
through the finished work of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. to become a change. One time we were without God,
without Christ, in the world, dead in trespasses and in sins. But oh, bless God, if it's been
that time when we have become the sons and daughters of God,
and it's limited, to those that believe on His name. Well, it's a simple statement,
isn't it? But oh, that you and I may have received that grace
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our great and glorious
Saviour. Let us not just assume things
are okay. You know, we need, what do we
need? We need the application. by the
Spirit of God to apply to our hearts the recognition of our
great need of a Saviour and to have that application that He
has fulfilled the demands of the Holy Law on our behalf. Again, it's good just to ponder
and just to realise the wonder of such a situation. The Word, the Son of God, who
created all things, who made the universe, condescends to
look upon us individually, personally, and to apply with power His truth
into our soul so that we do believe the great and glorious gospel
of Jesus Christ. That we do then believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's all of grace. It's all of
his love. It's all of his mercy. We never
deserved it. We deserve to be cast off. We
deserve to be cut off. We deserve to go to eternal hell.
because of our sins against the law of God, against the Saviour.
What a mercy if the Lord has come and shone into our hearts
and given us not just a theoretical knowledge, but has shone light
into our hearts so that we have the evidence that Christ has
died so that we might live eternally. Well, we're told, but as many
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born
not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God. We're all born naturally. What
a blessing if we know that we are born spiritually. And we
have some wonderful evidence. As the Lord spoke to Nicodemus,
didn't he, in that third chapter, in this same gospel, and he told
Nicodemus so very clearly. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night
and he wanted to understand the truth of God. He wants you to
understand. What a blessing if we've come
to the Lord Jesus Christ, secretly, no doubt, as Nicodemus did, pleading
that he would come and show us. And what does he say? The Lord
says, accept a man, be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of
God. Well, of course, Nicodemus couldn't
understand it. The Lord Jesus told him, I certainly
accept a man be born of water and of the Spirit. He cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You
see, there's the two births. There's a natural birth, and
there's a spiritual birth. That which is of the flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel
not, that I say unto thee, He must be born again. Well, what a wonderful blessing
it is for us if we have that evidence in our hearts conveyed
to us by the Spirit of God that we are born again. And what's
happened? What's happened? We've been made
spiritually alive. We've been given the life of
God. In Him was life, in Him the Lord
Jesus Christ. Out of Christ there is no life. In Him was life and the life
was the light of men. And so if this light has shone
into our hearts, what would it have done? Well, it would have
revealed to us what our true condition is by nature, it will
reveal to us that we are a great sinner, that we are a sinner
indeed and we have no strength or ability to save our souls. We cannot redeem ourselves. And
all mankind is in this category. Everyone is born in this world. They might have been born a natural
king. They may have been born a beggar. It makes no difference. Everyone is born in this world
in a state of darkness and death and no life and no light. But when the Spirit of God shines
and gives that light, there's a change. And we know the change. We know the change. And we have to say, whereas I
was blind, Now I see. The scales fall from our eyes. We're blessed with spiritual
sight. We see ourselves as lost and
ruined and no hope in ourselves. We look out of ourselves to the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The glorious light shines What
do we see in the Lord Jesus Christ? What do we see? We see that perfection
in Him. We see that He fulfilled the
law of God which we could not do because we failed. The Lord
kept the law of God faithfully, honourably, perfectly. No failure
with a Saviour. And in order to therefore then
bring us into that place of redemption that we couldn't save ourselves,
we couldn't redeem ourselves, this great God, the Word, the
Saviour, died that death of crucifixion so that he might redeem our souls
so that our souls might be saved. We may be made right with God. He shed his most precious blood
to fulfil that demand. He died in our place as our great
and glorious substitute. Now what a wonderful truth it
is and what a wonderful blessing when the light of the glorious
Gospel shines into our heart, and there we were, darkness,
and now we are light, and it's all of grace. We realise we could
not produce it ourselves because we were dead, spiritually dark,
no light, when the Spirit of God came and shone into our heart
and reveals Christ to our souls. We see the wonderful glory in
such a word as this. In the beginning was the Word,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Word, the Lord Jesus
Christ, was with God. And the Word was God. And this
great Almighty God has condescended to look upon us individually. It's a wonder, isn't it? It's
a wonder of wonders. It's a most amazing plan. That God should come and redeem
our souls. And the truth of the Word of
God is this. The hymn writer paraphrases it, once in Him,
in Him forever. What does that mean? It means
eternal safety. Eternal safety. Safety in Christ. Nowhere else. No safety out of
Christ, but glorious safety in Christ. And the light shineth
in darkness. And the darkness comprehending
it not. cannot comprehend. While we're
in a state of darkness, we cannot really comprehend these great
and glorious truths. We may understand them in a theory.
But when the light shines, what occurs? All things become new. We're living in really a different
environment. We're living in a spiritual environment. The
light of God is shot into our hearts. into our souls. We're a new creature. We're a
new creature. Old things have passed away.
All things have become new. Well, this morning, oh, have
we. As you and I wrap our little
lives before Almighty God, do we have that gracious and glorious and
wonderful evidence and wonderful testimony that we have passed
from darkness to light. And if it is so, it's because
of what Christ has done. Now, as this light shines, it
will never go out. It will never go out. And it's
an eternal light. And it will take us into glory. And the light will ever shine.
The light of the Saviour will ever shine. Eternally. We're told, aren't we, in glory.
There's no need of the light of the sun or moon. Because the
Lord Jesus is all the light. He is all the glory. in Emmanuel's
land. It's hard for us to visualize,
isn't it, such a light. We get just a little view of
it in the Word of God when the apostles were taken up into that
mount of transfiguration and the Saviour was transfigured
before them and the glory shone. They were not able to behold
it. Just a little view of the glory
of the Saviour, the light, the glorious light of the everlasting
gospel. And to think then, there'll be
no need for the light of the sun. And you see in our spiritual
life, there's no need for any other light than the Lord Jesus
Christ. There's no room for the works
of the flesh. There's only room in our hearts
to praise and glorify God for his great and wonderful work,
for his great and wonderful sacrifice that he gave in order that you
and I might live eternally with him. He died to atone for our
sins. It's a glorious scene, isn't
it? It's a glorious gospel to know that Christ died for us
individually and be able to come and confirm with the Apostle
when he wrote to the Romans and said there is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not
after the flesh but after the Spirit because it's a life of
the Spirit which we have received. when the light has shone and
therefore there is now and there never will be any condemnation
because Christ has died. He's taken away the curse. He's paid the price for our redemption
that through that great sacrifice of sin we are washed in the blood
of the Lamb. We are clean, eternally clean. And because of that great transaction,
we are eternally blessed. Well, may these words truly enter
into our hearts and be a great blessing to us. And may we have,
therefore, perhaps a better understanding of the great truth of these words,
so that we may come and bless and praise God from whom all
blessings flow. Amen.