I'll be reading this morning
from the Gospel of John, Chapter 1. If you'd like to follow along,
the Gospel of John, Chapter 1. The Bible is God's book, God's
Word, written to declare Himself, to make Himself known, who He
is. But we cannot know God, who He
is, what He is like, His mind, His will, His purpose, except
He make Himself known through His Word. He must reveal Himself
to whom He will. Scripture says He hides these
things from some but reveals them to others. The Bible, the
book of God, is of who Jesus Christ is and what salvation
is. John 17 verse 3 says, This is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Now no man hath seen God or can
see God. God is Spirit. And yet the Son
of God, the only begotten Son of God, the express image of
God. He hath declared Him. Christ
said when He was on this earth, He that hath seen Me hath seen
the Father. For He said, I and the Father
are one. Jesus Christ is God, very God
of very God, the Creator, the Sovereign, the Ruler over all. He is God. He said in John 8,
24, If ye believe not that I am, you shall die in your sin. John
chapter 1 is a clear, powerful declaration of who Jesus Christ
really is. It says in verse 1, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The word Word means expression
or declaration of a person. You do not know someone unless
they make themselves known to you by speaking to you. The Word. Jesus Christ is the physical
and audible revelation of God Almighty. He is the declaration
of God. Hebrews 1 says, the express image
of God. God manifests in the flesh. Paul wrote, a great mystery and
yet it's true. God became a man. Jesus Christ
is the Word. The Word was with God and the
Word was God. Jesus Christ is God, the creator,
the sovereign judge over the universe, the owner of all things. He is the creator. If you create
something, that means you own it. It belongs to you. You can
do with your own what you will. And that is the Jesus Christ
of Scripture. That is the true Christ of Scripture. That is the true Lord Jesus Christ. We do not let Him do things.
He is the Creator who lets us do what He will. Colossians 1
says, He's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,
for by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones, dominions, principalities,
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. Yes, Jesus
Christ is God. And it says in verse 2, the same
was in the beginning with God. Why does it say that, the same?
Because the Scriptures say of Christ in Hebrews 13, Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, today, and forever. It says He was in the
beginning with God. Well, in Revelation 1, Christ
Himself says, I am, alpha and omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord. I am God. That's who He is saying He is.
That's who Scripture says that He is. And all who says He is
not are false prophets and false religion. There are whole denominations
that go door to door such as the Jehovah Witnesses and the
Mormons who say He is not God. He said He was. God said He was. In Hebrews 1, God says of the
Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever. And Christ said, If you believe
not that I am, you shall die in your sin. He is very God of
very God. Verse 3 of John 1 said, All things
were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that
was made. All things were made by Him.
It was Jesus Christ who spoke in Genesis 1. Jesus Christ, yes,
who said, Let there be light, because He is the Word. Jesus
Christ who said, Let us make man. Now this is a mystery, that
there's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
These three yet are one. Three distinct persons of the
Godhead, yet one, all of the same essence, all of the same
power, all of the same glory, all God. God the Father is God. God the Son is God. God the Holy
Spirit is God. Each without beginning or ending.
God. Explain that, preacher. I can't,
because He's God. You can't explain God. We can't
explain God. We can explain man. He has a
beginning. He has an end. We can't explain
God. And I'm not here to explain God.
I'm here to declare Him. Scripture says all things were
made by Him. Let us make man, said Jesus Christ,
in the beginning. Verse 4 says, In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men. Life. Life. In John chapter 5, verse 26,
Christ said of Himself, as the Father hath life in Himself,
so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. Jesus Christ
said of Himself in John 11 to Martha and Mary when He came
to the grave of their brother, He said, I am the resurrection
and the life. I am the life. He had no beginning
of life. He is life. He made life. John 14, 6, Christ said of Himself,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ is the
God in whose hands our breath is. Life. And He giveth life
to whom He will. And John Chapter 1, verse 4 says,
ìIn him was life, and the life was the light of man.î And verse
5, ìThe light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended
it not.î It says he is the light. Light is sight. Without light,
there is no sight. If you're in darkness, you cannot
see anything. That is, you do not have any
perception of anything. You do not see or understand
anything. You're blind. You're in darkness.
You cannot see. And nothing can be known, nothing
can be understood apart from Jesus Christ. He is the light
of the world. He is the light of God, who God
is, what man is, what salvation is, what eternity is, what the
truth is. All understanding comes through
Jesus Christ. He came into this dark world.
The light shineth in darkness. That's what Christ said over
and over. He says, here is condemnation
that light is coming to the world. And men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. He calls this world,
this present evil world, in darkness. Well, light, God who is light,
God who said, let there be light, sent His Son, sent Himself, came
Himself into this dark world of sin and blindness and ignorance. to make himself known to some. Not all. Verse 6 and 7 says,
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. That's John
the Baptist or baptizer. Baptist is not a denomination,
but a definition of what he came to do, baptize. And John said,
There cometh one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John came baptizing in water. of type of Christ crucified,
buried, and risen. Well, verse 7 says the same.
That is, John came for a witness, to bear witness of the light
that all men through him might believe. John was a witness,
just a man. It says he was a man, but sent
by God. That makes him special. Oh, there
was nothing in him special. He's a sinner saved by grace
like every other saved sinner. Yet he was sent from God. He
was the prophet of God. sent by God to bear witness of
Jesus Christ, the Light. He's not that Light. Verse 8
said, He was not that Light, but sent to bear witness of that
Light. You know, some tried to worship
John. Some looked to John. But as some do today, look to
saints and look to Mary and others. But they are not the Light. They're
only sent to bear witness of the Light. Jesus Christ is that
light, that true light. Verse 9 says, Which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world, or that is, everyone who
has light, if they have any light. It's the light of Christ who
is life and light and truth and who is God. Anyone who has any
understanding of God at all, of eternity, of truth, of salvation,
of themselves, it is through Jesus Christ. He is the light.
Verse 10 says He was in the world. The world was made by Him and
the world knew Him not. Why does He continue to say this?
Why does He continue to stress this, that Jesus Christ is the
Creator of all? Because creatures don't let the
Creator do anything. The Creator is the one who controls
creatures. See, men still don't understand
who Jesus Christ is, who God really is. He's the Creator.
Most think man must let God be God, let God do this or that. How ignorant can you be? How
blind can you be? The Creator? Oh, it is the Creator
who lets the creature. It is the Creator who controls
the creature. He is the potter. We're the clay.
Do you understand that? That's the God of the Bible.
That's the God in whose hands your breath is in all your ways,
and that's Jesus Christ. He's not hoping men will do something
for Him. He's seated on the circle of
the earth. The inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing, as grasshoppers. doing as He will, with whom He
will. He's the Creator. He says, the
ox knows his owner, the ass knows his master's crib, but the people
I created don't even know Me. He must make Himself known. Well,
look at verse 12. It says, He came, as many as
received Him. To them gave He the power to
become the sons of God, them that believe on His name, which
were born. Born. Born. Not of blood, nor
the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. It says
they received Him. Well, they received Him. They
didn't accept Him. They received Him. There's a
difference between receiving and accepting. If you pour water
into a vessel or a glass, the glass, which is a dead, inanimate
object, doesn't accept or reject it. The glass receives it. And
so it is with those who receive life from Him. And it says they're
born of God, not man's will, not the will of the flesh, born
of God. And the Word, it says in verse
14, was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. The glory of God, God manifest
in the flesh, full of grace, the God of all grace and truth. the true God and eternal life.
Do you know Him? I pray that He will make Himself
known to you. Amen.