Jesus: Revelation and Response (John 1)

The great desire of the founding members of Winchester Baptist Church is that it will forever be founded on Jesus Christ who by virtue of His sacrifice through the cross and resurrection from the grave has been granted Lordship over all things and Headship over His church.

To that end, we begin by "preaching Christ first." The Gospel According to John has as its grand theme the person and work of Jesus Christ. John wants us to know Christ, because to know Christ is to know God, and to know God is eternal life. Listen to the prayer of Jesus in John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” The very essence of our existence—who we are and what we will do for all eternity—is to know God and to fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. My friends, that begins now. That’s not something for which we must await the consummation of all things. As we preach Christ and know Christ through His Word, we LIVE!

John's purpose in writing is to convince his readers that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God so that they will believe, because in believing, they will have life in his name (John 20:30-31). Yet, John does not simply aim at the readers mind hoping to convince the Jews of these truths. He aims at their heart emphasizing each individual’s need to come to Jesus by repentance and faith.

So, as John opens his gospel, he reveals the glory of Jesus Christ in nine ways and then calls all men to believe in him.

Jesus: Revelation and Response
John 1

1. The Revelation of Jesus
    a. Jesus is the LOGOS in which all things find their meaning. 1:1a
    b. Jesus is the GOD by whom all things have been created. 1:1b-3
    c. Jesus is the LIFE from which all things find their source. 1:4a
    d. Jesus is the LIGHT by which every man receives understanding. 1:4b-13
    e. Jesus is the SON OF GOD through whom the glory of God is revealed in flesh. 1:14-18
    f. Jesus is the ANOINTED ONE of whom John, last of the prophets, bore witness. 1:19-28
    g. Jesus is the LAMB OF GOD in whom all of the levitical sacrifices are fulfilled. 1:29-34
    h. Jesus is the MESSIAH of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. 1:35-49
    i. Jesus is the SON OF MAN who will be glorified through suffering. 1:50-51

2. The Response to Jesus
    a. Some people reject Jesus.
         i. They reject Jesus because they do not know Him. 1:10
        ii. They reject Jesus because they do not believe in His Name. 1:12; 3:16-18
       iii. They reject Jesus because they love the darkness rather than the Light. 3:19
       iv. The harsh reality is that they reject Jesus because they hate the Light. 3:20-21
    b. Some people receive Jesus.
         i. Receiving Jesus is believing in His Name. 1:12a
        ii. Receiving Jesus is being granted the right to become the children of God. 1:12b
       iii. Receiving Jesus is being born of God. 1:13
       iv. Receiving Jesus results in confessing Him. 1:19-34
        v. Receiving Jesus results in following Him. 1:35-49
       vi. Receiving Jesus results in seeing His glory. 1:50-51