Well, today we are starting a new sermon series focus, going to be looking at the opening chapters of the Gospel of John. So where we ended in Genesis really is kind of a natural transition. There's always wonderful things to continue to learn in Genesis, but as we finished off with Joshua's preaching last time, we had that transition of the dedication of Isaac and really the way that God had laid that foundation, a foundation that's built upon through the ministry of Christ and the teaching of the New Testament. So let's turn to the Gospel of John, reading in the first chapter, the opening five verses. 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 was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." the living God impressed upon our hearts and our minds today the truth of his word. Amen. I was blessed to grow up with a wonderful connection to the church and even a foundation of faith at an early age. But I recall one time in my teenage years picking up a Bible in the middle of the day from a desk at my home just to open it up and read it. And I'm not sure why I did that, because again, even though I had a foundation in faith and it wasn't like I never read the Bible, it really was a little unusual for me as a teenager just to sit down and open the Bible and read it. And I randomly opened up to the Gospel of John in the first chapter and the opening verses, the passage we just read. And the words, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Through him all things were made, and apart from him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and this life was the light of men. The light shines, and the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Those words did something to me. They captivated me. They were rich with mystery and meaning. They drew me in and they drew me out to a God that was real, a God that was personal, a God that I was meant to know and could know and was the most important thing in life, to know Him. Through the centuries, others have had similar experiences with the Gospel of John. It's a powerful book. It's not better than other books of the Bible. We don't rate books of the Bible like that, but we are struck on how different this book is, even different from other Gospels like Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John includes different stories in his gospel that aren't included in those other gospels. He tells us about Lazarus being raised from the dead. It's the only place we hear of that in the Bible. He tells us of Jesus meeting the woman at the well and the encounter with Nicodemus late at night where we have our perhaps most beloved verse, John 3 16, for God so loved the world. Now some stories are not included in John that are in those other gospel books, and it's kind of surprising. There's no account of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of John. There's no story or account of the temptation in the wilderness by Jesus. There's no institution of the Lord's Supper in the Gospel of John. You see a different focus and you feel a different tempo in the Gospel of John. There are fewer stories, but with greater details and explanation. There are lengthy narratives and lengthy prayers. There's more explanation of why Jesus did what he did and even explanation about what people did and what people thought. And sometimes those differences are a little concerning to people. But they shouldn't be. All we have to do is think of the author, the Apostle John. John, along with Matthew, is the only of the four Gospels written by an apostle. But even Matthew, though he was an apostle, wasn't part of what sometimes is called that inner circle of Peter, James, and John. It was John with Peter and James who went up the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. And we hear in the Bible that John alone laid his head against the chest of his Lord and Savior, Jesus. John alone, just picture that. John alone, the Bible tells us, heard the heartbeat of the Lord in his ear. Is it any wonder that there would be a different focus and emphasis? John gives us a clear purpose of why he wrote this gospel. Toward the end of the gospel, John 20, verse 31, we read, these are written, these accounts of the different stories, things again he included in his emphasis and things he didn't include. These are written so that you may believe. Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the Christ. the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John wants us to know the truth about Jesus, who he is, so that we can be transformed and find life. What a glorious mission. What a great purpose statement. That's what we're going to pursue. John begins with that purpose in mind right from the very beginning in the opening verse. Notice again verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And you hear that and very likely calls to mind echoes of the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. In the beginning, we read in Genesis, in the beginning God Well, John knew those words. He knew the word that he is about to introduce is equal in nature, equal in essence to that same God who's mentioned in the opening of Genesis. Do you see the parallels? Genesis, in the beginning, God. John, in the beginning, the Word. God, the Word. They're one. They're equal. Already John wants us to get that. What is this word, word? In the beginning was the word. In Greek, which John would have written this, it is the word logos, right? We get the word logic from logos. The word for logos means that This word, we're going to realize that this is actually referring to the Son of God who will take on flesh and become Jesus, but this logos is the very logic that makes sense of all of life. When you look around and see the world around you, the things you see, the things you hear, the things that God has created, the logos, the reason for them is Jesus. But not only the things you see, the things you don't see, the forces, the powers, the dynamics that really govern and lead the world, those too. This word is the reason, the logic for them. Some people think that this idea of logos in Word is kind of a Greek idea. It's a foreign philosophy that really doesn't fit the Bible. But really all we have to do is go to the Old Testament and we see, even though it wasn't in Greek, but we see that the Word is very important in the Old Testament as well. The Word of God creates. In Genesis chapter 1, remember again, God said, let there be light. God said Let there be light." And there was light. So the Word creates. The Word heals. In Psalm 107, verse 20, it says of God, He sent out His Word and healed them and delivered them from destruction. The word redeems in our call to worship. From Isaiah 55, we read, so shall my word, my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty. It shall accomplish that which I purpose. It shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. So the word has been consistent throughout the Bible as important and powerful. And a God who gives his word tells us a great deal. A God who gives us his word tells us that there is a God who wants to be known. Words always mean relationship and connection, don't they? If there are no words between people, there is no relationship. Without words, there is no connection. You need words. to relate to one another and to be connected to one another. But so too now think of God and his word. Why a word? Why think of the image of a word? Because God is willing and desirous to connect to you, to have a relationship with you. That's not true of all religions. In fact, it is rare. I think that's what might have captivated me those many years ago as a teenager when I read these verses. Here was a God, here was a word that I could receive. Well, likewise, the word means a God who made people able to know Him. So on the one hand, a word means God wants to communicate, He wants to be known, but also it means that you and I have the capacity to know God. What a blessing! Of course we could think of this as the image of God, that you were made with the capacity to connect to God. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and was God. Notice verse 2. He, this Word, was in the beginning with God. Alright, seems a little redundant, but it's not. It does echo the end of verse 1, talking about the word being with God and the word was God. The word with, actually, is a very important word. It's a curious word in some ways for the word with, not the primary, typical word. It really means facing. So remember this word It was with God. It was facing God. It was in connection to God. So there's this intimacy between the Word, which is the Son of God, as we'll see in the Gospel of John. There is a relationship, an intimacy, even between the Father and the Son. At this point, we haven't heard about the Holy Spirit, but don't worry, John's going to have a lot to say about the Holy Spirit, and that will be part of the very intimate relationship as well. But already, what do we learn about the Son of God? What do we learn about this Word? He is God. He is equal to the Father. He shares a vital relationship with the Father. In John 17, verse 5, John writes, Actually, Jesus is praying. John records, now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. So before there was time, before there was anything, there was the Father and the Son sharing a glorious relationship, an intimate connection. One of the great controversies of the early church was with a man named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was special. He taught that Jesus was from God, but also that he was a creation of God. Arius had a phrase that became the rallying cry of his teaching and for his followers. And it simply said, there was a time when the sun was not. What does that mean? That means everything contrary to what we've heard already in these few sentences from John. If there was a time when the Son was not, the Son would not be eternal. The Son could be special, but the Son could not be eternal. The Son could not be equal with God the Father. Well, thankfully, the church rejected this teaching of Arius and his views. And the truth is Jesus being both eternal and fully God was preserved as the core of Christian faith. Now, friends, this is not some abstract doctrine. This is not just some theory. This is the very point of the Gospel of John, essential to all that he's going to say, right? Jesus is sufficient to do all that John says in his Gospel because of who he is. If Jesus is not God, all these stories that are going to follow would be null and void. And remember the purpose of the Gospel of John. If he's not the Son, if he's not the Christ, if he is not who the Bible says he is, what does it mean for you? You will not have life. You have life believing. who He is and what the Bible says about Him. Verse 3 continues speaking of the glorious Son of God. All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. So we have the same truth stated twice, once in a positive way, all things were made through Him, and then again in a negative way. There was nothing made that was made without Him. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Colossians 1, verses 16 and 17, speaking again of the Son of God. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him, and for him he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. The creation is not just a personal force or process. Old Testament reading from Proverbs 8, verses 30 and 31 said, I was beside him like a master workman. I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." Now Proverbs 8 is a little curious. It's talking about wisdom, but it's kind of more than just wisdom. And so we see and think in a lot of ways this is getting at the Son of God. So here is the Son creating. But notice also, here is joy. joy together with the Father and joy with the people of God. Verse 4 continues this emphasis, in him, speaking of the Word, was life, and the life was the light of men. So life is in the Son of God, who will come in the flesh and will be known to us as Jesus, but life is in the Son. He doesn't just have life, he's the source of life. Life flows from him. And again, important truth, like the Father. The Son is not dependent on anything or anyone. He's self-existent. There in John 5, verse 26, we read, for as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. So that verse four, we see the connection between life and light. Jesus is life, and through his life, there is the light that brings life to people. In John 8 verse 12, it says, Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. And once again, we could trace light and life throughout the Bible. In Genesis, what does God create first to bring life? He created light, right? The first thing to bring life, God said, let there be light. And there was. In the Old Testament, in the temple, there were these lampstands. And the lampstands were a symbol of light and life. Why? Because light and life go together. And they will be fulfilled in Jesus. We have a picture in the Old Testament in the temple of a lampstand that represented light of God's presence. Guess how often the light was lit? Continually, right? So there is the continual symbol of the presence of God through light. But if you've seen or heard the description of those lampstands, guess what? They're like alive. Well, they're not alive like growing alive, but they have leaves and flowers and described with branches. Why? Because light and life and they come together ultimately in Jesus, the one who could say, I am the light of the world, and in me you have light. And we have lampstands in the book of Revelation, again symbolizing light and life. They represent the church bearing witness, giving light, which is the life of the world. And again, these are not abstract ideas and theories. This is not flowery language. If Jesus is not the true light and the eternal Son of God, what do you not have? You do not have life. And that's true of everyone. Your neighbor does not have life. without the light of the truth of God. Your family members do not have life without the light of the truth of God. There are no shortcuts. There are no diversions. There is no other way. And Jesus alone could say, I am the way and the truth and the life. Leads to the last verse of our passage, verse 5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There is light, but there is also darkness. There's the absence of light. And darkness is in conflict with the light. And just as light is the way to life, darkness is the way to death. And they are opposed. That's why the darkness has not overcome it, but the darkness is trying. The darkness is against the light, and death is against life. Darkness is our world, and darkness is our condition, right? Darkness is your natural condition. You were born not into light, but into darkness. John 3.19 says it this way, this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people loved darkness. People loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. So there's this conflict between light and darkness, and it's going to take a miracle. Do you believe in miracles? You better believe in at least one, right? It's gonna take a miracle of new birth to go from darkness to light. and to go from death to life. It's going to take great grace. Colossians 1, verses 13 and 14, speaking of Christ, says, He has delivered us. She's speaking of God the Father's work, but the whole Trinity's work here. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness, where we all were born, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And that's good news, right? To go from darkness to light, from death to life. But do you know what it took? Do you realize the grace involved to deliver us from darkness, to take you from the realm of darkness to light? It took that beloved Son of God the Lord Jesus to enter the world of darkness and to endure darkness. The battle of light and darkness has gone on through history, it went on through the life of Jesus, but it intensified as the end drew near, did it not? Judas betrays Jesus at night. Jesus is arrested at night. Jesus endures a false unjust trial through the night. As he was dying on the cross, darkness covered the land. And it was still dark when the women made their way to his grave on the morning of his resurrection. Not just an indication that it was early in the morning, but that's an indication that the forces of darkness still appeared to be in control. The light of the world, this beloved son entered the darkness and endured, endured the darkness. Why? That we might have life and that we might live in the light of his love. Remember again the purpose of the gospel from John 20. I'll read it. These are written so that you may believe, you, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Is that what you believe? that Jesus is the Son of God. We've learned already just in these opening verses. He's the eternal Word. He's the one who is truly God. He is one with the Father, the one who made all things and holds all things together. Even at this very moment, the very molecules of your body, your body is being held together only because of the grace of the Lord Jesus, do you believe that? He is the Son, the Eternal Son. And do you believe He is the Christ? Which is to say, do you believe He is the Messiah, the Promised One, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world and the sins that have led you into darkness? and that there is life for you today in and through him. This is the promise. Do you believe it? And if you believe, are you willing to walk with him? Are you willing to let your light shine, the light that he has given to you? Is it shining? Is it bringing hope to the world around you? Are you willing to give yourself to him? and to His kingdom purpose, to lay down, to lay it down. Your preferences, your priorities, your privileges, are you willing to lay them down for the sake of the true King and for His glorious cause? I pray so, and I pray that you and I together might know this true joy of the Lord as we believe Him, receive Him, and live with Him. May it be so. Amen.