Be Alive Chapter 1 – God Is Here! Warren W. Wierbse

Glory of God –In tabernacle (Ex. 40:34) –In temple (I Kings 8:10-11) –Departed from disobedient Israel (Ez. 9:3) –In Person of Jesus Christ Snapshots of Lord’s life on the earth –Matthew wrote to fellow Jews, emphasized that Jesus had fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, and presented Him as the King –Mark wrote for the Romans and presented Him as the Servant ministering to the needy people

–Luke wrote to the Greeks and introduced Him as the Son of Man –John wrote to both Jews and Gentiles presenting Him as the Son of God; He fulfilled the types –While the three gospels focused on the events of the life of Jesus, John focused on the meaning of the events –Theme – Jesus Christ is the Son of God –Titles of Jesus identifying Him as eternal God The Word of God (1:-3, 14)

Jesus Christ is God’s Word to reveal His heart and mind to us The word is composed of the letters; Jesus Christ is Alpha and Omega (Greek alphabet for first and last) (Rev. 1:11) Jesus Christ is the eternal Word (1:1-2) –He existed in the beginning because He is eternal and was with God. “Before Abraham was I am” (8:58) Jesus is the creative Word (14) –Gen. 1:1 & John 1:1 – old creation and new creation –God created the world through His word – “ And God said, ‘Let there be…’ ” –God created all things through Jesus Christ (Col 1:16) meaning Jesus is the eternal God, not created being –“Was made” (14) in Greek means a completed act, not a process going on; creation is finished

Jesus is the incarnate Word (14) –The reality of the body of Jesus Christ –He was subject to the sinless infirmities of the human nature: weary (4:6), thirsty (4:7), groaning (11:33), wept (11:33), died (19:30), and bled (19:34) –After resurrection, Jesus had a real body, a glorified body (20: 24-29) –How was Jesus “made flesh”? –The miracle of the virgin birth (Isa 7:14, Matt. 1:18-25, and Luke 1: 26-38) –He was born to identify with us in life and death

–Revelation of God’s glory is the theme –Glory in His person, works, and words –The glory of the old covenant of the law was the fading glory, but the glory of the new covenant is an increasing glory: fullness of grace and glory (14:6) Jesus is the Light (1: 4-13) –Light is the key theme in the gospel of John; it is used 36 times Light of life and world (8:12) Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2) He gave Breath of Life through Holy Spirit (3:8, 20:22)

Water of Life (4:10, 13-14, 7: 37-39) The Living Bread of Life (6:35ff) He is Life (14:6) –Light and darkness are recurring (repeating) theme in this gospel –God is light (I John 1:5) while Satan is “the prince of the darkness” (Luke 22:53) –People loves either light or darkness Their love of either light or darkness control and reflect their actions (3: 16-19) –Believers are the sons of light (121: 35-36) –New creation begins with the entrance of the light (II Cor. 4: 4-6)

–In John 1:5 – “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” In Greek comprehend can mean understand or overcome; Both attitudes will be seen in this gospel –Satan strives to keep people in darkness. When Jesus taught the spiritual truths, the listeners interpret in physical or literal terms such as temple of His body (2: 19 – 21), the new birth ( 3:4), the living water (4:11), eating His flesh ( John 6: 51ff), spiritual freedom (8:30-36), and death as sleep (11: 11-13)

–The ministry of John the Baptist John was the witness of the light Witness is mentioned as noun 14 times and verb 33 times –Why did Israel reject Jesus? Because they “knew him not”; spiritually ignorant –They had Moses and temple, but Jesus was the fulfillment and completion of the Old Testament religion such as prophecies and types –People were focused on tradition that they could not understand the spiritual truth

Jesus is the Son of God (1:55- 28, 49) –John the Baptist, one of the most famous in the New Testament, Mentioned 89 times –Jesus is eternal John was 6 months older, but Jesus existed before John –Grace is God’s favor and kindness given to those who don’t deserve and cannot earn it –If God deals with us only according to the truth, we would not survive –Jesus deals with us on the basis of grace and truth

–Grace without truth would be deceitful and truth without grace would be condemning –The law shows God’s truth, but the sacrifice was the expression of God’s grace –In Jesus grace and truth reached fullness –We are saved by grace (Eph 2:8-9) and live by grace (I Cor 15:10) Jesus reveals God to us (1:18) –God is invisible (I Tim 1:17, Heb 11:27), but people can see God in nature (Ps. 19; 1-6, Rom 1:20), in His mighty works in history, and in Jesus Christ for He is “the image of

–the invisible God” (Col 1:15) and “the express image of his person” (Heb 1:3) Son (1:18) –“only begotten” means unique, the one of the kind –9 times the Son of God in John’s gospel –19 times: “the Son” –He is the Son of God and God the Son –Demons admitted this (Mark 3:11, Luke 4:41) Witness : Jon the Baptist, Nathanael (1:49), Peter (6:66), the blind man who

was healed (9:35-38), Martha (11:27), Thomas (20:28), and Jesus himself (5:25, 10:36) –“Who are you?”, a voice making a way for Jesus (Isa 40:1-3) –“Why baptize” John the Baptist was commissioned by God (Matt. 21: 23-32) –The religious leaders baptized the Gentiles who wanted to changed to Judaism, but John baptized the Jews for repentance John baptized with water, but Jesus with spiritual baptism (Holy Spirit) John the Baptist was pointing people to the Savior (1:34)

The Lamb of God (1:29-34) –“Where is the lamb ?” Gen. 22:7 –“Behold the Lamb of God” in all gospels –“Worthy is the Lamb” Rev. 5:12 –Lambs in Old Testament could not take away the sins like the Lamb of God –Baptism and the Lamb of God? Baptism by immersion Fulfillment of all righteousness (Matt. 3:15): baptism is pictured death, burial and resurrection No mistake that Jesus was the Lamb of God by sending Holy Spirit in form of dove by the Father: Beautiful picture of Trinity

The Messiah (1:35-42) –The wedding at Cana on Sabbath, not Wednesday as usual –John and Andrew were followers of John the Baptist before they were disciples of Jesus “He must increase but I must decrease” (3:30) Andrew brought Peter and John brought James to Jesus Andrew: Peter, young lad with fish and loaves (6: 8-9), & Greeks (12: 20-21) –Messiah – anointed in Hebrew: Christ – in Greek means anointed

Kings were God’s anointed (I Sam. 26:11, Ps. 89:20) When Jews were thinking of a king, they were thinking one who will come and establish the kingdom. Cross had to come before the crown: He had to suffer before He could enter into His glory (Luke 24: 13-35) –Simon’s interview with Jesus changed his life Peter in Greek and Cephas in Aramaic means rock He gives “the power to become” (1:12)

Andrew and John trusted Jesus through the preaching of John the Baptist Peter and James came to Christ through their brothers Jesus won Phillip personally and Phillip won Nathanael to Jesus like the woman at the well God uses various ways to win sinners to Jesus The King of Israel (1:43-49) –7 of His disciples were fishermen –Nathanael didn’t believe anything good would come out of Nazareth where Jesus was raised –Phillip encouraged him to come and see (1:39) “Come and dine” (21: 12)

Revelation of His knowledge of his whereabouts and what he was doing showed him that He is the Son of God and King Revealing of the human hearts should happen in the church (I Cor. 14: 23-35) –King of Israel would be similar to “Messiah, Anointed One” People wanted Him to be the king, but He refused (6: 15ff) Jesus presented Himself as the King (12: 12ff) Jesus affirmed to Pilate that He was born the King (18: 33-37) –Nathanael in the gospel of John is Bartholomew in other gospels

The Son of Man (1:50-51) –83 times in the gospels and 13 times in John –The title speaks of both His deity and humanity Daniel 7:13Presents the ”Son of Man” in messianic setting –Jesus said the same about Himself in Matt. 26:64 as “the Son of Man” coming in the clouds

–Jesus called the 6 believing men to be His disciples who grew in faith, learned more about Him, and took His place on earth to carry out the Word of God to all people –Jesus of Nazareth is God came in flesh