 Obviously every book in the Bible is an important book. Obviously every book in the Bible has some spiritual relevance and is a truth from God. When we look at the book of John however, John seems to stand out compared to a lot of the other books in terms of what it says, how hard-hitting, how direct it is, just the implications of what it says just really cannot be overlooked and that's the book that oftentimes you go to to see a lot of hard theological truths that some people just don't want to accept and the book of John just starts off. It's almost like it starts off at a 10 and stays there. So let's just go ahead and jump into it. Notice some of the the deep theological statements that are made here and I think you can see why a lot of people actually love John. They would say that John is probably their better book. So much so that some people when they first start reading they might skip all the other books and start reading the Bible in John. So let's go there. In John 1 he says, strong statement, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Now let's just go ahead and jump into it what he is actually saying. He's going to reiterate this again and he's saying that Jesus is God. Jesus is the word. We're going to see that in a second and this Jesus, this word is God. And how do we know that? Well couple things. We have what's called a predicate nomative here and a predicate nomative when you see that you have the same thing in English and in Greek the predicate nomative describes the class or category to what the subject is. In this case the first word that we come to, halagos, is the subject. So in our in our cane and halagos in the beginning was the word and the word was with God. So with God in the very beginning was the word. Now that's not all that controversial until we get to class three. And it is and halagos. Now the way it's written I think is pretty interesting. As a matter of fact I think it's wonderful and pretty clear. And now notice the shift instead of having the word like in English the word order and the word was God but in Greek the word order is and God kithias was the word. Now what it's really saying and God was the word. In other words the emphasis of what the word is is shifted to the beginning because it's a predicate nomative and in Greek word order does not matter because we already know what the subject is then we already know what that is the word and that the word is being described as or in the classification category as God. This is a pretty easy Greek rule to understand it's not that difficult. There are some though who would want to disagree with the deity of Christ but here it's pretty clear and so unless John unless unless John didn't know Greek unless this this spirit breathed word is also grammatically incorrect and we can trust what it's saying that is Jesus is God the word is God. And notice what he says. Now there are going to be some that are going to say that well because this is an anarthorist meaning that it doesn't have the the definite article before it means that this is a God but that that violates so many different things to say that the word was a God but again we can have any other God before him there are no other guys as a matter of fact God says he says of any other guys I don't know of any so there are no other guys and there certainly can be no one that will take glory like he does that will accept worship like he does that will forgive sins like he does or can pay a ransom for our life like he does and so clearly this is God now going back to it if we go to verse two he says he was in the beginning uh that is God uh hutas ain't ain't hey i'm sorry hutas ain't ain't okay so this one was in the beginning with God so obviously that harkens back to genesis one in the beginning was the in i'm sorry in the beginning God created and notice the reason why i think it's also important is just looking at the grammatical context of this the the grammatical statement or how this is written we see a plurality in the word God Elohim in the in the Old Testament now by itself it didn't really mean a whole lot it can it can refer to a lot of things but because we see how God has described himself as this triune God clearly that's the point that he's trying to make even in genesis one one and who was with them in the beginning jesus the word all things came into being through him just like it says in clausians 115 all things came into being through him that is through jesus and apart from him nothing uday was or came into being that has come to being so there's nothing that exists that is here outside of jesus without jesus it does not exist in him was life and the life was the light of men the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it and that's what he's stating is and we know this because how man is how his life is how he how he sees he is we are we are born in darkness and we actually enjoy the darkness but jesus is the light who shines in darkness the problem is the darkness is not comprehending and many of us who are in darkness we don't comprehend it so we're going to need something to help us to comprehend this darkness and he's going to tell us that in just a little bit now obviously he didn't fully flesh it out here in chapter one because he's not giving us everything in just one chapter all and which makes sense because this isn't about a chapter because we didn't have chapters and verses that was added much later so he's going to make his point very well succinctly so it says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it and look what he says there came a man sent from god whose name was john he came as a witness to testify about the light oftentimes in scriptures when something's going to happen we almost always see it i'm saying almost always i'm trying to think of a time where something happens something significant something of such theological importance where there is nothing that precedes there's no warning there's no one kind of making the way before that we know what's going to happen with the children of israel there's often these prophecies or god stating what is going to happen and someone to say so ahead of time and so we see this here and this is john fulfilling prophecy about this one coming to make the straight of make way the straight for this person for jesus so he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him and so all the ones that will be believing and it's important to look at this this is a a eras active subjunctive so this is might believe so that all that might believe they would do so through him he came in order that all that might believe would do so through him that's a point your belief must be based on about centered around and through him through jesus he is the he's the the significant one he is the point of emphasis here and he says he came to testify about the light there was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man i think it's pretty interesting also to say this because in the beginning he says let there be light there was no sun there was no moon and so clearly the source of this light would be the lord himself he says verse 10 he was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not know him he came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him so what is he speaking of obviously he's speaking about the jews about the church visitor about the about the jews who he came to them and they didn't receive him now he this was not a surprise obviously this was going to happen he knew it was going to happen matter of fact it's a prophesies will happen we won't go to that just yet but he came to them and they didn't receive him that's vitally important because look at what he's going to say he came to his own and those who were his own the jews did not receive him but as many as received him and this is pretty important this word hasoy day alabama which is but or and as many as so that that's all inclusive that is to refer to whoever it is that received him he's going to say not now obviously this is speaking of not just the jews this can't be just the jews because he just said his own that is a jews did not receive him and so now he moves to whoever it is that receives him that would include jews and gentiles or whoever it is or to all that it would be received that would receive him to them he gave the right to what become children of god and think about how he kind of makes a switch who were normally who were previously called the children of god the children of israel they these were the these were to be the sons of god the children of israel and so he makes he's making a shift he's starting to enlarge it and make it so that everyone now would be known as the children of god all of those who what who might believe through him so if you happen to be believing uh through him then you're children of god your child of god if you're a child of god is because you are believing in or through him and i think that's really really significant and it's always been that anyone could be part of the children of god even in the old testament even under the law all it's simply required was someone who again believed in him or through him and would follow now you could do so following the law and you would take part in the covenant and so forth but still it was always open to non-jews even though as paul says the oracles chiefly were instructed or were given to the jews and so he says that those have the right to become children of god who those that are believing in him even to those who believe in his name so especially or more over to those who believe in his name and by the way the word even if you notice is italicized here because it's not there in the greek so to those so that's really the focus to those who were born or i'm sorry who believe in his name and notice what he says in verse 13 this is um salvifically important who were born not of blood nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man but of god now i want to focus on this but of god but these are people who believe because they were born of not of the not of blood they weren't born because of blood nor of the will of flesh but look what he says which is they were out of god or from god they have been born and he uses this tense here this is a plural eras passive indicative now the reason for the the i mean the passive part is because it was done to you you being born it's being done to you why do we say that there were a couple things first of all go to john three jesus says that uh truly truly i said to you that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom god now this born again is being born from above this can that they know them is to be born from above and he and he says this three different ways to be born from above he goes on to say that born of water and spirit verse five water and spirit and then he says born of the spirit and notice how he says it in verse eight the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but you don't know where it's come from or where it's going so it is of everyone who was born of the spirit again born of the spirit so all of those mean the same born again born of the spirit born of war and spirit born from above that is born from heaven born from above of the spirit and so just like the wind blows where it wishes you don't know where it's coming from or where it's going to so it is of all of us who are born of god or as he says in here in verse 13 echinathe son which is of god or from god you have been born now the reason why this is also important is because going to first Peter 1 3 he says bless be the god and five of our Lord Jesus Christ who caught through his great mercy has caused us to be born again so it's vitally important we understand our being born again we weren't born of our own will a flesh of blood but we were born of his will of the will of God he caused us to be born again so I think that that's an important statement that John is making here and so we go to verse 14 and the word became flesh and so God took on flesh not that he manifested in flesh that he went from being God the Father to becoming God the Son that didn't happen he's all God the Father exists eternally just like God the Son however in this case God the Son takes on flesh through his incarnation through Mary and so now we see it became flesh and does what dwelt among us and we saw his glory the glory as of the only begotten from the Father full of grace now this couple things that we need to point out here one the the only one of its kind so there's no one that can make this claim nobody has ever going to be able to make the claim that they are begotten of the Father why do we say that because he said or the only begotten of the Father because he says in the word just simply means monogamy news which is the only one of its kind there cannot be two and then both of them be the only one of its kind or 20 and all 20 be the only one or a million and all all in one million be the only one of its kind only Christ can make this claim because he says he's speaking about his glory the glory as of the only one now remember God is clear he's not going to share his glory with anyone he says so in Isaiah but then also Jesus we see making having his prayer in John 17 which will come to it some point time in the future Jesus praying give me back the glory that I had with you where in the beginning so he's clearly stating that he is God you can't get around what John is trying to show us the picture that that John is trying to draw of Jesus to us that Jesus is God and so he says verse 15 John testified about him and he cried out saying this is he of whom I said he who comes after me has a higher rank than I for he existed before me which think about that now John is a little bit older he's a few months older their cousins but it's a few months older but he says he existed before me well because he is God for of his fullness we have all received and grace upon grace for the laws was given through Moses grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ all that was spoken of and Jesus makes a statement later that you search the scriptures and that's a good thing because they speak of me and so what was spoken of the law is just pointing to Jesus all of that that God wanted to impart to the Jews is all now realized or actualized in Jesus now look at verse 18 verse 18 is John reiterating this important point about Jesus about his deity no one has seen God at any time well the one person that being Jesus no one has seen God at any time the only begotten God who is the bosom of who's in the bosom of the father he has explained so he's kind of revealed himself through the son remember God it reveals himself in various ways he reveals himself obviously through nature that's not enough for us to come to salvation but he still reveals himself to listen oh hey there's a God out here too he reveals himself obviously in scripture to the extent that he wants to be known through scriptures he shows us has he fully revealed himself no and then obviously he has revealed himself in the person Jesus Christ and so this is what he's saying here but notice what he says though not just um someone speaking on behalf of God he is God he says the only begotten God look what it says monogamy stay out so he's calling God the only begotten only one of his kind and so that is obviously theologically important this whole belief that Jesus is God is paramount to salvation if you do not believe that he is God you cannot be saved Deuteronomy 4 35 and 39 tells us that the Lord is God there is no other Lord there is no other Savior according to Isaiah look at 42 and 43 there is no other Savior there is no other God there is no other name uh under heaven where whereby men can be saved according to uh the Old Testament as well as the New Testament Philippians and so he's making a statement and then Paul says in in Romans 10 that you must confess that he is Lord and not just a Lord the Lord um salvation is found only in the name of the Lord whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved we've got one faith one baptism we've got one Lord and so it's paramount to believe that your faith in what he's done is your faith in the Lord who is God who has come to pay a debt for us that we could not pay verse 19 this is testimony of John when the Jews sent him I'm so sorry sent him uh sent to him priests and Levi's from Jerusalem to ask who are you and he confessed I did not know I'm sorry I didn't and did not deny but confess I am the Christ they asked him what then are you Elijah and he said I am not are you the prophet and he answered no they said to him who are you so that we may give an answer to those who sent us what do you say about yourself he says I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord as Isaac the prophet says so now they're asking him who exactly are you uh are you the Christ no are you the Messiah no are you one of the prophets no are you Elijah no now someone going to want to ask a question about this issue about John being Elijah because there seems to be some discrepancy what was meant when Jesus says about uh and and if you believe he is the Elijah to come well I won't cover just now but you can go and check this out in the video that I that I did about is John Elijah what's meant by that so I'll let you guys on your own time go and check out that particular video but in the meantime uh what does he say he says I'm a voice of one crying in the wilderness make way uh make the way of the Lord straight and notice he says I'm a voice he is a voice to the word here here comes the word notice the imagery the words are used here the word and then the voice this voice is laying straight making straight the path of the word verse 24 now they they had been sent from the Pharisees and they asked him and said to him why are you baptizing if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet John asked him saying I baptize and notice this is pretty interesting how he says this is what he says I baptize in water but among you stands one whom you do not know and remember he says he came to his own and his own did not receive him uh verse 27 it is he who comes after me the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie these things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptized remember they come to him and they want to be baptized he says you brutal vipers what fruits of repentance do you bring and so they were hostile towards but they want to be part of the end thing but John recognized no this isn't about you and your and your cloud and so forth this is about the one who who was promised who is to come now as he's baptizing he's going to give some more information because some people say well we should get baptized because Jesus got baptized well we're not getting baptized for the same reason that Jesus got baptized you don't tell us this the next day Jesus I'm sorry he saw Jesus coming to him and he said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world now that is important to what he said the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world now where does it come from well this comes from Leviticus we have what's called the day of atonement we have these sin offerings are also but there is an offering given to take away the sin of the people Leviticus 1615 speaking about what the priest should do then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people and bring his blood inside the veil and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull now in other words under the old covenant there was a sin offering given to pay the debt of the people that were owed to God you also have a an escape goat who would take the sins and would carry the sins away in a faraway land so Jesus is going to play the part of both of those men play the part of the high priest as well now in terms of taking away sin a couple of things one he's going to take pay the debt so the sin can't be remembered again but also the sin of the people are pronounced on his head he is going to be the sin of the sin bearer so to speak and so whatever the people sin were they are counting and put up on his head and sent away in the same way Jesus does the same thing and really in both regards as the sin offering and as the escape goat the bible says in Hebrews 10 11 every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins and remember this is important those offerings can never take away sins what are they offered for were they're offered for sin but I just but didn't just say it can never take away sin no it can never fully take away sins even though it is a it's a temporary covering and a temporary atonement for sin that's a problem though it can never take them away and so what is Jesus coming to do take away sins forever so it's going to be an offering of force our sin once and for all which is why he goes on to say later on in chapter 10 he says now where there is forgiveness of these sins of these things there is no longer any offering for sin and so Jesus is going to take care of that there will no longer be any offering there will no longer be a scapegoat needed but what Jesus is doing he's doing for the sake of the people so what he says behold John says the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world that's important that is important now is he taking away everyone's sin he's making it available for everyone's sin to be taken away from and so his job what he's going to do is again play the role of to scapegoat as well as the sin offering to take away sin pity on the person who doesn't understand that who doesn't know that who didn't care about that and who disregards that but that's his that's his purpose this is he on whom on behalf of whom I said after me comes a man who has a higher rank than I for he exists before me John says something kind of interesting he said I did not recognize him or wait a second this is your cousin what do you mean well his point is nothing he didn't know him he didn't understand his face he knows who that is obviously he had to because he says look everybody here's Jesus here's the Lamb of God so he had to know who he was but he want but but to be sure I did not recognize him but so that he might be manifested or revealed to Israel I came baptizing in water why is that well so that everyone would know and that there'd be a testimony about this he's baptized me now he's doing it for two reasons one that they agreed they have sin so you're being baptized as a remission of your sin is it taking away sin no but it's you making the declaration that I've got sin I needed to be taken I need to be washed clean but then also a bigger point is that he's baptizing people and guess what he baptizes those people and they come up nothing baptizes again nothing here come Jesus he baptizes Jesus what happens the the Spirit descends on him like a dove voice from heaven comes now remember John is doing this when Jesus first shows up to John John's obviously because he knows him he says I need to be baptized by you so obviously John understand who he is and so 32 John testified saying I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and remained upon him I did not recognize him but he who sent me to baptize in water said to him said to me upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit let's pause there for as well he is going to come to baptize in the Holy Spirit why is that important well because unless there is us receiving the Holy Spirit we are not his we are children of God if we have the Holy Spirit as a matter of fact Jesus makes that statement himself and acts one one speaking to the apostles John makes a statement I baptize you with water but one comes after me will baptize you in the Holy Spirit then Jesus reiterates that in Acts 1 4 I'm sorry 1 5 he says for John baptize with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now and we're told that all believers have been baptized in the Spirit so our profession of faith and us being born again or us being born again causing profession of faith and we become believing souls we are baptized into the Spirit we don't baptize ourself in the Spirit nor can anyone else if anyone else were to come and say that by delaying on of their hands or they are the cause they're the ones that are that's bringing about the Holy Spirit that's not true as a matter of fact it's borderline blasphemous if not completely blasphemous why because the Bible is telling us here it's Jesus who is going to be the one that's going to baptize us in the Holy Spirit so if you're looking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit that's a Jesus thing not a you thing and that is done upon the profession of your faith if you if it's upon true genuine faith the Lord baptizes you in the Holy Spirit the identifying mark of every believer is the Holy Spirit and so he baptizes them or all believers us with the Holy Spirit so going back to John 1 he says I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God and the Son of God this is not a not a basic statement this is a statement to state who he is his identity his deity 35 again the next day John was standing with his two disciples this part is interesting I used to give this kind of as a riddle as a test and the test goes something like this or the riddle when Jesus calls his first disciples how did it happen now you think about it when you read in Matthew now the first the first recounts Matthew, Mark, and Luke they give two different accounts two of the Gospels state that Jesus is walking alongside matter of fact go to Matthew 4 now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother casting their net into the sea for they were fishermen and he said to them follow me and I will make you fishers of men immediately they left their nets and follow him that's an awful lot for someone to just get up leave their nets and just follow them why would they do so now is this the order and that's the question what's the order of of him calling because another count and the other gospel says that Jesus pulled up to them while they were in their boats and he speaks to Peter and he says gets in the boat as he's preaching to the people he says push out and cash and he says we haven't caught anything all night and remember they fish at night but Peter I mean but Jesus there saying no this even though it's a daytime push out further deep and they fish they fish in shallower waters but Jesus wants to go further out into the deep Jesus I would say you're not a fisherman this is my craft I know what I'm doing not you so why why would I listen to you but what is what is Peter's response he says we have caught we haven't caught anything all night but nevertheless because you say so you Lord say so then I'll do so and then he after this great catch comes in he works for me he understands who he is well why would he do that why would one he just get up and just follow uh Jesus is just walking around walking on the edge of the sea calling out to them saying come I'll make you fish as men are they just walking off to follow some stranger no are they just letting some stranger get into the boat and one preachers of people then tell them to get out and go fish the way I want you to fish would you do that no they're not doing it to some stranger they're doing to someone who they have already met and they have a relationship with it so in order to understand the chronology of how he calls first disciples you go with John first and then work your way back once I read Matthew Mark Luke and John you read John Luke Mark and Matthew or Matthew Mark so you go back from the first I mean from the last to the first and that gives you the order so as we go back to this passage in John 1 we can begin to see what he's saying so 35 again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples who were his two disciples and he looked at Jesus and said as he walked and he said behold the Lamb of God the two of the disciples heard him speak they followed Jesus and Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them what do you seek they said to him rabbi which is translated which means teacher where you stay he said to them come and you will see so they came and saw where he was standing and they stayed with him that day for it was about a tenth of the tenth hour one of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon's brother Simon Peter's brother he found his his brother Simon and said we have found the Messiah which is translated Christ in other words they were already waiting for him so it seems to be that Peter Simon was also a disciple of John he just wasn't there when when Andrew was there and so Andrew goes and gets his brother we found him well you found who well apparently we were looking for him as well so we found him he brought him that is Peter to Jesus and Jesus looked at him said you are Simon son of John you shall be called see for which is translated Peter the next day he purposed to go into Galilee and he found Philip now again it's important so this is how he is getting his disciples together and so after he meets Peter and Andrew and obviously James and John then he can come back later and say push out to the deep didn't come back later says follow me the next day verse 43 he purposed to go into Galilee and he found Philip and Jesus said to him follow me now Philip was from Bethsaida of the city of Andrew and Peter Philip found Nathaniel and said to him we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophet wrote so this Jesus was spoken of previously now everything that was spoken of is now beginning to transpire this is Jesus son of Nazareth the son of Joseph Nathaniel said can any good thing come out of Nazareth Philip said to him come and see them you don't believe so you don't you're not sure we'll come and see Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and said of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit Nathaniel said how do you know me do you know who I am do I know you Jesus answered said him before Philip called you you were under the fig tree I saw you now Nathaniel is impressed he's intrigued Rabbi you are look what he says you are the son of God you are the king of Israel this is understood and remember to make that statement son of God and king of Israel refers back to one what was spoken of in the Old Testament and then this this king of Israel well they've been waiting for this king of Israel from Genesis 49 when it says the sceptres should not depart from from Judah through all up to 2nd Samuel 7 about this king that's going to sit on the throne forever the Davidic covenant and so here he's making a statement this is this is a big important statement that he's saying how he's saying it Jesus answered and said to him because I've said to you that I saw you under the fig tree do you believe you will see greater things than these and definitely will and he said to him truly truly I say to you you will see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on something where does he get that from that's an odd thing to say well he gets this from Genesis 28 Genesis 28 this is Jacob having a dream and he came to a certain place and he spent the night there because the sun had set now let's drop down to verse 28 he had a dream and behold a ladder was set on the earth with his top reaching the heaven and behold the angels of God were descending and descending on it and behold the Lord stood above it and said I am the Lord the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac the land on which you lie I will give it to you and your descendants your descendants will be like the dust of the earth now let's stop there notice what he says though he says I am the Lord matter a little bit further he says behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go surely the Lord is in this place when Jacob wakes up he says this so now he's called the Lord understand this is Yahweh he is called the Lord so this dream that he's having these angels are descending and ascending and notice what he says he says in verse 12 the angels of God were descending and descending on it and behold the Lord this is the Lord Yahweh stood above it and said I am the Lord Yahweh the God of your father Abraham now when John makes or when it's made in this statement to Nathaniel what is Jesus saying he says truly it's truly I said you you will see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and ascending on the Son of Man so he calls up the Son of Man he's the Son of God he's the king of Israel and these angels are ascending and ascending so what is Jesus saying he's letting them know that I am God there can be no other way to take this so now how rich is this particular chapter as rich as it can get he speaks about our salvation how it comes about he speaks about who is the epicenter of our salvation as Jesus who causes it who brings it about and by believing in him we have salvation he makes it clear that he is God in the beginning of the chapter the middle and at the end and then about our salvation and so he says and he he says something that's pretty pretty intriguing though you'll see greater signs than these and boy will they so this particular chapter of John 1 and it's just John 1 we haven't got to the other chapters there's some other passages that are there just highlights when you think of some of the highlights of the book now obviously the whole book is just a wonderful book but chapter 3 what we're going to talk about as far as being born again and so forth and in the world the most famous passage ever in the bible John 3 16 is in John 3 uh John 4 the woman at the well about John 6 speaking about salvation and how we got got our salvation how we got to be brought to him about John 8 well he's declaring specifically that he is God and without you believing that you cannot be saved how about John 10 retells us about us as sheep and how what sheep are going to do and that us as sheep want what we are we were given to him and that we will never depart from him we'll never turn away how about even John 11 where he's having this conversation with Mary and Martha about Lazarus do you believe and he's asking this in a in a kind of a probing way or how about John 12 where he speaks about being lifted up or what about John 15 he's prepared John 14 and 15 he's speaking about his his his upcoming death and he said that he's going to prepare a place for them and then John 15 he says that I have placed you um in a place to where you are going to benefit where you are going to bear fruit you're going to remain and bear fruit how about John 17 as he's praying getting ready for his death how about John 19 where he says the famous pastor it is finished and John 20 20 and he's giving his instructions as he's getting ready to leave about them and so the entire book is amazing but he starts off in John 1 by first declaring who he is I'm God and in me salvation is there there will be no other need for another sacrifice ladies and gentlemen this is it and so for that reason John 1 is just an awesome book amen