 My Lord and my God and we are in part two of this little sermon series that we're working through and in John chapter one verses One through five my Lord and my God and in that those verses that open John's gospel The Bible says beginning in verse one in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God He was in the beginning with God and all things were made through him and without him Nothing was made that was made and in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shines and the darkness and the darkness Did not comprehend it. It was just a glorious opening to John's gospel this this prologue just a glorious opening Probably the most profound Opening statements of any piece of literature in all of history. It's a very profound opening to John's gospel and it begs the question What do you think about Jesus Christ? What do you think about Christ? Who is he many people over the centuries have answered that question in many varied ways? And it's one of the most important questions that you'll ever have to answer it And that's the key you're going to have to answer it based on his own words. Christ can only be considered a liar or a lunatic or Lord and you must contend with one of those three choices most just avoid Dealing with the question altogether and to avoid it you avoid it at your own peril You answer that question the answer that question for you will be Inescapable you will answer the question sooner or later and that answer the answer to that question Demands a response now John here in the opening verses of this chapter knows the answer to that question and he wants you and I to know the answer to that question and in this we find again the purpose for John's writing and it Coincides with John chapter 20 verse 31 where he says that he is writing that you may believe That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name Are you being asked here to believe without evidence is That believing spoken of by John in these opening verses referring to a blind faith A faith that you simply believe without reason without intellect Divorced from evidence. No, that's not the case at all There is Evidence to this faith and you being compelled by John in these verses to examine the evidence You're being asked to consider the facts by an eyewitness to those facts. This is eyewitness testimony faith saving faith is Believing based on the evidence and then acting on what you say you believe so that you might profess with Thomas my Lord And my God The Gospel of John is eyewitness testimony and this eyewitness John is going to teach us about who Christ is Few words here and yet Inexpressible profound as the hymn that says ineffably sublime This is an awesome opening to this gospel and an awesome awesome depiction of who Christ is the words begin In chapter 1 verse 1 just leap out from the page and compel us to contemplate John's assertions about Christ and through these words is John's desire to compel us as a result as a response to this testimony he wants to compel us to worship him Worship the Lord to respond by committing our lives to living for him as Lord There's no more profound opening statement in all of literature that could possibly be be written and such an economy of words here and Yet such amazing statements and amazing statements that are Perfectly made and must be perfectly made and packed with importance and we'll see that as we work through these verses and John 1 here the prologue beginning in verse 1 through verse 18 Like the facets of a diamond if you were to hold the diamond on a black background and Turn the diamond in the light to see the the colors in the diamond and how that prisms the light and separates the light And you see many different colors and as you turn the diamond in the light to see many different perspectives on the beauty of that diamond John here in the opening verses of John chapter 1 Hold up the diamond of Christ and he turns it in the light of his word for us so that we can see these different perspectives and Today even in verse 1 so many glorious perspectives on who Christ is Christ will see is infinite. He is eternal. We think of Christ as God to be infinitely wise to be infinitely powerful But here described by John. He is infinite in duration Think about that for a moment and let that sink in If you were to turn and look into eternity future there you would see Christ without end And if you were to turn and look into eternity past there you would see Christ without beginning He is without beginning and without end Christ is eternal and in our finite minds We have difficulty contemplating someone with no beginning and someone with no end, but it's exactly what the Bible teaches We turn to look into eternity. We see Christ Christ Transcends time Christ is infinite. We with our finite minds cannot contemplate an infinite God But the psalmist says from everlasting to everlasting you are God So Christ is infinite. Secondly, we'll see Christ as individual Even though John here is Asserting the deity of Christ that Christ is God in the flesh. Christ is a distinct Individual within the Godhead at the same time God and at the same time with God We cannot comprehend the Trinity. That's exactly what's being spoken of here the glorious and unfathomable truth That is the Trinity and thirdly we'll see Christ as indivisible Christ is Indivisibly God though Christ is distinct from the father. He is Indistinguishable from God. He is distinct and yet indivisible. He is at the same time God and with God That's difficult to comprehend in our own minds, but that's what the Bible teaches Christ is infinite Christ is individual and Christ is Indivisible and we are to cry out with Thomas my Lord and my God But first let's see Christ now Introduced in verse one Christ is introduced so John in the prologue begins in verse one in The beginning was the Messiah Is that what he says? You guys awake in the beginning was no in the beginning was the Son of man No in the beginning was the Son of God No in a very thought-provoking way John says in the beginning was the word now immediately with introducing Christ that way John wants to build our understanding of who he is the word here translates the Greek word Lagos now obviously that involves the spoken word you speak a word that word is spoken or Those words that word is an expression of thought so you could say that the word Expresses God or is an expression of God, but this word here comes loaded down with Significance when a first entry Jew or Gentile might have been reading this passage these opening verses They would have thought word to be an Impersonal force and we're to see in these verses that the word is definitely not that and it is so much more here The word is a power pack word So in the beginning begins verse one. What does that sound like to you? Opening verses of Genesis, that's right Anyone with a little Bible knowledge would have made that connection anyone having read these opening verses would make that connection in fact when John wrote this gospel the Book named Genesis that we know as Genesis was named in the beginning That's what the title of the first book of the Bible was in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 the Bible reads in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the earth was without form and void and Darkness was on the face of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters Then God said let there be a light and there was light God spoke and there was light through that creation account God Speaks and creation leaps into existence. It is by the spoken power the spoken word of God In verse 6 God said let there be a firmament and there was a firmament in verse 9 Let then God said let the waters under the heavens be gathered in verse 11 Then God said let the earth bring forth grass and so on God's word then in the beginning brought forth brought out of it creation God spoke and there was light God spoke and there was creation in creation God's word the word Reveals his power and so the first thing I want you to note about this introduction to John introduction to Christ is that the word Reveals God's power God's word then is God's power his power in action I want you to see an example of that with respect to Christ listen to Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 says of Christ that he Christ the word Upholds or sustains all things by the word of his power It's the word of God that reveals his power so his word didn't only create But now his word sustains all things and he sustains them in power Notice I said that the word is not a power But the word reveals God's power. This is not an impersonal force. This is not a power This is an expression of God's power. We know the word here is a person in Thinking of the word the person the word is the omnipotent all-powerful creating and sustaining and working Self-expression of the Godhead You can consider the word in verse 1 of John's gospel the creating and sustaining and working Self-expression of God. That's who the word is So this would have added nuanced understanding to passages like Psalm chapter 33 in verse 6 where the Bible says by the word of the Lord The heavens were made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth In Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11 The Bible says God says so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth It shall not return to me void But it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it God's word Signifies God in action and in power Working and doing and Jesus Christ here in these verses is the personification of that word Going out in power Jesus Christ is the the self expression of God the self expression of the Godhead and in this first Point that we're looking at this first facet of the diamond this word reveals God's eternal power Through creation his eternal power through sustaining all things and this aspect of the revealed word is sufficient to condemn all Men who do not bow and worship this God His revealed power in creation his revealed power through that word Reveals his eternal Godhead and is sufficient to condemn All men for their failure to bow and worship God in Romans chapter 1 verse 20 The Bible says this for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen Being understood by the things that are made Even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse Even by knowledge of the creation by a view of all that God has done in history We can see that God is powerful and that he is eternally God and that we are without excuse It says going on there in Romans chapter 1 that they knew God through this and yet They did not glorify him as God nor were they thankful. I think about it for a moment Through the centuries we know this to be true through the centuries the Sun The heavenly bodies the planets in our solar system the planets the stars in our universe Course through space in their orbits through the centuries the seasons come and they go at their appointed times Century after century the trees produce leaves in the spring and drop them in the fall Year after year after year these things can continue and no one can stop them and no one can undermine or thwart God's plan All of this is an attestation of God's eternal power and Godhead. This is no impersonal force This word is a person at work creating and sustaining all of this by the word Who is my Lord and my God as Thomas said? This is called by the way general revelation general revelation His creation Revealed by his word is enough to prove to every person that God exists that he is infinitely powerful and that we are accountable to him It is the atheist or the agnostic that wants to deny the existence of God by looking at creation and Make up some alternative We look at creation. We see a creator and we are by God's design to see him High and lifted up to see him as powerful to see him in his eternal Godhead However, Romans 1 goes on to say because of our sin Mankind we are foolish in our thoughts Romans 1 describes us as dark and foolish in our hearts We think we are wise but Romans 1 says that we are fools and we are described as dead in our sins and trespasses That we are children of wrath children of disobedience. Do you accept that description from God for yourself? God who spoke the worlds into existence also says that you are a wicked sinner an enemy of God by your wicked works And for that reason general revelation the knowledge of creation has been created by God as the Entrance way if you will to knowledge to God, but general revelation is not enough to save you And that's not a deficiency on God's part in revealing himself to us That's a deficiency is that is found in the depravity of your own heart a Deficiency that you can't see God for who he is and that you can't respond due to sin the way that you should We are without excuse if we're gonna be saved We need more than general revelation. We need special revelation and that special revelation comes through the word also One the word reveals God's power. The word is a living expression of God's power to The word reveals God's saving plan the word reveals God's saving plan He the word is a living expression of life eternal the word the Logos Reveals God as a speaking and as a revealing God in Acts chapter 14 Paul says of God that he did not leave himself without a witness And in that he did good We're not left to our own devices. We're not left to Wonder what were to do what were to believe who were to follow? We are told clearly in scripture who we are to believe and how we are to behave how we are to relate to him God is not far off and God is not silent God is not an impersonal force, but he's near. He's close. He's personal and he personally reveals himself to us Listen to Hebrews one again. Listen to Hebrews one God who at various times and in various ways Spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days Spoken to us by his son God reveals himself in his word has revealed himself to the fathers by the prophets revealed himself in his word and Reveals himself in the word the Lord Jesus Christ Reveals himself in his son and Jesus Christ here is the the revelation of God's saving plan Jesus said of himself that he came into the world to save sinners to seek and to save that which is lost Would you believe that revelation of God in Christ Jesus so that you might have life eternal? Jesus Christ is the revelation of God's saving plan God didn't have to make provision for sin He didn't have to do that, but he did He chose to do that and he chose to do that in the eternal word Jesus Christ By sending Christ into our world to take on the mud of humanity To traipse through the garbage the filth of this world because he God desires to save sinners God reveals that saving plan in Christ listen to 1st John chapter 1 verse 1 1st John chapter 1 John speaking of Christ again says this That which was from the beginning the eternal God That which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes John is an eyewitness Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled Jesus Christ that was there to touch He says to Thomas here put your hand in my side feel the nail marks in my hands They have seen with his seen him with their eyes. They've looked upon him their hands have handled concerning the word of Life the word of life Jesus Christ is God's word of life God's revelation of life. There is a life in Christ Bible says that the wages of sin is Death and there is life in Christ Christ is life and that life is the light of men John chapter 1 verse 18 John says no one's seen that God at any time But the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father. It's that son. It's that word It's Jesus Christ who has declared him and Jesus Christ has declared him as holy Declared him is righteous He's declared him as just calling all men into account You will stand before the God who created the universe before the God who created you and You will give an account for your life You'll stand before God on judgment day and give an account of what you've done in the flesh whether good or evil You'll give an account to God The word Jesus Christ has revealed that there are none good. No, not one the word Jesus Christ has declared that according to God's perfect law All of us are enemies of God children of wrath because we failed to perfectly keep his law If you decided at this moment to live the rest of your life and never sin, could you? It's impossible God's law designed given by God to point us to Christ It is to reveal Christ the word to us that we might be saved The law is to reveal your sin You examine yourself in the light of God's law you find yourself to be a sinner There's no one that keep can keep God's law, but Jesus Christ came Jesus Christ perfectly kept God's law Jesus Christ never sinned and he goes to the cross as a perfect sacrifice for sinners To stand in your place if you'll repent and believe in the gospel God desires that sinners should repent that word Jesus Christ who declares the father Also reveals the grace and mercy of God the grace and mercy of God in Christ Revealing that in God's great patience So far you're living and breathing right now that so far God has overlooked all of these years of ignorance But now as the Bible says calls you to repent calls you to repent and believe on him John says that he writes so that believing on him you may have life Jesus was not only the first and most important word of the father in the beginning But he is also God's last saving word to you There will come a time When the word Will be rendered silent toward you Bible says that God will not always strive with men there will come a time when God will be silent toward you If you refuse to listen to him, he'll eventually judge you with silence You'll not find God apart from him In him his life and the life was the light of men if you do not hear his last Saving word to you through Jesus Christ the last word that you'll hear from him will be the word of your judgment You will stand before him and Jesus said I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end the first and the last His word to you on that day will either be come you blessed of my father Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world or his last word to you will be I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness God's word in Jesus Christ has gone out and it's gone out in either mercy and grace or in judgment And we are without excuse The word this word the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed here in John chapter 1 in the very first verse Revealed to us in three different ways right one way that he's revealed to us is that this word the Lord Jesus Christ is Infinite the second way that he's revealed to us is that he is Individual and the third way that he's revealed to us is that he is Indivisible so let's look first at Christ being infinite the word being infinite and here Infinite in duration in the beginning was the word now That statement in the beginning was the word is a statement reflecting the Eternality of Christ that Christ is eternal and we don't see that Necessarily on the surface there Think about it this way there never was a time when the word was not There never was a time when the word was not when the beginning started Christ was the word was when the beginning began Christ was already present There was a time when there was no universe Aside from evolutionists there was a time when there was no matter matter is not eternal The universe is not eternal. There was a time when there was no matter There was a time when there was no time when there was no space and in that time before all those things began the word was And Jesus was in the beginning in the beginning was the word now There were there several words here using these first opening verses to describe those things that came into being and they're Described as coming into being but Jesus Christ was Verse 3 all things it says there egon eto came into being in verse 3 without him Nothing came into being that came into being it's using the same word there came into being it says of Christ that he Was not that he came into being all these things are said to be coming into being verse 6 There egon eto came into being a man whose name was John John a man came into being but Jesus Christ the word was In verse 10 the world came into being all Came into being but the word was and that word was there is a verb meaning to be And it's an imperfect. It means continually. It's Continuously continually to be means to be this speaks of the words pre-existence The word Jesus Christ is interminable. He has no end. He is Infinite in duration no beginning and no end. He is eternal. He exists outside of time That means that Jesus Christ was never created By definition if you were never created if you were not created if you're not a created being by definition You're God and if you're God you're eternal when Christ speaks of his eternality when Christ claims to be eternal He's claiming to be God in the flesh It's very interesting in looking at this that the Bible doesn't set out to prove That Christ is eternal or prove that God is eternal It's simply a statement of fact from the scripture and that's where we get clear statements like in Psalm chapter 90 verse 2 For example where the Bible says before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world even from Everlasting to everlasting what you are God you are God Listen to this from Micah now That's God from everlasting everlasting you are God listen to Micah chapter 5 verse 2 But you Bethlehem Ephrata though you are little among the thousands of Judah Yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel. Who is that that he's speaking of? Jesus Christ he's speaking of Christ there and then listen what he says Whose goings forth are from old from everlasting God is said to be from everlasting to everlasting and here in Micah chapter 5 verse 2 Jesus Christ is said to be from everlasting Jesus Christ is eternal When Moses was commissioned by God to go to Pharaoh Moses asked God what name should I give them? Who should I said say sent me? How did God reply? I? Am who I am thus you shall say to the children of Israel I am has sent me to you now that is a statement of God's eternality God is Eternal God has no beginning no end that is a statement of God's immutability the fact that God never changes It's a statement of God's faithfulness a statement of God's constancy It's a statement that God is outside of time and space That God includes all time, but turn with me to John chapter 8 John chapter 8 That was said of God to Moses in the Old Testament Look at what the Bible says about Jesus Christ the word in John chapter 8 and look beginning in verse 52 John chapter 8 verse 52 just a few chapters there to the right Here the Bible says the Jews said to Christ now we know that you have a demon. He's in an altercation here with the Pharisees Abraham is dead and the prophets and you say if anyone keeps my word He shall never taste death and Christ here speaking of eternal life Look at verse 53 they ask him then are you greater than our father Abraham who's dead and the prophets are dead? Who do you make yourself out to be? So Jesus answered them in verse 54 If I honor myself my honor is nothing It is my father who honors me of whom you say that he is your God Yet you have not known him, but I know him and if I say I do not know him I shall be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad This provokes a question on the part of the Pharisees then the Jews said to him You are not yet 50 years old and you have seen Abraham and And then Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I Am this is Christ attestation that he is Eternal God in the flesh and they picked up stones to stone him They didn't pick up stones to stone him because he was a God Didn't pick up stones to stone him because he was a good example or an enlightened man They picked up stones to stone him because Jesus Christ himself from his own mouth profess to be God in the flesh Either that is a really really bad grammar in that statement Or does a very profound statement that Jesus Christ is eternal Jesus Christ is God It all starts with a very straightforward testimony of the eternality of God in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 in the beginning God God pre-existent and then here in John chapter 1 verse 1 We see the same straightforward testimony of Christ in the beginning was the word the eternal word By Jesus claiming to be eternal with God He's claiming to have the same essential essence as God the same essential Nature with God and again we're confronted with John's purpose in writing that He's claiming that Jesus is the eternal God who is infinite all powerful all wise everlasting Unchanging the one true and living God who is at the same time three persons He has come into his creation in human form to die. It's a substitute for sinners This is the foundation of the Christian faith But let's think in for a moment that God Who created the universe who created you came into the world took on the form of a man to die as a substitute for sinners And can you live your life in light of that glorious truth? Without giving him the worship that is his due This is the foundation of our Christian faith Jesus Christ died as a substitute for sinners And although he is eternal with God. He shares the same essence as God Christ is also distinct within the Godhead in that point to Christ is individual he's individual The Bible says in John chapter 1 verse 1 in the beginning was the word and here the clause we're gonna look at and the word was with God now from eternity past There's been this glorious relationship within the Trinity within the Godhead you have God the father God the son God the Holy Spirit Existing in an eternal relationship in union between themselves and yet from all eternity the members of the Trinity are distinct individuals The word was with God communicates a couple of things one it communicates that Jesus Christ is an individual Distinct from God the father distinct from God the Holy Spirit and has a personal relationship with God He has a personal relationship and he's distinct. So let's take a look first at his personal relationship with God In his own person within the triune nature of the Godhead within the Trinity one God in three persons Christ the word is the second person of the Trinity one God three persons So what does it mean that the word is personal or has a personal relationship with God? In the first century when John was writing his gospel It was prevalent. It was understood in Jewish thought and in Greek thought that The Logos or the word was an impersonal force Behind everything that we see was some impersonal force that held everything together There was a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus in the 600s BC and he was preoccupied with all the change What looked like chaos in the world and he said this is the way he described the world if you step into a river All right, and the river is rushing by you step into a river You step out of the river when you step back in you're stepping into a completely different river And that's why he described life life at every moment is just constantly changing it looks chaotic And what Heraclitus said was that behind all of that chaos there was some impersonal force some Principles some law that held everything together and he called it the word the Logos in Jewish thought The same idea that behind all the chaos of the world behind the constant change of the world There was this impersonal force that held it all together the Stoics picked up on the same thing some impersonal force behind everything so people saw this Non-personal impersonal force in the universe to be the reason that everything was the way that it was So John comes along now in John chapter 1 verse 1 and in the midst of this impersonal force stuff John says that Christ the word that the word was with God And this is a statement of a personal relationship. This is no impersonal force This not only is a person, but this person is relational. He's personal to us And he later says in verse 14 that the word became flesh and dwelt among us The word here therefore is very personal and he's very personal but distinct from God the father That word with we know that word to be a word that describes Accompaniment if I am accompanied my by my Bible my Bible is with me Right my Bible is impersonal, but I can go somewhere with you and that's a personal relation That's a relationship literally that word that's used there for with means face-to-face It's a relational word It means that Jesus Christ when it says was with God was face-to-face with God and it's got a sense of being at Home that Christ the word in the Trinity was face-to-face at home with God and that sense it makes him very personal Very relational and we have that same sense with Christ Now the the Jews at the time would have looked back at passages of Scripture in the Old Testament and would have seen things like Wisdom or things seen things like God's power or the word that was spoken to Jeremiah The word that was spoken to Isaiah these words that were spoken to the prophets as having force But in light of what John is saying here We see those words God's working in the Old Testament God's action God's power God doing in the Old Testament Very relational and done through the word. There's an example. We don't have time to turn there But in Proverbs 8 listen to this description of wisdom. How can you come across with thinking that this is? Impersonal when it's so personally related it says of wisdom when he prepared the heavens I Wisdom was there when he drew the circle on the face of the deep When he established the clouds above when he strengthened the fountains of the deep when he assigned to the sea It's a limit so that the waters would not transgress his command when he marked out the foundations of the earth Then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was daily his delight Rejoicing always before him rejoicing in his inhabited world and my delight was with the sons of men Now just a passage like that would have been given Brand-new nuance When John here in chapter 1 describes the word not as an impersonal force, but as a Related a relational personal person the second person of the Trinity It sounds like someone who is with God at the beginning in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 doesn't it when he was there Created when the Bible says that let us create man in our image the Trinity there being plural But next also Being gone in the flesh Jesus is distinct from the Father also you have one God But in three distinct persons God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit, so he is distinct as an individual person He has a relationship with God He is eternal and eternally with God, but that presupposes that he is an individual and Distinct from the Father of the same exact essence of the same exact nature and yet distinct distinct and yet Indistinguishable and that is the the unfathomable mystery of the Trinity can't understand it in our finite minds But that's what the Bible teaches and we as Christians believe what the Bible teaches And it gives understanding again of the plural and Genesis 1 let us create man in our image the third the third point Christ is infinite Christ is individual And third Christ is indivisible He is distinct from the Father and yet indistinguishable He is a distinct person and yet he is God in the beginning was the word and the word was with God And lastly the word was God The word was God clearly makes the point that Jesus Christ is Immanuel God with us that he is God in the flesh Now you could say of that phrase that all that God was the word was All that God was the word was Jesus Christ was God was the word If Jesus is eternal Existing outside of time and space creating everything that's been made Then he must be uncreated himself He is eternal the I am and if he is uncreated then he is God That statement means that the Lord Jesus Christ the eternal word Was in all ways in essence in nature in substance Very God of very God Colossians chapter 2 verse 9 says for in him in the word in christ Dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily So this again this sort of caps off verse 1 with our understanding of the trinity One god three persons he is distinct from the father relational with the father and yet is god God the father distinct from god the son distinct from god the holy spirit and yet all three persons god This is just a glorious mystery. You have heard the trinity explained in many different ways You could many people attempt to explain the trinity by saying that It's like the three phases of water, you know gas liquid and solid That breaks down that analogy simply doesn't work. It puts you into heresy by using that analogy of the trinity It puts you into modalism Simply breaks down every human analogy breaks down. I've heard god described as being the son And god the father being the son god the son being the rays And how they are distinct from one another but to say and that analogy breaks down. It just simply doesn't work All human analogies just break down when trying to describe the trinity All we can say is he is one god and three persons and that's exactly what the bible teaches Now let's look at that for a moment with respect to apologetics or how you would explain that to someone And this is important notice in verse one John did not say that the word was the god That's a very important to say that puts you in heresy John did not say the word was a god He couldn't have said that to say that puts you in heresy He did not say that god was with god He couldn't have to say that puts you in heresy all results in heresy So john in saying this and describing this is walking a bit of a tightrope here and he communicates this Perfectly there simply is no other way to say what john is communicating here to reflect the biblical truth of the trinity One god and three persons all other would result in error on all counts and john is avoiding saying something that is untrue on all counts John's wording here is perfect There's another word in greek for saying that someone is divine like To describe someone is divine in an adjectival an adjective kind of way John could have used that word But if he used that word it would have put him in put him in heresy And so he doesn't use that word he uses the word for god And no one is picking up stones to stone christ for being divine like They're picking up stones because christ is claiming to be divine So john didn't use that word he uses the word for god So if john intended to say that jesus was a god If john intended to say that then john is a polytheist He's saying that there are more than one god in the bible very clearly says that There's one god. There's one god in three persons. I know this is technical But if you're evangelizing you're talking to a joevis witness or a mormon you've got to get technical with the text He's not saying a god. He's not saying the god in this verse joevis witnesses and mormons believe that because john didn't say that The word was the god and used the in there They have to supply Put in the word a that the word was a god So they insert what is called an indefinite article a there They don't have to do that. It's not required in the text and it Doesn't belong in the text again. That puts you in heresy They believe that that object needs that article in front of it And so they insert it themselves and you get heresy now in john chapter 20 when thomas makes his exclamation My lord and my god There's inserted in that exclamation an article So john can put it in there when he wants to communicate that jesus christ is god But joevis witnesses and mormons can't supply an indefinite article there All this in john's order He did not say that god is the word And that's important because there's more to god than the word. There's also the holy spirit But he says that the word Was god it's important even in the order All this is stated very important the way that john communicated it throughout the scriptures. There are plenty of times when Objects and predicate nouns are used without the article in the other places where they're used with the article And so for a heretic to put an article in there. It's just uncalled for John words this perfectly Jesus the word was god. Jesus is god a very god and very man a very man 100 god and 100 man And jesus was god in the flesh the second person of the trinity god and yet in distinct person there's also Time doesn't permit us to think of the theophanies all of the Examples the appearances of god throughout the old testament if god is spirit And the bible says that no one can see him and live Then who was it that walked in the garden in the cool of the day without any The second person of the trinity god in the flesh when isiah saw a view of god in the temple and isaac chapter six And he became undone looking at the glory of god in the temple his train the robe the train of his robe filling the temple Who was it that isaac was looking at? The john chapter 12 verse 41 says that isaac in the old testament was looking at christ He was seeing christ seated on the throne the train of his robe filling the temple Jesus christ communicated by john here. We're to see him as very god of very god Fully god fully man In this christ as god is indescribable Is matchless the truth of the trinity beyond our understanding The truth of christ's eternality god's eternal godhead his power Just matchless Unfathomable to our human minds to our finite minds. So how are you? How am I? How are we to respond to these truths? This demands the response john in writing the holy spirit in writing demands a response We're to respond with faith in christ We respond with trust in him and him alone Can you Do enough good to work your way to heaven knowing that this god is perfect and holy and will Not turn a blind eye to sin Because god is just Every single sin must be paid for god doesn't forgive like sometimes Wicked people forgive and just sweep sin under a rug god is just God is holy And being perfect demands justice for every sin Will he expend that justice on you with his wrath for all eternity in hell? Or on your behalf And as your substitute will he expend that justice on his son God desires sinners to be saved He desires a redeemed humanity to worship him and in the desire of god he chosen his grace and in his mercy to us To redeem humanity By exerting his justice on his own son His only begotten son who came into the world to save sinners He calls for our faith and trust in him alone not in our own works He calls us to turn from our sin And to commit our lives to living for him If christ is god it means that his death on the cross for sin Is of infinite value He had to have been god to go to the cross He had to have been god to pay the infinite cost of sin He had to be god so that he could redeem sinners And it's appropriate and acceptable because jesus christ is human He represents us if you repent and believe the gospel just as adam Represented you in sin and because of adam all have sin There's one greater than adam the second adam jesus christ who came To be a representative for you if you will put your faith and trust in him to save you And because he is sinless because he is god His sacrifice on the cross Justified the justice of god Expended the wrath of god against sin And took your place if you'll believe in him Christ being god obviously means that his incarnation His perfect life His death on the cross And his resurrection are extremely significant and we're to believe Imagine those disciples Who saw christ resurrected or saw christ crucified and fled And then something happened between the time that they fled and the time they went right back into the city of jerusalem To preach christ and preach christ to their deaths That was the resurrection christ was raised from the dead And you have attestation from eyewitnesses in scripture Eyewitnesses in history to say that christ was risen from the dead and seen he was seen by god seen by john He himself became the one acceptable and sufficient sacrifice for sin If you die without christ you'll spend an eternity trying to pay off your own sins and hell Or you can believe on the word the son of god the second person of the trinity Who died came to die for sinners you put your faith and trust in him and live And john gives evidence here for the fact that jesus christ is god So that sinners might believe it And might commit their lives to follow christ as lord and savior He won't be your savior without you submitting to him as lord He is both lord and savior Will you follow him? Will you turn from your sin? Will you put your faith in christ and have eternal life? It's the purpose for which john wrote Would you honor christ today by turning from your sin and following him? Let's pray My father in heaven How we thank you for this opening these opening verses in john chapter one and just With the depth and magnitude of these statements in verse one alone god how Rich kind of how profound how full and deep these truths are There's so much more that could be said There's so much more that your word does say So i pray god That you would just apply the the truths of these statements to our hearts and our minds and or that we might View christ more rightly god that we might View him in all his glory all his majesty the glory with which you gave him before the foundation of the world And that sinners might look to him and be saved might be converted turned from sin Cause to be born again by your spirit more than Serving christ by faith i pray for my brothers and sisters here or those in christ that they would be Persuaded also of the truths of these verses in john They would be compelled god by your spirit within us strengthened and motivated to live for christ more fervently With our hope In christ there will be a resurrection also There's certainly a resurrection of the unjust or to condemnation as the bible says But there will be a resurrection also of the just to eternal life and we praise you god and thank you for it Thank you for our time studying your word together Well, we love you we praise and worship you for these glorious truths for all that you've done for us in christ That's in his name that we pray all these things amen