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Jesus, The Revealed One
John 1:19-34

As we have been studying the Jesus of the Bible, we saw some amazing truths about Jesus in John’s opening segment.
Jesus is the Living Word of God.
Jesus is the Light of the World.
Jesus is the Embodiment of Glory.
Jesus is the Epitome of Greatness.
Jesus is the Essence of Grace.
Jesus is the Exponent of God.

He truly is the greatest phenomenon
That has ever walked across the stage of this world.

This morning we see another fundamental truth about Jesus
He is the revealed one.

Jesus is not the recognized One, as though He was some figure in history that we have decided to elevate.

Muhammad was recognized by men as a prophet
Joseph Smith has been recognized by men as a prophet
Buddha was recognized by men as a prophet
Gandhi was recognized by men as a prophet
Confucius was recognized by men as a prophet

Jesus is not the recognized One
Jesus is the Revealed One.

John 5:31-40 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
Jesus testified about Himself,
John the Baptist testified about Jesus
Jesus works testify as to who He is
The Scripture testified as to who Jesus is.

And perhaps the most important of all.
Jesus was revealed by God Himself as the Savior of the World.

God revealed it at His baptism.
Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ” This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

God revealed it at His Transfiguration.
Matthew 17:1-8 “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

God revealed it at the Triumphal Entry.
John 12:27-32 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, ” This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

God revealed it at His crucifixion.
Matthew 27:54 “Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

God revealed it through His Resurrection.
Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

God will reveal it through His Return.
Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

And this is the reason why we have here the testimony of John.
John said in verses 33-34
“I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

When we are talking about Jesus,
We are talking about the God-revealed Savior of the World.

It is not as though we just like Him and want you to like Him.
It is not as though we just want you to be like us.
It is not as though we just want to force our beliefs on you.
It is that Jesus is the Only way the Father has ever revealed.

There is only One whom God has ever declared
Savior of the World, and His name is Jesus.

And this morning in our text,
You will see the impact that this revelation had on John’s life.

I want you to see four points that John makes
In order that we may give Jesus the proper place in our lives.
#1 JOHN TOLD THE PURE: HE IS PERFECT
John 1:19-23
“This is the testimony of John”
If John were here, this is what he would want you to see.

John was a low profile, non-confrontational, feel good preacher.
He very simply told people, repent, or you will go to hell.

Luke 3:7 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

And it didn’t matter if you were a common person, a wealthy person, an authoritative person or a religious person.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

This type of preaching flew right in the face of the religious elite,
So here in verse 19 we see the “good” people being sent to John.

“the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem”
These were the examples of purity and righteousness.

Certainly John, he would back off of his message.
But when they come asking John “Who are you?”
John doesn’t hold back.
He confesses he is not the King they are waiting for.
He confesses he is not Elijah whom they are waiting for.
He confesses he is not the Prophet they are waiting for.
You see, John was not interested in who he was,
Or who the people thought he was.
John was interested in only One person.

So when they say a second time in verse 22, “Who are you?”

John replies, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD.”

If you are unfamiliar with what that meant,
When a King was about to arrive in a town,
He would send his HERALD AHEAD OF HIM TO PREPARE THE WAY.

That is what John was doing.
He was telling the people they were not fit for a King.

This may have been fine for the local rabble,
But John has the priests here before him.
Even they needed to clean themselves up.

We must realize Jesus is perfect. He is holy. He is righteous.
Jesus is perfect.

Throughout His stay on earth, He endured every single temptation, And yet never sinned one single time.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

He was so perfect they couldn’t even lie about Him and condemn Him.
Mark 14:55-59 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘ I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'” Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.”

When we talk about Jesus, we are talking about perfection.
And if we are to honor Him as He deserves, we must clean ourselves up.
The word is called REPENTANCE.
And Jesus deserves it.

IT IS TIME WE QUIT ASSUMING HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT OUR SIN
IF HE DIDN’T CARE, THEN WHY DID HE SEND JOHN?
IF HE DIDN’T CARE, WHY DID HE DIE TO SAVE YOU FROM SIN?
We understand this about God.
Deuteronomy 23:14 “Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.”
We owe Jesus our repentance, He is perfect.

I WOULD ARGUE THAT THIS IS THE CHARACTERISTIC JESUS LOOKS FOR THE MOST IN PEOPLE.

To some He was extremely compassionate
(Woman at the Well, Woman caught in Adultery, Zaccheus)
To some He was extremely critical
(Pharisees – 10 times in Matthew calls them hypocrites)

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE?
One was repentant, one wasn’t.

Think about the woman caught in adultery.
“Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone…”
“Go and sin no more”

You do not go to Jesus in arrogance, you go to Him in repentance.
This is why tax collectors, and sinners, and prostitutes found favor, But the religious elite did not.

When you come to Jesus, you come in repentance,
I don’t care how pure you are, and John testified to this.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
John told the pure He is perfect
#2 JOHN TOLD THE EXPERTS HE IS EXCEPTIONAL
John 1:24-28

Now we are given a little more light on the subject.
“they had been sent from the Pharisees”

We all know who the Pharisees were,
They were the legalistic, self-proclaimed experts on God.

They a little problem with John’s message.
Matthew 3:7-8 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

I think we can all see why John wasn’t real popular among them.
They come questioning John’s authority to tell people to repent.
“Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

He quickly gives them an answer
And then forces the focus back on the One he is testifying about.

“I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JOHN DID?
He took the opportunity to tell these experts about the truly exceptional One.

The experts need to realize that there is One more exceptional than they.

We talked about Sunday night, that Jesus is the Epitome of Greatness.
John the Baptist was called the greatest man born of woman,
And John says I can’t even untie the sandals of this man.

JESUS IS EXCEPTIONAL.
He is not just WISE, He is wisdom incarnate. (Proverbs 8)
He is not just TRUE, He is the truth. (John 14:6)
He is not just MERCIFUL, He is the sacrifice for sin. (Romans 5:8)
He is not just a WAY, He is the only way of salvation. (no other name under heaven)

Jesus is exclusive and Jesus is exceptional.
You cannot find another to compare to Him throughout the course of history.

Put Him against any other, and watch them all fall to pieces.
Put the morality of Gandhi up against the righteousness of Jesus
Put the dreams of Joseph Smith against the prophecy of Jesus
Put the sacrifices of Buddha against the cross of Jesus
Put the intimidation of Muhammad against the power of Jesus

None of them ever walked on water
None of them ever commanded the storms
None of them ever gave sight to the blind
None of them ever healed the lame,
None of them ever conquered the grave

DON’T YOU DARE LUMP JESUS TOGETHER
IN SOME GENERIC POOL OF PROPHETS
JESUS IS EXCEPTIONAL!

John points that out to these experts.
They need to honor and glorify this One who is better than they.

The concept here is called WORSHIP
Jesus deserves to be worshiped, He stands alone
Philippians 2:9-10 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”
John told the pure He is perfect and deserves repentance
John told the experts He is exceptional and deserves worship
#3 JOHN TOLD THE MULTITUDES HE IS MERCIFUL
John 1:29-31

When he saw Jesus walk by, there was but one thing he could shout for the crowds to hear.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

He wanted the multitudes who had realized their sin
To see there was One who could actually take their sin away.

He told them that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
He is that sacrifice of God that atones for sin.

We often sing
“Are you washed, in the blood, in the sole cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

I wonder if we have a person in here who doesn’t have a church background if they have a clue what we are talking about.

In the Old Testament sin was real and evident.
They had constant sacrifices
(Day of Atonement & Passover)
JESUS WAS NOW THE SACRIFICE

Garments represent character in the Bible.
His blood washes us clean.

Isaiah 1:18 “Let Us Reason” “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”

John was testifying that Jesus is the gracious One.
Jesus is MERCIFUL
Who but Jesus would have given Peter a second chance?
Who but Jesus would have prayed, “Father forgive them?”
Who but Jesus would have replaced the ear of the soldier?
Who but Jesus would have spoken to the woman at the well?
Who but Jesus would have given the hemorrhaging woman a second look?
Who but Jesus would have called tax collectors?
Who but Jesus would died on a cross for you and for me?
Jesus is Merciful
Jesus is the sacrifice for sin, and as such we owe Him our TRUST.

The pure still needed to repent
The experts still needed to worship
The multitudes still needed to trust
WE TRUST HIS SACRIFICIAL DEATH WAS SUFFICIENT

Jesus deserves TRUST.
Matthew 26:26-28 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

John told the pure He is perfect and deserves repentance
John told the experts He is exceptional and deserves worship
John told the multitudes He is merciful and deserves trust
#4 JOHN TOLD THE WORLD HE IS THE SON OF GOD
John 1:32-34
John just gives a blanket testimony of who Jesus is.

John said, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.”

In other words, God has revealed that Jesus is His Son.
This indeed is the Son of God.

Sure we talked about His power over nature
His power to heal the sick, and raise the dead and conquer the grave,
BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?

Mark 2:7-12 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE ELSE WHO CAN FORGIVE SIN?
Only the Son of God can do that.

Jesus is the Son of God.
SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT JOHN EXPECTS OF YOU?
Surrender, Submission, Obedience
There is no other who on the face of the earth
That deserves your obedience more.

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

There is only One who has been revealed by the Father.
There is only One on whom God has stamped His approval.

Jesus is Perfect – He deserves Repentance
Jesus is Exceptional – He deserves Worship
Jesus is Merciful – He deserves Trust
Jesus is the Son of God – He deserves Obedience
DOES HE HAVE IT?

Have you ever cried out to Jesus for forgiveness of your sins?
Have you ever presented your life to Jesus in worship of Him?
Have you ever trusted Him with your soul for all eternity?
Have you ever surrendered your life to Him as Lord?

Have you ever given Jesus the proper place in your life?

Not only that, but
Jesus deserves for you to testify of Him just as John did.

He deserves for you to tell the world that He is:
Perfect, Exceptional, Merciful, & God made flesh

We are going to have a time of invitation.
I am going to ask you today to give your life to Jesus Christ.

By that I mean, to confess your sins, to worship Him, to trust Him and Him alone, and to confess that He is Lord

I am going to ask you to testify to that today,
And then to testify to that in this world for the rest of your life.

Today you can have Jesus Christ,
Can Jesus have you?

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

John 1 ,14-18  (notes in PDF format)

Jesus, The Light
John 1:6-13

Last Sunday morning we began our study on the Jesus of the Bible.
There is no more important truth than the truth that is Jesus.

There is no more penetrating truth than the truth that is Jesus.
In Jesus day, people did everything imaginable with Him, Except nothing.

You can’t do “Nothing” with Jesus.
You are forced to make a decision.

Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”

The writer of Hebrews points out the eternal flaw
Of simply trying to ignore the truth about Jesus.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

When people try to ignore Jesus:
“they again crucify to themselves the Son of God”

It is impossible to do “Nothing” with Jesus.

On that day when He confronts your soul,
You must either yield to Him and call Him Lord,
Or you must resist Him and yell crucify,
But you cannot simply ignore the choice.

There is no more important decision you will ever make in your life than when you decide what to do with Jesus.

That being said, we are examining who Jesus is.
Last Sunday morning we saw that Jesus is the Living Word of God.
This morning John shows us that Jesus is the Light of the World.

4 truths
#1 THE LIGHT IS IMPORTANT
John 1:6-8

John the apostle begins this section by referring to the man
Whom we all know as John the Baptist.

He was the one sent ahead of Jesus in the Spirit of Elijah proclaiming to “make straight the way of the Lord”

John specifically says in verse 7
“He came as a witness, to testify about the Light”

WHY WOULD LIGHT NEED A TESTIMONY?

It seems to me that light generally speaks for itself.
The answer is also in verse 7
“so that all might believe through Him”

Because God wanted to make sure that everyone got it.
Light doesn’t generally need a testimony, but God wasn’t taking any chances that people might miss it.

THE POINT IS, LIGHT IS THAT IMPORTANT.

Think for a second about the importance of light.
The plague of darkness put Pharaoh on his knees.
Put someone in solitary confinement with no light, and they will go crazy.
I heard of a man whose show steers went blind being kept in the dark.
Also for the making of oxygen on the earth, plants need it.
Without light, there is no life.

This is true about Jesus.
He is literally the Light of the world, and just to make sure you didn’t miss Him, God sent a messenger ahead of Him to point out that He was coming.
So let me take just a second and tell you how important Jesus is.

If you were to travel back to the Old Testament, you would find either a tabernacle, or a temple. When you entered, you would see the veil, and immediately be reminded that God was off limits.

Of course the reason is because He is holy, we are sinful.
TURN TO HEBREWS 9:1-12
Man could not get to God apart from Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
God could either be merciful, or just.
It was Jesus who allowed God to be both holy and merciful.
to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

JESUS PAVED THE WAY TO GOD.
Jesus is important.
So important that God sent a messenger ahead
To make sure the people understood that.

It is the same reason we preach Jesus today.
Jesus doesn’t really need my testimony, He can speak for Himself.
His Spirit can convict you without my help.
But the Light of Jesus is so important that God raises up witnesses about Him just to make sure that you know how important it is.

The Light is Important, without it, there would be only darkness as we continue to be separated from God.
#2 THE LIGHT IS INFORMATIVE
John 1:9
I like what John says here.
“This was the true Light”

It makes you want to say, “John, is there an untrue light?”

WHAT DOES A FAKE LIGHT LOOK LIKE?

He answers that by telling us what it is that makes Jesus true light
“coming into the world, enlightens every man”

The true light shines and enlightens.
True light shines. If something doesn’t shine, it isn’t light.
But True light also enlightens, reveals the truth about something.

Real light is informative. Fake light is not.
(EXAMPLE: The Lights at Canton didn’t tell the truth)
True light shines, and tells you the truth about what it shines on.

We know this because of what Jesus said about His followers.
Luke 8:16-17 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

NOTICE THE TWO ATTRIBUTES?

Light is informative. That’s why people carry flashlights.
That’s why you put lights in your house, or flood lights outside.
I want you to know that Jesus is “the true Light, which coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

Jesus shines, and He “enlightens every man”

We know that doesn’t mean salvation because not every man gets saved.
But rather it is talking about the fact that Jesus exposes every man.

When the light of Jesus shines upon you,
He reveals what you really are, whether you like it or not.

He didn’t just come to highlight your good points.
He didn’t just come to make you look good.
He came to show you what you are.

Luke 2:34-35 “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed — and a sword will pierce even your own soul — to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

You can’t hide what you are from Jesus.
He has a way of enlightening every man.

The woman at the well couldn’t hide from Jesus.
John 4:27-30 “At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”

The Pharisees couldn’t hide from Jesus.
John 8:39-47 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ” If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
Light is Important, Light is Informative (JESUS IS:)
#3 THE LIGHT IS IRRITATING
John 1:10-11
Now I can hear you.
DID YOU JUST INSINUATE THAT JESUS IS IRRITATING?
Absolutely.

He is irritating in the same way light is irritating.
He is irritating in the same way the mirror is irritating.

People don’t like to be exposed, people don’t like to know the truth about themselves, it irritates them.
There was a country singer who used to sing:
“I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then,”

The simple truth is the light is irritating.
That is why you see the tragedy that happens in verses 10-11.

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”
Creation not recognizing the Creator.

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
A Boy not recognized by his family

But the question that poses after reading those statements is:
WHY DID THEY NOT RECOGNIZE HIM OR RECEIVE HIM?
Well, what is it that causes people not to be able to recognize light?

You must have eyes.
Matthew 13:14-15 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”
They didn’t recognize the light because they had closed their eyes.

WHY DID THE CLOSE THEIR EYES?
Why do you close your eyes in the light?

Because it is irritating.
John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
People closed their eyes because the true light irritated their sin.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

It was this sort of light that irritated the people in Isaiah’s day.
Isaiah 30:9-11 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

True light is irritating, and this is what Jesus does to your sin.
Why do you think people take a step back when you mention Jesus?
Why do you think foolish evangelists tell you not to use Jesus name?

I’ve seen it more times than I care to repeat, some church growth guru will tell you not to mention Jesus because it offends people. YOU BET HE DOES.

He is irritating, but that doesn’t mean we are to stop.
In fact Jesus compared His followers to 2 things, both of them are irritating.
(salt & light)

I want to tell you something about Jesus.
He came to get real with you. He came to expose you.
He came to irritate your sin.

If you have never dealt with your sin, then you have never dealt with Jesus.
If you have never repented, then you have never dealt with Jesus.
If you have never been convicted, then you have never dealt with Jesus.

When you get face to face with Jesus, it can be irritating.
Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

The Light is Important, the Light is Informative, the Light is Irritating
#4 THE LIGHT IS IRREPLACEABLE
John 1:12-13
There were many who did not receive Jesus.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.”

We live in America, and we are accustomed to our “rights”.
The only problem is we often apply these to God as well.

BUT YOU AREN’T BORN WITH THE RIGHT TO COME TO GOD.
You lost your rights when you fell into sin.
You only get the right through Jesus.
HOW VALUABLE DOES THAT MAKE HIM?

You see the Light is irreplaceable.
We live in a day of imitation sweeteners…
You can have a salt substitute…
You can buy “off brand” products…
BUT DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO FIND A LIGHT SUBSTITUTE?

THE LIGHT IS EXCLUSIVE
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

There is only One who can give you the right to get to God.
There is only One who can introduce you to the Father.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
He is the irreplaceable One.

Isaiah dealt with those who followed fake fire.
Isaiah 50:10-11 “Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”

You can’t find another way besides Jesus.
You must deal with Him.
And the only way you get “the right” is by believing in Jesus.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

The word “believe” translates PISTEUO
“to believe, also to be persuaded of, and hence to place confidence in, to trust, signifies in this sense of the word, reliance upon, and not mere credence.”

It is more than agreeing with a truth you can’t prove wrong.
It is to totally rely upon Jesus. To surrender your all to Him.

Then John tells us how a person comes to believe in Jesus.
“who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHILD OF GOD?
There are 3 ways it doesn’t happen.

1) GENETICS “not of blood”

Some think being raised in a Christian home will work. WRONG
I don’t care if your granddaddy was a deacon. IT ISN’T GENETIC

2) DESIRE “nor of the will of the flesh”

Wanting to go to heaven won’t work.
Check the Rich Young Ruler…

Romans 9:16 “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

3) PERSUASION “nor of the will of man”

Getting preached to does not make you a believer.
GOING TO CHURCH WON’T CUT IT
I can’t even get myself into heaven, let alone you.

I’ll tell you how a person comes to Jesus.
They must be born…of God.

Matthew 16:13-17 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
The ability to come to Jesus is a gift from God.
You come when He calls, not when you want to.

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This is why it is so imperative that you deal with Jesus
When you have the opportunity.

That is why Jesus said this.
John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

This is the point I want you to see.
If you don’t come to Jesus when He calls.
If you don’t respond to the Light when it shines on you,
Then how do you ever expect to gain the right
To become a child of God?

Jesus is Important, He is the One who bought access to God.
Jesus is Informative, He will reveal to you exactly what you are.
Jesus is Irritating, He will demand removal of the sin in your life.
Jesus is Irreplaceable, He is the Only way
You must do something with Him.

This morning we are going to honor Jesus
By partaking in the Lord’s Supper.
To eat the bread is to realize His body was broken for you
To drink the juice is to realize that His blood was shed for you

We partake and in so doing testify
That it was the Light of God that proved to be
The only thing that could lead us out of darkness.

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

Jesus, The Living Word

John 1:1-5

For the last 2,000 years, no person in the course of history
Has ever been more scrutinized than the man named Jesus.

He has been held up to every standard
He has been accused of every flaw

He has been accused of being demon-possessed, He is called Divine
He has been called a lunatic, He has been called Lord
He was followed by the masses, and yet rejected by His hometown
He is the most controversial person to ever walk across the world’s stage.

Some say He never lived
Some say He didn’t really die
Some say He didn’t rise
Some say He won’t return

He has been the most maligned and misrepresented figure in all of history.
Even in the Bible, Paul saw this taking place.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

Galatians 1:6-9 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Every generation has had it’s share of people
Who were ready to redefine Jesus.

Every generation has supplied a public opinion about Jesus.
Matthew 16:13-14 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

But despite what the masses have said, only one thing matters.
Matthew 16:15 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

There is no greater calling upon a human life than to determine, what do you do with Jesus?

When you walk across God’s courtroom, only one thing will matter.
What did you do with Jesus?
There is no greater truth to be taught than the truth about Jesus.
And it is that truth we find in the Bible.

So let us begin to study about who this Jesus really is.
We begin this study by looking at:
Jesus: The Living Word

And there are 4 truths that I want you to see,
So that you may give Jesus the proper place in your life.
#1 THE PERSONALITY OF THE WORD
John 1:1-2

We are here talking about the word of God.

No verse in the Bible gives us a loftier view of the Word
Than this verse recorded in John.

In verse 1 John gives us 3 attributes of the Word

1) ETERNAL
“In the beginning was the Word”

You hear people talk about how you can’t believe the Word of God
Because it is 2,000 years old.
How wrong they are. It’s way older than that.

It is eternal.
It never had a beginning, it will never have an end.

Some day when history is completely unfolded
And we are able to see the beginning and the end of all things,
People will look and find that when the beginning happened,
The Word was already there.

And the Word will always be.
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

The Word of God is eternal.
Psalms 33:11 “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

It stands the test of time.
How many books have long since been placed on the shelf as outdated?
How many scholars have long since been proved wrong?

700 years ago, scholars knew the earth was flat.
Isaiah 40:22 “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”

400 years ago, scholars knew the earth was the center of the universe.
Job 38:33 “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth?”
THE WORD OF GOD IS ETERNAL
2) SUPERNAL (high in rank, exalted)
“and the Word was with God”

There is no higher or more exalted place.

But not only is the Word exalted in position,
The Word is exalted in prestige.

No word will ever be more exalted than the Word that is with God.
Psalms 19:7-11 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

3) SUPERNATURAL
“and the Word was God”

You understand this statement.
I could come up to you and say, “What do you do with Jesus?”
You would say, “Oh, that’s just Rory”

So it is with the Word. The Word was God
The Word is alive

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

Jeremiah 23:28-29 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

There is something about the Word of God.
It isn’t like reading from the Koran. It isn’t like reading from The Book of Mormon.
The Word has a way of penetrating your soul.
The Word has a way of exposing your secrets.
The Word has a way of guiding your steps.

The Word is supernatural.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
But then notice what John does here in verse 2.
“He was in the beginning with God.”
The title changes to “He”

When we talk about the Word, we are not talking about a concept,
We are talking about a person.
We are talking about Jesus.

This is fundamental to your faith.
Do not miss what I am about to say.
PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO SEPARATE JESUS FROM THE BIBLE
“They worship the Bible more than they worship Jesus”

YOU CANNOT SEPARATE THE TWO
THEY ARE ETERNALLY INTERTWINED
They stand together, and they fall together.

To obey one is to obey the other, to disobey one is to disobey the other.
To claim to obey Jesus, but not the Bible is an impossibility.
1 John 2:3-5 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:”

The Word is a He!
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

When you look at Jesus and the Bible,
Don’t see it as that which is separated,
Don’t even see it as that which is saturated.
See it as that which is synonymous.

The Jesus of the Bible is the Jesus we worship.
If you don’t obey the Bible, then you don’t obey Jesus.

This concept of separating the two,
Is conceived by men seeking to re-create a more self-pleasing Jesus

Impossible. “the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
The personality of the Word and the personality of Jesus
Are one and the same.
He is Eternal
John 8:58-59 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”

He is Supernal
John 17:4-5 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

He is Supernatural
Hebrews 1:1-4 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
The personality of the Word.
#2 THE POWER OF THE WORD
John 1:3
Take for a second and consider the power of God’s word.
The way John wants you to see it is by looking back at creation.

When you look back at the first chapter of Genesis,
You don’t find God doing anything.
He didn’t have to do anything; everything did just as He said.

Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”

Genesis 1:6-7 “Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.”

Genesis 1:9 “Then God said, ” Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.”

Genesis 1:11 “Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.”

Genesis 1:14-15
“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.”
Genesis 1:20-21 “Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:24 “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.”

Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

You don’t find God doing anything there.
He didn’t have to. His word was enough.
When God said, “Let there be light”, it had better come from somewhere.

(My Great-Grand Father would rattle his tea glass)
So it was with God, it is called authority.

This is what has blown the mind of scientists for years.
They can’t seem to figure out how it happened.
I’ll tell you how it happened, God told it to.

John Sullivan
“I’ll tell you where God came from. He came from no-where. There was no-where for Him to come from. I’ll tell you what God was standing on. Nothing. There was nothing to stand on. God came from no-where, standing on nothing, reached into everything took of something, hung it on nothing, and told it to stay there.”
And it was so.

Job 26:5-14 “The departed spirits tremble Under the waters and their inhabitants. “Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering. “He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing. “He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them. “He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness. “The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. “He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab. “By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

We are talking about the power of His Word.
(“Get your own dirt.”)
Only God has the power of creation, and when He wanted it, He spoke it.

Well let me tell you again, Jesus is the Word
“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Jesus created this world, it was made by Him and for Him.
He is the powerful spoken Word of God.

He is the ultimate picture of God’s authority.
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

John 5:22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

When Jesus wanted something done,
He didn’t have to do a thing, He only had to command it.
He healed the sick with a word.
He cleaned the lepers with a word.
He said, “Lazarus come forth.”

#3 THE PURPOSE OF THE WORD
John 1:4
You know why God gave us the Word. It was to benefit us.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

God’s Word is meant to bring life.
It is meant to Illumine men, to bring them to salvation.
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Proverbs 6:23 “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life”

It is impossible for you to enter eternal life apart from the Word of God.
Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Romans 10:14-17 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

It is the Word that is meant to give life and lead mean to salvation.
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

And of course this Word is Jesus.
“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 20:30-31 “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

The purpose of the Living Word was so that you might leave the life of darkness and be moved into eternal life in the Son of God.

#4 THE PERPLEXITY OF THE WORD
John 1:5

This is the real dilemma with the Word of God. Men didn’t pay attention to it.

Israel spent 40 extra years in the wilderness because they didn’t listen.
Moses only saw the Promised Land from a distance because he didn’t listen.
Jerusalem spent 70 years in Babylon because she didn’t listen.

Men didn’t pay attention to the Word of God.
Men did not grasp it as important.
And is this is exactly what men did, and do with Jesus.

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”

John 5:45-47 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

John 8:25-27 “So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.”

This world has been filled with men
Who were confronted with Jesus and did not comprehend it.

Hell is full of people who didn’t comprehend the Light.

Israel is a tragic example of this.
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

They did not recognize the light. They did not comprehend Jesus.

How about you?
John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

You see Jesus is the Living Word of God.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The way speaks of His Power
The truth speaks of His Personality
The life speaks of His Purpose

HAVE YOU EVER COME TO JESUS?
He is the greatest phenomenon this world has ever seen.
And He is the One you must do something with.

Your eternity doesn’t depend on who this world says Jesus is.
Your eternity doesn’t depend on who your parents say Jesus is.
Your eternity doesn’t depend on who your spouse says Jesus is.

Matthew 16:15 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”