Accept God's Promised Savior

John 1:1-18

December 23, 2007

v. 1 - "In the beginning was the Word" - He "was" -

He was not "created" - there never was a time

when Christ was not!

Rev. 13:8 - "the Lamb slain from the foundation of

the world"

I Peter 1:18-20

Christ's testimony - John 17:5,24

Heb. 11:1-3

v. 3 - "All things were made by Him" - there is a

Person great enough to create matter and

build worlds!

from nothing to something - this is one

impassible chasm which neither history,

nor science, nor philosophy can span -

that between nothing and something.

Romans 11:36 - man's origin, man's destiny.

"In Him we live and move and have our being"

Acts 17:28

"without Him not even one thing came into being!"

From eternity to time - from creation to the preservation

and providence of the world.

v. 4 - "In Him was life" - life that was, always has been,

is now and will ever be "the light of men"

It was in the beginning and can never cease to be - our

hope - we are and will always be!

"and the life was the light of men" - the conscience,

reason and the eye of the soul by which the human

race comes into contact with truth, right & beauty.

v. 5 - "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the

world, and men loved darkness rather than light,

because their deeds were evil" - ch. 3:19

the light shines into darkness - the darkness did not

scatter, suppress, absorb or neutralize the light -

even during times of moral collapse - corruption

in the world for the most part is impervious to

light, conscience and revelation!

Rom. 1:16,17, 19-21

Isaiah 29:16,20-21

Rom. 9:20-21a

Eph. 6:12

II Tim. 3:1,6a, 7, 8, 9 - "they shall proceed no further"

Rev. 22:10-17

Wed. night Bro. Kenneth Smith led in the singing of

"Joy to the World" - the fourth verse says " He rules

the world with truth and grace and makes the nations

prove the glories of His righteousness"

Page H of current notes on Genesis -

If I willfully keep my conscience in darkness and continue

in errors which I might easily know to be such by a little

thought and searching of God's Word, then my conscience

can offer me no excuse for I am guilty of blindfolding the

guide which I have chosen and then knowing him to be

blindfolded, I am guilty of the folly of letting him lead me

into rebellion against God.

v. 9 - illuminates every individual man in all time -

the light of higher reason and conscience - the

eye for heavenly light and the sphere for the

operation of grace - v. 17b

No man is left without some direct communication of

light from the Father of lights - that light may be quenched,

the eye of the soul may be blinded , the folly of the world

may obscure it (II Cor. 4:4,6-7), but the fundamental fact

remains - the veritable Light illumines every man - "the

grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all

men" - Titus 2:11

v. 10 - "the world knew Him not" - How could this be

The world is a synonym is the adverse power and order

of humanity - the organized resistance to the will of God -

and until it is illumined and regenerated by the

Spirit of God.

v. 11 -

v. 12 - all might believe - all might become sons by faith, but

alas, through darkness, prejudice, depravity, corruption.

they did not "apprehend"

v. 13 - this Divine begetting is explained and differentiated

from ordinary human life - this is the first place in

scripture in which the new birth is spoken of by name.

"born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the

will of man"

"but of God"

All believers know tht grace does not run in the blood, like

the seeds of health or disease - every godly parent who has

ungodly children, has sad knowledge of the fact - "that

which is born of the flesh is flesh"

There is no material origin of the new birth!

v. 14 - God became flesh - has set up His tabernacle among

us - the nature of the Godhead and the nature of

manhood are blended in one personality - like man

He was born, learned, tempted, suffered all the

human frailities and privations and finally, the

death on the cross!

Though Christ "emptied Himself" - Phil 2:7 - He did not

cease to be God - since He hath not ceased to be man - a

doctrine of great mystery!

v. 16 - A perennial supply of grace and truth (abundance)-

it is from this fount that we draw for the needs of

our lives.

We have all received - He is the vine - we the branches -

except we abide in Him, we can do nothing!

The only adequate response to Divine truth is faith!

v. 17 - "through Jesus Christ" - the highest manifestation

of Divine thought and love came through Jesus Christ!

Psalm 139:19-24