The Gospel According to John Friday Night Study Guide January 2014

1. The Gospel According to John Friday Night Study GuideJanuary 2014

2. The Gospel According to John (January 24, 2014) Chapter 1 – Verses # 1-3 • The Purpose of this Gospel as set forth in the Prologue (Definition of Prologue – the introduction of a statement or event that leads to the main point of a literary work or play)- To set forth Jesus Christ as the Son of God- The Gospel of Matthew sets forth Jesus in His Messianic Royalty: Mark’s Gospel as the Son of man and the Servant of God; Luke as the Son of man and the Savior of mankind- John’s Gospel exhibits Him in the glorious activity of His Divine Nature • The Subject of the Prologue- “The Word”- Jesus Christ is called “The Word” as He is the essential Revealer of the Divine Being- There is in the Divine Essence a principle by which God reveals Himself – “The Logos”; and a principle by which He communicates Himself – “The Spirit”(Definition of Principle – way of working: the way something or someone works) - He is the “express image” of the Father’s person (Heb. 1:3) just as a word is an image or picture of a thought - He is also the “Interpreter” of the Divine Will (Jn. 1:18) – “The only begotten Son, hath declared the Father”1. Through the Creation 2. Through the Prophets 3. Through the Incarnation 1

3. The Gospel According to John (January 24, 2014) • The Essential Nature of “The Word”1. He is an absolute Eternal Being A. The “beginning” carries us back to the initial point of time– well beyond in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth B. The Word existed in the beginning – whenever that was – The word “was” indicates a continual state. The Word was therefore in existence before time and before creation. It was “before” all things. It was from all eternity. Jesus spoke of the glory He had with the Father, before the world was..(Jn. 17:5)C. There never therefore was a time, when Christ “was not” – “The words ‘beginning’ and ‘was’ are like two anchors, which the ship of a man’s soul may depend upon, whatever storms of life may come” (Basil) 2. He is a distinct person from God, yet one with Him A. “And the Word was with God” – “With” – not in the sense of co-existence, or location, proximity or communion, but of a mysterious relation with God. The preposition with implies that The Word was with God, before He revealed God B. The Life Eternal was not only “manifested to men”, but it was WITH THE FATHER (1John 1:2) – not with God as to emphasize the distinction of the Persons in the Godhead, not with men or angels, as they were yet to be created, but with the Father in eternal glory. It was to The Word that the Father said – “Let us make man in our image and our likeness.” 2

4. The Gospel According to John (1-31-14) Chapter 1 – Verse # 4 “In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men” • “In him was life” – 1. He has the ability to “form or speak” matter into whatever state He desires and to give that matter “life” (#2222) Heb. (zÕe) That “matter” lives/exists by the Word of His Power i.e. He upholds all things by the Word of His Power. 2. His Life is a different kind of “Life” than that which He creates…His Life is best understood by the word “Light” #5457 (phÕs) which means to shine or make manifest by rays, luminousness, figuratively, “fire” • “and the Life was the Light of men”1. The Life that gives life (ZÕE) to men, desires to give men His Life which is (PHÕS) so that He might dwell among them. PHÕS life and ZÕE life cannot exist together – they are different “types” of Life – PHÕS consumes ZÕE; therefore ZÕE must be changed into PHÕS, so that the two may dwell together. PHÕS may put on the ZÕE life, but ZÕE may not put on PHÕS life – PHÕS must change ZÕE life into PHOS life, which is accomplished by activating a chemical in ZÕE which allows a metamorphosis to take place, thereby transforming ZÕE into PHÕS. 3

5. The Gospel According to John (1-31-14) 2. PHÕS is to “become” the LIGHT of men through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was:“The First-Begotten from the dead” – (Hebrews 1:6)“The Firstborn (from the dead) of the church (His ruling body consisting of all races, kindred, tongues, people & nations – (Rev. 5-9)“The Firstborn (from the dead) among many brethren (Israel) – (Rom. 8:29)“ The Firstborn (from the dead) of every creature (all creation) – (Col.1:15)3. Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead of a new creation which God ordained before the foundation of the world – Never before in ALL OF HIS CREATION had the Father and the Son, embarked on a plan to bring the CREATION through the experience of sin and death, that the creation might see the wisdom of God’s perfect law, having experienced the pain and suffering that result from disobedience, and that they might learn that the Law was given in LOVE by a faithful CREATOR Who would demonstrate His LOVE FOR all of His creation by allowing His only begotten son– Who never disobeyed, nor would He, because Had not the seed of sin in Him – to GIVE His life as a ransom for ALL. Once the penalty was paid, God could not allow death to hold the Righteous, and He “brought again from the dead” the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was raised a SPIRITUAL Body and Who thus became a “LIFE GIVING SPIRIT” – WHO will give this PHÕS life to all of His creation 4

6. The Gospel According to John (1-31-14) Who has the authority to give His Life (PHÕS) to whoever He determines is WORTHY of it. WORTHINESS is determined by the recipients willingness to “REPENT” of His disobedient ways, “BELIEVE” into the LORD JESUS CHRIST – that He was delivered for their offences and was raised for their justification – be “TRIED AND TESTED” and be “BAPTIZED” by the HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE and be conformed to the “IMAGE” of God’s dear Son. Having met these qualifications he or she will be added to the Lambs Book of Life and admitted to that city of cities, the NEW JERUSALEM – “whose gates are never shut at all by day: for there shall be no night (darkness) there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whosoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:25-27) 4. Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s will continue working through His Church (His Body) His Nation (Israel) to bring all nations (all creation) unto PHÕS life. Once this has been accomplished “GOD WILL HAVE BECOME ALL IN ALL”at which time the Son (The Lord Jesus Christ) will turn the entire (WORLD WIDE KINGDOM) over to the FATHER, who will then have not only a “model” universe from which to order all creation, but will have a vast number of servants – WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF SIN or DISOBEDIENCE because they possess the PHÕS LIFE – THEY ARE SONS OF GOD BY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST – HIS SONS SHALL BE “LIGHT” IN WHOM THERE IS NO DARKNESS (John 1:5) 5