1 John 1:19

John 1:19 says, And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? We read that the Jews sent priests and Levites to find out who John the Baptist professed to be.  Even before Jesus began His earthly ministry, the Jewish leaders were questioning any speaking about the Messiah.  We today need to make sure that those proclaiming Christ are doing so to bring glory to God.  I don't feel that the Jewish leaders were wrong to question John, since they had a responsibility as God's people to make sure no false prophets rose to power.  We as God's people today have that same responsibility.  Verse twenty adds, And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.  When asked, John told them he was not the Messiah.  Verse twenty-one continues, And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.  They then asked if he were Elias, and he said no, or this prophet, and he said no.  Verse twenty=two concludes, Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?  They wanted to know the source of his authority to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.  He was simply John the Baptist, acting under the power of his calling by God.  If we are proclaiming Christ and anyone asks us who we are, we can only answer that we are a follower of Christ, acting under His authority.  Verse twenty-three states, He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.  John said he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias; or Isaiah.  He was doing nothing against the Scriptures.  We need to make sure if someone is proclaiming Christ today that what they proclaim is consistent with the Scriptures.  Verse twenty-four adds, And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.  Verse twenty-five continues, And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?  Those sent to question John the Baptist wanted to know, if he were none of those mentioned, why he was baptizing people.  Knowing a person's motivation is always a good thing.  If John were doing this for personal gain, the religious leaders needed to know, as would we today with anyone who is becoming well known because of their proclaiming Christ. Verse twenty-six says, John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; John said he baptized in water, but One was standing among them, who they knew not, Who was preferred above John.  Verse twenty-seven adds, He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. He said this was One whose sandals he was not worthy to unlatch.  We can never be worthy of the love of Christ, and He will always be preferred above all others, because He is the only way for people to be restored to God. 

John 1:16

John 1:16 says, And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.  John the Baptist continues to speak of Jesus, and how we all received His fullness, grace for Grace.  Christ never lacks in His ability to provide for His followers.  We do His work by His guidance and from His never-ending provision for us.  When we, as His followers, serve the Creator of all things, why do we so often feel that we cannot afford to do whatever He calls us to do.  Sometimes I wonder how small we really feel God is.  We have received the fullness of Christ, not some small percentage.  We receive this fulness by His grace, the unmerited gift of God.  As we have received the blessings of life through His grace, we are called to reach out to the rest of the world in Grace.  We cannot wait for people to become worthy of our love and compassion.  We are to reach out to them as God reached out to us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  We want forgiveness by the grace of God, but do not want to offer forgiveness to others. Verse seventeen continues, For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  Verse eighteen concludes, No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.  John the Baptist stated that the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  We hear a lot today about displaying the Ten Commandments, but we must realize they can only point to our inability to live up to God's calling.  We are told they are to be written on our hearts.  In other words, they are not just words engraved in stone, but living words in our hearts.  Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  This is what we should be concentrating on.  The law was fulfilled in Christ, by His truth and grace.  It seems at times that we are more concerned with displaying the Ten Commandments than we are in living by them.  What we need to display is the grace of God in our lives. 

  

John 1:15

John 1:15 says, John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. John the Baptist again told the people that Jesus was the One he had been talking about. Christianity is never about who we are, but always about Who He is.  People may point to a Christian and talk about how good they are, but if so, it needs to be because they reflect Christ.  There are many good people in the world who do many good things, but they either don't know Christ or do not reflect His glory.  There are others who profess Christ as their Savior, but don't reflect Him in their actions and attitudes.  Our purpose as followers of Christ is to reflect His glory in all that we do.  Once more, we are not called to give up on the world and cower in fear, but we are to work so that the lost might be redeemed.  When Christianity becomes a religion of hate and exclusion, then it becomes simply a religion.  Christianity is always about a relationship with Christ, and not about our goodness and what we deserve.  John the Baptist did everything to point people to Christ. We must be the same way. Following Christ is a choice, and even though once we accept Him as our Savior we are saved forever, it is still a choice we must make every day as to whether or not we will reflect His glory to the world.  We have the power of God dwelling in us, through the Holy Spirit, and we sit around defeated, because the world is so bad.  If God's people will claim the power of God in their lives, then we will reflect hope and forgiveness to a lost and dying world.  People have never seen God except through Jesus Christ. We are to reflect Christ to the world so that they might see God. 

John 1:14

John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."  Jesus was totally man and totally God. We sometimes hear people say that Jesus could not have sinned because He was born without a sin nature.  I guess that is where I differ in my understanding of sin compared to some.  If I was born already condemned to sin with no choice in the matter, how can God condemn me.  He would have made me that way.  We are not punished for the sins of Adam and Eve, or any other long forgotten relative.  We are condemned for our own rebellion against God.  If Jesus had no ability to seek the will of the world instead of the will of the Father, then He was not fully human.  We hear people justify their actions by saying they are only human, as if this removes the responsibility from them.  Jesus showed us what it means to be only human.  God created man and woman and pronounced them very good.  Still, He gave them free will and has to every person since. Those who walked with Jesus beheld His glory.  This does not mean He had a halo hanging over His head or some kind of mystical aura.  It means by His actions and His very nature, people saw His glory.  Some believed and some denied Who He was, and still do today.  As His followers, people should see the glory of God reflected through us, by our actions and our very nature.  If we are judgmental and act superior to everyone, God's glory is not going to shine through.  We can never be the only begotten of the Heavenly Father, but we can be His child.  When we speak of Jesus as the Son of God, we must never forget the Only Begotten Son.  He is the only One Who can restore our relationship to God because He is the Only One Who overcame sin and defeated death. 

John 1:12

John 1:12, says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name."   Verse thirteen adds, "Which were, born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of me, but of God."  Christ came to save all.  Yes, He went first to the Jews, not so they would alone be saved, but so they could share the gospel with all people.  When Christ calls us to Him, it is not so we can keep salvation for ourselves.  We, as His people, have a responsibility to share the gospel with all people.  The Jews, God's chosen people, failed to accept Him because He wasn't what they wanted.  They wanted worldly power, but Christ offered the power to become sons of God.  When we begin to feel weak in the eyes of the world, remember we have the power of being a child of God.  The only way the world can defeat us is if they defeat our Heavenly Father.  We were all born into this world, whatever state it may be in.  That makes us a human, no better or worse than any other human.  It does not make us a child of God.  Now, I personally believe that until we reach the age where we know right from wrong and choose the wrong that we are His.  Sin, our sin, is what separates us, and choosing Christ as our Savior is what restores us.  I have heard some people say that they are a Christian, but they don't believe in the idea of being born again.  Since that is the cornerstone of salvation, you cannot be one without the other.  As a follower of Christ, we are born again by faith in Christ.  My will, my power, my abilities, will not save me.  Only the will and power of God can save me.  His will is for all to be saved, but the choice belongs to each individual whether they will be or not.  In order to be born again, we must confess our sins.  If we say we are a Christian, but we have never done anything to need forgiveness for, then we make either ourselves or God a liar.  Only One has ever lived Who needed no forgiveness, and that was Jesus, the Christ. 

John 1:7

John 1:7 says, The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  John the Baptist was there to prepare people to get ready for the coming of Christ, the Messiah, and then have them follow Christ.   He came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. Some people even thought John might be the Messiah. When people are hungry for hope, they will look to anyone for that hope.  John the Baptist was a good man to listen to, even to follow, but he was not the Messiah.  Today, people follow religious leaders as if they were the answer to life's problems themselves.  If they do not point you to following Christ and away from following them, then something is wrong. Verse eight continues, He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  Verse nine says, That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  Again, everything we teach must be founded in the Bible, so we must know what it actually says.  Jesus was and is the true Light of the world. We, like John the Baptist are sent, as followers of His, into the world to bear witness to that Light. Verse ten adds, He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  Verse eleven continues, He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  When Jesus was in the world, a world made by Him, the world did not acknowledge Him.  He had a few who believed and followed, but even they did not understand Who He really was until after His death, burial, and resurrection.  We today need to understand Who we really follow.  He is not just a man Who walked and taught and died and rose again over two thousand years ago.  He was and is the Creator of this world, and He has promised that He will be with those who put their faith in Him in an even more powerful way through the Holy Spirit.   We need to claim that Power.  John the Baptist boldly proclaimed the coming of Christ in the corrupt and evil world in which he lived.  Even the leaders of God's people refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  Today, we have religious leaders who are more concerned with maintaining their status than with sharing the gospel with all people.  We need to be more like John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness of lost people, make ready the way of the Lord.  If we truly believe the end is near, we need to be witnessing to as many as we can instead of withdrawing in fear and anguish.  Our commission was not to withdraw and hang on, but to go and witness.  Jesus came to the Jews first and they did not receive Him.   

John 1:3

John 1:3 says, All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  John tells us that through the Word, Christ Himself, everything was made.  He was not just with God but was the Creator of everything.  I am not sure there are any words to accurately describe the Trinity, but again, there is but One God, manifested as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We in the church today are guided by the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is not a replacement for the God of the Old Testament or for Jesus.  God is all Three, and all Three are God.  John was declaring Jesus the Creator of all things.  He spoke into being all things, except man who was created from the dust in the image of God, and woman who was created from the rib of man.  If anyone states that we are no different than any other animal, they are wrong.  Some religions believe that Jesus was not the only begotten Son of God, but that He had a heavenly father and mother, who had a heavenly father and mother.  We can never allow that belief to become acceptable in Christianity.  God did not say "I became," but "I Am."  God always was, before anything else. He is without beginning or end.  He is the One Who created and sustains the universe.  Verse four adds, In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  Verse five continues, And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  Christ came to bring life, everlasting, meaningful life, to mankind and to be a Light unto the world.  Until a person accepts Christ as a personal Savior, life is without meaning. We stumble around in darkness looking for hope and purpose.  Through Christ, we find light and meaning in life.  Verse six concludes, There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  Then John told about John the Baptist, who was beginning to have people follow him, some even thinking he might be the Messiah.  When people are hungry for hope, they will look to anyone for that hope.  John the Baptist was a good man to listen to, even to follow, but he was not the Messiah.  Today, people follow religious leaders as if they were the answer to life's problems themselves.  If they do not point you to following Christ and away from following them, then something is wrong.

John 1:1

 

John 1:1, says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  At the beginning of the world, the Word, Christ, already existed.  In the beginning does not mean that God suddenly appeared at some point.  God has always and will always be.  Verse two adds, The same was in the beginning with God.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the Three in One, have always been and will always be. The Christ we serve as our Savior did not come into existence a little over two thousand years ago.  He always has been.  Neither is He a second God, but He is God. Though He would become a man during His ministry on earth, He did not cease to be God.  Though I cannot explain the Three in One nature of God effectively, I can accept in faith that it exists.  Though we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as being different Beings. They are not.  There is but one God, shown to us in three different manifestations.  We must never try to make the three into different Gods.  I have heard people say they believe in Jesus as their Savior but want nothing to do with the God of the Old Testament.  We must realize and acknowledge that they are the same.  Since the beginning, Christ has been God.  There is no Old Testament God Who is not the New Testament God.  So, as His followers, even if we cannot totally understand the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the One true God, we must accept the fact by faith.  Jesus, our Redeemer, always was and always will be God.

Acts Review Continued

In the Book of Acts, we have the record of Paul's many missionary journeys and the gospel going to the Gentiles by his work.  We also find Paul eventually in Rome as a prisoner.  If we are going to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ, we must be willing to face imprisonment if necessary.  The Book of Acts tells us about the disciples spreading of the gospel to the world around them, but it also tells us of disagreements in the early church, so we shouldn’t be surprised if there are disagreements in the church today.  They resolved their disagreements and the work of the church continued effectively, and if we have disagreements, we must do the same.   

Acts Review comtinued

The Book of Acts tells us of many miracles that the disciples did through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are told of the escape of apostles after they had been put in a common prison under guard by a miracle from God.  If we are doing God’s work, we will never be confined forever, even if we are in this lifetime.  We learn of the appointing of the first deacons to do the administrative tasks in the church so that the apostles would be free to prepare and preach.  This is still the purpose of deacons today.  We are told about the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the seven deacons, and of a young man named Saul, who would later become known as Paul, consenting to his death.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are all guilty crucifying Jesus and persecuting His followers, whether we are doing it actively or not.  We learn of Paul’s later conversion on the Damascus road as he was on the way to persecute Christians and the great Change the at came over him.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should be forever changed and become zealous about reaching others with the gospel. 

Acts Review

The Book of Acts tells us of the beginning of the spreading of the gospel and the growth of the early church.  It was written by Luke.  It starts with the disciples being told to wait for the coning of the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter Who was to be with all Christians after Jesus was no longer with them physically. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord today, we don’t have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, because He immediately indwells us.  No one gets any more or any less of the Holy Spirit.  They were warned against just standing gazing into heaven where Jesus had ascended, and we today should not just be standing and gazing into heaven looking for his return.  We are told of the need to replace Judas and their doing so with Matthias, who followed them from the beginning.  When one church leader dies, we certainly need to replace them.  We have a record of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the disciples being able to speak to people in their language which the disciples had not known.  We’re told that this was a fulfillment of a prophesy in Joel about sons and daughters, servants and handmaidens prophesying in the last days.  There truly is no male or female spiritually in God’s view, but all are called to do God’s work.  We learn about Peter boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ, who had been crucified by the religious leaders, being the coming Messiah and the only way to salvation, even though it mad them angry.  We can only tell the truth about Jesus Christ, no matter how it makes people feel.  Acts tells us that the believers had everything in common, meeting the needs of all.  We usually don’t want to accept this as a literal statement about how we as believers should live today. We are also told of Ananias and Sapphira selling some property and claiming to give it all to the disciples and lying about it by keeping part of the money for themselves, and their death because of it.  It wasn’t the amount given that caused their death, but their lying to the disciples and God about it.