Illus:   In the jungles of South American was a remote primitive tribe of Indians that had little or no contact with the outside world.   They lived hard lives and difficult lives.    Many of their children died before reaching one year old.   Their life expectancy was only 35 years.   If a person reached the age of forty they were considered very old.

         The government tried to reach them, but they killed any stranger that came into their land.   Because they were so savage no one would venture into their area.

         Yet, a missionary named Jim Ellott, learned about them and had a deep burden to carry the Gospel to them.   It was a hard and dangerous under taking, yet Jim Ellott knew they needed to hear of their Creator and God.  There were several attempts made, and them they went in on foot to try and make contact with the  primitive people.    After not hearing from them for sometime an exposdition was sent in to try and see what had happened.   They found Jim Ellott and his companions all slain beside a river.  They people they went in to help had murdered them.

         Later his wife was able to return with the help of a native girl from the village, and in time some of the very natives who had killed her husband came to Jesus Christ and were saved.

         In a much greater way, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior came to earth to help us.   To free us from sin and death and He too was rejected and they nailed Him to a cross and crucified Him.   How tragic that our Creator came to earth, and yet most of mankind even today will not accept His help or His great offer of salvation and rather remain in their sins, lost wasting their lives to in time die and spend an eternity in hell forever separated from their loving God and Savior.   Willing being blind to the help that is but a prayer away.

        Last week we saw that from the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, God promised a Savior.    Down through the ages the men looked to the day when He would appear.     We saw that from Abraham and the beginning of Nation of Israel that God promised that from Abraham's seed would come the Savior and "all the nations of the earth would be blessed."

         And almost 2000 years ago the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus was born to a virgin, in a little town near Jerusalem called Bethlehem.  His birth was prophesied for centuries and His coming fulfilled over 300 prophesies which even foretold the town He would be born in, the year, that He would be born of a virgin, of the tribe of Judah.     His birth was proclaimed by angels and in Matthew 1:23, His name is proclaimed as "Emmanuel" meaning "God with us."

         Last week we looked at John chapters 7-8, and saw clearly   that Jesus proclaimed that He was God.  His birth, life, message, miracles and death proved without doubt that He was the promised One, the Savior of the Word.   Jesus Christ was Almighty God, incarnate in Flesh.   He was wholly God and wholly man.

         John stated the purpose of this Gospel in John 20:31.

            "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

         John deals with the nature and person of Jesus Christ.  God in the Book of John establishes the deity of Christ and who He is.

     A. John establishes who Jesus is in the Titles that John uses to describe Jesus Christ:

         1. John 1:1,  Jesus is called the "Word."
         2. John 1:29, the "Lamb of God"
         3. John 1:41, the "Messiah"
         4. John 1:49, the "Son of God" and the "King of Israel."
         5. John 4:42,  the "Savior of the world."
         6. John 20:28,  "Lord and . . .God"
 
     B. John establishes the deity of Jesus Christ by recording ten  times that Jesus specifically referred to Himself as "I AM"  which is the title only of Jehovah God Himself.    (John 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 9, 11, 14, 11:25, 14:6, ,15:1, 5)

     C. Let us now look at John 1 and see what it tells us of who Jesus Christ is.     Please note that the verb used is not "was" but "is" because He is our living Savior, who now stands at the right hand of God making intercession for all who will believe in Him and receive Him as their Lord and Savior.

I.  Jesus Christ was God before the World Began.  John 1:1.

     A. There is not stronger statement in the Bible than this verse.

          1. In the beginning.   This means the beginning of time        and the beginning of the world.
          2. At the beginning of time...Jesus Christ was.

     B. The verse refers to Jesus Christ as the "Word."

          1. The Greek word is "logos."
          2. The word refers to truth, revelation and the wisdom        of God.  It refers to the source of the truth...the        Person from which the truth comes.
          3.  You cannot separate Jesus Christ from Truth          because  He is Truth, He is the Word of God.
          4. The "Logos" was with God and was God.  This attests the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who are One  God.

      C.  The verse further says that "the Word was God."

          1. There is not article before "theos" in Greek grammar indicate that "God" is the predicate.

          2. The question that is raised is not who is God, but who is the "Word" because the "Word" is the subject.

          3. The Sentence says the Word was God.  This is an emphatic statement.   Who ever is the Word is God.

          4. In John 1:14, God tells us that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory.   Clearly this is a reference only to Jesus Christ.

          5. In verse 18, John makes the point that although no man has ever seen God Himself who is spirit, we Jesus and thus see God incarnate in flesh or in human form.

     D. John 1:2, restates and repeats that Jesus was with God which refers to the Trinity.  

II. Jesus Christ is proclaimed to be the Creator.

     A. Note again John 1:3.  "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

          1. The verb "was made" means  "came into being."
          2. It is significant because it literally means "it came into being out of nothing."
          3. This single verse refutes every form of evolution.
          4. In our early message we saw that "Elohim" which is the        plural name for   God is used in Genesis 1 and 2.  This        gives further evidence of the Trinity.
          5. It is the  Logos from which the Creation came.  He God       is the source.

     B. Hebrews 1:3, 10, proclaim Christ as the Creator.

     "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; . . .And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:"

     C. Colossians 1:-15-17, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature:  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
 
     D.  Jesus Christ is God and thus He is our Creator.

          1. Literally, verse threes is saying that "apart from Jesus Christ not one thing came into existence and exists today."

          2. It is Jesus Christ who at this moment holds and powers the Universe.  All things exist through Him.

III. In Jesus Christ is Life, and the Life was the Light of Men.   John  4:4.   Life came from Jesus Christ.

       A.  Evolution teaches that life came from inert matter.   In    some primeval soup, the right minerals came together and    life was begun.    They tell us that it will be possible in    time for man through science to figure out the method and    proper ingredients and life will be made in a test tube.

     B.  However, God says that life came from the LOGOS or  Jesus Christ.   Note it says "in him was life."

 ILLUS: Take a dead body of anything that was alive and  let it die.   What ever caused the death of the living being could be repaired immediately, but life does not return to  the body.    Life is not in matter, but in God, Jesus  Christ who created life.

     C.  Jesus Christ is the Creator of Spiritual Life   V.4

          1. "And the life was the light of men."

          2.  In the Garden, God formed the earth which He made
  from man.   After forming the earth, the first thing created   on it was light.  God brought light to dispel the darkness.

          3. Jesus called Himself the Light of the World.

              John 8:12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
              John 9:5,   "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
              John 12:46,   "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

          4. Jesus made the contrast between darkness and light.  This brings us the next point.

IV.  Jesus Christ overcame the Darkness of Sin.  John 1:5.

     A. The light shined in the darkness and the darkness "comprehended" it not.  The word is "kata-lamb-an-o" which means to "apprehend."

          1.  In other words,  darkness did not "lay hold of" or   overcome, overwhelm or overpower the light.   Jesus   Christ overcame the sin of the world

          2.  John 1:9, explains that this was the true light that   lighteth every man that comes into the world.

     B. This stresses the contrast between true spiritual light of Jesus Christ  and the false substitute that is offered by the Devil.

      1.  Men have from the beginning of sin entering the world tried to offer a substitute for the true light.
      2. Yet, all men's efforts are but feeble copies.

     C. The Jesus Christ the Creator and Sustainer of life came into the world, but the world knew Him not.   John 1:10.

          1. Verse 11, says He came to His own and His own did not receive him.

          2. Romans 1:18-20. READ.   Verse 20, says that "The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse."
 
          3. Because of sin and man's love of sin, man has rejected God's truth.  John 3:19.

V. The Good News. John 1:12-14.

     A. No matter how much the world rejects Christ, He remains the Savior.

          1. Remember Verse 5?   The darkness did not apprehend or overcome the light.
          2. Jesus Christ came into the world and died for the sins of the world that He might offer grace to all who will believe and accept His offer of mercy.

     B. Verse 12, says He gave the power to become the sons of God to all that believe on His name.

          1. As always the God makes it clear that salvation is not that which can be earned or merited by any man.    Man cannot save himself, and God knowing that came to earth, took human from and walked among us.   He willingly went to the cross and took all our sins in His own body.

          2. God gave man a will, made him in His own image and took all man's failure's upon Himself and suffered for our disobedience.

     C. Jesus Christ was the Only Begotten of the Father.

Conclusion:

 1. There are two basis types of people in the world today.
 
  ONE: Those who reject Jesus Christ and refuse to place their belief and trust in Him.

  TWO: There are those who do believe.  Who welcome the Good News that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, to forgiven their sins, give them eternal life.

 2.  These truths presented to us from God, through John the greatest truths on earth.    Man came be saved from sin and go to heaven when he dies.