Book of Signs - Week 1 - Part 1

Why did John write this book?

John 20:31 (The Amplified Bible): “But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting in and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name (that is, through what He is)”

A. The Gospel of John – The Gospel of Belief

The Apostle John wrote the Book of John so that his readers would believe (which would lead them to… eternal life).

B.The Gospel of John -- A Book of Love and Power

John fully understood the power of the “written word,” was a reflection of the “Living Word. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is alive and full of powerful, active, operative, energizing and effective, with the power to penetrate the deepest parts of our natures - our hearts! The written Word is alive because God breathed it upon men, who wrote it by the inspiration and anointing of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). God loves us so much, that He made a provision for us to have His words always before us, at just the turn of a page, always ready to speak life into our lives.

C.The Gospel of John - A Book of Guidance

Jesus said (John 14:6): “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”His written word gives us the means to discover that way, so that having read of it, we can ask the Holy Spirit to make it real in our lives, and as John has declared, have the very life of Christ, eternally within us!

D.The Gospel of John - A Book of Relationshipwith God

It shows us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Person with whom you can walk for all of your eternal life!

Power Words from the Apostle John’s Vocabulary

“Believe” (Verb “pist-you-o” as opposed to noun “pistis”)

John never uses the word “faith, or “belief.”” The emphasis is on taking action to believe. “belief.”

(Antithesis (opposite) -- “I will not believe ...” ‘Thomas’)

“Life” John emphasizes the opposition of life to death. Life comes from believing.

“Sign” (miracles, wonders, works and signs)

Jesus’ signs always had a purpose: that people would believe.

There are at least seven important signs in John’s Gospel.GO TO PAGE 2

Miracle or Sign / Significance / Ref.
1. Water to wine / Shows His glory/instill belief / 2:1-11
2. Healing the official’s son / Miracles are not restricted by distance / 4:46-54
3. Healing the man at the pool of Bethesda / 1. Required no works on the part of the man. 2. God is sovereign. 3. Sin can cause sickness. / 5:1-18
4. Feeding 5000 / God works miracles through people / 6:5-14
5. Walking on water / No limits on God. He is omnipotent. / 6:16-21
6. Restoring sight to a blind man / At times, a miracle requires us to do our part. God does miracles in different, mysterious ways. / 9:1-7
7. Lazarus is raised from the dead. / 1. His omnipotence, even over death. 2. A context for His resurrection statement. 3. A show of God’s compassion / 11:1-45

Eight times in John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke the words “I AM.”

Jesus’ words / Significance / Ref.
1. / I AMthe Bread of life. / 1. Jesus is able to take what you have and multiply it. / 6:35
2. / I AMthe Light of the World. / He is the true Light that drives away darkness. / 8:12, 9,5
3. / I AMthe Door. / He is the only way to enter heaven. / 10:9
4. / I AMthe Good Shepherd. / He would lay down His life for us. / 10:11
5. / I AMthe Resurrection and the Life. / This is why we can fully trust Him.
He is fully God. / 11:25
6. / I AMthe Way, the Truth and the Life. / Illustrates that He is the only One who is whatever we need. / 14:6
7. / I AMthe true vine. (vs. 1 only) / Significance of the connection / 15:1; 5
8. / I AM(Before Abraham was…) / He controlled the timing of His death as He stated His eternal diety. / 8:58

What did God say to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13- 14)? Why did the Pharisees want to kill Jesus?

“Truth”

Jesus described Himself as “the truth” (John 14:6). He became the highest revelation of God, because He came as God. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”describes “the “incarnation”. John’s Gospel is a Gospel of absolute moral truth. John’s ‘vocabulary includes such words as “verily, verily,” which means “truly, truly.”

“Knowing”or “Know”

John illustrates that Jesus expected men and women to know and understand the facts and then to act on them. The idea is not just to acquire knowledge, but to possess within yourself its meaning for your life, so it transformsyour thinking and actions.

GO TO PAGE 3.

“Witness”(“marturia”occurs 47 times as both a noun and verb.)

John was an eyewitness to the character and significance of Christ. There are eight significant mentions of the witness to Jesus’ deity in the Gospel of John.

(Fill in the Scripture References)

Witness / Significance / Ref.
1. / The witness of the Father / 5:7, 31, 34, 37; 8:18
2. / The witness of the Son / 3:11; 8:14, 18; 18:37
3. / The witness of the Holy Spirit / 15:26; 16:13, 14
4. / The witness of the Scriptures / 1:45, 46; 5:39-40, 46
5. / The witness of the works of Jesus / 5:17, 36; 10:25; 14:11; 15:25
6. / The witness of the Baptist / 1:7-8; 5:33, 35
7. / The witness of the disciples / 15:27; 19:35; 21:24
8. / The witness of transformed lives
(Most significant of all witnesses) / 4:39; 9:25,38; 12:17

E.The Concept of “Father”

The concept of God as “a personal Father” was offensive to the Jews. They could not accept what Jesus taught about the Father and the relationship to God that He enjoyed. A reading of John 17 gives a clear picture of this relationship. A reading of John 8 gives a picture of the conflict with Jewish tradition that revolved around this question of the Father/Son relationship.

F. John’s writing style

John wrote in a style that was climactic. His writing led to an apex, which occurs in John 20:28. John’s style was selective. Very few days of Jesus’ ministry are described in the Gospel of John. It is an extended narrative. The meanings of events are given in depth. People are featured. John was a good observer of people.

GO TO PAGE 4. Christ, the Word of God

John begins his Gospel narrative with an awareness that Jesus existed eternally before time, before creation. He focused on the preincarnate, fully divine Christ, who became flesh, fully human (and divine) in His own creation.Chapter 1 has a single purpose – To show the divine nature and purpose of the Word of God.

John 1:1, 2 – 10 gives us many truths.

1. “In the beginning”Refers to eternity past. / 4. The Word is deity. / 7. The Word is the expression of God. / 10. The Word is the Son of the Father.
2. The person and personality of the Word is seen. / 5. The Word and the Father are One. / 8. He always was and always will be. / Can you add any other truths?
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
3. The Word actively communicates as one with the Father. / 6. The Word, though one with God is separate from God. ???? / 9. He became flesh (fully human) to live among His people.

John 1:3 – The Contrast between Creator and Creation

In Genesis 1:1-3, God spoke and said,“Let there be light” (Let there be the substance of light where there was previously absolutely nothing).

Notice the contrast: The Eternal Word, Jesus, has always existed and was never created. However, the existence and substance of time and space was created in an instant by what Jesus spoke.

  1. The light stands in complete contrast to darkness.
  2. There is a never-ending state of hostility between light and darkness.

Read JOHN 1:14Amplified.

John 1:6-8 – His Forerunner, John the Baptist

John the Baptist was sent from God as a witness.He was not the Light. In comparison to Christ, he was nothing, even though he was the greatest Old Testament prophet. The thing that made the Baptist something was his relationship to, and understanding of Christ.

John 1:14 – The Incarnation of Christ

Christ became the God-Man. This is referred to by the Greek word “Kenosis.” Also, the “Only begotten of the Father” refers to a unique relationship that can never be duplicated.

The term “Only Begotten Son” is found only in John 1:14, 1: 18; John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:5-9)Do you think John 1:14 might be one of the greatest verses in the Bible?Jesus is unique in that He alone of has the fullness of the nature of God.

GO TO PAGE 5.

Personal Study Guide

Reference / Key words / Key Thoughts or Questions
John 1:1 / “Was”
A. With God
B. God
C. In the beginning
“the Word” / The Preincarnate Work of Christ
  1. The Triune Godhead, eternally co-located, in eternity past – a timeless and formless place, without dimension or boundary.
  2. Christ’s identity = Inseparable from and completely identifiable as the Almighty. There is no separating the unity of God the Father, the Son or the Spirit.
  3. When time began, it began through the agency of God who was its first cause and preceded time in His eternal existence.
What does “the Word” mean to you?
  • The exclusive Word
  • A word brings a thought, a concept, a message … “the Word” brings a message with all the wisdom and revelation of God behind the message. When “the Word” speaks, whatever He speaks comes to pass with inevitability and accuracy.
  • A word can be inaccurate, misleading and confusing, but THE Word is always completely accurate, truthful, trustworthy, and is able to end confusion completely.

2 / “Was”
A. With God in the beginning /
  1. Repeats (A. & C.) for emphasis

3 / “ through Him”
  1. All things
  2. Without Him … nothing was made
/
  1. No exemptions – He is the Creator of everything – the Facilitator and Controller of all that exists. You cannot go around Jesus and expect anything of lasting good.
  2. This verse is repetition for clarity. Jesus is the Creator of everything. His permission for our lives, health, activities and even our continued existence is necessary.

4 / “In Him.”
  1. was life
  2. life was light (of men)
/
  1. Christ alone, exclusively, is the Source of life. Do not look for life anywhere else or from anyone else.
  2. He is the source of our being. In Him we find the definition of life.

5 / “Shines into darkness”
A. darkness does not comprehend /
  1. This contrast of light and darkness shows the absolute opposite or polarity; that is … the difference between the presence of God and His absence.
  • Without Him there is nothingness.
  • Those who live without Him are in a state of nothingness are spiritually deaf, dumb and blind and ultimately dead.
  • Without Him there is only a hopelessly cold, dark existence and dreadful future.

6 / John … “Sent from God” /

The Forerunner of Christ

There was a purposeful destination in the heart of John the Baptist. He was aware that God had sent Him. He knew of His purpose and the identity of His Sender.
7 / John … “a witness”
  1. A witness
  2. This man came for “a witness”
  3. The subject of his testimony was to be “the Light.”
/
  1. A witness is someone who has gained and shares his or her information based on firsthand knowledge and experience.
  2. John’s purpose was to be the witness.
  3. Jesus Christ was the subject of John’s testimony, the Focus of his purpose.

7 / “through him … might believe”
A. might believe / A. This verse clearly points to Jesus alone, as the Light to believe in.
8 / “not that light”
  1. That light
  1. sent as a witness
/
  1. This is a clear statement that John the Baptist was simply a man obeying God but had no deity in him. His purpose was to testify to a specific One (the only One) who was coming. John was not the One who was coming.
  2. People always look for a man to follow. John was not the man to follow. It is easy to take our eyes off God and follow a man. Paul said: “follow me as I follow Christ.”

9 / “the true Light”
  1. true
  2. gives light to every man
  3. to every man
/

The Rejection of Christ

  1. There can be false lights, imposters.
  2. Imposters are incapable of giving the truth out of lies. The true Light gives light.
  3. Anybody can have the light. There is no exclusivity, nobody is rejected who wants and seeks the Light.

10 / “He was in the world”
  1. in the world
  1. made through Him
  1. the world did not know Him
/
  1. The true Light was now physically among the people He had created. This was a statement that something was different. The coming of the Messiah was no longer a future event.
  2. This verse is a restatement of Verse 3, identifying the Word, now identified as the Light, as the Creator. At the time of this announcement, the Creator is now physically among the people of the world.
  3. The Word’s existence as One who was now living in the form of a man was hidden from the world until this time when John’s testimony would reveal it.

11 / “His own”
  1. He came to His own
  2. His own did not receive Him
/

(This verse is a footnote by the author)

  1. God chose the Israelites to be the context within which He would write salvation history. The history of these people would be the one in which He would reveal Himself and from which He would define the universal need for His salvation.
  2. The author looked ahead to the rest of the story, knowing that the majority of the Jews would reject Him.

12 / “Children of God … those who believe”
  1. as many as received Him
  2. He gave the right
  3. To become children of God
/

The Acceptance of Christ

  1. A repetition of the message of verse 9: Anybody can have the light. There is no exclusivity in God’s heart. Nobody is rejected who wants and seeks the Light.
  2. Believing in Jesus is a right given to everyone who desires to do so.
  3. Everyone who desires has the right to become part of God’s family. Family goes much deeper than any other kind of connection.

13 / “Born, not of blood … but of God.”
  1. Born, not of blood
  1. nor of the will of the flesh, nor of man
  1. but of God
/

(Note the connection to verse 12)

  1. This verse speaks of being born, not according to the normal definition of human birth. It is a birth that uniquely occurs only when a person steps into the miraculous provision of God.
  2. This miraculous birth has spiritual roots within us. Its accomplishment gives no credit to our human, sinful natures. It is a gift of God, not a product of man.
  3. Only God’s will and God’s agency is the cause of being born into His family.

14 / “The Word became flesh”
  1. became flesh
  1. Dwelt among us
  2. Beheld His glory
/

The Incarnation of Christ

  1. The impossible became possible with God. This event is only understood by faith because it flies in the face of human reason.
  2. What does “to dwell” really mean?
  3. How awesome is it to behold the glory of God? In the Old Testament, such a thing was impossible. Jesus, full of glory, grace and truth. What a sight!

15 / “bore witness” and “cried out”
“Saying …” /

(Continues the thoughts in verses 7 & 8)

Silence is not the characteristic of a witness. Silent witnesses are reluctant, fearful, uncooperative witnesses. John cried out!

16 / Saying … “of His fullness”
  1. Fullness
  2. Grace for grace
/

(A connection to verse 14 and a continuation of verse 15 …

what John the Baptist is “saying”)

  1. God has it all for us. He is not stingy or withholding. What He has given us is not lacking. The fullness of His giving shows His completely abundant nature and provides us more than enough.
  2. The meaning of “Grace for grace” can be easily understood if you think of it in terms of “One blessing after another.” They just keep coming. Most of the time we fail to recognize our daily blessings from God.

17 / “but”
  1. the law was given through Moses
  2. grace and truth came through Jesus Christ
/
  1. These are rules carved by the finger of God on stone tables. They were given through an imperfect human mediator, long since dead and powerless.
  2. These are descriptive of our rights, privileges and responsibilities carved by the finger of God on receptive softened hearts. They were given through a perfect human and divine Mediator who retains the power to guarantee them.

18 / “seen God”
  1. No one
  2. (the Son) He has declared Him.
/
  1. God is a Holy God. He is Spirit. He is too holy for sinful man to behold.
  2. Now, through the shed blood of Christ, we will one day behold Him, face to face. We know of His unlimited love for us and understand more fully how His love affects our eternity.

19 / “Who are you?”
The testimony / John’s Witness to the Pharisees and Levites
The purpose of testimony is to answer questions. Testimony, when given correctly, clarifies and reveals truth (if it is truthful testimony). John the Baptist had a purpose – to reveal the truth.

1.

The Teaching of Dr. Bob Abramson

TCISchool of Ministry Curriculum 2011\Year 1\John - Book of Signs