Five Keys (Truths) from John:  

Sent into the World | John 17:13-21 

• John 15:9-11 – HIS JOY 

• 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

• Quickly introduce myself or offer greetings 

• WHO IS JESUS? 

• Week 1: The Lordship of Christ Jesus – Creator, eternal, Lord of all of Creation 

• Week 2: The Resurrection and the Life (note of baptisms from previous week) 

• Now we make a turn in our series 

• If we understand and KNOW not just who this Jesus is but we would declare in faith today that He is that to us, then we must ask what is his will for our lives as his children, as disciples? 

• Week 3: Sanctified and Sent 

• Church of the Nazarene – Core Values (plug DYC next week with lunch) 

• We are a Christian people 

• We are a Holiness people 

• We are a Missional people 

Key Concepts 

• In essence, Jesus prays in this way in our text today: 

• That His followers have a full measure of joy 

• That His followers not be taken out of the world 

• That His followers be protected from the work of the evil one in our lives 

• That the Father sanctify His followers by His Word (which He has given us)  

• That if you are Christ’s, you are on a mission in this world. 

MESSAGE: (stand for the reading of the Word) 

• (SLIDE) John 17:13-19 

• 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 

• The prayer of the Lord specifically is that we may be sanctified because we are being sent into the world on a mission for the Kingdom of God. 

• 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.. 

• If Jesus was so concerned for joy among His disciples that He prayed for it, we can know that He is also concerned that we have joy.  

• 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.. 

• ‘the world’ 

• Is the world system (set of values) that is ruled by Satan 

• John 12:31 

• 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.  

• John 16:11  

• 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 

• Jesus will tell them before he prays to the Father in their presence 

• John 16:33  

• “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

• 1 John 5:19  

• 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 

Illustration 

Author and pastor Mark Sayers says there are two stories competing for our minds and hearts. The first story is broadcast loudly across pop culture, social media, and all media. It claims that you and I are the center of the universe. We are unique individuals, and we can be awesome. We just need to create our identities. By making the right choices with our wardrobe and weekends, and by hanging out with the right people and doing the right things, we can be limitlessly happy. The world offers you and me an amazing life; we just have to go out and make it happen. 

The second story is quiet. It’s more of a whisper from the back burner in our brains, but it will not go away. It’s there in the quiet, in the middle of the night. It’s the longing when the promises of the first story under-deliver. The whisper tells us we were made for more. In hushed voices, it insists that we have an immovable and important identity, a sort of real home somewhere out there. We’re longing for it, and we know it’s not just in our imaginations. There’s got to be more to this life, it nags. 

We continuously suppress that second story, though, largely because the first story is so loud. Everything from Instagram to movies to clothing ads to political campaigns declares that we can be whoever we want to be. Pursuing the second story takes time and intentionality and going against every cultural grain. 

• And often times, those living according to the systems of this world will hate you because of it… 

• Why? 

• “The truth looks like hate, to those who hate the truth.” 

• Jesus understand this reality 

• He did then 

• He does now 

• It is one reason He prays what He prays in John 17  

• Being taken from the world would secure their safety from evil, however it would leave the world unblessed by their testimony to what Christ had done and was about to accomplish  

• If you’re not of the world then the spiritual battle is intense 

• Jesus didn’t pray that we would be taken out of the battle, but that we would be strengthened and protected in it. 

• He has given you divine weapons as protection from the evil one 

• Primarily His word, prayer, and faith 

• Warren Wiersbe: 

• “How can we be overcome by the world when we have the Word of God to enlighten us, enable us, and encourage us?” 

• 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify (Gr. hagiazō – separate out, make holy, consecrate) them by the truth; your word is truth.. 

• We are in the world but not of the world, and we must not live like the world. 

• Sanctify: 

• Refers to God’s ongoing work to set His people apart for His purposes—to make them holy as He is holy.  

• The Spirit is the one who prompts and tends to this work. 

• ‘your word is truth’ 

• We must come back to embrace the authority of the Scriptures. 

• (SLIDE) Romans 12:2 

• Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

• Kevin DeYoung (Do Not Be True to Yourself) 

• “There is a way that looks like blessing but in the end leads to death, and a way that is more difficult at first but in the end leads to life.” 

• OSWALD CHAMBERS 

• We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us 

• John 8:36  

• 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

• 18 As you sent me into the world (Gr. kosmos – humans, ungodly multitude see Matthew 4:8), I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 

• As those left in the world to carry God’s message (John 17:17), Christians are meant to continue speaking God’s truth, as Jesus did 

• The church is called to be a counter-narrative people in the world in which they live …enlivened and led by The Word and His word 

• We are people, if you belong to the Kingdom of God through Christ Jesus today, “under orders” as Wiersbe says and we had better obey! 

• Jesus is now “set apart” in heaven, praying for us, that out witness will bear fruit as many repent of their sins and turn to the Lord and find LIFE. 

CONCLUSION: 

• Mission of our church 

• Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ. 

• Living a biblically missional/SENT life is really all about Lordship – it comes back to week one and two 

• It will be impossible, exhausting, and ultimately a foundation-less hope if we are trying with all our best efforts to bring hope to others – yet we ourselves have not placed all our hope in Christ alone as Lord of our life 

• You can’t give what you yourself don’t possess 

• Is Christ Lord of your life today? Is He the object and expectation of your hope today for your own sanctification and day-to-day living in the world in which he has sent you now? 

• If YOU understand and KNOW not just who this Jesus is but would declare in faith today that He is that to you, then YOU must ask your self “what story am I living into today?”  

RESPONSE: 

• Core Values give us the framework for the second story 

• The Gospel story 

• CHRISTIAN 

• He Pardons by Grace through Faith 

• A FREE GIFT – God’s Love FOR us! 

• HOLINESS 

• He Purifies us by Grace through Faith 

• A FREE GIFT – God’s Love IN us! 

• MISSIONAL 

• He Empowers us by Grace through Faith 

• A FREE GIFT – God’s Love THROUGH us! 

• We are saved and sanctified and SENT INTO THE WORLD  

• God has the purpose to raise up people who are so much like Him, like Jesus, that they actually fulfill the mission of Jesus in the world. 

• Richard Foster 

• This way of living is not confined to people in religious orders or those who have special skills in spiritual matters. No, this life is also for ordinary people. People who work in high-pressure jobs of information tech and finance. People who are constantly dealing with the stresses of raising children and balancing the family budget. People who teach school and work in hospitals and provide social services and so much more. In short, people just like you and me. 

• Is your life an answer to the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17? 

MOST KNOW THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE CAMPUSES 

WANTED TO SHARE FROM THE OTHER CAMPUSES 

WE ARE GOING TO DO A COMBINED BAPTISM END OF SEPTEMBER FIRST TWO SERVICES 

MORE DETAILS COMING 

PASTOR JARED AND JOHNNY GOOD 

   JOHNNY’S MOM/DAD ATTEND EAST ROCK 

   JOHNNY IS BEING DEPLOYED THIS WEEK 

JOHNNY GOOD BAPTISM 

• JOHNNY AND PASTOR JARED IN SHENANDOAH RIVER-  

• PRAY FOR JOHNNY ADDISON/MOMMA 

WE ALSO THIS PAST WEEKEND CELEBRATED  

EPSERANZA VIVA CELBRATED 20 YEARS AS A CAMPUS 

PASTOR MARITZA BAPTIZING    

WAYNESBORO CAMPUS– GRAN ASADO 

GIANT BARBECUE 

65 TOTAL PEOPLE 

12 NEW PEOPLE CAME 

PASTOR WALTER AND PASTOR MARITZA 

BAPTIZED 2 

GRAN ASADO PICTURE– 20^TH ANNIVERSARY 

ESPERANZA VIVA MET LAST WEEK 

37 PEOPLE SAVED (19 ADULTS/18 CHILDREN) 

PASTOR SAM/ PASTOR CHRIS BAPTIZING 

BAPTIZED 6 PEOPLE 

PASTOR SAM/PASTOR CHRIS BAPTIZING 

• ADULTS AND CHILDREN 

• FOOD WAS AMAZING 

• PARTY– MECHANICAL BULL               

KEYS OF JOHN SERIES WEEK 2 

• JOHN DISCIPLE- NOT JOHN BAPTIST WRITER 

• JOHN WRITES AS ONE WHO SAW FIRSTHAND 

• JOHN WROTE 

• JOHN WAS A HUMBLE BRAGGER 

ATEAM PICTURE 

In 1972 , a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… the A-Team 

• JOHN 1 IS THE INTRO- ITS PROLOGUE 

• EVERYTHING FLOWS FROM THERE 

SIGNS IN JOHN 

   TURNING WATER INTO WINE 

   CLEASING THE TEMPLE 

   HEALING A NOBLEMANS SON 

    HEALING THE LAME MAN 

  FEEDING THE MULTITUDE 

  HEALING THE BLIND MAN 

  RAISING LAZARUS 

I AM STATEMENTS 

   I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE 

   I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 

   I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP 

   I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE 

   I AM THE WAY TRUTH AND LIFE 

   I AM THE VINE 

JOHN 11: 1-3                                  

• Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick. 

LAZARUS NAME MEANS “GOD HAS HELPED” 

JOHN 11:4-5 

   ⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 

HAND GESTURE FOR LOVE 

• WHAT’S THE SIGN FOR LOVE? 

• LAST TIME YOU SENSED- YOU KNEW WERE LOVED?HEART EYES EMOJI 

CAN YOU REMEMBER FEELING INTENSE LOVE? 

THE MOST DEEPEST/BESTEST/ HEART WARMING 

________________________________________________________ 

⁶So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days 

TWO DAYS 

• HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED TWO DAYS? 

• TWO EXCRUCIATING-LONG-NO RESPONSE DAYS 

• WHAT IS HE WAITING FOR- THIS IS LOVE? 

__________________________________________________________ 

11. After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”¹²His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”  

¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. ¹⁴So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 

JESUS SHOWS UP- LAZARUS IN GRAVE 4 DAYS 

SLIDE 19: SCRIPTURE JOHN 11: 20-22 

   20. WHEN MARTHA HEARD THAT JESUS WAS COMING, SHE WENT OUT TO MEET HIM, BUT MARY STAYED AT HOME. “LORD, MARTHA SAID TO JESUS, “IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE, MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED. BUT I KNOW THAT EVEN NOW GOD WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK,” 

JOHN 11: 23-25 

  23. JESUS SAID TO HER, “YOUR BROTHER WILL RISE AGAIN.” MARTHA ANSWERED, “I KNOW HE WILL RISE AGAIN IN THE RESURRECTION AT THE LAST DAY.” JESUS SAID TO HER, I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME WILL LIVE, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIE.  

JOHN 11:26-27 

  26. AND WHOEVER LIVES BY BELIEVING IN ME WILL NEBER DIE. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? YES LORD, SHE REPLIED, I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, WHO IS COME INTO THE WORLD.” 

   THIS IS DIFFERENT- THIS IS MASSIVE 

I DON’T POINT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION LIFE 

I AM THE DIRECTION- I AM LIFE (BEGINNING TO….) 

THIS PASSAGE THESE WORDS APPEAR MORE THAN ONCE 

   SICK 4/ SLEEPS 3/ RISE 2 TWICE/ WEEPING 3/ LOVE TIMES/ DEATH 7  

ONLY WORD APPEARS MORE IS BELIEVE 9 TIMES.  21MINS 

WHAT ARE YOU STILL HAVING TROUBLE BELIEVING? 

PLANE  

• ANTONOV PLANE ITSELF WEIGHED 1.4 MILLION POUNDS- CAARY AN EXTRA 550,000 LBS 

• WING SPAN 240 FEET- LENGTH 230 FEET 

JOHN 11:33-34 

  33. WHEN JESUS SAW HER WEEPING, AND THE JEWS WHO HAD COME ALONG WITH HER ALSO WEEPING, HE WAS DEEPLY MOVED IN SPIRIT AND TROUBLED. 34. WHERE HAVE YOU LAID HIM? HE ASKED. “COME AND SEE, LORD , “THEY REPLIED.  

JOHN 11:35-36 

  JESUS WEPT. THEN THE JEWS SAID, “SEE HOW HE LOVED HIM”  

5 GREEK WORDS FOR LOVE 

         MANIA-STORGE-EROS-PHILIA-AGAPE 

V 5: JESUS LOVED MARTHA AND HER SISTER/LAZARUS  

PICTURE OF LAZARUS TOMB 

• HISTORICAL SITE OF LAZARUS TOMB 

• CLOSE TO MOUNT OF OLIVES 

• SUBDIVISION OF JERUSALEM- THOUSANDS VISIT 

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” ⁴⁰Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out! THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT 

JESUS RAISES LAZARUS- ANNOUNCES HIS DEATH 

JOHN 11:45-46 

  ⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.  

JOHN 11:46-48 

  ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation. 

   ONE OF THE STRONGEST EXAMPLES OF LOVE WE HUMANLY KNOW IS A PARENT AND A CHILD 

JANETTE SHARE- BEST EXAMPLE OF DEEP LOVE 

VIDEO OF DAD AND SON 

   SEE HOW HE LOVED HIM/ 

DO YOU BELIEVE ? BELIEVE WHAT? THAT I LOVE YOU- BECAUSE IF YOU BELIEVE THAT- IT CHANGES EVERYTHING YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT 

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE BELIEVING BECAUSE OF 2 DAYS? 

   ²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 

²³Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 

²⁴“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 

HANDS SHAPED LIKE HEART 

• QUESTION TODAY ISN’T HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HIM 

• QUESTIONS ISN’T HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SHARE AND SPREAD HIS LOVE 

THE QUESTION IS DO YOU BELIEVE? BELIEVE WHAT? THAT JESUS WHO IS THE SON OF GOD- LOVES YOU- AGAPE LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND WILL YOU BELIEVE THAT? 

https://www.bible.com/events/49475044

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus 

5 Keys of John Part 2 

I am the resurrection and the life. 

We continue in our teaching series in the Gospel of John called “Five Keys of John”. 

The gospel of John was written around 80-90AD, by Jesus’ closest friend; The Apostle John. 

John was the oldest and last surviving eyewitness of the 12 disciples who were with Jesus. 

He is writing for a very specific purpose. He says in Chapter 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 

John believes that the Jesus we discover through the stories in his gospel account is real and alive. And when we come to know who he is and believe in him, we will find true and eternal life. 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬ 

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are close friends of Jesus who live in a village just a few miles from Jerusalem. John makes sure we understand that Jesus loved them. 

Lazarus has become ill and it’s pretty serious. The sisters send the message to Jesus “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 

These unique words of Jesus are a clue that something different is going on here. 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬‬ 

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 

In our text, Jesus’ delay has a very specific purpose- He waits so that he might have the opportunity to reveal something to his disciples greater than even death itself. 

His disciples are as confused about this plan as we might be today. The next few verses unpack their confusion, before finally Jesus makes it clear for them in vs. 14 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭14‬-‭15‬‬ 

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

What Jesus is about to teach his disciples, is that knowing him, knowing who he really is and the life he brings, is the most important in their lives. Even greater than the tragedy of death itself. 

Jesus is glad for their sakes, they have this opportunity to know him more. 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭17‬-‭22‬‬ 

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 

The note about 4 days signals to readers that Lazarus is truly gone, any hope of a misdiagnosis is past. 

Martha comes to Jesus bearing the weight of grief and sorrow, yet still confident that even in death, Jesus can bring about something good. There is no rebuke in her words, as she clings to faith in the face of death. 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭26‬‬ 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

Jesus invites Martha to know Him as the resurrection and the life. The future hope she held, was now embodied in the person of Jesus, standing in front of her. He is the resurrection and the life. 

Note that Jesus doesn’t say, “I do resurrection” or “I do life”, he says “I am”. 

I am the Resurrection, I am the power to overcome death, to bring hope in the darkness of death. I am the life, the vital essence of full and real life here and now. 

This is a key to understanding who Jesus is. This is the revelation this whole story has been building up to. The raising of Lazarus that comes next, that’s secondary to seeing this truth. 

This whole seen has ben building to this moment, and it hangs on the edge with one searching question on the lips of Jesus: Do you believe this? 

Friends our journey to discover who Jesus is and the life he came to bring, must stop here and answer that very question for ourselves. 

Do you believe this? 

Do you know Jesus as the power over sin, death, and hell itself- Do you know that in your life? 

Have you experienced resurrection through faith in him? 

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭27‬‬ 

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 

Isaiah 43:10b-11  

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. 

INTRO: 

• We begin a new series today — Keys of John 

• Note the purpose for this series.  

• To understand the Book of John more deeply by focusing on five fundamental truths from the Gospel.  

• To grasp the book’s context and purpose while, more importantly, being equipped to live out/practice as a disciple five of its essential teachings 

• Gospel writers purpose/audience 

• Matthew wrote with his fellow Jews in mind and emphasized that Jesus came from Abraham through the line of David and had fulfilled the OT prophecies of the Messiah 

• Mark wrote for the Romans, he presents Jesus as the Servant who came from Nazareth, ministering to needy people 

• Luke wrote for the Greeks and introduced them to the sympathetic Son of Man. 

• John, who was known as the beloved disciple, wrote for everyone, both Jews and Gentiles, with purpose of showing the Jesus is the Son of God:  

• While the first 3 writers emphasize and describe events (where+what) in the life of Christ — John emphasizes the meaning of those events to reveal WHO JESUS IS. 

• One major theme runs throughout John’s gospel:  

• But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 

• The preamble to John—first 18 verses— is critical for reinforcing the preeminence(supremacy)  of Jesus, His pre-existence and His deity.  

• The first eighteen verses of John counter many false beliefs about God.  

• It is a summation of the entire book 

• It is like the overture of an opera or ballet 

• Today’s Key: The Preeminence and Lordship of Christ  

• Church of the Nazarene – Article of Faith II – Jesus Christ 

• 2. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead; that He was eternally one with the Father; that He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary, so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say the Godhead and manhood, are thus united in one Person very God and very man, the God-man. We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that He truly arose from the dead and took again His body, together with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith He ascended into heaven and is there engaged in intercession for us. 

• T.A Noble writes: 

• “It is not enough to know doctrines or theories. It is not enough to know practices and follow them. What is at the heart of the faith is to know God. This is not just sub-personal knowledge about God. This is Person-to-person knowledge of God…but to know God it is not enough to be present when the Church gathers, and it is not even enough to know the Bible by heart. Bible and church are essential. But God’s self-revelation is centered in the Person of his beloved Son, the Word made flesh. We ‘come to the Father through Jesus, the Son.’” 

(SLIDE) John 1:1-5 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

• 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.  

• “In the beginning” 

• This refers to the timeless eternity of Genesis 1:1 (In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth).  

• ‘was the Word’  

• Gr. logos –  The idea of the logos had deep and rich roots in both Jewish and Greek thinking. 

• i. Jewish rabbis often referred to God (especially in His more personal aspects) in terms of His word. They spoke of God Himself as “the word of God.” For example, ancient Hebrew editions of the Old Testament change Exodus 19:17 (Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God) to “Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet the word of God.” In the mind of the ancient Jews, the phrase “the word of God” could be used to refer to God Himself. 

• ii. The Greek philosophers saw the logos as the power that puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. They saw the logos as the “Ultimate Reason” that controlled all things. 

• Verse 1 establishes that the universe had a beginning, contrary to the idea that it is eternal.  

• It also states that God has existed from that beginning.  

• Later verses will show that God, in fact, created all that exists. This verse also makes it noticeably clear that this Logos, Jesus, is identical to the Creator: the Word was God.  

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

• The Word created ALL things that were created. Therefore He Himself is an uncreated Being, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16:  

• (SLIDE) Colossians 1:16 

• 16 For in him (referring to Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 

• And the writer of Hebrews wrote: 

• (SLIDE) Hebrews 1:1-3  

• In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 

• That the New Testament is full of references to the preeminence and divinity of Christ is difficult to deny. 

Romans 9:1-5 

9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 

Colossians 2:9-10 

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 

Titus 2:13  

13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 

Philippians 2:5-7  

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

Revelation 2:8  

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 

• Jesus is not only seen as the Messiah (or Christ) but also equated with God Himself. 

• Jesus repeatedly placed Himself in the place of Yahweh by assuming the Father’s divine prerogatives. He was often doing and saying things that only God has a right to do and say.  

• C.S. Lewis 

• “The doctrine of Christ’s divinity seems to me not something stuck on which you can unstick but something that peeps out at every point so that you’d have to unravel the whole web to get rid of it.” 

• OPPOSITION 

• With all of this — the powers of this present world seek to find every way to deceive men and women, boys and girls, into believing that Jesus is not God — he wasn’t who John clearly says he is in John 1 

• To claim that Jesus is not God makes Christianity a house of cards — it is this reality coupled with the reality of the resurrection that makes the Gospel such incredible news for you and I! 

• The culture and many other faith based groups will challenge your truth claims about Christ Jesus 

• Muslims  

• Mormons 

• Jehovah Witness 

• Deist 

• Atheist 

• State of Theology 2022 (Ligonier Ministries + LifeWay Research)  

• The survey revealed an increase in evangelicals who:  

• Believe God is pleased with worship that comes from outside the Christian faith 

• Deny Jesus divinity 

• Believe the Bible is not literally true for us 

• Believe that religious faith is a subjective experience rather than an objective reality. 

• Most religions and people in general are ok with Jesus as: 

• A wise teacher that lived and taught a good moral LIFE 

• One inspirational man showing a part of the truth that makes up a small part of the many paths to TRUTH. 

• A great prophet 

• A created creature and lesser ‘divine being’ then God himself 

• A way to gain knowledge, and goodness, and “love”, and your best life. 

• But it all changes when you declare Jesus EXCLUSIVELY as LORD: 

• The WAY 

• The TRUTH 

• The LIFE 

• BOTTOM LINE: 

• JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH—HE IS PREEMINENT—HE IS THE LORD—HE IS ETERNAL—HE IS THE CENTER OF ALL OF CREATION  

• “Observed C.S. Lewis, the brilliant and once skeptical Cambridge University professor who was eventually won over by the evidence for Jesus, 

• ‘I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher… You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut him up for a fool … or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.’”  

• If Jesus is who he claims to be, then your conclusions about him, one way or the other, speak more of who you are than anything else.  

• You can’t change what is true.  

• You can only change your orientation to the truth.  

• So, who do YOU say that Jesus is?  

• If you claim today that Jesus Christ is the center of your existence then the evidence of your life should reflect that reality 

• Matthew Henry 

• “In John we learn to put our faith in Christ as the eternal Son of God, and the true Messiah and Savior of the world, that we may be brought to receive him, and rely upon him, as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and to give up ourselves to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him.” 

Colossians 1:15-20  

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 

https://www.bible.com/events/49471790

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus

5 Keys of John Part 1

The Preeminence and Lordship of Christ

We are beginning a new teaching series in the Gospel of John called “Five Keys from John”.

The gospel of John was written around 80-90AD, by Jesus’ closest friend; The Apostle John.

John was the oldest and last surviving eyewitness of the 12 disciples who were with Jesus.

He is writing for a very specific purpose. He says in Chapter 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John believes that the Jesus we discover through the stories in his gospel account is real and alive. And when we come to know who he is and believe in him, we will find true and eternal life.

John 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

The first 18 verses form an introduction to the whole book. The themes and theological ideas that John sets out here in the beginning will shape the entire narrative of this gospel.

Our teaching text today is not just a nice point to start a book, for John it’s key to understanding who Jesus is.

In the beginning, was the word, was Jesus…

Jesus extends beyond the beginning we read about in Genesis. He always was.

The word was with God, and the word was God- Jesus was with God, and distinct from him, and at the very same time, he is God. God and Jesus are one.

Jesus is Lord, from the beginning.

John 1:3-5

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is the central figure in creation. Nothing that has been made without him, and as we will see in the next verse, nothing has life without him either.

When John talks about life and light in his gospel, he is often referring to spiritual realities. So what we also read here is that Jesus is the source of true and lasting spiritual or eternal life.

Light is the revelation, the revealing grace that allows us to see our true spiritual condition.

He is the life, and the light. This is a preview of the saving action of Jesus that will come to full display later in the gospel.

When John talks about darkness, it’s not about an absence of light. It’s about the presence of evil.

Jesus has the power and authority over the forces of evil. Evil has not, nor will it ever overpower Him.

Friends, this is Jesus. The expressed wisdom of God made flesh. One with God from before the beginning.

Creator, author, and sustainer of life.

Savior of the world, defeating darkness, bringing salvation and the light of eternal life.

This is Jesus. Lord, at the very heart of all of creation, of life itself.

A.W. Tozer says “What we believe about Jesus is the most important thing about us.”

I invite you to consider your answer to the question “Who is Jesus?”

I especially want you to think about the answer your life, your actions, your desires and drives, how would they answer the question: Who is Jesus?

Is he the center of your life, or if you were really honest, you are in the center of your own life.

Maybe your career, your family, your relationships are at the center today, and you need to allow Jesus to have his rightful place in your life. To surrender that place to him, allowing the person and life of Jesus to RULE in your life.

The Gospel of John is an invitation to know Jesus, and today, this is an invitation to know him as Lord of you life.