Memory Verse:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God…
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us
(John 1:1, 14a)
Author: John the apostle,
one of the 12 disciples
Date: AD 80–90
Location of writing: Church of Ephesus
To whom was it written: Jews and Gentiles
Purpose: To show Jesus as
Christ who gives eternal life
John
began his gospel by recalling Genesis 1:1: “In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John was Jewish, but
was also aware of the growing Gentile influence. Nearly all of the first
believers were Jewish, but quickly the leaders of the Jesus’s religion rejected
the Jewish Messiah.
It’s
easy at first to get confused between John the author and John the Baptist. The
author never identifies himself as John. Instead he humbly refers himself as
“the other disciple” (John 18:16), “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John
21:20), and simply “the disciple” (John 21:24). As the last surviving disciple,
he likely wanted to get the attention off of himself and on Jesus.
Come
and see the Light. Listen to an eye-witness. Experience a baptism. Engage in
quiet times. Commit yourself to Christ.
Day 1: Morning
Salvation: Receive
The Light
(Read John 1:1–14)
I
was a child when I received Jesus Christ into my life. Like today’s title says,
it was like receiving a light into my life and ever since then, I have tried to
shine that light to others. Salvation is like receiving the light. We
previously were in spiritual darkness. List the characteristics given of “the
Word.”
Verse
1--the Word was “in the beginning,” the “Word was with God,” and “the Word was
God.”
“In the beginning was the Word” is reminiscent
of Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This
passage tells us that “the Word” (in the Greek: logos) is Jesus Christ; Jesus
has always existed and Jesus is God. Yet He became a human being and can
identify with us.
When
you hear the word “dog,” an image of a barking four-legged animal with a tail
comes to mind. A single word can represent a person, place or thing. Jesus
Christ is “the Word” and He represents the infinite God to finite world. Jesus
was the physical manifestation of the heavenly Father and revealed the unseen
God (see verse 18).
Verse
13 means that you don’t have to be a certain race (blood) to become a child of
God. Your physical birth was a result of the will of your parents, but your
spiritual birth is a result of the will of God.
There
is a funny story about a teenager who, frustrated with her parents, shouted,
“Hey, I never asked to be born!” Equally frustrated, the mother replied,
“That’s good, because if you had, I would have said ‘No!’”
In
a way God wants you to “ask to be born” by receiving and believing in His name.
Pray this prayer to God: “Heavenly Father: Thank You for letting me
become Your child and for giving me light to walk in this life. Help me reflect
Your light to this world by letting Jesus shine through me. Amen.”
Day 1: Evening
What Baptism Means
(Read John 1:15–34)
When
I was baptized, I told a friend at school that it was “neater than going
swimming.” And it really was. John the Baptist’s baptisms were for repentance
or a turning away from sins. But he also spoke of someone greater that he who
would not only help us turn from our sins but would forgive us of all of our
sins. Look up Acts 19:1–5 where some of John’s disciples would later be
baptized again in the name of Jesus.
John the Baptist preached that someone special
was about to come, even though he did not know that Jesus was the Messiah
(verse 31). John “bore witness” of a coming Christ or Messiah (see 1:15, 19,
and 32).
To
witness means to tell others what you have seen. As a Christian, you have a
wonderful opportunity to share about your new life in Christ with others. One
way you can witness is to be baptized.
Jesus
said we are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
(Matt. 28:19). Baptism symbolizes God the Father washing away of sins (see Acts
22:16). It pictures our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection
of the Son (see Rom. 6:4) and it represents the immersion of the Holy Spirit
into our lives (see John 1:34 and Acts 1:5).
Don’t
wait to be water baptized. Acts 22:16 says, “Why are you waiting? Arise and be
baptized. Wash away your sins by calling on the name of the Lord” (author’s
paraphrase). In Matt. 3:13–17, Jesus said that His baptism was the right thing
to do. When you are baptized, you are following His example.
Over
the years I have learned baptism is more than just being “neater than going
swimming.” It shows God has washed away my sins. It shows that I have a new life
in Christ and baptism symbolizes that God’s Spirit is now to saturate my life.
Baptism follows His example and command.
Pray this prayer to God: “Dear God, help me be a witness for You and
tell others what you have done in my life. Help me not just talk the talk, but
also walk the walk as a believer in Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Day 2: Morning
Quiet Times:
Spending Time With Jesus
(Read John 1:35–51)
Early
in a new believer’s life, the Christian needs to seek out Jesus and spend time
with Him. In John 1:37–39, Andrew and another disciple wanted to spend time
with Jesus. They wanted to know where He lived.
A
daily time alone with God is called a “quiet time” and is essential for a
Christian to grow in relationship with God. As a result of spending time with
Jesus, Andrew told Simon (v. 41) and Philip told Nathanael (v. 45).
We
are not given his name, but the “other disciple” was John the apostle, the
author of this gospel. These five disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter, Phillip,
Nathanael, and John, did not know everything, but what they knew, they shared.
Their simple message: “We found Him!”
Verses
47–51 tell us something even greater than the finding Jesus. Nathanael
discovered that Jesus already knew him! God created us and even if you have
just recently come to know God, God knew you before the creation of the world.
In
John 1:51, Jesus refers to Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:12), saying that Nathanael
will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Symbolically, Jesus
was saying that through Him, we have access to God. Today, God “descends” to us
through ways such as reading the Bible and we can “ascend” to Him in ways such
as praying. Commit to God to have a quiet time each day by signing your name
below:
I
commit to spend time with God.
Time:
___________________Place:______________________
Your
signature:_______________________________________
Jesus
invited John and Andrew to “come and see” where He lived. In order to follow
Christ, we must spend time with Him. Come and see what Christ has for you each
morning and night for the next seven weeks.
Pray this prayer to God: “Father, help me to have a daily quiet time with You.
Give me a desire to see where you live. Thank You that before I found You, You
saw me and loved me. I am so glad I found You! Amen.”
Day 2: Evening
Seven Sevens of
Lessons
(John 1:35–51)
Seven
is a holy number for Jews, a sign of perfection and completion. In chapter 1,
we see the first “testimonies” of Jesus being the Christ, the Anointed Messiah,
promised in the Old Testament to come.
The
Greek word for witness or testimony is martyr. In English, “martyrs” are those
who make a testimony and sacrifice their own lives for their beliefs. The seven
witnesses John records are
1)
Witness of John the Baptist (John 1:7–8; 5:33–36); 2) Witness of works (John
5:36); 3) Witness of the Father (John 5:37, 8:18); 4) Witness of the Scriptures
(John 5:39, 45–47); 5) Witness of Himself (John 5:31; 8:14–18); 6) Witness of
the disciples (John 12:17; 15:27; 19:35; 21: 24); and 7) Witness of the Holy
Spirit (John 15:26).
In
total, there are seven lessons with seven sub-points in John. In addition to
the 1) Seven witnesses for Christ; we
will see:
2) Seven “Transitive I AM” statements (we will
discuss this on Day 11);
3) Seven “Intransitive I AM” statements -- Jesus said “I AM” with no direct
object (Day 7);
4) Seven miraculous signs;
5) Seven comparisons of Himself to God the
Father, (“as the Father…so do I”, see Day 9);
6) Seven journeys to Jerusalem, (found in John
chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 8,11, and 12); and
7) Seven major sermons
(1.) New Birth, John 3:1–21;
(2.) Water of
Life, John 4:1–42;
(3.) Equality with
the Father, John 5:19–47;
(4.) Bread of
Life, John 6:22–66;
(5.) Life-giving
Spirit, John 7:1–52;
(6.) Light of the
World, John 8:12–59; and
(7.) The Shepherd,
John 10:1–21
So
what does this mean? These repetitions
of seven are “witnesses” and “testimonies” of the completion of this gospel.
John, the “beloved disciple,” was an eyewitness of these events and had decades
to write this beautiful gospel.
Pray this prayer to God: “Lord, as I finish this first chapter, quicken my
heart in the mornings and focus my attention at night to learn from Your
Spirit. Help me apply these truths from John’s writings to my life. In the name
of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”
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