Easter 2025 - John 1:1-5 (Part 2)

Well, a very good morning to you. I didn't manage to hear the welcome, so at the risk of redundancy, I want to extend a warm welcome to you all.

! We are grateful that the Lord saw fit to bring us together this morning to praise the resurrected Christ. A couple of weeks ago, we began a study through the book of John.

It's our normative habit to go verse by verse through books of the Bible. And so, this morning, we will look once again at John chapter 1, verses 1 through 5.

John 1:1–5

I hope that it will become apparent to you why in just a moment. So if you would, please take your copy of God's Word and join me in John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

I'll read the first five verses. Before I do, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's Word to us.

It was written for His glory and our good that we might believe its promises, obey its commands, and have affection for its author.

May we hear it and respond accordingly to it.

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

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In the opening words of John's Gospel account, he introduces Jesus to us without His name.

In fact, he won't write the name Jesus until verse 17 of chapter 1.

In the first five verses, John introduces to us Jesus with three titles and two characteristics.

Number one, Jesus is the Word.

That's a title, a name given to Him.

Number two, Jesus is preexistent, a characteristic.

Number three, another title.

Jesus is the Creator.

Number four, a characteristic.

Jesus is self-existent.

And then number five, and lastly, Jesus is the unquenchable light.

The name light, and I'm adding unquenchable to it.

We spent our time together last week considering the first four of these points,

and I saved the last one for today.

I think you will be able to see now why this is a good text for resurrection, Lord's Day.

But before we tackle this last point, bear with me as I make some introductory and summary comments.

First, it is good for us to contemplate Christ.

We fill our minds with so many things coming at us, 100 miles an hour,

and many of them are fleeting and pointless.

To set our minds on Jesus, the Jesus revealed to us in the Scripture,

not some Jesus of our own imagination, is always of great benefit.

The Puritan John Owen wrote in his book entitled,

The Glory of Christ, the following, which I read to you last week.

I think it's worth another read.

Quote,

The revelation made of Christ in the blessed gospel is far more excellent,

more glorious, more filled with rays of divine wisdom and goodness

that the whole creation and the just comprehension of it, if attainable,

can contain or afford.

He said, thinking about Christ and the glory of the gospel

is better than anything else we could understand.

Quote,

Without this knowledge, the mind of man,

priding itself in other inventions and discoveries,

is wrapped up in darkness and confusion.

This, therefore, deserves the severest of our thoughts,

the best of our meditations,

and our utmost diligence in them.

For if our future blessedness shall consist in living where he is

and beholding his glory,

what better preparation can there be for it

than a constant previous contemplation of that glory

as revealed in the gospel?

That by a view of it,

we may be gradually transformed into the same glory.

I love this idea of a constant previous contemplation.

The Christian eternity will be filled with the wonderment of Christ.

So we should seek to know him now

that he might be exalted in our minds and in our lives.

Second, let's take a brief tour of the first four points made from this text,

either as a reminder to you

or just as a way to get us to the fifth point,

if you're new with us to our study.

Number one, Jesus is the word.

We see this in verse one.

In the beginning was the word,

and the word was with God,

and the word was God.

Greek philosophers use this word,

word,

to refer to the abstract principle of reason and order in the universe.

It's the Greek word,

logos.

It was an unknown source of creation and wisdom.

So John, in this opening verse,

presents Jesus as the personification of creative power and reason.

John's Jewish readers knew that God spoke the world into existence with mighty words,

that he made covenants with his people with words,

gave them wisdom through the written law,

again, words,

counseled prophets and kings,

and revealed the scripture through spoken words.

So John introduces Jesus as the incarnation of divine power and revelation.

John, in introducing Jesus as the word,

draws straight lines to his divinity.

The condescension of Christ is a great wonder.

That Jesus should humble himself to take the form of a man

in order to suffer his father's wrath for our sin

should captivate our minds.

And I'll say that his incarnation should not be divorced from his resurrection.

Secondly, Jesus is preexistent, a characteristic.

We see this in verse two and on into the beginning,

I'm sorry,

verse one and on to the beginning of verse two.

The word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

Jesus, John tells us,

as God was in the beginning in both of these verses.

This Greek word means source or origin

and refers to time before the universe began.

The verb was in the imperfect tense

describes continual action in the past.

So, verse two could be translated,

he was always being in the beginning with God.

These two verses in no way suggest that Jesus was created,

but that he just is.

He has always existed.

Paul writes in the first part of Colossians 1 and verse 17,

Jesus is before all things.

Incredible.

Pre-existence.

No beginning and no end.

Thirdly, we see Jesus introduced as the creator.

We see this in verse three.

All things were made through him

and without him was not anything made that was made.

Just to be clear,

John tells us,

everything was made

and nothing wasn't made without him.

Jesus Christ, John tells us,

is the creator of all things.

Everything we can see and everything that we cannot see

were created by him.

What opportunity we have to set our minds on the creator Christ

as we go about our days.

This past week has just been beautiful

to be outside and to consider

Christ made this.

The entire universe was created by him

and it was created for him.

To what end?

We thought about some of this last week.

For his praise.

We can read Psalm 19, verse 1.

Psalms 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Pay attention to all that has been created

and be in awe.

Fourthly, Jesus is self-existent.

The beginning of verse 4 says,

In him was life.

Ontology is the study of the nature of being.

The beginning of verse 4 is a brilliant ontological statement.

In him was life.

The word translated life is used all throughout John's gospel

and always refers to spiritual and eternal life.

Jesus possesses within himself life.

This is sometimes referred to as his auseity.

It's from the Latin.

Jesus is of self.

Everything that has been created

needs some power source to sustain it.

creation cannot sustain itself.

Not so with Jesus.

He is self-existent.

His divine nature needs no inputs to go on.

No fuel.

No energy input.

Always existing.

Never created.

He just is.

Everything in the universe is becoming,

it's moving from one state to another.

Jesus is.

These realities demand our attention.

You must do something with this, Jesus.

John means for us to pay attention

that our minds and affections might be fixed on him.

So, brief summary of last week.

I hope that you are with me

in the contemplation of Christ.

So let's proceed to spend the rest of our time together

on the final way that John introduces Jesus

in these opening words,

in this prologue of his gospel.

So the fifth point of this part one and two,

Jesus, is the unquenchable light.

It's a light that does not get put out.

The last half of verse four, right?

The first half says,

In him was life,

and the life was the light of men.

In verse five,

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

The themes of life and light

are prominent in John's gospel.

Here we see the two clearly connected

in a metaphor that speaks to the contrast of Jesus

against all that is evil in the world.

The word light appears 24 times in this book,

seven of those times in chapter one.

And because we will spend the coming weeks in chapter one,

let's step out of it just a bit

to see the theme further in John's writing.

So, in John chapter eight,

in verse 12,

Jesus said,

I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.

In chapter eight, verse 12,

Jesus calls himself the light of the world

and teaches that our pursuit of him and his ways,

what is often called our walk,

will not be in the darkness,

but in the light.

Here, Jesus so clearly reinforces the connection

that John makes between life and light

with the phrase,

the light of life.

The word translated life

is used all throughout John's gospel,

and as I said before,

refers to spiritual and eternal life.

How are these themes to be understood?

Let's take a stab at it.

Light by its very nature

causes darkness to scatter.

Darkness, in fact,

cannot be quantifiably measured.

It is merely the absence of light.

We take light for granted in our day,

but if you lived in a time

when the only source of light

was from a flame,

this metaphor would likely have

a more felt impact for you.

Darkness and light,

significant theme,

even for survival,

if it's not a plenty.

Where there is light,

there is not darkness.

darkness.

The two are opposites,

and one has expulsory power

over the other.

This week,

I very proudly taught my computer

the word expulsory.

If we back up a bit in John 3,

we can see this idea at work

in the negative.

So join me in John 3,

John 3:20

verse 20.

There Jesus says,

For everyone who does wicked things

hates the light

and does not come to the light,

lest his works should be exposed.

Wickedness is associated with darkness

in this text,

a darkness that does not want

the exposure of light.

Wickedness produces shame,

and it produces death.

It is the opposite,

the antithesis of the light of life

that we saw in John 8,

John 8:12

verse 12.

Let's press the metaphor

just a bit further and clearer.

Note especially

who the light is.

I am saying that John introduces Jesus

as the unquenchable light

in verses 4 and 5.

Jesus says in chapter 8,

in verse 12,

that he is the light

of the world.

And now in John 11,

John 11:9

verse 9 and 10,

Jesus there says,

Are there not 12 hours

in the day?

If anyone walks in the day,

he does not stumble

because he sees

the light of this world.

But if anyone walks in the night,

he stumbles

because the light

is not in him.

I suggest to you

that the stumbling

that Jesus here refers to

is not a slight trip,

that's the way we tend to use

the word stumble,

but a stumble

that causes one

to fall headlong

and to not rise again.

Verse 10 says

that the person

whose life is characterized

by wickedness

is dead

because Jesus Christ,

the light,

is not in him.

Okay.

So this is where

the theme develops.

It's where it works itself out

in the book of John.

But let's go back again

to where it starts

with all of that

in our minds.

Verse 5 of chapter 1,

the light shines

in the darkness

and the darkness

has not

overcome it.

Perhaps this metaphor

of Jesus as light

set against

darkness

now lives more

vividly

in your mind.

Now here's the astounding

thing about

verse 5.

There's a very good chance

that John 1,

John 1:5

verse 5,

has become my

new favorite verse

after spending

the past two weeks

in it.

John,

in this great

economy of words,

has in mind

the incarnate Jesus,

the crucified Jesus,

the resurrected Jesus,

and the reigning Jesus.

With some understanding

of what he means,

developing this theme

of light,

he has all the good news

of Jesus

packed into

these 13 words.

It's 13 words

in my English

translations.

It's 13 words

in the original

language.

The whole gospel

packed in

right here

in this

one

verse.

Let's walk through

all that is

explicit

and implicit

here.

Firstly,

the incarnate

Jesus.

Verse 5,

the very beginning,

the light

shines

in the darkness.

God become

flesh,

right?

Comes into

the world

to illuminate it.

Look at the verses

that follow.

Verse 5,

this is verse 6

and following.

There was a man

sent from God

whose name

was John.

Not the same John

that authored this.

This is the John

who we often call

John the Baptist

although we would do

well to say

John the Baptizer

to ease

confusion.

Verse 7,

he came as a witness

to bear witness

about the light

that all might

believe through

him,

the light,

Jesus Christ.

He was not the light

but came to bear witness

about the light,

the true light

which gives light

to everyone

was coming

into the world.

We understand this

to be John's

introduction,

the incarnation

of Christ,

him becoming

flesh

and dwelling

amongst us.

And then verse 14,

this is where that

gets developed further.

John goes back

to the word title

and writes,

and the word became

flesh

and dwelt

among us

and we have seen

his glory,

glory as of the only

son from the father,

full of grace

and truth.

The light

shines

in the darkness.

We see here

the incarnate

Jesus.

We also see,

secondly,

the crucified Jesus

and the resurrected

Jesus.

All of that

packed into

the last part

of the verse.

And the darkness

has not

overcome it.

The darkness

doesn't win

over the light.

before I say

anything else

about this phrase,

I want to address

a quick translation

question.

Some of you

may have a translation

that says,

and the darkness

did not

comprehend it.

The Greek word

can mean

to grasp

in the sense

of understanding

or to seize

in the sense

of capture.

So it carries

that idea

with it.

I think the

did not

comprehend

translation

is looking

to the rejection

of Jesus

as the Christ

in verses 10

and 11

and throughout

the rest

of the book.

It's a theme

that's developed,

the tragic rejection

of Jesus

by the Jewish

people.

And that makes

it a fair

word to use.

Many good

translations

use the word

comprehend.

But I think

it misses

the overall

thrust

of John's

prologue.

I'm quick

to pick

on the

English

standard

version,

but not

in this

case.

I am so

very happy

that it's

rendered in

the ESV

and the

darkness

has not

overcome it,

has not

seized it,

has not

won a

victory

over it.

Satan

plotted

through the

intentions

of evil

men

to see

Jesus

laid

in the

grave.

Peter says

in Acts

Acts 2:22

chapter 2

verse 22

and following,

Men of Israel,

hear these

words.

Jesus of

Nazareth,

a man

attested

to you

by God

with mighty

works

and wonders

and signs

that God

did through

him in

your midst

as you

yourselves

know.

This

Jesus

delivered up

according

to the

definite

plan

and foreknowledge

of God,

you crucified

and killed

by the hands

of lawless

men.

We imagine

the enemy

thought he

had won

the final

victory

as Jesus

suffered

crucifixion

on the

cross.

But Satan

is not

omniscient

and could

not prevent

God's mighty

intentions

in the death

of his

son.

Never be

mistaken,

the death

of Christ

was the

greatest

crime

in all

of history.

Jesus

was

entirely

innocent.

But it

did not

occur

outside

divine

providence.

I have

a dear

friend

who

many

years

ago

served

time

for some

drug

with intent

to

distribute

charges

and

the entire

case was

fabricated

against him.

Like people

witnessed against

him that he

had never

even met.

and I

asked him,

I said,

did it not

just make

you so

mad?

They said,

well,

the system

makes me

mad,

but I

was totally

guilty of

the crime.

Like,

I was

entirely

guilty.

They

just had

to

fabricate

a case

against

me.

He

had

done

the

things

that he

was

convicted

of doing,

just

wasn't

done

in the

proper

way.

Not

so

was

Christ.

Entirely

innocent,

not guilty

of anything

at all,

and yet

crucified.

And this

did not

happen

outside

of God's

providential

work.

Listen to

what Jesus

says of

his death

and following

resurrection

in John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10.

This is

part of

verse 17

and into

18.

He says,

I lay

down

my life

that I

may take

it up

again.

No one

takes it

from me,

but I lay

it down

of my

own

accord.

I have

authority.

The darkness

thought,

it had

overcome

the light.

On

Friday

afternoon,

Jesus,

the light

of life,

was laid

in a

dark

tomb.

But on

Sunday

morning,

oh,

on that

most amazing

of Sunday

mornings,

the light

burst

back

onto

the scene.

The darkness

has not

overcome

it.

We will

do well

at this

point to

read John's

account.

of the

resurrection.

So please

turn with

me to

John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter

20.

Now,

on the

first day

of the

week,

Mary Magdalene

came to

the tomb

early while

it was

still dark

and saw

that the

stone had

been taken

away from

the tomb.

So she

ran and

went to

Simon Peter

and the

other

disciple,

the one

whom Jesus

loved,

this is

John,

and said

to them,

they have

taken the

Lord out

of the

tomb,

and we

do not

know

where they

have laid

him.

So Peter

went out

with the

other

disciple,

and they

were going

toward the

tomb.

Both of

them were

running

together,

but the

other

disciple

outran

Peter

and reached

the tomb

first.

And stooping

to look

in,

he saw

the linen

cloths

lying there,

but he

did not

go in.

Then Simon

Peter came

following him

and went

into the

tomb.

He saw

the linen

cloths

lying there,

and the

face cloth,

which had

been on

Jesus'

head,

not lying

with the

linen

cloths,

but folded

up in a

place by

itself.

Then the

other

disciple,

who had

reached the

tomb first,

also went

in,

and he

saw and

believed.

For as

yet they

did not

understand

the

scripture,

that he

must rise

from the

dead.

Then the

disciples went

back to

their homes.

But Mary

stood weeping

outside the

tomb,

and as she

wept,

she stooped

to look

into the

tomb,

and she

saw two

angels in

white,

sitting where

the body

of Jesus

had lain,

one at

the head

and one

at the

feet.

They said

to her,

woman,

why are

you weeping?

She said

to them,

they have

taken away

my Lord,

and I do

not know

where,

they have

laid him.

Having said

this,

she turned

around and

saw Jesus

standing,

but she

did not

know that

it was

Jesus.

Jesus said

to her,

woman,

why are

you weeping?

Whom are

you seeking?

Supposing him

to be the

gardener,

she said to

him,

sir,

if you

have carried

him away,

tell me

where you

have laid

him,

and I

will take

him away.

Jesus

said to

her,

Mary.

Mary.

She

turned

and said

to him

in Aramaic,

Rabbani,

which means

teacher.

Jesus

said to

her,

do not

cling to

me,

for I

have not

yet ascended

to the

Father,

but go to

my brothers

and say

to them,

I am

ascending

to my

father

and your

father,

to my

God

and your

God.

Mary Magdalene

went and

announced to

the disciples,

I have

seen the

Lord,

and that he

had said

these things

to her.

On the

evening of

that day,

the first

day of

the week,

the doors

being locked

where the

disciples were

for fear

of the

Jews,

Jesus

came and

stood among

them and

said to

them,

peace be

with you.

When he

had said

this,

he showed

them his

hands and

his side.

Then the

disciples were

glad when

they saw

the Lord.

Jesus

said to

them again,

peace be

with you,

as the

father has

sent me,

even so

I am

sending

you.

And when

he had

said this,

he breathed

on them

and said

to

them,

receive

the

Holy

Spirit.

If you

forgive the

sins of

any,

they are

forgiven

them.

If you

withhold

forgiveness

from any,

it is

withheld.

Now

Thomas,

one of

the

twelve,

called the

twin,

was not

with them

when Jesus

came.

So the

other

disciples

told him,

we have

seen

the

Lord.

But he

said to

them,

unless I

see in

his

hands

the marks

of the

nails,

and place

my

finger

into the

mark

of the

nails,

and place

my hand

into his

side,

I will

never

believe.

Eight days

later,

his disciples

were inside

again,

and Thomas

was with

them.

That must

have been

an agonizing

week for

Thomas.

Although the

doors were

locked,

Jesus came

and stood

among them

and said,

peace be

with you.

Then he

said to

Thomas,

put your

fingers

here,

and see

my hands,

and put

out your

hand,

and place

it in

my side.

Do

not

disbelieve,

but believe.

Thomas

answered

him,

my

Lord,

and my

God.

Jesus

said to

him,

have you

believed

because

you

have

seen

me?

Blessed

are

those

who

have

not

seen

and

yet

have

believed.

Now,

Jesus did

many other

signs in

the presence

of the

disciples,

which are

not

written

in this

book,

but these

are written

so that

you may

believe

that Jesus

is the

Christ,

the Son

of God,

and that

by believing

you may

have life

in his

name.

So,

it's an

astounding

thing there,

like the

whole summary

of John's

letter given

to us,

the purpose

of it,

right,

these things

written down

so that you

may believe

that Jesus

is the

Christ,

the Son

of God,

and that

by believing

you may

have life,

right,

the light

of life

in you,

in his

name.

And just

before that,

right,

he has said,

verse 29,

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Beloved, that's us.

Those of us who have placed faith in Christ

and have not touched his hands or put our hand at his side

and yet have believed.

We are called here blessed.

And that's why we gather today.

We are gathered today by faith to worship the risen.

Christ.

We gather every Lord's Day to worship the risen Christ.

The light that shines in the darkness

and the darkness has not overcome it.

It has been ordered that we should do this.

We are slow learners and we are quick to forget.

The risen Christ needs to be constantly held up in front of us.

All the promises of God find their yes in him

and the resurrection is the guarantee that he is who he said he is.

He is in fact the light that shines in the darkness

and the darkness has not overcome it.

The church since its founding has done this,

this regular gathering on the Lord's Day.

It's the reason we gather on Sunday

because it's the day that Christ was risen

to see and pray and preach and hear and sing the good news

of the victory of Jesus Christ.

Last week I read to you

what I think I said was the second verse.

I think it was actually the third verse

in a song written by Charles Wesley.

It's been sang by the church throughout the ages

called,

And Can It Be That I Should Gain?

This verse,

I won't tell you which verse it is

because I'm going to get it wrong,

it's on the back of your bowl.

And he wrote this,

Amazing love,

How can it be that thou, my God,

should die for me?

But the story does not end with the resurrection.

We keep church calendar days,

I think largely for cultural reasons,

but there are many other significant things

that happen in the life of Christ

that we don't give special days to.

How about his ascension?

Right?

Third point is the reigning Jesus.

This is part of this darkness

not overcoming the light.

After 40 days,

Jesus ascended

and is presently at the right hand

of God the Father

where he rules over all things.

The author of Hebrews says

in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 3,

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

Jesus Christ is the radiance

of the glory of God

and the exact imprint of his nature

and he upholds the universe

by the word of his power.

After making purifications for sins,

he sat down at the right hand

of the majesty on high.

Paul says in Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

he is there interceding for us.

He's praying on behalf of his people.

Paul adds to this in Colossians chapter 1,

Colossians 1:15

verse 15 and following,

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn of all creation.

For by him all things were created

in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions

or rulers or authorities,

all things were created through him

and for him.

And he is before all things

and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body,

the church.

He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

that in everything he might be preeminent,

to think excellent.

For in him the fullness of God

was pleased to dwell

and through him to reconcile to himself

all things,

whether on earth or in heaven,

making peace by the blood of his cross.

Right?

Jesus reigns over all things now

and he is working to build his church.

A church that he is building

on the truth that he is the Christ.

A guaranteed church.

The gates of hell will not prevail against.

The darkness is still working

to overcome the light,

but it will not.

And John has this in mind.

The church,

under the lordship of Christ,

by the will of the Father

and the power of the Spirit,

goes on

and it goes out

in order that we might gather people

for the praise of the light.

The light shines

in the darkness

and the darkness

has not

overcome it.

Let's pray together.

Thank you.