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The Magnificence of John…

By December 13, 2015August 30th, 2022Lost in Translation

When a new believer comes to know Jesus, it is customary that they are encouraged to begin their journey with Christ by reading the Bible. And more times than not, that journey begins with reading the Gospel of John. That’s for several reasons. First of all, John wrote his Gospel about the humanity (and divinity) of Jesus. His unbridled passion for the Lord spilled out in every word he wrote about the Savior of the world. Unlike the other Gospels that were written to specific audiences; Matthew, to the Jews – Mark, to the Romans – and Luke, to the more educated and to those seeking to know the certainty of everything that happened with Jesus, John wrote with almost childlike abandon about the miracles and love of Jesus.

In fact, John, along with Peter and James, were the inner sanctum of disciples who spent the most time with Jesus. They where with Him during many of the very important events recounted in the Scriptures. In fact, it was John to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother, Mary, as He was hanging on the cross.

The second reason new believers start here is that in the English, and in the original Greek language, John’s Gospel and his epistles were written in very simple language. When a person enters seminary and studies Greek, the book of 1 John is the first book they learn to translate. It’s kind of like when you were back in grammar school and you picked up your first book – probably one of the stories about Dick and Jane! Remember? Lines like, “See Spot run…” Well, that ‘s how the Gospel of John is written in the Greek – simple, so everyone can read it.

But then a strange thing happens as you grow in your faith. John’s Gospel takes on different meaning as your walk with Jesus matures. As you grow in your faith, the theology of John goes deeper and deeper – so that the book has tremendous significance at every stage of your Christian walk. It can be read at an elementary level when you first believe, or a a very advanced level as you become more Christlike in your own life. That’s why so many people read it first when they are young in their faith but usually don’t write about John until rather late in their lives when they have the personal history and education to understand more of the depth of the book.

In my opinion, this is what makes John one of the greatest books of the Bible. In fact, I have even signed up to take a course through Dallas Theological Seminary to do additional study in the book of John. And after a year of study with our Bible group in Isaiah this year, I think we will head to the New Testament and unpack John next year. I almost can’t tell you how excited I am to be taking another class at the seminary level after all these years…

The verse for this tonight is the opening verse of the Gospel of John. We are told, by John, in verse 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” How simple and yet how profoundly important to everything. Jesus, the Word, was God and was there in the beginning of everything. My encouragement this evening is that we worship a God who has been there for all eternity and Jesus has been at the side of God forever. My prayer is that you understand that as a believer, God and His Son, Jesus, will be at your side throughout all eternity! It’s as simple as that. Of course, the theology can run deeper than you can possibly imagine, but the “See Spot run” version is pretty simple – God loves you more than you know, sent His Son to give His life for you, and will be with you forever… Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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