Jesus is God

Jesus is God
John 1:1-18

We have just read perhaps one of the greatest passages of scripture in the entire Bible. It speaks volumes about not only the deity of Christ, but the humanness of Jesus Christ. He was God but He lived as man also. He always has been; He is; and He always will be. He is the creator of all things. He is life. He is light.
Imagine if you will for a moment, you lived in the time when John penned this account of the life of Jesus. Historically speaking, you would either be Jew or Gentile. As a Jew, you would have known all the prophecies and scriptures that pointed to the Anointed One of God. So as you read this letter, you probably begin to get a little bit excited because it fits. You’ve been looking for a Messiah, but then right in the middle of it John drops the bomb on you. “The world did not know Him. His own people did not receive Him.” John is telling you, “You missed him.” In fact, “not only have you missed the Messiah, Christ, The Word, you do not even see God.”
It’s as if you are screaming “YES, YES, YES!! I know God!” and John is screaming through the letters of the page “No, No, No! You do not know God.” This is the world John was writing to. People who had grown so used to their religious traditions and practices that they (practice and traditions) became their religion and object of worship, not God. They became so self-absorbed in looking the part they lost the heart of God in their service and charity.
Friends, let me ask you this morning, “What makes us different than them?” There are major implications here in this passage that we need to take a little bit of time to discuss. If Jesus Christ walked the earth and did all he did, healed all the sick, cast out the demons, fed thousands, raised up dead people, healed lame men, and ultimately was resurrected and seen by over 500 people, and his identity was mistaken by people who witnessed these things, why do we think we won’t and don’t? Friends, let’s this morning lay aside our religious pretense and admit something right away. If the world did not know Jesus, and His own people did not receive him, you also may be mistaken about your object of worship.
So why is it we don’t see, know or receive Christ? This is the underlying question today. The answer is quite simple but often is an answer we don’t want to hear. “We are fundamentally flawed in our thoughts, attitudes, teaching, preaching, worship, praise…we are flawed in who Christ truly is!” This is why Israel did not receive Christ. Their expectations of who Christ was were flawed. It is true for many people today also. Here are just a few examples.
1. Jesus is my friend
2. Jesus doesn’t judge he only forgives.
3. Jesus is my Savior. (40 times used with “God” and or “Lord”)
4. Prophet, teacher, rabbi, good and moral man.

Now some of us may hear this and say but these things are true, and they are! That is the problem. They are true, but they are incomplete. But truth be told, many of us really only want to interact and have Christ interact with us in ways that don’t make us uncomfortable, right? We want Jesus who is a friend, but not with accountability. We like forgiveness, but not actually letting go of our sins. In other words, no holiness. We want Jesus to save us, but Him being Lord and having sovereign rule in our life is a bit much.
So then how do we correct this flaw? How do we not only deepen our understanding of who Christ is, but live a deeper life with Him? We must look, listen, study, discuss, and most importantly believe the Biblical revelation of Jesus, not in part, but in whole! We can not and must not pick and choose which attributes we like and discard the ones we don’t. The Apostle John rather bluntly reminds us we do not know Him. We do not receive him, and we do not see God unless it has been revealed to us? So how does Scripture reveal Jesus Christ?

I. Jesus Christ is God
a. He has always existed Heb 1:3
b. He is perfectly united John 17:20, Philippians 2:5-7
c. God is the Word
II. As God, Jesus is Creator
a. Gives life and shines in the darkness
i. Genesis 1:3

III. God became Flesh/Man
a. He lived among us
b. We’ve seen his glory!

This is what John writes not only here but also in 1 John 1:1. Stop and think about what he is saying! Not just glimpses of the holiness, majesty, worthiness, we’ve seen all this in one being, Jesus! We’ve seen miracles, healings, casting out of demons, feeding of thousands, the compassion and humility, we’ve seen it. We’ve seen God!
But even though we see!!!! We still do not…..

Read John 1:9-13 with me.

IV. Seeing does not make you a child of God.
a. Being born does not make you a child v. 13
b. Works does not make you a child
c. Intellect does not make you a child
d. Desire does not make you a child

V. Receiving Christ makes you a child of God