John

The Identity of Jesus

John 1:14 7-23-44

  1. Exordium
    1. Introduction.
      1. The boy remarking about his absent father's picture: "I wish he could step right out of the picture." Epitomizes man's desire that God reveal himself personally. Out of partial revelation in nature and constitution of man.
      2. As historical person Jesus claimed to be God, John 10:30. Upon this claim: John 14:9. Desire to see God is now realized; God is here.
    2. Proposition: The Identity of Jesus.
  2. Body. The incarnate, historical manifestation of:
    1. Divine personality.
      1. That Jesus is Christ, the "eternal in time."
      2. He is pre-existing Logos, or Word, John 1:1.
        1. Significance of past tense, "was." Back of Genesis. The Logos in being forever.
        2. Significance of preposition, "with," lit. "pros,". Preposition of motion. The Logos personally distinct in the Godhead. In this respect differs from the Logos in Greek philosophy.
        3. "God was the Word (lit.)." Divine in nature.
      3. He is the Word "becoming", John 1:4.
        1. For any subject to change, must remain permanent. Otherwise, annihilation. Thus the incarnate Logos remains the eternal Logos.
        2. "Became." The Logos as divine became sarx (flesh) – He is completely man consistent with His eternal identity as deity.
      4. Identity of Jesus grasped by faith. Given in revelation. Matt. 16:15-18.
    2. Divine glory.
      1. Inadequate meanings.
        1. Greeks: honor and praise.
        2. Contemporary: splendor, bliss, brilliancy. As heaven.
      2. Adequate meanings.
        1. The Shekinah glory of O.T. The glory of God disclosed in the Shekinah. The tabernacle of the incarnate Christ.
        2. Etymology. "Glory" ("doxa") from "dokeo": "to think." Judgment as to identity, qualities, and characters.
          1. Heb. 1:3. "Who being the brightness of his glory." That is, all that God is and judged to be morally.
          2. John 1:4. Beheld him (with our eyes). Visible evidence of that glory by personal effulgence of that glory on earth.
          3. John 17:22. Moral excellence of divine sonship. Jesus imparts his sonship in redemption. Sons of God and embody and manifest moral excellence: love and holiness. Bear his image.
    3. Divine fullness.
      1. Without God no completion of life. Devil offers us substitute, but in the end ruin.
      2. Jesus is our pleroma: completion, plenitude, fullness.
        1. The Gnostic pleroma: successive aeons. In mystic vision perfect. Ordinary believers not perfect. Divided Christians.
        2. Col. 2:8-10 and Eph. 1:22-23.

          "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."

          " And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."

      3. Fullness defined.
        1. Plenitude of grace. Moral quality of favor, mercy, kindness.
          1. Passively: pardon and purity.
          2. Actively: grace characterizing us. Experience Representative of God. Ethical.
        2. Plenitude of truth.
          1. Jesus says, "I am the truth." Personal correspondence with reality as divine personality--God the Father. Verity and reality. God's thought and meaning for us is given.
          2. Hence we experientially and ethically manifest moral correspondence to God.
  3. Conclusion

    Hebrews: 5:7-10; 9:24-25: the statement of the divine identity of the Jesus of history.

J. Prescott Johnson

"God is Love"

John 3:16

  1. The Source of Love "For God so loved"
    • The Reason for this love - God is love
    • The Result of this love - God sent His Son
  2. The Objects of Love - the world
    • The Saved Individual
    • The Unsaved Individual
  3. The Call of Love - that whosoever...might be saved
    • The Scriptures issue this call of love
    • Seriousness of this call

Dr. Gayle Woods

The Nature the Christian Religion

John 3:16

  1. Exordium
    1. Introduction.
      1. Modern ideas of religion.
        1. Feeling, knowledge, action.
        2. Psychoanalysis. Explain.
      2. The meaning of religion.
        1. Latin
          1. Religere, "to ponder carefully, to go over again."
          2. Religare, "to bind back."
        2. Greek.
          1. Eusebeia. Original meaning: "reverence toward the gods." Now means "piety, godliness."
          2. Thesekeia. "Religious worship." Form of worship as a Christian. It is life in God.
    2. Proposition: The Nature of the Christian Religion.
  2. Body
    1. It is an historic religion.
      1. Not a cult of worship or a philosophy of religion.
      2. It is a redemptive power worked out on the plane of human history by the historic Christ who triumphed over sin.
      3. Its personal historicity is its foundation, for it takes its character from the character of its founder. "Christianity is Christ."
      4. Thus an historic experience of the subjective atonement.
    2. The founder is the divine Son of God.
      1. The old revelation imperfect:
        1. Not a full revelation.
        2. Not made perfect.
      2. Jesus is the adequate revelation, John 1:1.
      3. His salvation fully redeems, makes perfect. Complete religion.
        1. In our conception of divine things (Religere).
        2. In our bond to Him (Religare).
      4. His divinity brings perfect religion, John 16:10.
    3. A redemptive religion, Rom. 1:16.
      1. It is a power, a redemption. Its test of validity here.
      2. This is the message of the apostolic preachers.
      3. Ways in which it is a redemption:
        1. Objective and subjective relations are met by its power.
        2. Redemption from transgression.
        3. Redemption from "the sin." Eternal life is knowing Jesus, which demands filial relationship for full knowledge. This therefore the ultimate purpose of regeneration. It comes by likeness of Christ.
      4. Save from perishing.
  3. Conclusion Recapitulation.

    J. Prescott Johnson

An Interview with God

John 3:1-21

Thesis: What Christ wants the world to know is:

  1. His Provision (He came to die in our place) vv 13-16
  2. His Purpose (He came to save us from sin (not to condemn us)) v17
  3. His Perspective (He came to give us a choice) vv18-21

David Woods

The End is Near

John 4:1-6

  1. God's Counsel for the End of the World
  2. God's Promise for the End of the World
  4. God's provision for the End of the World

Mark Avery

John 6:3-13 (9)

  1. The Lad
  2. The Lunch
  3. The Lord's Request

Leon George

The Unity of the Church

John 17

  1. Exordium
    1. Introduction
      1. Definition of the Church, stressing its unity.
      2. Christ's high priestly prayer. Force of aiteo.
    2. Explanation
      1. Meaning of unity.
      2. Two phases of unity.
        1. With Christ.
        2. With each other.
    3. Proposition: The Unity of the Church.
  2. Body
    1. The unity of existence. Ideal. Name. Vs. 11.
      1. Explanation of these three genitives.
      2. This is produced by regeneration (vs. 22 - its force) and maintained through that Name which was given Jesus. To reveal, vs. 11.
      3. Thus there is but one "called out" people, according to the divine ideal.
    2. The unity of spirit, vs. 21.
      1. This is produced in sanctification, as seen in vss. 17-21. The added qualification (vs. 21) "in us" defines the unity as a second and higher unity, that of spirit. The purpose clause makes it clear that this unity does not exist prior to sanctification.
      2. The apparent omission of the Holy Ghost and its meaning defines this unity. He who is the bond of divine unity becomes the bond of Christian unity.
      3. All the sanctified are one in spirit, for carnality is gone and perfect love reigns.
    3. The unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Perfected unity. Eph. 4:11-16.
      1. Time element in this.
        1. "Till."
        2. Purpose of ministry.
        3. Use of static conditioning element in John 17:3.
      2. This is visible unity. Unity of polity and order. Force of this.
  3. Conclusion
    1. Results of this unity, John 17:21, 23.
    2. This is obligatory.

J. Prescott Johnson

Three Important Moments of Prayer

John 21:13

  1. Prayer for Repentance
  2. Prayer of Reconciliation
  3. Prayer of Renewal

Dr. Gayle Woods

"The mission of the Church of God (Holiness) is to exalt Christ, equip the Church, and evangelize the world."

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