Proclaming Christ in an Age of Ambiguity

Johnny Cash may have sang some spiritual songs. I think he did really appreciate the effort and this all that it adds to the service. I'm sad, of course, to realize and to understand that Sean and Robin won't be with us as much anymore. They just do so much for the congregation and specifically for the speaking and the song leading. I realized the last time I was doing the speaking schedule just how much of an impact that Sean, his absence, will have. Really appreciate them both and all that they do. They have a sort of traveling ministry I know that they do with visiting so many people all the time and encouraging people. Their regular attendance will be missed, but we know we'll see them often. It is good to see all of you. We had a wonderful Winter Family Weekend. How many were able to go up to Winter Family Weekend? A few. It is a wonderful weekend. There was almost 1,200 people there. That is a feast. Of course, they have the wonderful seminars and wonderful messages and fellowship and games and a few dances. Of course, they have the sports. Every year, Jennifer and I play on a sports team for volleyball. We get together with some of our Texas friends. It's a way to stay connected with them. This year was interesting. I felt my age probably more than any other time this year. I realized there was a new dialogue that was happening between my head and my body. If you know anything about volleyball, they'll send over the serve. The idea is for the teammate to bump it to the setter. The setter then sets the ball. If you happen to be on either side, your job then in that position is to jump, extend your arms, and then you're to put the ball down as fast as possible. It's to spike it on the other side. I was in that position. You've heard of the mind is willing. What is it? I don't know the rest of the phrase. My mind said, okay, it's time. There's the ball. It's in the air. It's now time body to go ahead and jump a foot off the ground, extend yourself, and go ahead and do that. My mind started the dialogue to my body at that time. My mind wrote the body a letter and said, okay, this is what we're gonna do. My body, in receiving the letter, sees it and reaches over, puts the readers on, and has the coffee. It's trying to read what the head wants to do. You want me to do what? It was the dialogue. Yes, I agree. I'm working on this. Very promptly, the body sets the coffee down, takes the readers off, and begins to write back to the head. Just simply one word, and it was no.

We're not doing this. We're not doing this. So anyway, my head and my body are in counseling. We got to figure out how to go forward at this point together. Up here, you still have a lot, you think, more grandeur than what the reality is. But it was a lot of fun, and eventually after the first games, we decided to strategize more on the hot tub afterwards. Make sure we had that planned out appropriately. But it was a good weekend, and the focus of the weekend, the theme was Jesus Christ.

The official theme was our Creator God, our great Creator God. And so I wanted to bring that study to here today, and I want to endeavor to look into the Bible. And as we do is to see just how relevant this book is to us today and to our culture. So the title of today's study is Proclaiming Christ in an Age of Ambiguity. A little bit long title. Proclaiming Christ in an Age of Ambiguity. And I invite you to open your Bibles with me, and let's turn to 1 John 2.

And we're going to begin reading in verses 18 through 23. 1 John 2 verses 18 through 23 as we launch this morning into a study of our great Creator God, Jesus Christ. And as we delve into this study, we do so with the understanding of not only the importance of having a correct understanding of our Creator, but also the understanding of the risk in not having a correct understanding.

Because we can confidently say this morning that if the Church gets it wrong on Christ, well then it will get it wrong on just about everything else. I think that's important to state as we move forward as a Church into the 21st century. Again, if the Church gets it wrong on Christ, the Church will get it wrong on everything. And the Apostle John certainly was clear on that fact we will see today.

1 John 2 verses 18 through 23. Let's read this together as John writes to the Church. 1 John 2 verse 18, he writes, Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. Verse 20, But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Now notice verse 22. Verse 22, Who is a liar, but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. So let's stop there. And you know those are really strong words. I'm sure you can agree. And these words speak to why we continuously look to focus on our great Creator, Jesus Christ. Why have a study on Jesus Christ? Well, it's for the same reason as to why the Apostle John felt compelled to write this letter on this very subject because the situation in which John was responding to was that of false teachers who had emerged from within the congregation that he was leading.

False teachers had emerged and they were explaining Jesus Christ in such a way that was not true. And they began to organize their thoughts to such a degree that it began to cause debate amongst God's people, it caused uncertainty, and even caused just outright confusion. And it had reached such a point that in verse 22 he says that these individuals who were causing this confusion, they themselves were of the spirit of the Antichrist.

Now that's serious. You know, there's no mensing of words here. So they are not of the Spirit of God. And in verse 19 again, they went out from us because they didn't belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us.

And so he's speaking about individuals who had departed from the real true Church of God, the spiritual body that has the headship of Jesus Christ. And so the departure of these individuals outlined here, it was not a departure based on peripheral matters or minor debatable matters.

Rather, these were heretical teachings directly attached to the false knowledge of Jesus Christ, a knowledge which circumvented the truth to which he's revealed in Scripture. So they were offering an understanding of Jesus Christ which was false. And it was, we could say, not a full view of Jesus Christ.

It was a less than view. It was a diminished view of Jesus Christ. Whether it be diminishing He as the Son of God, or whether it be by diminishing He as the One who came to reveal God the Father in the Old Testament, regardless, their heretical views found their inspiration in the spirit of the Antichrist himself. So John speaks to write with clarity and certainty in a state of confusion that God's people found themselves in.

In fact, I want you to notice just what is some of the clarity and the certainty which John is putting forth to God's people at that time. Let's notice that. Turn back just one chapter to 1 John chapter 1 in verse 1 because I want you to see what is the absolute dogmatic way in which John begins this letter.

And he gets right to the heart of the matter and it's this burst of truth. And it's truth upon truth. And this is his clear testimony regarding Jesus Christ. Look at this. 1 John 1 verse 1. John begins to write and he says 1 John 1 verse 1, That which was from the beginning, so he's writing about Jesus Christ, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, which our hands have handled, concerning who?

Concerning the Word of life. Verse 2, The life was manifested and we have seen and we bear witness and we declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifest to us. That which we have seen, heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And these things I write to you that your joy may be full. Let's stop there. So we saw him, we touched him, he's alive, he is the Word of life. And he says in verse 2, he's declaring to you that eternal life which was with the Father and which was made manifest to us. And our fellowship is with the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. So we are not dealing with mythology here, he says. We're dealing with the objective reality of truth. The Word of life was made manifest. He truly walked the earth and I am declaring him to you, he says.

So again, why is this so important to John? Well, he understood that the nature and the grounds of these certainties regarding Jesus Christ, that they in fact form the very foundation of any child of God. These certainties here, this is not some marginal concern. These are false teachers who were putting a full-frontal attack on truth, the truth regarding Jesus Christ. And they weren't coming within the congregation and living in harmony. They weren't putting forth harmony to talk about maybe all the aspects they agree with and maybe shelving the matters that they don't agree with or allowing those conversations to happen with the leaders.

No, rather, they are deceivers, he says. He labels them as deceivers. So they are looking to deceive. And the most chilling thing, this is not an attack from without. It's an attack from within. It's an attack from within. And again, such a person who opposes, alters, diminishes Jesus Christ, his incarnation, his purpose, his life, his ministry, his primary role in the Old Testament to reveal the Father.

Anyone who opposes, alters, diminishes Jesus Christ is a deceiver, whether they realize it or not, and is, whether they're conscious of it or not, operating under the spirit of the Antichrist. And John's concerns to guard the truth. And he is not about to adapt, accommodate to any heretical views which are being promulgated amongst God's people. And the truth of Jesus Christ, John wants us to know, is not ambiguous. Rather, it's objective, defined, and absolute. And he's gonna write in dogmatic terms with regards to Jesus Christ here. Because here they were, you know, here in this first century, they're not that far removed from the time in which Jesus Christ walked the earth.

Just a short period of time. And already, that which is ill-defined, vague, or in direct opposition to the truth, it's already began to work its way into the the Church of God. And we could ask, how can that be? It wasn't that far from the time in which Jesus Christ himself walked on the earth. How can it be that all these things are already starting to work its way into these false heretical teachings are working their way into the Church? How can that be? Well, we should know that in every generation from the beginning, when absolute truth is proclaimed, it is the work of the evil one to undermine, alter, water down, sow the seeds of confusion.

And it's been this way since the very beginning. And so, with that understanding, we can easily not only understand this letter in the context of the first century, but we can very easily then take this letter and place it smack-dab into the culture of the 21st century in which we live today. Because if there was ever a time in which dogmatism or certainty is disdained, it is right now. It is the time in which we live right now. I put it to you that people today, more than ever, do not like people who state things definitively, especially in the realm of spirituality, as John is doing here. Rather, they like people who say that they're not quite sure about things.

You'll have far more friends if you tell them you don't know than if you tell them that you do know. And they will listen to you about Jesus Christ, provided you're prepared to tell them, well, you know, this is just the particular spiritual avenue that I'm on. I don't know if it's the only avenue you can be on, but this has been speaking to me today.

I've been studying Jesus Christ and His words, and you know, you might be interested. I don't know, though. Great, they will say. Let me tell you what avenue I'm on and what's been speaking to me today. And let's get Joe over there, and maybe he can tell us a little about his journey and where he is, the spiritual journey that he's on. And we can just all get together, and we'll all share our different avenues of our own truth. And if in the midst of that, if you put your coffee cup down and you say, well, guys, I'd like to state something definitive, if you'll allow me.

I want to tell you that there's no other name given under heaven among men by which you can be saved except by the name of Jesus Christ. And set your, you know, pick your coffee cup back up, you know. After some deadening silence, they will say to you, what planet did you just come from? You know, you mean to tell me that all these people out there, and all their spiritual journeys, all of them looking to find their own truth, you're meaning to tell me that they don't know who God is, and that they're not on a spiritual path leading to truth.

You're not going to tell me that they don't know God, are you?

Now, what's our answer to that? You see, the fact of the matter is, society is increasingly telling us that there are no absolutes to which we can adhere to. In fact, the great prevailing influence today, asking any of our young people, the great prevailing influence is that they're trying to tell God's people that they don't know. They don't know. And John, the Apostle John, would have never understood this increasingly vague, undefined, ill-defined notions of Jesus Christ, which are represented in the framework of 21st century Christendom, whereby people are growing increasingly fearful to speak in definable dogmatic terms. You may have found yourself pressured. I know I have found myself pressured when I'm confronted by all the different ideas and concepts and various spiritual and religious notions. And the temptation is to say, and I found myself saying this, well, I don't know. I have a different view, but I'm glad that avenue is working for you. I'm glad the avenue you're on is, I'm happy that it's working for you, you know. And I find myself, more often than not, leading with tolerance or find myself leading in that way. And we want to be tolerant. Absolutely. We want to be tolerant of others. But we can't have a kind of soft, malleable belief that as soon as it runs up against something that challenges it, it just simply reshapes and it redefines truth to become adaptable to whatever climate it's confronting. And that's exactly what's happening today. And that's why you find it's more common in spiritual circles, church circles out there. It's more common for you to hear people say, I'd like you to tell you, I'd like to tell you about my spiritual journey. That's what you hear today. I'd like to tell you about my spiritual journey, as opposed to, I'd like to tell you about the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. You see the difference. Now, sharing your personal spiritual journey with others, very important. I do it often. I find if I share how I was led to Christ, it's a way of connecting with people and it can create a connection. It's very important, but I realize that while it might be helpful in connecting with people, I shouldn't expect my spiritual journey to ever cut to a heart or to challenge others. Because it is, in fact, my spiritual journey, you see. And it's your spiritual journey. And again, innately, spiritual journeys aren't that challenging to anyone else. Just as long as it's your spiritual journey, you see. But don't, whatever you do, endeavor to speak up and speak about the importance of walking in the definable, objective way. The definable, objective truth to which John is referencing here. And this is the challenge in relationship to truth. It was a challenge in first century. It's a challenge in 21st century. And it will always be. It is the notion of each of us having our own truth. The notion of whatever's right in your life is right in your life. The notion whatever works for you works. You see. And it's the notion, what we're seeing, is that every subsequent generation must uniquely define and determine what is the acceptable morality for its generation. So why would there be so much immorality amongst teenage and unmarried population? Even amongst professed Christians? Well, if they don't believe in a definable statement concerning the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives, if they do not absolutely believe that they can only believe what Jesus Christ said, and that we cannot live by any other way other than the way Jesus Christ demands, if belief in Jesus Christ is not definable as the only absolute authority, then everything goes on a sliding scale. And that's what we're finding today. Therefore, who Jesus is speaks to the issue of morality. Who Jesus is speaks to the issue of integrity.

It speaks to the issue of homosexuality. It speaks to the issue of heterosexuality. Who Jesus is speaks to the issue of the sanctity of marriage. It speaks to what it is to be a man, what it is to be a woman. You name your issue. Who Jesus is speaks to every issue facing mankind today.

Because, again, as soon as everything goes on a sliding scale, as soon as people cease to walk in the way, confusion abounds. So we need this study. We need to know who Jesus is, and there can't be any diffidence in my Christian testimony. There can't be any arrogance, but there can't be any diffidence. I've got to resist at every point being filled with the uncertainty that this society tries to push me into.

So we study Jesus Christ, and we do so often, because it will provide us the the response and the answer in this age of ambiguity. Now, I've taken a long time and purposely, so I wanted to set this study directly into the context of our culture in which we live. So with that, let's turn to the text. And in turning to the text, we want to stay with the Apostle John, but we want to turn to his gospel now to get the most clear and succinct words regarding our Creator, Jesus Christ.

So let's turn from 1 John, and let's turn to John, the Gospel of John 1. And we're going to begin in verse 1. So the Gospel of John, chapter 1, and we're going to begin in verse 1, and we want to, in the remaining time, try to trace a line through essentially these first four opening verses here. And what we're going to notice is that John gives us five dogmatic truths regarding Jesus Christ.

Five essential truths regarding Jesus Christ. And we're going to move through them very quickly. This is not to be exhaustive. It's to build a foundation upon which to stand. Five essential truths, and we're going to see that John starts off with another burst here in these first four verses.

Truth upon truth, fact upon fact, and he does so in a profound way. So let's get started here. The first essential truth that John's going to reveal to us about Jesus Christ, the first essential truth is Jesus's eternal existence. That's number one. Number one essential truth, Jesus's eternal existence. That is in the opening phrase here, John 1-1, in the beginning was the Word.

In the beginning was the Word. So that's six words, and it points us directly to Jesus's eternal existence. Because you'll understand that he was in fact in the very beginning. There was never a time when there wasn't a Word. There was never a time when the Word did not exist. There was never a time in which there was no Word. He's existed forever. Therefore, he's eternal. He's outside of time. He was there, did not have a beginning. Therefore, we can conclude that he existed before creation.

So he cannot be a part of creation. He's not a created being. He's an eternal being. That's what John establishes right from the beginning with just those first six opening words here. Now, I want you to notice that he doesn't begin with, in the beginning was the Son of God.

How did you notice that? In fact, the reference to the Son of God, it doesn't really come until the 14th verse where he's referenced as the only begotten of the Father. So why do you think that is? Why wait to give that fact that he is the Son of God?

Why not lead in the beginning was the Son of God? You know. Well, I believe what John is concerned to do is to avoid any misunderstanding amongst his initial readership. So in endeavoring to reveal truth, he's going to be careful in the terminology he uses. And he's going to use terminology in which they would be familiar with there. So he uses these terms with great care. And he's going to build in a progressive way. He's a great teacher for his initial readers because we have to understand in 21st century we have some unique advantages because we read John 1-1 and what do we immediately think?

We thank Jesus Christ, don't we? We read those words, in the beginning was the word, of course, Jesus Christ. You know, we have an advantage. But we have to understand when John wrote this Gospel, the readers at that time didn't innately make that connection in their minds. So he's bringing them along in truth. That's a great technique when we're speaking to someone or have the opportunity to share the hope in us.

Make sure you use your terminology correctly. You want to avoid the risk of immediately using phraseology, which would be meaningless to them. So he's looking to encourage their interests, develop their understanding, using thoughts and phraseologies that they would understand. So there is significance in using the word, word. The Greek word for word is logos, we know, L-O-G-O-S. And it's important to understand that when he says in the beginning was the word, that word, word would have landed on the initial readers and they would have been familiar with it.

But they might have interpreted it in a few different ways, the initial readers. To the Greek reader, many of them would have heard these words read or would have read them, and they would have said, oh yes, we know the word, we know logos. And they would have said, that of course is the logical principle of the universe. Many of them would have said that, a principle of the universe.

The Greeks who love to immerse themselves in philosophy, many of them would have found the belief at this time to give more reference to a force in the beginning. It's not a Star Wars reference, rather than a being. So in their philosophy, they would have given more reference to a kind of force, kind of a logical principle of the universe, which kind of kept things in order.

That would have been Greek thought, many of them. So they would have heard these words read to them. In the beginning was the word, and they'd say, okay, that's the logical principle of the universe. So far, so good, John. We're with you, you know. He's obviously speaking of the agent, the substance to which makes the universe knowable, you know, here on earth. Perhaps that would have been some of the initial Greek thought. What about the Jew? What about the Jew? Well, for the Jew, they were monotheistic, we know, and they would have perhaps heard these words, and their initial thought may have been that John was merely speaking of God's speech.

And, in fact, in John's day, word to the Jewish mind was often referred to as simply wisdom. Wisdom. So they would have heard these words, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and they would have said, oh yes, wisdom, it has been said, has been by God's side since the beginning, you know. So they perhaps would have been with John at this point so far as well. They would have kept listening. It's important. Bring people along. You want to not close up their ears too quickly. So he's bringing them along. This word, this use of logos, different shades of meaning, perhaps, initially by the Jew and the Greek.

So in this theological discourse, John begins, in the beginning was the word, you with me so far? They would have said, yes, we're with you as a group. Of course, maybe at their own understanding at this point, their own perspective. And perhaps John begins in this way as to ease them into the hammer of truth, which is soon to come. He has not yet hit them with the hammer of the connection between the Word and Jesus Christ.

That's coming when you get there about verse 14, this hammer of truth. There in verse 14, when he says, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He's building to that. But so far, he begins with this incredible revelation of Jesus's, the Word, the one who would become Jesus, eternal existence.

In the beginning was the Word. So that's truth number one. Truth number two. Truth number two, the second essential truth regarding Jesus Christ. Jesus's distinctiveness. Jesus's distinctiveness. Verse one again, In the beginning was the Word, and here it is, and the Word was with God. The Word was with God. If you're with someone, you're going to be distinctive. You're going to be distinct from them. The Word was with God in the beginning. So what is he saying? Well, the Word has a distinct existence. He's a separate being, and that existence from all of eternity has put him in the closest possible relationship with the Father.

So in other words, when the hammer of truth is lowered in a minute, and the connection between the Word and Jesus Christ is revealed, we see then that Jesus Christ, the Word, did not actually come into existence at his incarnation. So when you look at the birth of Jesus Christ, you do not see a son suddenly for the first time coming into existence. He took on the role as the Son for the first time, but the relationship between God and the Word, Jesus Christ, had existed from all of eternity. So it is a eternal relationship between two distinct beings. In the beginning was the Word, the Word before creation, and the Word was with God.

So Jesus's distinctiveness. That's number two. John is just going through these. It's just awesome the way he does this. Number three. The third essential truth regarding Jesus Christ is Jesus's divinity. That's number three essential truth. Jesus's divinity. With the phrase there at the end of verse 1, here it is, and the Word was God. You see that? So the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So you start to see the hammer begin to come down.

This hammer of truth here with this third essential truth. So far the Jews and the Greeks, they'd have been coming along. In the beginning was the Word, we're with you. The Word was with God. Eh, we're still with you. Okay. Then he says, the Word was God, was God. So Greeks, this is not some kind of cosmic principle. And Jews, he's not simply speaking about God's wisdom or merely his speech, you know. No. Rather, this is an eternal, distinct God. And in reading the text here, again, when you read on and when you get to the full swing of the hammer in verse 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, you bet we did, he is God, a distinct God, the glory as the only begotten of the Father.

So again, John's not saying that there was something, just something divine about Christ. No, he's affirming the fact that the Word is God, the very one who we beheld his glory in the flesh. So Jesus, fully man, yes, but he was also the one who did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.

But he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. That's Philippians 2.6 for your notes. Philippians 2.6, fully man, but he did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Let me read you a quote from the United Church of God's study guide, Jesus Christ the Real Story. It's a booklet. This is the part of the booklet titled, The God Who Became a Human Being. Let me quote this to you. This is an awesome quote. Quote, Jesus was prophesied to be God with us. That's Matthew 1.23 for your notes. Continuing with the quote here, Jesus was a human being and he was also God.

There was never a time when he ceased to be who he always was. His identity did not change. When he was in the womb of Mary, he was God. When he was a baby boy lying in the manger, he was God. When he was a youngster growing up in Nazareth, he was God. And when he was dying, he was God. Unquote.

Amazing. And Jesus was continually pointing the disciples to this fact, to this third essential truth. One instance John records, and because it's just a little bit over, let's turn there just to see one example of Jesus pointing them to his divinity. John chapter 14, so if you'll keep your marker here in John 1, let's go to John 14 just for a moment. Jesus declaring his divinity. It's all throughout Scripture, but here's one clear example here. John 14 in verse 6. You'll notice this is an exchange between Jesus and the disciples. He's boldly claiming his divinity. So John 14 verse 6. Jesus here responding, John 14 verse 6, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. And from now on, you know him, and I've seen him. Verse 8, Philip, you know, you always need a Philip in the group or a Peter because they always ask the question that you're thinking, but you don't want to say it, you know, you don't want to put yourself out there. So we're very thankful for the Phillips here. Now verse 8, Philip then said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Well, show us the Father and we'll be fine then. That'll be good enough for us. Show us God. And Jesus answered verse 9. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Verse 10, verse 10, do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Let's stop there. Do you understand this? He who has seen me, Jesus says, has seen the Father. I in him, him in me. We have the closest possible relationship you could ever imagine because we've been together since eternity. And this is really the supreme mystery of the gospel, that he is the Son of God in the flesh. He is God with us. That was Jesus Christ. God with us. From the beginning, two distinct beings existing before anything else, both of them God. Jesus fully man and fully God. That's the third essential truth. Jesus's divinity. Number four. Fourth essential truth regarding Jesus Christ. Number four, Jesus as creator. This is the fourth truth. Jesus as creator. It's all there in the phrase in verse three. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. So, in other words, everything that exists owes its existence to the Word, the One who became Jesus Christ. Everything that exists. And in the original text, they didn't have a way to underline or bold.

They didn't have highlighters. One way to put forth emphasis is one technique is what we see here. They stated in the positive. They turn around and stated in the negative. All positive. All things were made through him. Positive form. Negative form. And without him, nothing was made that was made. Crystal clear on this essential fact. So, consider creation. And if you can, go behind creation. Go before creation. And as far back as you can go, the Word has always existed in the beginning. There was never a time in which he didn't exist. And except for the Father, you know, the Father's been around for us two distinct beings. So, except for the Father, there was nothing which didn't depend on him for its existence. All things were made through and by the Word. The Word who would become manifest to us. So, as we go through these essential truths, you're thinking, does this, does Jesus Christ demand respect?

Does he deserve all of my glory? All of my worship? Where I bend my will to his Word? And I'm not gonna bend to the culture. I'm not gonna say there's any other way. Because I know who he is. This is Jesus Christ. He's the answer to any ambiguity that tries to come in and through this culture. Without him, nothing was made. And so, we could say, in him all things hold together. Without him, nothing is held together. In him, all things were made. Without him, nothing stays made. We could say, however you want to say it. Now, some have recognized there's some very distinct strains of Genesis 1 here in John 1. You may have noticed that when you move into verse 4, you see that the issues that Genesis deals with, creation, life, light, darkness, and so on, it's the same issues that John deals with. So, we could say that Genesis 1 deals with the original creation.

The original creation, all things made through the Word, Jesus Christ. And then John 1, in a sense, is going to deal with new creation. The new creation in which God is once again doing through Jesus Christ. So, what John's doing here, he's making clear that the one who brought about the first Genesis creation that we read about in the beginning, the physical creation, is also the one who's now going to bring about this second creation, the new creation by which men and women are brought into a relationship with God the Father. So, you have this interesting harmony here, the first creation, a new beginning, and a new creation. It's an incredible fourth truth here. It's really Jesus as creator is it, we know, to be physically and spiritually. So, you have the original physical creation. Now, we're beginning to deal with a new creation, and that leads us into our fifth and final truth. Fifth and final truth, which is Jesus as illuminator. That's number five. Jesus as illuminator. I'm not going to tell you how to spell that. I've spelled it like four different ways here in my notes. If you started off with an A, you're already in trouble. I'll give you a hint. It starts off with an I. Jesus as illuminator, and that's verse 4. Verse 4, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. So illuminating. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. So not just physical, but the life was also the light of men. So, in other words, he lights up men and women, doesn't he?

He's the spark of men and women. Because only because there's life in him, only because there was eternal life in him, and he came and manifest himself to us here, and only because he died and rose again, and now he's at the right hand of the Father again, only because there's life in him is there life in anything else. And not just physical life, but eternal life. He is the light of men, the source, the means, the gift of this eternal light to come. The gift which will ultimately come to those who are his at his return. Those who are his at his return, he's gonna light that spark, that eternal light in him. That's what we're striving for. And to you young people, don't miss out. Don't miss out on that initial return, and don't miss out on when he reaches down, and if you're alive, he'll light it then. If you're asleep, he'll bring you forth and light it in you then. You'll be with him from the beginning. Don't miss out on those thousand years. What an awesome thing it is, and this is what we're striving for. We want to be there at his return with that initial light that's turned on, the eternal light in those that are his. But we know that there's an eternal light which will be offered to all men and all women, to those whom God is not given the opportunity now, that the light of eternal life will be available in one day, and today he shines into the darkness of men's hearts and minds. He illuminates us with truth. He's the answer to the deepest questions. What is this all about? Why am I here? What's my purpose? Christ is the answer, and if you look across humanity, you see so many stumbling around in darkness. They don't comprehend it. That's verse 5. Look at verse 5. Verse 5 explains, and the light, that's Jesus Christ, shines in the darkness, and the darkness didn't comprehend it, did not comprehend it. You know, sometimes we think that those in society don't have an interest in these big questions, but they do. In fact, now that the weather is getting a little bit better, there's gonna be lines upon lines, just a short distance down in Gatlinburg, of men and women lining up, paying money to have tarot cards laid out in front of them, and to gaze into their palms, have someone gaze into their palms for 30 minutes, you know, to tell them what this is all about. Well, like the scripture says, you know, John says, I'm not writing to you because you don't know. You know, he says. That's why I'm writing to you. You know. Why are they in the dark? Why are they searching? They're in the dark. Why are they searching? Pascal said it best. Pascal, I'll quote from him. He said, quote, there is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing, but only by God the Creator made known through Jesus Christ. Unquote. That's true. In every man or woman there's a God-shaped void, a God-shaped void which all these searchings won't fill. All these ambiguous, ill-defined notions of all these different avenues, it won't fill them. There's only one avenue. There's only one way. And we need to proclaim this thing that in Him is life, and in life is the light of men. We are the light bringers of this. So I want to conclude with us, and I want to reiterate how important it is to be dogmatic, absolute, certain, clear regarding truth. The truth that we need to proclaim. Because when we are absolute in these things, what happens is remarkable.

When the light of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, it comes into the hearts of men and women, those who you have an influence with, and upon and according to God's providential will, His calling, God will begin to illuminate them with His truth. He is the light of the world. We are reflecting Him to the world. We must proclaim Christ in the age of ambiguity. So important. Why? Because those who receive and believe in Christ's name, to those He gives the right to become the children. Go down just a few verses here as we conclude. John 1 verse 12 and 13.

Look at this. As we think about Jesus Christ and speaking truth, John 1 verse 12 and 13, here it is. But as many as received Him, that's Christ, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God. So Jesus Christ makes all this possible. Jesus Christ makes becoming a son of God or daughter of God possible. So this is the ultimate question for us, for humanity. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? It is the ultimate question. Do you believe in the definable statements concerning the lordship of Jesus Christ in your life? Do you believe that you can only believe what He says? Do you believe that you can only behave as He has commanded? Do you believe that He is the only authority in your life? Do you believe? That's the question. So, I propose we stand up when challenged by heretical, false teachers. Don't be surprised if they come from within, but you don't have to feel fear. You don't have to feel unease. Stand up on truth. Stand up. Be brave enough to say, I take my stand. I'm gonna shine the light of who Jesus Christ is. I'm not gonna let you alter it, diminish it in any way, because I know. Stand up with the Apostle John's words, and let us shine a light and proclaim Jesus Christ from now until His return.