About the show

 Transcript

The following program is provided by Renew Your Mind Ministries Welcome to Renewing Your Mind the Word of God. And in depth study of the Word of God. The program’s name is from Romans 12:2 which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” How to renew our minds by studying the Word of God, which is found in the Bible. The Bible is inspired and only infallible and authoritative written word of God, according to 2Timothy 316, Matthew 4:4 and for John 17:17. In Psalms 33:4. For the Word of God says in Hebrews 4:12, for the Word of God is alive and act sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. God’s Word also says on in, 2 Timothy 2:15, that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books, spread out over 66 books. It is divided in two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament consists of 39 books, written mostly by Moses, that were written before Jesus was born. The New Testament consists of 29 books, and were written by the early followers of Lord Jesus after his death, and resurrection. We will begin our journey of renewing our minds by going through the Book of John found in the New Testament. John is considered one of the four Gospel books. Gospel means the good news, the good news of what you may ask the good news of the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

John is different from the other three gospel books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three books are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they all include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence, and in a similar or sometimes identical wording of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Lord Jesus in chronological order. However, the book of John is different. While it does give us some background on Jesus, it pays a lot of tension to the identity of Jesus, who is Jesus? The answer is, He’s got, He’s our Lord, is our Savior. And we would explore God’s Holy Word to prove that starting with the book of John. We will start with the book of John and work our way through the book of Acts, Romans, and work our way back to the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, if the Lord says the same. Our goal is to get through the prologue or introduction today: John chapter one verses 1 through 18. We will first read through the Scriptures and come back and break it down. If you would turn with me or go to the Book of John chapter one, verse one, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made. Without Him, nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness is not overcome it. There was a man sent by God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light, he came as a witness to the light, the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own. His own did not receive him. Yet all who did receive him to those who believe in his name. He gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, no of human decision, or wheel, but of God but born of God. The Word became flesh, made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifying concerning him, he cried out, saying, This is the one I spoke about when I said, he comes after me. He who comes after me, has surpassed me, because he was before me. Out of His fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the Law was given through Moses. grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only son, who is Himself God, and as the closest relationship with the Father has made him known. Amen.

Let’s pray, Father God in the mighty name of Jesus, we thank you for being our God. We thank You that You sent Your only begotten Son Jesus to die for our sins. We thank you that you raise Lord Jesus from the dead, by the power of the Holy Spirit, because He was sinless, and thus death couldn’t keep him. Father, we thank You for Your Holy Word. We ask in Jesus’ Holy Name that you open our ears to hear our hearts to receive Your Holy Word. We ask that you renew our minds with your words. So that we may prove that which is your good and acceptable and perfect will so that you and you only may receive the glory. In Jesus’ name, we ask and pray. Amen. Now, let’s break down each of these verses. Hopefully we get through them today, one through 18. But if we don’t, we will pick up the next program, the particular version of the Bible that I’m reading from is the NIV version, a New International Version, I’ve encouraged you to get a translation of the Bible that you can read and understand if your Bible has the word ye and tee, thou, and thus and you don’t understand those words, get a more updated translation of the words so you can read an understanding of the word of God. When the New King James was first printed, that’s the way they spoke. But we don’t speak that way anymore. And we have the the sources to translate without disturbing the meaning behind the words from the Greek, the Arabic and the Hebrew, those are original languages, which they were written into Martin, speak today, when you can read the Word of God and understand it. So I’m reading from the NIV version. And so your version that you’re reading from may not look exactly as the same as mine, but that’s the version that I’m reading for unless I state otherwise. So let’s look at John chapter one verse one that says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The first verse of John established several important facts and introduce an important term. Jesus is referred to as the Word from the Greek word logos, Jesus is the Logos, the
Word of God. This is the first of John’s seven names for Jesus, the Word, the rest of the book of John’s attempt to prove this through various forms of evidence, particularly Jesus’s miracles. Verse one, also establish that the universal creation as we know it, had a beginning. This beginning does does not mean that Jesus is God, at the beginning, because God has no beginning. This verse also makes it clear that the logos Jesus is identical to the Creator, or they are the same. Hence, in this verse, the Word was God, Jesus is God. This begins to establish the concept of the Holy Trinity Trinity, where God is one being, there’s only one God manifested in three distinct persons, that the Father, God the Son, which is Jesus, and God, the Holy Spirit, and that is established in John verse chapter one, verse one, let’s look at John chapter one, verse two. He was with God in the beginning. Verse two continue to introduce us to Jesus verse one describe Jesus as the logos meaning the Word of God. Jesus is a living message of God the Father, John also tell us that Jesus did not become God, or rise to the level of God. Jesus was or is God from the very beginning. We also see that in the story of creation, in Genesis, in Genesis, chapter one, verse 26, where it says, And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, who is this us in our God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. John one one states that the Word was God, not something separate from God. Again, we’re seeing in the book of John again, who Jesus is he’s God. Two clarifies. This is true, right from the start. Jesus was not a created being, nor separate being he was, and it is identical to and is God. This is a claim Jesus will make himself later in the Gospel. In John 8:38, for instance, Jesus claimed, Jesus claims speak where he has heard directly from the Father. Sshortly after in John 8:58, Jesus not only claims to have existed before Abraham, he refers to himself as using the name of God: “I Am”. John relate several of these “I Am” statements in the book and what that is coming from. God often referred to himself in the Old Testament is “I Am”, and we see Jesus repeating that “I Am” stating statement letting the world know that He is God. Moving on to John, one, three, through Him, all things were made. Without him, nothing was made, that has been made. Here we see the role of God as creator. The universe is not the product of evolution, or Big Bang, but as the product but an intelligent creator, God. In John one, one, and in John one, two, Jesus is God. Here, scriptures tell us nothing was created, that was created apart from Jesus. This is important for several reasons. First is prove that Jesus is not an angel, not simply a man or some other formed or created beam. Secondly implies a difference between the things which begin to exist, and the one Jesus who’s always existed. In other words, there’s one thing that did not begin to exist, which did not come into existence or come into being this one and only thing, or person is God. And his three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Moving on to looking at John four, In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Verse four declared Jesus role as the giver of eternal life. This also refers to Jesus using a second of John’s seven names for Jesus the light, he often refer to Jesus as the light the world. The light, to the Hebrews during, during that time, the Hebrews and Jews have the same to whom this letter was written. To light, the light was the ultimate value. And let me stop and talk when I say this letter. We often even I say that this is a book, then the New Testaments are really letters that the early that the early followers of Jesus wrote to the early Christian church, they would be sent to the church, read to the church and then passed on to the next church. So they’re not in books in a traditional sense, as we would think of books, but over the years, we’ve come to refer to them as books to help organize the Bible. Nor will you see these letters written in chapters with verse numbers. It would be just if they were written as if you would write a letter today, complete through you wouldn’t write verse one, verse two, but eventually we would adapt chapters and verses to organize the books of the Bible, these letters so we could follow along and make it easier to study so when I refer to letters of books, I’m talking about the same thing. But going back to the message, the Hebrews which were also referred to light when he’s saying the light was the ultimate value. All good things were said to be light and evil was darkness. Light implies a revealing and you shed light on some when you reveal it, Jesus not only exposing Jesus not only exposes our sinfulness, He illuminates or explain the way to be saved from their sinfulness. Like also implies knowledge or awareness why darkness equates to ignorance. But some darkness is a deliberate choice. They know what they do is wrong. So they prefer to hide from the truth, like guides and comfort. But it can also be annoying, infuriating to someone who wants to stay in the shadows. The light in this case is specifically for mankind. Jesus will ultimately proclaim himself as the light of the world in John 8:12. I wish I had more time to go and read these specific scriptures that I’m giving you, but I don’t. But I would encourage you to write the scriptures down and go look at them for yourself. But nonetheless, Jesus came to be a light of mankind, to not only revealed our sinful natures and sinful ways, but to reveal and give to us a means of salvation from those simple ways, and from the wrath of God by His death, burial and resurrection. Moving on to John one, five, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness is not overcoming. Verse five tells us that Jesus life shines or illuminates on darkness, whether it be evil or ignorance. The second phrase of this verse, sometimes translated as the darkness did not overcome it, or the darkness did not comprehend it. This mean the same, could not and will not stop Jesus. It also means since light is associated with knowledge, this important means that Jesus was not and is not understood by the world, fallen man and his fallen nature, simple nature. Many people who reject the gospel do so because they misunderstand it. This inability to see Jesus for what he truly is, has more to do so would a person stubbornness than when their intellect because God according to his Word, they love the darkness, more than the light because their deeds are evil. John 3:19 The evidence is there of his nature as God. But those who preferred a darkness will not see it because they don’t want to see it. John one six, says there was a man sent from God, who name whose name was John, verse six, introduce, introduce us as to John the Baptist as a messenger of God. This is not the same John who wrote this particular book, this is a different person, his name was John the Baptist because he did baptism which we’ll get more into as we get into the book. John the Baptist is actually Jesus’s cousin, we get that from Luke 1:57- 60. His role was to prepare the way for the promised one, the Messiah, the chosen Jesus, he was the first person to react to the presence of the Messiah, even though he was an unborn child in Luke 1:41:44. Mary, when she was pregnant with Jesus, John’s mother, she was pregnant with John. And when Mary came with Jesus in her womb to John’s mother, he leaped in her womb, and that’s what he was referring to there. Moving on to John one, seven, he came as a witness to testify concerning that light is Jesus, because He is the light so that through him all might believe, verse seven tells us that John the Baptist is sent to tell other people about the coming Messiah, Jesus. The second part is verse, so that through him all my believe, is foreshadowing that Jesus didn’t come just to the Jews, but also for the entire worlds as Gentiles, non-Jews, because ultimately he would die for all of us and be resurrected for all of us. Moving on to John one eight, which says he himself was not the light referring to John the Baptist, he came only as a witness to the light. Verse eight clearly state the John the Baptist is not the promised light, but only a witness. His repentance ministry was meant to soften the hearts prior to Jesus emerging on the scene in other words, we’re going to see this later. John the Baptist came to prepare the people that hey, this Messiah, our Messiah, Jesus is coming, repent. We’re going to get more details about that as we get going through the book of John, John one nine, the true light that gives light everyone was coming into the world. Verse nine will reminds us that Jesus is the true light which he is. Jesus is the one and only absolute, perfect, real and true light. This is something Jesus would echo in John 14 six are claiming to be the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE exclusively. He is the one and only real and true way to God and salvation. There is no room to see Jesus as one way. He’s not one way or possible way. He is the only way. Furthermore, this light is given to everyone the entire world, not just Israel. Unfortunately, however, not all people would choose to accept this light. Not all people would choose to accept Jesus. Some were deliberately stay in the dark, and not accept him. John 1:10, He was in the world. And though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize. Verse 10 tells us that Jesus is not only the light, he’s also the creator of the world. Verse 10, tells us as Jesus, God was physically present on this earth. A verse 10 also tells us sadly, that sadly the people of the world didn’t recognize Him. Not only do people reject the knowledge brought by the light, they run from the one that light comes from in the first place, they run from Jesus. This is the worldly mindset which rejects God, which rejects his knowledge and which rejects his world. This is why repentance is a core aspect of the gospel, a person must be willing to turn away from darkness and their sins go into the light. Jesus later pointing out pointed out points out that God has given many reasons for mankind to believe in Him. Genesis five, verses 31 through 47. These include the Scriptures, the miracles he performed, and the human testimonies of His life, His death, His resurrection. For those who want to know, there’s more than enough than enough evidence to make the right choice and believing Jesus as our Lord and Savior. However, people continue to reject him out of pride, and out of ignorance. And that was in the case then. And that’s even the case, even to this day, unfortunately. John 1:11., He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him. Jesus came to all the people in the world as a savior. However, during his human life, he came specifically to the people of Israel, the Jews, if any culture on earth should have been able to recognize the Messiah, it ought to have been God’s chosen people, the Jews, because the Jews have been given God’s word, including many prophecies about God came to those He created for the entire world, as we know from John 3:16. And Jesus came as a man directly to Israel. And yet he was rejected by the Jews, hated and eventually killed by those very people, that he came to his chosen people, the Jews, the one group of people who should have welcomed Jesus were the one who call for his death. John 1:12, yet all who did receive Him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. All who received Jesus through fate, become children of God. Wow. What a promise from God. How wonderful is to be considered by God Almighty, to be his son, or daughter, if you are a believer. God has only one natural child, that’s Jesus. But God words, Word says if we believe in and accept that Jesus died for our sins, and that God the Father raised Him from the dead, because He was sinless, that we become his adopted children and as his children, according to Romans eight, verses 16 through 17, heirs of God and co- heirs with Jesus to inherit among to inherit, among other things, everlasting life, in his perfect kingdom. How wonderful and amazing that is, thank you, Jesus. John 1:13. And this is from the New American Standard Bible because I like its translation a little better than the NIV, still continuing in that prologue of John chapter one verses one through 18. We’re looking at verse 13, who were born not of blood, nor of the wheel of the flesh, nor of the wheel of a man, but of God. Verse 13, goes back to what I was saying that men don’t become children of God by natural birth, not of blood, nor have the will of the flesh nor the will of a man, which means we can’t earn being a child of God who works with the flesh or cannot earn our way to God, there’s nothing we can do but believe in his Son, Jesus, that we can be adopted and be saved. Because it’s a free gift, give by faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, salvation, or becoming a child of God is not at all of man, it is entirely the work of God. We could do it, then Jesus would not have had died. We couldn’t do it, we never could do it. And that’s why Father God out of love, sent his son to be that perfect sacrifice for our fall, sin nature, that those who believe in him can be redeemed, and ultimately saved from his wrath, and will spend eternity with Him in His coming Kingdom. But all of that is his was his work. John 1:14 says the Word became flesh. This is so important. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, and the glory of the One and Only Son, Jesus, who came from the Father. Will the grace and truth verse 14, clearly tells us that God became a man, a truly, fully physical human. As a result, God in the flesh that is Jesus. He came to have experience everything we do, as mortal people, Hebrews 4:15. So he can relate to us because he’s been in this flesh, he understand he was even tempted. The Word said that he got hungry, that he was sleepy that he got tired that he cried, and he experienced human emotional. He was tempted by Satan, although he did not give into those temptations, unlike us, because he was perfect and sinless. He was even tempted like we are so he knows the temptations and drawls of the devil, devil we will eventually see. But again, he did not succumb to those temptations, thus remaining sinless and being that perfect sacrifice that was demanded by God the Father, to redeem us and to be in a position to forgive our sins. John 1:15, John testifying, concerning him that is Jesus, he cried out saying, this is the one I spoke about when I said, He who comes after me, has surpass me, because he was before me. Verse 15 retells that John the Baptist, not John, who wrote this letter, but was sent to tell people about Jesus let them know he’s, he’s here he’s coming. John the Baptist also makes a point of referring to Jesus eternal existence as God meaning that he’s always existed. He wouldn’t create he wouldn’t. For he’s always been in existence as God. According to God’s word, John the Baptist would have been several months older than Jesus and was his cousin. And yet John the Baptist clearly says that Jesus existed before he did, referring to Jesus as God, as he has always been, meaning that he was God even before John the Baptist was even thought about. He also emphasized the fact that Jesus is the focal point in his in his ministry, not him, because we will see later on because of what he’s preaching and what he’s doing, telling people about Jesus, there was a lot of focus on him, and he had to set this record straight that this is not about me. This is about the one that I’m telling you is going to come Jesus Christ. This is our time for the day. If the Lord says the same and we’ll pick up on next week where we left off, and pray that this Bible study has blessed you, if you have a prayer request, you can email it to us at renewyourmindm@gmail.com If you would like a free copy of this recording, you can email your request to again at renewyourmindm@gmail.com. We encourage you to return next week at this time to continue your journey of renewing our minds by the Word of God. We also encourage you to tell others about the program and share the email and link to get the program if they missed it. Lord, Jesus says in Mark 16:15 “Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation” by telling others about the program you are doing your part to spread the Gospel to all the world about our Lord and Savior Jesus and so next time this has been Renewing Your mind the Word of God.