When have you felt captivated by a rescue mission?

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When have you felt captivated by a rescue mission? #priceless

QUESTION 1

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THE POINT

Jesus came to earth to rescue us.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE “Some assembly required.” Many of us dread those words. Maybe you’ve known that feeling. After you’ve finished assembling your item, you have one part left over. Everything seems to be in good working order, but you stare down at that unknown part and think, I have no idea what this is for. You can tear the whole thing down and start over—or simply ignore that part and throw it away. Down the road when the item stops working properly, or something falls off, you realize that little part had a purpose after all. It’s not always easy to determine the purpose of some things. Some of us even wonder about our own purpose. You may ask: What am I here for? One person who never questioned His purpose was Jesus. The apostle John began his account of the life of Jesus by making sure Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth would be clear to everyone who reads his Gospel. We could use a lot of long theological terms to express that purpose, but let me state it simply: rescue. Jesus came to earth to rescue us. And when Jesus rescues us, we find our purpose.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? John 1:1-5,9-14 (HCSB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the

Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one

thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into

the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet

the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be

children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the

The Word (v. 1)—Logos is the Greek term translated into English as “Word.” In the first-century world, the Jews used logos to refer to the authoritative word of God. John used this term to refer to Jesus as the One who brought both God’s power and light to those in the darkness of sin and separation from God. His own (v. 11)—Jesus was born to Mary, a Jewish mother who was married to Joseph, a man whose lineage included such heroes as Abraham, King David, and King Josiah (Matthew 1:1‑16). Jesus came as the Messiah God promised through the Old Testament prophecies.

will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We

observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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THE POINT

Jesus came to earth to rescue us.

John 1:1-5 The Word. John used this phrase to describe Jesus. In John’s day, the Jews equated “the Word” with Scripture, the Word of God. Words communicate, and Scripture—the Word—is how God has communicated about Himself. Here, John introduced the idea of Jesus being the Word. The Word is a fitting title for Jesus because He is the ultimate way God has revealed Himself. Consider what John’s words about the Word reveal about Jesus. 1. Eternal. Before anything was created, Jesus existed. We come into existence at the moment of conception, but not Jesus; He did not begin to exist at the virgin conception. He had no beginning and He has no end. He exists eternally. 2. Divine. Jesus is God and He is not dependent on anything else, but everything else is dependent on Him for its existence. Jesus is not limited by time, space, knowledge, or power. He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is God. 3. Life. When God created all things He said, “It is good,” but all that was messed up by our sin and rebellion. Jesus came to restore life to us. 4. Light. Jesus did not come to give us light, only for us to continue to walk in darkness. ]]

Light reveals. Light shines in the dark places—our hearts and our lives—to reveal our sin and our need for Jesus.

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Light gives guidance. Jesus lights the path that leads us in the right direction; He points us to Himself.

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Light gives assurance. The light of Jesus reveals His truth and salvation, and when we rest in that, we have assurance and peace in Jesus.

We find guidance and assurance in Jesus who created us and gives us life.

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What does the imagery in these verses teach us about Jesus?

QUESTION 2

What do these verses teach us about  salvation?

QUESTION 3

John 1:9-13 The central story of the Bible is how God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from sin. The Old Testament points to our need for a Savior, the promised Messiah. Through Scripture, we see how God planned our rescue—our redemption—before creation. At Christmas, we celebrate the fulfillment of that plan, the birth of Jesus. God’s Son came as a human—one of us!—and was born of Mary, a virgin. He is Immanuel: God with us (Matthew 1:23). God has clearly spoken. He’s revealed Himself through His Word, Jesus Christ. What is our response to God’s Word? ]]

Reject Him. To reject Jesus as the Word is to continue to live in darkness and spend eternity separated from God.

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Accept Him. When we accept Jesus for who He is—the revealed Word of God—He gives us light and life. John used two words to describe the process of accepting Jesus: receive and believe. To receive Jesus is to believe on His name. Receiving Jesus is submitting to His Lordship over your life and believing in your heart.

Have you ever wished you were a child of Sam Walton, a Rockefeller, or any number of people with incredible wealth? Heirs in such families don’t typically have to work hard for their inheritance; it’s theirs simply by virtue of being in the family. God offers us something far better than financial wealth. When we come to Jesus and accept Him, He brings us into His family. We become children of God. It is all by His grace; we don’t have to work for it. God gives us a new birth. It is the gift of God. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE © 2015 LifeWay

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THE POINT

Jesus came to earth to rescue us.

"The Word became flesh and took up residence among us."

How did Jesus’ earthly life reveal God’s glory?

J O H N 1:14 A

QUESTION 4

WORD OF GOD

Circle each of the words or phrases used to describe Jesus. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. Which of these words or phrases is most meaningful to you? Why?

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John 1:14 “The Word became flesh.” This is the miracle of the virgin birth: God became flesh. God, the One who is eternal, came in the fullness of time. God, the One who lives “in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16) became visible. Jesus, the Lord of lords, left heaven’s throne to be born a baby in Bethlehem. Other than an angelic announcement to a few shepherds, Jesus came with no fanfare. No baby shower. No baby registry. But even then—and throughout His earthly life—“we observed His glory.” He did not set aside His Deity. Throughout the Gospels, we see glimpses of Jesus’ Deity in His miracles and His teachings. John could write about seeing His glory because he was there when Jesus “was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2). “Transformed” in the Greek is where we get the word metamorphosis. Jesus’ glory that was on the inside came through on the outside. James MacDonald, an American pastor, once referred to glory as God’s fingerprint. Glory is His signature.2 Jesus’ life radiated glory. And He did this by exhibiting two of the most important qualities of God: His grace and His truth. Jesus displayed them perfectly. During His earthly life, Jesus’ truth did not lessen His grace, and His grace did not lessen His truth. We‘re called to follow Christ’s example. All who have experienced God’s grace are to be “truth” people. And we who believe God’s truth should also be growing in grace. We need both clarity and charity. Too often we choose one to the exclusion of the other, but Christ never did, and neither should we. At Christmas, parents get great joy out of giving gifts to their children. God delights in giving us gifts as well. He has given us His grace and truth. He has blessed us with His glory. And He did all this when He sent His Son to rescue us. Now that’s a gift!

What is your next step in joining Jesus on His rescue mission?

QUESTION 5

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THE POINT

Jesus came to earth to rescue us.

LIVE IT OUT How can the truth of this passage make a difference in your life? ]]

Commit John 1:1-5 to memory. Write this passage on a note card and stick it in your wallet or on your mirror. Repeat these verses aloud every day until you have them memorized.

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Dig deeper into God’s Word. Complete a word study of the term “light.” Use a concordance or Bible dictionary to learn more about Jesus being our light and life.

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Have coffee or lunch with a Christian senior adult. Ask them how they came to know Christ as Savior and what they’ve learned about living as His child.

Jesus rescues us and gives our lives purpose. And that purpose is to follow Jesus and bring glory to God.

My thoughts

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