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Bro. Otis Fisher
Starting with the 4th verse of John, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. We have the word was. These two words, same word twice, prove that he was the source and that it was given. All life came from him.
Now when we think of life, we think of each other. Dennis, how many things in this world are alive? All that are not dead? Is a tree alive or dead? Well, the Bible plainly says that all life came from him.
Who is the him, Greg? Jesus the Christ. There would be no life on this planet if he had not given it. Now, these two words was were in the 4th verse, David. And we just discovered that all life came from him.
I asked Dennis how many things in this world were alive and he said all that's not dead. So we have life and death. Death is the absence of life. Life is the absence of death. So, here we have a further proof of Christ's divinity.
And evidence that he had a being as God. We're still keeping that in mind before his incarnation. For as much as the life is centered in him. Communicated by him. Derived from him. In him was life. Life was formerly in Christ as the subject of it.
That Christ is author and dispenser of all life unto his creatures. He is the original life in the order of nature. Because by him was created. Genesis 1 .26. He is spiritual life in the order of grace.
I am the way, the truth, the life. Found in John 14 .6. He is eternal life in the order of glory. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5 .12. That all creatures receiving light and life from Christ.
Not as an instrument. But as the fountain from which it flows. And in which it is preserved. Is an evident proof of his divinity. And an argument that he is truly and really God. In him was life. And the life was the light of men.
The light shineth in darkness. Verse 5. The light and the light shineth in darkness. And the darkness comprehended it not. Dennis, what does comprehend mean? Alright. The darkness comprehended it not.
Did not take it in. A brief summary of the effect of all striving of this unincarnate world. Throughout this wide world. Of this unincarnate word. Throughout this wide world. From the beginning. And a hint of the necessity of his putting it in flesh.
If any recovery of man was to be effected. This is the way it had to be. The light of man is turned into darkness. David, can you turn light into darkness? Greg. It was turned into darkness. But not true darkness.
Not darkness as we think of darkness. Yet there was enough clearness. So that they are without excuse. See if it had been removed totally. Then man would be without excuse. But that's not true. Yes. They could not perceive.
Not reach it to receive any light from it. Not so much as acknowledging him. But man knew there was something. Man knows there is a being over this world. Whether he admits it or not. He knows it. Verse 6.
There was a man sent from God. Whose name was John. Very common name. Here the evangelist proceeds in declaring Christ to be really God. Because he was that original. That essential light. Which had no beginning.
And it suffers no decay. But is so diffused. And in some kind. In some measure or other. To enlighten every man that cometh into the world. What's he talking about? This enlightening man, David. Everybody has that?
Some of the Jews had the. Had a conceit that John. The Baptist was the promised Messiah. And we go through that. And he assured them that he was not. Here therefore to undeceive the Jews. The evangelist says that John was not that light.
John was a great light. A burning and shining light. But not such a light as the Messiah was to be. Jesus has not come on the scene yet officially. John was a light instrumentally. Christ effectually.
John was a light enlightened. Christ was a light enlightening. John's light was by participation in it. Christ was essential and original. There was no light beyond Christ. John's light was the light of the candle in a private house.
In and among the Jews only. But Christ's light was the light of the sun. Like the light of the sun. Spreading over the whole face. Over all of creation. Over all the earth. This is the true light. That lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
That is, he enlightens all mankind with the light of reason. And is the author of all spiritual illumination in them that receive it. Christ is called a light in regard of his office. Which was to manifest and declare the salvation to the church.
Which lay hid before the purpose of God. And he is called the true light. Not so much in opposition to all false light. But as opposed to the types and shadows of the mosaical dispensation. That every man and woman that comes into the world.
Is enlightened by Christ to some degree. All are enlightened with the light of reason and natural conscience. Some with the light of grace and supernatural illumination. That Christ being the essential, original, and eternal light.
Enlightening and enlivening the whole creation. Is an evident and undisputable demonstration. That he is really God. Verse 7. The same came for a witness. To bear witness of that light. Of the light that all men through him might believe.
The light of the Messiah. Through him might believe. Through the testimony of John. Might believe in Christ. Verse 8. He was not that light. But was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light.
Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Which lighteneth every man. As Christ is the spring and fountain of all wisdom. So all of the wisdom that is in man comes from him. The human intellect is a ray from his brightness.
And reason itself springs from his logos. Word. The eternal reason. Now remember back in the Garden of Eden. Man ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So man knew. He knew about it until he ate of it.
And then he knew it. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him. And the world knew him not. He was in the world. That is, he that was God from eternity made himself visible to the world in the fullness of time.
Greg, why didn't God produce all of this creation earlier? Alright. Bob, why didn't he do it earlier? Why didn't he create the creation earlier? Dennis? David? Yes. Joy? Well that's in time. There's time for everything.
Virginia? Why didn't God make it earlier? Well, you've all answered it right. Except one thing. How could he? Yes. David, how could God have created the creation earlier than he did? That's right. You see how we're locked into time?
Thank you, Greg. Well, he made himself visible to the world in the fullness of time. After the creation started, there was time. But not before. Well, who's to say that he didn't? Did that answer your question?
Well, John repeats it again, that the world was made by him to show his omnipotence and divinity. And then adds that the world knew him not as an evidence of the world's blindness and ingratitude. That notwithstanding the eternal son of God appeared in the world, and the world was made and created by him, yet the generality of the world did not know him.
That is, they did not own and acknowledge him. Did not receive and obey him. They neither knew him as creator nor accepted him as mediator. Eleven. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Now we have the word own here.
Two different, well, it's the same translation. But one is neuter and the other is masculine. His own, his own property, his own possession. For the world is in the neuter, word is in the neuter. It means his own land, city, temple, rights, possessions.
Them and his own people. For now the word's masculine. It means the Jews as the peculiar people. Both they and their land with all that is included were his own. Not so much as part of the world which was made by him, but as the heir.
The heir of the inheritance. Yes. Ten. Are you that far behind? All right. He was born in. No, he was born into this world, and the world didn't receive him. And he owned it all. It lighteth this light.
That's a good question. David, did the light light every man only after Christ got here? Yes. That was from Adam forward. Yes. But as many as received him, verse 12, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.
Boy, look at the power. He gave us power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Now, Greg, does everybody have the power to become the sons of God? Who does? That's so right.
But as many individuals of the disobedient and gainsaying people gave he power. Where it signifies both authority and ability, and both are certainly meant here. To become. This is very, very important.
To become. Jesus, the son of God. But he is never said to have become the son of God. Why, David? He's always been. It's very hard for me to understand, but I know he has always been. Believe on his name, a phase never used in scripture of any mere creature to express credit given to human testimony, even of prophets or apostles.
And so much it carries with it, the idea of trust gives those that believe in himself power to become the sons of God. We become or became the sons of God, meaning that there was a time that we were not the sons of God.
To become proves that. Thirteen, which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God. They're not born of blood. Grace runs not in the blood. Piety is not hereditary.
Religious parents propagate corruption, not regeneration. So many times we think of Brother David, a preacher, and all his children are Christian. Well, so happens they are, but his being a preacher didn't have anything to do with it.
No person then whatsoever has the gracious privilege of adoption by the first birth. They are not born of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man. That is, no man, by the utmost improvement of his nature, can raise himself up to the privilege of adoption and be the efficient cause of his own regeneration.
That God alone is the prime efficient cause of regeneration. He works upon the understanding by illumination, and upon the will by sanctification, which were born not of blood, nor the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but were born of God.
And the Word was made flesh, dwelt among us, and we believed we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh, in other words, by being born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, and we beheld his glory in his miracles, and especially in his transfiguration.
You remember, they went upon the mount and Christ's appearance changed. That's what we will assume when we die. Glory as of the only begotten from the Father, such glory as was suitable to the Son of God, full of grace and truth.
The glory of Christ was not in pomp and the worldly grandeur, but in the holiness, grace, and truth of his daily life. 15. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, he that cometh after me is preferred before me, his goings forth being from old, from everlasting, taken from Micah 5 and 2.
Anything lower than this it cannot mean. My successor is my superior, for he was my predecessor. This puzzling play upon the different senses of the word before and after was doubtless employed by the Baptist to arrest attention, to rivet the thought, and the everlasting introduces just to clench his own statements.
16. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. That's a strange, strange wording. Christ is the most plentiful fountain of all goodness, but he gave out his gifts most bountifully at the time when he was exhibited and showed himself to the world.
That is grace upon grace. I guess you could say it like this. Grace is piled one upon another. 17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. All true believers receive from Christ's fullness the best and greatest saints cannot live without him.
The meanest and weakest may live by him. This excludes proud boasting that we have nothing, but we have received it, and silence is perplexing fears that we want nothing, but we may receive it. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. No man has seen God ever. I've got a fairly good idea that we won't, but I don't know. Consequently, I just don't know.
Maybe if we look through the eyes of Jesus, we will. He here is emphatic, as if he should say, he and he only hath declared him because only he only can. 19. And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou?
Well, John's neither the Messiah nor like any of the other prophets. And he confessed and denied not, and he confessed and denied not, but confessed I am not the Christ. They insisted that he should declare who he was.
He quoted from the Bible, from Isaiah. And they asked him, what then, art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, no. Then said they unto him, who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us?
What sayest thou thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as saith the prophet Isaiah. Now, in this answer, John shows himself to be the spiritual Elijah, where he declares that he came to do the work of Elijah, namely, to prepare the people for the advent of the Messiah.
They which were sent were of the Pharisees. Christ is the author of baptism, not John. Therefore, the authority of this does not come from John. 25. And they asked him and said unto him, why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ nor Elijah?
Neither that prophet. John baptized his converts, while the proselytes baptized themselves. John baptized Jews and not Gentiles. 26. John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom you know not.
He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe latchet I am not worthy to unloosen. He was the forerunner of Christ. This is why Christ said that there was none higher than John. It's because John was the herald, the crier, the forerunner of Christ himself.
Now, he mentions a shoe latchet here, lest we think that it's a buckle or something. It was a string or a thong by which they were fastened to the feet. And it was the duty of the lowest of low servants to undo that.
So John, in saying that he was not worthy, put himself below the lowest servant. 28. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Now, he did not say sins. He took away the sin of the world, the cosmos. The world was under a curse. Jesus the Christ came to offer himself for the world, which included his people. 29. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me.
And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing with water. Now, why was it important for John to say, I knew him not, I didn't know the man? Greg, all right, that's what happened, so we know that's true.
David, why is it that it was important enough to be written down that John didn't know him? All right, it could have been said. If it had not been written, it could have been said that they knew each other and hatched up this scheme.
So you see, everything is important. And John bear record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. Christ is proved to be the Son of God by the coming down of the Holy Spirit, by the Father's voice, and by John's testimony.
And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me, upon whom thou seest shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same as he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
I knew him not. Now, John may have had a personal acquaintance with Jesus, but he did not know him as the Son of God. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. This is the climax of John's testimony.
We've just had it. It was twofold embracing the results of the two senses of sight and hearing. John saw the dove-like apparition of the Spirit, which convinced him that Jesus was the one to baptize in the Spirit.
He heard the voice of the Father, which convinced him that Jesus was the Son of God. This word, thee, points out to us some excellent things and makes a distinction between Christ and others whom Moses and prophets commonly called the sons of the Most High.
Again, the next day after John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he says, Behold the Lamb of God. On the preceding day, John had recognized Jesus in a public discourse as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.
Now, he personally points the disciples to him. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. They followed Jesus. They had been the disciples of John. His office was to point out the Messiah.
When that was done, they left at once their master and teacher, John, and followed the long-expected Messiah. Who were these two, David? Well, our time has run out, and we're almost through, but we'll stop with that because I didn't intend to teach more than that.
I have a question for you. We're not going back to John. I think I have asked this before, but think about it. Does the divine will of God—well, it's written so small—does the divine will of God render the future sinful act absolutely certain?
Think about it. Bob, dismiss this, please.