If you were sum up the life of the most influential human who ever lived in just a few sentences, how would you start? This was the task before John as he began writing his eye-witness account of the life of his close friend, Jesus. As we begin this new year-long series The Gospel According to John, we are going to discover unique material that John included to round out the other three biographies of Jesus, already in circulation. John begins his biography in the same way the Hebrew scriptures open: “In the Beginning…” Join us to see where it went from there.
********************************************
MESSAGE STUDY NOTES (also as PDF download above)
********************************************
WARM UP
Describe both of your parents using two words each.
READ
John 1:1-15
MAIN POINTS/TAKEAWAY
Key insights:
1. Jesus is the Logos (Word), the purpose of life
2. Jesus is full of grace and truth
3. Jesus was God in the flesh
4. Jesus was unrecognized
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. If Jesus is the Creator of all things, why do you think he was unrecognized? Why do you think he is largely ignored today?
2. Gnosticism is the belief that the physical world is irrelevant and that the “true” world is spiritual, inwardly. Do you think Gnosticism has made a resurgence lately? Why or why not?
APPLICATION
If the most loving human was full of grace and truth, what does this mean specifically when Jesus commands us to love one another? Give examples.
FOR MENTORING
If Jesus is the Logos, the purpose of life, how would knowing this help you to mentor someone?
