John 1:1-5 Follow Up Discussion
Here’s a few sermon discussion questions to help our church love God by applying his Word to our lives. Feel free to use these questions for personal reflection, alongside your family, within a smaller discipleship/journey group, or even within the context of your Life Group. If you missed Sunday’s sermon from John 1:1-5, you can view online here: http://thecrossingfc.org/sermons/the-word-is-life-and-light/
John 1:1-5 Discussion Questions:
TPQ (Thought Provoking Question): In his sermon this past Sunday, Aaron described a scene in a dark cave. Where’s the darkest place you’ve ever been? (a cave, a rural road, camping on a mountain, etc.) How did you react to such literal darkness? As we begin to look at this passage in John’s gospel, we’ll see how the apostle John contrasts light & darkness.
1. In verse 1, John uses wording that calls to mind the opening verses in Genesis (In the beginning…). How does this set the tone for the rest of this passage? Why does he want to harken us back to Genesis when he’s about to tell us about the ministry of Jesus in first century Palestine? How does Christ as “the Word” connect with the creation account in Genesis?
2. John goes on to tell us some things about this Word (Jesus). Pastor Aaron brought out 5 characteristics or roles of the Word in these 5 verses. Can you identify them and share a little about the significance of each one?
>> The Word (Jesus) is:
Eternal- John points to Genesis 1 and a new creation, but a story older than time.
Personal- Jesus was with God, in relationship. ‘face to face’. Points to the Trinity
God (divine)- Jesus being not just like God, but God Himself. We’ll see this unpacked in the 7 ‘I am’ statements.
Q: what difference does it make to you that Jesus is God?
Creator- Jesus created all things and He Himself was not created. He is the source & the force behind all creation. (cf Col 1:15-17)
Life & Light- Jesus is the essence of spiritual life & glory that overcomes sin. The darkness has no power or means to overcome or to vanquish the light.
3. How does this knowledge about Jesus affect the way you see Him and act toward Him? Why does John think it’s important for us to know these things about Jesus from the very start of his gospel account
4. Christ is the source of all light & life. Where else do you & I look for ‘life’ rather than in Him? What about non-believers; where do they look for ‘life’ this time of year? How can we, with the knowledge of Who the true Life really is, where pure Light really defeats darkness, how can we connect with those who are searching for life & light? This week? This season? Be specific.
For further reflection on the Trinity:
Here’s a great graphic explaining the trinity: http://www.challies.com/visual-theology/visual-theology-the-trinity
Here’s an article for further reading on the great doctrine of the Trinity: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2011/09/28/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-no-christianity-without-it/
How does our view of “1 God, manifested in 3 distinct person’s” challenge your thinking? How does this view of God differ from other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses?