Sunday School Lesson

September 15

Lesson 3 (KJV)

Faithful During Uncertainty

 

Devotional Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:9–15

Background Scripture: Exodus 16

 

Exodus 16:1–15

1. And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

 

2. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

 

3. And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

 

4. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

 

5. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

 

6. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:

 

7. And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

 

8. And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.

 

9. And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings.

 

10. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

 

11. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

 

12. I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

 

13. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

 

14. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

 

15. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.

 

Key Verse

When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.—Exodus 16:15

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. Tell why the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and how the Lord addressed their discontent.

 

2. Compare and contrast the Israelites’ grumbling with those of previous incidents of the same.

 

3. Keep a prayer journal to record one’s spiritual journey.

 

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Aaron	Air-un.
Elim	Ee-lim.
manna	man-uh.
Moses	Mo-zes or Mo-zez.
Pharaoh	Fair-o or Fay-roe.
quails	kwayles.
Shur	Shur.
Sinai	Sigh-nye or Sigh-nay-eye.

Introduction

1. Held from Heaven

A group of botanists traveled to the Alps to search for rare specimens of flowers. At one point they came across a beautiful flower down on a rock ledge that they could not reach. They saw a shepherd boy not far away, so they called him over and offered him some money if he would allow himself to be let down by them with a rope in order to get the flower.

The boy wanted very much to earn the money. He looked down at the ledge. Then he looked at the strange men—and he said no. They offered him a little more money, and he was tempted to say yes. Still, he wasn’t sure about trusting those strangers. Then all of a sudden his eyes lit up. “Wait here,” he told them and ran off. About 10 minutes later he was back with another man. “I will get the flower for you,” he told the men, “if you will let my father hold the rope.”

In times of uncertainty and doubt, when we feel as if we are “at the end of our rope,” we need the assurance that someone is holding the rope—or better still, holding us! David expressed his own confidence in the Lord that no matter where he might travel, on earth or in realms beyond the earth, “even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:10).

1. Lesson Context

After the Lord had brought forth the Israelites from 400 years of bondage in Egypt, Moses told the people, “Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place” (Exodus 13:3). That “strength of hand” had been displayed in a series of plagues that provided clear and dramatic evidence that the Lord was superior to any of the gods of the Egyptians (chapters 7–11).

But after leaving Egypt, the Israelites forgot the Lord’s “strength of hand.” When they were camped by the Red Sea and saw Pharaoh and his horsemen and chariots approaching, immediately they panicked. They accused Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to die (Exodus 14:10–13). Moses spoke words of faith and assurance to the people, “The Lord shall fight for you” (14:14), and then proceeded to back up his words with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (14:15–18, 21, 22). The Israelites safely crossed on dry land, after which the waters were brought back onto the Egyptians when they tried to give chase (14:23–28). Exodus 14 concludes with the statement that “the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses” (14:31).

But that trust was also short-lived. As the people came to the wilderness of Shur, just east of where they had crossed the Red Sea, they traveled for three days and could find no water. When they finally did find water at Marah, they could not drink it because it was bitter. The people once more complained to Moses, whereupon the Lord once more provided for His people’s needs (Exodus 15:22–25).

As they moved down the western edge of the Sinai Peninsula, the people’s travels brought them to a place called Elim, where they came upon an oasis consisting of 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees (Exodus 15:27). The lesson text begins with the people’s departure from Elim.

1. The People’s Accusation

(Exodus 16:1–3)

1. Between Elim and Sinai (v. 1)
2. And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

 

It is probably difficult for the Israelites to leave a place like Elim with its abundance of water and beautiful scenery. This is especially so given that their journey brings them to the wilderness of Sin, located between Elim and Sinai. For the first time in the Bible, the name Sinai appears. It can refer to both the mountain where God will reveal himself to Israel and to the surrounding region (beginning in Exodus 19). The names Sin and Sinai may come from the same Hebrew root, though the exact meaning of the word is uncertain. This designation Sin has nothing to do with sin as a violation of God’s command, nor should it be confused with the wilderness of Zin, which is an open, uncultivated region south of Palestine (Numbers 13:21; 20:1; Joshua 15:1).

Also noted is the people’s arrival on the fifteenth day of the second month after the exodus. The exodus, along with all the miraculous demonstrations of the Lord’s power both before and after it, should still be fresh in the people’s minds.

1. Against Moses and Aaron (vv. 2, 3)
2. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

The Israelites had murmured against Moses previously at the Red Sea and at Marah (see Lesson Context; compare Exodus 16:7–9, 11, 12). Now they begin to murmur against both Moses and his brother, Aaron (see 4:14–17; 12:1, 28).

 

3. And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

 

One should contrast the words of the people here with the description of how they “sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God” (Exodus 2:23). Now, faced with the hardships of journeying through the wilderness, they see their past bondage in a whole new light: “Life was so much better in Egypt; we had all the food we could eat!” Flesh pots are the pots of meat that now seem so appealing to a discontented people whose thinking has become distorted by unbelief. Their murmurings, however, come close to blasphemy when they express the wish that they had died by the hand of the Lord in … Egypt. That same hand had performed wonders and signs that brought the Egyptians to their knees and made them beg the Israelites to leave Egypt (Exodus 3:20; 7:5; 12:33; 13:9, 14).

Ironically, not long before this murmuring, the people had sung praises to the Lord for what the power of His “right hand” had accomplished on their behalf (Exodus 15:12). They had proclaimed that “fear and dread” would fall on other nations when they heard of the Lord’s mighty works (15:16). But now fear and dread fall on God’s own people as they allow their circumstances to control their faith instead of trusting the Lord to continue to care for them as He has promised.

 

What Do You Think? How can we discern when or to what extent it is appropriate to express dissatisfaction with our circumstances?   Digging Deeper In addition to Exodus 2:23, 24; Numbers 11:1; Psalm 142:1, 2; Job 1:13–22; Jonah 4:1–11; Matthew 6:28–34; and 1 Peter 5:7, which passages most influence your perspective?

The Good Old Days

For 30 years, British families tuned in to The Good Old Days. The entertainment program recreated the music hall variety shows popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Entertainers performed onstage in Edwardian costume. Though the series ended, the original venue still presents live events. One could accurately say that the good old days are still alive in England!

The desire to return to a familiar past is called nostalgia. One need not have literally experienced an event or time to feel nostalgic. Dreaming of returning to a past that one never really knew, like British television viewers mentioned here, is referred to as vicarious nostalgia.

The Israelites also felt vicarious nostalgia for the “good old days” in Egypt—not the real days of slavery, but an imagined time of feasting and plenty! This nostalgia stunted their spiritual growth as they looked to the past instead of God’s promises in the future. How does nostalgia impede your faithfulness today?

—J. E.

1. The Lord’s Answer

(Exodus 16:4–8)

1. Revealed to Moses (vv. 4, 5)
2. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

 

Previously the Lord had responded to the people’s cries of dissatisfaction by guiding Moses to perform a miracle that provided what the people needed (Exodus 14:15–18; 15:22–25). Here the Lord describes to Moses something that the Lord himself will do, without the need for an intercessor. The Lord will provide a response for His people in order to refute their claims that they were filled with bread in Egypt and left to die since leaving. Bread will be given to the people, but not from wheat harvested from the ground; instead, it will come down from heaven.

The instructions for this gathering will constitute a test for the Israelites, to reveal how faithfully they will adhere to what the Lord commands them to do. The people will be responsible for going out and gathering the bread every day.

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways our church can become a vehicle for revealing the Lord’s glory to those who are in difficult circumstances?   Digging Deeper Why is it important to do so?

5. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

 

Here is a specific requirement that will test the people’s willingness to obey the Lord. Nothing is said at this point about the significance of the seventh day as a sabbath day; that will come later (Exodus 16:23, 25, 26, 29). Perhaps the test of the people is in whether they will obey the Lord’s instructions even when no reason is given for those instructions. Will they trust the Lord’s authority enough to simply do what He says?

1. Relayed to the People (vv. 6–8)
2. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt.

 

Nothing is said specifically about what the evening will bring that will cause the people to know that the Lord has brought them out from the land of Egypt. The context suggests some form of miraculous provision. The people will learn that the Lord has not brought them out to kill them, as they claimed previously (Exodus 16:3), but to care for them throughout their travels.

 

7a. And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord.

 

Though no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20; contrast 1 John 3:2), He chooses to reveal His glory in various ways to give people confidence. This is the first specific reference in Exodus to the glory of the Lord appearing to the people, though they have certainly witnessed manifestations of the Lord’s power and glory through events such as the plagues and the deliverance at the Red Sea.

The Lord’s glory will be more dramatically and intensely manifested at Mount Sinai when He establishes His covenant with the Israelites and calls Moses to come to Him on the mountain (Exodus 19:16–19; 20:18–21; 24:15–18). God’s glory will also fill the tabernacle when it is completed (40:34, 35).

 

What Do You Think? What steps can we take to prepare ourselves to see God’s glory in situations when we feel abandoned by Him?   Digging Deeper What may happen if we fail to do so?

7b. For that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

 

Even though the murmurings have been voiced to Moses and Aaron, in truth they are ultimately against the Lord. Moses and Aaron have not brought the people out of Egypt; that is God’s doing (Exodus 16:6). Moses and Aaron are only the human tools in His hands.

 

8. And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.

 

The bread will be to the full, which is the same term the people previously used to describe how abundantly they had been fed in Egypt (Exodus 16:3). God assures His people that no one will go hungry when He feeds them.

Once again Moses points out that the people’s complaints are being directed against the Lord, not Moses and Aaron. Though the people think they are witnessing a failure of human leadership, Israel cannot see that the Lord is leading Moses and Aaron and has never left His people.

III. The Lord’s Presence

(Exodus 16:9–12)

1. The People Look (vv. 9, 10)
2. And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings.

 

At this point, Moses instructs Aaron to have the people gather before the Lord. This will prepare the people for His response to their murmurings.

 

10. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

 

The people have seen the Lord’s presence in a cloud previously, guiding them when they left Egypt (Exodus 13:21, 22) and protecting them from the Egyptians at the Red Sea (14:19, 20). Given their earlier complaining, it seems they have assumed that the Lord has abandoned them in the wilderness. They are wrong.

1. Moses Listens (vv. 11, 12)

11, 12. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

 

Now the directions previously given by Moses and Aaron to the people are backed up with divine authority (Exodus 16:4, 8). Once again the people’s murmurings are cited. The Lord’s providing food for the people is intended to impart the knowledge that the Lord is Israel’s God. Similar words were used previously in Exodus to highlight the impact of the Lord’s deliverance of His people on both the Israelites themselves (6:6, 7) and the Egyptians (7:5), specifically Pharaoh (7:14–17; 8:8–10). This is the same God who has brought the Israelites out of their bondage; He has not changed, and He will not abandon His people in this wilderness.

 

What Do You Think? How can we ensure that any concerns about our leaders do not become complaints about God’s provision?   Digging Deeper How should the command to pray for and love our enemies (Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27–36) change our hearts toward leaders we find ourselves disagreeing with consistently?

1. The Lord’s Provisions

(Exodus 16:13–15)

1. Meat for the People (v. 13)
2. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

 

Here the flesh, or meat, promised earlier by Moses (Exodus 16:8) and by the Lord (16:12) is provided in the form of quails (see Numbers 11:31; Psalm 78:27, 28; 105:40). The fact that the birds are found throughout the camp clearly indicates that there is a sufficient amount to feed the people.

Apparently, the quails come early enough in the evening that the people have time to prepare them for consumption. God has promised the people that there will be bread in the morning (Exodus 16:12), but when they awaken all they see is the dew that normally appears on the ground.

1. Manna for the People (vv. 14, 15)

14, 15. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.

 

The people have never seen anything like this! And being in a desert environment, we wonder when was the last time they saw hoar frost. They are at a loss for what to name the small round thing because it is completely new to them. The name they finally give it, manna, signals this confusion since the word is from a Hebrew phrase meaning What is it?

Even so, there is no question regarding who provides it: only the Lord can distribute bread from Heaven. Later its taste is likened to “wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31). Perhaps the people are uncertain regarding what they are to do with this substance until Moses says, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Psalm 78:24, 25 characterizes it as “the corn of heaven” and “angels’ food.”

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways to prepare ourselves to recognize God’s blessings when they come in unexpected forms?   Digging Deeper Considering passages such as Matthew 17:12 and Luke 10:10–15; 13:34, what dangers can there be in failing to do so?

Spunyarn and Spindrift

The nineteenth-century novel Spunyarn and Spindrift: A Sailor Boy’s Log of a Voyage Out and Home in a China Tea-Clipper is not considered great. Yet Robert Brown’s maritime book printed a now-common English word for the very first time: “If the exact name of anything [the sailors] want happens to slip from their memory, they call it a chicken-fixing, or a gadjet, or a gill-guy, or a timmey-noggy, or a wim-wom.”

Gadjet, or as we spell it today, gadget, was used by sailors of the day as a placeholder name—a word to employ when one has forgotten (or has never known) the correct name of something. Such placeholder names are common and include words like thingamajig, thingumabob, gizmo, or doodad.

When looking at the strange, edible wafers, the Israelites had no idea what they were. They simply asked, “Manna? What is it?” And the placeholder name stuck! What new thing about God have you learned that passes your previous understanding?

—J. E.

Conclusion

1. Faith for Times Like These

As the children of Israel entered a desolate territory following their exodus from Egypt, they became insecure about their food supply. Despite their collective discontent and grumbling, the Lord provided unmistakable visual aids to show that He would supply for their needs. He had not “let go of the rope”—or of them.

In truth, humanity has always lived in uncertain times. Every generation has viewed its times as unsettled or perilous in one way or another. One has only to read from the words of a passage like Psalm 74 to get a sense of the author’s personal anguish and frustration with God over why He does not act more quickly to rescue His people from the desperate times that surround them: “O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?” (Psalm 74:1). “O God,” he pleads, “how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?” (74:10). The psalmist’s times were very uncertain!

 

Our times are no different; there is an abundance of turmoil in so many areas of life. We frequently express our anxiety over uncertainty much as the Israelites did: through murmurings against leadership, from the local to the national level.

The response to living in such times is to return to the truth that is the focus of today’s lesson title: God remains faithful, even during times of uncertainty. His promises remain true; His Word provides the assurance that we need—that when human hands are weak and untrustworthy, God’s hands remain strong. The aforementioned psalmist, who was so distraught by the chaos around him, came back to this truth himself: “For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth” (74:12).

David acknowledged, “My times are in thy hand” (Psalm 31:15). So are ours.

 

1. Prayer

Father, in troubled and uncertain times, may we turn ever and only to You. We thank You that You remain our rock and our refuge—help us remember that! May our hearts be untroubled and find peace from this assurance. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

In uncertain times, God certainly remembers His promises.

 

 

 

KID’S CORNER

The Power of the Word

September 15, 2019

John 1:1-14

 

John 1:1-14

(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John began his gospel in a way similar to Genesis 1 — God created by speaking the Word. “Word” can be translated as “speech, reason, logic, science.” From the classical Greek language, “logos” (word) is used to create words such as “biology” [science of life “bios” = “life” or study of life (“bios” + “logos”)] and “theology” [science of God “God” = “theos” or study of God (“theos” + “logos”)]. A Bible student might think of God using reason, rationality, logic, and “scientific” thinking when God created. God’s creation reveals the reason and logic of God. God created people in His image with reason and logic, and we too should use reason and logic when we create and make choices. In Isaiah 1:18, the LORD says to us, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.’” The Gospel of John calls us to come to God and think and reason with God and about God. John calls us to read his Gospel to learn the truth about God and to live according to the truth. In addition, John declared that the Word is a Person, this Person was God and was with God; therefore, John begins his Gospel teaching about the Father and the Son, Who thought together when they created.

(John 1:2) He was in the beginning with God.

Very early in his Gospel, John identified the Word as Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. The Person Who was with God the Father in the beginning was the Son of God, The Word was Jesus the Messiah before He was born in human flesh. In the Hebrew language, the title “Messiah” means “Anointed One” or “King” which translated into the Greek language is “Christ.” Jesus the King was God and was with God in the beginning, in the absolute beginning before anything else was. Jesus, the Son of God, was not created. When Jesus came to Earth in human flesh, He remained God, and when Jesus ascended into heaven after His death and resurrection He took His rightful place at the right hand of His Father on His throne.

(John 1:3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

God the Father and God the Son worked together in creating all things. The Father and the Son always worked and still work together in perfect agreement, and the Son continued to do so when He came to Earth in human flesh. They always had and have unity of thought and purpose. Neither the Father nor the Son created anything independently from the other. Only God can create from nothing into something, and God does so with good reasons, with and through the Word. In Colossians 1:16), the Apostle Paul wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus revealing Himself as (and revealed as) the King of the universe, Lord over all.

(John 1:4) In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

The Word of God is alive and active, and the Word of God gives life and light. Nothing can exist or live apart from Jesus Christ, the Word of God, for all things and all beings depend totally on Him for their existence moment-by-moment. Jesus Christ gives us light, truth, and understanding. All the truth and understanding that anyone possesses originated in Jesus Christ, though some may choose to distort, misinterpret, and misrepresent the truth of God and Jesus Christ that the light of understanding gives them. Those who persist in distorting the truth of God and reality eventually develop depraved minds (see Romans 1:18ff). Those with depraved minds live in darkness, but Jesus came to shine the light of God in the darkness that many might come to the light and be saved.

(John 1:5) The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The rational and spiritual realty is this: “darkness is the opposite of the light; therefore, darkness is unreasonable, irrational, opposed to true science; darkness is the realm of evil lies.” No matter how evil and dark a situation, the light of God still shines in that darkness and the people of the light see the light shining into their lives and transforming their thinking. The evil realm in which the people of the light live cannot overcome the Light and the Truth, the Word of God, the Reason of God, the Truth of God in Jesus Christ, the Truth of the Bible.

(John 1:6) There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

John, the writer of this gospel, now draws the reader’s attention to a different John, John the Baptist, who was a man sent from God. John was born about six months prior to the birth of Jesus the Messiah. John’s mother, Elizabeth, and the mother of Jesus, Mary, were related. John was a Levite, the son of a priest who served in the Temple. Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David. More importantly, John was filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb; whereas, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in His mother’s womb. John tries to clarify the distinction between John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah.

(John 1:7) He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection, some held John the Baptist in such high esteem that they did not distinguish clearly between John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. God sent John for the specific reason of pointing people beyond himself to Jesus. John used the legal terms of “witness” and “testify.” What John did was give evidence suitable for a court of law; in the sense that John gave good and sufficient evidence or reasons for someone to believe in Jesus as the One who was the Light.

(John 1:8) He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

John now writes in a negative way what he wrote in a positive way in the previous verse so he can be perfectly clear and avoid misunderstanding. John the Baptist was not “the light of all people,” but he came to point people to the One who was and remains “the light of all people.” John testified with the power of the Holy Spirit, Who indwelt John from the beginning; thus, John convinced and baptized many to prepare them for the coming ministry of Jesus the Messiah, the Word and Light of God.

(John 1:9) There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

Jesus Christ is the One Who gives true enlightenment, logical thinking ability, understanding, and rationality to people. He is the One Who explains the reason of creation and the plans and purposes of God. Jesus wanted to do this for everyone, and so He came into the world as the “True Light,” as the One Who opposed the artificial or false light that pretended to be the true light but was darkness. False lights may mislead many, but when anyone comes to Jesus, they will become enlightened by the “True Light” and can come into the Light of Life.

(John 1:10) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Before Jesus was born in human flesh, He was in the world as the Son of God spiritually, but the world did not know Him. After He was born in human flesh, and as He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and those around Him, they did not know He was the Son of God and the Light of the world. Though the world came into being through Him, the world did not conclude rightly about the nature and character of God in Him.

(John 1:11) He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and born of the tribe of Judah; therefore, He was a Jew. He was in the line of David; therefore, He was qualified to serve His people as the foretold Messiah. However, John now points toward the life of Jesus and the people’s response to Him. The Jewish religious leadership rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God; for Jesus claimed to be both Messiah and Son of God. They rejected Him because He made himself equal to God. They tried to mislead people away from Jesus and finally used the Romans to crucify Jesus.

(John 1:12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

However, some among “His people” received Jesus. Some Jews and Gentiles (Roman officers and Samaritans, for examples) received Jesus. When they received Jesus as the Son of God and believed in His name (the name “Jesus,” means, “Savior”) He gave them the “power to become children of God” in the sense of becoming “adopted children,” as Paul described in Ephesians 1:5, “He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.” We must receive the power of God from Jesus to become the adopted children of God.

(John 1:13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

A person receives the power to become a child of God directly from Jesus by adoption, by Jesus’ choice. Similarly, a human child may be adopted by parents for good reasons known to them and perhaps told to their child. A person does not become a child of God because of their bloodline (because they are Jews or Gentiles or of royal blood). A person does not become a child of God because they do something in the flesh (some great human achievement that earns them the status). A person does not become a child of God because some priest or preacher declares them to be so. Only God through Jesus Christ gives a person the power to become a child of God.

(John 1:14) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Here, John refers to the miracle of Jesus’ birth (described in greater detail in the gospels of Matthew and Luke and Mark 1:1). Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being in human flesh, blood, bone, mind and soul. He did not “just appear” to be a human being (as an angel might appear to be a human being.) Consider the meaning of Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Jesus was the Son of God in human flesh, not an angel who appeared to be human. John and the other Apostles saw Jesus for Who He was and is, in His ministry, in His signs, and in His death and resurrection. In Jesus, they saw God the Father’s only Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). They saw truth, justice, merciful love, and grace in Jesus’ actions and words. They saw how the truth of God expressed itself in word and deed. They saw people transformed and become children of the light as they were transformed.

 

The Power of the Word

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The Book of Genesis reveals that God created the world by speaking words that people can understand. The Gospel of John reveals that all things came into being through the Word, and before God created anything, the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word continued as the life and light of all people. Unhappily, even though the Word was in the world, the world did not know God. Because people did not understand the full truth about God from the light of the Word, God the Word came into the world in human flesh to explain more than the people of that time could understand.

John explained that the Word came and lived among His own people, the Jews. More explicitly, the Word was Jesus the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God. Jesus came to give everyone who would receive Him the power to become children of God. By His glorious actions and words, Jesus, the Son of God, revealed the facts that God is full of grace and truth. By grace, the unmerited favor of God, God loves to pour out His blessings upon those who deserve His punishment. By grace, God offers eternal life in His family to all who believe in the name of Jesus; which means, “God saves.” After His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to explain further the Word of God written, the Bible. The New Testament further reveals that Jesus, the Son of God, is God, and the one true God is three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. — LG Parkhurst Jr.

Thinking Further

The Power of the Word

September 15, 2019

John 1:1-14

Name ___________________________________________

 

1. What does John say about the Word?

 

2. Of what value is light? Compare the Son of God to the sun of our Earth.

 

3. What important truths does John tell about John the Baptist?

 

4. What does Jesus do for those who receive Him?

 

5. Why do you think John insisted “the Word became flesh.”

 

 

Discussion and Thinking Further

1. What does John say about the Word? The Word was God and was with God in the beginning. Every created thing came into being through the Word. The Word gave life and light. The Word became flesh and dwelt among the disciples, the Jews, and the Gentiles in history.
2. Of what value is light? Compare the Son of God to the sun of our Earth. The light enables us to see and investigate our surroundings. The light gives us the ability to come to an understanding of our world, other people, and our Creator. The Son of God gives both spiritual and physical life. The sun helps sustain our physical life by providing heat and light and other physical and psychological benefits.
3. What important truths does John tell about John the Baptist? John was sent by God to tell people about the light, Jesus the Messiah, so people could believe in Jesus because of John’s testimony.
4. What does Jesus do for those who receive Him? Jesus gives those who believe in Him the power to become the children of God.
5. Why do you think John insisted “the Word became flesh.” Jesus did not just appear to be human, but actually had real human flesh, blood, bones, a physical brain, nerves, emotions, feelings, temptations, and the choices of a real human being. Therefore, by human experience, He understands the human situation and our human problems, temptations, and limitations, but He never sinned. He does understand why we have sinned and saves us from sin.

 

Word Search

The Power of the Word

September 15, 2019

John 1:1-14

Name ____________________________________

 

Q G K D C L H B F N U W L E H

N L R S H F G T X Q L Z F B X

F S H V I E A N K R U I N P G

U S A S L G S W I P H B G X V

Y E H S D U Y E R N C M E H P

B N O E R G H L M A N K U M T

J K C N E V X P W E S I O S B

G R P T N T P O T O F B G E X

T A O I C O Y E N W A I L E S

X D Q W W T Z P A Q O I L M B

P O A E Y S A N C J E R B A U

Y L R R X U Z W H V B Q D N M

L K O D V S G Y E Y D L H P V

W L O Z C E V B S T M O D X T

G G V L P J Q I K D J Q A Y H

 

Beginning

Word

God

All

Life

Light

People

Darkness

John

Witness

Believe

Power

Children

Glory

Son

 

True and False Test

The Power of the Word

September 15, 2019

John 1:1-14

Name ___________________________________

Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.

1. God was so lonely that He created the Word, and then together they created the first man and woman. True or False
2. The use of “Word” can include the ideas of reason, speech, logic, and science. True or False
3. The Bible teaches that Jesus was and is the Word of God and the Word was with God and the Word was God. True or False
4. The Word made all things but the universe. True or False
5. Jesus is life and light and the source of life and light. True or False
6. Sometimes the darkness overcomes the light. True or False
7. The Word was in the world, but the world did not know Him. True or False
8. Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the world was created by and

through Him. True or False

9. Everyone who saw Jesus happily accepted Him as the Messiah; therefore, the chief priests and Pharisees renamed Herod’s temple in His honor. True or False
10. All those who receive Jesus and believe in His Name receive power to become children of God. True or False

 

John 1:1-14 True and False Test Answers

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False

10.True

 

Prayer

Father, in troubled and uncertain times, may we turn ever and only to You. We thank You that You remain our rock and our refuge—help us remember that! May our hearts be untroubled and find peace from this assurance. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.