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Recap of the sermon from November 6, 2011:
1. John’s prologue is unique among the Gospels. “One reason why the Gospel of John was symbolized in the ancient church by an eagle is due to the lofty heights attained by its prologue.” (Burge). John begins with a theological prologue because his premise is that we won’t understand Jesus’ teaching and activities without understanding who He is theologically.
2. John’s prologue answers in condensed form the three questions with which John is occupied in the rest of the book: Who is Jesus? What is the evidence? What does it matter? He answers that Jesus is God incarnate who existed before the incarnation and in fact is the Creator. The evidence for who He is is based upon eyewitnesses such as John the Baptist and John the Apostle (among others). It matters who He is because the eternal destiny of every person is dependent upon their response to Jesus. To accept him (believe in Him) is to be made a child of God. As one has said: “Belief in Him affects life and determines destiny.”
3. “So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? It makes all the difference when we consider our sin. God became flesh so that He could take care of sin. He was the only one who could. As fully man, He died on the cross, taking our punishment. As fully divine, He conquered death, and offered the world forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Only God could do that. Only God did. So what difference does it make that Jesus is God? All the difference in the world.” (Daily Devotional Bible)
