John 1:1-14 (11/27/24)

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John 1:1-14 (11/27/24)

Divine Connection

November 27, 2024 • Benham Brothers • John 1:1–14

* The OT and NT are supposed to be connected.

* The book of John connects the two.

* vs 1 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

* All the OT Scripture is about Jesus.

* John 1:1-14 show that Jesus is the Light and Jesus is the Word!

* If you don’t start here, you miss everything.

* Jesus is the Word, He is the Light!

* vs 4-5 - “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

* John is connecting the reader to God as Creator and Jesus as His Son that He sent into the world.

* Light overcame the darkness in Genesis 1.

* Light overcame the darkness in John 1.

* But the world had no clue that Jesus was this Light.

* Only when you surrender to the Light can you have a true kingdom impact.

* Impact is the “collision of two opposing forces.” The two forces are colliding.

* Kingdom Impact is the “Kingdom of Light colliding with and overcoming the Kingdom of Darkness.”

* It started in creation at Genesis 1 and it came to a culmination in Jesus at John 1.

* Which side will you be on?

* Tony Evans - “When we read the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the story begins in history with Jesus Christ conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to Joseph and Mary. But in the Fourth Gospel, John reaches back even further—into eternity. We are given access to the prequel, so to speak.”

Luke 24:32 (11/27/24)

November 27, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 24:32

* Tony Evans - “The purpose of the written Word is always to lead us to an experience with the living Word.” * What does an experience with the Living Word feel like? * It burns! * Jeremiah said that God's Word was like a fire shut up in his bones and that he could not hold it in. * Backstory - Jesus rose from the grave. * He showed up to many people - two of whom were walking to Emmaus. * He talked with them about how Moses pointed to the Messiah. * He shared Scripture. * Look how it affected them: * vs 32 - “They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” * When Jesus opened up the Scriptures to these guys their hearts burned. * The little spark of faith they had, which was clouded with doubt, was fanned into flame when Christ spoke the Scriptures. * This is how God's Word works - it requires faith in our hearts first, which becomes a little spark, but then God's Word enters the mix we will see a great burning fire inside of us. * When the devil comes along to blow our light out this very act will actually ignite us into an even greater flame! * So dedicate yourself to the devouring of God's Word and watch what happens in your heart. * NOTE - If you ever have the chance to be a public speaker, your one job is to lead people to the point where their hearts burn! * You want to set them on fire with what comes out of your mouth. * And you do this by knowing Scripture, using the right stories at the right time, and having a burning passion for God’s Word in your own heart. * The more of God's Word you put in your heart, the more of you is purified by its fire, and the more of its fire will get into others!

Luke 19:21 (11/20/24)

November 20, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 19:20–21

* God did not create a socialistic system of economics. * He created a capitalistic system. * Sin messed up the product of the system, but the system of capitalism is still good. * Understand the difference between the two: * A socialist wants equal outcome for everyone. * A capitalist wants equal opportunity for everyone. * A socialist wants limited freedom with maximum oversight (Government). * A capitalist wants maximum freedom with minimum oversight (Garden). * A socialist relies on government, while a capitalist is supposed to rely on God. * Problem - when God gives freedom, we can easily abuse it. * We’ve seen this happen in America, and it’s why many don’t like capitalism. * If we bring God back into the mix, it will fix the problem. * Capitalism that is accountable to God is good economics. * Jesus shows us this in the parable of the talents. * Luke 19 - the master gives ten of his slaves a sum of money each. * The first guy 10x’s and the second guy 5x’s. * This is maximum freedom with minimum oversight. * They knew they would one day give an account to the master. * The master commended them for their faithfulness to multiply. * The third guy didn’t multiply, he maintained. * His response reveals his socialistic mindset. * vs 20-21 - “…Master, here is your mina, which I kept and put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow..” * He refused to put his money to work because he saw the master as getting something for nothing. * He pointed out that this wealthy master made money from things he didn't have to go out and do physically. * I bet this servant thought about it a lot. * He began thinking about how unfair it was that he would do all the work and that his master would be the one making the money. * So what did he do? He refused to work for his master. * He saw him as a hard man when, in reality, the master was the kindest, most generous man around. * This unfaithful servant didn’t realize the master had blessed each of these guys with an equal opportunity. * Their job was to make the most of the opportunity, and then the master would reward them accordingly. * But the unfaithful servant was too busy comparing what he had with what the master had, and he couldn't stop thinking about the unfairness of the whole situation. * He became a socialist in his thinking. * The result was punishment rather than profit. * This man wanted equal OUTCOME, not equal OPPORTUNITY. * So ask God for opportunities to maximize what He gives you. * Refuse to compare with others. * And watch what He does!

Luke 22:62 (11/20/24)

November 20, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 22:62

* I heard a message by Chuck Swindoll about the life of Moses and how it went in three stages: * Stage 1 - He was convinced he was somebody (ages 1-40). * Stage 2 - He learned he was nobody (ages 41-80). * Stage 3 - He saw what God could do with a nobody (ages 81-120). * We see this same progression in Peter’s life. * He knew he was somebody - Jesus even commended him multiple times in front of the other disciples. * He discovered he was a nobody - After he denied Christ three times and the rooster crowed… * vs 62 - “And he went out and wept bitterly.” * He then learned what God can do with a nobody. * The book of Acts shares how Peter was the rock upon which the church was built! * There are also three stages to a dream: * The birth of the dream. * The death of the dream. * The fulfillment of the dream. * Everyone is in one of these three stages in life. * The key is to fully surrender to God wherever you are and let Him do what He wants to do!