1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Word (Ps. 119:18). 

2. Read Sunday's passage. Feel free to read it more than once, or in another translation.

3. Review the sermon outline. Try to see how the points came out of the text.

4. Answer the questions below. Focus on personal application.

5. Pray. Praise and thank the Lord, then ask him to work in mighty ways. 

Remember, we live not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4).

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Intro: True life is found in knowing Jesus Christ. John wrote this book to announce this good news to the world. His hope was that  that all who heard it would believe in Jesus and receive eternal life (see 20:31). 

I. The Word is God. (1:1–3). John begins by boldly making sure his readers understand the true origin story of the world. Genesis 1:1 said "In the beginning, God," and John sheds more light on who this one, true God actually is. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is the incarnate, eternal Word of God, the second person of the Godhead, the one through whom the entire cosmos was created. If your view of Jesus doesn't include these categories, it's not big enough. Jesus should be worshipped for who he truly is: God!  

II. The Word is Savior. (1:4–5). The Word's own life – which is eternal – is the "light" of humankind. The way to be saved from darkness is to receive his light, his eternal life. Don't miss this: there is a way to be saved! This is glorious good news! Yet, so many don't come to Christ. Why not?

III. The world doesn't receive his light because they love their darkness. (see 3:16–21). Many don't come to Christ because they loathe the prospect of Jesus requiring them to repent and leave their sinful ways behind. They don't want to give their lives to him. As 3:19 says, "they loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil." 

Conclusion:  Yet, as dark as our lives may have been, Jesus Christ still offers his light. Jesus is God and Savior. All who believe in him receive salvation, eternal life. Come to Christ, believe in him, and be saved!

1. The Word is God.

- Why does John 1:1–3 rule out a unitarian god (only one person who is god), as well as a plurality of gods (multiple beings that are all gods)? 

- How does John 1:1-3 point to the Trinity (God is one being, three persons)?

- Verse 3 says "all things were made through him [the Word], and without him was not any thing made that was made." So, if something was made, it was made through the Word. What does this tell us about who the Word truly is?  

- Could the Word himself have been made?

- What does this mean about his identity?

- Is it right to worship or pray to Jesus? Why or why not?

- What questions do you have about Jesus' divinity? 

- Where can you turn for answers?

2. The Word is Savior.

-  Do you relate to John's use of the images of light and darkness? Has life ever felt dark? Has Jesus ever seemed as light?

- When and how did you first "come into the light," trusting in Jesus as your Savior?

- What dark things did you turn away from? 

- What do you enjoy about living in the light of Christ?

- What do you want those who are still in the darkness to know about life in the light?

3. The world loves darkness.

- For those in your life who don't know Christ, what are they turning to for "salvation?" 

- What aspects of the Gospel do they dismiss or oppose?

- What aspects of the Gospel might be unclear to them?

- How could you share Christ with them? 

- How could you pray for them? 

1. Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons, the blessed Holy Trinity.

2. Thank Jesus (the eternal Word) for entering creation, taking on flesh, becoming a man to redeem us. Thank him for shining his light in the darkness, for saving your soul. 

3. Ask the Lord to help you share the news about Jesus with the people in your life who do not know him. 

4. Ask God to deepen your knowledge of, and spiritual intimacy with, the Lord Jesus. 

Thanks for reading the Bible Study Guide! I pray it helps us "continue to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor