1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Law (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).

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Intro: Are you a child of God? How can you know?

I. The Witness to the Light. (1:6–8). John was a prophet sent by God to bear witness to the Light (Jesus). John's job was to point people to the Messiah, like a best man at a wedding points people to the groom and his bride. He reminds us that we serve so Jesus gets the glory. 

II. The Coming of the Light. (1:9). If the Light had to come into the world, this implies that at one point in time he was not in the world. This points us back to Jesus' true identity as God-the-Son, eternally existing before all time, which we saw in v.1–5 last week. He came into the world he created to shed light on every man, revealing who they are. Do we know who we truly are?

III. The Reception of the Light. (1:10–13). A person's relationship to God is revealed by how he or she responds to Jesus. Sadly, many people do not receive Jesus. The prophet Isaiah even foretold this (see Isaiah 53:2–3). But some do! The children of God are those who receive Jesus by faith, believing in his name. All who do so have been born of God. This is a gracious gift from God. 

Conclusion:  If you believe in Jesus, then you have been born of God, and you are his child. This gives you a new identity in Christ, unity with your church family, security in your eternal destiny, gratitude for your redemption, and a desire to worship in your heart. Believe in Jesus. Receive him. And discover your true identity as a son or daughter of God.  

1. The Witness to the Light.

- How would you describe the role of the John the Baptist to a friend or a new Christian? 

- Where is John the Baptist's ministry foretold in prophecy?

- How did Jesus view John the Baptist?

- What can we learn from how John pointed people to Jesus? 

- What questions do you have about John the Baptist, and where can you find answers?

2. The Coming of the Light.

- Re-read v. 1-5, v. 9, v. 14, and v. 18. Who is Jesus? 

- Why does it matter that Jesus is not just a man?

- Why does it matter that Jesus is not just God?

- What questions do you have about Jesus' two natures (divine & human)? Where can you find answers?

3. The Reception of the Light.

- Have you responded to Jesus in faith? Who is he? How do you know?

- What has faith in Jesus produced in your heart? 

- How do you understand your identity at its most fundamental level?

- For whom can you pray to receive Jesus? 

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

2. Thank God for calling us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. 

3. Ask God to help you share the good news about Jesus with someone specific.

4. Give thanks to God for your adoption as his child through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

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