John Chapter 1:15–51

This second section of chapter 1 continues looking at the fundamentally divine nature of Jesus the Messiah.

Many small items in scripture add up to a magnificent interlocking edifice of evidence to the supernatural, long-timespan, matrix of paths to the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

Pastor Barry told us the reason that John included what he did (and left out much). "What he's given us is the key things, the things that the Holy Spirit had instructed him and laid upon his heart to communicate that we would have this record.

There is a substantial treatment of "The Transfiguration" event (Jesus taking Peter & James & John up the mountain and meeting Moses and Elijah). The significance of "two men" and the question of where that mountain is was answered by sifting through the evidence (the contrasting nature of Mount Nebo and Mount Hermon was also dealt with).

Several instances of "Witnesses" were examined (from Deuteronomy Ch9v15 to Revelation Ch 11v3-6) and the importance of the concept related to this chapter.

John the Baptist gets a fairly extensive treatment: he came to prepare the way for The Lord (as prophesied 700 years earlier by Isaiah).

The nature of our own, personal coming to faith was discussed and elaborated (variety of routes and experiences, but all with one common feature).

Pastor Barry also dropped in a tantalising little hint of exciting things to come: "Some of the things, personally, I've been studying at the moment, are just blowing my mind. At some point, I'm going to share with you some of the things that the Lord has been showing me from his word, about his creation. I am enjoying studying the scripture at the moment in a way that I've not done for many, many years. There's just so many wonderful things."

In conclusion Pastor Barry gave us a quotation from Adam Clarke (an expansion-cum-commentary on verse 50) and explained that this shows "what God wants to do with each one of you: Reveal more of himself to you, so you are in absolutely no doubt whatsoever who Jesus Christ is. He is God manifest in the flesh. He has come to light the way back to the Father that we can have this walk that God intended from the beginning that we would walk in.