Have you ever looked at your parents, your friends or even your family and boldly stated, “I am the daughter or friend whom you love”? Or have you considered yourself to be the “person whom Jesus loves”? You should try that statement and see how the other person reacts! At first it might seem bold or as you are negating anyone else they might also love, but it’s not. Actually, it’s acknowledging that you know you are loved by them.
The book of John was written by the apostle John who also called himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” That one bold statement is not in arrogance, but rather in confidence of who he was and who Jesus was. John knew Jesus loved him.
John 1, is an amazing chapter in the Bible full of detail about who God is. Our focus on verse 12, is caught in the middle of a thought and if we don’t read the section before it, we will miss important details of who we are and who He is.
You may choose to read this lesson all at once, work it in the “Days” provided or divided it how it best fits your schedule. All of our lessons are designed to be read by the parent. Then you present your thoughts to your children as you have gleaned from your study. Use this lesson as a resource, with God’s Word being your Source of life information. Present information to your children at your pace and in their learning styles.
• Who is God in the verse or passage?
• Who is God saying His people are in the verses?
• Who do you say I am? (God asking you who you say He is.)
• Who do you say I am? (You asking God for who you are.)
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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 1:12
Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 are the only two verses in the Bible that begin with, “In the beginning”. Both verses are discussing God, creation and a beautiful thing called “light”.
Reading this section of verses, we discover that God was not alone in creating the world. The Word was with Him in the beginning. Look back to John 1:1-4
The Word –
was with God.
Was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
And everything was made through Him.
We have always told our kiddos that if God says something once in His Word it is important, but if He repeats something it is vital that we get it.
Notice what is repeated in verses 1 and 2.
Now notice how verse 3 says, “All things were made through Him” and repeats the same thought by stating, “without him was not anything made that was made.”
The word “Word” has an interesting meaning. It is the Greek word, “Logos” where we get the English word logo. A logo is a symbol or image that represents a company or brand for something.
In the beginning, God spoke words and life began. The Word, Logos, was with God and all things were made through Him as if His logo or stamp was on it all.
God was branding before blogging, companies and graphic designers every thought of what a logo is!
What was the first thing God and the Word created on day 1? Light!
Here again in Genesis 1, and John 1, we have the two passages in the Bible talking about creation and the beginning and both of them are talking about light.
Genesis 1, has a light that existed before the sun, moon and stars were created on day 4.
John 1, tells us the light shines in darkness and darkness has not overcome it.
Now let’s move over to 1 John 1:1-4 (Isn’t it interesting how chapters and verses lay out? John is going to write about something very familiar to his John 1 writings.
1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life–2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us–3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We know that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.
He created light.
Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.
Jesus is the Light.
What does that mean for you? You have been called out of darkness, to walk as a child of light.
Ephesians 5:8-10
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
If we asked you right now, “Who are you?” You might answer with your name. You had no input or control over what you were named at birth. Through the years, you accumulate other names or titles such as daughter, sibling, cousin, aunt, friend, co-worker, and maybe even some titles to go along with them.
Some of those titles can be changed and most of them you had no control in gaining.
But you do have control and the choice to be known as, “the girl whom Jesus loves” and a “child of light”. This is one of those moments you really do need to walk towards the light, in the light and with the Light!
Where your new titles with confidence!
Do you know who you are?
What do you want to be called?
Whose logo do you want to wear?
Work on memorizing John 1:12.
The first sections in the book of John 1:6-8, talk about a different John, not the author of the book. John the apostle is writing about John the Baptist. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was also a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. John the Baptist’s story is told in Luke 1:5-25.
Read John 1:6-18
Do you see how knowing who you are and knowing God are so important to Him?
John was sent to bear witness and preach about the coming One, the Light, who would be the light of life for men. The Light came into the world that He created and the world knew Him not.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this section of verses and the meaning of the words.
True light enlightens…. isn’t that a beautiful sentence? Light sheds light on things that we do not know.
“Know’ in this section of verses is a word that means, understand, come to know, to learn.
The people in the world did not understand or learn about the Light.
The next important word in this section is “received”.
The word “receive” means to take, join to oneself or companion.
Think about a football player who is thrown the ball. He is the receiver. The first thing the receiver does is bring the ball close and tight to his body and then runs for his life.
To receive the Light would be to join to it or to pull it so close to you that you are as one body.
The Creator of the world came to be with His people and they did not know Him or receive Him. That seems like a sad statement to say, but has the world changed so much today?
Verses 9-18
The true light, which enlightens 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,
There is good news in verse 12. Those who received the Word, Jesus, those who took Him and believed in His name, He gave the power to become children of God.
Where else do we find the word “receive” in the Word of God?
In this section of verses, we can see the connection between the words, “know, believe and receive”.
The world did not know Him.
Did not believe Him.
Did not receive Him.
You can know something, but not believe it. We know that scientists say the earth was creation billions of years ago by two particles of dust banging into each other. You can know that, but not believe it.
You know God created the heavens and the earth. You know God was not alone in creation, because the Word was with Him.
Do you believe that the Bible is truth? If so, then you can also believe that God created the world through the Word.
Knowing is knowledge and learning. Believing is taking it to be truth and having faith or confidence in that truth.
Now to receive that truth. Believing the Word of God and taking the Word to you and holding on tightly and close to you is God’s desire for you. You don’t have to run, you can walk as children of Light, knowing and believing that the Word is Jesus. The Word became flesh and then died for you
Do you know Jesus? He is the Word of God.
Do you believe Jesus? John 3:16 reminds us of the importance of believing Him.
Will you receive Jesus? Hold Him close and don’t let anyone in the world tell you who He is if it’s not in the Word.
What stands out to you in this chapter?
Work on memorizing John 1:12
John called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved, and later, he could also call himself a child of God.
When you read the following verses, remember that the word “born or birth” also means to be delivered. The children of God have been delivered, freed and given liberty. It is grace and the truth.
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Who is the Word that was part of creation and was also Light?
Who is the Word who came to the world and dwelt or pitched His tent among His people that did not know Him of receive Him?
The Word is the Son of God.
The Word is Jesus.
John the Baptist was sent to bring word of the Word who was coming to the world. The Word was full of grace and truth and would shed His light on the people so that they could know Him.
John 1:15-18
(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
John the Baptist had an important purpose in the ministry of Jesus. He was preparing the way for the Messiah to begin His work. You can read more in Mark 1:1-8
Read Mark 1-8
John is baptizing people and preaching of the One who would come. This confused the ruling people and priests. They began to ask John, “Who are you?”
John knew who he was, but the people thought he was the Christ, Elijah or a prophet.
“What do you say about yourself?”, they asked John.
One of the enemy’s tactics to stir doubt in a person is to cause you to question who you are and who God is.
God had given John a mission. From before the moment John’s birth was announced, God had a plan for him. John did not yet know who the Messiah was, but he knew the Messiah was coming. There would be a sign and John would play a part in His ministry.
It’s important to know who you are.
The moment has arrived for John the Baptist. The climatic moment he has waited for and preached about is about to happen. His ministry, the purpose he has been living is about to walk up to him in flesh.
John did not “know” Him, but he did have the confidence and knowledge of Him.
At this point in Biblical times, a sacrifice was required to pay the debt of sins. A spotless lamb’s life would be sacrificed and offered to God to take away the sins of an individual.
This had been the requirement and payment of man’s sins beginning in the Garden of Eden after man’s disobedience. Sin causes a divide in man’s relationship with God so God made blood the thing that cleans and repairs the relationship.
The world was so full of sin and man was not keeping up his part in the relationship with God. So the Word became flesh to dwell with His people and show them how to live and have a relationship with God.
Then the Word, Jesus, would give His life to pay the ultimate payment for the world’s sins. He would repair the relationship with His creation and be the perfect Lamb.
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Wouldn’t you like to know more about that moment? After John baptized Jesus and saw this phenomenal interaction between God and Jesus, do you think he just went home and had a normal day?
He now knows the Son of God, Jesus, the Messiah. The very One he has been preaching, working and talking about has just revealed Himself to John.
To know and be known…. is an amazing feeling. Jesus knew John the Baptist and his work. What a beautiful moment that must have been.
The day after John the Baptist baptizes and knows Jesus, he’s just casually talking to a couple of his followers, John and Andrew.
What stands out to you in this chapter?
God loved the world and gave His Son for the world. Jesus died for the love of His creation. Do you know that love?
Do you believe that love?
Receive that love and walk, run, job, jump and leap with that love held close to your heart! You are loved.
Read John 1:35-42
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
Two men follow Jesus. One is Andrew, Peter’s brother, the other most likely John the disciple whom Jesus loved.
“Behold, the Lamb of God!”
Those were not casual words. No. Those words meant the world to these men. They have been waiting for the promised Messiah for hundreds of years. God’s people, the Jews, were raised with the knowledge of the One who would come and deliver them from their current state and be their king.
They were thinking it would be an earthly kingdom as they had in the time of King David. They thought that the coming Messiah would conquer the enemy, build a kingdom and repair the Temple. They knew of the Messiah, but they did not know the Messiah. They are about to in the next section of verses from John 1.
Jesus knows these two men. He knows who they are, what they want, who they are seeking and why. But still, he asks them, “What do you seek?” or “Whom do you seek?”
Instead of answering Him, they ask Him, “Teacher, where are you staying?”
Then they followed Jesus and spent time getting to know Him.
How Jesus must have smiled at this moment. How He must have loved spending time with these young men knowing that they would be part of telling the rest of the world of who Jesus is and what He is doing.
At some point in the visit, Andrew left to get his brother, Simon, telling him that he had found the Messiah.
Jesus knew Simon. He knew that he could be a little hard headed at times. Maybe He gave Simon the name Peter, meaning “rock”, because He knew him! Imagine Jesus using hand motions, similar to “Me Tarzan, you Jane”, pointing to Peter and Himself. You are peter, whose name means rock and I am Jesus, a much bigger rock. Maybe Jesus is telling Peter he is a chip off a bigger rock, The Rock.
What name would Jesus give you?
Jesus knew that one day soon, Peter would deny knowing Him three times. One day Peter would witness Jesus dying on the cross for the world and Peter would depart thinking that the Messiah’s kingdom had failed. But Jesus also knew that when Peter understood and truly knew Jesus, he would be a boulder knocking down barriers to help the world know Jesus too.
Read John 1:43-51
Jesus has more men to gather to follow Him. He finds Philip who then brings in Nathanael. There’s an interesting exchange of conversation between the two men about Jesus. It was not about who Jesus was, but about where He was from.
But when Nathanael encountered Jesus, he learns the Jesus already knew him. Jesus knew not only that Nathanael had been under a fig tree, but that there was no deceit in him. Because Nathanael realized that Jesus knew him, he immediately believed that He was the Son of God and the king he had been waiting to arrive.
You are known
You are loved.
You are a child of God.
You are the girl whom Jesus loves.
He is God.
He is Light.
He cares for you.
He is the Creator.
He died for you.
He is your Father.
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