John’s gospel is openly evangelistic. The apostle wrote it to provide the grounds for belief in Jesus: But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).

This series focuses on the first three chapters of John, where the identity of Jesus is proclaimed, questioned and revealed. This question of identity flows through the whole gospel and we see the significance of God in the flesh stepping into the world—the Creator entering his own creation.

John 1:1-18 lays down the core truths that shape the entire gospel: the interaction of the eternal with the temporal; rejection and welcome into God’s family; and, blind, rebellious darkness against the light of revelation.

The gospel opens on an epic scale stretching all the way back to the beginning, with the Word presented as the instrument of creation itself (1:1-5). And yet, by 1:6 this grand narrative lands in the humble life of John the Baptist, reminding us that God works in time and place and human lives, including our own.

The world does not recognise its Creator, but Jesus, the Word become flesh, will gather the children of God (1:12, 14). He has come into a world in darkness where no one has ever seen God, but through the one and only Son, God will make himself known (1:14, 18).

In this series, we will find Jesus to be a provocative, revealing, confronting and generous presence:

• He provokes serious questions about his identity and God’s unfolding plan

  Is John the Messiah (1:19ff)?

  Can anything good come out of Nazareth (1:46)

  How can someone be born again (3:4)?

• He reveals God, and exposes peoples’ sin

  He makes God known (1:18)

  He is the light that has come into the world, but people love darkness (3:19)

• He confronts ungodliness head-on

  He clears the temple (2:13)

  Belief in him brings eternal life, but rejection means God’s wrath (3:36)

• He is generous

  He welcomes disciples (1:35ff)

  He provides abundantly at a wedding (2:1-11).

All of this makes Jesus a compelling and unsettling figure. We should be drawn to him, but also profoundly challenged in our thinking and behaviour.

Our theme verse for the series is John 1:14:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The glory noted here is the grace and truth of the Father embodied in the Son. His grace is both just and deeply merciful, bringing sin to light and sinners to account, and welcoming the forgiven as disciples. As we encounter Jesus the Son, we are faced with the brilliant truth of who he is, the hard truths of who we are and the great truth of salvation through him.

This six-part series in John should be an excellent precursor to Share Life. There will be a chance in each study to reflect, pray and prepare for this season as a group. The additional three Share Life Studies explore the three passages which will be the focus of one of our guest speakers.