Good News Community Church · Carthage, NC

Start here · Session 1 of 6

Is Any of This Actually Real?

Begin Here

Have you ever walked into a dark room and reached for the light switch?

Before the light comes on, you know the room is there. You may recognize a few shapes. You may even remember where the furniture is. But you cannot see clearly enough to move with confidence.

For many people, faith begins like that.

You may believe there is something more. You may sense that God is real. You may even remember things you were taught about Jesus. But everything still feels unclear.

You may wonder:

  • Is God really there?
  • Can the Bible be trusted?
  • Was Jesus truly God, or was He only a good teacher?
  • Would knowing Him actually change anything?

These are honest questions. God is not threatened by them.

The Gospel of John was written to help us see Jesus clearly. John does not begin with rules, religion, or instructions about becoming a better person. He begins by telling us who Jesus is.

Read

Read John 1:1–14 in the ESV slowly.

As you read, notice the different words John uses to describe Jesus:

  • The Word
  • God
  • Creator
  • Life
  • Light
  • The true Light
  • The One who came into the world
  • The One who became flesh

John 1:1–14 · ESV

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

6There 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. 8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

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

14And 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.

The Story Behind the Passage

John knew Jesus personally.

He walked with Him. He heard Him teach. He watched Him welcome people others rejected. He saw Jesus heal the sick, calm storms, confront hypocrisy, and forgive sinners.

John was also there when Jesus was arrested and crucified.

Then something happened that changed John forever.

John saw Jesus alive again.

When John wrote about Jesus, he was not passing along a religious idea. He was giving testimony about someone he had known, followed, and seen with his own eyes.

John begins his account by making an enormous claim:

  • Jesus existed before the world began.
  • Everything was created through Him.
  • Life comes from Him.
  • He is the light that darkness cannot overcome.

And this eternal Son of God entered the world He created.

Jesus did not remain distant.

He became human and lived among us.

What This Means

Christian faith does not begin with the idea that people must somehow reach God.

It begins with the truth that God came near to us.

Jesus is not merely a teacher showing us a better way to live. He is God the Son, entering our broken world to reveal the Father and rescue sinners.

John also tells us something difficult.

Jesus came into the world, but many people did not recognize Him. He came to His own people, but many rejected Him.

The same question still confronts each of us:

What will we do with Jesus?

John says that those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God.

This new life does not begin because someone was born into the right family, attended the right church, or became good enough.

It begins with God.

When Doubt Is Where You Begin

Doubt does not always mean that you are running from God.

Sometimes doubt is what remains when borrowed beliefs are no longer enough.

Perhaps you believed because your parents believed.

Perhaps you attended church but never understood why Jesus mattered.

Perhaps disappointment, suffering, or unanswered prayer caused you to step away.

Perhaps you are only now beginning to wonder whether God has been near all along.

You do not need to pretend that you are certain.

Begin by being honest.

Ask God to show you what is true. Read the words of Jesus. Look carefully at His life. Consider the claims made by those who knew Him.

The goal is not merely to win an argument about whether God exists.

The goal is to encounter the God who came near.

One Question Worth Sitting With

What would it mean for your life if Jesus really is who John says He is?

Do not rush to answer.

  • Would it change how you see yourself?
  • Would it change how you understand your past?
  • Would it change what you believe about forgiveness?
  • Would it change who has the right to lead your life?

A Simple Prayer

God, I do not know what I believe yet, but I want to know what is true. If Jesus really is Your Son, help me see Him clearly. Give me an honest heart, open my mind through Your Word, and lead me out of darkness and into Your light. Amen.

Take This With You

You do not have to understand everything before you begin seeking Jesus. Start with what John saw: God has come near, and the light still shines in the darkness.

Something you want to ask?

Anything at all — including the skeptical ones. Pastor Jim reads and answers these himself.

Ask Pastor Jim

Next: Session 2 — Who Is God, and What Is He Like? →  ·  Back to Start Here