4. Jesus: Prioritizing Mission over Everything Else. (Dec. 23 & 24) John 1:1-18 John’s gospel begins at an earlier point than the other gospels. Mark begins at Jesus’ baptism and adds nothing to the Christmas story. Matthew and Luke begin with the circumstances of Jesus’ humble birth. But John begins in Heaven with the story of the pre-incarnate Son of God. Heaven’s Prince was a partner with His Father in the work of Creation; “without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). He was worshipped by angels and shared in the same divine essence possessed by the Father and the Holy Spirit. As the ancient creed says, “He was God of God, Light of light, true God of True God”. In order to accomplish His Father’s Redemptive Mission, to redeem mankind, he voluntarily chose to forego the heavenly privileges of his throne at His Father’s side, and came to earth, was confined to the womb of a young Jewish girl and then was born and placed in a feeding trough, likely in a cave used for birthing lambs. We know so little about Mary, Joseph and the Wise Men whom we have been studying. We are left with the challenge of piecing their lives together. But we have four gospels that describe the miraculous life of Jesus. We see through their four accounts a common picture of a man who consistently prioritized God’s Mission over everything else, culminating in His crucifixion and death. His was a hard life lived perfectly. The challenge before us is whether we will choose to accept His Great Co-Mission, to join Him in prioritizing serving God over security, reputation, comfort, and everything else this world esteems that God sees as less than?

2. John 1:1-18
Yeshua of Nazareth
Prioritizing Mission over
Everything

3. Key Questions
1.Who was Yeshua
of Nazareth?
2.Whose son is he?
3.How did God’s call
“reshuffle the
deck” of his life?
4.What lessons can
we learn from
him?

4. First Question
Who was
Jesus of
Nazareth?

5. First Question
Who IS Jesus
of Nazareth?

8. First Question
Who is Yeshua of
Nazareth?

9. Second Question

10. Second Question
Whose son was he?

11. John 1:1-2, 15
Second Question
Whose son was he?

12. Second Question
Whose son was he?
John 1:3-5

13. Second Question
Whose son was he?
John 1:9-10

14. Third Question

15. Third Question
How did God reshuffle His deck?
John 1:14a

16. John 1:14b
Third Question
How did God reshuffle His deck?

17. Fourth Question

18. Fourth Question
What can we learn?
John 1:18

19. Fourth Question
What can we learn?

20. Fourth Question
What can we learn?
John 1:11-13