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1,437 illustrations
John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn`t overcome it.
6There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
7The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
8He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.
9The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn`t recognize him.
11He came to his own, and those who were his own didn`t receive him.
12But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God`s children, to those who believe in his name:
13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testified about him. He cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.`"
16From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.
17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has seen God at any time. The only conceived Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
19This is John`s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
20He confessed, and didn`t deny, but he confessed, "I am not the Christ."
21They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."
22They said therefore to him, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,` as Isaiah the prophet said."
24The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
25They asked him, "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26John answered them, "I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don`t know,
27he who comes after me, whose sandal strap I`m not worthy to untie."
28These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.`
31I didn`t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel."
32John testified, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him.
33I didn`t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, `On whoever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.`
34I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God."
35Again, on the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples,
36and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), "where are you staying?"
39He said to them, "Come, and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
40One of the two who heard John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter`s brother.
41He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is by interpretation, Peter).
43On the next day, he was determined to go forth into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, "Follow me."
44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
45Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
48Nathanael says to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
49Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!"
50Jesus answered him, "Because I told you, `I saw you underneath the fig tree,` do you believe? You will see greater things than these."
51He said to him, "Most assuredly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
"The branches are plural—we abide together. Individual spirituality divorced from community is a severed branch. The church abides in Christ as a body; we bear fruit through shared life. Isolated Christians cannot flourish; connected communities bear kingdom fruit." — Stanley Hauerwas.
SermonWise.ai generates complete sermon outlines for any passage across 17 theological traditions. Try it with John.
Generate a sermon →"The church abides in Christ to bear fruit for the poor. Branches disconnected from the Vine cannot sustain justice work; movements apart from Christ wither. But rooted in Him, we bear fruit that remains: communities of solidarity, resistance, and hope." — Oscar Romero.
"'I have overcome'—past tense. The victory is accomplished, not merely anticipated. In Christ, the world is already conquered; trouble is real but penultimate. God's sovereignty ensures the outcome. Our troubles serve His purposes; His victory transforms their meaning." — R.C.
"In Christ we see God, and in Christ we see what humanity is meant to be. There is no truth about God or humanity apart from Him. He does not merely show the way; He IS the way. He does...
"The thief is empire—stealing dignity, killing bodies, destroying communities. Jesus brings abundant life: justice, dignity, flourishing for all. Life abundant is not individual prosperity but communal wellbeing. The Good Shepherd opposes every system that steals life from the vulnerable." — Walter Brueggemann.
"You can know the Shepherd personally. Not just believe He exists, but KNOW Him—His voice, His care, His provision. 'The Lord is MY shepherd'—have you made it personal? Have you given your life to the Good Shepherd who gave His...
"'Abide in Me'—this requires our participation. We choose to stay connected; we discipline ourselves to remain. Grace flows through the connection, but we must maintain it. The branch that stops abiding stops bearing. Keep abiding; keep receiving; keep bearing fruit." — John Wesley.
"God became man that man might become god. Christ is the way because through union with Him we participate in divine life. He is not merely guide to the Father; He is the living bridge.
"Christ's victory is new creation breaking into old creation. The world's trouble belongs to the old order; Christ's overcoming belongs to the new. We live in overlap: trouble is real, but so is resurrection. Take heart—the future has invaded the...
"Jesus came that YOU might have life—and have it ABUNDANTLY. Not just existence but REAL life. Not just surviving but THRIVING. This is personal: Jesus offers abundant life to YOU. The thief wants YOUR joy; Jesus gives YOU fullness. Receive...
"Missionaries face trouble: rejection, persecution, cultural resistance. Jesus doesn't promise easy mission; He promises victory. Take heart—the world that opposes the gospel is already overcome. We plant seeds in conquered ground; the harvest is certain even when present results are discouraging." — Tim Keller.
"Jesus didn't come to give you ordinary life—He came to give you ABUNDANT life! OVERFLOWING! SUPERNATURAL! The enemy wants to steal your joy, kill your dreams, destroy your purpose—but JESUS gives LIFE! More than enough! Walk in the FULLNESS!" — T.D.
"When we read 'The Lord is my shepherd,' we must hear Jesus saying 'I am the good shepherd.' Christ is the fulfillment of Psalm 23. He is the one who leads, feeds, protects, anoints, and prepares the table. Every line...
"The thief has stolen much from the disinherited—dignity, opportunity, safety. But Jesus brings life ABUNDANT—not in possessions but in spirit, not in circumstances but in uncrushable hope. Life to the full is possible even when the thief has taken everything else." — Howard Thurman.
"Truth in John's Gospel is not a proposition but a person. When Jesus says 'I am the truth,' He invites us not to master ideas but to be mastered by a relationship.
"God's thoughts are revealed in Christ—the Word made flesh IS God's thinking toward us. In Jesus we see the higher ways: grace not judgment, mercy not wrath, cross not throne. Christ IS the bridge between transcendent thoughts and human understanding." — Karl Barth.
"Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father—this has been true in every dispensation. Salvation has always been by faith; the OBJECT of faith has always been Christ, whether anticipated in the Old Testament or received in the New.
"Jesus didn't say 'I teach the truth'—He said 'I AM the truth.' Truth is not just doctrine; it's a Person to be encountered. When you meet Jesus—really meet Him—you encounter the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This is personal, experiential, transformational." — David Wilkerson.
"The oppressed need sustained connection to the Source. Activism apart from Christ burns out; resistance apart from the Vine withers. But those who abide bear fruit that remains—justice that endures, love that persists, hope that never dies. Stay connected to live." — Howard Thurman.
"Jesus is not just historically the way—He is presently, actively, experientially the way. Through the Spirit, we encounter the living Christ NOW. He guides, reveals truth, imparts life TODAY. The way is not past tense; the truth is not static;...
"Yes, you'll have trouble—Jesus said so! But TAKE HEART! He has OVERCOME! That means YOU can overcome! The same power that raised Jesus lives in you! Don't let trouble defeat you; the Victor lives inside you! Shout it: I am...
"Christ is the way by His humanity, the truth by His divinity, and the life by both together. In His Person the divine and human meet, and through this meeting we have access to the Father. There is no other...
"Christ IS perfect love incarnate. He cast out fear by entering our fear—fear of death, fear of abandonment. 'It is finished'—in Christ, fear's grounds are removed. We fear no judgment because He bore judgment.
"Jesus was a Jew, a member of a marginalized group under Roman oppression. When He says 'I am the way,' He speaks from below. The way of Jesus is liberation, dignity, hope for the disinherited.