Table of Contents
Date: SUN 7:00pm 7th December 2025
Preacher: Rev. David McLaughlin
Bible Reference: John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Podcast
Sermon Summary
(Preached from John 1:1–18, with the text taken from John 1:4 – “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
Introduction and Reading
The preacher begins by reading the full prologue of John’s Gospel (John 1:1–18) from the Authorised Version, noting that the words are displayed for those watching online. He prays for God’s blessing upon both the gathered congregation and the online audience, affirming the infallibility and preciousness of Scripture.
The Unique Portrait of Christ in John’s Prologue
Unlike Matthew and Luke, who begin with earthly genealogies tracing Jesus back to David, Abraham, and Adam, John starts in eternity. He does not name “Jesus Christ” until verse 17, instead presenting Him as “the Word” (Greek: Logos).
John deliberately echoes Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning …”) to place Christ in the eternal, pre-creation relationship with the Father. The preacher stresses the Trinitarian implications of both Elohim (plural yet singular) in Genesis and the repeated “the Word was with God, and the Word was God” in John. Christ is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-existent with the Father; He is the second Person of the Godhead, sharing the same divine substance yet personally distinct.
Christ the Creator
All things were made by Him; without Him was not anything made that was made (v. 3). This is reinforced by Colossians 1:15–17 (all things created by Him and for Him) and Hebrews 11:3 (the worlds were framed by the Word of God). Before the first atom existed, the eternal fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was already perfect reality.
The Incarnation and the Necessity of the Deity of Christ
Quoting 1 Timothy 3:16 (“God was manifest in the flesh”) and John 1:14 (“the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth”), the preacher insists that the full deity and full humanity of Christ are non-negotiable.
A memorable illustration from Bishop J. C. Ryle (though attributed to “Bishop Moule” in the sermon) is used: “A Saviour not quite God is a bridge broken at the farther end.” If Christ is not God incarnate, there is no atonement, no reconciliation, and no hope.
Main Theme: Christ is the Lord of Life (John 1:4)
The preacher narrows the vast subject to three headings under the text “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
- The Source of All True Life
- Physical & material life – Every heartbeat, breath, and every cell exist only because Christ upholds them (Acts 17:28; Psalm 104:30). Even the wicked live and move only by His sustaining power.
- Spiritual life – By nature we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), blind and diseased in soul. Regeneration (the new birth) is Christ imparting life through His Spirit and Word.
- Abundant life – Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The preacher contrasts worldly pursuits (illustrated by a queue of cars heading to a secular event at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast) with true abundant life found only in Christ.
- Eternal life – John 3:18, 36 – belief in the Son brings everlasting life; unbelief leaves one under God’s wrath.
- Conclusion: “In him was life.” Life in every dimension originates in and flows from Christ alone.
- The Substance of All True Life
Christ Himself is the very content and essence of true life. The preacher examines several aspects of the life Christ lived and gave:- Purity of His life – Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Heb 7:26); “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” (John 8:46).
- Purpose of His life – Not riches, fame, or pleasure, but to do not define life. True meaning is found only in reconciliation with God through Christ’s atoning death (Rom 5:8; John 3:16).
- Passion & cross-work – He was Substitute, Sacrifice, Sin-bearer, Surety, and Propitiation, bearing God’s wrath in our place (2 Cor 5:21).
- Power of His life – He resumed life in resurrection, triumphed over death, ascended as the heavenly Man, lives in the power of an endless life (Heb 7:16), and now intercedes and dispenses grace to His own.
- The Secret of All True Life – Faith Alone
Christianity is utterly unique: every other religion is the way of Cain – human effort to gain God’s favour. Biblical Christianity is God coming to us in Christ (Emmanuel – God with us, God in us by the Spirit, God for us).
The only “work” God requires is to “believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29). Using the Amplified Bible’s expansion, the preacher defines believing as “to trust in, adhere to, and rely upon” Christ alone.
Three categories of people are presented:- Those who live independently of God, lovers of self, with no thought of sin or eternity.
- Religious people who believe God exists but seek to earn acceptance by works and church activity.
- Those who have despaired of self-effort and now rest wholly on Christ’s finished work.
- The sermon closes with the gospel invitation, quoting the hymn:
“There is life for a look at the crucified One …
’Tis not thy tears of repentance or prayers,
But the blood that atones for the soul;
On Him, then, who shed it, believing at once
Thy weight of iniquities roll.”
Conclusion and Benediction
The preacher expresses hope that the congregation feels the weight of the truth “In him was life.” He announces that the following week (Lord willing) he will preach the companion message “Christ is the Light of Life” from the second half of verse 4. The service ends with prayer and benediction.
