| Introduction In many ways, September brings about a feeling of new beginnings. The kids are going back to school. Fall activities are about to begin. Pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu. I would like to harness this feeling of new beginnings and use it to point us to Jesus. Perhaps you have been discouraged because your struggle with sin doesn't seem to be getting any better. Perhaps people around you have been sinning against you. Or perhaps your faith has become stale. Maybe you have experienced a time of unprecedented blessings from the Lord and closeness to him. Whatever you are going through, this Sunday we look to Jesus together and together we are strengthened by him. Later on, in the gospel of John, some Greeks come to Andrew and tell him, "We must see Jesus." That's what we are saying today. Right here and right now, we must see Jesus. Better yet, we will see Jesus as he reveals himself to us in his Word. A. The Word is identified in verses 1-3. B. As the Word was there and was the agent of the old creation, it is also here in the beginning of the story of the new creation. 1. It is this Word, who we learn is the Lord Jesus Christ in v. 14, who will transform his people and who has transformed us. 2. Here we have our first application – Jesus Christ has made you a new creation. a. If you are regenerated by the Spirit, born again as we read in chpt. 3, you are radically different than before. b. Sin patterns that characterized you no longer have to characterize you. c. You have been freed – it is ok to let them go. 2 Cor. 5:17– Therefore, if anyone isin Christ, he isa new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. d. As strong as they may be, we can, by the grace of God, say no to those fleshly desires. C. The Word is nothing less than God. 1. Everything that is true about God is true about the Word. a. He pre-dates time – to be there at the very beginning, he must have existed prior to time. b. He is the source of life, 4. c. He is the light of men, 4 2. The Word is the originator and sustainer of everything, 3. II. The Word Became Flesh – "The most concise statement of the incarnation" – Leon Morris. A. This is the simplest, yet most profound statement of this truth: God, without ceasing to be God, took upon himself full humanity, thus uniting in one person man and God. B. John did not want to leave any doubt that God became fully man, so he uses the word that means human in its most basic sense. 1. Notice that he doesn't say "the Word became man," or "the Word took a body." 2. The Word became flesh. a. This is the strongest, most blunt, almost crude way to refer to humanity in its fullness, weaknesses, and limitations, yet without sin. "The flesh [in John] is not sinful, as in Paul, but represents the weakness and impotence of the lower realm." George Eldon Ladd b. So, when the Word became flesh, it became fully human – you can't get any more human than "flesh." c. It was not an illusion or an apparition. d. And that shows us the magnitude of the incarnation. Phil. 2:6– [Christ] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, andcoming in the likeness of men. "Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake becamest man; Stooping so low, but sinners raising Heavenwards by thine eternal plan. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake becamest man." Frank Houghton C. A word about the notion of becoming 1. We tend to think of becoming as ceasing to be one thing and starting to be something else: a caterpillar through the metamorphosis process ceases to be a caterpillar and starts being a butterfly. 2. But there is another, equally correct, way to think of the notion of becoming. a. When Isaac was born, I became Isaac's father. b. Yet, I did not cease being Alex's, Grace's, and Teenie's father, nor did I cease being Emily's husband. c. The idea of becoming in my context conveys the idea of adding something to what is already there. 3. So, when the Word became flesh, the Son of God did not cease being God; rather he added humanity to his person. a. How this union works is a great mystery to me, greater than the Triune existence of God – hypostatic union. b. But it is true because the Bible teaches it, and without it there is no salvation. c. So we look at Jesus and we see the union of deity and humanity, both in their fullness. d. That is why the hymn writer can say: "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th'incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel." Charles Wesley 4. The best formulation of this truth is the creed that came out of the Council of Chalcedon held in A.D. 451 "…one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ…" D.It is because of the Word becoming flesh that Jesus is the perfect Savior. 2. He struggled with human life just like we do, yet without sin. a. All the external tempations and struggles that come our way, came his way. b. He was hurt and betrayed. c. He loved, was loved, and was rejected. 3. He walked in your shoes before you did and, thus, knows experientially what you are going through. 4. Even more important, he can help you in your struggles. Heb. 4:14-16– Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast ourconfession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all pointstempted as we are,yetwithout sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 1 Cor. 10:12-13– Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God isfaithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. III. The Word Dwelt among His People as a Man. A. Not only God the Son took flesh upon himself, but also he lived in our midst. B. It is as if John is saying the following: 1. We can show you where he was born. 2. I know his mother, I am taking care of her. 3. His brothers and sisters are still around. 4. People who were healed, fed, and saved by him are all over the place. 5. He was not aloof, he was right there in the midst of us! C. It is of great importance to notice the word that the Holy Spirit chose to use here. 1. He didn't use the usual word that is used throughout the NT for dwelling, or living. 2. He uses a word that means literally to pitch a tentor to tabernacle. 3. This word was used sometimes to mean dwellor live, to be sure. 4. But to the Jewish ear, this word was filled with all kinds of rich meaning. a. The tabernacle was the place where God dwelt among his people. b. People would go there to meet with God. Ex. 25:8– And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. c. Yet the tabernacle was an impersonal and unclear way to meet God. 1) You couldn't really go in on your own. 2) You needed a priest and sacrifices. d. But now God lives and meets with his people, not in a cloudy tent, but in a person! "'Allthe ways of tabernacling of God in Israel had been transitory and incomplete: allare fulfilled and superseded by the Word-made-flesh and dwelling among us.' That is the great point. What had been hinted at and realized in a dim, imperfect fashion earlier was perfectly fulfilled in the Word made flesh." Leon Morris quoting A.M. Ramsey 1) When we look at Jesus, we are staring at the face of God. 2) Jesus Christ reconciles mankind to God in his person. 2 Cor. 5:18-21– Now all things areof God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore youon Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to besin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Rom. 8:1– There istherefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…. IV. The Word Who Became Flesh Was Destined for Glory. A. Again the Holy Spirit uses a very earthy, physical word for beholding; it leaves no doubt that John is talking about something that he actually saw and others also saw with him. 1 Jn. 1:1, 3– That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowshipiswith the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. B. John tells us that glory was in store for him, but the type of glory that was in store for him included rejection betrayal, suffering, and a cross. 1. He came to his own creation, but his own people didn't receive him, 11 – like the parable of the landowner who sent his son and his son was killed (Mt. 21:33-40). 2. To be sure, the signs he performed displayed his glory. Jn. 2:11– This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. 3. But it was in his death and exaltation that he was supremely glorified. a. Mary had a hunch that some of that was in store for her baby. Lk. 2:35, 51b– …yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also…. His mother kept all these things in her heart. b. Jesus knew that was the reason for his coming into the world. Jn. 13:31-33– So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you." V. The Word Who Became Flesh Was Uniquely Fitted for His Task. A. Christ came into this world with one task only: to do the will of his Father. Jn. 3:17– For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. B. And Christ was the only one who could accomplish this task. 1. Notice that the Father didn't send a mighty angel and other heavenly creature to accomplish his supreme desire to save the world. 2. He sent his one and only Son, 1:18. a. According to Moulton and Milligan, this word translated only begotten emphasizes "the thought that, as the 'only' Son of God, He has no equal and is able fully to reveal the Father." b. There is no other who was fully God and fully man in one person. c. It is true that through faith in him we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, but no one is like him. 3. So, it was this unique, one of a kind, Son that God gave to us. C. Another word about glory. 1. When Moses asks God to reveal his glory to him, God shows him his attributes. Ex. 33:18-19; 34:5-7– And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion…." Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty,visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." 2. This is the glory that Jesus has as well. a. We look at him and we see God's goodness, mercy, longsuffering, truth, and forgiveness. b. Remember how the glory of God filled the tabernacle and the temple? The Shekinah? Ex. 40:34-35– Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 1 Kg. 8:10-11– And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place,that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. c. That's Jesus – God's glory dwells richly in Jesus and if we want to see a really glorious and big and wonderful God, we have to see Jesus. "[This is] the kind of glory a father grants to his one and only, best-loved Son." D.A. Carson VI. The Word Who Became Flesh Is Full of Grace and Truth. A. When we look at Jesus through faith, we see the fullness of Grace and truth. B. Being full of truth relates to the idea of being the light that shines in darkness. 1. Jesus is full of truth in the sense that everything he said was true. 2. But he is also full of truth in the sense that as he shines his light upon all the situations of life, we see them as they really are. a. Jesus shows us the truth about whom we are. b. Jesus shows us the truth about are sin as he shines light on our hearts and lives. 3. He is also full of truth in the sense that we cannot know what is real apart from him. a. We can't know what is real and true apart from him. b. To know Jesus is to know reality. c. Therefore, in order to know ourselves we need to know Jesus and his Word. Jam. 1:23-25– For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. C. It is amazing to me that God chose to use a word to describe his goodness, mercy, and forgiveness to us that originally meant that which causes joy. 1. God's grace displayed in Jesus Christ is his dealing with us on account of what Christ has done on our behalf. 2. We can't mess it up and we can't improve it. 3. That is a cause for joy. "The incarnation – and the realization of its purpose, the crucifixion – is the climax of God's condescending grace" (William Hendriksen). 4. It is from the fullness of Christ that we receive grace upon grace, 16. a. A believer experiences wave upon wave of grace in a relentless flow. b. There is not limit to the supply of grace – literally grace against grace. c. If you are satisfied with it, God's grace is always sufficient for you. 2 Cor. 12:9– And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. D.It is because of his grace that we can be called sons and daughters of God, 12-13. E. And if we want to know and experience what is real and true, we need to go to Jesus and see him and trust in him. Conclusion
We must see Jesus and we have seen Jesus. He is the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2018/08/beginning-with-jesus-john-11-18.html
|  | Send olympiabp blog feed to OBPC Podcast |  |
Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email Applets.  |
