2022-12-18 What's So Great About Jesus

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT JESUS? (John 1:15-18) Date: ____________________ Read John 1:15-18 - Neil Armstrong once visited Jerusalem. Told he was standing on stones where Jesus walked, Armstrong, a deist - said, "I have to tell you, I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon." Amazing! Why would he say that? What's so great about Jesus? You'll never know His greatness if you see Him as only a man. He was so much more. Erwin Lutzer says, "If the Christ of the NT had not existed, no one would have invented Him; indeed, no one could have invented Him. When the chief priests sent officers to arrest Christ, they returned empty-handed, explaining, "Never has a man spoken in the way this man speaks" (Jn 7:46). Either we are judged by this man, or we judge Him. The choice we make determines our destiny." What is so great about Jesus? How about that He determines the eternal destiny of every person who ever lived. How can we say that? That's the subject of John's wrap-up to this amazing prologue - perhaps the greatest words ever written. He wants us to see the greatness of Christ based on the fact that He is none other than God in the flesh come to save lost people. What's so great about Jesus? Here's what! I. Jesus is Superior to John The apostle John starts with his original discipler, John the Baptist: 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' ")." We don't get the impact of this bc we're used to thinking of John as a minor player. Not the people of John's time. Israel had been 400 years without a prophet. They were starved for an authoritative message. When John arrived on the scene with clear divine credentials, people flocked to him, even though his message was a strong call to repentance. People revered him, even after Jesus arrived. It reminds me how US Grant, as the winning general in the CW, was revered by many Americans, even above Lincoln for much of the 19th century. It took time for people to put the two in perspective. John had a high standing with people in Jesus' day. So the Apostle John's insertion of v. 15 is not misplaced. It is establishing in everyone's mind Jesus' superiority to John. John knew it: "John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'" Chronological rank was very important in Bible times. Leon Morris: "It was widely held that chronological priority meant superiority. People were humble about their own generation and really thought that their fathers were wiser than they - incredible as this may sound to our generation." That was the common belief. John could have said, "I came first. I outrank Him." But he chose another route altogether. He says, 15) "[Jesus] who comes after me [nevertheless] ranks before me, because he was before me." But, "Wait a minute, John. If He came after you, how could He also be before you? You're speaking in riddles." And it would be a riddle if we didn't have John's prologue. Jesus was "after" John in that He was born 6 months later. But He was "before" John in that by virtue of His divine nature He never had any beginning at all. "In the beginning [already] was the Word." How is that possible? "Because "the Word was God." In His human nature, Jesus was after John; in His divine nature, He wasn't just "before" John - He was before anything! In fact, "All things were made through him." In indicating Jesus's superiority, the Baptist is pointing to the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is superior to John - because Jesus is God. The Jews of Jesus's time could not get that Messiah would actually be God in the flesh - that was not part of the expectation. They faced the same dilemma we all do. Who is Jesus? How is it possible for a man to also be God? Some deny it. Prosperity gospel preacher, Kenneth Copeland, claims he had a vision where Jesus told him, "I didn't claim that I was God; I just claimed I walked with him, and that he was in me. Hallelujah! That's just what you're doing." Thus, in one fell swoop, Copeland denies the deity of Christ and puts himself on the same plane with him. It is grotesque heresy of the worst kind. John never went there. He knew he ranked far below Jesus bc Jesus was God. That fact is the linchpin for salvation. Jn 8:23-24: "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." That He is who? The One who came from above; God in the flesh. Deny that and there's no hope. I Jn 2:23: "No one who denies the Son has the Father." You can't get to God except thru Jesus. John knew that. So must we. II. Jesus is Superior to Moses Now, having established Jesus is greater than the Baptist, the John turns to the greatest Israelite of all, Moses. To Jews, he ranked with Abe as greatest of all. But someone infinitely greater than Moses has arrived. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Now most people see this as a contrast between Law and Grace - between OT times represented by Moses and NT times represented by Christ. The condemning law came by Moses; saving grace through Christ. Law is bad; grace is good. Law condemns; grace saves! Law is bad; grace is good. But that's not John's point at all. Follow closely. John's already told us that Jesus was "full of grace and truth" -- the ultimate of both. But now, he says, out of that fullness, He shares. For "16) from his fullness we have all (all believers) received grace upon grace." What does it mean that we received "grace upon grace." The usual explanation is out of the ever-flowing grace available in Christ, we keep getting more grace as the need arises. The grace sufficient for one trial is replaced by more grace as a greater trial arises. James 4:6, "He gives more grace." When? When we need it. One writer says "grace upon grace" means grace "comes to Xns as waves continue to come to shore." And that is true. Grace flows to us as need arises. BUT - that's not what John is talking about here. He is contrasting one kind of grace with another kind of grace. This is indicated a couple of ways. First, he says in v. 16, "we all received, grace upon grace." The word received is aorist, past tense. The emphasis is upon a one-time event, not continuous action. Second, the term translated "upon" (αντι) is literally, "in place of". Literally the phrase reads, "From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace already given." It is not "grace upon grace" like a pile of Xmas presents piled under a tree to be opened as needed, but we have received a greater grace in place of one given previously. That is the sense of the phrase. So, if grace comes thru Christ, where was grace previously given? He explains in the very next phrase - "For the law was given through Moses." That takes us to Exod 32-34 where God gives the Law to Moses. But that was not a bad thing; it was a good thing. The law covenant was itself a grace gift from a loving God. Rom 7:12: "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." The law was good because it showed the people they could never live up to God's character. But didn't that condemn them? No - their SIN condemned them. When Moses descended the mountain with the Ten Commandments, he was appalled to find the people engaged in an idolatrous, immoral, drunken orgy. Their sin condemned them, not the Law. Later Moses tried to atone telling God: Exod 32:32: "But now, if you will forgive their sin - but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." Amazing, Moses is saying, "My life for theirs." But God could not accept that offer. Moses was a sinner, too. His life could not atone for others. So didn't that leave them hopeless? No. Why? Because God re-gave that law including the system of sacrifices, which, when practiced in faith, provided provisional covering for their sin. So, the law was gracious in that it 1) showed their need and 2) provided a means of responding to God in faith. But the law was weak in that Heb 10:4, "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Animal sacrifices provided provisional cleansing, real covering for sin required a greater sacrifice. Grace provided by the law was only be good if a greater grace became available. It was salvation on credit, awaiting final payment. And we know when it happened, right? One the cross, when Jesus cried, "It is finished!" He used the word "Tetelestai" - a word which, when written across a bill means, "Paid in full." Every lamb killed under Moses' law had in effect "Paid on credit" written across it, across the cross of Christ was written, "Paid in full." Rom 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all." There is ultimate grace! So, the Law of Moses was not without grace. But it was grace on credit. It was grace in shadow form pointing to the real thing that came through Jesus. That's what this passage teaches. The provisional grace of the old covenant is replaced by the real thing that comes through Christ. So, Jesus says in Jn 8:56: "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day." Why? Bc he'd been in heaven on credit for 2,000 years. Now, in Christ, his permanent salvation was secured. Because Jesus is superior to Moses - far superior. III. Jesus is Superior to Everyone 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. Who besides Jesus could this be said about? John's starting point is, "No one has ever seen God." God is in emphatic position here. "God - no one has seen Him." How could they? He is spirit. I Tim 1:17: He is "invisible." People have seen manifestations of God, yes. He appeared as a cloud and pillar of fire to the Israelites, as a burning bush to Moses. But His essence, His true being. No one has seen that. No one could see it and live. But John goes on. "The only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." The μονογενής God. KJV translated it "only begotten Son", so the JW's and others jumped on board and said, "See, He's not eternal; He was begotten by the Father at some point." Two problems with that. First, "Son" is not in the earliest manuscripts. Second, the primary meaning of μονογενής is "one and only, unique, only one in its class". John is saying Jesus is not only a man, but is also the only God, uniquely God - the God-man, Jesus Christ. He's come from the Father, and, "He has made him (God) known." Literally, He has "exegeted" Him. Explained Him. No one has seen the essence of God, but in the Person of Christ, we see Him in daily life. His life explains all we need to know about God. He is God in the flesh. Jesus later tells His disciples I'm going away to prepare a place for you; then I'll come and get you. But then doubting Thomas weighs in: Jn 14:5: "5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" There is Jesus - one with the Father. No wonder He is superior to John and to Moses and to everyone. He is something no one else is or ever could be - He is God. Either that or He is a liar or a lunatic or both. And nothing in His life suggests that. Will Durant, in his magnificent 11 volume work on the history of Civilization said this of Jesus: "No one reading these [gospel] scenes can doubt the reality of the figure behind them. That a few simple men should have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of humanity, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels." So Jesus is supreme in history. Conc - And here's the greatest thing. He came - for you. His unique, superior life had a purpose beyond His own. Lu 19:10: For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." He died to redeem us, rose again to give us life, and now stands at our heart's door, knocking to see if we'll let Him in. If not, he says in Jn 8:21: "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come." His uniqueness means one thing - we will appear before the Father in our own sin, or clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jn 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him." If you were to die today, which would it be for you? Back in pioneer days, a man met a woman on an out-of-town trip. By time he got back home, he'd made up his mind. He sent a telegram asking her to marry him. The woman rushed to the telegraph office and asked, "How much to send a telegram?" The manager said, "A dime for 12 words." What she sent said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." Have you said Yes to Him? He became flesh and died for you. Now He's asking if you will accept Him. Why wouldn't you? Let's pray. DONE 7