Grace Upon Grace In Jesus Christ

Read

John 1:14–18 (ESV)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 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.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Opening Prayer

The Father & the Son

We notice in the first four verses of John’s gospel...

The Word was in the beginning with God...

He was with God...

He was God...

The word was…not meaning was and no longer is...

Like last year I lived in Oklahoma, but this year I live in Texas and no longer live in Oklahoma.

But, that word was (eemee) means existed.

John 1:1 (Greek rendering)

1 The Word existed in the beginning, and the Word existed with God, and the Word existed as God.

John’s point in the opening of his gospel is to give us the nature and quality of the Word.

He is the ever-existing God who created all things.

In v.14 John gives us a development that the Word became flesh.

He incarnated and dwelt among the people of Israel and those in that area of the world.

But, we also see a development in what John is saying because not only did the Word become flesh...

Which is pointing to Jesus...

But, we see the Word who has always existed as God and with God…given a title by John...

The Word is glorious…

And, the Word’s glory is defined as the glory of the Son, from the Father.

So the Word came from the Father, and the Word is the Son of the Father.

So, already in the prologue of John’s gospel we are being taught two of the persons of the Godhead.

God the Father and God the Son.

Both equally God, yet distinct persons within the Godhead.

John uses the phrase of the only Son...

This phrase is one word and it means unique.

Meaning there is only one like this One.

A one-of-a kind-Son-who-is-God

In the OT the Son of David and Israel are called God’s firstborn son.

But, John is making it clear so that we understand...

No one else has a relationship with God like this relationship.

No one else is this kind of Son to God.

No one else is God the Son.

This relationship between God the Father and God the Son...

And, the Son becoming human and dwelling among mankind...

And revealing God in the ultimate and most glorious way is further developed in...

John 1:18 (ESV)

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

God, no one has ever seen.

Not even Moses.

In the OT God stated that no one could see His face and live.

Moses received a glimpse of God’s back.

But, here John says...

the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known

The one-of-a-kind-God...

Notice this…who is at the Father’s side

Who’s John speaking of here?

The Son of God.

He came, took upon flesh, became Man...

Assumed a human nature...

Not in a way in which He lost His deity...

But, in a way in which Deity was also Human.

Fully God. Fully Man.

He was at God the Father’s side.

The Father and the Son, fully God...

God as in the one-of-a-kind-God...

The Son, John says, was in the Father’s lap.

The at the Father’s side...

side meaning bosom or in His lap...

This is a Hebrew idiom that means there is and can be no closer relationship than the one being discussed.

Like a one-of-a-kind-closeness-and-intimacy.

There can be no closer relationship than the relationship that God has with Himself.

There is no more intimate relationship than the relationship that God the Father has with God the Son...

Jesus will even say later, If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. I and the Father are One.

And, these beautiful truths are further developed in John’s gospel, as we will see.

And, later in John’s gospel we will learn the same truth about God the Spirit.

In v. 14 when John writes about the glory of the Son...

The character of the Son being full of grace and truth...

It is pointing to the Covenant faithfulness of God to His people.

In the OT, this word translated grace is defined as the steadfast love of the Lord.

Truth here is speaking of the faithful promises from God throughout the OT.

So, the steadfast love of the Lord and the promises of God being kept are ultimately displayed in Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist understood this and this was...

John’s Message

John 1:15 (ESV)

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.’ ”)

John the Baptist’s message was that the Christ was coming.

The Christ is the eternal Word.

Jesus is the Light & Life of Mankind.

His message entailed that the Christ may come after me chronologically in time...

His appearance among mankind may take place chronologically after my appearance...

But He is greater than me, far other than me...

Because He was before me.

He is the ever-existing God, the Son, become flesh.

He is the One who all creation owes their existence.

He is the fulfillment of the seed of Abraham.

He is the One who will bless the Nations.

He is the One who will bring the new covenant.

And, John the gospel writer is proclaiming here...

That what he is saying…John the Baptist said, too.

John continues on the quality and character of Jesus by speaking to how it has impacted mankind.

The fullness of God, the fullness of Jesus

John 1:16 (ESV)

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

What have we received because of the fullness of God becoming flesh in the person of Jesus the Christ?

What have we gained through the person and work of the God-Man Jesus Christ?

We are told grace upon grace.

Grace Upon Grace?

Does John just mean abounding grace?

Well, that is true, but not John’s point.

Does John mean constant renewal in Christ?

That is true also, but not John’s main point.

What does "grace upon grace” mean?

John explains it more fully in...

John 1:17 (ESV)

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Was the Law given by God gracious?

Absolutely.

The Law of God is perfect in converting the soul.

When we read in v.14 the phrase...

full of grace and truth

And, when we read in v.17 the phrase...

from His fullness we have received grace upon grace

These are remarkable statements for a Jewish reader.

A response would have been something like...

How could God’s grace get any greater than the revealing of His Law?

A Law in which His will is revealed.

A lamp upon our feet.

A light unto our path.

A gracious divine disclosure of His character.

A gracious disclosure of how worship is to be carried out.

A gracious disclosure of what God demands of our hearts and lives.

You’re saying that God’s steadfast love is displayed in a greater way than the Law through moses?

I want to hear more.

And, John says...

The Fullness/Pinnacle of the Steadfast Love of God is displayed in the Incarnation of the Eternal Son of God.

In the life and mission of the Word dwelling among us.

So, John is also saying...

As the writer of Hebrews says...

Jesus is greater than Moses...

And, the ministry of Jesus is greater than the ministry of Moses.

But, what about the question...

How is there more Grace & Truth in Jesus Christ?

Because the life of Jesus was:

A living display of the righteousness of God lived out in the person of Jesus Christ.

A living, breathing example of a life lived in complete righteousness.

The truth of what a life was intended to be, intended to look like, intended to display...

Lived out on the earth, visible to physical eyes, heard by physical ears, touched by physical hands...

In the person of Jesus Christ.

The truth of God lived out perfectly, spoken with divine authority, and expressed in perfect love and humility...

In the life of Jesus Christ.

And that display shows not only how we have failed to do the same...

But it shows how impossible an example it is for us to keep.

It confronts us with:

our sinfulness

our selfishness

our lack of love for others

our lack of patience with others

our lack of mercy towards loved one

much less enemies

our emptiness of grace towards those who offend us

As we see the life of Christ we are confronted with our utter sinfulness.

And we are left feeling:

our just condemnation

our lacking in ability to fix it for ourself

our utter need for God to intervene for us

And, that is where the greater grace appears...

Not only does Christ display the righteousness of God...

He came to give it:

to those who know they need it

To those who want it

To those who see that they are utterly sick unto death in sin

And need a physician that can perform a miracle.

And, John says that physician’s name is Jesus.

The Incarnation of the eternal Son of God...

This is the Glory of God on Display in the Greatest Way.

John 1:18 (ESV)

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

This is the King of the Kingdom of God walking the earth to make the truth of His Kingdom...

The truth of this King...

The truth of this new covenant of this Kingdom fully disclosed...

The means of entrance into this Kingdom fully known.

The means of this Kingdom being obtained and made available fully revealed...

This is God doing visitation in order that His image-bearers would know just how deep, wide, and inexhaustible His love is for a fallen humanity.

And, this theme of the love of God in the incarnation...

The mission of the God expressed through God, the Son...

Is expanded and deepened throughout John’s gospel....

All the way to the cross and the resurrection.

Take-Away

Let’s pray that God makes us keenly aware of the pitfalls of leaning on our own understanding.

Here’s our perceived reality, mankind’s perceived reality...

And, it manifests itself in two categories of people:

Unbelievers

Those who have not been quickened by the Spirit of God.

Unbelievers think they need no grace.

They constantly suppress the truth of God in unrighteous thinking and unrighteous ways.

They do this by preferred self-deception.

A deception in which they tell themselves they can convince God of their righteousness.

Or dismiss God altogether.

Like if I close my eyes and pretend you’re not there maybe it will become a reality.

Unbelievers think God owes them in some form or fashion.

Believers

Those who have been made new by the Holy Spirit, given hearts to cling to Jesus.

We’re still in recovery from an unbeliever’s perspective of God’s grace.

Our battle is that we’re constantly unaware of how much grace we actually need.

We need grace upon grace.

We need all that Jesus gives.

We need grace in every category of life.

The thing we’re horrible at doing well...

We need the grace of God.

The things we think we’re great at...

We need the grace of God, just as much.

It’s all about the grace of God...

And, our being aware that we are in desperate need of it...

All the time.

Closing Prayer

Lord’s Supper Song