The Sacred Unveiling of God Himself
John Hester
Journey Through the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
On April 3, 1973, an engineer, Martin Cooper, succeeded in making something that would completely revolutionize the world. His prototype weighed 2.4 lbs and measured 9X5X1 inches. His device, unveiled to the world shortly after invention, took 10 hours to recharge and allowed an individual to talk for 30 minutes. His invention eventually made landline telephones almost obsolete. The DynaTAC 8000x was the first-ever cellphone created. The price of this compact cellphone in 1971 was $3,995.00. With today’s inflation, that price is equivalent to $10,000 today.
Martin Cooper’s invention set in action the evolution of cell phones. Today, most young people have no idea what it is only to have a landline and may not even know what one is. Now, our cell phones do way more than make calls. You can play games. Plan your day. Send text messages. Take pictures. They, indeed, have become mini-computing devices. It is hard to imagine that Martin truly understood the significance of his invention the day it was unveiled to the world.
This morning, in our text, I want to share a more extraordinary unveiling than the first-ever cellphone. This unveiling is the ultimate reveal. It is an unveiling that impacts men beyond something trivial, such as a phone. This unveiling has spiritual and eternal implications. The unveiling that I speak of is God’ Unveiling of Himself to the entire world. His grand reveal is noted in our text this morning.
Read with me John 1:14-18
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
There are three important points that I want to share with you this morning concerning God’s great reveal.
The Purpose of God’s Unveiling
The Purpose of God’s Unveiling
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
This verse is one of the most important verses in Scripture. This verse states the sole purpose of God unveiling Himself to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Note several crucial statements made in this single verse.
The first is this - “the Word was made flesh.” I remind you how the Holy Spirit started this remarkable gospel account.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word (Logos), who is God, was made flesh. The word “flesh” literally means a human being in all its physical, mental, and emotional makeup. God took upon himself a fleshly, physical form as a man. God was a man in every way except for one. He was born into this world without sin. As we know, His virgin birth made such a transition into this world possible. Our sinful nature passes to us through our fathers.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Sin entered by one man. Sin passes from men to their children. However, in Christ’s miraculous birth, the Holy Spirit (God) moved upon Mary, producing the perfect man-child, the Lord Jesus Christ.
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Indeed, one of the great mysteries of our faith is the union of two natures in the Person of Christ.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The Word was made flesh, which gives us both natures in one statement. “The Word” (Logos) speaks of His divine nature as God. “Was made flesh” speaks to His humanity. He was, is, and always will be the God-man. Divine and human wrapped up in one entirely physical body. There has never been a time throughout His ministry that He has laid aside His Deity. In the same manner, He was ever as human as we are, except having no sinful nature. You want to know God, know Christ. If you want to know the perfect man, study Christ. He was both. He was the Son of God and the Son of man.
For what reason did God unveil himself to us in such a way?
The answer is in our text.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
He unveiled Himself in the flesh and lived among humanity so that we might behold His glory. That is the short answer. The longer answer is this.
We, as sinful people, needed a Mediator between us and God. Christ taking on flesh and living among us accomplished everything needed for Him to be that Mediator. As God incarnate, it became possible for Him to die. Had God remained God and never assumed a physical body, He would not be capable of dying! Second, as God, walking and living among us in a human body, He could feel our infirmities. Last but not least, by coming in the flesh, Christ became the perfect example for us so that we might follow His steps.
Let me clarify one thing before we move on this morning. Christ, born in Bethlehem, was uniquely different from anyone born. Christ becoming flesh does not mean God dwelt inside a man’s body. No, it means that God became a man. He became something that He had never been before without ceasing to be all He was before He was born into this world as a man. The Babe born in Bethlehem was Immanuel - God with us!
Interestingly, the Holy Spirit makes this incredible statement in this first chapter of John’s gospel account. It is interesting because it sets the stage for the rest of the gospel. Remember that Christ is the “Word…made flesh.” All of the miracles we will see and study in the gospel center upon this fact. Let me give one example.
The first miracle of Christ’s ministry is when He attended a wedding feast and turned water into wine. We will see how Christ performed that miracle when we get to that miracle. The only action He took was to speak the Word. He gave His command to the servants, and the miracle took place. Why is this significant? The Word (Logos, God) spoke a word as a human being and instantly changed water into wine. All it took was His spoken Word just as He spoke into existence the entire universe. Every miracle recorded in this gospel has one corresponding action. Christ spoke, and the miracle took place. Each miracle demonstrates the Word (Logos, God, Jesus Christ) at work. The One Who became flesh and dwelt among us is the One Who is also eternal, omnipotent, and almighty.
Now, go back to this single verse and note one other thing.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The phrase “dwelt among us” is peculiar. “Dwelt” means living in or dwelling in a tent. Christ was only here for 33 years. Tents are portable. You set them up. You sleep in them for a few days and then take them down. They are temporary dwelling places. Thus, in the same way, Christ was here on earth for a short and temporary time. He “dwelt” among us.
Why did He become flesh and dwell among us?
God chose this method as the means of unveiling Himself to us. Our text again says, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.”
Every time I read this verse, I remember what God said to Moses.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
It is impossible for us as sinful men to see the pure spiritual essence of God. It is too much for us. I recall how God desired to reveal himself to all of Israel in Moses’ day. You may recall how Moses gathered all of Israel before Mount Sinai. Scripture records the following.
18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Note their reaction.
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Here is my point. God only revealed himself to Israel in the form of thundering and lighting. Even that revelation of Himself was too much for them to handle. The only way God could reveal Himself in all His glory so that we could handle such revelation was through His incarnation. He became flesh so that we could behold His glory. It was all part of God’s great plan of salvation.
We could spend hours just talking about the fact that God became flesh and dwelt among us so that we might behold His glory. There is so much more to be said. However, let me sum it up with this.
There is a special connection between verse 14 and verse 1 of this chapter. Verse 14 explains and amplifies verse 1. Let me demonstrate what I mean.
Verse 1 starts with “In the beginning was the Word.” The thought of God’s eternal existence goes way beyond our comprehension. However, in verse 14, we find “the Word was made flesh.” God becoming flesh brings Him within the reach of our understanding. Verse 1 also states, “The Word was with God.” Here is another statement beyond our comprehension. Yet, in verse 14, we read, “the Word…dwelt among us,” which is something we can grasp. And then, in verse 1, the Holy Spirit says, “The Word was God,” and is a statement that thrusts us back into the realm of the Infinite and outside our comprehension. Verse 14 brings Him back within our reach, stating that “the Word…is full of grace and truth.” We understand grace and truth. In this comparison, we see the beginning of the eternal God’s human life, the reality of an Infinite God dwelling among finite people, and a factual description of God as grace and truth.
God’s sacred unveiling of Himself makes it possible for us to grasp who He is entirely!
Here is the next point of our text this morning.
The Person of God’s Unveiling
The Person of God’s Unveiling
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
I take you back to verses 6, 7, and 8 with these verses.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
John the Baptist was not God’s unveiling of himself to men. John was simply the witness. God sent him to point people to THE PERSON who is God’s unveiling of Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. In this chapter, each mention of John the Baptist always involved John pointing to someone other than himself. Verses 7 and 8 specifically state that John the Baptist was NOT THAT LIGHT. In our text, John himself declares, “This was he of whom I spake.” In my mind’s eye, I imagine John pointing his finger at Christ as He says those words. In doing so, John bears witness to the Person unveiled as God (Logos), Jesus Christ. Note two things John declares about Jesus Christ.
In verse 15, John says, “He that cometh after me is preferred before me.” The word “preferred” does not have the same meaning as it does today. Today, when we “prefer” something, it means we like it better than something else. However, the Greek counterpart to this Word means to assume a specific state or condition. John was saying that Christ is One Who existed long before John was even a thought to his parents. The second thing that John states is, “he was before me.” We know that John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus Christ. Thus, six months before Mary conceived Christ, Elisabeth had already conceived John. As we know, John’s statement that Christ was before him refers to Christ’s eternal existence. Thus, John bore witness to Christ’s deity.
Now, go back to our text and note verse 16 again.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
The word “fulness” brings us back to Christ’s deity again. This word is the same word found in Colossians 1:19 and Colossians 2:9.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Now, think about this for a moment. Our text, verse 16, says, "Of his (Christ's) fulness have all we received." What exactly have we "received" from Christ? A better question is, "What have we NOT received?” You see, within the inexhaustible fulness of all Christ flows an immense wealth of blessings.
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Within the fullness of Christ is eternal life.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Within the fullness of Christ is true peace.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Within the fullness of Christ is unspeakable joy.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Within the fullness of Christ is the absolute Word of God.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Within the fullness of Christ is His own Spirit.
There is an excellent storehouse of eternal and spiritual blessings for now and all eternity in the fullness of Christ.
He came in the flesh dwelling among us so we might see and understand his glory and fulness. However, note He, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Person of God's unveiling, is also "grace for grace."
What does that mean?
God, through His Son, heaps upon all those who believe one grace after another. If you place your trust in Christ as God and all He did for you through His death, burial, and resurrection, you will experience "grace for grace." Already, we note that within the fullness of Christ is eternal life, true peace, unspeakable joy, the power of His Word, and the gift of His Spirit. All supplied by His grace. All for you to enjoy if you will believe.
Let me finish the message with this last thought.
The Point of God’s Unveiling
The Point of God’s Unveiling
What was the point of all this? Why did God unveil Himself to us in the physical form of the Lord Jesus Christ?
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit answers this by giving a comparison. The comparison is between Moses and Jesus Christ. Why these two? Remember that Christ came to Israel, His own. He intentionally came to them offering Himself as Messiah, Savior. Moses was revered and recognized as the Lawgiver for all of Israel. At the time of Christ's arrival, the Pharisees had built an elaborate religious system founded upon Moses's Law. Many of that day saw their system as legalistic, shackling them to rules and regulations no one could keep. For this reason, the Holy Spirit makes the comparison.
Now note the contrast drawn. Moses received the "law," but "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." God gave the Law to Moses. It did not belong to Moses. It belonged to God, who gave it to Moses. Remember Mt. Sinai as God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. However, grace and truth are not "given" to Christ, for they already belong to Him. Thus, grace and truth emanate from Him, for He is the essence of grace and truth.
Herein lies the point of God's unveiling. Men and women were held captive by the morally corrupt religious systems of this world. The Pharisees used the Law to keep people in bondage to others. What people needed were grace and truth. Thus, God Himself came into our world, offering Himself as grace and truth to all men.
Over in Romans 5:21, we find this statement.
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Every person born into this world comes bound under the mighty hand of sin. Sin is always associated with spiritual death. However, in Christ, there is grace and truth. These two came by Him. It was Christ on the cross...
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Christ, the only perfect and sinless Person to fully keep the Law, became our Substitute (propitiation) as He endured the death penalty for our sins. In doing so, He paved the way for us to escape the awful reality of eternity separate from God. Now, the only thing a person must do is look to the "Lamb of God." Therein lies the aim of it all. Christ came so that we might have eternal life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The day God unveiled Himself was the single most incredible day in history. He fulfilled His purpose of coming to us in the flesh. God himself dwelt among us. He became something we could understand and know in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need not fear Him but embrace Him as our personal Savior. In His unveiling, He demonstrated His grace by offering Himself as payment for our sins. In His unveiling, He demonstrated truth. He fulfilled His promise to come and redeem us. God accomplished all this through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came so we might have eternal life.
Today, He stands before you, offering Himself as your Savior. He made it possible for you to know Him and understand why He came. If you have never put your faith in Him, fully accepting Him as your personal Savior, all you must do this morning is believe with all your heart, soul, and mind. Acknowledge to Him that you are a sinner and accept His death, burial, and resurrection as truth. He came so that you might escape an awful eternity separated from Him. He offers you eternal life. Will you accept this morning?
Believer, rejoice this morning that He came. Rejoice that He became flesh so that we might know Him. Determine that you will share the excellent news that He came with everyone you meet.