Full of Grace

Intro:

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A few this we learn or know from John here that are important for us to remember about who Jesus is

“The Word became flesh” means- becoming human

In His life then we :

Learn how God thinks- Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 NIV

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

See a model of what we are to become, he shows us how to live and gives us the power to live that way- 1 Peter 2:21

1 Peter 2:21 NIV

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Jesus becomes the perfect sacrifice for all sins and his death satisfied God’s requirement for the removal of sin- Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15–23 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

All of these are important this for us to remember about the person and work of Jesus, the Son of God

I want to focus in on the idea that in Jesus we see a reflection of who God is- a reflections of his glory John 1:14

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Full of Grace and Truth

Jesus- the Son of God- God in the flesh- the radiance, the glory of God; is described as being full of grace and truth

Here we are learning something about who God is- He is full of grace and truth

Likewise then we learn something about who we are to become

How is this possible? Is it possible?

We find this difficult to understand, grasp, live out so, instead of using AND we tend to turn this into an EITHER/OR

You are either full of grace or truth

But this is and an either/or this is an and

So, where I’d like to go with this thought over the next 4 Sundays is to begin by talking about grace- by answering this question- What is Grace?

Then we will answer the question- What is Truth?- which is actually a question that Pilate asks Jesus during his trial

Then we’ll look at examples of how Jesus modelled this for us

Then we’ll end, wrap it all up with- What is the significance? Why is it important that Jesus, that God is full of both grace and truth

What is Grace?

Slide God’s undeserved, unmerited favor

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Grace

R. K. HARRISON

The word “grace” in its special Christian sense refers to the freedom of salvation in Jesus Christ. As used by Paul in particular, the word underscores the fact that salvation is freely given by God to undeserving sinners

In the Pauline sense grace is the free gift of salvation given by God to undeserving sinners

John begins with an emphasis on grace John 1:16

John 1:16 NIV

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

He could have said we received “truth upon truth.” But he said “grace upon grace.” In fact, after this verse the word grace will never turn up again in this Gospel, but the word truth or true or truly will occur 55 times. In other words, there is no minimizing of “truth” in this Gospel. Truth is the way grace works: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). But here, at the outset, the emphasis falls on grace.

Grace being the free gift of salvation given by God to undeserving sinners- it works through truth

Why the emphasis on grace at the beginning

Slide

Why do the people you know need grace—grace upon grace, as verse 16 says? Why did you need grace? The answer John mentions here in this first chapter is that without grace we are not the children of God. This is overwhelmingly relevant to everyone you know. Remember verses 12–13? “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

When you are “born of God”—not the first birth, but the second one, and that’s a work of pure, free grace—you become a child of God.

Why Moses?

Why does John bring in Moses

If we do not take this carefully within its context we might quickly jump to one of Paul’s letters and look at the contrasts that Paul makes between grace and the law

In doing that we might miss John’s focus

John’s focus is on seeing the glory of God John1:14

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We see the glory through grace, or because we have recieved “grace upon grace” we have seen the the glory of the father

So the reason he turns to Moses here is that Moses was the most famous Old Testament figure who passionately wrestled to see the glory of God. If anybody would be said to have seen God, it would be Moses.

Exodus 33:11 NIV

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Even still Moses wanted to see more of God

Exodus 33:12–18 NIV

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

Moses living in the “favor”- that is grace- of God, in fact its because Moses found favor with God that the whole of the Israelite people weren’t destroyed

Just prior to this they had built and idol and were worshipping it while Moses was receiving the Law

So he grants Moses’ request Exodus 33:19-23

Exodus 33:19–23 NIV

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

What happens after this is the giving of the law for the second time, Moses carves out two stone tablets and carries them up the mountain and...

Exodus 34:4–7 NIV

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

So, what is John doing here?

He is contrasting Christ with Moses not because the law is not a gracious gift. It is. That’s why verse 16 refers to receiving “grace upon grace”—first one grace, Moses giving the law, and then another grace, Christ bringing the fullness of grace and truth.

The contrast is that Moses points to grace, but Jesus performs grace.

Moses reports the words of God. Jesus is the Word of God.

The law mirrors the light of God. Jesus is the light of God.

The contrast with Moses continues in John 1:18

John 1:18 NIV

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

The contrast being that “no one has ever seen God”

Even Moses who said “show me your glory”- was only allowed to see the back of it

But in contrast Christ is not at the father’s back, he is in the father’s lap, he has seen him as closely as can be seen John 10:30

John 10:30 NIV

I and the Father are one.”

So Moses may have mediated the best gift he could- recording the law, but vastly superior to that is the presence of God himself in the person of Jesus Christ

Moses was a pointer to grace but Christ is the performer of grace

Conclusion:

This is really good news. God could have chosen to become flesh as a judge and executioner. And all of us would be found guilty before him and be sentenced to everlasting punishment. But he did not become flesh that way. The Word, the Son, who is God, became flesh to reveal a divine glory that is “full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

because we have recieved grace upon grace we have seen the glory of God