Untitled Sermon

The word made flesh

THE WORD MADE FLESH

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it

John 1:1–5 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. John 1:14 ESV

THE NATURE OF JESUS (ETERNAL AND UNCREATED)

I love how John reveals the nature of Jesus in the opening of His gospel - He is not exactly telling a story of how Jesus came into the world, but more revealing the nature of Jesus.

He starts off by saying that in the beginning was the WORD, and the word at the beginning was with God and was God, and the word is what created all things.

We read in Genesis that God SPOKE the world into Existence. God and His WORD are inseparable - HE is His Word - His Word accomplishes what is SPOKEN

When God said LET THERE BE…..There was because it was through the WORD that creation was made

Jesus is ETERNAL and uncreated - I know sometimes we can think that Jesus didn’t come on the scene until we went from B.C. to A.D. 

We sometimes can think in the terms of our timeline, but here John is making something clear about Jesus - HE WAS THE WORD AT THE BEGINNING

He is ETERNAL AND UNCREATED - Jesus didn’t just enter the timeline when He was born into this world

HE CREATED THIS WORLD -  Without Him nothing that was made would have been made - He is not an act of creation, but the source of creation itself. 

LIFE AND LIGHT

He is not a result of life, but the source of life.

In Him was LIFE - Jesus IS life itself

He was the LIFE in the beginning and is still the life today and will always be the life

Though darkness has entered the world and all of creation through sin…the darkness has not and cannot overcome the light 

Death cannot defeat Him…The darkness tried to overcome the light, but the light has emerged victorious

FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN

In the first 5 verses it’s clear that John is defining something very clearly for us. He is showing that this WORD from the beginning is DIVINE. It is GOD and not something separate from God but united as ONE.

Then as we jump down to verse 14 we can see that John is revealing something else about the nature of Jesus.

He says something incredible about the Word here….The word BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us

John is revealing the full nature of Jesus Christ here….

He is FULLY GOD and and FULLY MAN

Jesus is the eternal and uncreated Word - subject to the very creation that He created as He was born of a Virgin into this world

It’s vital that we understand the nature of who Jesus is. That He is both fully God and fully Man. 

He had come in the flesh so that through the flesh He might redeem us who are flesh

He joined us in our suffering and in our body so that we might have a redeemer 

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  Hebrews 2:14–18 ESV

Jesus did not come as an angel - He did not come as some other sort of being spiritual or otherwise - He came in the likeness of those whom He loved and desired to rescue. 

He shared in the same flesh and blood that we have so that we might HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BODY AND HIS BLOOD

He is not some mythical figure, or metaphorical archetype, or great moral example. He is the real flesh and blood divine son of God sent to be the savior and Lord of the world.

You don’t need to just follow His example you need Him. His Love, His Body, His Blood, His grace, His holiness and righteousness 

Some people have become convinced because they try and live good lives that means they will earn their place in heaven…but good works won’t get us there

Just following Jesus’ example isn’t all that we must do - He is more than our example - HE IS THE WAY TO LIFE - HE IS OUR SAVIOR

THE BLOOD AND BODY

I believe it is vital that we understand the nature of Jesus Christ - It’s because He came as flesh and blood that we can experience redemption

It’s because His body was subject to suffering that we can experience Christ in our suffering

It’s because His body was subject to death, and rose on the third day that we have hope for a life beyond the death of this mortal body

Jesus didn’t just come to teach us how to make it to heaven…HE CAME TO BRING US TO HEAVEN HIMSELF

He came as a brother to pull us out of the messes we have made, to take the punishment for our sins and failures, and to give us what HE ALONE deserves

THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON (IDENTITY OF JESUS)

John reveals Jesus to be the only begotten or unique one of a kind Son of God. I believe John is giving us some relational language here so that we can better understand the Identity of Jesus as the heir of the kingdom of God

He is not referring to Jesus’ origin but to His nature and authority

Jesus being declared to be the Son of God was a declaration that He was of the same essence as God, and of the same authority and nature

That’s why later in the Gospels when His disciples are asking Him to show them the Father - He responded to them in this way

Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father

John 14:9 ESV

Earlier in the gospel of John says it like this

30 I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 ESV

To be declared the only begotten son of the Father is to be declared to be Divine

THE HEIR OF THE PROMISE 

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature and it is He that upholds the universe

Again here is a term that confirms Jesus’ identity as the HEIR of all THINGS - ALL belongs to Christ

The context of the world this was written to it was the firstborn sons that were to be heirs of all the father had. They would inherit the house, the business, the people in the houses, the animals, and all the father owned

You may be wondering why is this even important to know….It’s because Jesus is revealed as the Son of God that we can be called children of God

It’s through Him that we have adoption to sonship - When we are in Him He gives us the right to be called children of God

JESUS IS CALLED SON SO WE MIGHT BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD - Through His blood, through His life, we have adoption as heirs to all that has been promised to Christ as an inheritance

REVELATIONS FROM JESUS

To take this even further we need to not only know what was said about Jesus by others, but we really must look at what Jesus reveals about Himself

I don’t believe that Jesus leaves us any room to treat Him merely as a good teacher, or a prophet, or a healer. Jesus made claims about Himself that we need to hear, come to understand, and ultimately trust in

7 times throughout the Gospel of John Jesus makes statements about Himself that reveal WHO He is

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 6:35.

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 John 8:12.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 10:9.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:11.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing

John 15:5.

In each one if these statements Jesus is revealing something about His Identity - About WHO HE IS

In the greek the I AM is translated from the greek EGO EIMI - These statements find their root in the OLD TESTAMENT (Exodus3:6, 14; 20:2) and communicate the self-revelation of GOD

When Moses asked who shall I say has sent me - I AM THAT I AM

These I am statements are Jesus’ self-revelation as God - The one true God that Israel had served since the time of Abraham - The God of the covenant come to save His people

He was saying to the people of Israel, I AM has come to deliver you from the bondage to sin, to lift you out of the darkness, and give you the LIFE everlasting

IDENTITY AND CHARACTER

More than just revealing His identity, these statements reveal His Character when you dive into them

Ultimately this is where I want to end this message

I can tell you that it is in fact important to understand the Nature of Jesus as being fully human and fully Divine. It’s Important to understand His Identity as the great I AM, and Heir spoken of in the OT.

While all of that is important for us to know about Jesus - What is most important is that WE COME TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY

It’s one thing to know things about Jesus and a totally different thing to KNOW JESUS in our everyday lives. 

I could have spent my whole message just talking about one aspect of His character, but character is not something that can be taught as much as it must be experienced

AS DISCIPLES OF JESUS OUR LIVES ARE SPENT IN COMMUNION WITH HIM, DWELLING CONSTANTLY IN HIS PRESENCE, AND CONSTANTLY SEEKING DEEPER REVELATIONS OF HIS CHARACTER

This is why in Psalms 34 it says, Taste and see that the Lord is good

Jesus has made Himself available to all people to experience His goodness, His love, His freedom, Grace, and Mercy

I can’t preach that into you - I can’t study that into you - I can only invite you to meet the one I call LORD

Brother Rodney an I were talking last week about this. When Jesus asked His disciples who do men say that I am? The answers came, some say John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets

But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven

Matthew 16:15–17 ESV

I can only make the introduction, but you have to come to Him and have a revelation of who Jesus is for yourself 

ALTAR CALL

So I want to make this simple invitation for you to know Jesus for yourself

This altar is open if you would like to come and pray - ask Jesus to reveal HIMSELF in your life - In your Heart 

Is there anyone in here who is hungry to know Him more - To know His character - His Love - His Peace - His Grace - His Mercy - His Forgiveness 

Some of you have known Jesus for a long time, but you need a fresh revelation because He is far more than any of us will ever know in this life

We will only come to fully know Him when we see Him face to face