The Word Became Flesh
John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we began our study in the book of John. We began studying what scholars call the Prologue of the book of John which is found in John 1:1-18. In our passage last week we looked at verses 1-5. In those verses we were introduced to Jesus:
As the Word of God
As God (incarnate)
With God in the beginning
He was the Creator of all things
He is the life
He is the light that shines in the darkness
Today we are going to continue studying John’s prologue.
If you have your Bibles, and I hope that you do, turn with me to John 1 and we’ll pick up our reading with verse 6.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist
There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
John was a man that God sent (v. 6)
John’s job was to “witness” (Gk. witness, martyr, give evidence, give testimony to this is the word we get our English word “martyr”) (v. 7a).
John’s job was also to “testify” (Gk. testify, bear witness, be a witness, give evidence, attest, affirm, confirm, speak well of) (v. 7b).
John was to witness and testify about the “Light” (v. 7c).
The goal--that through John everyone might believe! (cf. Jn. 3:16) (v. 7d).
He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
Just to make things clear--John was NOT the light! He came as a witness to the light (v. 8).
The True Light
The True Light
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
The True Light (Jesus) gives light to everyone (v. 9a).
The True Light (Jesus) “was” coming into the world (Gk. was is in a form that covers past tense but also indicates that the light is here now) (v. 9b).
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
This light was in the world--present in the world (v. 10a).
It was this light that made everything in the world (v. 10b).
Yet, those in the world did not recognize him (v. 10c).
The sad commentary is that Jesus, the light, created the world and everything in it, yet His very creation did not recognize Him. But it gets worse look at verse 11!
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
When Jesus came into the world, He came to His (God’s) chosen people.
But even His chosen people did not “receive” him (Gk. receive, accept, or take along). His chosen people did not accept Him as the Light.
The Great Promise
The Great Promise
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
God’s chosen people rejected Jesus—but to all who did receive Him (v. 12a)
—Receive Him
—Believe in His name
He, Jesus, gave the right for them to become children of God (Gk “right”, authority, power, ability, permission, freedom) to become children of God (v. 12b).
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
These children were not born:
—In natural ways
—By human choice
—Or by the will of the husband (v. 13a)
These children were born of God—God’s choice, God’s will, God’s desire (v. 13b).
The Word Became Flesh
The Word Became Flesh
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.
The opening phrase of this verse clearly identifies the Word of God as being Jesus.
The Word came down to earth and lived among us (tabernacled among us. cf. Phil. 2:5-11).
John and the other disciples saw the glory of Jesus, and thus saw the glory of God (Jn. 10:30; 12:45; 14:9; Col. 1:15; 2 Cor 4:4).
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
The glory of Jesus is filled with grace (Gk. goodness, mercy, favor, kindness. Or, favor we do not deserve. cf. Romans 3:24).
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Jesus presence was full of truth (Gk. truth, reality, dependability, uprightness, sincerity, integrity. cf. Jn. 14:6).
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Testimony
The Testimony
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”)
John the baptist testified (Gk. martyreo—from which we get our English word martyr--testify, bear witness, be a witness, attest, affirm, speak well of, to be a witness) concerning the Word.
John cried out, telling people that Jesus is the one that He spoke about when he said “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me”
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Fullness of Jesus
The Fullness of Jesus
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
Out of His fullness (cf. Eph. 1:23; Col. 1:19, 2:9) we all received grace (Rom. 3:24)(v. 16a).
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
This grace replaced the grace that was previously given (through the law)(v. 16b).
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The law of God was given through Moses (cf. Deut. 32:46)(v. 17a).
This in contrast to the grace and truth that comes through Jesus (cf Heb. 10:1) (v. 17b).
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
The Unseen God (Ex. 33:20)
The Unseen God (Ex. 33:20)
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 only one who has seen God is the Son.
The Son has seen God because He is God
God (the Father) and the Son are in the closest relationship possible.
And now Jesus has accurately revealed God the Father!
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
So What?
So What?
That is the Prologue to the Gospel of John.
John opens with a reference to the deity of Jesus:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
And he ends the Prologue by announcing the deity of God!
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.
John describes Jesus by several different words:
As the Word of God
As the Creator part of God
As the Life
As the light
As flesh and blood
As the visible representation of God that makes God known!
I love this passage!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
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.
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.
As we study the book of John, we are going to see that because Jesus is actually God we can come to know God by looking at Jesus.
John is going to reveal Jesus as God the creator.
John is going to reveal Jesus as the “Word” of God.
John is going to reveal Jesus as the “Light” of God.
John is going to reveal Jesus as the “Life” of God.
John is going to reveal Jesus as the “Incarnate” God.
And John is going to reveal that because Jesus is the Word, Light, Life, and God Himself—when we get to know Jesus we are getting to know God.
In John 14, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. To this Jesus replied:
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
In John 10, Jesus was directly asked if he was the Messiah. I love his answer!
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
Then He says:
I and the Father are one.”
And in the Gospel of John we are going to learn the truth of what Jesus tells those in His day that refused to believe:
Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.
The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.
The question this morning is simple:
“Do you know Jesus?”
Do you know Him as the Word of God?
Do you know Him as the Creator God?
Do you know Him as the Life?
Do you know him as the Light?
You see my prayer is that John 1:10-11 would not be true of us!
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
This morning, I want to challenge each of us to get to know Jesus! If you don’t know Him—accept Him as your Master today!
If He is already your Master, then get to know Him intimately, closely, as Friend.
