Word, Grace & Truth
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That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write unto you, that your joy may be full.
The Word was made Flesh
The Word was made Flesh
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.
Last week, I spoke on grace and superseding grace. I talked about rebellion and what it means to reject Jesus Christ. This week, I wanted to focus on flesh. Christ became flesh.
That word flesh in Greek is [sarx], which is the same word the Apostle Paul uses to describe a man’s nature with all of our weakness and tendency to sin. This is a staggering thought. Jesus Christ, who is fully God, is also fully man. The word sarx reveals a vulnerability in a deity who emptied Himself, becoming incarnate, for us.
The word beheld in Greek is [theasthai], which means to perceive, to see, to understand, or to know. With all of man’s frailty and weakness, and our tendency to sin, we see the Son of God, Jesus Christ, become flesh, and in that moment God has allowed us to see truly. In truth, in reality, unquestionably real. To perceive means to see beyond what is in front of you. To perceive Christ Jesus means to know him.
A question I have for us is how many of us truly see anything. How many of us only focus on what is in front of us? What do you see when you open your eyes? [Prophet Elisha - seeing chariots of fire.]
There is no room whatever for saying that God’s becoming a man was merely a vision of some man’s mind or imagination. John was saying that he and others actually saw the Word made flesh.
To perceive means to know. A Detective will read body language, analyze speech baselines, will walk a story forwards and backwards to perceive and check someone’s alibi. A psychologist will assess their clients to perceive the intention, veracity, and mental stability of their patients.
The apostle John was writing this book to refute and combat the heresy of a persuasive jew teaching pervasive heresies and blasphemies. There was no question in the disciples’ lives, they knew. They saw. They supped with Jesus. They perceived who he was and saw him at his weakest.
One of the most compelling biblical explanations for why Jesus had to become flesh, incarnate, for us. For our redemption is found in:
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Christ had to become flesh because we are flesh. And everything sown in flesh, reeks of an aroma of sin.
The Word of God says flesh is corruptible.
2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Our flesh is tainted, ruined and depraved by sin. Paul uses the example of lust. Lust is a seed of corruption that was born within human flesh by our serpent sin nature; and so our through fleshly sins - our flesh ages, dies, deteriorates, and decays.
Let me be clear, your flesh does not live beyond this world.
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Gal_6:8).
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1Co_15:50).
By exceeding great and precious promises so that we might be partakers of the divine nature. For us to be transformed, the Son of God came to restore. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Everything he was, we weren’t. Think about that.
Our flesh stinks. Our flesh hates. Our flesh lusts. Our flesh devours. Our flesh is arrogant. Our flesh is full of pride. Our flesh lives in rebellion. That means our flesh can and will enjoy everything on earth because our flesh is not going to heaven. Think about that. If Jesus Christ is not enough to propel you to godly living. Then what are you living for? Your flesh is living for death. Think about that, your flesh is living for death, and enjoy every moment… Then your spirit is dying and waxing in apathy.
Jesus Christ redeemed us and freed us from the law. And he knew no sin. He spoke no lies. He was tried and tempted, and conquered death. Jesus Christ conquered death. He redeemed us. The reality is:
Flesh is dishonorable. The flesh is not what God created it to be. It does not exist in the image of God that God intended. It does not hold the glory, the honor, nor the prestige it once did when God created it. It is disgraced and shamed, and it is reproached by sin and lust. It is held in the grip of sin and fear and subject to being held in bondage—even the bondage of death.
We are liars. We are cheats. We cheat ourselves out of time with God, and we idolize without even realizing it. Then we lie to cover it up. Well, I was busy. I was working. I was building my future. Then we see, but brother Justin, we cannot spend every moment focusing on God. Then I will say, yes, that seems impossible, but how many chances are we giving up to be with God because we are busy being only for ourselves?
“In me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom_7:18).
“They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. . . . For to be carnally [fleshy] minded is death” (Rom_8:5-6).
Flesh is weak. The flesh is impotent. It is feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, and decrepit because of sin. It has no strength to please God nor to save itself.
Our flesh will try to do works that does nothing but drag us further into our flesh.
You know the times when you have surrendered to him. You know the times you have surrendered to yourself.
Do not cheat yourself or rob God of his glory by believing feeding your flesh is feeding God.
Feeding God is feeding God. Feeding the spirit is feeding the spirit. Feeding your flesh in all of its frailty and temporaryness results in death. Death of the spirit. Death of your will. Death of fruits.
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
That serpent sin nature born from pride, rebellion, and lust was redeemed by the last Adam who was made of a quickening spirit. Paul says in Ephesians 2:1, he quickened us, who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Like the movie Green Mile, ‘Dead Man Walking.’ Paul says in Ephesians 2:2-3, that children of disobedience fulfilled the lusts of the flesh, desires of flesh and mind, and were by nature the children of wrath.
By nature, children of wrath. In other words, when we operate in the flesh, we are warring creatures satisfied by disobedience and the desires of the flesh and the mind. I cannot imagine a more wretched creature than us. But we are still called children. Think about that, we are either children of God or children of disobedience. We are either children of God or children of wrath. On this Father’s day, my question who is your father? Is it the everlasting father who is the way and the truth, and the life and no man can come to THE FATHER, but through Him.?
But God..… Ephesians 2:4–5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
For by grace we are saved through faith, and not of ourselves. Not our flesh, nor our will, nor our power, but God.. Lest any man should boast!
How many of us have boasted?.… How many of us fought for recognition undeservedly?
This is going to hurt, but how many of us post on social media photos of our family looking happy when we fake our life for others because of how broken we are. I have done this. I have taken photos of my family, posting them, making everything look like we were ok, and when in fact we were in the middle of a tornado. In the eye of a storm and with one step, like a house of cards, everything comes tumbling down.
Another question, is how many of us act like everything is ok? There is Christian song that sings, I want to be tried by fire..purified… How many of knows what that means in our Christian walk? We have this false face, false lifestyle, not necessary living outside of our means, but living a life unforged and everything around is threatening to tumble down.
My bible says everything in darkness comes to light. That means every lie, every sin, every thought is brought to light.
I was watching a psychologist say not that long ago, that over 30 years of clinical work - he has never seen anyone get away with anything. Even told in confidence, it came out. Think about that. What means.
The amplified version of John 1:14: And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).
Absolutely free of deception. In other words, we have a God who, when emptied, was tried, tempted, and tested, knew no sin, took our sin, so that our righteousness could be restored. Amen!
Prepare ye the Way
Prepare ye the Way
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. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
John, who bore witness of Jesus, cried, saying This is He whom I made known; He that comes after me is preferred before me.
That word preferred means ranked or categorized higher. He was preferred before me and in his fullness...In the fullness of Jesus Christ that we have received, grace for grace.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Mountains made low, and valleys rise, and the crooked places made straight to see where salvation lies: All flesh to see the salvation of God. The fullness of Jesus, grace for grace.
That grace is unmerited favor. That means in the moments you have left yourself graceless, he pours grace into your life from the right hand of the Father. That means it is superseding grace. That your life will be transformed, image to image, and glory to glory. That you will have something more in your life. That means you no longer bound by law and sin.
Grace: grace is probably the most meaningful word in the language of men. In the Bible the word grace means far more than it does when men use it. To men the word grace means three things.
1. Grace is that quality within a thing that is beautiful or joyful. It may be the fragrance of a flower, the rich green of the grass, the beauty of a lovely person.
2. Grace is anything that has loveliness. It may be a thought, an act, a word, a person.
3. Grace is a gift, a favor that someone might extend to a friend. The favor is always freely done, expecting nothing in return. The favor is always done for a friend.
The early Christians had to add a deeper, richer meaning to the concept of grace that comes from God. God had saved sinners, those who had acted against Him. Therefore, grace became the favor of God showered upon men—men who did not deserve His favor. Grace became the kindness and love that dwells within the very nature of God, the compassion and love that God freely gives to His enemies.
Think about that: when David says in his lamentations that he wants to hate the enemies God hates, God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins, and our salvation.
No other word so expresses the depth and richness of the heart and mind of God. We are talking about the character of God. There is a distinct difference between God’s grace and man’s grace.
Romans 5:8–10 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
Grace & Truth
Grace & Truth
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The term “grace for grace” means that He gives grace upon grace, grace enough to meet all our needs, no matter the circumstances. It is one blessing leading to another blessing; new wonders dawning upon one’s consciousness every day; fresh experiences constantly springing into one’s life.
Looking at the word bosom in the bible, scripture after scripture reveals a special relationship and special posititional place with God in the bosom. We see this with the rich man and lazarus who went to Abraham’s bosom. Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”
We see this with Apostle John when he was leaning on the bosom of Jesus. John 13:23 “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.”
Throughout the Old Testament, the word bosom reveals a closeness and proximity and almost intimacy. A place for nursing, a place of protection, a place revealing being wanted. How wonderful of a thought is that we are wanted, we are protected, we are nursed by our father who sent his son as a propitiation for us?
My prayer is that with a repentant heart, we remember our first love, and with surrendering ourselves to God, we give Him power over our flesh.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
