John 1:14-18 | Jesus: The Incarnate One
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro
Intro
750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 332: Incarnation
In the New York Times Magazine, Nancy V. Raine told a story she heard twenty-five years earlier from a friend named George.
In those days, work crews marked construction sites by putting out smudge pots with open flames. George’s four-year-old daughter got too close to one and her pants caught fire like the Straw Man’s stuffing. The scars running the length and breadth of Sarah’s legs looked like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. In the third grade she was asked, “If you could have one wish, what would it be?” Sarah wrote: “I want everyone to have legs like mine.”
When we suffer pain, we want others to understand. We want others to be like us so they can identify with us. We don’t want to be alone.
God does understand. When Jesus became a man, he did something far more difficult than having legs like Sarah’s.
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
Jesus took on flesh. He left Heaven and the throne room where forever the angels would sing and praise. He was above the angels and he left his high position temporarily to give himself over to serving our needs. He set aside all the rights and privileges of being God, but at the same time he never ceased from being God. But made himself nothing, he emptied himself, choosing not to use some of his divine attributes, humbling himself, he chose to serve His creatures.
Phil 2
Even the creatures who had rejected him. The same creatures who were his own and who he knew would crucify him on a cross. To the point of death.
Jesus took on flesh. He left Heaven and the throne room where forever the angels would sing and praise. He was above the angels and he left his high position temporarily to give himself over to serving our needs. He set
“For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is one of the most marvelous events of all time. Before you can even get to the cross, you must first have God incarnate.
Body
Body
There are many important passages in the Scriptures that help us to define our understanding of God’s revelation to man. Passages such as revealing to us how God created everything. It tells us where we came from. Or There is only one God. Or how salvation is available for all who believe. But when we are talking about the doctrine of the Incarnation, the doctrine that God became human. That Jesus is God in the flesh, there is no other more important verse than .
Now we already have looked at how Jesus is the Word, the Logos. And so this Word, that takes on flesh here in is the same Word we read in . The Word that was from the beginning, that was with God, and that was God, not in past tense as though he was God but became something else. But in a state of being, when you think of Jesus, we know He is God for all of eternity.
We must be careful not to overemphasize the humanity of Jesus so that we remove the divinity . Some may feel the tendency to want to speak of Jesus only in terms of this. A more “liberal” view of Jesus sees him as just a good example for us to follow. Just a man with strong morals and principles that are good for us to exemplify. However, he is more than that.
But you do not want to go to the other extreme and see Jesus as only divinity. To make this claim is to remove all association between him and us. To say that he died for our sins and faced the same temptations that we face but not being like us would nullify the point.
- “51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” ” He became flesh so that he could die. So he could give himself up. And you cannot do that if you do not have a body.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.” He became flesh so that he could die. So he could give himself up.
He had a body. A real body.
“19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days.”
20 Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body.”
He is always going to have a body. We are going to have a body, a glorious body, like Jesus. Always and forever, Jesus will be the God-man.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.”He is always going to have a body. We are going to have a body, a glorious body, like Jesus. Always and forever, Jesus will be the God-man.
but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
He is always going to have a body. We are going to have a body, a glorious body, like Jesus. Always and forever, Jesus will be the God-man.
So He is truly human in the sense that we are human in the post-Fall realm. With one exception: no sin. He is without sin—holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, without sin forever. , He knew no sin.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
And this God-Man, did more than just come in the flesh and just hide out from everyone. No, He dwelt among us- is to get near to us, to have access to us, proximity.
When you reflect on the Old Covenant system, God would tabernacle in the tabernacle. In the center of the camp. He would dwell on the mercy seat in the Temple in the Holy of Holies. But here, we read of God being in the flesh. He is literally with the people. The tabernacle itself...
Holman New Testament Commentary: John C. Incarnation of the Lamb (1:14–18)
It represented the place of the law, the abode of God, the source of revelation, the site of sacrifice, and the focus of worship. Now in the new covenant, Jesus provides all these.
And so God dwelt among us- is to get near to us, to have access to us, proximity. And also for us to have a way to Him.
But you do not want to go to the other extreme and see Jesus as only divinity. To make this claim is to remove all association between him and us. To say that he died for our sins and faced the same temptations that we face but not being like us would nullify the point.
- He became flesh so that he could die. So he could give himself up.
John speaks of how “we observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”
And this was new. You could not just see the glory of God. You weren’t able to. He is too Holy.
Moses asks of God, “Please, let me see Your ” And the Lord says, in effect, “Okay, I’ll show you My glory, but I have to warn you, I can’t show it all to you because no man could see My face and live” (). “So the Lord said, ‘There’s a place by Me, and you can stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, I’ll put you in the cleft of the rock and I’ll cover you with My hand until I pass by.” And what you’re going to see is the edges of My glory shining across the cover. You can see the fringes of My glory, because if you saw My full glory, you’d be incinerated in a millisecond.
What is this kind of glory? This is God’s nature, God’s essence, His holiness—the all-glorious God manifest in blazing light, manifest in blazing light. I believe that Adam and Eve saw when they walked and talked with God in the garden, because God is invisible, called repeatedly the invisible God. So what did they see? They walked with the glory of God, the Shekinah. They walked with the presence of God manifest in light to some degree. And maybe they were able to absorb more of His glory since they were unfallen, and once they fell they had to be kicked out because they could no longer look at His glory or fellowship with Him. That’s the powerful majesty and glory of God that would destroy us because we’re sinners.
He had a body. A real body.
And then He comes down and then He proclaims a message. He tells Moses who He is and what He is observing! 6 Then the LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed:
Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin.
Verse 6, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, forgives iniquity, transgression, sin,” etc. The glory of God is the complex of all of His attributes and sometimes it was manifested in blazing light.
How do we see the glory of Christ? How without be obliterated in milliseconds?
Point 1
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
He is always going to have a body. We are going to have a body, a glorious body, like Jesus. Always and forever, Jesus will be the God-man.
Dwelt among us- is to get near to us, to have access to us, proximity.
For our commonwealth exists in heaven, from which also we eagerly await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our humble body to be conformed to his glorious body, in accordance with the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Phil 3:20-21
How do we see the glory of Christ?
In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
I pray not only for these,
but also for those who believe in Me
through their message.
The message!
Point 1
Point 2
And in case you have the temptation reading “Son from the Father” is to mean that Jesus came from a virginal birth. In case you are tempted to say that Jesus only came into existence because He was born when God and Mary got together, he quotes from John the Baptist, who was older than Jesus “The One coming after me has surpassed me...” why? “because He existed before me”! That is marvelous. So if you want to claim that Jesus was created, John quickly puts an end to that argument. No, Jesus existed before his older relative, John.
But not only do we observe His glory, but it is of the “One and Only”
Illustration: Talk about China and 344 “foolish” Chinese pastors
Since the official "Regulations on Religious Affairs" came into effect on February 1, 2018, Christians have experienced increased persecution at the hands of the Communist government. Authorities have demolished hundreds of Protestant churches, knocked crosses off steeples, evicted congregations, burned Bibles, and imprisoned pastors.
The statement begins with the pastors asserting that they are both Chinese and Christians and that they have been ordained by God to serve as pastors. The letter reads, "We are a group of Chinese Christians, chosen by the Most High God to be His humble servants, serving as pastors for Christian churches throughout various towns and cities."
Oftentimes, the crosses are replaced with objects expressing loyalty to the officially atheist Communist Party such as the Chinese flag, photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and pictures of former Communist Party leader Mao Zedong. The government has also banned online sales of the Bible in efforts to "Sinicise" religion.
But they are allowing certain religions to stay if they will simply submit to the authority of the emperor and the Communist Party. Allow them to monitor all their worship services. Pastors and religious leaders must also be approved by the government and so do all religious materials that are published.
Under Chinese law, religious followers are only allowed to worship in congregations registered with authorities. However, millions of believers belong to illegal house churches that ignore government restrictions.The statement begins with the pastors asserting that they are both Chinese and Christians and that they have been ordained by God to serve as pastors.
The letter reads, "We are a group of Chinese Christians, chosen by the Most High God to be His humble servants, serving as pastors for Christian churches throughout various towns and cities."
The statement continues, "We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the one true and living Triune God is the Creator of the universe, of the world, and of all people. All men should worship God and not any man or thing. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that all men, from national leaders to beggars and prisoners, have sinned. They will die once and then be judged in righteousness. Apart from the grace and redemption of God, all men would eternally perish. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the crucified and risen Jesus is the only Head of the global church, the sole Savior of all mankind, and the everlasting Ruler and Supreme Judge of the universe. To all who repent and believe in Him, God will give eternal life and an eternal Kingdom."
The statement goes on speaking directly to the Chinese government in a numbered list of four key points.
1) The pastors assert that “Christian churches in China believe unconditionally that the Bible is the Word and Revelation of God.”
2) “Christian churches in China are eager and determined to walk the path of the cross of Christ and are more than willing to imitate the older generation of saints who suffered and were martyred for their faith.”
Point 3
3) “Christian churches in China are willing to obey authorities in China whom God has appointed and to respect the government's authority to govern society and human conduct.”
4) “believe and are obligated to teach all believers that all true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the church.”
The statement concludes with the pastors declaring that they will not back down or accept bans or fines even if it means losing their freedom or their lives.
John is making it clear the mission of the Logos, the Word, the God-man, Jesus. He came directly from God.
Holman New Testament Commentary: John C. Incarnation of the Lamb (1:14–18)
This uniqueness of the Son makes it impossible for Christianity to be a syncretistic religion.
We, in this life, cannot say like the Apostles could not say, Kaiser Kurios, “Caesar is Lord" Nor can we affirm Jesus and Caesar or Jesus and Mohammad or Jesus and ____. Our confession is Jesus, one and only!
We see His glory, full of grace and truth. How? We do not see Jesus physically here and now do we? No, we do not. But if you remember what we read in 2 Corin 4 and , the glory is found in the gospel and the Word of God. And God’s Word is full of grace and truth.
We see His glory, full of grace and truth. How? We do not see Jesus do we? No, we do not. But if you remember what we read in 2 Corin 4 and , the glory is found in the gospel and the Word of God. And God’s Word is full of grace and truth.
Full of grace, because we sinners need grace. We stand condemned. Without hope. And we find grace in Jesus. We all are searching for the truth and he certainly is the truth.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 1
Jesus embodies the ultimate expression of God’s covenant loyalty and unmerited favor toward the world that rejected Him.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 1
Jesus embodies the ultimate expression of God’s covenant loyalty and unmerited favor toward the world that rejected Him. See Exod 34:6 and note; compare Isa 54:10 and note.
And a comparison is made. We have a comparison of law and grace. We have a comparison between Moses and Christ. Through Moses, the was given, but in Christ we receive grace and truth.
• NIV: “one blessing after another”
• KJV: “grace for grace”
• LB: “blessing upon blessing heaped upon us”
• NLT: “one gracious blessing after another”
Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 14). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
And it is unfortunate that some are going back to the law after having received grace and truth.
“No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son — the One who is at the Father’s side— He has revealed Him.”
Paul, writing to the Galations in the third chapter said this...
“You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? .......
6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, v 7 then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. 8 Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. z 9 So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.
Law and Promise
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written: Everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law is cursed. f 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.”
That is overwhelmingly good news. There is no other. And so while grace and truth inspires good works, it does nothing in earning us salvation. We are justified by faith. Faith in who? The Incarnate One. And the picture we are seeing does not just stop there. It gets even more beautiful!
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And at the conclusion of the Prologue to John’s Gospel, he states these words:
“No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son — the One who is at the Father’s side— He has revealed Him.”
This wraps up everything beautifully. We reflect back to vs 14 as we read the One and Only, or maybe your translation says begotten One. We now understand that the Father was never alone. He had a perfect image of Himself. Jesus is the exclusive explanation of the Father.
Moses did not see God ().
Holman New Testament Commentary: John C. Incarnation of the Lamb (1:14–18)
Jesus is the very essence of God and, according to this verse, his purpose in coming to earth was to exegete, to interpret, to explain the heavenly Father.
Numerous Bible passages remind us that Jesus came to feel what we feel, to show us what God is like, to prioritize human life—and all of that is true. But ultimately he came to die. And as John’s Gospel will show, the incarnation became the gateway to the cross.
Holman New Testament Commentary: John C. Incarnation of the Lamb (1:14–18)
Jesus is the very essence of God and, according to this verse, his purpose in coming to earth was to exegete, to interpret, to explain the heavenly Father.
Confidence
Confidence
We see God, through the Son. And we see the Son, through the Word.
Conviction
Once God has revealed his will, he does not need to repeat this revelational information to every human being individually, or to groups, or to special leaders. And John insists here that such revelation of God comes at its highest and clearest form only in Jesus Christ.
The center of this revelation is Jesus Christ because he is the one who has made him [the Father] known.
So we don’t go chasing after silly things, when God has revealed Himself through the Son.
Conduct
Conduct
Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.Conduct
This is the context with which we are to know Christ. Not for fame, or wealth, or pleasures,, but to know God. But to know the Father. And the rest of John’s Gospel, his biographical account of Jesus has as its focus knowing God. Knowing what God is like.
Let’s really quickly go to 1 John and see the implications of affirming or denying the humanity and deity of Jesus.
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” That simple. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Verse 4, “Whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” And finally, down in verse 20, “We know that the Son of God is come,” “we know that the Son of God is come.” We’ve seen Him, heard Him, touched Him, “and is given to us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
If you tamper with the deity of Jesus Christ, you are not in the kingdom of God. Chapter 5, he’s not finished. Verse 1, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” That simple. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Verse 4, “Whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” And finally, down in verse 20, “We know that the Son of God is come,” “we know that the Son of God is come.” We’ve seen Him, heard Him, touched Him, “and is given to us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.
In 2 of 1 John, down in verse 22, he says, “Who is the liar … Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning [from the apostles, from us] abides in you, you will abide in the Son and in the Father.” Again he goes back that if you tamper with who Christ is, you will alienate yourself from God—very, very serious to John.
If you tamper with the deity of Jesus Christ, you are not in the kingdom of God.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Panorama City, CA: Grace to You.