← Back to sermon library

John's Gospel. Last week we looked at John 1, 
1 and 2. This morning we're going to look at John 1, 3 to 5. One of the things I mentioned 
last week is that the use of specific theological language 
is crucial in order to guard the doctrine of the Trinity and 
the relation between the persons of the Trinity. If we sacrifice 
the terminology, we sacrifice the doctrine. And we do not want 
to do that. So there will be some technical 
terminology that we employ as we move through John's prologue, 
which is verses 1 to 18. And if you do not understand 
or it seems a bit confusing, feel free to call me, text me, 
email me. I can point you to some resources 
that are helpful in terms of getting a proper understanding 
of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. But I want to read 
beginning in John 1 at verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was 
in the beginning with God. All things were made through 
Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him 
was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines 
in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There 
was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came 
for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all through 
him might believe. He was not that light, but was 
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light 
which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was 
in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world 
did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own 
did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, 
to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those 
who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor 
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became 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. John 
bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, This was He of whom 
I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He 
was before me. And of His fullness we have all 
received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through 
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one 
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is 
in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
You again for Your written Word. We know it's given by inspiration 
of God, and that it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And God, now 
as we come to consider the divinity of the Word, as we come to consider 
the second person of the blessed Trinity, that one who came down 
for us men and for our salvation, who took on our humanity with 
all of the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof, 
and yet without sin. As we ponder this one, may you 
draw our hearts out in worship and in praise and in love and 
in adoration. Give us grace to see him as the 
bride tells us he is, altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
And may we worship and may we glorify and may we praise. And 
as well, may we be greatly strengthened and encouraged and comforted 
that our Savior is God most high. Our Savior is the one who created 
the world. Our Savior is the one who upholds 
it by the word of his power. And our Savior will come again 
in glory to judge the living and the dead. Again, forgive 
us for all of our sin and transgression. Fill each one of us now with 
your Holy Spirit and illumine our minds and hearts. And we 
ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as I mentioned last 
week, the Apostle Matthew begins his gospel presentation with 
the birth of our Lord Jesus in Bethlehem. Luke does the same 
thing. In fact, Matthew connects Jesus 
to Abraham and to David. He tells us that Israel's Messiah 
is both the seed of Abraham and the son of David. Luke in his 
gospel connects Jesus to Adam. And I think the overarching theology 
there is that Jesus is the last Adam who comes to do what the 
first Adam failed to carry out. But John goes beyond that. He 
doesn't start in Bethlehem. He goes to the beginning, not 
the beginning of the word or the Lord Jesus Christ, but the 
beginning of the world. He goes behind redemption, as 
it were, to tell us something about the Redeemer. Before we 
get to John 1.29 and the declaration, behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, John in his prologue, verses 1 to 
18, wants us to understand that Lamb. He wants us to understand 
that He is, in fact, the second person of the Trinity, that He 
is, in fact, that one who made the world and all things in it. 
And so last week, as we considered verses one and two, we saw in 
the first place the eternity of the Word with the Father. 
In the beginning was the Word. He didn't come to be at our beginning, 
but He was already. He had continuous existence in 
the past. He is from everlasting to everlasting. So John wants us to understand 
the eternality of the Word with the Father. He then highlights, 
secondly, the distinctiveness of the word from the Father. 
In that second clause, he says, and the word was with God. So 
the church must maintain not only the unity or oneness of 
God, but as well the threeness of God. Remember the one divine 
essence or substance, and then the three persons or subsistences. Our Confession of Faith at chapter 
2, paragraph 3, has a wonderful statement concerning this. It 
says, in this divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences 
or persons, the Father, the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit, 
of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole 
divine essence, yet the essence undivided. That is crucial. It 
isn't a division of the essence among the persons of the Trinity, 
but rather each has the whole divine essence, and yet the essence 
undivided. The Father is of none, neither 
begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally begotten 
of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and 
the Son, all infinite without being, therefore but one God, 
who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished 
by, several peculiar relative properties and personal relations. Another word for that statement, 
the relative properties and personal relations, is notions. And with 
reference to God, we have the Father is unbegotten, the Son 
is begotten, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. 
Or the technical term there is spiration. Again, those things 
simply highlight the distinctiveness of the persons. That is as crucial 
to maintain in terms of the God of the Bible. Sibelius was a 
heretic. Jehovah's Witnesses are heretics. Those who deny the deity of our 
Lord Jesus Christ are not consistent with the Bible, and they're not 
consistent with theology. So we have the distinctiveness 
of the word from the Father. Thirdly, John points out what 
we'll call the consubstantiality of the Word with the Father, 
and that simply means that they are of one substance, being of 
one substance with the Father. You see that in the third clause, 
and the Word was God. So we have the eternality of 
the Word, we have the distinctiveness of the Word from the Father, 
and the consubstantiality of the Word with the Father. And 
then in verse 2, John reiterates, John highlights, I think to underscore 
again for us, the glory of the Word. And as Matthew Poole says, 
these words of the evangelist are a further confirmation and 
explication of what the evangelist had said before, asserting the 
eternity of the Son and His relation to the Father and oneness of 
essence with the Father. Again, trying to navigate carefully 
what the Christian doctrine of the Trinity actually teaches. 
It is crucial that we have this because Jesus says in John 8 
later on, if you do not believe that I am, then you will die 
in your sins. So we can't have some sort of 
vague or generic idea of Jesus. We need to know what the Bible 
says concerning Jesus. The object of our faith is only 
as good as the object of our faith is. Sometimes people say, 
well, it doesn't matter what you believe in as long as you 
have faith. That's heretical. You must believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ or you will perish in your sins. Look 
at the constant refrain in this particular passage. John tells 
us, notice in verse 10, he, Jesus, was in the world and the world 
was made through him and the world did not know him. He came 
to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received 
Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God. 
What does it mean to receive Christ? He goes on to specify, 
to those who believe in His name. We're not saved by our works 
because we don't have any. We're not saved by our lawfulness 
because we're not. We're not saved by our goodness 
because we're bad. We're saved by grace alone, through 
faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. So if you're not a believer here 
this morning, the emphasis in the sermon is not go out and 
be a better you. Go out and try harder. Go out 
and engage in some moral reform. No, rather, Look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ and you will have everlasting life. It is most 
blessed, it is most gracious, it is most merciful, it is most 
kind that our God saves in the way and manner in which He does. 
If it were not for His grace, all of us would perish in hell 
forever and ever, world without end. So let's look next at the 
creation of all things by the Word with the Father in verses 
3 to 5. Notice that John says, all things 
were made through Him. He's still speaking about the 
Word. And without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him 
was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines 
in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. So I think 
we have two emphases here that demand our attention. In the 
first place, we have the creation of all things in verse three. And then secondly, we have the 
creation of man specifically in verses four and five. So let's 
look first at the creation of all things. Now, John says it 
is the word who creates all things. Is John correct? Absolutely, 
John is correct. He speaks under the inspiration 
of the spirit of the living God. But as well in Scripture, there 
are times when we see predicated of God Almighty the creation 
of the world. There are two things when we 
consider the doctrine of the Trinity that we need to keep 
in mind. The first is what is called inseparable 
operations. that whatever is external to 
God is done by the one true and living God. And the second thing 
is called the doctrine of appropriations, and I'll mention it, I'll define 
that in just a moment. But in terms of inseparable operations, 
Genesis 1-1 tells us, in the beginning, God. Who are we to 
understand with reference to that statement? God is Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. When you read Old Testament narrative 
and you see that Yahweh created the world, that is again Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. So inseparable operations, the 
undivided operations amongst the persons of the Trinity simply 
states that whatever is external to God, whatever is ad extra, 
whatever is outside of God is done by God Himself. And God 
Himself is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One man, Matthew Barrett, 
defines inseparable operations this way. Since the persons of 
the Trinity are indivisible in essence, they are also indivisible 
in their external operations. Having the one simple will in 
common, they perform a singular act in any external operation. When we ask, how many wills does 
God have? The answer is, One will. That's why those who subordinate 
Jesus Christ in the imminent Trinity are wrong, because they 
are positing that the Son has a will distinct from the Father. At the level of essence, or at 
the level of substance, the Godhead has one will, and so inseparable 
operations underscores this fact. John Owen defines it this way, 
the several persons are undivided in their operations, acting all 
by the same will, the same wisdom, the same power. Every person, 
therefore, is the author of every work of God, because each person 
is God, and the divine nature is the same undivided principle 
of all divine operations. And this arises from the unity 
of the persons in the same essence. Again, you might think that this 
has no practical benefit. I would invite you and encourage 
you to stick around for the second sermon this morning, because 
there is going to be practical benefit drawn out from the divinity 
of the Son. But remember, the issue at play 
is to maintain a careful articulation of the doctrine of the Trinity. 
Brethren, I'm not afraid of Bonnie Henry. I'm not afraid of the 
RCMP. I'm afraid of God Almighty and 
tampering with the doctrine of the Trinity. And so we need careful 
and precise articulation of what Scripture says using language 
that the church has recognized will afford protection to what 
the Bible says. Another man says, since the Godhead 
is one in essence, one in knowledge, and one in will, it would be 
impossible in any work at extra, those things external to God, 
for one of the divine persons to will to do one thing and another 
of the divine persons to will and to do another. It would be 
simply inconceivable. Why? Because there is one will. Our confession recognizes this 
in the chapter of creation. It says, in the beginning it 
pleased God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So God, the 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is responsible for the work of 
creation. But with reference to the doctrine 
of appropriation, there are times in Scripture where distinct works 
are applied to persons of the Trinity, where the external works 
of God are applied specifically to one of the persons of the 
Trinity to highlight their distinctiveness, to highlight the notions of the 
relations between the persons, and as well to draw our attention 
to the glory of the three. And so this is one of those instances 
where we have appropriation. All things were made through 
him, and without him nothing was made that was made. What 
a comprehensive statement, and what a statement that excludes 
evolution, or theistic evolution. Nothing is better than the Westminster 
Shorter Catechism. What is God's work of creation? God's work of creation is His 
creating all things out of nothing by the word of His power in the 
space of six days and all very good. Now all the scientists 
and all the God-haters and all the rebels on the face of the 
earth always want to try and challenge that, but they cannot, 
because that is what the case was. That is what happened. God 
made the world. Out of nothing, there wasn't 
preexistent matter or material, but God spoke and the creation 
came to pass. God spoke and it was, and it 
is a wonderful declaration in terms of His supremacy, and in 
terms of His majesty, and in terms of His glory. Let this 
affect you at the practical level when you look around and see 
the chaos. There is a God who has orchestrated 
cosmos. It is man who introduces chaos. And for a time, God is pleased 
to allow or permit, rather, that chaos to obtain. But ultimately, 
we know and ultimately we are convinced that cosmos will reign, 
the new heavens and the new earth. that blessed temple complex where 
the righteous of God are with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 
for all eternity. So we have the doctrine of inseparable 
operations and the doctrine of appropriations. Barcello says, 
attributing distinct external works to individual persons of 
the Trinity, and then in order to draw our attention to each 
person's distinctiveness. Now turn back to Genesis chapter 
1. Genesis chapter 1, to show that this isn't something unique 
to the New Testament. The Trinity didn't come to be 
in the New Testament. The Trinity has always been. The revelation of the Trinity 
is more full and more glorious to some degree in the New Covenant 
with the coming of the Son and the Spirit in a powerful way, 
but that doesn't mean the Son and the Spirit were absent in 
the Old Testament. Notice in Genesis 1, in the beginning, 
God created the heavens and the earth. Again, the reality that 
the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, calls the world 
into being. Now notice that even here, the 
very beginning, in Genesis chapter 1, we have the triune God. Verse 2 tells us, the earth was 
without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, 
and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 
So if we move from Godhead, in terms of inseparable operations, 
to appropriations, we see the Father active and we see the 
Spirit active in the creation. But then we see the Son or Word 
active in verse 3. Then God, what? God said. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Stoics, 
the Platonists, the Neoplatonists all had a concept of the Logos. 
But when John uses Logos or Word in John 1, it's got the Old Testament 
background. It is by the Word that the God 
of heaven and earth makes the world and all things in it. And 
you see that recurring emphasis, chapter 1, verse 3, chapter 1, 
verse 6, verse 9, verse 11, verse 14, verse 20, verse 24, verse 
26. You see in each of those instances, 
then God said. So the Father creates by the 
Son and the Spirit is present as well and involved. Then notice 
the plural use of pronoun in verse 26. Then God said, let 
us make man in our image according to our likeness. Now, I don't 
want to spend a lot of time here, but simply to say that those 
who say this is a plural of majesty are wrong. Those who say that 
this is some divine, or not divine, but rather an angelic Sanhedrin 
are wrong. The plural form here reflects 
the triune God, let us make man in our image. There's no angelic 
Sanhedrin that the Father, Son, and Spirit talk to or plan with 
in terms of the creation of man. We reflect or we are made in 
God's image, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So you see the plurality 
there. Now turn over to Psalm 33. We 
read this at the outset of worship. This certainly seems to be the 
way that David understands Genesis chapter 1 and the creation account. Psalm 33, notice in verse 6. 
By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made. Again, in 
the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the 
word was God. So there is the inseparable operations, 
but there are the appropriations to distinguish the persons of 
the Trinity and to underscore their blessedness. And then notice, 
and all the host of them by the breath. That's a most important 
word. Breath is the same word as spirit. And so by the Word of the Lord 
and by the breath of His mouth, God created the heavens and the 
earth. We have in Job 26 a reference 
to the Spirit active in creation. Again, showing inseparable operations, 
but as well, these appropriations. distinct persons of the Trinity 
being said to be responsible for the work of creation. In 
Job 26, verse 13, by His Spirit He adorned the heavens, and His 
hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Now this is after having reflected 
upon God's majesty. In fact, the title of this chapter 
is well done in the New King James. Job, man's frailty and 
God's majesty. So he's pointing out God's majesty, 
God's glory, God's power, God's excellence. And he makes this 
statement concerning creation in verse 13. By his spirit he 
adorned the heavens, his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 
Now notice how Job brings this to practical benefit for the 
people of God in the midst of chaos, trouble and tumult. Verse 
14, indeed, these are the mere edges of his way and how small 
a whisper we hear of him, but the thunder of his power, who 
can understand? Job is saying this God is so 
great. This God is so majestic. This 
God is so other from us that when we just get a thumbnail 
sketch, we stand in awe. But who could imagine or who 
could stand before the thundering forth of the very perfections 
of God Almighty? See, brethren, when we mess up 
on the doctrine of God, we reflect or we show or we demonstrate 
not only sloppiness, not only carelessness, not only sinlessness, 
laziness, but we also demonstrate sinfulness. It ought to be the 
chief pursuit of the creature to know his God, to understand 
his God, so that he can rightly respond to his God in worship, 
praise, adoration, and obedience. Now, let's move to the New Testament 
emphasis in terms of creation. We've already seen John 1, 3. 
All things were made through him, and without him nothing 
was made that was made. Turn over to the book of Colossians. 
Colossians chapter 1. Here we're doing appropriations. 
We're seeing the work of creation, something external to God, being 
ascribed specifically to the Son, being ascribed specifically 
to the Word or Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 
15, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Do not get that wrong. Firstborn 
there does not mean creature. It doesn't mean He was created. 
and then by him all other things were created. That's wrong. That's 
faulty. Firstborn simply means preeminent 
one. Firstborn simply means the one 
that is most glorious. Ephraim is called the firstborn 
even though he exited the womb after Manasseh. But it was Ephraim 
that was the prestigious. It was Ephraim that was the pinnacle 
of covenant blessing at that time. Now notice in verse 16, 
for by Him, all things were created that are in heaven and that are 
on earth, visible and invisible. Think about that, kids. God, 
Christ specifically, as we're told here in this passage, didn't 
just make the earth. and the sun, and the stars, and 
the moon, and the various other planets, and all of the various 
galaxies, those things that we can see. He didn't just make 
the beluga whale and the things that we see in the sea. This 
morning I was treated to seeing a hummingbird on our porch. He 
wasn't on our porch. He was flying around the plants 
on our porch and he was doing his thing and he was out there 
for quite some time. And I just marvel at God's creation 
in that. So all the things that we see, 
the beautiful flowers and the greenery and the way that God 
decorates the earth and is coming to bloom right now in the springtime, 
but things invisible. subatomic particles, things that 
we have no knowledge of, no consciousness of, those things that we cannot 
see with the naked eye. Christ made it all, and this 
is Paul's point in Colossians chapter 1. He highlights that 
he's not only the God of who made the world, but he's the 
God who redeems his elect out of the world. That's the flow 
in the context. So he tells us, verse 16, for 
by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are 
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions 
or principalities or powers. All things were created through 
him, and then notice this, and for him. And he is before all 
things, and in him all things consist. So he not only makes 
everything, but he keeps everything together as well. And then notice 
in verse 18, he is the head of the body, the church, who is 
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things 
he may have the preeminence. Again, firstborn from the dead. He wasn't the first to be raised 
from the dead, but he's the firstborn of the dead. He is the preeminent 
one above Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, above Jairus' 
daughter, who was raised from the dead. So firstborn doesn't 
mean creature, it rather means creator in this particular context. As Scott Swain so well describes 
this passage, he's speaking specifically about John, but also Colossians, 
and we'll see in a moment, Hebrews, this passage identifies the word 
as the creator of all things, placing him with God on the divine 
side of the distinction between creator and creatures. That's 
a distinction we need to keep in our mind. God is creator and 
everything else is creature. So where does John and where 
does Paul put Jesus? They put Jesus on the divine 
side. He is not creature. He is creator. Now turn over to the book of 
Hebrews, Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one, verse one. God, who at various times and 
in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has 
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the 
world." So again, that's that idea. The Father, through the 
Word, makes the world. verse 3, who being the brightness 
of his glory and the exact image or express image of his person. 
I think the NAS has it, the exact representation of his person. How do you exactly represent 
the Father? By being divine. Creatures don't 
exactly represent the Father because we're not divine. But 
Christ, being the brightness of His glory and the express 
image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His 
power when He had by Himself. Now again, look at the practicality 
of this. You can't just say, well, Butler, 
OK, the triune God, inseparable operations, the appropriations, 
all of that. How do I take this home and how 
does this encourage me? Look at verse four. Look at what 
this brother tells us. When he had by himself purged 
our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, 
having become so much better than the angels, as he has by 
inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they. So 
I think one of the practical observations we can draw out 
at this point is that creatures may do bad things to us. Creatures 
may mistreat us. Creatures may afflict us. Creatures 
may harm us. But the God of creation is enthroned, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, is at the right hand of God Most High. 
He made the world. He sustains the world. He's over 
the world. Therefore, His people in the 
world ought never to lose it. They ought never to be shaken 
to the place where they're paralyzed and stricken by fear, but rather 
they see Christ at the right hand of the Father, and that 
is the impetus for them to move forward. We'll see that in the 
next section or the next lesson or message in Matthew 14. It's 
that scene where Jesus comes walking on the water, and he 
tells Peter to get out of the boat. Peter had the faith and 
the confidence to get out of the boat. Peter had the faith 
and the confidence to get onto the water. Peter had the faith 
and the confidence to start moving on the water. But then Peter 
saw the tumult and he ultimately falls under the... he starts 
to sink. And so Christ reaches out and 
saves him. The idea being is that Christ 
is the ruler over the waves. Christ is the creator of the 
world. Christ is the upholder of all things. Christ is sovereign 
in his providence over all his creatures and over all their 
actions. Brethren, it encourages my heart that Justin Trudeau 
is ultimately on a leash. That ultimately he is under the 
government of the Lord Christ Almighty. because brethren, quite 
frankly, if it's all up to him, I'd never get out of bed. I would 
never ever raise my head in any sort of hope or confidence whatsoever. Christ is Lord over nature. Christ made nature. Christ sustains 
nature. Christ is over all things in 
terms of providence. So this doctrine of the Trinity 
isn't simply for Augustine or Aquinas or Owen, or the Reformers, 
or the Puritans. It's for the church and all of 
our communion and the comfortable foundation of our peace with 
God Almighty. If we don't know this God, we 
are going to be a wreck. We are going to be a mess. We 
don't know what's going to happen in terms of the pandemic. All 
the other nations around us seem to be opening up. Canada seems 
to be doubling down. We've got now twice as many pastors 
arrested over the last few weeks. We don't know what a day brings, 
but we know the Christ who brings it, and it's that that steals 
the soul for combat in the people of God Almighty, not combat this 
way. but combat in terms of faithfulness 
to our Lord, evidencing that He is God Most High, He is altogether 
lovely, and He is chief among 10,000. And it is our blessed 
privilege to be fined for His name. It is our blessed privilege 
to go to jail for His name. It is our blessed privilege to 
suffer shame for His name. That's what the apostles did 
in Acts 5. They were beaten, their backs 
were bloodied, and they rejoiced. Why? Because they were counted 
worthy to suffer shame for His name. Brethren, this is good. It's wonderful to serve God Most 
High. There's nothing more blessed 
than to have a peaceful conscience with our God. And this doctrine 
helps afford that comfort to the saints of Jesus Christ our 
Lord. So back to John 1, Jesus created 
all things. And as John Webster says, nor 
is the Son a mere instrument through whom the Father works. 
Father and Son act by the same principle, the simple divine 
essence. Most important, that we keep 
the simple divine essence in our minds as well as the subsistences 
or persons, father, son, and spirit. Now, going back to John 
1, verse 3, Jesus creates all things. Verses 4 and 5, Jesus 
creates man. Notice what John says in the 
first place, Jesus is the origin or the source of life. In verse 
4, in him was life. In him was life. Now there is 
a sense where the inanimate creation is living, but man is in view 
in this particular instance. The same way the Genesis account 
goes through the works of creation in days one and five, and it 
comes to the pinnacle on day six, which is the creation of 
man. When God makes the whales, when 
he makes Leviathan, when he makes the birds, he never says that 
they bear his image. But when it comes to the creation 
of man, let us make man in our image. As wonderful as the hummingbird 
is, he doesn't bear the image of God. As wonderful as the dog 
is, he doesn't bear the image of God. As wonderful as the inanimate 
creation is, it doesn't bear the image of God. Man does. And so John moves from the creation 
of all things by the word to now specifically, and it will 
sort of provide the segue in to the gospel record in terms 
of Christ coming to his people to save them from their sins, 
he deals with the creation of man. So he says, in him was life. The son, like the father, has 
the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided. So whatever 
is true of the father is true of the son. Whatever is true 
of the father and of the son is true of the spirit. Remember, 
it's not 33 and a third percent that make up the spirit, the 
son, and the father, make up the Trinity. They each have the 
whole divine essence. So whatever is true of the father 
is true of the son, is true of the spirit. Later on in John 
5, in fact, you can turn there. John 5, specifically at verse 
26. Look at what Jesus says. John 5, 26. For as the father 
has life in himself, so he has granted the son to have life 
in himself. Now, who could say that but Jesus 
Christ? Who could say that but the Word 
of God? Who could say that but the man 
in John 1, 1? That is the Word who was with 
God and the Word who was God. Now, when this says what it says, 
I think Augustine, that early church father, got it right. 
He says, he did not mean that the father gave life to the son 
already existing without life, but that he begot him timelessly 
in such a way that the life which the father gave the son by begetting 
him is co-eternal with the life of the father who gave it. In 
other words, what Augustine is saying is that this isn't derivative, 
but rather whatever is true of the Father is true of the Son. 
He is eternally begotten by the Father. So everything true of 
the Father in terms of the essence or substance is true of the Son 
in terms of the essence or the substance. So going back to John 
1, verse 4, in him was life. And then notice he goes on to 
describe Jesus as the light of men. Verse 4, in him was life 
and the life was the light of men. Now, any reader of the New 
Testament who doesn't understand or know the Old Testament should 
make things right. you should start reading the 
Old Testament. You should understand the Old 
Testament. You should know that when John 
says something like he says here, or next hour, when we see Jesus 
walking on the water, to have an Old Testament mindset and 
an appreciation of several texts that indicate that it's Yahweh 
who comes as ruler of the waves, it helps you to make those connections 
and to see the links between the two Testaments. but as well 
to shine the light upon the glory of Jesus Christ. So we have in 
verse 4, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. 
Psalm 36, the psalmist says concerning God, For with you is the fountain 
of life, in your light we see light. So the psalmist moves 
from life to light. John, in the prologue, describing 
the word, moves from life to light. He is reflecting the biblical 
motif of the one true and living God, one in essence or substance, 
and three in subsistence or person. It isn't unique to Paul with 
reference to the doctrine of the Trinity. It's not unique 
to John with reference to the doctrine of the Trinity. The 
Trinity is God from everlasting to everlasting. And you see that 
as it's brought to full relief or full display in a passage 
like this. Matthew 4, 14 to 16. This is 
a demonstration of Jesus as light in terms of his ministry. It's 
a citation of Isaiah 9, 1 and 2. Jesus, remember, starts his 
ministry in the northern part of Israel. He goes up to Galilee. 
That's significant, brethren. He ends up in Galilee as well 
when he gives the commission to his church to go and to make 
disciples of all the nations. I think the significance, at 
least at one level, is this. He's not just Israel's Messiah. He is a light under the Gentiles 
as well. He starts in Matthew 4 in Galilee 
of the Gentiles, and in Matthew 28, he commissions his church 
to go, therefore, and disciple the nations. And this reflects 
again what was always the case back in the Old Testament. When 
Abraham is taught by God about the numbers of his descendants, 
he is told to look north, he is told to look south, he is 
told to look east, he is told to look west. That's not simply 
the confines of geographical Israel. It is the world. In fact, Paul tells us that God 
told Abraham that he would be the inheritor the world according 
to Romans 4 13 well why is that it's because of the seed of Abraham 
it's because of the Messiah it is because of David's son and 
as John tells us he is the second person of the Trinity who came 
down from heaven for us men and for our salvation so in Matthew 
4 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the 
prophet saying, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali by the 
way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The 
people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon 
those who sat in the region in shadow of death, light has dawned. So Matthew reflects the prophetic 
testimony concerning Jesus' ministry to the Galilee of the Gentiles. And on the heels of that, guess 
what Jesus declares in verse 17. From that time, Jesus began 
to preach and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand. So John is doing something similar here. In him was life, 
and the light was the light of men. In fact, in John 8, 12, 
and in John 9, 5, Jesus says as much, I am the light of the 
world. It is a most blessed expression 
of who Christ is, not only in terms of his creative power, 
but in terms of his manifestation as the second person of the Trinity, 
clothed with our humanity to come into the world to shine 
that light. And then notice what verse 5 
tells us. In contrast to the light of our 
Lord Jesus, we have man. We have us. We have have depravity. We have wretchedness. We have 
lawlessness. We have sinfulness. And again, 
in the prologue, John is foreshadowing the rest of his gospel. The reality 
is that he comes to his own, and his own do not receive him. 
The reality is that the light shines in the darkness, and the 
darkness does not comprehend it. The darkness does not does 
not overcome it. There is this blessed sort of 
foreshadowing in terms of gospel truth that he is setting forth 
here. So notice in verse 5, and the light shines in the darkness 
and the darkness did not comprehend it. The reference to the word 
as light connects us to verses 6 to 9. Look at verse 6. There 
was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came 
for a witness to bear witness of the light that all through 
him might believe. He was not that light, but was 
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light 
which gives light to every man coming into the world. So verse 
4 and the reference to light connects it with verses 6 to 
9. But then notice this darkness 
motif in verse 5 connects us to verse 10 in John's prologue. He was in the world and the world 
was made through him and the world did not know him. He came 
to his own and his own did not receive him. That means he came 
to his own in terms of the covenant people. He came to his own in 
terms of the Messiah of Israel. He comes to the Jews in the first 
century. He manifests the light and his 
own do not receive him. And at that point, we might get 
discouraged. And at that point, we might say, 
oh, that's too bad. The creator of heaven and earth, 
God himself comes. He takes on our humanity. He 
lives a life of obedience to the Father. He dies a death at 
Calvary. He's risen again the third day. 
And a whole bunch of people just refused it. And a whole bunch 
of people just reject it. Though there were those that 
reject, and though there are those that still reject, look 
at the blessedness of verse 12. but as many as received Him, 
to them He gave the right to become children of God." Do you 
see what a blessed privilege is ours, connected to the second 
person of the Trinity? Do you see why this is intensely 
practical? Honestly, brethren, I have no 
regard, I don't mean as human beings, but for that thought 
that says, well, the Trinity, it's just too hard for me to 
try to get my head wrapped around. Would you say that to your wife? 
I mean, practically we might at times. Honey, that's just 
too hard for me to even get my head wrapped around. But I mean, 
in terms of the bigger picture, we want to know those persons 
we love. We want to understand what makes 
them tick. We want to know what they love. 
We want to know what they hate. This is why Proverbs 6 is so 
important. These six things. are an abomination 
to Yahweh. These six things are hated by 
Yahweh, yet seven are an abomination to Him. We should want to know 
what God hates, so we avoid it, so we stay far from it. And so 
in this context, John moves from, in the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, to the blessed 
statement of verse 12. But as many as received Him, 
to them He gave the right to become children of God. to those 
who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of 
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." 
So at that point, we might say, well, how does He do that? How 
does the one who is in the beginning, the Word, who's with God, who 
was God, how does He come to His own, and how does He save 
those who receive Him? Well, verses 14 to 18 give us 
the answer. Well, they sketch for us the 
solution. It is the incarnation of the 
Son of God. It is the reality that He was 
eternally begotten by the Father, but He became flesh for us, and 
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth. Thus the exposition. Hopefully 
you'll follow the argument, one true and living God, essence 
or substance, and then three subsistences or persons, Father, 
Word, Spirit. in terms of some concluding thoughts. 
In the first place, we should see the glory of Jesus. Later 
in John's gospel, some Greeks come up to the disciples and 
say, sirs, we would see Jesus. Many an old preacher had that 
made up and put on his pulpit. So he'd always be mindful of 
that. When persons come, they're not trying to be entertained. 
When persons come, they're not just getting their batteries 
recharged. But when persons come into the 
house of the living God, sirs, we would see Jesus. That's the 
emphasis of the Christian pulpit, is to set forth Christ in his 
glories and in his majesty. And here John does that for us. 
I mean, any pastor or preacher that misses this is a big swing 
and a miss. Because Jesus is eternal with 
the Father. Jesus is distinct from the Father. Jesus is God Almighty. And Jesus created all things, 
seen and unseen. And in Him was life, and that 
life was, in fact, the light of men. as the Nicene Creed encapsulates 
well, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, 
begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, light 
of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of 
one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. 
I learned these things as a young papist in school. We got tested 
on these things. We had to write these things 
out. It had no power. It had no life in my heart. As 
a born-again man, as understanding scripture, as learning the Bible, 
there's still a sense where it doesn't have quite that power 
and quite that punch. But when you start to dive into 
who God is, as the Bible sets him forth, one true and living 
God, three glorious persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
and you confess that with the fathers at Nicaea, it is most 
awesome, it is most glorious, and this has been the consistent 
testimony of the church of Jesus Christ. It is in this generation, 
now certainly along the way, other generations saw their heretics, 
other generations had to deal with their departures, but we're 
seeing it amongst Protestants. We're seeing defection among 
the ranks at the level of who God is, Father, Son, and Spirit. Brethren, let us not join those 
ranks. Let us do what Jeremiah the prophet 
said and go to the old paths. There is safety in the early 
creeds and confessions of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
While strange, while weird, while big hats, and while some messed 
up views of soteriology, they were right when it came to the 
triune God. They were right when it came 
to Christology. They were right when it came 
to pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. And when 
we depart from that, and when we go astray from that, we have 
far more affinity with Jehovah's Witnesses than we do with the 
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we need to appreciate the 
glory of Christ. Secondly, the Trinity and creation. In the first place, make sure 
you understand that distinction, that God is God and everything 
not God is not. There is a distinction between 
the creation and the creator. And as said earlier, Jesus is 
on the side of creator. As well, the creation is not 
a necessary act of God. And I think this is a very practical 
benefit for the people of God, especially in our narcissistic 
age. Brethren, I mean, come on, if 
there's a prevailing sin in our day and age, it is self-love. We have whole websites dedicated 
to it. We have social media dedicated 
to the parading of self-love, to narcissism. Narcissist himself 
would be ashamed or embarrassed or blush if he took a trip around 
Facebook someday. Remember Narcissus was the kid 
or the guy that looked at his reflection in the water and he 
couldn't peel his eyes away because he was so gorgeous? He would 
look at Facebook today and say, wow, these people are narcissistic. 
Wow, these people are consumed with themselves. Brethren, God 
is not dependent upon nor did God need to create the earth. Paul says this at the Areopagus 
in Athens. He says, God, who made the world 
and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, 
does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he worshiped 
with men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he gives 
to all life, breath, and all things. Our Confession of Faith 
says in chapter 4, paragraph 1, in the beginning it pleased 
God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It pleased God. There 
was no constraint laid upon God. There was no necessity in God 
that He must create. Listen to John Webster again. 
He says, yet the triune God could be without the world. No perfection 
of God would be lost. No triune bliss compromised were 
the world not to exist. No enhancement of God is achieved 
by the world's existence. In other words, God minus the 
world is still God. God plus the world is still God. We don't take away from Him and 
we don't add to Him because He is eternally blessed. He is not 
dependent upon us. We don't sort of fulfill a need 
for the triune God. When you are saved by grace, 
it's not so that God can be complete. No, that is to obliterate the 
creator and creature distinction. As well, the creation manifests 
the glory of God and renders man without excuse for his rejection 
of God. Turn to Romans 1 for just a moment. 
Trying out some practical applications concerning the Trinity and creation. 
The creation manifests the glory of the Godhead and renders man 
without excuse for his rejection of God. Notice in Romans 1 verse 
18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of man. See, this is the bad news. You 
know, we just love the good news, don't we? But there's no good 
news unless there's first bad news. Before Paul gets into blood 
atonement through our Lord Jesus, before Paul deals with justification 
by faith in our Lord Jesus, Paul deals with the bad news. For 
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men. See, in our preaching of the 
gospel, in our declaration of the evangel, in our witnessing 
to our neighbors and friends, it's not the message of God loves 
you and has a wonderful plan for your life. No, start off 
with the truth. God is angry with the wicked 
every day, according to Psalm 711. God hates the workers of 
iniquity, according to Psalm 5-5. I understand that that won't 
win you popularity and praise from those you seek to witness 
to, but it will maintain your fidelity before who it actually 
matters. And with reference to this, Paul 
begins with the bad news before he gets to the good news of the 
righteousness of God revealed. But notice in verse 19, well 
verse 18, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness, because 
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it 
to them. For since the creation of the 
world is invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even as eternal power and Godhead, 
so that they are without excuse. You know what the Bible calls 
the person that goes out on a day like this, looks up at the beauty 
of the sky, looks at the beauty of the mountains, looks at the 
beauty all around them and says, there is no God. The Bible says 
that man is a fool. Everywhere the creation screams 
God. The problem with man is not the 
lack of evidence. The problem with man is his sinful 
suppression of that truth in unrighteousness. But note that 
Paul says the Godhead is revealed in the created order. The specific 
word that Paul uses at this point is defined this way. It is simple. Let me find the text here. Romans 
1. Here we go. I missed it. I don't have it, 
sorry. It means divine, it means divinity, 
it means deity, is the specific emphasis with reference to Romans 
1.20. So the created order displays that. Verse 20, for since the 
creation of the world, his invisible attributes or perfections are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. 
And then the creation as well, before we move on and before 
we finish, The creation provides reasons to praise God. I've always 
wondered about this in terms of not the atheist, because he 
doesn't want to praise God, not the scientist that is a God-denying 
rebel, but the church who embraces some form of evolution. Do you 
know that the Bible provides creation as not just the philosophical 
or theological justification for the stuff that we can see, 
but it provides the doctrine of creation to inform us how 
we are to worship, how we are to praise, how we are to honor, 
how we are to glorify. Consider again Psalm 33. We already looked at verse six, 
by the word of the Lord, he made the world and by the breath of 
his mouth. In verse eight, it says, let 
all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the 
world stand in awe of him. Why? Because He made this world, 
and that is the reason why the people in the world should stand 
in awe of Him. Psalm 104, we sang a bit of it, 
stanzas 8 to 11, in terms of our worship today. It's a psalm 
that rehearses the creation of God. It's a psalm that goes through 
the days of creation. And in verses 31 and 33, It says, 
May the glory of the Lord endure forever. May the Lord rejoice 
in his works. He looks on the earth and it 
trembles. He touches the hills and they smoke. I will sing to 
the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God 
while I have my being. See, the idea of God creating 
this world, yes, we need to do battle theologically. Yes, we 
need to do battle philosophically. Yes, we need to do battle scientifically 
with the God-haters. But may it produce in us doxology 
and praise to the God who made this world by the word of His 
power in the space of six days and all very good. And that out 
of nothing. There was an existing matter 
that He comes to shape and to form. but rather by the word 
of his mouth, all things come to pass. And then in Revelation 
4.11, you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and 
power. Why? Well, John tells us, for 
you created all things and by your will, they exist and were 
created. who have the Trinity and creation, 
the inseparable operations concerning the Godhead, but the second person 
of the Trinity and creation, Christ is on the side of divinity. When the Jehovah's Witness comes 
to your door and says, well, Jesus was a creature, reflecting 
that arch fiend and heretic Arius, they're wrong. They are flat 
out wrong. Jesus is on the divine side in 
terms of creator-creature. Cyril of Alexandria says, that 
which gives life is one thing and that which is given life 
is another. One is active and the other passive. The Son gives 
life and the creation is given life. Therefore, the Son and 
the creation are not the same, since what acts is not the same 
as what is acted upon. The Lord Jesus performs divine 
functions because the Lord Jesus is divine. And finally, the ethics 
of this. The light shines in the darkness, 
but the darkness did not comprehend it. Jesus speaks to this in John 
3 as well. He says the darkness hates the 
light. The darkness doesn't come to the light. Why? Because the 
light exposes the darkness. And the darkness wants to engage 
in their darkness. They want to continue in their 
sinfulness. They want to continue in their rebellion. So as John 
tells us, the darkness did not comprehend it. And there's another 
reading that says the darkness did not overcome it. Though they 
tried, though they despised, though they forsook, though they 
ultimately cry out, away with him, away with him, crucify him, 
they could not overcome him. In fact, when they did what they 
did in terms of away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him, they 
were fulfilling the predetermined plan and purpose of God. It was 
that means by which the Lord Most High would save His people 
from their sins. When the Son of God takes on 
our humanity, He identifies with us, except for sin, and He lives 
in obedience to that divine law, and He goes to the cross, not 
for His sins and not for His crimes, but for ours. And then 
he's raised the third day, and he ascends on high, he leads 
captivity captive, and he gives gifts to men. So the word of 
John 1 in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, 
and the word was God is the same word of John 20, 30, and 31. 
John ends the gospel narrative this way, and truly Jesus did 
many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not 
written in this book. But these are written, that you 
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that 
believing you may have life. Yes, you need to understand the 
doctrine of the Trinity. Yes, you need to understand the 
inseparable operations and appropriations. Yes, you need to internalize 
all that to be sure. Yes, where you start your learning. Faith in Jesus. Belief in the 
gospel. Looking unto Christ, the one 
who in John 3 says, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. That whoever 
looks upon Him in faith will have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
You for Your Word. We thank You for the revelation 
of who You are in Scripture. One glorious God, Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. And Lord, we pray that as the 
Gospel goes forth today, it would be attended by the Spirit, so 
that sinners, hearing the truth as it is in Jesus, would believe 
and would have life in His name. I pray that for our own meeting 
here. I pray that for anyone that may be tuning in. I pray 
that for other churches here in Chilliwack and throughout 
Canada and to the uttermost parts of the earth, send forth your 
glorious gospel. And as we sang earlier, pity 
the nations, O our God, and constrain the earth to come. And we ask 
in Jesus' name, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation. So, you