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Turn with me in your Bibles to 
John chapter 1. John 1, our focus is on verse 
14. This morning, I'll begin reading, 
however, in verse 1 to verse 18. So beginning in John 1, 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." Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank You again 
for this prologue to John's Gospel. We thank You for the theology 
that it reveals to us concerning our triune God, concerning the 
second person of the Trinity in particular. And God, we praise 
You that He came down for us men and for our salvation. We 
give praise to you that He is in fact the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, that He lived for us, that He died 
for us, that He was raised for us, and that He will come again 
in glory to judge the living and the dead. And our heart's 
desire and earnest plea is that those we know and love, that 
a great multitude, would be ready to meet Him on that day, that 
we would be clothed in His righteousness, having been forgiven of sin through 
His precious blood, ready to meet our blessed God and enter 
into that state forever and ever, world without end. And even now, 
Lord God, fill us with Your Spirit, guide us by His presence and 
power, that we may see the glory of Jesus Christ as it is so displayed 
in John's Gospel. And we ask in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, remember that as 
we look at this particular chapter, we see first that John is teaching 
us theology. He is teaching us something concerning 
our triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, before he gets to 
what we call the economy, that redemptive plan of God. So before 
verse 29 and the identification of the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world, John wants to go behind the scenes 
and show us something of his essential glory. Matthew and 
Luke begin in a manger in Bethlehem in terms of their presentation 
of the gospel. John the Apostle goes to in the 
beginning, not the beginning of the word, but rather the beginning 
of creation. And in the beginning was the 
word. He had a pre-existence prior 
to this world. In other words, as the psalmist 
says, he is from everlasting to everlasting. So that is John's 
purpose, to introduce to us the word who came down for us men 
and for our salvation. Now, essentially what we have 
in this section, verses 1 to 5 highlight the divinity of the 
Word. Verses 6 to 13 indicate the mission 
of the Word. And here in verses 14 to 18, 
we have the incarnation of the Word. So that one described in 
verses 1 to 5, that one who is essentially God, comes into the 
world according to verse 10. And when we get to verse 14, 
John explains how that transaction came to pass. How did the word 
who was eternal, the word who is distinct from the father, 
that word who is one with the father, how does he end up in 
the world of men? Well, it is through the incarnation. 
We sing typically in December, a particular hymn by Charles 
Wesley, and one of the stanzas says, veiled in flesh, the Godhead 
see. Hail the incarnate deity, pleased 
as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. It's a most blessed 
expression of Christology, Trinitarian theology. John Calvin, commenting 
on the incarnation of our Lord, said, the Son of God became the 
Son of Man so that the sons of men could become the sons of 
God. That is precisely what obtains 
with reference to the incarnation of our beloved Savior. So I wanna 
look at two things this morning in verse 14. First, the incarnation 
of the word, verse 14a, and then secondly, the glory of the word 
in verse 14b. I'll have three sub points under 
both of these main headings. So if you look at verse 14a, 
notice, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. So I want 
to look at the identification of the word, remind ourselves 
who we are dealing with in the context. Secondly, the incarnation 
of the word proper. And then thirdly, the presence 
of the word. Notice, He dwelt among us. Again, the one described in verses 
1 to 5, dwelt among us. How did He do that? Because He 
took on our flesh. He took on our humanity. He became 
like us in all points and yet without sin. But with reference 
to the identification, remember verse 1, in the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So 
the Word was co-eternal. In the beginning was. When the 
beginning of the creation obtains, the Word was. He was already 
present before God spoke this world into being. As well, notice 
the word was with God. There is distinction among the 
persons of the Trinity, and we must maintain that. It's not 
only the oneness of God that we confess and affirm, but it's 
the threeness of God that we confess and affirm as well. You 
must do that. That is what the Bible demands 
in terms of our understanding of who God is. And then thirdly, 
it tells us that the word was God. So he's consubstantial. He's of the same substance as 
the father. Verse three tells us that it's 
through the word, the entirety of the cosmos was made. So John 
purposely puts Jesus, the word of God, the second person of 
the Trinity, on the creator side of creation. When you boil everything 
down, there's either creator or creature. Everything not creator 
is creature. Jesus is on the side of creator. And then as well, there is that 
movement into the mass of humanity in verse 10. Notice what it says. He, the Word, identified already 
for us, 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. He comes as Israel's Messiah. He's born in accordance with 
the promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob. He's born 
in accordance to the promises that we read in the prophet Isaiah 
in chapter nine, verse six. A son is given unto us. this 
son who is called mighty God. That can only be true based on 
what we know as the union of the natures in the one person, 
which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice secondly, in terms 
of the incarnation of the word, John is very clear. The word 
became flesh. So the word who was God, verse 
one, the word who made all things, verse three, that word became 
flesh. And with reference to that statement, 
we speak of incarnation. It simply means that coming in 
to flesh. It is a most glorious statement 
concerning our blessed God. The reality is that God didn't 
just let us undo ourselves. He didn't just let us ruin ourselves. He didn't just let us go astray 
like sheep. But God Most High undertook a 
mission of mercy, a mission of redemption, a mission of blessing, 
a mission of recovery. And we have the sending of the 
second person of the Trinity, and the means by which he does 
what he does is to identify with the creature, to take on our 
humanity with all of the essential properties and the common infirmities 
thereof, and yet without sin. See, brethren, when we ponder 
that, we should just wanna worship. We should just wanna glorify. 
We should just wanna love and praise and adore that our God 
undertook on our behalf in such a glorious way. Listen to Thomas 
Watson concerning the incarnation of the Son of God. He says, that 
man should be made in God's image was a wonder. But that God should 
be made in man's image is a greater wonder, that the ancient of days 
should be born, that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in 
the cradle, that he who rules the stars should suck the breast, 
that a virgin should conceive, that Christ should be made of 
a woman, and of that woman which himself made, that the branch 
should bear the vine, that the mother should be younger than 
the child she bear, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother, 
that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God. So if we rightly understand the 
implication of incarnation, it should cause us to worship, it 
should cause us to celebrate, it should cause us to rejoice. 
So go ahead and smile if you're understanding what John is testifying. That word who is consubstantial 
with the Father came down in the language of the Nicene Creed 
for us men and for our salvation. He didn't just snap his fingers, 
but rather he identifies with us. He's a man of sorrows. He's 
acquainted with grief. He drinks water. He eats food. He goes through the Various agonies 
associated with life in a sinful world, not as a sinner. And in 
fact, the reality of living in a sinful world touched him far 
more than it ever touches us. We see the wickedness around 
us. We see the depravity around us. And hopefully it evokes from 
us grief and sadness and misery when we see our fellows destroying 
themselves. But we're not holy. In many ways, 
we're just like that, but God in His grace has spared us. Christ 
is holy, harmless, and undefiled, according to Hebrews 7, and He's 
separate from sinners. And yet, He's in the midst of 
sinners. Yet, He receives sinners unto 
Himself. Yet, He sees the various implications 
of living in a sin-cursed world as a holy man. That's why the 
prophet describes Him in Isaiah 53 as a man of sorrows and one 
acquainted with grief. Remember at the grave site of 
Lazarus, Jesus wept. Why is that? Because it is a 
bummer to see someone whom you love die and enter into the tomb. He was touched with these things 
just like we are, yet even more strongly and even more wondrously 
because he himself was without sin. We worship this blessed 
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Notice that he says, and the 
word became flesh. The Geneva Bible explains why 
flesh is utilized here. That is man, so that the part 
is taken for the whole. For he took upon him all our 
whole nature. That is to say a true body and 
a true soul. Everything that makes man, man, 
Christ assumed. Everything that distinguishes 
us as men and women, the body and the soul, was true of our 
blessed Savior. He wasn't a phantom. He wasn't 
an apparition. He wasn't a specifically energized 
man or a humanized deity. But by virtue of the two natures 
in the one person, That doctrine we describe or call the hypostatic 
union, we have one glorious Christ. In the language of our specific 
confession of faith, it says in London Baptist Confession 
8-2, did take upon him man's nature with all the essential 
properties and common infirmities thereof and yet without sin. 
Again, that is a biblical statement. What it says there, in terms 
of a handy summary statement, theologically calculated, to 
promote in the people of God knowledge of their God and worship 
toward their God, reflects the teaching of Scripture. Hebrews 
2 tells us that. Several passages in the New Testament 
tell us that. The Old Testament prophecies 
concern not an angel that would come, but a man would be born 
of a woman and he would crush the head of the serpent, according 
to Genesis 3.15. Israel was always taught to look 
for a man that would come as the Messiah. But what they failed 
to understand, and unfortunately what many church people fail 
to understand, is that this man is unique. He is, again, the 
second person of the Trinity who became flesh for us. Now, when the Word became flesh, 
he never ceased to be the second person of the Trinity. This is 
important as well. It's not as if he left his godhood 
in heaven, came down to earth, and became a man. No, he never 
ceased being what he always was. but He took on this humanity 
for us men and for our salvation. Again, the confession of faith 
at this point says, so that two whole, perfect and distinct natures 
were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, 
composition or confusion, which person is very God and very man, 
yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. One of the 
early fathers, a fifth century father that did a lot of fighting 
for the deity of Jesus Christ. You probably heard of the man 
Nestorius. Nestorius messed up the doctrine of Jesus Christ. 
Well, one that fought against him. And when I say fight kids, 
I don't mean they got into a ring and they actually exchanged blows. 
That's not what I mean. There is this apocryphal story 
of St. Nicholas, I think, that went 
to the council of Nicaea and slapped Arius in the face. But 
again, who was it? Was it? Oh, okay. Yeah, it was 
Arius that he slapped in the face. But again, apocryphal, 
we're not sure whether that happened or not. But here's what Cyril 
of Alexandria said. He came forth a man of a woman, 
not casting aside his being as God and the fact of his having 
been begotten of God the Father. Even in the assumption of flesh, 
he remained what he was. So this is the glory of the incarnation 
of the second person of the Trinity. He never stopped being God, but 
he assumes our humanity. He takes on our flesh. Again, 
with all the essential properties, everything true of man was true 
of Jesus. It is absolutely crucial that 
we maintain that, that we understand that, that we marvel at it, and 
that we praise God Almighty that he went to these lengths to save 
us from our sins. Now, in terms of the significance 
of this act, the Word became flesh to do what? To render perfect 
obedience to the Father. See, God made us according to 
Solomon in Ecclesiastes 7. He made us upright, but we sought 
out many devices. We were supposed to obey God. 
We were supposed to honor the Lord. I know it's bizarre, but 
God made us to glorify him and to enjoy him forever. And we 
were supposed to do so in absolute and utter obedience to him. But 
Adam sinned, and in Adam all died. So with reference to this 
recovery mission, Christ takes on our humanity to do what Adam 
failed to do. He renders up perfect obedience 
to the Father's law at every step, every jot, every tittle. Brothers and sisters, you and 
I can't say that. We woke up this morning, we may 
have had a good thought of God, and then we didn't. We are supposed 
to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, 
with all our mind, and all our strength. We're supposed to love 
our neighbors as ourselves. Is anybody in here willing to 
raise their hand and say, yeah, I'm pretty good at that? None 
of us are. As the prophet said, all we light 
sheep have gone astray. You see, with reference to God, 
he doesn't say, well, you gave it your best shot. He doesn't 
grade on the curve. He doesn't say, well, you're 
all at this level of idiocy, so I'm going to go ahead and 
accept the best ones of you. No, that's not it at all. He 
demands absolute perfection. This explains why Jesus took 
on our humanity. It was in order to obey the Father. 
He says, my meat is to do the will of Him who sent me. I always 
do what pleases the Father. None of us can say that, brethren. 
Not one of us, not even for a millisecond each day, do we have that glowing 
moment where my every thought is to do the will of God Almighty. 
But Christ did, every jot and every tittle. Because you see, 
we need a righteousness. We need to be able to stand in 
the presence of God Almighty. We need to be able to hear those 
blessed words, well done, good and faithful servant. And the 
only way we'll ever hear that is if we're covered in the righteousness 
of Jesus Christ. And that is received by faith 
alone. Theologians refer to this as the active obedience of Christ. He took on our flesh so that 
he could obey the Father at every jot and every tittle of the law. 
But not only that, we speak of what's called passive obedience. 
And by saying that doesn't mean Jesus was inactive or passive 
relative to the actual death that he died. Rather, passive 
there is most likely connected to the idea of passion. has to 
do with suffering, has to do with what he went through on 
our behalf. So we get the righteousness of 
Christ by virtue of his life of obedience, but we get the 
blessedness of the forgiveness of sins by the shedding of his 
blood. That's why in John 1 29, After 
doing theology, John points us to the economy of redemption, 
and he says, behold, the Lamb of God, John the Baptist there, 
behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So 
in the incarnation, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, 
the Word, as he's identified here, does precisely what you 
and I need doing. He lives for us, he dies for 
us, and he's raised again for us. And in that, we have our 
redemption. In that, we have our salvation. 
And that's why we rejoice in and we delight in the incarnation 
of the Lord. The Word became flesh, John says. Turn over to some other passages 
to see the significance. Turn over to Romans chapter 8 
for just a moment. A couple other passages that 
underscore this blessed reality. Romans 8, 1, there is therefore 
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who 
do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. 
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made 
me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could 
not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending 
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh 
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled 
in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to 
the Spirit. Turn over to 2 Corinthians 8. 
2 Corinthians 8, which is a passage very closely parallel to what 
we see here in John's Gospel. What the word was, he never stopped 
being. But the word in terms of assumption, 
the word in terms of union, took on our flesh. Well, Paul says 
this in terms of a pattern for the Corinthians to follow, to 
be large-hearted and benevolent to other churches. And he does 
so in glowing theology, glowing theological ways. Verse 9, for 
you know, 2 Corinthians 8, 9, for you know the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, In the beginning 
was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word 
was God. Paul says the same thing. That 
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. Again, 
through the union of the natures, through the union of the divine 
and the human in the one person, or what we call the hypostatic 
union. That though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became 
poor. That you through his poverty 
might become rich. The poverty of His, assuming 
our flesh, living for us, dying for us, being raised again. That's 
where our riches are. That's where our blessedness 
lay. That's where glory is found, is in the doing, and the dying, 
and the rising of our blessed Savior. Turn to Philippians chapter 
2. Philippians chapter 2 at verse 
5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who 
being in the form of God, who being in the form of God, don't 
miss that, who being in the form of God. In the beginning was 
the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Well, Paul 
says here, "...who, being in the form of God, did not consider 
it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, 
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of 
man. And being found in appearance as man," notice what he does, 
"...he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, 
even the death of the cross." So when Christ comes, when he 
is incarnate, when he assumes our humanity, when he takes on 
our flesh, he doesn't simply do it for an example of how we 
are to love one another. He doesn't simply do it as an 
example of how to obey the law of God with reference to our 
connection to God. He does it first and foremost 
with redemption in mind. He does it first and foremost 
with the eternal covenant of redemption in his mind. He does 
it on this rescue mission to seek and to save that which is 
lost. And notice, God the Father is 
so pleased with the work of God the Son that we read in verse 
nine. Therefore, God also has highly 
exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, 
that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in 
heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, 
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is 
Lord to the glory of God the Father. See, he became flesh. for us. He became flesh in order 
to engage in obedience. He became flesh in order to save 
us from our sins. You see that in 1 Timothy chapter 
3, which was likely a common confession of the church at the 
time of the first century. Paul appeals to something that 
Timothy would have known, and it's in the form of a confession 
of faith. 1 Timothy 3.14, these things 
I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if 
I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to 
conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of 
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without 
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested 
in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached 
among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up 
in glory. As Cyril of Jerusalem says, he 
did not pass through the virgin as through a channel, but truly 
took flesh and was truly fed with milk from her. He truly 
ate as we ate and drank as we drank. For if the incarnation 
was a figment, then our salvation was a figment. The fathers as 
well would often say that whatever is not assumed is not redeemed, 
and it was crucial for Christ to redeem us that He assume our 
humanity, body and soul, and that is precisely what John tells 
us in the prologue. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word 
became flesh, but notice he goes on to say, and dwelt among us. It is a most blessed statement. 
The us is likely those in the first century who saw and touched 
Jesus. John speaks of that in 1 John 
1. We're not following fables. We're 
not Gnostics. The one who came down out of 
heaven actually assumed flesh. He actually was made flesh. And when we come to this particular 
statement, it says, the Word became flesh and dwelt among 
us. And the idea here is to live, 
to settle, to take up residence. And I think there's three things 
that this is reminiscent of, or three things that we ought 
to consider with reference to the dwelling of the Word who 
became flesh and dwelt among us. In the first place, the presence 
of the Word is reminiscent of the tabernacle and the temple. 
We are going through the Old Testament on our Wednesday night 
Bible studies, and we happen to be in the book of Exodus. 
And interestingly, we're also reading Exodus in our scripture 
reading on Sunday nights. And what is one of the emphases 
in the book of Exodus? It is on dwelling. God's dwelling 
with his people. Remember the great detailed instructions 
on how to build the tabernacle that begins at chapter 25, continues 
to chapter 31. There's a diversion in terms 
of sin and depravity on the part of Israel, and then they come 
back and then they actually construct the tabernacle in the manner 
that God had commanded them. And the book of Exodus ends on 
the high note of God most high coming down, not local transport 
movement that way, he's omnipresent, but it is for us, it's spoken 
in the manner of man, the Shekinah glory of God comes down into 
that tabernacle. What's the point? God and sinners 
reconciled. God and sinners together. Now in Exodus, there's a bit 
of a problem because even Moses himself, the holiest one in Israel, 
can't go in to that tabernacle. And that's why the book of Leviticus 
follows closely the book of Exodus. Because in Leviticus chapters 
1 to 9, there is detailed instruction given on how sinful people enter 
into the presence of a holy God. And they do so via sacrifice. They do so via a bloody knife 
and a smoking altar. But the emphasis is upon God's 
dwelling with his people. And then after a period of time 
where they have this temporary sort of a meeting place, under 
Solomon, that king of peace, we see the building of the temple. 
It was more stable. It was not to be transported. 
It was in Jerusalem. And it was again the place where 
God would meet with his people. And so when we see the word became 
flesh and dwelt among us, We ought to appreciate the tabernacle 
and the temple pointed to this event, pointed to the coming 
of the second person of the Trinity. That stood, the tabernacle and 
temple simply stood to point Israel to the coming of the Messiah 
in whom God and sinners would be reconciled. But as well, the 
presence of the word demonstrates the fulfillment of the prophets. 
We read it, Isaiah 9, 6 and 7. Who's he describing? He's describing 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Micah chapter 5 does the very 
same thing. Out of Bethlehem Ephrathah, one 
will come forth, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. The New King James margin reads, 
from days of eternity. We could also read it as from 
ancient of days. So this Messiah has a origin 
in eternity and he comes forth to dwell among us. As well, the 
presence of the word demonstrates that Jesus Christ is Emmanuel. Remember in Matthew's gospel, 
The angel is instructed, or the angel rather instructs Joseph 
on the naming of the Lord Jesus, and he connects it with reference 
to Isaiah 7, that this one would be born of a virgin, that this 
one would be called Emmanuel, which translated, according to 
Matthew, in Matthew 1, means God with us. And all through 
Matthew's gospel, at key points, we see that Jesus is, in fact, 
God with us. We see it in Matthew 18, in the 
exercise of church discipline. What does Jesus say? Where two 
or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst of them. We typically take it right out 
of the context and describe it as any meeting between believers. 
And I'm not suggesting Christ isn't with his people when they 
meet together. But in Matthew 18, when the church 
is functioning the way that God calls her to in the exercise 
of church discipline, we have the steady confidence that Jesus 
is our Emmanuel. He is in the midst of us. And 
of course, the gospel of Matthew ends on that note. when Jesus 
tells his church to go therefore and to make disciples of all 
the nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father and 
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And then he says to teach them 
all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the age. So the word became flesh and 
dwelt among us. Again, it is most glorious. I remember when I first started 
preaching, we would go to this place called the Halfway House, 
or it was called the Bible Tabernacle. It was a guy that I think was 
a big executive at a production company in Southern California, 
and he got converted and took a bunch of money, and he made 
this halfway house. And it was typically guys that had drug 
issues or had come out of prison. It was sort of a staging area 
where they got a few skills before they went out into the community. 
Well, they had this big tent, a massive tent, one of those 
good solid ones, Not the Coleman one that falls apart when you're 
camping and you need it the most. It's those white, thick ones 
that was just massive. And I remember going there and 
preaching, but it wasn't just the preaching, it was the singing. 
And this is not a racial term. Please don't think I'm a racist. 
It was primarily black men that were at the Bible Tabernacle. 
That's just a statement of fact. But the singing, I love our singing. I tell you, when I come to church, 
if I'm a little down, or I'm a little sorrowful, or I'm just 
a little, you know, maybe disoriented in terms of stuff, and we start 
singing, it's glorious, it's wonderful. But one of the songs 
that they used to sing was, Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My 
Soul. Filled my soul. It was wonderful. It was awesome. It was excellent. And it reflects the incarnation 
of our blessed Lord Jesus. The Word who was in the beginning, 
the Word who was with God, the Word who was God became flesh 
and dwelt among us. Heaven came down and glory filled 
our soul, is what John is saying. We saw His glory in the miracles. We saw His glory in the raising 
of the dead. We saw His glory in not only 
healing the paralyzed man, but in the even greater expression 
of His glory in the forgiveness of the sins of the paralyzed 
man. We saw his glory when we went 
up on the Mount of Transfiguration. John was one of them, Peter, 
James, and John. That moment where it was as it 
were, Christ peeled back the humanity and the glory of deity 
shone forth. John says the Word became flesh 
and dwelt among us. No religion boasts this. No religion, 
save Christianity, is redemptive in nature. And no religion teaches 
us that God Most High comes into the arena of human depravity, 
takes on the likeness of sinful flesh, and assumes for us The 
obligation to fulfill all that the law demands and then goes 
to the cross as a sacrifice, as a substitute, as a curse bearer. We read in the prophet Isaiah, 
it pleased Yahweh to bruise Him, to put Him to grief, to crush 
Him. Why is that? For us men and for our salvation. See, if we get what John is saying 
here, we can't but worship this God. We can't but glorify this 
God. We can't but engage in joyful, 
delightful celebration of what He has done on behalf of His 
people. So we see in the first half of 
the verse the incarnation of the Word. Notice, secondly, the 
specific glory of the Word as John relates it. The end of the 
verse, the middle part of the verse, the Word became flesh 
and dwelt among us. Now notice, and we beheld His 
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth. We have the manifestation of 
His glory, the uniqueness of His glory, and the specific nature 
of His glory indicated. Notice the manifestation. As 
I said, they saw it. He dwelt among us. And it was 
conspicuous. It wasn't hidden. It wasn't something 
that was obscure. It wasn't something that was 
put away. I read from Philippians chapter 2. If you've got the 
old King James version, it says he emptied himself. As long as 
you understand by that, it doesn't mean that he set aside his deity 
or he divested himself of his divinity, then it's a perfectly 
acceptable translation. But so often people assume the 
emptying of himself there in Philippians 2 means that he stopped 
being what he was essentially. But as we've seen, he can't. 
He is the second person of the Trinity. He assumes, he takes 
on, he becomes flesh without ever stopping what he was. Ritterbos 
comments here with reference to this manifestation of His 
glory. We beheld His glory. He says 
the Greek word doxa, you've heard that, we sing it every time, 
or a lot of times, called the doxology. Doxology comes from 
the Greek word glory or praise. The Greek word doxa, glory, is 
a translation of the Old Testament word kabod, or kavod, really. 
And what kavod means is something that is heavy. And when you consider 
that, it makes sense. God's not heavy in terms of, 
you know, He weighs, you know, a thousand pounds. But he's heavy 
in terms of the esteem that is owed to him, in terms of the 
gravity of his being, in terms of the essence of his glory. 
He's heavy. We say something is heavy when 
we mean it's serious, when it's grave, when it's something that 
demands our attention. So again, ritterbos, the Greek 
word doxa, glory, is a translation of the Old Testament word kavod, 
and refers to a visible and powerful manifestation of God. The point 
here is not a single sensational event, but that glory that is 
attendant on the dwelling. Just as in the Old Testament, 
there is a persistent connection between God's presence in tabernacle 
and temple, and the divine glory revealing itself there. John's 
not writing in a vacuum. John understands the Old Testament. And John is telling us by allusion 
that what you witnessed in terms of the Shekinah glory dwelling 
at Tabernacle and Temple is what Jesus manifests. But then John 
goes on to highlight the uniqueness of His glory in a most wonderful 
way. Look at what he says, we beheld 
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. 
Now the manifestation of Christ's glory is inextricably connected 
to His person. And when John says, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, he is teaching us something 
very serious in terms of theology. Now, if you're using a modern 
translation, it's probably translated, unique, or only son. I would 
argue that only begotten is much more desirable because it highlights 
something essential for the creature to understand in terms of the 
creator. Remember, it's not just the oneness 
of God we maintain, but the threeness of God. One in one sense, essence 
or substance, and three in another sense, person or subsistence. When he says, only begotten of 
the Father, he is teaching or highlighting what is called the 
eternal generation of the Son. You see this in Psalm 2 at verse 
7. You see it in Proverbs chapter 
8 at verses 22 to 26. You see Jesus called only begotten 
here in verse 14. You see him called only begotten 
in verse 18. You see him called only begotten 
in 3.16 and 3.18. And then again in Acts 13 and 
1 John. Now, some scholars today say, 
well, it means only or unique. The emphasis isn't upon eternal 
generation. Other scholars of recent years 
are saying, you know, maybe the Greek speaking fathers who called 
Jesus the only begotten of the father actually knew some Greek. Maybe the Americans and the Canadians 
and the various English speakers today don't know Greek perhaps 
as good as the Greek-speaking church fathers. The reason we 
need to hold on to this statement of only begotten of the Father, 
the reason we need to hold on to this language or this idea 
of the eternal generation of the Son is because that's how 
we know there's distinction among the persons. Again, the Father 
is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, the Spirit is not 
the Father or the Son. There is distinction. In the 
beginning was the Word, and the Word was what? With God. John 
believes it is important for us to maintain distinction between 
God the Father and the Word. or the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We speak of what's called notions, 
and notions are simply the reality that the Father is unbegotten, 
the Son is begotten, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father 
and the Son. We might also call those statements eternal relations 
of origin. The fact that they're eternal 
underscores that this is true of God, not creature. As well, 
our confession highlights it by saying peculiar relative properties 
and personal relations, again, to distinguish the persons. Now, 
I realize we're getting into some theological ground here, 
and let me just assure you that John's prologue will eventually 
end. It ends at verse 18, and then John basically assumes the 
posture of the Synoptic Gospels. He relates to us the life and 
the ministry of our Lord Jesus, and it culminates in the suffering, 
the sorrow, and the death, and the resurrection. But for now, 
John the Apostle tells us we need to know some theology. We 
need to think clearly. And when it comes to us as Reformed 
believers in the 21st century, my argument is simple. We need 
to go back in order to be orthodox. We need to go back, not only 
to the New Testament documents, but to some of the clearest expositors 
of those New Testament documents, specifically in the early church. 
We need to enjoy the riches of theology contained in the Nicene 
Creed. We need to see that these were 
benchmark standards, and to deviate from them is to ultimately end 
up in heresy. People who deviate from Nicaea, 
or the Creed at Chalcedon, or the other, what were called ecumenical 
creeds, do not end well theologically. There is safety in these creeds 
and confessions. There is safety in the 2nd London 
Confession that we subscribe in this church. And for a bit 
of encouragement, 2nd London, chapter 8 of Christ the Mediator, 
goes right back to Nicaea, goes right back to Chalcedon, because 
they didn't want to reinvent the wheel. Those early divines 
clearly saw, in the midst of great controversy, the blessed 
doctrine of the Trinity. And they understood as well Christology. Many today, even within Protestantism, 
don't see it. Many today say, well, it's just 
theology and it's so, you know, I just can't get it. Again, if 
you want further assistance, email me, call me, write me, 
text me, visit me. I've got books I can recommend 
to you that are very helpful in describing what is absolutely 
crucial. See, the church today says, just 
tell me what I need to do. Just tell me how I need to behave. 
There's a place for that. You see that kind of teaching 
in the New Testament. But the greater emphasis or the 
priority emphasis is, tell me what I need to believe in terms 
of who God is. And when you ponder what the 
essence of eternal life is, that they may know thee, the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, if that is what 
Jesus defines eternal life as being, then our laziness Our 
unwillingness, our lack of interest in these concepts ought to be 
a rebuke to us. The reality, brethren, is that 
if we don't know God as the Bible sets him forth, then there's 
a word for that. It's called idolatry. If we are 
worshiping at conception of our own mind, if we are worshiping 
something that we've structured or we've devised, if we have 
predicated of Jesus things that are not true in the light of, 
well, I'm not really that bright, that's what the beauty of it 
is. We've got the creeds, we've got the confessions. You don't 
have to be that bright. You simply have to be able to 
read. And I'd like to think that persons in the 21st century can 
manage that. Our confession underscores the 
distinctiveness between the persons. It says, in this divine and infinite 
being, that's the oneness or the one God, 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. 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 beginning, therefore 
but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, 
but distinguished by, several peculiar relative properties 
and personal relations. It's a manner in which the New 
Testament authors distinguish between the Father and the Son 
and the Holy Spirit. One man, Kevin Giles, in a book 
called The Eternal Generation of the Son, says Athanasius and 
all the Nicene theologians saw clearly that to speak of the 
Son of God as eternally begotten, not only safeguarded his full 
divinity, but also indelibly distinguished him from the father. 
The language only begotten or eternally begotten or eternal 
generation was employed to highlight the self-differentiation of the 
father and the son. But even if we got rid of, even 
if we disposed of the language of only begotten, the reality 
is that eternal generation is still taught. That language is 
seen, or that concept is seen again. Psalm 2, 7, Proverbs chapter 
8, Christ is wisdom in that passage, and he proceeds forth from the 
Father. Micah chapter 5, whose goings 
forth are from of old, from everlasting, or from the ancient of days. Consider what scripture says 
concerning Jesus with reference to the Father. The word is the 
brightness of the father's glory and the express image of his 
person, Hebrews 1.3. The word is the image of the 
invisible God, Colossians 1.15. The word is the power of God 
and the wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1.24. So this idea of him coming 
forth from the father doesn't underscore that he's creature 
because with reference to the generation we see, Father, son, 
son, father, it's eternal. There never was a time when the 
son was not. There never was a time when the 
father was not. And the relationship between 
the two persons is one of unbegotten, begotten, and spirated with reference 
to the Holy Spirit. This is crucial stuff in order 
to help us in terms of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Nicene Creed 
picks up on this. It says, 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. So all that to say that when 
John says, we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, he is underscoring something unique about the word. And with reference to the mechanics, 
with reference to the logistics, with reference to the how, listen 
to Gregory of Nazianzen when it comes to that issue. He says, 
the beginning of God must be honored by silence. It is a great 
thing for you to learn that he was begotten. But the manner 
of his generation, we will not admit that even angels can conceive, 
much less you. Shall I tell you how it was? 
It was in a manner known to the father who begat and to the son 
who was begotten. Anything more than this is hidden 
by a cloud and escapes your dim sight. That it happened, the 
Bible tells us. How it happened, the Bible doesn't. Because with reference to Creator, 
there is an infinite chasm with the creature. And we cannot, 
much less angels, understand the mechanics involved. And I 
think Gregory tempers us from trying to peer behind the scenes. that He is the only begotten 
of the Father, that it does highlight the eternal relation, the eternal 
origin of relation, that it shows the distinction between Father, 
Son, and Spirit, that is necessary, that is crucial, that we maintain 
in order to confess not only one God, but that this one God 
exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And finally, 
notice what John says, the specific nature of His glory. Verse 14, 
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. Full of grace and truth. In other 
words, His perfections are seen in His uniqueness, the fact that 
He is the only begotten of the Father, But His glory is also 
seen in the perfections that He manifests in terms of grace 
and truth. That's going to be turned to 
the direction of man in verses 16 and 17. Notice, "...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." So the glory of the Word is seen in His perfections 
of grace and truth. But the glory of the word is 
seen in his perfections of grace and truth for us in verses 16 
and 17. But before verses 16 and 17, 
let's just ponder some background with reference to verse 14. Full 
of grace and truth. Turn to Exodus 33. We're just 
about done. Exodus chapter 33. I got a new 
watch, by the way, so I know how far not to go over. My beloved 
gave me a watch. What's she trying to tell me? 
My son Joshua often, or has in the past, quoted a statement 
by C.H. Spurgeon, who said that, if a 
man preaches an hour, he must fancy himself a genius. I don't 
fancy myself a genius, brethren. I try to shoot for 50 minutes, 
but sometimes there's a lot to say, and I'm trying to bring 
it down home, or reign it in. But notice in verse 18 in Exodus 
33, Moses and Yahweh, please show me your glory. Please show 
me your glory. That's what Moses wants with 
God, isn't it? It's not just the promised land. God says, we're going to go to 
the promise or you're going to go to the promised land. Moses 
says, Lord, if you don't go, we don't want to go. Why would 
we want to go to the promised land if you're not with us? So 
what does Moses want as he is dealing with God? He says, please 
show me your glory. Then God said, I will make all 
my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name 
of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I 
will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will 
have compassion. But he said, You cannot see my 
face, for no man shall see me and live. And the Lord said, 
Here is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it 
shall be while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the 
cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass 
by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, 
but my face shall not be seen. Now drop down to thirty-four 
five. Now the Lord descended in the 
cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the 
Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, 
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding 
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving 
iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the 
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. 
In other words, we see the glory of God in His being. We see the 
glory of God in who He is, Father, Son, and Spirit, but we see the 
glory of God in His perfections, or what are commonly called His 
attributes, those things that demonstrate to us the blessedness 
and the majesty and the excellence and the glory of this God. And 
when John comes to do this with reference to our Lord, with reference 
to the Word, he's full of what? Grace. and truth. And in this 
context, in the Exodus 33 and 34, how many times have people 
said, oh, the God of the Old Testament is filled with wrath 
and judgment and anger and viciousness. Look at what's revealed here. 
grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness. That's our God. And John tells 
us in the prologue, we saw it true of the word who is God. And when we come to verses 16 
and 17, he says, 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 our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, brethren, the incarnation 
of the Word should elicit from us praise, worship, and adoration. But secondly, in terms of the 
practical lesson we're summarizing now, it ought to instruct us 
concerning both the purpose of the incarnation and as well the 
exercise of absolute authority on the part of one who was incarnate. In other words, when we look 
at this Christ, when we look at this Word who John introduces 
to us, we know from the rest of Scripture the redemption of 
sinners. We know that He took on our humanity 
in order to redeem us from our sins. Galatians 4.4. Oftentimes 
we hear that again in December. In the fullness of the times, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. 
Why? to redeem those who were under the law, not simply to 
serve as an example, not simply to serve as a heartwarming idea 
in December so that we can celebrate. Rather, he came in order to redeem 
us from our sins. He obeyed the law and fulfilled 
all righteousness. He died on the cross as a substitute 
and sacrifice for his people. And he was raised by the Father 
for our justification. The New Testament highlights 
all these things. But in terms of practical encouragement 
with reference to the situation that you and I face today, we 
ought to focus as well, yes, on the redemptive work of our 
Lord Jesus, but on the reigning power of our Lord Jesus. Because 
with the incarnation comes the emphasis upon his kingship. You see that in Romans 9. He 
is mighty God. He is everlasting father. He 
is prince of peace. Of the increase of his government 
and peace, there will be no end. The zeal of the Lord of hosts 
has performed this. We need that encouragement today, 
brethren, because it's a discouraging world. We need that encouragement 
when we read the letters from Mrs. Hamilton concerning Myanmar. We need that encouragement when 
we see the situation facing brothers all throughout this nation. who 
are being harassed with reference to church services. We need that 
encouragement that Christ is not only Redeemer, but He is 
also reigning King. And we have tried to deal sufficiently 
with that idea of redemption. Let me remind you of a few thoughts 
concerning His reign. In the first place, this was 
promised of Him in the Davidic Covenant. Luke 1 surely has 2 
Samuel 7 in mind. And Luke says, or the angel there 
says, he will be great and will be called the son of the highest. 
And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, 
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his 
kingdom, there will be no end. Brethren, that is for us and 
our encouragement. If He came down for us men and 
for our salvation, He went back up and assumed the reign and 
rule of the kingdom at the right hand of the Father for our blessed 
stability, our security, and our comfort and our joy. The 
only reference to the birth of Jesus in John's gospel underscores 
this royalty. Now, when we look at John 1, 
incarnation is there, but not birth like Matthew and Luke. 
Again, a manger and a stable in Bethlehem. But with reference 
to the language of being born, Jesus underscores this before 
Pilate. In John 18.37, Pilate asks him, Are you a king? And Jesus says, 
you have said rightly, for this cause I was born. You see brethren, not only redemption 
is ours in the person of our Lord Jesus, but rule, reign, 
government, the government will be upon his shoulder. If that 
doesn't promote and produce in us confidence in God, steadiness 
in the midst of affliction, perseverance, when all around us seems to be 
going through decay and chaos, then I don't know what will. 
We need to have what we're talking about. I was talking to some 
brethren recently about John G. Peyton, that missionary to 
the New Hebrides, that king of the cannibals, as he's been referred 
to. He was being chased literally by cannibals. And there were 
times when he would be reporting this because the book was an 
autobiography. He had firsthand knowledge of 
what he was thinking as he was running from those cannibals. 
And he would say, by faith, I'd look up and I'd see Christ and 
universal empire under his control. I'd see that scepter, that rule, 
that reign that he is equipped with, and it would steady him. 
How do you function in that capacity and not lose your mind unless 
you have an exalted and an enthroned Christ? I often think, brethren, 
about people that are politically savvy in our own day, who can 
see through some of the things that are going on, and yet they're 
without Christ. I don't know how they get out 
of bed every day. I don't know how you get up and move out into 
the world if you're not sure that the Lord Jesus now is ruler 
over the kings of the earth. We have that fulfillment of the 
prophets, the nature of the king, Isaiah 9.6, and the nature of 
his kingdom, Isaiah 9.7. And then the practical benefit 
in light of the earthly challenges. Revelation 1.5, and from Jesus 
Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, 
and the ruler over the kings of the earth. He is our redeemer, 
and we praise God for that. He is our ruler, and we should 
praise God for that. We should maintain composure. 
We should maintain stability. We should maintain confidence, 
not in our strength, not in our ability, but in the universal 
empire that has been given unto our Lord Jesus Christ, where 
He rules and reigns at the right hand of His Father, where He 
must do so till all of His enemies are made His footstool. Well, 
in order for that to be a benefit, in order for that to be an encouragement, 
in order for that to stabilize you, you first must see Him. as Redeemer. And John writes 
this gospel so that you may know that Jesus is the Christ, the 
Son of the living God, and that believing in his name, you may 
have everlasting life. If you are not a believer here 
this morning, I want to encourage you that this Word who was in 
the beginning, this Word who was with the Father, this Word 
who was God, this Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, this 
Word saves to the uttermost all who draws nigh to God through 
Him. So believe the gospel of Jesus 
Christ, our Lord, and you will know the blessedness of the children 
of God and the joy of being found in him. Not having your own righteousness, 
which is from the law, but that righteousness, which is from 
God and received by faith alone. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for the Lord Jesus 
Christ, that incarnate word, that one who for us men and for 
our salvation came down from heaven. And God, our heart's 
desire and earnest plea is that sinners today would look to him 
in faith. and would receive all the benefits 
that He secured for His people, and they would receive that forgiveness, 
they would receive that righteousness, they would know the blessed power 
of the Holy Spirit in their lives of sanctification, and that all 
of us would look forward to glorification, that reality that will be in 
the presence of God Most High, world without end. Amen. May 
these things encourage us, may they strengthen us, and may you 
help us to persevere as a church and to persevere as individuals 
and families. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, we'll close with 
a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.