← Back to sermon library

We'll turn with me in your Bibles 
to John chapter 1. John's Gospel chapter 1. I'll begin reading in 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, 
we thank You for this, Your Word, and we pray now for the ministry 
of Your Spirit. We acknowledge our debt to You, 
Lord God, that You have saved us by grace alone, through faith 
alone and Christ alone. Truly our hearts rejoice as we 
see Christ set forth in this prologue to John's Gospel. I 
pray that it would encourage us to worship and encourage us 
to adore and to praise and to glorify the triune God of heaven 
and earth. I pray, Father, for those who've 
come here this morning outside of Christ. We pray that today 
would be the day of salvation. We pray that by Your Spirit, 
by Your Word, You would bring forth sinners in the exercise 
of Your will. Call them out of darkness into 
marvelous light, that they may proclaim Your excellence. We 
also pray that You would forgive us now for all of our sin and 
transgression. Your holiness reminds us of our 
unholiness. Your glory and Your majesty reminds 
us of our waywardness. And we pray and we confess our 
sins to You. We plead the merit and the mercy 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that You would wash us 
afresh in His precious blood. We rejoice that we live in those 
days prophesied by Zechariah, that there is a fountain open 
for sin and uncleanness. We just pray as well for other 
churches gathered together today. We pray that Your Word would 
run swiftly and be glorified, that a multitude would turn from 
their idols to the true and living God, and would know the joy of 
being found in Christ Jesus. And it's in His most blessed 
name that we pray. Amen. Well, the prologue to the 
gospel, according to John, does set forth the Lord Jesus in His 
glory. It truly is an amazing passage 
of Holy Scripture. And our focus this morning will 
be on verse 14, the Word became flesh. And we'll look at that 
verse under two considerations. First, the incarnation of the 
Word, and secondly, the glory of the Word. So that is where 
we hope to go this morning. But just a few preliminary observations. If you notice, in verse 1 in 
chapter 1, It identifies the Word. In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Truly, 
an amazing statement concerning the identity of this One that 
John says became flesh. He is identified as the Word 
here in verse 1, and again in verse 14, and in 1 John 1.1, 
and then in Revelation 19.13. So John the Apostle, writing 
of Christ, uses this particular identifier to apply to the Lord 
of Glory Himself. And as I said, there is glorious 
movement in this passage. The attentive reader will notice 
the similarities between John 1-1 and Genesis 1-1. Genesis begins the same as John 
1-1, in the beginning God. Here in John 1-1, in the beginning 
was the Word. John's prologue, in the language 
of B.B. Warfield, traces the whole history 
of the recreation of a dead world into newness of life. Genesis 
1-1 highlights the creation of the world. John 1-1 highlights 
the recreation of that dead world in and through the work of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. So, blessed thoughts, blessed 
ideas. Let's look specifically now at 
the incarnation of the Word. The word incarnation simply means, 
in the flesh. It simply means, in flesh meant. And when we come to verse 14, 
the Apostle tells us, the Word became flesh. Again, this harkens 
back to John 1, this eternal one. In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This same 
word, according to verses 2 and following, created all things. He's the agent of creation, according 
to John the Apostle. John tells us that in him, verse 
4, was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light 
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 
Verse 10 tells us, or highlights the reality, that he was in the 
world. And so again, if you're reading 
John 1, 1, and you see this one identified as God, and then you 
come to verse 10, and you hear that He was in the world, certainly 
the question arises, well, how could such be the case? How does 
it happen that the Eternal God, how does it happen that this 
One that was with God, and who is God, is now in the world in 
His own, do not receive Him? Well, that's what John 1.14 describes 
for us. It tells us how the eternal Word 
of God comes to dwell among men. And the Apostle says, the Word 
became flesh. Now, it's an interesting use 
of language that's employed here. I really want you to get this 
sermon this morning. There's a lot of stuff going 
on in verse 14 that is currently under attack in evangelical and 
in Reformed circles. We need to have a sound Christology. We need to understand the person 
and the work of Christ. We need to know these things. 
Jesus says later in John's Gospel, if you do not believe that I 
am, you will die in your sins. Now, we are and can be wrong 
about a lot when it comes to Christianity. You ask five people 
about the end times, you're probably going to get five different responses. You ask five people about church 
government, and you're probably going to get five answers concerning 
church government. You ask five people about baptism, 
you're probably going to get about 25 different responses 
on baptism. But you see, when Jesus says, 
if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins, that 
highlights this reality. That what we think concerning 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and what we believe concerning the Lord 
Jesus Christ, is everything. When Jesus says to His disciples 
in Matthew's Gospel, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? They give a few responses about 
what's going on in the world around them. And then Jesus hones 
in upon them specifically. And He says, who do you say that 
I am? And, of course, Simon Peter jumps 
to the occasion and he says, You are the Christ, the Son of 
the living God. And then, of course, the Lord 
responds, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood 
did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. That 
was the correct response. That's the right answer. You 
need to be crystal clear with reference to the person and the 
word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note the language in verse 1. 
He says, in the beginning was the Word. The verb that is employed 
there means continuous action in the past. If you go back to 
the beginning, there was the Word. He's always been. He is eternal. He, like His Father, 
does not have a beginning. Arius was wrong. Arianism is 
wrong. And by that I don't mean neo-Nazis 
with swastikas. Arius was a man who denied the 
deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said there was a time when 
the Son was not. That's heresy. It is blasphemy. It is wretched. It is a denial 
of the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Note the grammar. In the beginning was the Word. Now see or compare alongside 
of that verse 14. The Word became flesh. This happens in history. This 
happens in time. This is a particular event. One 
brother, a dear brother of mine, says that Jesus became what He 
was not, flesh, though ever remaining what He always was and ever shall 
be. So this Word that was in the 
beginning, this Word that was God, in time, in space, in history, 
comes in the flesh. And while flesh can mean that 
which is dark and sinful and has a tendency to what is evil, 
flesh here simply means He came as a man. He came as a human 
being. He came as a person with both 
body and soul. All that is true of humanity 
was true of this One who became flesh. We have a unique person 
set forth before us here in John's prologue. It truly is sublime, 
it is wondrous, it is glorious to behold this One that was God 
has come in time and in space. Truly, when we sing, veiled in 
flesh, the Godhead seed, hail the incarnate deity, pleased 
as man, with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel, that rightly reflects 
John's prologue. It rightly gets at what the truth 
is set before us here in this particular passage. Interestingly 
enough, Pastor Cam read a parallel passage to what we find here 
in verse 14. If I were to ask you, what did 
Pastor Cam read in worship this morning? I hope you'd all say 
2 Corinthians 8. I hope we're not that forgetful 
that quick. But the apostle does a similar 
thing. The verb is a bit different, 
but the concept and the idea is the same in 2 Corinthians 
8. He says, for you know the grace 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, Though He 
is God, though He possesses all things by virtue of the fact 
that He created them and that He sustains them, that though 
He was rich, the Apostle says, yet for your sakes, He became 
poor. You see, He became what He was 
not, though ever remaining what He always was and ever shall 
be. And the Apostle says the end 
result of this is that you, through His poverty, might become rich. It's a similar convention. It's a similar construction. 
The reality is this. the eternal God, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, in time, in space, in history, according to the language 
of the Apostle in Galatians 4.4, in the fullness of the time, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 
to redeem those who were under the law. It is an amazing reality 
that we witness as we come to the prologue of John's Gospel. And the fact that the Apostle 
here uses the word flesh, Now again, it's not with a sinful 
connotation, but the flesh itself would rub against the grain of 
a Greek audience. Flesh was that which isn't good. 
It is inferior. Well, flesh in and of itself 
is right. God made flesh. God made man. God's war is not against nature 
or creation. It's against sin and rebellion 
and chaos and distortion. So John tells us the Word became 
flesh. The other authors, Matthew and 
Luke specifically, tell us how this came to pass. It was through 
the human efforts, the human vessels rather, of Joseph and 
Mary. They take pains to link Jesus 
and his genealogy with both Abraham and David according to Matthew's 
gospel. And then what does Luke do but 
trace it all the way back to Adam himself? There is a theology 
in Matthew. There is a theology in Luke that 
this one, born of a woman, is the son of David. He is the son 
of Abraham. He is the son of promise. He 
will execute the plan and purpose of his father. He is true Israel 
according to Matthew. And then in Luke's gospel, we 
have, he is the second or the last Adam. The first Adam fails, 
the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, succeeds. So they flesh 
out for us this enfleshment of the Son of God via Mary. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, 
she conceived and bore this baby forth. The Word became flesh. The Old Testament prophesied 
concerning this. Remember Genesis 3.15, that proto-gospel. Who would it be that would crush 
the serpent? It'd be the seed of a woman. When the prophets 
Micah and Isaiah come to announce victory for Israel, they trace 
it back to a manger in Bethlehem, Ephrathah. Just like King David 
was born in that place, so would his greater Son be born in that 
place. The Old Testament Scriptures 
prophesied and testified of a suffering servant, of a man of sorrows, 
and of one acquainted with grief, such that when the fullness of 
the time comes upon us and Christ is born, we ought not to be surprised 
that He is man. Those same scriptures, those 
Old Testament scriptures pointed to His deity as well. Yahweh 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. Psalm 45, your throne of God 
is forever. All these apply to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. What we have take place over 
2,000 years ago, in that manger, in that place, is absolutely 
positive fulfillment of God's prophetic Word. It is to fulfill 
His promises, to save His people from their sins. So that's the 
statement. That's what incarnation literally 
means. The Word became flesh. Now let's look secondly at the 
glory of the Word. He says He dwelt among us. The 
presence of God is with us, is what He's saying. The language 
used here. This dwelt among us is the word 
tabernacled among us. And I think for a specific reason. If you're an old covenant Jew 
and you thought tabernacle, what would you immediately think? 
Presence of God. If you were an old covenant Jew 
and you thought temple, what would be the reality? Presence 
of God. In fact, you can turn back to 
Exodus 25 for just a moment. Exodus chapter 25, specifically 
at verse 8. I want you to see what John is 
doing here in his presentation of the Word who became flesh. 
He tells us that he dwelt among us. Much of what John is saying 
here assumes or presupposes or has in the background these old 
covenant themes, these old covenant concepts and ideas. When John 
will say, for the law came through Moses, but grace and truth came 
through our Lord Jesus, that doesn't mean there was no grace 
and truth under Moses. That doesn't mean there's no 
law under Jesus. He's speaking covenant. He's 
speaking the language of epoch. He's speaking of the in-breaking 
of God's promise and fulfillment in and through the person of 
our Lord Jesus. The law, the old covenant, came 
through Moses. The new covenant comes through 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and he uses and he employs this language 
and imagery of old covenant religion, and he fleshes it out, pardon 
the pun, and shows how it applies in the new covenant church. Exodus 
25, 8. Let them make me a sanctuary 
that I may dwell among them. That's what Exodus is about. Do you know that the bulk of 
Exodus is about God's dwelling? We think of deliverance, and 
we should, the Exodus. We think of demand, and we should, 
Sinai. But we oftentimes neglect dwelling. Why does God deliver? Why does 
God demand? But so that God can dwell with 
His people. 25 to 40 specifies the construction 
of the tabernacle. What's important to the Lord 
according to Exodus, the book of Exodus? Yes, deliverance. 
Yes, demand. But so is dwelling. So is worship. So is the body of Christ coming 
together. This gives us an understanding 
to Psalm 87. The Lord loves the gates of Zion 
more than all the dwellings of Jacob. There is something unique 
and something special and something glorious when God's people, covenanted 
together, meet with their Redeemer King. And here specifically he 
says, according to all that I show you, that is the pattern of the 
tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so 
you shall make it. And then dropping down to verse 
21, you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the 
ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you, and there 
I will meet with you. You ever stop and ponder that? It just becomes old hat, doesn't 
it? We just read that and we don't stop. I, the living and 
true God, I, the creator of all things, I, the illuminator of 
all things, I, the one who sustains all things, will meet with you 
in that tent that is put up by your hands." John is saying this in his prologue. We beheld his glory. What happens when the tabernacle 
is constructed? What happens when the temple 
is constructed? Perhaps you've heard that Hebrew 
word before, Shekinah. When the people of God assemble 
together in the place of God's own choosing, and God comes to 
meet with them, it is, as the biblical authors testify, His 
Shekinah glory dwelling among them. John is saying this. He dwelt among us, just like 
the tabernacle was the meeting place of God, just like the temple 
was the meeting place of God. When you see this Word who became 
flesh, what do you behold but the meeting place of God? He 
says in verse 21, you shall put the mercy seat on top of the 
ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will 
give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with 
you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim 
which are on the ark of the testimony about everything which I will 
give you in commandment to the children of Israel. It's a beautiful 
statement in the prophet Ezekiel. You can turn to Ezekiel chapter 
11, specifically in verse 16. Do you remember the situation 
in Ezekiel? The people of God, the covenant 
community, the people of Judah, are in exile. Their city's been 
destroyed, their temple's been destroyed, and as a result there's 
discouragement in the hearts of the people. The faithful people, 
the remnant people, the believing people. Certainly there were 
those who couldn't care one whit. All they were concerned about 
was their three hots and a cot. But for the faithful people of 
God Most High, they were curious. With our temple gone, does that 
mean our God is gone? Enter the prophet Ezekiel. We 
see God's chariot. We see His battle throne on wheels. That is to testify and tell us 
something. That He's not presently located 
in Jerusalem. Wherever God's people are, He 
will roll that battle chariot there and be in their midst. 
And that's what he says in Ezekiel 11, 16. Therefore say, thus says 
the Lord God, although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, 
and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet 
I shall be a little sanctuary for them. I shall be a little 
holy place for them in the countries where they have gone. The absence 
of the temple does not mean the absence of your God. John's employing 
this language of He dwelt among us. He tabernacled among us. He was in our midst. The word 
means to live in a tent, to settle. The flesh of Christ is the new 
localized presence of God on the earth. Jesus is the fulfillment 
for which the temple and the tabernacle stood. This One who 
was with God, this One who is God, has come and tabernacled 
among us. He in the flesh, when you behold 
Him, you behold all the glory of God. John 1.18, he says that, 
right? No one has seen God at any time. 
But the only Son, the one who resides in His bosom, He has 
exegeted. He has declared Him. There's 
that interesting spot in John's Gospel in the upper room discourse, 
when Philip says, show us the Father. What is Jesus' response? Have I been with you this long 
and you still don't understand? If you have seen me, you've seen 
the Father. The apostle is setting before 
you the glory of Christ. He is God. Veiled in flesh, the 
Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, 
Jesus our Emmanuel. To use the language of John Calvin, 
the Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men 
could become the sons of God. Christ became flesh, He dwelt 
among us, and now notice what He goes on to say, and we beheld 
His glory. The primary emphasis, I think, 
in all of this is on revelation. It is the fact that God has sent 
His Son, and through His Son, He is revealing Himself forever. In other words, the New Covenant, 
the Scriptures, Christ and his apostles, Jesus comes as revealer. That's not the only reason, and 
we'll investigate a few other things along the way. But what 
he says, we beheld his glory. Again, the idea there is the 
Shekinah, the tabernacle, the temple. Remember that instance 
in Leviticus chapter 10? We often think about Nadab and 
Abihu dying before the presence of the Lord for offering strange 
fire to Him. And we should think about that. 
We ought to be very careful about the way we approach this living 
and true God. We don't wander into His presence and just say, 
hey you, bless me. We don't offer a profane fire 
to the Lord the way that Nadab and Abihu did. For chapters 1 
to 9, they were told in explicit detail what to offer before Yahweh. Chapter 10, they get a bee in 
their bonnet, they throw a little strange fire in their censers, 
they present it unto the Lord, the Lord sends fire down, not 
to consume their offering, but to consume them. You see, just 
prior to that, in Leviticus 9, they offer a legitimate sacrifice. And it says that fire comes down 
from the presence of the Lord and consumes the sacrifice, and 
the people shout! That's the glory cloud! That's 
the Shekinah! That's the presence of God! This 
is why in the prophet Haggai, the old timers were wiping tears 
from their face, because the second temple lost something 
of the beauty and the grandeur and the majesty of Solomon's 
temple. The old timers were saying, it's 
not the same, it's different, it lacks the glory. John is saying, 
we beheld his glory. And I know that some of the translations 
use C. The idea of beheld speaks better. I see people on a given day, 
and this is going to sound terrible, but I behold the majesty of God 
in the creation. I know that sounds terrible. 
I behold my wife. I see lots of people during the 
day, but I behold her. The word could go both ways, 
beheld or see. It's a good call to translate 
it as behold. We beheld His glory. We witnessed 
it. We saw it. We verified it. We confirmed it. We affirmed 
it. We worshipped as a result of 
it. When Christ does His signs and 
wonders, what is it but to behold His glory? When Christ raises 
Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11, what is it but to 
behold His glory? What is it when we beheld His 
glory when He went to the cross on our behalf? What is it when 
we saw that empty tomb, but to behold His glory? He dwelt among 
us and we saw with our own eyes the glorious things that He had 
done. Even though the Word becomes 
flesh, He never ceases to be what He was. He never ceases 
to be what He'll always be. Very God of very God. Now, notice 
what John says. Verse 14. The Word became flesh 
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. And then he specifies 
in two ways specifically, we saw His glory. We beheld His 
glory, one, as of the only begotten of the Father, and two, full 
of grace and truth. Now, it could be a bit subordinate, 
but I'm going to take them as coordinate thoughts. John says, 
we beheld His glory, first of all, as of the only begotten 
of the Father. It's a powerful statement. This 
is where I suggested or where I said earlier that many today, 
evangelicals and Reformed, are messing with the truth of God's 
Holy Word that we ought not to mess with. Your Bibles probably 
translate, or some of your Bibles translate, unique or only son. And that's legit. That's what 
the word means. And as a result, some have suggested 
that because it's not only begotten, we must reject this concept of 
what's called the eternal generation of the son. Though this particular verse 
may not substantiate the doctrine on its own, it's certainly useful 
in the argument. We are not to jettison the reality 
of the eternal generation of the Son. And what do I mean by 
that? The Confession of Faith deals 
with it, the Nicene Creed deals with it, which I'll quote in 
just a moment. The idea of eternal generation 
simply exists to highlight the differentiation between the Father 
and the Son. Sometimes people hear this idea 
of eternal generation, which it's modified by eternal. I don't 
know how we can mess that up. But we hear about generation 
or begotten. And we think, well, as human 
beings, when we beget a child, that means that child has a beginning. And then we reason from the creature 
to the creator. May I suggest that's a very faulty 
way of argument. We are not to reason from us 
to God. This happens with things like 
God's suffering, and God weeping, and God dying, and all those 
sorts of things. We reason from ourselves to God 
when the Scripture doesn't do that. The Scripture presents 
God as Holy Other, as transcendent, as all-powerful, all-glorious, 
sovereign in His majesty. But the idea of eternal generation 
is there to highlight the differences between the Father and the Son. 
We see that in John 1.1. In the beginning was the Word. 
The Word was with God. There's distinction between the 
persons. There is a Father, there is a 
Son. But in their essential unity, 
the Word was God. You see, the Bible teaches that 
there is one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the idea of eternal generation 
is there to show us something of the relationship between the 
Father and the Son. The generation, or the spiration, 
or the procession, rather, of the Spirit shows us the differentiation 
between Father, Son, and Spirit. It seems to me that when we jettison 
the doctrine of eternal generation, there are dire consequences that 
we reap. And interestingly enough, The 
men in charge, or the men who authorized the creedal statement 
at Nicaea, were protecting against the very things that people say, 
if you hold that, it will lead to. No. Nicaea was designed to 
refute Arianism. So the doctrine of eternal generation 
cannot be Arian. I've probably confused everybody 
here. Just pay attention. Don't tune out. I would be remiss 
if I didn't deal with this. This is the representative position 
in a lot of evangelical reform. I don't want to say a lot of 
reform. a denial of the eternal generation 
of the Son. And it's interesting. I don't 
know if this is a necessary corollary, but those who deny eternal generation 
end up with a subordination. They end up with a son subordinate 
to the father. Eternal generation does not lead 
to that. In fact, let me quote a man, 
Giles. He says, Athanasius, who, by 
the way, whenever I study the incarnation of the person of 
Christ, Athanasius was a hero. Athanasius was a solid man. He 
was a true, sure guide. Fought against Arianism. Fought 
against those who denied the deity of our Lord Jesus. Fought 
those who said there was a time when the sun was not. Athanasius 
was a dear brother in the Lord. He's going to be one of those 
men that we're going to rejoice to meet at the marriage supper 
of the Lamb. Giles 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. That's 
what the language was designed to protect. The deity of Christ 
and the difference between the persons of the Father and the 
Son. To jettison that is not a good 
thing. Nicea is an important creed. The Athanasian is an important 
creed. The Chalcedonian creed is important. You say, well, you know, those 
guys just didn't know. That's some of the argument that's 
going on today. The Greek doesn't do what they 
say it does. They were Greek. That was their 
language. To say that we in the 21st century 
know Greek better than a Greek speaker in the 3rd century or 
the 4th century seems a bit of a stretch. Interestingly enough, 
the fathers, according to Giles, never went to the Johannine epistles 
with that word monogenes, which is only begotten. They never, 
never hung that doctrine on that. Sometimes people say, well, it's 
not explicitly taught in the scripture. There's not one verse 
that says what you Christians say it says concerning this thing. That is a faulty method as well. If you take your Bible concordance 
out and you look up the word Trinity, you will not find it 
there. But when you turn from Genesis 
and you read through Revelation, you can't escape the Trinity. 
You can't miss the Trinity. You can't avoid the Trinity. 
Just be mindful of the fact that the Nicene Creed, in my estimation, 
is right and our confession of faith is right to protect this 
doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son in order to provide 
an argument for the full divinity of our Lord Jesus and to bring 
differentiation between the persons of the Father and the Son. You 
see, they weren't only arguing against Arianism, but they're 
arguing against modalism. God isn't this sort of a being 
who was the Father, became the Son, and now He's the Spirit. 
That is heresy as well. It is represented today by Oneness 
Pentecostals. Unless he has repented, it is 
the theology or the Christology of T.D. Jakes. This is not to 
be embraced. It is not to be cozied up to. 
It is rather a denial of the truth of God. If it wasn't a 
big deal, we wouldn't mention names. But if you do not believe, 
Jesus says, that I am, you will die in your sins. I don't know 
of any other place that Jesus says such a statement concerning 
a particular truth. He doesn't say, unless you believe 
that postmillennialism is right, you will die in your sins. Unless 
you believe that a baptist ecclesiology is right, you will die in your 
sins. Unless you believe that infant baptism is right, you 
will die. He doesn't do that. But I said at the outset, please 
pay attention. Christology is everything for 
us. Is that what we're about? Is 
that what defines us? Isn't that what everything is 
to the Christian? Is it Jesus? Is it Savior? 2 
John 9 tells us in very clear language, whoever transgresses 
and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine 
of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If you don't have 
this doctrine of Christ, you're in a bad place. Jesus' glory 
was beheld in the fact that He is the only begotten of the Father. He is divine. He is God. He is glorious. The Nicene Creed 
says, I believe 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, who for us men and for our salvation 
came down from heaven. That's what it's about. It's 
the purpose for the incarnation. Listen to the Nicene Creed. Who 
for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. Why does 
He do this? Why does the One who is the eternal 
Word, who is God Himself in time, space and history become flesh? Who for us men and for our salvation 
came down from heaven. Isn't that beautiful? and was 
incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made 
man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered, 
was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the 
Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right 
hand of the Father. He shall come again with glory 
to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end." 
Our confession speaks this way concerning the distinction between 
the Father and the Son. In this divine and infinite being, 
there are three subsistences. If big words scare you, get over 
it. You see, one of the things that 
faced the early church was finding words and vocabulary to capture 
biblical truth and concept and present them in creedal form. See, today often we're just too 
lazy to spend the time to type it into dictionary.com. We played 
Boggle last night. We haven't done that for a long 
time. And my wife or I occasionally try to sneak in a word. I think 
hers was chew. C-H-O-O. It's the word that represents 
the sound that a train makes. You see, I got moo. It is the 
word that represents the sound that a cow makes. Moo's legit. You know, oftentimes, if you're 
playing these word games, you're often just too lazy to get up 
and go get a dictionary. Have you ever had that? Nah, 
I don't even want to look it up. I'll give you chew. And then 
we operate in the assumption that chew's a word. Well, I got 
a phone with dictionary.com. I don't even have to get up anymore. 
I don't have to go four feet and grab the dictionary. Christians, 
there's so many resources at your disposal. There's so much 
embodiment of truth written for your edification. Very often 
an exegetical help is dictionary.com. What's a subsistence? Type it 
in. You'll find out. Pull the confession 
of faith off the shelf and read it alongside of your scriptures 
on a daily basis. Commit January 1st, God Most 
High, help me to take seriously the study of your word. Help 
me to read scripture and help me to understand truth. If, as 
we saw on Wednesday night, part of a worthy walk before the Lord 
is increasing in the knowledge of God, then there's no excuse 
for our laziness, there's no excuse for our neglect, there 
is no excuse for us to reject the many things that God has 
supplied for our growth in grace and in the knowledge of His dear 
Son. The early church faced the necessity 
of using human language to conceptualize, embody, and present the truth 
of Holy Scripture. When you read discussions concerning 
the Trinity, you're going to need to look up a word or two. 
That's okay. If you wanted to plant vegetables 
in your backyard, you'd need to look up a word or two. If 
you want to study mathematics at university, you're going to 
have to look up a word or two. If you want to be good in your 
business situation, or you want to be a good housewife, and make 
good food, you're going to have to look up a word or two. If 
you want to function in daily society, very often, you're going 
to have to look up a word or two. Why is it such a chore for 
Christians to look up a word or two? Oh, these big words! Oh, these big words! Big words 
are the vehicles by which God puts truth in our heads and hearts. They are the vehicles loaded 
down with good things about our God. Our confession says in this 
divine and infinite being there are three subsistences, 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 preceding. The Son is eternally begotten 
of the Father. It is designed to show us and 
to demonstrate us what differentiates the Father from the Son, what 
differentiates the Spirit from the Father and the Son. It is 
simply wrong and heretical to say, Father, thank you for dying 
for us on the cross. The Father didn't die for us 
on the cross. Jesus died for us on the cross. 
Now, I'm not just saying that if you make a mistake, you're 
going to cross the threshold of hell, but so often we're so 
sloppy in the way that we think concerning these truths. And 
there really isn't a reason for it. We study the Confession on 
Sunday mornings. You know, every year, probably, 
you're going to get hit with chapter 2. You're going to get 
hit with chapter 7. You're going to hear about the 
person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are good 
things. If, as Jesus says, if you do 
not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. We ought to 
say, I want to know what he is. I want to know who he is. I want 
to know what he does. I'm going to spend my time and 
energy pursuing those things because it's good. So that's 
the way we beheld His glory according to the Apostle. But then notice, 
we beheld His glory full of grace and truth. I'm going to ask you 
to turn back again to Exodus. Exodus 33. Remember, John is filling us 
with Old Testament concepts, isn't he? He became flesh, he 
dwelt among us, he tabernacled among us. We've already looked 
at Exodus 25 to see that concept of tabernacle. We've already 
looked at Ezekiel 11, concept of tabernacle. We've alluded 
to the temple under Solomon. Once he prays, he dedicates, 
the Shekinah glory comes down. John says, when we looked at 
this one, this Word became flesh, we beheld His glory. We saw His 
divinity shining forth through His incarnation. We saw Him as 
the only begotten Son of God. But as well, something that uniquely 
described Him, something that is essential to His character, 
is grace and truth. Remember back in Exodus 33. Moses 
says in verse 18, please show me your glory. That's a good request, isn't 
it? Show me your glory. Think John, we beheld his glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Notice, God says, verse 19, 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. And then drop down, verse 5 of 
34. Now the Lord descended in the 
cloud and stood within there and proclaimed the name of the 
Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, This is a 
demonstration of His glory. God is passing by Moses' servant. He has hidden him safely in the 
cleft of the rock. He's not going to shine His face 
upon him, but Moses rather is going to get a glimpse as he 
passes by. 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 the fourth generation. John says essentially the same 
thing that Moses witnessed when Yahweh passes by. John says that 
in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we 
have the embodiment of grace and truth. Just like Moses witnessed 
Yahweh's pass, so we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten 
of the Father, and this One who is full, not partial, but He's 
full of grace and truth. Carson says, the glory revealed 
to Moses when the Lord passed in front of him and sounded his 
name, displaying that divine goodness characterized by ineffable 
grace and truth, was the very same glory John and his friends 
saw in the Word made flesh. If you understand John 1, there's 
a sense where it's terrifying. God says you can't behold my 
glory and live. I'm going to hide you in the 
cleft of the rock. There is a veil placed before 
Moses. There's a veil placed on Moses' 
face when he goes and he stands before the children of Israel 
because the face is shining so brightly they can't bear to look. 
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. describes his essential attributes. He is full. He is full of grace 
and truth. As I said earlier, there is that 
covenantal theme that is running through here. Just as Jesus is 
the true tabernacle, John 1, 14, Jesus is the mediator of 
the new covenant. The law came by Moses, but grace 
and truth, same words that we have in verse 14, came by Jesus 
Christ. What is John saying? He is saying 
what Warfield said, that I quoted earlier. John's prologue traces 
the whole history of the recreation of a dead world into newness 
of life. The true tabernacle of God, the 
mediator of the New Covenant, is the Word, who became flesh, 
and who dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory. We saw 
it. We basked in it. We delighted 
in it. We reveled in it. We adored Him 
as a result of it. And now John, under the power 
and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, takes Pam to write concerning 
it. Brethren, from this we learn 
three things and then we close. First, the person of Christ. 
He is the unique link between heaven and earth. He is the one 
alone that can save us from our sins. His divinity is displayed. His humanity is displayed. His position with the Father 
is displayed. He is the glorious God of heaven 
and earth, become flesh for us men and for our salvation. Watson puts it this way, 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." 
It is the mystery of the incarnation. Secondly, For a moment, we look 
at verse 1. We see that in the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
We look at verse 10, and we see that He was in the world. And 
we ask the question, how did this come to pass? And verse 
14 satisfies that answer, or that question. The Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us. If then, logically, we ask, why 
does He do this? I've already alluded to it in 
the Nicene Creed. For us men and for our salvation. 
Just a couple of thoughts concerning the Incarnation. There's a lot 
to be said. Notice Joel Beakey just wrote 
a book. Man writes a lot of books. Thirty-one meditations on the 
Incarnation. Others have written books on 
why did Jesus come? You know, some have answered 
that question to be a political liberator. You know, you've got 
Jesus, like Che Guevara. No. Jesus is the founder of a 
new sect and a new religion. No. Jesus is a revolutionary. Armed Jesus. No. Just a couple 
of thoughts concerning the Incarnation. He took on the nature of man 
to redeem man. Hebrews 2.17. He does not take 
on angels, but he takes on Abraham's seed. He was touched by our weakness. He was tempted in all points 
like we are, yet without sin. He obeyed the law of God perfectly. Remember at the baptism of our 
Lord Jesus, John says, no, I should be baptized by you. Jesus says, 
permit it for now. It is necessary to fulfill all 
righteousness. Hebrews 10 cites this also. The upper room discourse, the 
Lord Christ says, I have finished. the work that you gave me to 
do." Every step of his earthly life was marked by his obedience 
to the Father's will. Do you know why he did that? 
It was for us men and for our salvation, because every step 
that we take is not an obedience in accord with God's will, but 
it is to run from God's will. We need a champion. We need a 
victor. We need one who in our stead 
obeys the law perfectly. And He does that. My meat is 
to do the will of Him who sent me. I have food that you know 
nothing about. I always do that which is pleasing 
to my Father. Do you think Jesus is doing that 
in order to have people pat Him on the back? He's expressing 
one aspect of His divine mission. Somebody must fulfill the law 
of God. And as Christians, as believers, 
isn't it a joy to realize that aspect? The Confession or the 
Catechism speaks of it as the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Only that which could be imputed 
was that which was accomplished. He fulfilled everything. I rejoice 
in that. Machen rejoiced in that. You 
know, the dying words of that dear brother on his deathbed 
was, I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ because 
there's no hope without it. You see, we need forgiveness. 
Christ answers to that. But we need a righteousness. 
Christ answers to that. Peto says that the old covenant, 
the Mosaic covenant, functioned as a covenant of works for Jesus. What Adam fails in the garden 
to do in terms of the covenant of works, it's republished at 
Sinai specifically for the Lord Christ so that he can fulfill 
all righteousness and obey the Father. We need that. If you ever look at your own 
life, try to keep the Sabbath today holy. Try to do that. Try. Try to have no thought other 
than holy thoughts. Try to have no conversation other 
than holy conversation. Try to think about what I'm saying, 
even now, for a day. I think Calvin was right. Sabbath-keeping shows us our 
need for the Sabbath-keeper quintessential, the Lord Christ. He suffered in our place. You 
see, we not only need the righteousness of Christ, the act of obedience, 
we need that imputed to us, received by faith alone, we need forgiveness, 
don't we? You ever prayed through the commandments? 
Sometimes people say, Martin Luther was an antinomian, he 
didn't want anything to do with the law of God. Well, he'd pray 
through those ten commandments. And he'd stop along the way and 
confess his sins to the Lord God Almighty. You ever do that? You ever think about the first 
commandment, you shall have no other gods before me? You ever 
thought, well, I'm not out worshipping sticks and stones, I'm not constructed 
idols, vis-a-vis the second commandment. Do you ever stop to think how 
often you worship yourself? How often self comes before everything, 
everybody, before God? You ever considered the reality 
that in each and every step of the way in the Decalogue, we 
are guilty, vile, and helpless. We are sinful through and through. What does Paul say? He was delivered 
up because of our offenses. He was put on that cross not 
because He was a sinner. He was put on that cross not 
because He was a criminal. He was put on that cross because 
we're sinners and we're criminals and we've offended a holy God. 
And unless there is blood atonement, there is no remission from sin. 
The blood of bulls and goats can never take away sin, so God 
sends His Son, and John the Baptist says, Behold, the Lamb of God, 
who takes away the sin of the world. What was the purpose of 
the Lamb in the Old Covenant situation? It was to get its 
throat cut and to be burned before the living and true God. That's 
what happens with Christ. That's what it's about. That's 
why Jesus came. It wasn't just to make you feel 
warm a couple of times of the year. He was delivered up because 
of our sins. God heaped upon Him our sin. 
2 Corinthians 5.21 puts it in ways that an uninspired man wouldn't 
put it. Nobody outside of inspiration 
would say, God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. I'd be afraid to write such things 
if Paul hadn't first. God made him who knew no sin 
to be sin for us. So that when the wrath and fury 
and judgment of God came upon him, he was punishing us in his 
stead. He was taking the punishment 
due to us in our stead. That's glorious. That's what 
it's about. For us men, and for our salvation, 
He came down from heaven. And He was raised, according 
to Paul, in that same passage, for our justification. Why did Christ come? To save 
us from our sins. Why did Christ come? To fulfill 
the law. to die as a substitute and a 
sacrifice, and to rise on the third day to ascend into glory 
where He ever lives for His people. Watson comments on that 2 Corinthians 
8, 9 passage in unison with the incarnation. He says, he was 
poor that he might make us rich. He was born of a virgin that 
we might be born of God. He took our flesh that he might 
give us his spirit. He lay in the manger that we 
might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven that 
he might bring us to heaven. And what was all this but love? 
If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect 
us. Behold, love that passes knowledge." 
Well, if you are here this morning and you've not come to this Lord 
Jesus Christ, it is a great privilege to be able to say, Believe. Believe in Him. This is the purpose 
that John wrote this letter, or this gospel. The prologue, 
the life, the ministry, the crucifixion, the resurrection, all of that 
John's endgame is told us in John 20, 30, and 31. 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. Don't leave today without 
believing that. Believe on the Lord Jesus, believe 
that He is the Christ, believe that He is the Son of God, and 
that believing you may have life in His name. That's what the 
Gospel is. Christ's life, death, and resurrection. All those who believe will have 
everlasting life. Payson says, reflecting on Isaiah 
9.6, "...admire Him as wonderful, consult Him as Counselor, adore 
Him as God, be born of Him as your everlasting Father, and 
submit to Him as the Prince of Peace. Believe according to the 
Gospel of John, and you will have everlasting life. Let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word and for Your grace and Your mercy. We thank You 
for the Lord Jesus, the incarnate Word, and how we bless you and 
praise you that this One who is God became flesh, that He 
dwelt among us, that His glory was beheld, that He is the only 
begotten of the Father. He is full of grace and truth. 
We pray that grace and truth would be poured out today in 
the churches. We pray that by the power of your Spirit you 
would bring forth sinners and that you would save a great multitude 
that no man can number. We pray that You would bless 
and encourage and strengthen Your sheep, cause us to be faithful 
to Him who loved us, to Him who gave Himself for us. And we ask 
this in His most blessed name. Amen.