Christ the Word
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Introduction: This verse tells us three things about the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. That he who was and is God became man.
2. That he dwelt among us full of grace and truth.
3. That it was in his graciousness and truthfulness that we beheld his glory.
Hebrews 1: 1-3
God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory and express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Notice that Jesus is said to be the express image of God’s person. The idea is of a seal of wax into which a king would push his ring, the image on the ring being pushed into the wax so anyone looking at the seal would clearly see the image on the ring. Thus Jesus is the pushed out image of the invisible God. This is brought out by the Lord himself in:
John 14: 8-9
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how saith thou then, Shew us the Father?
Also note that God spoke at first by representatives, man failed to heed his ambassadors, he sent at the last, his Son, proving the depth of man’s rebellion. Matthew 21: 33-45 tells the story of the man who leased a vineyard from which the tenants withheld the fruits. The owner started the process by sending servants, when that failed he sent his son, saying “surely they will reverence my son”.
Four things Jesus revealed the Father’s thoughts on
1. His thoughts on man. John 3: 3-6; 19; 36.
Man is of a sinful nature, Flesh; Ephesians 2:1-3. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: among whom we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2. His thoughts toward man. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3. His thoughts toward sin in man.
a. Sin had to be taken away, man cannot cleanse himself.
John 1: 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Ephesians 2: 8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.
b. His nature must be changed or man cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3: 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4. His thoughts on the problem with man. John 3: 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Conclusion:
Jesus, who is God come in human flesh to speak for God and express God’s mind to man, has given his assessment of the situation. To reject his testimony is to reject God himself. John 3: 33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. To have our sins forgiven and be fit for heaven we must acknowledge that God’s estimation of us is correct and that we need a savior. Jesus is that Savior, He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. It is a personal decision that each must make; our eternal destiny depends on that decision.