"Grace" Sermon: John 1:14-18

“Grace”
[John 1:14-18]
June 18, 2009 Old First Presbyterian Church

This morning, we conclude the introduction to John’s Gospel. So far we have seen that the Word, Jesus, is God. Then we saw that Jesus came into the world and was rejected by most, but to those who received Him, He gave them the right to become children of God.

John begins in verse fourteen by telling us that the Word, God the Son, incarnate – He became flesh and dwelt among humans. Understand, John is not saying that God indwelt a man – God indwells believers, now, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, but that is not what John is talking about. John is telling us that God became a man. God, in the Person of the Son became a real human being, with a real human nature, and a real human will. How can this be? It’s one of the mysteries of the faith: the Incarnate God is at the same time both wholly God and wholly human – He is One Person with two natures and two wills.

Paul wrote, “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: [Jesus] was manifested in the flesh” (I Timothy 3:16a, ESV).

How the Son of God became a human is a mystery, but why He became a human has been revealed to us. The Word incarnated so He would be able to be an example to us of holy living and growth in the faith. As Luke tells us, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, ESV). In His Humanity, Jesus lived under the Law and grew, and He is an example to us of the holy life that we are called to live.

More importantly, in an eternal sense, the Word incarnated so He would be able to suffer and die for the sins and the sake of all those who would believe in Him. God cannot suffer or die – the only way that He could suffer and die – and survive – is if He is both fully God and fully human, which is why He had to incarnate to save us.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV).

John tells us that in becoming human, the Word exhibited His Glory, Grace, and Truth for all who would see and receive it. Even though Jesus is a human being, He is also the One Almighty God at the same time, so when the people interacted with Jesus, those who were willing to receive Him could see the supreme excellencies of His Divine Nature coming through.

As we read the Scripture, we can see some of those as well, even though Jesus is not here in His Physical Body any more. We can understand that Jesus, the Son of God, before the foundation of the world willing gave Himself to be the sacrifice for His people – how great is His Love for all those who will believe We can understand – in the sense of understanding a mystery – that Jesus is wholly God and wholly Human, and there is no way He could be our Savior unless He is both. We can understand that He lived a perfect and holy life under the Law of God – He is sinless, and, therefore, was able to be our Substitute on the cross.

Then John gives us a parenthesis about John the Baptist – Jesus’ cousin – and tells us that John the Baptist said that Jesus is of a higher rank than he, because Jesus existed before him. What is John telling us? John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus, so he is not talking about their physical birth. What he is talking about is the fact that Jesus existed before He existed in Mary’s womb. John and John the Baptist are confessing that Jesus is the Divine – He is God. As Paul wrote, “For in [Jesus] the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9, ESV).

John does not want us to forget or be confused: the Word is the Son of God, Jesus, the One Almighty God. He was and is and will always be the One God, fully Divine and Holy. And, at the same time, in a way that is a mystery to us, when the Word incarnated on earth some two thousand years ago, He became – while remaining God – He became a real, complete, full human being – Jesus of Nazareth. The Incarnation is a mystery, but we must understand – John wants us to begin and to hold on to the understanding that the Incarnate Word is One Person, completely and unconfusedly God and, at the same time, a real, entirely human being like us. And He must be to be our Example, our Substitute, and our Savior.

John continues by saying, “And from his fulness we have all received, grace upon grace.” This means two things: it means that Jesus gives us “new” grace to replace the “old” grace – we continually receive grace: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV). It also tells us that God does not merely hand out “one” grace at a time, but heaps grace upon us – grace upon grace. God will not be outdone in the love and the mercy that He shows to His people. Thanks be to God!

John continues by telling us that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Moses. God prophesied to Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I have command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18, ESV). The prophet, Jesus, is the fulfillment of the prophet, Moses.

Moses gave humanity the Law, which exposes our sin – it makes it clear to us that every mere human being is a sinner. As Paul wrote, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7, ESV). Jesus Christ gives us grace and truth and pays our debts and credits us with His Righteousness.

After stating this, it seems like John takes a detour by telling us “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” But it really isn’t a detour: who is John talking about? He’s talking about God, the One and Only God, the God Who is at the Father’s Side. Who is that? He is not talking about God the Father – this One is at the Father’s Side. He talking about the Word, the Son of God, Who incarnated, becoming the Man, Christ Jesus.

So what is John telling us about Jesus in verse eighteen? Remember what Jesus said, “God is spirit” (John 4:24a, ESV). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, existed eternally before the Creation and they were a spirit. Neither the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit had a body or material form prior to the Creation – and the Father and the Holy Spirit still do not – neither of them ever became a human. But the Son did.

What John is telling us is that God made God known to us through the Incarnation of the Son. No one had ever seen God before the Son came to earth. But through God’s Grace and Love and Mercy, God did come to earth. God did become a human. God did make Himself visibly known to humans. And, not only that, He saved us.

Let us be amazed at what God has done. Let us be amazed that God chose to incarnate as a human being. Let us be amazed that God chose to suffer and die for our sin and credit His Righteousness to us that we who believe would live eternally with Him. Let us never lose the sense of wonder we first had when we came to believe that Jesus is the God-Man.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that the Son chose to incarnate. We thank You that He has become an example to us and our Salvation. Help us to hold fast to the mystery of the Incarnation, and may we be eternally lost in wonder at what You have done for us and how You have done it. For to You belongs all the praise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.