Let us turn again to the Word of God and I want to turn back to the verse we were considering last Lord's Day evening in the opening chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. That remarkable 14th verse that we find here at the beginning of this remarkable Gospel.

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. Last time we sought to say something with regards to the glory. of the Lord Jesus Christ, that parenthesis that we have in the middle clause, the bracketed words, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.

So we endeavored to say something with regards to that glory of One who is the only begotten, the Eternal Son, of the Eternal Father but also we went on to say something with regards to how he was manifested in the flesh, the word was made flesh says John and dwelt among us so we considered that great mystery of the incarnation the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh.

I said that the first, the greatest of all the mysteries is the mystery of God. One God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost are one in essence. And yet they are distinct in person. But then that second mystery that is like unto it, When we think of the person of the Lord Jesus, that in that one person there are those two distinct natures. He is God and he is man, no intermingling or intermixing of the natures, and yet in everything that he does, He is the eternal Son of God, manifest in the flesh. He's the God-Man.

So we spoke of that great mystery of the Incarnation. And then finally, sort of say something with regards to the graciousness of His ministry, how He was full of grace and truth. The law was given by Moses We read at verse 17, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Nothing wrong with the law, the law is holy, the commandment holy and just and good. But though the law to us is that awful ministration of death and of condemnation, we cannot measure up to the demands of the law of God. No salvation there by the law is the knowledge of sin, but grace and truth have come. by and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we sought to say something of the gracious work that he accomplished here upon the earth. When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons. believers are the sons of God, our God's sons by adoption. And of course the wonderful thing is that their adoption is rooted in the eternal sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 1 the Apostle speaks of how God has predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. God has many sons. Believers are the sons of God. They come into an experience of their sonship, that spirit of adoption. when they're born again by the Spirit born from above. So they experience what it is then to be a son of God, that they're adopted sons.

And John says again, doesn't he, in that first epistle which we were reading from earlier in the third chapter, he says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. for we shall see Him as He is. There's a relationship between the believer's adoption and Christ's Sonship. But Christ's Sonship is so unique, He is the Eternal Son. He is that One who is eternally begotten of the Father, the Son of the Father in truth and in love. And we just sang those words in the metrical version of Psalm 2 concerning that Sonship. Thou art my son, says God. This day have I begotten thee. This day, this day. This implies neither yesterday nor tomorrow, but always a present time. Always a present time. This day.

What Luther says concerning it, neither did he begin to be born, nor will he ever cease to be born. He is ever being born. It is an eternal sonship. and the wonder of it the glory of it this is what John says here in the text we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father I want us to turn again for a little while to these words tonight and to remember that this Glory that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ is for His Church.

I said last time how I was so struck recently how that verse in 1 Corinthians 2.7 came to me with such remarkable power. I must have read it many a time and yet it was as if I'd never read it before. those words where Paul speaks and says concerning his ministry he's speaking about his ministry in that second chapter and he declares we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery which God ordained before the world for our glory the glory of Christ is for our glory, the mystery of the Incarnation for our glory. Because in everything that the Lord Jesus Christ did here upon earth, He was a public person. In everything He is the head of His body, the Church. From His birth, right through His life, to His death, to His resurrection, to His ascension, He is united to his people, everything is for them, for our glory. The glories of Christ are those that belong then to the people of God.

And I thought it might be profitable to come back and to try to say a little more concerning this remarkable text of Holy Scripture. Thinking first of all then of Christ as that one who dwells amongst his people. The Word was made flesh, it says, and dwelt among us. The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Christ's physical coming, it was real. he was made flesh and the expression made flesh refers of course to the blessed truth of the reality of his human nature what's spoken of in Luke 1 is that holy thing remember Luke 1.35 the words of the angel to Mary The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The holy thing, that's his human body, that's his human soul, the real man. And that human nature joined to the person of the eternal Son of God. That holy thing shall be called the Son of God. What a mystery is that! All the wonder of what God has done in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the reality of that human nature is true humanity.

When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law. He's made of a woman. The woman was first in the transgression. And yet here we see what an honored place the woman has. His very human nature is derived from his virgin mother. He has no human father, he has a real human mother. She's with child conceived by the Holy Ghost. He is the one who is declared, of course, back in Genesis 3.15 to be the seed of the woman. But a real man this, a true man, the great mystery. And all of this is such a wonderful revelation of God. All the persons of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost are to be seen there in what's is taking place in the Incarnation. The Father is there. Think of the language of Hebrews 10 verse 5 when He comes into the world. He said, Offering and sacrifice thou wouldest not, but the body hast thou prepared me. Here is the Son addressing His Father. In Hebrews, of course, we see that He is the fulfillment, He is the great antitype of all those types and figures and shadows that we have in the Old Testament.

And He says to the Father, when He cometh into the world, offering and sacrifice thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me. The Father prepared the body, but how was the body prepared? Well, we've already referred to those words in Luke 1.35. It's by the ministry of the Holy Ghost. As the angel says to Mary, the Holy Ghost shall come upon them. She's with child, conceived by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is there.

But of course it is God the Son who became a man. And for as much as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, we read, he likewise became partakers of the same. Verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took upon him the seed of Abram. He's the seed of the woman, he's the seed of Abram, he's the seed of David. he's made a little lower than the angels for the sufferings of death all the great the great wonder of it all how he has become a man

and of course we have that remarkable opening chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews that great opening section of Hebrews God, who at sundry times and in diverse manner spake in time 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 also he made the worlds, who, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. being made so much better than the angels.

It's only a short chapter, it's just fourteen verses, and yet after these opening verses we find the Apostle quoting nine texts from the Old Testament that all speak of the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says at verse five, unto which of the angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten." The words that we have there in the psalm. Psalm 2 and verse 7. And again, I will be to him a father, he shall be to me a son. The language of 2 Samuel 7, 14. And again when He brings us in the first begotten into the world, He said, and let all the angels of God worship Him. quoting Deuteronomy 32, 43.

What remarkable texts these are. The angels worship him. He's never anything less than true almighty God and yet when he comes, he comes into the world as a real man. That is the great mystery. That is the great mystery. and so here we have these remarkable statements in the beginning of the chapter in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not just flow so easily off the tongue and yet how profound it all is.

We need to think upon these things, to meditate in these precious truths. Christ's coming, He comes as a real man and yet He's never anything less than true almighty God.

But then also, although His coming was real and physical, Yet, there is a spiritual coming, is there not? Christ still, in a sense, comes to dwell amongst his people spiritually.

He'll go on later in this gospel to speak about how it's expedient that he go away. If he goes not away, the spirit will not come, but if he departs, he will send the spirit on to them. So he must go away. But what will be the ministry of the Spirit when he comes? Well, you know those chapters that we have later, from chapter 14 through 15 and 16, where the Lord is repeatedly speaking of the blessed coming and the ministry of the Spirit.

And what is it that the Spirit will do? Well, look at the language that we have there in chapter 14. and verse 16 he says I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you he says he won't leave them in a state of orphanage

Though He is departing, He will come by the ministry of His Spirit. Later, verse 22, Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, this is the other Judas, Lord, how is it thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

He comes, you see, He dwells amongst His people and there is that sense in which He will still dwell amongst His people. They will enjoy His spiritual presence by the ministry of the Spirit. Because when the Spirit comes, as the Lord will go on to say later in those chapters, when the Spirit is come, He will not speak of himself. The Spirit's ministry is so self-effacing. He shall take a mind, says Christ, and shall show it unto you. He comes as the Spirit of Christ. That is the gracious work of the Spirit.

And there we see the Lord as that one who is present in the midst of his church, corporately. Corporately, he's there in the midst of his people, in the midst of the church. And we see it, don't we, in a remarkable way when we turn to the book of the Revelation and the opening chapter where John is there on the Isle of Patmos, so exiled, cut off from all fellowship, but it's the Lord's Day and John's in the Spirit. And he hears the voice and he turns to see the voice and he sees the seven golden candlesticks. But then he sees one in the midst of the candlesticks. And it's the Son of Man. It's the glorified Son of Man.

You see, that second great mystery of the Incarnation, that was a mystery that came to be. The first great mystery, the Trinity, of course, is a mystery that ever has been. It's the very doctrine of God. God has always been one. And yet God has always been three in the unity of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. But the second mystery came to be when the fullness of the time was come. God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. But it will now be forever. There's a man in heaven. at God's right hand. And that is the one that John saw there on the Isle of Patmos.

Yes, he's in heaven, but he's also in the midst of the seven churches. He's in the midst of his people. He says, where two or three are met together in my name, there am I in the midst. That is the promise of Christ. Christ is true to his word of promise. And ultimately, of course, the great glory of heaven is Immanuel's land. It's Immanuel's land. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with me, and ye shall dwell with him, and they shall dwell with him.

In the Old Testament, what was the glory of Israel? It was the Tabernacle. Because here in the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies. And within the Holy of Holies, there was the Mercy Seat. And there God said He would dwell, Exodus 25, the Shekinah glory, God's presence. For a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary, they would say. What terrible things happened then when the Babylonians came and Jerusalem fell, the temple destroyed, razed to the ground, and the people removed away to exile.

But of course, there would be the rebuilding of another temple. And in a sense, that second temple would be more glorious than Solomon's because he was the very anti-type of the temple. would be the one who would enter into that building. And he says, doesn't he, in John 2, to the Jews, destroy this temple in three days, I'll build it again. And they think he's speaking of the building and he's speaking of himself. This is the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. And when he was risen from the dead, the disciples remembered those words. or they remembered what he'd said.

And the glory of heaven you see, it's the tabernacle, it's God in the midst of his people. All we're told aren't we concerning heaven itself there at the end of Revelation 21. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it. For the glory of God did lighten it, it says. And the Lamb is the light thereof. There's the fulfilment, it's the Lord. He's in the midst of his people. That's what makes heaven. There can be no unbelievers there. How miserable a place it must be to those who are unbelievers. Nothing but the defiler can enter that place.

But you know, there's a sense, isn't there, in which it's not so much that the Lord is always present corporately in the midst of his church, his body, but the Lord dwells in the hearts of every individual believer. Christ in you, the hope of glory, we read there in the opening chapter of the epistle to the Colossians. Christ in you. The Lord Jesus Christ is there. He's there in the very heart of all his people. That's where he dwells. They're the temples of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, that one who bears his testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And how Paul knew it. Paul knew it, didn't he? And he's a pattern. to them who should hereafter believe. That's what he says in 1 Timothy 1. Not that we're all going to have that same experience, that depth of experience. We're not called to be apostles, but there are principles that we can discover in the writings of the apostle Paul that tell us something about the experience of the Christian man.

And what does Paul say? As he defends himself, writing there in the opening chapter of the epistle to the Galatians, when he pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb to call me by His grace and to reveal His Son in me. He says I consulted not with flesh and blood. Now mark what he says there. He says that he pleased God to reveal His Son. Now it's a wonderful thing, isn't it, to have Christ revealed to us. We need that. If we're going to behold His glory There must be a revelation. Real religion is a revelation from God. There is a revelation to the sinner, but Paul says something more than that. He says he pleads God to reveal his son in me.

And I remember many years ago being at a the minister's conference, and one of, I can't remember who it was, but one of the speakers made what I would now say is quite a profound statement. He says, when you're reading the epistles of Paul, take account of the little words. Take account of the little words. The prepositions. Because that's where the doctrine is, that's where the theology is. And that's a little word, isn't it? In. He pleased God to reveal His Son in me. He could have said He pleased God to reveal His Son to me. That is a truth, a blessed truth. But for God to reveal His Son in me. Oh, what a wonder is that!

The Lord Jesus Himself in the course of His own ministry says, Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. It's an inward kingdom, isn't it? The kingdom of God. He comes and he establishes his reign of grace in the hearts of sinners. How strange it is. We're going to sing the hymn 310. But read it through, we'll sing it presently. But I urge you, read it through subsequently and think about what it's saying. Because it bears the title, creating me a clean heart. But how hard it is when the Lord deals with us and we get some sight of ourselves when we see what we are and where we are and what sinners we are. And I think of that fourth verse of the hymn, our staggering faith gives way to doubt, our courage yields to fear, shocked at the sight we straight cry out, can ever God dwell here? We get but a sight of what we are as sinners, the heart deceitful above all things desperately wicked. And yet that's where the Lord makes His dwelling. He comes and He dwells in the hearts of His people. Oh, what a wondrous thing that is. What a wondrous thing.

But here we have it, you see. In the text, the words, was made flesh and dwelt among us. Yes, he's referring of course, primarily here to the great mystery of the incarnation that God was here upon the earth as a real man. He's now in heaven and yet still he comes and dwells in the hearts of his people and dwells in the midst of his church.

but let me try to say a little more with regards to beholding the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ we behold his glory it is the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth and that glory is twofold of course it's the glory of his person but it's also the glory of his work His person, who He is, His work, what He came to do, what He came to accomplish. When we think of the person of Christ, He is the Son of the Father in truth and love. We read those words in the second epistle of John. He is the only begotten of the Father. It's more than uniqueness, you know, that's being spoken of. A lot of the modern versions don't like the idea of eternal generation. They might render it as the one and only son. But that doesn't do justice, really, to what the original is actually stating. It is eternal generation that we have here, and we see that as I've said many a time, we see it in that remarkable 8th chapter of the book of Proverbs where we see the same Lord Jesus as the wisdom of God and remember what he says or remember what he says when there were no depths I was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth.

"

Twice in those verses He says, I was brought forth, He's brought forth, He's generated. Before ever there was any creation. He's the only begotten. Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.

whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting," says the prophet Micah. And John, John is the one who will continually, continually be emphasizing these precious truths, how he writes on these things, in those portions that we were reading. We couldn't read the whole of his first epistle. It would have been good to read the whole thing through, but look how he concludes that epistle.

At the end of chapter 5, he says, We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God. and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Oh God, preserve us from idols. Let us have a right to a biblical view concerning this great mystery of our religion, the mystery of godliness. That God was manifest in the flesh. Oh, that one who came, he never ceased to be God. And this is the testimony of the Baptist, isn't it? There in verse 34 of this opening chapter John the Baptist says, I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God.

This man, the one that Peter confesses at Caesarea Philippi. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. He was to him a transgressor, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. We read those words there, verse 9 of that second epistle.

You see, if there is no eternal Son, there is no eternal Father. There cannot be. If the Father is the eternal Father, There must also be an eternal Son, and there must also be an eternal Spirit who proceeds from the Father and from the Son.

And the Word was made flesh, we're told, and dwelt amongst us. As I said, that's His human nature. That's His human nature, body and soul. The whole human nature. What do we read in Isaiah 53? His soul shall make an offering for sin. He shall see of the travail of his soul. His soul makes an offering for sin.

But here, later in this Gospel, in chapter 19 and verse 30, we read on the cross, He gave up the ghost. In other words, He rendered up his spirit, his soul. That is death. Death is the separation of body and soul. And his death was a real death. He made his soul an offering for sin. The holy thing is a real humanity, and it would not be a real humanity if it was not body and soul.

When God created the man, he made his body of the dust of the earth, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul. And this is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, we read, we read those words, didn't we? There in that fourth chapter of John's first general epistle.

Verse 2, Ereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist. whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even though already is it in the world."

It was there in the days of the Apostle himself, the last of the Apostles, John. And what does the Creed say? Those precious ancient creeds, Nicaea, the Athanasians, Although He be God and man, yet is He not two but one Christ? He is one Christ. And the hypostatic union in that one Christ, two natures. God and man. One Christ. The glory of His person. And that's so much emphasized here.

But then there is the glory of the work also, is there not? He's full of grace and truth. He's full of grace and truth. Psalm 45, a psalm for Solomon, but a greater than Solomon is there. The great antitype of Solomon is there. Grace is poured into thy lips. Oh, never man spake like this man. Never. Never man spake like this man.

He is the Prince of all preachers. He is the fulfillment of the great prophetic office. And you know what? He spoke, He lived. That was the difference between Christ and the Pharisees. We have that 23rd chapter in Matthew, the chapter that speaks of terrible woes to be visited upon those wicked men, the scribes and the pharisees. And yet, how the Lord speaks of them as men who are to be recognized as holding an important office.

The opening words of Matthew 23 then speak Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples saying, the scribes and pharisees sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do but do not ye after their works for they say and do not they say and do not how different was the Lord Jesus very different to those men what he said he did or he demonstrated the truth of his teaching by the life that he lived, the anointing of God, he went about doing good and healing all manner of diseases.

We were looking only last Tuesday at the prayer meeting at what the Apostle says concerning those Thessalonians, those who had received the Gospel, how he knew they were the election of grace, knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God." How did he know? Because they'd received the Gospel. They'd received the Gospel. He says, he became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the Word, in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost.

But not only did they receive it, They sounded the word forth. From you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God would be spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything." They were true Christians. They were like Christ. They lived the Gospel. Like those that Paul could speak of at Corinth. Epistles known and read of all men.

This is how the Lord was, you see. As he spoke, so he lived. And the Lord was well pleased for his righteousness sake. How he honoured and magnified the Lord of Gods. Oh, what a ministry it was that he exercised. Grace, truth, all the attributes of God seen in Him. All those attributes harmonizing, mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

The great love that He has for sinners is such that for them He satisfies all the demands of God's Holy Lord. He's made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, He'll pay what the law demands. You pay that great price of ransom. He comes not to be minuted unto but to minister and to give himself a ransom for men.

The glory of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you know John knew what he was talking about. John knew what he was talking about. How he knew the Lord, how he was intimate with the Lord. The beloved, the beloved apostle John. There at the institution of the Holy Supper, he's leaning on the Lord's bosom.

That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. and we knew the Lord. He knew what it was to behold Him. And there He says, you see, we beheld, we beheld His glory, the glories of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

And then remember His experience there on the island of Patmos, when He sees the glorified Saviour, the God-man, In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, I fell at his feet as dead, he says. I fell at his feet, dead, and he laid his right hand upon me and said, Fear not, I am the beginning and the end. I am he that liveth and was dead, and am alive forevermore, and have the keys of hell and of death.

And the Lord raises him and gives him that remarkable book, the Revelation. the revelation that was given to the Apostle John the very last book of Holy Scripture and here we have John's testimony again and John the Evangelist, his testimony is so much akin to that of John the Baptist the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Well, you might do well to maybe forget much of what I've sought to say, but I would urge that you read the words, read the text, re-read the text, think of the words, meditate in the words. And God be pleased to bless the truth that's found in this remarkable text to each and every soul present tonight. The Lord be pleased to own and bless His sacred truth to us. Amen.