turn to the gospel according
to John chapter 1. John 1. And I'd like to look
at one verse of Scripture this morning, verse 14. John 1 verse
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." Let's pray together. Our Father, how we thank You
this morning for the glorious privilege to come and to sit
and to hear Your Word, the written Word which is the
expression of the living Word Himself. Lord, would You bless
this to our hearts and cause us to hear and to understand
and to rejoice. For Christ's sake, we ask, Amen. This is a verse of Scripture
that, oh, we can quote. We can quote
this one by heart. I mean, that's one of those verses
that you hear and you say, I've got that one committed to memory. Oh, that the Spirit of God would
today cause that which we admit we
know in our head to be truly, heartfully remembered and known. The first verse of this book says,
In the beginning was the Word, In the beginning of creation,
there is no beginning of eternity. When do you begin eternity? There's
no beginning. But in the beginning of the creation
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,
and the Word was made flesh. Do you notice it doesn't say
that the Word was made man, though He was? No doubt about that. When it says the Word was made
flesh, He was made man. But in the wisdom of the Spirit
of God, no greater Word could have been used. According to
God's Spirit, no greater word could have been used to set forth
His humiliation. He humbled Himself. The Word
was made human nature. That's what He said. The Word
was made flesh. Same word, flesh, that's used
in Romans 3. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law
is the knowledge of sin." Romans 8, verse 3, "...for what
the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,
through human nature. God sending His own Son in the
likeness, that which is made just like something else. That's what the word likeness
means. God sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin by a sacrifice for that
sin. Condemned sin in the flesh. Made in the likeness of corrupt
flesh, but no sin was found in him. It wasn't conceived by sinful
flesh. It was conceived by the Holy
Ghost. And a body, the Scripture says, hath thou prepared me. It was flesh, real flesh, actual human nature. The Word was made flesh, infinite,
joined to that which is finite flesh. The invisible became tangible. 1 John 1.1 says, That which was
from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon our hands have handled of
the Word of life." The Word was made our full nature, body and soul, complete man,
no sin, perfect man, deity, joined. God and man. God and mankind
joined together in one. No alteration of either nature. Both of them vitally joined. Both of them complete. Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh by that union. Almighty God taking
on flesh, one person is found. One person is formed. God-man. Man. God. In Christ, God-man. Mediator. No one like Him. Only one. That's my beloved Son,
whom I'm well pleased with." He never changed what He was. He took to Himself what He was not
before. Human nature always existed. In the beginning was the Word. It wasn't that He didn't exist
before, but He had never taken human nature, tabernacled in
it, never to leave it again until he was made flesh. Made just like his brethren.
Hebrews 2.14, For as much then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also likewise took part of the same, that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us tabernacled. There was the fullness, there
was the complete revelation of what that tabernacle in the Old
Testament pictured. They had some skins and they
had some boards and they would take that tabernacle, when it
would move, they'd take it down. And it was right there. And inside
that tabernacle was where the priest ministered. Inside even the tabernacle's
place was a holy of holies where God Almighty actually resided
and met once a year, one time a year. at High Priest only.
The High Priest only. One time a year. To go into that
Holy of Holies. One time. God Almighty, there
was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ tabernacling with His people. Somebody would look at that and
they'd say, that's a tabernacle. That? Those old skins? Those boards? Some of those boards? Those? The Scripture says, He hath no
form nor comeliness, and when we shall see Him, there is no
beauty that we should desire in Him. He did not take anything
to Himself that would attract the eye of the flesh. The flesh
would look at that and they'd say, That is where God meets
that old tabernacle. Nothing that would appeal to
the natural mind. No form. The Lord said, My kingdom
is not of this world. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we beheld His glory The glory
as of the only begotten of the Father. Begotten means to bring forth. And I'm going to tell you something.
We believe that. Scripture says He was the only
begotten of the Father. And that's a revelation that
we would do well to bow to and not try to explain. How do you
explain? I know what the word means. To
bring forth, to produce, to have a child, begotten. And I can begin to, in my mind,
kind of... But then I think, no, I think
I'll just bow to that. And in the fullness of time,
When time is no more, I will then understand. But for right
now, He's the only begotten of the Father. We beheld, John said, we beheld
His glory. The glory as the only begotten
of the Father. We saw it. John said we beheld
the Word that was made flesh, God-Man. We beheld His glory. There were times when they beheld
His glory as divine. John said we saw Him take five
loaves. and two fish. And He blessed it. And from five loaves and two
fish, He fed 5,000 men plus the women and children. Only God could do that. I saw Him walk on water. I saw Him touch blind men and
give them sight. Only God can do that. I saw Him
raise the dead. I saw Him take water and He turned
it into wine. We beheld His glory. We beheld
the glory of Him who is divine. That's a miracle of God's grace.
You know why? Because a lot of people saw Him
do those things and didn't see His glory. Nothing's changed. I've seen His glory here. I've
seen God Almighty call people out of darkness and give them
a new heart. I've actually witnessed some
that I'm convinced God is regenerated by His grace. Only God can save
a sinner. We beheld His glory. John said,
I saw Him as man, as a glorious man, He said, the same one that I
saw walk on water, the same one that turned water
into wine and healed the sick and raised the dead, I saw Him
do that. We beheld it, and by the eye
of faith, corporal eye and eye of faith, we beheld that. He said, I saw him as man. He got hungry. He was thirsty. I watched him one day. John said, some of us went down
to go buy some meat. And when we was coming back,
he was sitting there talking to a woman at a well in Sychar. He'd gotten thirsty. I saw him. He got tired. We were there, though we weren't
very faithful. When he prayed all night, he'd
be sweating drops of blood. They nailed him to a cross. They
put a crown of thorns on him He actually bled. And they whipped
him and they spit on him and he had a beard. And they plucked
his beard out. And they took sticks and they
whipped him and nailed him to a cross. He was actually hanging
there. I watched him die. He beheld His glory. He was a
man. They put Him in the ground. We actually saw Him. We beheld
His glory of humanity. Some saw Him in His humanity,
but they didn't see His glory. That's just His carpenter son.
I know who He is. We know His brothers and sisters.
Nah, he's just a winebibber. That's all he is, a glutton and
a winebibber. That's all he is." John said,
we saw his glory. Saw him gloriously as God. Saw him gloriously as man. He said, I'll tell you something
else. We saw something that was together. Both of them. Turn
with me to Matthew 17. Matthew 17. did shine as the sun, and his
raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto
them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter
and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If
Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for Thee, one
for Moses, and one for Elias and God Almighty. While he yet spake, Behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the
cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. You hear Him." No, there's not
going to be three tabernacles built today. This is my beloved Son. John
said, I saw Him actually transfigured. I was looking at Him. saw His face shine whiter than the sun. His clothes
were white. Just for a second, we saw the
humanity of our Lord. We beheld His glory. And He just
unveiled, deity. Here's the amazing thing about
it. That glorious revelation right there is a setting forth of what in Him we shall be. Here He is, the glory of the
Lord Jesus Christ when He comes that second time.
John says in 1 John 3, 1 and 2, Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth 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." John said we beheld His glory. We
touched Him, heard Him. Our hands have handled the Word
of Life. We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth." He is the fullness
of God's grace. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, He is never less than the fullness
of God's grace toward us. of grace. Before Him in the Old
Testament, all the types and shadows and pictures, and there
is the fullness right there of God's grace. Do you want to know
what God's grace is to mankind, to God's people, God's elect?
Do you want to know how gracious is God Almighty to sinners. How gracious is God! John says, He is full of grace. It goes no farther than Him.
He is full of grace. All that the law required. He
is the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. of grace. Truth, full of grace
and truth. There is no truth beyond Him. The end of truth. What does God require of me? What does God Almighty require
of me to be reconciled to Him? What does God require? Do you
want to know the fullness of the truth of what God requires?
Christ. In Him, the completeness of God's
mercy, compassion, grace, the totality of truth. God who cannot lie. God who does
not change. God who shall surely save His
people. What's required? Christ. Christ is required. You have Him, you have all. He
is God's grace, grace personified. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth." John said we saw his glory. For a little while, he tabernacled
among men. John said we were of the time
period when we actually saw him. Some of you see Him today. Some
of you have in this blessed Scripture right here. Some of you see Him. By faith, you see Him. You see Him. And I'll tell you, that vision by faith is going
to be fully realized. John 17, 24 says, Father, I will
that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory. Now you think about it. Fully behold his glory. Divine human. That they may behold
my glory. which Thou hast given Me, for
Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world. 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."
May the Lord give us some understanding and some comfort as we behold
by faith the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake, amen. Let's take about 10 minutes.