The Lord Jesus Christ said in
John 17 verse 3, This is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Who is Jesus of Nazareth, whom
some call the Christ? Who is He? In John chapter 1,
He's clearly told us who He is. He is God. Jesus of Nazareth
is none other than God the Creator, the Ruler, the Sovereign Lord
of the Universe, who came to this earth, Scripture says, to
save His people, from their sin, save them from certain wrath
and judgment and destruction, to deliver them from this present
evil world, to bring them into the kingdom of God. There was
a division when he was upon this earth, a division over him as
to who he was. There's a division now. Some
say he's just a man. Some say he's God. Some say he's
the son of God. John chapter 1 clearly tells
us, and yet you won't believe, you won't know until the Spirit
of God, the Holy Spirit of God reveals Christ to you through
His Word, through the Word of God. Because he that is of God,
heareth God's Word. Scripture says He's magnified
His Word above all His name. And that's what he is described
as here in chapter one. In the beginning, John 1 verse
one, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God,
and the word was God. He is called the word of God.
Why is that? Because one's word is the fullest
expression of who one is. The Word of God is the fullest
expression of who God is and what he says and what he did
and why he did these things. We will not know God apart from
his Word, the Word. Verse 1 is the Word, the written
Word. the vocal word, the expression
of the mind and heart of God. We could not know God apart from
his written word and apart from his incarnate word, or that is,
word made flesh. Christ, the word of God, become
a man. You can know something of the
creative power of God and his glory, the glorious work of God
in creating this world, but you cannot know the mind, the heart,
the purpose, the will of God apart from the Word being made
flesh and walking among us. All right, it says here in chapter
1, verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. Well, which is it? He was with
God, or he was God? How can he be with God and yet
be God? 1 Timothy 3.16 says, without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. He says it's without controversy.
Great is the mystery though. God became a man. God was made
flesh. A body hast thou prepared me,
scripture says, of Christ. And it says he was justified
in the Spirit, clearly declared to be the Son of God, and yet
God the Creator by the Spirit of God, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentile, believed on in the world, and received up
into glory. There's no division among God's
people. They clearly know who he is because
he has come," John said. We know the Son of God has come
and 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. Well, he says this is the true
God and eternal life. That that child that was born
is none other than the Son that is given, and yet Isaiah said,
call his name Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. How can he be both God and man? How can he be both the Son of
God and yet God? Well, it's without controversy. He is God. In Proverbs 8, it
says that he was with God in the beginning. Verse 22, the
Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of
old. I was set up from everlasting
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. And verse 30 says
I was by him as one brought up with him. I was daily his delight,
rejoicing always before him. And in John chapter one says,
the same was in the beginning with God. He's the son and yet
equal with the father. A son only because, scripture
says, he's the bodily image of God and yet without beginning
and yet without end. He's the bodily image, the only
begotten of the father and yet he is God without beginning. Mystery. Impossible to understand
but yet we believe it. In verse 3 it says in John 1,
all things were made by him and without him was not anything
made that was made. Yes, Colossians 1 says he's the
image of of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,
that is, the first bodily image, and yet he has no beginning. He is God. And verse 16 says,
by him were all things created that are in heaven, that are
in earth, visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him. By Him all things consist. He's before all things, and by
Him all things consist. Yea, He's none other than God
manifest in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. It's no mystery among his people,
they believe. Thomas bowed before him one day
and said, my Lord and my God, and so do all his people. They
believe that Jesus Christ and none other than God manifests
in the flesh. Well, look at verse four of John
1. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. In him
was life. Scripture says, in Him we live
and move and have our being. Scripture says, God upholds all
things by the word of His power. That is Christ. In Him we live. He's Lord of the dead and the
living. Christ one time said, because
I live, speaking to his disciples, because I live, you shall live
also. He said, I am come, Christ said
of his people, I am come that they might have life. Scripture
says, he that hath the Son hath life, eternal life, spiritual
life. In verse four it says, in him
was life and the life was the light of men. Light, life and
light. This describes God. Do you remember
in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and
God said, let there be light. That is Christ. He's the light
of the world and he is life. In him was life. creator of life,
and in him we live and move and have our being. He is our God
and our creator, our sustainer, our provider, our all. He is
the light of man. You cannot see without light. David once said, in thy light
we see light. Only in light of Jesus Christ,
God becoming a man, do we know who God really is. what man really
is. Only in the light of Jesus Christ
coming to this earth do we know what eternity is, what the truth
is. Listen to Isaiah chapter eight. Isaiah chapter eight, listen
carefully as I read, beginning with verse 20. It says, to the
law and to the testimony, if they speak, that is, these preachers,
those who say they speak for God. If they speak not according
to this Word, it's because there's no light in them. If they do
not see Christ in all the Word of God, they have no light in
them. They have no understanding of
who God is. And it says, they will pass through
this world hardly bested and hungry. And verse 22 of Isaiah
8 says, if you look to the earth, you'll behold trouble and darkness,
dimness of anguish, and you'll be driven to darkness. You look
at this world, it looks like chaos and nothing but confusion. Well, it is, apart from a knowledge
of God in Christ. But Isaiah chapter 9 says, nevertheless,
the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. And this is the chapter which
says, unto us a child is born. Son is given. The government
shall be upon his shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Says the increase of his government
and peace, there be no end. He is the Lord, the King of Kings,
the Lord of Lords, God manifest in the flesh. God who came to
this earth to give light to those that sit in darkness. In our
text, in John chapter 1, it says in verse 5, the light shined
in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Christ came
into the world, the world was made by Him, and knew Him not,
it says in verse 10. There was a man sent from God
named John who came to bear witness of that light, verse 7 said,
that all through him might believe, or that is, all who hear him
by the Spirit of God and were given faith by God to believe
in Christ. John came and says, I'm not the
light. I have come to bear witness of
the light. I'm just a voice. John says, it says of John, he
was not that light, he was sent to bear witness of that light,
but he was the true light, Christ that is, who lighteth every man
that cometh into the world, or that is every man or woman who
has any light, has it through the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was in the world, scripture says, the world was made by him,
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, that is
his creatures, His people, the Israelites, the Jews whom He
came, they received Him not, but as many as received Him.
Some believed Him. Why? Because they were born,
verse 13 says, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor
the will of man, but born of God. And the Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. And verse 16 says,
Of His fullness have we received grace for great. The law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Here it is in short. He was made
of a woman, made under the law. He was made sin for those whom
he came for, that they might be made the righteousness of
God in him. He was made under the law, to
redeem his people from that law, the curse of the law. He was
made sin for them. He who was righteous made sin
for them. And that sin was taken away from
his people, paid for by the Son of God, put away by him on Calvary's
crawl. He arose proving that God accepted
his sacrifice and now seated at the right hand of the majesty
on high. Do you know the One who came?
The Lord Jesus Christ? Who He is? Why He came? What
He did? This is life eternal to know
Him. Call upon Him. Ask Him to reveal
Himself to you. Until next Sunday, may the Lord
bless His Word to your understanding. Amen.