Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening. And
now for today's program. Welcome to our program today.
I'm glad you could join us. If you'd like to follow along
in your Bibles, I'm going to be preaching from John chapter
one, beginning at verse 14. And the title of the message
is Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ. Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ. As John continues, as he's inspired
by the Holy Spirit to write these words, he's speaking of Christ
as the light and now Christ as the word. And he says, in the
beginning, what he said up there, that in the beginning was the
Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God, that's Christ,
that's Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, the Son
of God, co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in every attribute
of deity. But then he says something that
is a marvelous thing, and this is joy to a sinner's heart. In verse 14, he says, the Word,
the same word that was in the beginning, the same word that
was with God, the same word that was God and is God, that word
was made flesh, made flesh, and dwelt among us. And it says,
and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word made flesh. Now obviously that's speaking
of the incarnation of Christ. God manifests in the flesh. Remember I quote Matthew 121,
His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sins. Well, He is God the Son. And
in His deity, how in the world could He identify with sinners
like His people are and save them? Well, His name shall be
called Jesus. He will save His people from
their sins. And in order for Him to save
them, He had to be made flesh without sin. His name is called
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. And so this is
speaking of the incarnation of Christ, which was necessary for
Him to come as the surety, the substitute, and the redeemer
of His people. As God absolutely considered
in His deity, He could not die, but in His humanity, without
sin, He could and did die for the sins of His people. Now,
it was an act of His entire person, and I cannot explain that to
you. It's a marvelous thing. It's an awesome thing. But Jesus
Christ, God manifest in the flesh, died for the sins of His people,
which were imputed to Him, charged to Him. He had no sin of his
own. He knew no sin. He was never
contaminated with sin. He was and is the impeccable
Christ. He could not sin. He could not
be contaminated with sin. He's God manifest in the flesh. And yet he died justly under
the wrath of God for the sins of his people. Now how did that
take place? Our sins were imputed, charged,
accounted to Him. He was made sin, 2 Corinthians
5.21 says. How was He made sin? He wasn't
made a sinner. He wasn't made to be a sinner.
He wasn't contaminated with our sins. He was made sin only in
a legal sense as a substitute, a surety. A surety is one who
takes responsibility to pay the debt of another. And that's what
Christ did before the foundation of the world. He was made surety
of the covenant of grace. God chose a people to save. But He had to do it in a way
that was just and righteous and holy. And how did He do it? He
chose His Son to be the surety of His people. And He put the
debt of the sins of all of His chosen people on the Son by imputation. And in effect, the righteousness
that His Son would come in time and work out on the cross was
imputed to them, so that they're justified, declared righteous,
forgiven of their sins, based upon Christ's righteousness imputed
to them. He was made sin, 2 Corinthians
5.21 says, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And so when it says the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us, that's what this is all about.
And we beheld His glory, John says, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Grace and
truth by Jesus Christ. Now over in the book of Hebrews
chapter two, there's a passage that gives us a little commentary
on this whole transaction talking about Christ's death for His
people. And it says in verse 14, this
is Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14, listen to this. It says, for
as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
now the children are God's children. That's His elect. That's the
ones He chose and gave to Christ. And they're identified by their
faith in Him. which he brings them to in the
new birth. He says, for as much then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he, that is Christ, also himself, likewise,
took part of the same. He took part of flesh and blood.
Now the difference is, and we have to keep this in mind, is
that when we're born flesh and blood, we're born in sin. We're
born spiritually dead and depraved. But Christ was not born that
way. He was not conceived that way
or born that way. He was conceived miraculously
by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin, and He was born
without sin. That's what Christ was. You know,
the Catholics call Mary the Immaculate Conception. She's not the Immaculate
Conception. She was born a sinner like us.
Even she, in her praise to God, talked about God my Savior. The only ones who need a Savior
are sinners. Mary was blessed among women.
And we thank God for Mary. She was the human instrument
through which the humanity of Christ came into the world. Blessed
among women. Thank God for her. But she was
still just a sinner saved by grace. Christ is the Immaculate
Conception. His conception and his birth
without sin. And he contracted no sin. But
he had to be made flesh because of this. Look at verse 14 of
Hebrews 2. That through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is the devil. Christ had to die to destroy
the works of the devil against his people. The devil was instrumental
in bringing condemnation into the world. And Christ had to
die to pay the debt. And it says in verse 15, and
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage, the bondage of sin and death. And verse 16,
for verily he took not on him the nature of angels. Christ
took upon him a human nature. flesh and blood without sin. Not an angelic nature. He didn't
die for angels. He died for his people. Sinners
saved by grace. But he took on him the seed of
Abraham. Now the seed of Abraham in the
Bible are all who have been brought by God to believe in Christ. Now that's who the seed of Abraham
is. That's not just national Jews. Most of the national Jews
died and perished in unbelief. And that's not speaking of some
future where all national Jews will be saved. That's not talking
about that at all. If you'll hold your hand right
there in Hebrews chapter two, and look with me at Galatians
three, I'll show you this. In the book of Galatians chapter
three, he speaks of, in verse 26, this is Galatians three. Now I'm gonna go back to Hebrews
two, so don't lose that. But look at Galatians chapter
three and verse 26. For you are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Now he's speaking to Jew and
Gentile believers here. Those who have been chosen before
the foundation of the world. Their names were written in the
Lamb's book of life before the world began. And Christ died
for them. They've been born again by the
Spirit and they've been brought to faith in Christ. And so he
says in verse 27, for as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ. Baptized there is not water baptism. It's being united to Christ,
union with Christ, placed into Christ, and you've put him on. Now what does it mean to put
on Christ? It means to believe in him. It means to rest in him. It means to plead his righteousness
as your only ground of salvation. And so in verse 27, or verse
28, he says, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither
bond nor free, there's neither male nor female, for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. And verse 29, and if you be Christ,
if you belong to Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs
according to the promise. Now how are you Abraham's seed?
Abraham was a believer in Christ. and you follow Abraham in that.
You believe in Christ if you're Abraham's seed. So go back to
Hebrews 2 now. He says, verse 16, for verily
he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him
the seed of Abraham, that's the elect, all who come to faith
in Christ. Verse 17, Wherefore, for this
reason, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren. Who are his brethren? Those who
do the will of his father. Again, the elect, the redeemed,
the regenerated, believers. And it says it behooved him.
That word behooved is the Greek word for debt. He was indebted
to be made like unto his brethren. Well, what was the debt? Their
sins charged to him. He agreed willingly to come and
die for their sins and pay their sin debt as their surety, as
their substitute, as their redeemer. So it says, made like unto his
brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Now
let's go back to John chapter one verse 14. The word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us. The reason he was made flesh
to dwell among us was so that he could die for the sins of
his people that had been charged to him. He is our surety. And John says here, we beheld
his glory. The glory is of the only begotten
of the Father. Who beheld his glory? Not everybody. The disciples did. God revealed
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. All believers
did. and full of grace and truth.
It's all of grace and it's all true. And it comes by Jesus Christ. Look at verse 15. John bear witness
of him and cried saying, this was he of whom I spoke. He that
cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me. John is testifying of the glory. the preeminence, the beauty,
the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. John says, this is the one I
told you about. And he's before me. He's to be
preferred before me. He's God, manifest in the flesh. And you think about this. John
says, he must increase, I must decrease. John said, I'm not
even worthy to stoop down and untie his shoes. And I love that passage, I believe
it's in John three, where it talks about John preaching. And
it says this, it says, they heard John preach and they followed
Christ. Now you hear me preaching. It's
my prayer that you don't follow me, but you follow Christ. That's
the goal. Verse 16 of John 1. It says,
and of his fullness have all we received and grace for grace. Salvation is not adding to where
Christ lacked. You know, that's what most people
believe. They believe that Christ came here to make people savable,
to make salvation possible. if you would pick up where He
left off. He died for you, but that's not
good enough, that's not full enough. You've got to believe
in order to empower that to your salvation. That's not true. Salvation
is by the grace of God through the blood and righteousness of
Christ, and it's receiving of His fullness, the fullness of
His person. Again, God, manifest in the flesh. the fullness of His finished
work, the blood, what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the
blood of Jesus. My faith does not wash away my
sins. My faith is in Christ, whose
blood washes away my sins. My repentance and my faith are
not my righteousness before God. Christ is my righteousness and
because He is my righteousness and His righteousness has been
imputed, charged to me, God has sent His Spirit forth in my life
to bring me under the preaching of the gospel and to give me
life and to give me faith and repentance to believe in Christ
and turn away from dead works and my sins. Of His fullness,
Christ is a full Savior. He's not a part Savior. There'll
be no one who perishes in eternal damnation for whom Christ died. All for whom He died shall be
saved. Somebody says, well, how can I know He died for me? Do
you believe in Him? Believing is the evidence. You
see that? It's not the cause. It's not
what makes the difference. Christ made the difference. His
fullness, grace for grace, But believing evidences this. Are
you interested in these things? Do you want to study your Bible?
Do you want to know what God's Word says? Are you searching
for the truth? Well, read it in God's Word. Don't settle. Don't give up. Seek Him with your whole heart.
You say, well, the Bible says that unless He intervenes, I
won't do that. That's right. But if you do that, He has intervened. You see, people, you're not God,
I'm not God. All we know is what God tells
us in his word. The secret things belong to God.
The revealed things belong to us. And understand that. Well, look at verse 17 of John
1. He says, for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ. What law was given by Moses?
Well, you know what law, that's the old covenant law. Most people,
when they look at that, they think about the Ten Commandments,
and that's okay. They were given to Moses on Mount
Sinai, but there was more than the Ten Commandments given. There
was the ceremonial law, there was the civil law, the dietary,
all the law that was binding upon Israel as a nation for 1,500
years, approximately, from the time of Mount Sinai to the time
of the cross. And that law was given to the
people of Israel through Moses, the mediator of that covenant.
But you see, there was no salvation in that law. Somebody said, well,
there were pictures of Christ. Well, that's true. But the pictures
that were in that law, the pictures of the priesthood and the sacrifices,
the tabernacle, all of that, led away from the law and led
sinners to Christ. The law was given to expose their
sinfulness and depravity, to show them the impossibility of
salvation by their works, by their law keeping. It exposed
their sinfulness and it exposed their need for salvation by God's
grace and God's truth. And that comes by Jesus Christ.
People talk about, well, we're still under that law. Well, if
you are my friend, it condemns you. That's what it did to Israel. It condemned them. The law was
given by Moses, but grace, God's grace. What do we know about
grace? Well, we know it's a free gift.
So I said, well, you've got to receive it. Let me tell you something. This free gift of grace ensures
that those to whom God gives it, that they'll receive it.
There's no question about it. That's what God does. He said,
I'll give them a new heart. I'll put a new spirit within
them. I'll cause them to walk in my statues, my word, the gospel. And it's full of truth about
how God saves sinners. How God is just to justify the
ungodly by Jesus Christ. the Lord of glory. The law was
a word of condemnation and wrath, but grace, the covenant of grace
is about life and righteousness, forgiveness that comes by Jesus
Christ. It doesn't come by you or me.
It doesn't come based upon our doing anything. It's totally
free. And grace, the Bible tells us
in Romans 5.21, reigns through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. You see, this thing of grace
and mercy and God's love, it's a wonderful, marvelous thing.
I love to preach on it, talk about it, but it doesn't come
to sinners outside of Christ. Outside of Christ, there's no
grace, no mercy, no love and salvation from God. Grace, love
and mercy is founded upon the justice and law of God satisfied
by the blood of Christ. That's what the scripture teaches.
And so the law that condemns given by Moses But even Moses,
and this is a marvelous thing, even Moses knew that he could
not be saved by his law keeping. Moses, the law giver, knew what
that law was all about. Christ said that over in the
book of John chapter five. Look over there with me in John
chapter five and look at verse 39. Here he's talking to the
Pharisees who claim to be law keepers. and they studied their
scriptures, the Old Testament scriptures. And he said, listen
to this in John 5 39. He says, search the scriptures.
Now the construction of this in the original would read like
this. You do search the scriptures.
I know you read your Bibles. Many of you out there are watching
me now, listening to me. I know you have a Bible and you
read your Bibles. Many of you claim to study it
and claim to memorize it. Many of you claim to believe
it. Well, that's what Christ is telling the Pharisees here.
You do search the scriptures, for in them you think you have
eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. See, the
Pharisees and the scribes, who were the interpreters of the
law, they read the scriptures, they quoted them, they claimed
to live by them, but they missed the whole point, which is Christ
crucified and risen from the dead. That's the whole point
of these scriptures. And he says in verse 40, and
you will not come to me that you might have life. If you believe
the scriptures, you'd come to me. You'd come to Christ. You'd plead his righteousness.
You'd admit you have no righteousness of your own. But as Paul wrote
in Romans nine, the Jews, they sought righteousness by works
of the law, but they didn't make it. The law condemns, so he says,
you will not come to me that you might have life. Verse 41,
I receive not honor from men, but I know you, he says, that
you have not the love of God in you. I'm come in my father's
name and you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him you will receive. Christ come preaching the truth,
preaching grace. They wouldn't receive him. Verse
44, he says, how can you believe which receive honor one of another
and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? You know, that's
what people in religion are doing. They're seeking honor for themselves. But Christ said, You need to
seek that honor that comes from God alone, and that comes in
Christ. And he says in verse 45, do not think that I will
accuse you to the Father. There's one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom you trust. That means the law. And look
at verse 46 and 47. This is great. For had you believed
Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. Moses,
when he wrote that law. He was writing of Christ. He's
shown this law condemns. Righteousness and forgiveness
and eternal life are only in Christ. But if you believe not
his writings, how shall you believe my words? So go back to John
1, 17. For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In verse 18, he says,
no man hath seen God in any time. That is, there's no visible representation
of God that persons have seen. Some people claim that. You have
paintings and they say this is God, but there's no likeness
of God. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Now you
know what he says here? It says what Christ said in Matthew
11. He says, no man knoweth the Father
except the Son, and he to whom the Son revealed him. And no
man knoweth the Son except the Father, and he whom the Father
revealed him. You can't know the Father apart
from the Son. And you can't know the Son apart
from the Father revealing Him by the power of the Spirit. You
see what it's saying here? If you're gonna know God, if
you're gonna know how God saves, if you're going to know how God
is just to justify, you've got to come to Christ. You gotta
know Christ, who he is, what he accomplished, why he did it,
and where he is now. Risen from the dead, seated at
the right hand of the Father, ever living to make intercession
for us. In verse 19, it says this, this
is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you, John, who art thou?
John was a pretty odd character in those days. He wasn't in the
synagogue or in the usual places of worship, wasn't in Jerusalem.
He stood outside in the wilderness. He wore different clothes, animal
skins. He ate different foods and all
of that. Who are you, John? Well, John
says, I'm nothing. Christ is everything. The law
came by Moses. Grace and truth comes by Jesus
Christ. Don't look to John the Baptist.
Don't look to any preacher. Don't look to yourself. Look
to Christ. If you want grace, you want truth,
it comes by Jesus Christ and Him alone. For He is the embodiment
of the grace of God, and He is the embodiment of the truth of
God. I hope you'll join us next week for another message from
God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, Write us
at 1-1-0-2 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia 3-1-7-0-7. Contact us
by phone at 229-432-6969 or email us through our website at www.TheLetterRofGrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you. you