John #3

What Does It Mean to Believe?
John chap. 1:14 -18
Pastor Ben Fleming
June 7, 2009

Turn in your bible to the gospel of John. We have found John writing to us with the express purpose so that people would believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing in Him they would have life in His name. John started his letter by saying that Jesus is the Word. He is the living Word. Jesus was in the beginning with God which makes Him creator like God and He Himself is God. We are going to see John say that again in verse 18 in perhaps the clearest words. John writes also that Jesus is the Light and in Him is the light of men. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness does not understand it. Hundreds of years before the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 6:9 “Go to this people and say, You will be ever hearing but never understanding: you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.” The prophet was writing about the Jewish people. This is why when Jesus came to His own – they did not receive Him and they still have not received Him.

In Romans 3:10 Paul also tells us that not just the Jewish people but all people do not have understanding – “There is no one righteous, not even one who understands, no one who seeks God.” It is only God who gives a person understanding. It is only God who gives a person the right to become a child of God. God gives them understanding and God gives them belief. It is only God who shines the Light of Christ within someone’s blind heart.
Last week we studied that people have three responses to the Light of Jesus Christ. First – we found that they can believe the witness of John the Baptist and be a witness for Christ themselves. They can be portable lights of Christ. And the second response is that people can reject Christ and we know that many many do and then the third response is people can believe and receive Jesus Christ as their savior. John closes this prologue or introduction to his gospel by again focusing on the fact that God the Father – God Almighty came down to the earth in the form of a human being. Jesus Christ was fully God. He was fully God the Son and yet while he was on this earth he was fully a man. He got tired. He hit his thumb with a hammer. He got hungry. He had to sleep. Jesus the incarnate God had emotions. He was just like you and He knows exactly what it is like to be human because Jesus Christ was fully a human and fully God. That is called the incarnation. Write the word in on the blank at the top of your outline. This is what John’s opening statement of verse 14 means. “The Word became flesh”. So stand with me as we read verses 1 -18 one last time. READ…… John tells us that the incarnation had three affects.

The Affects of the Incarnation
1. The incarnation brought grace and truth. (vs.14) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John says that the Word became flesh. What was infinite became finite. What was invisible became visible. God now had skin on. God the creator entered time and he did so in the person of Jesus Christ His Son………Many find this FACT beyond human reason and cannot and will not believe it. It does not matter to them that there are over a hundred prophecies about it and Jesus fulfilled everyone of them. It does not matter to them one bit that 500 people were witnesses to the death and resurrection of Christ. John says that he – the Christ dwelt among us. He wrote that because the Jewish people would have understood it to mean to live in a tent. Jesus Christ was like all men and at that time most Jewish people lived in tents. He dwelt among us.

The bible emphasizes again and again that Jesus was human flesh. Philppians 2:7 “since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.”

So –when Jesus cut his finger it bled red just like yours. Hebrews 2:14 “He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” To be the propitiation for the sins of the people --- Jesus Christ could not have paid the price for man’s sins without becoming a human.

John could not have said, “behold the Lamb of God.” During His time on this earth – John says that Jesus manifested the glory of God. You are going to see that word glory again and again in the gospel of John. Jesus demonstrated and lived out the glory of God. In what Jesus did you see God. For example: John 2:11 Jesus turned water into wine and revealed his glory. John 7:18 1“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” He raised Lazarus from the dead showing God’s glory and He rose again from the dead – showing the glory of God. Amazingly – in John 11:40 Jesus says “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God.” When someone believes --- when someone comes to Christ – you see the glory of God. What a person is saved - there is the glory of God. Do you remember in the Old Testament when it spoke of the Shechinah glory - - that word means “that which dwells”. God was present in the shechina glory – you especially read about that when He was giving The Ten Commandments to Moses. So – Jesus demonstrated and lived out the glory of God in his life and because of that “it is possible and expected and it is the plan of God that God’s children in the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit can reflect the glory of God.

Where you go – what you do – what you say can reflect the glory of God. You and I are a portable lamp of the glory of God in their lives. Jesus said this about that fact……………
John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” It brings God glory when you pray --- it brings God glory for Jesus to answer your prayers – it brings God glory when you and I exercise our faith.

John now says that this Jesus who came from the Father is full of grace and truth. Jesus is full of grace and truth. What is grace and what is truth? We all want grace but is it not hard to have someone tell you the truth? We want others to tell us the truth but we do not want someone to tell us the truth about ourselves. I get accused by some believers of being all truth and no grace. And then I imagine there are those who think I am all grace and just a push over or nieve. Think with me:

Grace has two ideas. It always has the idea of something completely undeserved. It has the idea of something that we could never earn or achieve for ourselves. The fact that God came to this earth in human flesh to live and die for men is not something that humanity deserved. Jesus Christ was the full expression of God’s grace. Grace and truth are the two attributes that are closely related to salvation. Salvation comes to a person by believing in the truth of the gospel and one receives the ability to believe by saving grace. Most of you know what Paul wrote in Ephesians on that”
OUTLINE
Ephesians 2:8 - 9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” God gives the grace to believe in the truth of Jesus – it is a gift. You cannot work for the gift – you cannot be good enough to deserve the gift – you cannot get rid of enough sin to be acceptable to receive the gift – it is all given by the grace of God. Jesus Christ is the full expression of that grace. A vague belief in God apart from the truth about Christ will not result in your salvation. In John 8:24 Jesus warned “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins”. Those who think they are worshipping God, but are ignorant of or reject the fullness of the New Testament teaching about Christ are deceived. Many are: there are not many roads to heaven. Jesus is not Satan’s brother. Jesus was not a spiritual force and he was not married to Mary Magdalene. Grace is undeserved and unearned.

The second meaning of grace has the idea of beauty. In Greek it means charm. So when John says in Jesus is grace – he is saying that in Jesus is the loveliness of God. When you confront Jesus you confront the beauty of God. If you truly know God you have to know Jesus. You cannot possess any relationship with God without knowing Jesus – Jesus beams God. The more you know Jesus the more you reflect in your life the beauty of God. Jesus shows us God. In John 17:3 he writes: Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.”

Knowing Jesus Christ allows you to encounter the fullness of the beauty of God. There is no one in here who thinks eternal life is not beautiful. Jesus Christ is the fullness of what grace is and what it means. And then John says Jesus is truth. You are going to John use this word truth again and again in his gospel. So Jesus is grace and He is truth. What does that mean? Jesus is truth

#1 Jesus is the embodiment of truth. There is no darkness in him. There are no lies in him. There is no deceit in him. Everything in Jesus is right. There is no deceit in Jesus. There is no fear in Jesus. We question lies but we do not question truth. Truth always demands a response. John 14:6 “ I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me”

#2 Jesus is the communicator of truth. If you known Him and walk in Him you will find truth. He told Pilate that his purpose was to come into the world to witness to the truth. You cannot experience the grace of God without the truth of God. Jesus communicates that truth. Example: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

#3 Jesus left us His Spirit when he left this world to guide us into the truth. He did not just leave us a book – the written Word - but He gave us His Spirit to bring alive and teach us the truth from that book. To the teenagers…. Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
This is why many have read the bible and it makes no sense to them and means nothing to them in life not one bit – they do not the Holy Spirit or they are a believer who is grieving the Holy Spirit.

# 4 The truth of Jesus is what makes a person free. When a child is told the truth from its parent – there is an absence of fear. When someone is walking in lies – they are in turmoil – they are in bondage. The truth of Jesus makes a person free in their relationship with God. When they do not know or they are not experiencing the truth of God in their lives – they are living in separated from God. They are haunted in their minds. You know exactly what I am referring to. Some of you have experienced that and some of you are experiencing it right now. So – the incarnation brought us grace and truth.

2. The incarnation was witnessed by many.
(vs.15-16) “John testifies concerning him, He cries out, saying, “this was He of whom I said, He comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” The apostle John says that John the Baptist testifies concerning Jesus --- John the Baptist was a witness to Christ but at the John was writing his gospel ----- John the Baptist was dead but there were many still around who were following John the Baptist – they were kind of a cult. John the Baptist said in verse 15 “he who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” John the Baptist knew that Jesus was God in the flesh. He would not have said – “from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another.” If you know Jesus --- If you know the grace of Jesus in your life – you know his saving grace and you continue to receive God’s grace in your life day after day after day. Everyone receives grace from God ---non believer and believer. God does not bring His wrath down upon non believers right now --- grace --- God pours the rain out on the righteous and the unrighteous. God pours the sun out on all people. God’s common grace. An farmer who does not believe in Jesus sees his crops grow the same as a farmer who believers in Jesus.

But it is not until you come to a face to face encounter with God through His Son Jesus do you begin to see Jesus – hear Him – know Him and walk with him and experience saving grace. It is only the saving grace of God that brings salvation to a person. The incarnation of Jesus Christ was witnessed by many. The incarnation brought grace and truth and #3

3. The incarnation impacted mankind. (17-18) “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” The impact of Christ coming to earth as a man and paying the price for man’s sin and offering salvation freely is monumental. The law was given through Moses ---- no body was ever saved by keeping the law. Nobody every kept the law perfectly. Paul says in Romans 7 – What shall we say then is the law sin? May it never be. The law is holy – right and good. What does the law do? Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” The law does not save a man. Going to church – taking communion – doing the religious acts – does not save a man --- the law makes you conscious of sin. Though shall not kill --- no one in here has killed someone but Jesus said if you have anger in your heart against someone you have done the same thing as kill them. Jesus did not do away with the law – He came to complete the law and fulfill the law. Do not commit adultery says the law --- Jesus said if anyone looks on a women with lust they have committed adultery. If you come to Jesus you come to grace and truth. He is grace and He is truth.

We all want grace. We want grace from God and we want others to give us grace. How many times have you said or heard someone say – “just give me some grace”. They want you to overlook what they did or what they did not do. John says – Jesus is grace and He gives grace – “for by His grace you are saved” – you either reject that or you either receive it and place your faith in what He did.

Grace also comes with truth. You can have real grace and watered down truth. Grace and truth are realized through Jesus Christ. But we do not want truth – truth points the finger at us. When we get truth most of the time we feel judged. When someone says – just give me some grace they are wanting you to overlook the truth of what they did or did not do. There are not thinking about obedience. When you do not over look it you are accused of being judgmental. I have wrestled with this a lot this week and I have some Personal thoughts on grace and truth and I pray that they are godly biblical ones and they provoke to think.

1. You may know truth, believe it, uphold it, demand it and insists upon it but without grace it may have no impact on another person unless it is wrapped in grace. That grace will have the picture of beauty like Christ which demonstrates itself through kindness – but that Christ like kindness never waters down the truth.

2. Grace is often thought of as love – love – love and truth is said to be judgment and judgment is evil within the church and outside the church. But truth often hurts. Truth calls for sacrifice. Truth calls for humility. Truth calls for submission. Truth calls for obedience.

3. Does one err on the side of grace or on the side of truth? Generally, if I err on the side of truth, darkness will run away but if I err on the side of grace does that bring darkness to the truth? Sometimes it does and many times it does not. Comment.

4. Grace says I forgive you and truth says bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Grace ceases to be grace when there is no change in the life of the person.

5. Grace says I forgive you 7 x 7 but truth says, “Let’s work on some accountability.”

6. Grace says “I’ll be patient” but truth says the fruit of the spirit is patience.”

7. Grace is not free and it can be demanded by no one. Grace cost Jesus Christ His very life and to demand that you deserve to be shown grace by God and by God’s people is arrogance.

Let us pray: