The Word Made Flesh
Introduction
John 1:1-14
A photographer was given the assignment of taking a picture of the Washington Monument, to be displayed in a prominent place. He took a picture from a certain spot, but he realized that as impressive as that view was, it didn’t capture the full magnificence of that great edifice, so he took a picture from another viewpoint, and then a third picture from a different angle, and then a fourth—and when he submitted those photos to his employer, he said, “It takes all four of these views to get the full impact.”
In like manner, in telling the story of Jesus, God gave us four gospels. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain much of the same information, each one includes some details not provided by the others. The fourth gospel, written by the apostle John, is unique, in that it begins with a brief report of Jesus’ life before coming to earth, and then includes aspects of his earthly ministry that are not included by Matthew, Mark, or Luke. We’re looking this morning at the first 14 verses of chapter one of John’s gospel—and we’ll consider those verses under three headings: The Identity of Jesus, The Invitation of Jesus, and the Incarnation of Jesus.
I. The IDENTITY of Jesus vss 1-5
These verses make clear the fact that Jesus is God. As to why he is called “the Word,” more about that later—but for now look at how verses 1-5 identify Jesus:
Vss 1-2 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.”
These verses bring to mind Colossians 2:9, which says, “For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily”—and the word “godhead” literally means “divine nature” or “divine essence.” Earlier, Colossians 1:19 says essentially that same thing: “For it pleased the Father that in him [Jesus] should all fullness dwell.”
So, Jesus was with the eternal, living God—obviously meaning that he was with God the Father—but it is also true that he, Jesus, was the eternal, living God. So, verses 1-2 contain a subtle reference to the trinity—a word that is used to describe the Biblical teaching that God is one [Deuteronomy 6:4], yet expresses himself in three distinct, equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
C. S. Lewis, in his book, Mere Christianity, made this statement about Jesus:
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
Vs 3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Someone asks, “Did God the Father create the universe, or did Jesus the Son create the universe?”—and the answer, according to the Bible, is “Yes” and “Yes.” Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Colossians 1:16-17 says, “16 For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Vs 4 begins, “In him was life….” All life originates with him. He gives life and growth to the plants on the earth. He gives physical life—to the animals, birds, and creatures of the sea—and he gives human life—he enables our hearts to beat, our lungs to breathe, our brains to function. He is also the one who gives spiritual life to those who trust him.
Vs 4 continues, “…and the life was the light of men.”
This one who is “life” personified, is also “the light of men.” He is the one who gives to humankind the capacity to learn; he illuminates man’s mind and heart—and this includes that basic, embryonic spiritual light with which all men are born, referred to in Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NASB): “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.”
God has created man with a consciousness of eternity, a longing for the eternal one, in his heart, but with no ability to understand that longing on his own; God alone can provide the answer to that God-implanted longing.
Vs 5 “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” Some interpret this verse differently, but here is my understanding of its meaning: Man’s heart is “darkened” by sin, and thus he can’t understand that deep down, God-implanted spiritual light by himself.
However, the Bible teaches that if an individual is open and willing to learn what that inner awareness is all about, and seeks to find out, God will reveal himself to that person. Jeremiah 29:13 God says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”—and when that person then surrenders his life to Christ, he will then understand what Jesus meant in John 8:12 when he said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
II. The INVITATION of Jesus vss 6-13
Vss 6-7 “6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.”
Notice that phrase, “that all men through him might believe.” Jesus’ invitation to believe and be saved is offered to everyone.
That same emphasis is seen in 1 Timothy 2:3-6: “3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
In John 12:32 Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Thus, it behooves you and me, and all Christians, to make it our number one concern to get the gospel to as many people as we can, in as many places as we can. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, “19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations [literally, “make disciples of all nations”], baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
God expects you and me to be witnesses wherever he places us, and if we are not called to go beyond our borders, we can still help to carry out the Great Commission throughout the world by our prayers and our gifts—and during this Christmas season one of the finest things you and I can do is to help spread the gospel abroad by giving generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Our missionaries, many of whom labor for Christ in dangerous places, are depending on us. Half of the entire budget of our International Mission Board comes from that special Christmas time offering—so I challenge each of us to ask God what he would have us give to missions this year, and then to obey.
Vss 8-9 “He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John bore witness to Jesus, “the light of the world,” the one who provides that embryonic inner light with which that every person is born.
Vss 10-12 “10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
What irony! Here in their very midst was the one who had created them—and yet man in general, and particularly the Jews, the very people whom God had chosen to be his special missionary force in the world, turned thumbs down on Jesus.
But those who did believe his claim to be the promised Messiah and placed their faith in him were transformed by the power of God—both Jews and Gentiles.
Vs 13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
As emphasized throughout the Bible, salvation is the gift of God, received by faith. They weren’t born again “of blood”; that is, they weren’t saved because they were born into a certain family. You may have grown up in a Christian home and gone to church all your life, and that is a wonderful blessing, but that doesn’t save you; salvation is a personal matter that each individual has to settle for himself.
“nor of the will of the flesh”—that is, you can’t save yourself by your own efforts. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
“nor of the will of man” No one, regardless of how badly they want you to be saved, can make it happen. They can witness to you, and plead with you, and pray for you, or even weep over you—but only God can cause that miracle of conversion to happen—and it happens when a person recognizes that he is a sinner, lost and undone, and turns in repentance and faith to the Son of God, who shed his blood on the cross to take the punishment for our sins.
III. The INCARNATION of Jesus vs 14
Vs 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.”
The Greek term for “Word” in this verse is logos, which has to do with communicating a message. The Bible is the written word of God, and Jesus is the living Word—Jesus is God’s message to the world. People ask, “What is God like?” God’s answer is, “Look at Jesus.” In John 14:8-9 we read: “8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”
The astonishing, mind-boggling fact of the matter is over 2,000 years ago the Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent Creator God of the universe came down to this sin-battered, sin-broken world and took on himself a human body. Theologians often speak of that miracle as “the incarnation,” which simply means “embodied in flesh.”
Philippians 2:5-11: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“We beheld his glory” Men saw the glory of God in Jesus when he was miraculously born to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. They saw his glory as he grew to perfect manhood and, even though tempted like all the rest of us, never sinned. They saw his glory as he performed miracles, giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, casting out demons, raising the dead to life. They saw his glory as he courageously allowed himself to be crucified, even though he could have called down legions of angels to deliver him. They saw his glory as he rose from the dead after three days in the tomb, was seen in his resurrected body for 40 days, and then ascended into heaven, promising to come again.
“full of grace and truth” Grace is often defined—and properly so—as “God’s unmerited favor.” We are saved by grace, and kept by grace. Romans 5:2: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Ephesians 4:21 says that “the truth is in Jesus.” 1 John 5:6 says that “the Spirit is truth.” Truth is personified in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
One of the most remarkable characters of World War I was Lawrence of Arabia, an Englishman who sought to influence and lead the tribes of Arabia to cast their lot with the Allies. They said to him, “If you would lead us, you must eat the same food that we eat, find shelter in the same tents in which we dwell, accept the same risks that we accept, meet the same difficulties that we meet, live the same life we live, and live it better than we do.” That’s exactly what Jesus did—he lived the same life that you and I live, but he lived it infinitely, indescribably better than we do. He hungered, he thirsted, he wept, he worked, he prayed, he had compassion, he rejoiced, and he suffered. Jesus was fully man--not half-God and half-man, but fully God and fully man. Dr. Herschel Ford put it this way: “Christ was human so that he could understand us. He was divine so that he could help us.”
Hebrews 4:15-16: “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 2:18 says, “For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour [help] them that are tempted.” Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” In 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord said to Paul, and to people of all generations, including you and me: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Jesus said, in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
If you’ve never been saved, come to Jesus in repentance and faith and he will forgive your sins, change your life for the better, and give you a home in heaven when you die. In Revelation 22:17 we read these words: “And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” If you are a Christian who has gotten off the track of God’s will, claim 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you are grieving, he will give you comfort; if you are full of doubt, he will give you reassurance; if you are weak, he will give you strength; if you are fearful, he will give you courage, Whatever your need, come to Jesus, and he will help you.
My friend Jim Tillery was a member of the “Pressing On” class until the Lord led him to take on a class of his own, and he continues to teach that men’s class. Jim’s wife Sharon is still one of our most faithful members.
As a young man in the Air Force, Jim was stationed at the Kedena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. Although he was not saved at that time, Jim was deeply interested in spiritual truth. He had a Bible, and one of his buddies, a Marine, gave him a concordance. One night Jim was attending a service at the Kedena Christian Center, and a missionary stood and quoted John 1:1. Jim said that somehow that verse just gripped his heart, and he was so obsessed with it that he didn’t hear anything else the missionary said. He didn’t stay around for the social time; he want straight to his quarters, got his concordance and began searching for that verse. When at last he found it and read it for himself, he got down on his knees, asked the Lord to take away his sins, and surrendered his life to Jesus.
From that night to now, Jim has been sincerely seeking to live for the Lord and to serve him. In regard to John 1:1, Jim says, “That verse saved my life!”