When God became
a Man
Text: John 1:1-14.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
“And the Word became 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.”
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
“And the Word became 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.”
King Solomon stood in the lavish temple he had built, he spoke
these words: “But will
God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” 1 Kings 8:27. If God did dwell on the earth, what would He be like? What
would He say? What would He do?
This is the theme of our text. For God did indeed dwell on
the earth, as a man, a sinless man! The gospels
are not the full picture they are but snapshots of the life of Christ. John
21:25 says “And there
are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by
one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that
would be written. Amen.”
Matthew emphasized Jesus as King of
the Jews.
Mark emphasized Christ as the suffering
servant.
Luke emphasized Christ as the Son of
Man.
But John emphasizing Jesus Christ as
the Son of God!
The entire Bible is about Jesus Christ, all of history is HIS
story. He is on every page in types, symbols, and shadows. And the gospel of
John explains the fulfilment of all of those in the person of Jesus. It is in
John that we learn that Jesus IS the lamb from Old Testament sacrifices.
“The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world!” John
1:29.
Here is the theme of the entire Bible: It is the Lamb of God that
takes away the sin of the world! Adam and Eve
sinned. Their boys inherited that sin nature. Both were told to bring a
sacrifice for their sins. Abel brought a lamb, Cain brought fruits and
vegetables. No wonder Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s rejected, what
made the difference? The Blood of the lamb!
We
keep seeing the lamb covering for sin:
1.
In Genesis 4:4, the lamb was slain for ONE
MAN. “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And
the Lord respected Abel and his offering” Genesis 4:4.
2.
In Exodus 12, the lamb was slain for ONE
FAMILY. Where God told every family to take one lamb, sacrifice it, and apply
its blood to the top of the doorpost and the sides (what were they forming? A
cross of blood!).
3.
In Leviticus 16, the lamb was slain for
ONE NATION. God told the high priest to kill a lamb for the sins of the whole
nation of Israel (this was done once a year for hundreds of years).
4. In John
1:29, Jesus is introduced, “Behold,
the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” All the
other lambs were leading up to this; they were just pictures of the perfect
Lamb to come. The Lamb to span all eternity! Now there's no need
to sacrifice literal lambs, they were only pictures of Christ, and once you
have the fulfilment, you no longer need the 'type.'
It is John who tells
us that Jesus is the lamb of the Old Testament.
It is John that tells us that Jesus is the
temple of the Old Testament.
Solomon's temple was made of gold, marble,
and brass, magnificent, and breathtakingly beautiful. And everything in that
temple was a picture of Jesus, who was yet to come. Even the colour
schemes pictures aspects of His character and nature.
As
you walk into the courtyard you pass by the brazen altar where the lamb would
be slain, a picture of the cross. You would come to the brazen laver,
the water of the Word, and Jesus IS the Word! Inside the temple is
the table of showbread, Jesus, the bread of life. The golden
lampstand, Jesus, the light of the world. The altar of incense, Jesus
our High Priest, makes intercession for us.
John
gives us many deep truths, but only one major theme: Jesus Christ is the
Son of God, and is the only one who can give to you eternal life.
CONCLUSION:
God
became a man and dwelt among us! And we beheld His glory.
