<< Previous | Index | Next >>"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN" They Beheld His Glory (1:14-18) INTRODUCTION 1. In the last few verses of the prologue to his gospel, John identifies the Word... a. Who was in the beginning with God, and was God - Jn 1:1-2 b. Through whom all things were made - Jn 1:3 c. Who was life, and the light of men - Jn 1:4-5,9 d. Who came into the world, though many did not receive Him - Jn 1: 10-11 e. Yet those who received Him, were given the right to become children of God - Jn 1:12-13 2. The Word was Jesus Christ... a. Who became flesh and lived among men - Jn 1:14 b. Who glory was seen by men - Jn 1:14 3. The word "glory" as used here... a. Means "majesty, dignity, splendor" (Barnes) b. Pertaining to Christ, it refers to His personal excellence or majesty [John writes "We beheld His glory". What majesty, dignity, or splendor did John and others see in Jesus when He walked in the flesh among men...?] I. THEY BEHELD HIS GLORY A. THE GLORY OF HIS DEITY... 1. "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" - Jn 1:14a 2. "The dignity which was appropriate to the only begotten Son of God" (Barnes) a. "Such glory or splendor as could belong to no other, and as properly expressed his rank and character." b. "This glory was seen eminently on the mount of transfiguration" - Lk 9:28-32; 2Pe 1:16-18 c. "It was also seen in his miracles, his doctrine, his resurrection, his ascension" - cf. Jn 2:11 -- "All of which were such as to illustrate the perfections, and manifest the glory that belongs only to the Son of God." (Barnes) B. THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE... 1. "full of grace...grace for grace...grace and truth came through Jesus" - Jn 1:14b,16-17 2. "The word grace means favors, gifts, acts of beneficence." (Barnes) a. "He was kind, merciful, gracious, doing good to all, and seeking man's welfare by great sacrifices and love;" b. "so much so, that it might be said to be characteristic of him, or he abounded in favors to mankind." (Barnes) C. THE GLORY OF HIS TRUTH... 1. "full...of truth...truth came through Jesus Christ." - Jn 1: 14b,17 2. "He was also full of truth. He declared the truth. In him was no falsehood." (Barnes) a. "He was not like the false prophets and false Messiahs, who were wholly impostors" b. "Nor was he like the emblems and shadows of the old dispensation, which were only types of the true; but he was truth itself." 3. "He represented things as they are, and thus became the truth as well as the way and the life." - cf. Jn 14:6 (Barnes) D. THE GLORY OF HIS PREEMINENCE... 1. "He who comes after me is preferred before me..." - Jn 1:15 2. As witnessed to by John the Baptist - cf. Jn 1:27,29-30 3. John the Baptist recognized His superiority, as did the apostle Paul a. By virtue of His preexistence ("He was before me") - cf. also Jn 8:58; 17:5 b. By virtue of His creative powers - cf. Col 1:16-17 E. THE GLORY OF HIS REVELATION... 1. "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son...He has declared Him" - Jn 1:18 a. "This passage is not meant to deny that men had witnessed manifestations of God, as when he appeared to Moses and the prophets (cf. Num 12:8 Isa 6:1-13)." b. "...it is meant that no one has seen the essence of God, or has fully known God." c. "The prophets delivered what they heard God speak; Jesus what he knew of God as his equal, and as understanding fully his nature." (Barnes) 2. Jesus manifested or declared the Father as no one had done before! a. As Jesus told Philip - Jn 14:9 b. As Jesus expressed in His prayer - Jn 17:6,24 c. As the apostles wrote in their epistles - Col 1:15; He 1:1-4 3. "This verse proves that, Jesus had a knowledge of God above that which any of the ancient prophets had, and that the fullest revelations of his character are to be expected in the gospel." (Barnes) a. "By his Word and Spirit he can enlighten and guide us, and lead us to the true knowledge of God;" b. "There is no true and full knowledge of God which is not obtained through his Son." [What a wonderful experience it must have been to behold the glory of God's only begotten Son! It undoubtedly transformed the life of John and others who saw Him. By the grace of God, it also possible that...] II. WE CAN BEHOLD HIS GLORY A. IN THIS LIFE... 1. We can behold His glory... a. The glory of His deity, grace and truth! b. The glory of His preeminence and revelation! 2. How? Through the words of His eyewitnesses! a. Who made known the power and coming of our Lord - cf. 2 Pe 1:16-18 b. Who declared what they heard, saw, even handled, that we might share with them in their fellowship with the Father and Son - cf. 1Jn 1:1-4; 5:11-13 -- Through their gospels, their letters, their inspired writings, we can behold His glory! 3. Indeed, we must behold His glory to be transformed! a. Our transformation is fundamental to true discipleship - cf. Ro 8:29; 12:1-2 b. Our transformation is gradual, occurring as we behold His glory - cf. 2Co 3:18 c. Our transformation involves renewing the mind, a mind set on things above where Christ is - cf. Ro 12:1-2; Col 3:1-2 B. WHEN HE COMES AGAIN... 1. We will behold His glory... a. When He appears - Col 3:4 b. When He comes again, to be glorified in His saints - 2 Th 1:10 2. Indeed, every one will behold His glory... a. For every eye will see Him - cf. Re 1:7 b. For every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Him - cf. Php 2:9-11 CONCLUSION 1. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory..." - Jn 1:14 2. We may not have seen Jesus in the flesh, but we can still behold His glory... a. Even now, through the testimony of His apostles and the Word of God b. Even then, when Jesus comes again to be revealed in His glory 3. What will we do with the glory of Jesus as declared by His apostles...? a. We should let it transform our lives as we behold the glory of the Lord - 2Co 3:18 b. Then when Christ comes, we will be glorified together with Him! - 2Th 1:10 Here is Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians... "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2Th 1:11-12) May his prayer be fulfilled in our lives, along with this prayer from Jude... "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)<< Previous | Index | Next >>
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