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John 1:14 THE WORD MADE FLESH

 

Introduction:

 

    In our previous text John told us about Jesus coming into the

world.  He calls Him the Light.  He said the Light came into the

world.

    In our text today John goes into greater detail about that

coming and reveals to us that Jesus was made flesh at His coming.

Only in this text he does not call Jesus "The Light."  Rather he

calls Him. "The Word," as he did back in verse one.

 

I.  The Word made flesh

 

    V. 14, "And the Word was made flesh..."  This is that same

Word of God who was in the beginning with God the Father.  He was

not only with God, but He was God.  That is He was in the Godhead

along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  He was the

member of the Godhead who actually did the creating of the

universe.  All things were made by Him and without Him was not

anything made that was made.

    John said that this Word of God, this member of the Godhead,

this Creator of all things, this Light of the world was made

flesh.  He became a man.

    He was not just someone who was like a man.  He became a man.

He was a man.  He had human flesh.  He had every human

characteristic that other men have.  He even had human

weaknesses, but not sin!  Jesus never had sin!  He never

committed sin!  But He did have other human weaknesses.  For

instance, He required sleep.  He got sleepy just like any other

man would.  He got hungry and required food, just like other men

do.  He got thirsty and required water just like other men do.

Jesus was not some sort of super-human.  As far as His fleshly

nature was concerned, he was an ordinary man.

    As far as His Spirit nature was concerned, He was no ordinary

man.  Even though He lived in human flesh, He was still Deity

God.  He was still The Word of God.  He was still the Son of God.

He was still the Creator God.  He was still a member of the Holy

Trinity.

    John said that Jesus became flesh, but does not go into

detail as to how He was made flesh.  John just said, "And the

Word was made flesh..." We know from the account of other gospel

writers that He was born into human flesh.  Being Creator God, He

could have created for Himself a fully grown human body.  He

could have started out in human flesh as a grown man.  But if He

had done that, He would not have had the connection to other men

that God wanted Him to have.  God wanted not to merely be like

the human race.  God wanted Him to Him to be our Kinsman in the

flesh.  He wanted Him to fulfill the Bible prophecies concerning

The Kinsman Redeemer.  God wanted Him to be tempted in every way

that we are tempted.

    So what did He do?  How did He come into the world?  The Holy

Spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit conceived

a man-child in her womb.  Mary carried this child just as any

other prospective mother carries a child.  Then when her time was

fulfilled, she gave birth just as other mothers give birth.  He

    was fully human!  He was fully God!  One of the Holy Godhead,

All Knowing, All Wise, Almighty God was dwelling in the fleshly

body of that little babe!  The Word -- the Word of God -- was

made flesh.

 

II.  The Word dwelling among men

 

    (V. 14), "...and dwelt among us..."  That is, He dwelt among

men.  He was born in Bethlehem of Judah and from there He was

carried by Joseph and Mary into Egypt where He would be safe from

the Herod who sought His life.  When that particular Herod died,

Joseph and Mary brought Him to Nazareth, where He lived until He

was thirty years old.  He grew up in Nazareth.  He attended

school at Nazareth.  He attended worship services at Nazareth.

He worked as a carpenter at Nazareth.   Other children were born

to the home of Joseph and Mary and He grew up as the older

brother to them.

    He was living in a sinful world.  He was living in a sinful

town.  Nazareth was such a wicked town that men had a saying,

"Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"  He was Deity God

living in a human body, living among sinful human beings and yet

without sin!

    The word, dwelt, as found in our text was translated from a l

Greek word, which literally means, "tabernacled."  So literally,

what John said here is that Jesus "tabernacled" among men.  John

here makes a comparison between the presence of God dwelling in

the tabernacle in the wilderness and Jesus dwelling in human

flesh among men.  After the building of the tabernacle was

completed, a visible manifestation of the presence of God entered

that tabernacle and dwelt there in that tabernacle among men.

Even so it was with Jesus.  The Second Person of the Godhead,

entered into human flesh and dwelt among men.  He "tabernacled"

among men.

 

III.  Men beholding His glory

 

    (V. 14), "...(and we beheld his glory..."  John said, "...we

beheld his glory..."  For one thing, John was talking about the

glory of the miracles He performed.  Those who saw His miracles

saw a limited form of His glory.  As far as His human body was

concerned, they saw no glory at all.  They saw a human body that

appeared to be little different from the bodies of other men.

But the miracles which they saw displayed His glory.  Those who

saw Him make the lame to walk and give sight to the blind saw

evidence of His glory.  They saw evidence that He is no ordinary

man.  Those who saw Him instantly heal people who were on their

death bed saw His glory.  They saw evidence that Jesus is no

ordinary man.  Those who saw Him feed the multitude with five

loaves of bread and two fishes saw His glory.  They saw evidence

that He is no ordinary man.  Those who saw Him raise the dead saw

His glory.  They saw evidence that He is no ordinary man.  Those

who saw Him walk on stormy waters of the sea saw His glory.  They

saw evidence that He is no ordinary man.  The human flesh that He

lived in was ordinary human flesh, but the Spirit which dwelt

within was Spirit God.

    The three disciples who saw Jesus on the Mt. of

Transfiguration saw His glory in a far greater way than others

did.  They saw His glory even far beyond what the other disciples

did.  Even they did not see the fullness of His glory, but what

they did see was very spectacular.  This was Peter, James and

John.  Peter, James and John saw the face of Jesus shining as

bright as the sun.  They saw real evidence that Jesus is no

ordinary man!

    After Jesus was crucified and after He arose from the dead,

He made numerous appearances among His disciples.  They had seen

Him nailed to the cross.  They had seen His dead body hanging on

the cross.  Then after His resurrection they personally saw Him

alive, risen from the dead.  They saw Him eat fish and bread.

They were invited to handle Him and touch His hands and His feet.

By seeing the resurrected Christ, they saw His glory.  They had

reason to believe beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus is no

ordinary man.

    Now not everybody saw Jesus perform miracles.  Not everybody

saw Him on the Mt. of Transfiguration.  Not everybody saw His

resurrected body.  Not everybody saw His glory, because they were

seeing only with the natural eye.  But those who looked at the

facts of His ministry with an eye of faith would see the evidence

that He is more than an ordinary man.  He is the God-man.  He is

Deity God dwelling in human flesh.

   This was much like the tabernacle of old.  Anybody standing

outside the tabernacle looking at it would not see the glory

within.  But His glory was there whether they saw it with their

natural eyes or not.  But high priests who went into the Holy of

Holies once per year.  So it is with Jesus.  Only three disciples

saw the glory of Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration.  Many other

disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.  But through the miracles,

through the testimony of God's people and through the Holy

Scriptures anybody ought to be able to see it with the eye of

faith.  Anybody who reads and studies the Scripture ought to be

able to see that Jesus Christ is Deity God dwelling in human

flesh.

 

IV.  The only begotten of the Father

 

    (V. 14), "...the glory as of the only begotten of the

Father,)..."  John here speaks of Jesus as being "...the only

begotten of the Father..."  I think it is five times in this book

that John refers to Jesus as the only begotten One.  In John 3:16

Jesus is called, "...the only begotten Son of God..."

    This terminology in no way conflicts with the Bible teaching

that all who are saved are born-again children of God.  Jesus is

the Only Begotten Son of God and yet everyone who believes in

Jesus Christ is a child of God.  frequently in Scripture the

saved are called "sons of God" or "children of God."  But while

God has many who are sons of God in the sense that their inward

spirits have been born again by the Spirit of God, yet there one

and only one whose physical birth was produced by the Spirit of

God.  Jesus is still the "Only Begotten of the Father" in that

sense.

 

V.  Full of grace and truth

 

    (V. 14), "...full of grace and truth."  All of the grace of

God that man ever gets is through Jesus Christ.  Nobody ever gets

such except through faith in Jesus Christ.  All of the truth of

God that man ever gets comes one way or another through Jesus

Christ.  God may send that truth by means of the Holy prophets or

Holy apostles or Holy Scriptures -- and He does -- , but all

grace and all truth comes through Jesus.

 

VI.  The reason He was born in human flesh

 

    I am sure that you are aware by now that this text places

great stress on the fact that Jesus is Deity God and that He came

to this world and lived among men as a human being.  I want to

ask you a question.  Why?  Why was He born into human flesh?

    John said that He dwelt among men and that men beheld His

glory.  Was that the reason He was born in human flesh?  Was it

just in order that men might see His glory?  No, not at all.

    Or could it have been in order to establish a New Testament

church?  He did establish His church during His ministry here on

earth, but was that the reason He was born in human flesh?  No,

not at all.

    The reason Jesus was born in human flesh was that this was

the only way -- this was the only way -- that at He could save

sinful man!  He had to be born in human flesh in order for Him to

die on the cross.  He came to the earth and lived thirty-three

years among men and then He went to the cross to accomplish the

main purpose in being born.  He went to the cross and gave His

life's blood so that lost sinners could be saved.

 

Conclusion:

   

    Have you ever been saved?  Have you ever put your trust in

Jesus to save your soul?  If not, will you come now and place

your faith in Jesus as your Savior?