Princeton Christian Church
John 1: 1-14 July 28, 2024
In this passage from John chapter 1, he presents the importance of Jesus's humanity.
The Word became flesh. That means, of course, that Jesus became human.
READ 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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 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 those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even 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 saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We also read more about the name of Jesus as Paul writes in Philippians 2:9-11.
READ Philippians 2:9-11
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We are all called by different names. We can learn a lot about a person from the names or titles they are called or known by.
Here is a list of names that would describe me: Gary. Mr. Fair, Dr. Fair, Pastor, Preacher, Brother, father-in-law, cousin, UK basketball fan, Vice President Fair, Dad, Pappy (one of my favorites, by the way), Hey You, and possibly others.
They all describe who I am and what I do in this life. You all have some of the same names as I just mentioned. And you have others that I didn’t mention.
It is the same with the man named Jesus.
Here is a listing of some of the names we find in Scripture by which Jesus was known:
Teacher, Immanuel, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Word Became Flesh, Savior, Lord, The Alpha and Omega, the Lamb of God, the bread of life, the morning star… and many more.
Today, we are going to focus on the name The Word Became Flesh.
We have to remember that although Jesus was fully God when He walked on this earth, He was also fully human.
Jesus was flesh and blood, as we are. Fully God, but also fully man.
First, We Know Jesus Was A Man
We know that for two reasons.
1. Scripture Reveals That Fact to Us.
John 1:1, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we say His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Apostle Paul describes the fact of Jesus’ humanity as he writes to the church in Philippi – Philippines 2:5-8 READ
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
What does all that say to us as we ponder the Word?
It tells us The Word was with God, and the Word was God. And now Jesus is with us.
Jesus is deity - Jesus is man.
The Word became flesh; Jesus became a human; Jesus became flesh and blood.
Even in that human form, Jesus was still fully God.
Now, that can be a bit difficult for many people to digest. And that is understandable.
People have looked at that and scratched their heads, wondering, now, how can that be true?
There were a lot of people in the time Jesus walked the earth who completely rejected the concept of Jesus being God and man at the same time. So, that is what they taught….that He was only a man and not God.
That basically is why John opens his writing with that teaching – The Word Became Flesh.
We know John was thoroughly convinced and convicted by his statement that God became Man. We see that evidenced in his later writing in 1 John 1:1, where he opens his letter with this statement:
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life.”
We can believe and accept that Jesus is deity – that is. God and Man at the same time because Scripture reveals it to us.
In addition to Scripture revealing the truth to us,
2. His Life Demonstrates It
When we look at the life of Jesus, we know that He lived here on earth as a Man. Jesus was conceived in the womb, just like every one of us – all of humanity.
He was born just like we were. Mary went through the pain of giving birth to a baby.
He came out looking just like you, and I did at our births.
Jesus depended upon Joseph and Mary to feed him, bathe him, and change His diapers.
Jesus had to learn to walk and probably experienced the same failed attempts as we did when we were learning to walk at first.
Jesus had to learn to talk.
Jesus experienced being weary;
He slept;
He got hungry and thirsty.
If He was cut or injured as a child, he bruised and He bled.
And, when His enemies crucified Him, He died.
Someone put it this way: “For 33 years He would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure; He was wooed by women tempting Him; He probably got colds, He probably burbs on occasion, and might have had body odor.”
But we don’t like to think of Jesus in that way. It’s uncomfortable. After all, this is Jesus we’re talking about! It is so much easier to ignore the human side of Him.
And you know what happens then—when we ignore His human side, we somehow think that keeps Him more distant.
But we need to see Him as the human He intended to be. You see, it is only if we let Him in that He can pull us out of our world's muck and mire.
So, the Word became flesh.
Now, what difference does that make? Jesus, being a man, makes all the difference in the world.
First, because Jesus the Man allows us to see God. No one has ever seen God. But the only Son, as God, is very close to the Father, and He has shown us what God looks like.
John 1:18: “No one has seen God at any time, the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained.”
He is saying that before Jesus, no one had ever seen God. Moses got close - 1400 years prior to Jesus - asking to see God’s glory – Exodus 33:17-23. God was pleased with Moses and told him whatever he asked, God would give it to him.
Remember, Moses had wandered around in the wilderness, leading a million-plus stubborn and rebellious people. Moses asked to “see God’s glory.” In other words, “I want to see you.”
God’s answer, though, was, “If I show you my face because no man can see my face and live.” Moses was only allowed to see God’s back – not His face.
For the next 1400 years, that was as close as anyone came to seeing God’s glory.
And then, the infinite God stepped down into history to become like us in every respect.
We need to understand that for centuries, God has done everything to help man see what He is really like.
He used men like David, Moses, Jeremiah, and Isaiah to serve as prophets.
But even those men were shadows. Hebrews 1:1-3: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power, When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they (the prophets).”
Like God in every way – Like us in every way – Jesus brought God close.
Jesus showed us what God is like. He gave us an up close and personal view of God.
What a view that was!
See it this way: God’s love, compassion, patience, joy, mercy, and grace all literally explode from the life of Jesus.
Jesus answered a lot of questions people had about God.
Does God really care about me?
Does He love me?
Will He be patient with me when I stumble?
Will He have compassion for my pain?
Will He respond to my needs?
And the biggie—am I good enough to approach Him and be in His presence?
Jesus the Man shows us a view of God that causes us to want to get to Him as soon as possible.
So, Jesus the Man allows us to see God through Himself.
Then, Jesus the Man allows you to see yourself.
Is the way you see yourself closely connected to the way you think the world sees you?
Do you see yourself as important, valuable, desirable, acceptable, or significant?
The sad reality is that a substantial portion of people, in general, don’t see themselves as valuable, desirable, acceptable, significant, or worth being with.
Jesus the Man allows us to see ourselves through His eyes. We are precious, valuable, and significant to Him.
Jesus has cried out for 2000 years for all to hear – You are acceptable – You are significant – you are loved.
You will remember the story told in Luke 7 – there was a woman who was a prostitute, and she came looking for Jesus for acceptance. She brought a jar of expensive perfume. Her eyes were full of tears because she wondered if God would accept her.
The Pharisees, who were the party's hosts, saw this woman as ‘one of those women,’ which is most likely how she saw herself.
But Jesus – saw who she really was. That is remarkable, unbelievable to most people, incredible, and too good to be true.
But here is the truth – there is something so precious, awesome, and desirable about each of you – that caused God the Son to put on human flesh, to live on earth as a Man, and to die on the cross just so He could be with you.
Jesus the Man allows you to see yourself as you really are.
Jesus the Man shows you who you can become.
The word “new” – do you like that word? It is awesome – you think about starting a NEW year, getting a NEW car, moving into a NEW house, learning NEW things, getting a NEW beginning.
God likes NEW things, too – He said, “Behold I make all things new.”
Acts 5:18-20 Romans 6:3-4
Both of those passages speak about the NEW LIFE in Christ.
The old life is gone – the NEW life has begun.
Jesus the Man shows you that you were created to live, and you don’t have to stay the same. You can live a new life, which is God’s plan for each of us.
Colossians 3:10-11 says, “….you have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him, a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”
He chose you to become like His Son. You are becoming like the One who made you.
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Here is something to ponder – God loves you the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way. He wants us to become like Jesus.
Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form.
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That is the only way He could die – and it was only by His death that He could break the power of Satan, who had the power of death.
It was necessary for Jesus to be like us—his brothers and sisters—in every respect so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.
Then, He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
Let’s look at this truth in another way:
Hebrews 2:14-17 READ
Therefore, 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, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, 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.
Because God the Son became a man
Because He was like us in every respect
Because He was flesh and blood
Because He lived a sinless life
Because He offered that life as payment, as a sacrifice for our sins
The devil has been defeated. Death has been destroyed. Mercy has been given.
And His amazing grace has been unleashed in the world.
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 READ
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
Because of Jesus the Man, we are free! – from sin, guilt, shame, condemnation, the fear of dying, the fear of living, and a life of wishful thinking.
We have a life of confidence in knowing we are in His care.
Jesus, the Man, understands everything we will ever experience.
Have you ever felt that no one really understood what you were going through?
Maybe you have a problem, you’re being tempted, you’re in a struggle, facing a crisis – and you feel alone. And trying to find someone to listen seems impossible.
Here is where we can call on what the writer of Hebrews tells us in 4:14-16 READ.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is the only man who has never yielded to temptation. He is the only man who fully understands what temptation means. If He had not become a man, we would not have a God who fully and experientially understood us.
The fact is that “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and therefore --- no matter what we face, whether it is temptation, weaknesses, or suffering – Jesus can and does say – “Been there…Dealt with that. I can help you!”
That includes when you feel alone, a friend has betrayed you, you are tempted by lust, money, or power, grieving over the death of a loved one; if you have been misunderstood by others, simply stressed by life, you are enduring physical pain; having money problems; lack the necessities of life.
All these situations when we bring them to Jesus the Man, Jesus our Lord – He can say Been there…Done that…I will help you – Just Let Me.
That is what He desires—to help us through the times of life when we just can’t do it on our own. We need His help.
But He expects us to call on Him in that time of need.
For those of us who are already saved in Him, we can count on that.
For those who have not been obedient in all that He requires of us to be saved, He requires that, having heard the Word, we recognize Jesus as His Son, realize the sin in our lives, and repent of that sin, which means turning away from that sin and expelling it from our lives. He requires that we be baptized in water, where our sins are washed away in that grave, and we rise out of that grave, beginning a new life.
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