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And let's seek His face together. Our Father and our great God, Lord, You're so good to us. Our prayer and our desire this morning is, as Jesus taught His disciples, to approach You, Lord. Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Lord, we pray, speak. Speak to us from Your Word this morning,.
For Thy servant hears.
May your Son, your one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, be highly exalted and lifted up this morning through the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray for Thy glory and honor in Jesus' name.
Amen.
The Gospel of John. This is known as the fourth gospel. And we've been introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ in this glorious gospel and His wonderful person.
He is the Word.
The Logos. The Logos.
He is the way.
He is the truth.
He is the life. He's the light of the world.
So we're going to pick up here as we continue in John chapter 1. And I'd like to pick up to verse 14 as we looked at the last two Lord's Day. And this wonderful key verse that is before us. And I'd like to read from verse 14 to verse 18.
Verse 14 through 18. As John opens this wonderful gospel in the prologue.
So hear the Word of the living 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. John bore witness of Him and cried out saying this was He of whom I said He who comes after me is preferred before me for He was before me.
And of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father He has declared Him.
Another translation says or He has explained Him. Praise God. Here John opens as in chapter 1 we have been looking at this wonderful fourth gospel with these first 18 verses that we would call the prologue.
The prologue. The prologue John gives us a rich deep theology concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must however we believe I am telling you churches must get this right on the person and works of Jesus Christ.
If we do not get this right everything is going to be wrong.
Everything.
It is central to our faith. Our Christian faith. As a matter of fact I would actually say it is just as bad to preach a wrong Jesus as not to preach a Jesus at all. We must have the right Christ of God.
And the right Christ of God is presented to us in this gospel. And John the Apostle reveals to us who Jesus is by the Holy Spirit as he writes these words. Now here we have the prologue. And then starting in verse 19 as we look going into that direction he goes into the narrative part of it in Jesus of his life in which in his ministry which he starts to tell the wonderful story of his entire life in the world as his ministry begins.
And then he goes into those glorious statements that Jesus makes as we will look at Lord willing in the future and all the works that he does and the miracles he performs and gives us the glorious wonderful story the greatest story ever told all the way to the cross to the grave.
To the tomb.
His resurrection and then his eventually his ascension as it goes into the book of Acts. But in the opening prologue here he the Apostle John makes his thesis I would like to say it's a thesis statement on who Jesus is in the opening prologue in this rich and deep and awesome truth.
And it's Jesus Christ and this is the truth that he gives to us that Jesus Christ is God in flesh. That is the central point in which he leads us to receive it by faith and to believe it. This is central that Jesus Christ is in human flesh and that he is the creator of the entire universe.
He is God the second person of the Trinity that has come to this world he has now become a part of his creation. It's incredible isn't it? The message is really simple but I yet say that it is absolutely profound.
He is pure he is the eternal one he is the pure perfect being who has become man. That's John the Apostle's message. That's his message. And that Jesus Christ is not as many cults teach that he's not a created man.
He is the creator in flesh. But he is God in flesh. That is central. Now this is the most essential doctrine in the Christian faith. And again I say and I repeat this if we get this wrong we've got everything wrong.
We must have this right. And it's critical that we have this right. And as the spirit of God shows us through his word the word of God has it right. All these other writings about Christ is going to be wrong about Jesus.
The other revelation as so called there's no other revelation this is the revelation but the other testament of Jesus Christ as the Mormons say it's all false and spurious. And actually I would say it's demonic.
This is the only record.
That bears record and tells us of who Jesus is and who God is through Jesus Christ. And so as we look at this I'd like to go with an attitude of worship this morning because the word became flesh it should put us in wonder.
It's more than just understanding it here intellectually. We must receive it by faith.
And believe it in wonder and awe.
Isn't there a great difference? There is. Because there's many people that's heard this and knows this intellectually. Satan knows that intellectually. Doesn't he? But he has absolutely no love for God whatsoever.
So here as we dive and plumb the depths of the great theology it leads us to doxology.
Right?
And I believe that's where John would have us to go. So this morning this is going to be an overview of these verses. By no means it's not going to be a full exposition as I would love to do that but as we have communion after the service today and a brief business meeting afterwards time is limited so we only can just glean and glance at the glories that is before us.
Now.
So far we've seen and learned from the opening of John's gospel the first 13 verses that the one true and living God the eternal God became human. The infinite one became the finite. The eternal one entered into time and the omnipresent one became confined in space of space in a human body and that the invisible one became visible.
And as Paul the apostle would clearly say in the first Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 without controversy great is the mystery of godliness for God was manifested in the flesh. He was justified in the spirit.
He was seen by angels.
He was preached among the Gentiles believed on in the world received up in glory.
That's the gospel.
Now as we look into this great mystery as Paul has mentioned to us from first Timothy as we saw that quote from first Timothy 3 verse 16 John here takes us right into the depths of it. Now as we look here we see that this was a great mystery that was kept secret since the world began.
In the Old Testament.
It was concealed.
In the New Testament it's revealed. It's opened up to us. And the revelation of who God is is all in Jesus Christ. Everything we need to know about God is in Jesus Christ. He is the fullness of the Godhead.
The Godhead in Him bodily dwells. Everything and all about God is in Jesus Christ. We do not forget that. So it's made manifest through Jesus Christ.
Made known.
Through the prophetic scriptures. Through the prophetic scriptures let's not forget that not through man's wisdom but through the scriptures according to the scriptures. So again our focus this morning is verse 14 to verse 18 but this will be a quick overview.
So John chapter 1 we will be only just gleaning from it. Not a full exposition. So there's enough here for us to look at and gaze upon to strengthen our faith. And as we all stand in awe.
And wonder.
And worship the true and living God through Jesus Christ by the help of the Holy Spirit. The first point I would like to bring out is let's look at verse 14. Verse 14. God is the God of all glory. He's the God of all glory.
Notice what it says. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Stop right there. While Christ as God was uncreated the eternal.
The word became flesh. The Logos. The word became flesh. Sarex. That means He became human. In a physical sense. In a physical sense. Romans 1 .3 says basically that Jesus Paul the Apostle was the son of David according to the flesh.
Humanly speaking.
So the eternal word of God became human so we see the God man now.
He's deity.
But yet He's humanity.
As one preacher put it this way.
He's not 50 -50.
He's not 50 parts of 50 man and 50 of God. He's 100 -100. He's all man. He's all God intermingled together. What a great mystery. The eternal God who is the pure eternal being as I said earlier and not becoming at all as His creatures or becomes a part of His creation.
God and man.
Are joined together in one person. One person with two natures. Incredible. Never again will He be separated from this body. He has this fleshly body right now glorified in heaven at the right hand of the Father.
The Father is Spirit. The Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity is Spirit. But only Christ has a body. A perfect body. A resurrected body. A glorified body. And as at the right hand of God the Father is our great high priest on the throne praying to the Father.
John MacArthur notes this. He says the deity of Jesus Christ is not diminished by His humanity nor is His humanity overpowered by His deity. End quote. Let me say that again. The deity of Christ is not diminished by His humanity nor is His humanity overpowered by His deity.
It's a wonderful quote. It's a wonderful truth. And he's taken that right out of Scripture because Jesus Christ is the God-man. He is the God of all glory. He became flesh. He took upon Himself.
Flesh.
The God-man. Jesus Christ. He was the God of all glory in heaven. But He became flesh to become to come and be with us on earth. And isn't it wonderful that God loves us this much that He had in order to go to the cross and complete His mission and live His life and fulfill the law of God perfectly and do everything that God had commanded Him to do.
He had to become flesh.
He became a man.
Isaiah 7, 14 The prophet Isaiah says this Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call His name Emmanuel. Isn't that a wonderful prophecy?
Emmanuel which is interpreted God with us. God with us. Take away that you've taken away all hope. He is God with us. Jesus Christ is God with us. God desires to dwell with us. He took upon Himself flesh as a man, a perfect man and one day when He comes back again He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords upon this entire planet in righteousness and in great glory.
Isn't it going to be wonderful? Soon to come Jesus Christ the most holy God one with the Father sent from the Father came to be with us being born of a virgin born of a virgin and the Word became flesh.
That's enough right there.
Just to meditate on and dwell and just worship. The Word became flesh. And then it says. And dwelt among us. Dwelt among us. He dwelt among us. The Greek word dwelt means tabernacle or pitched like a pitched tabernacle or fixed ones tabernacle.
And it's like the Shekinah glory of God has come into flesh and we're going to look at it in just a moment. But that glory was within that flesh. All that glory of God was in that flesh all the glory of God and just inside Him.
Literally what this sentence is actually saying is that the Word the Logos became flesh and tabernacled among us. Pitched a tabernacle. And keep in mind as we looked into the Old Testament as we see the tabernacle the way it was set up and everything the glory of God came.
And we looked at that last Lord's Day as like a cloud and the glory was abiding there and dwelt there. It's like this glory has come in Jesus Christ just as God tabernacled with Him in the wilderness.
So the Son of God became flesh and tabernacled among us. Great thought wonderful thought. And the apostles the Apostle John says we the other apostles just not himself. You notice he just didn't say I beheld His glory.
He's bringing in the other apostles' witnesses. Because he knows just one witness is not sufficient. Every word of God it must be established by by two or three witnesses. I should say.
He said we beheld His glory we that means Peter beheld it James beheld it all the apostles and he was basically thinking I believe in his mind of Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration when they beheld the glory that was bursting forth in Jesus and the Father spoke from Heaven that this is my beloved Son whom I am well pleased in hear Him.
And that glory was shining forth.
Although His deity may have been veiled in this human flesh again as I mentioned glimpses exist in the Gospels of His divine majesty as it was bursting forth and the disciples Peter, James and John saw these glimpses and they witnessed His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Not only was Christ's glory visible but it was also spiritual as well. Now what do I mean by that? Not only was it visible and they got a glimpse of it on the Mount of Transfiguration but it was spiritual spiritual means that they also saw and witnessed in Jesus Christ all the perfect attributes and characteristics of God in Jesus.
We can list them all but I'll give you just a few. Grace. God's grace God's goodness God's mercy God's wisdom God's truth God's power. All this all the perfections of God and His majesty and His glory was seen in Jesus Christ.
Only in Jesus only in Jesus. You know as we look last Lord's Day at Exodus 33 I'd like to revisit this real quickly because there's something I'd like for you to see in Exodus 33 and verse 18 through 23 and it speaks about the goodness of God.
But as we look at this passage we see that God's it's all about God's glory. Don't you desire.
So much.
To just.
Just have a.
Just a small glimpse of this. God is the God of all glory. Right. And notice this in chapter 33. I just want to read just a few verses and look at verse 18. And Moses said and he said please show me your glory.
And notice verse 19.
Then he said I will make.
All my.
What does he say.
Goodness my goodness pass before you. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Basically God is telling Moses I'm the one that makes that decision.
God is the one that is ultimately in control right. Aren't you glad of that. I'm so glad that God is in control of this universe. He has not lost one bit of His authority or His control of this universe.
And people may think it is the way sin and Satan is about and doing terrible things on this earth. And we see all the violence. But God has not lost any control. He has everything under control regardless how evil and bad things get.
And then he said this in verse 20. But he said God tells Moses you cannot see my face. For no man can see me and live Moses. Even Moses is a prophet the meekest man on the face of the earth at the time and a chosen prophet of God a deliverer for the people of Israel.
As much as he knew God face to face he could not see God's glory because God's glory would burn him up. But God then it goes on to say and the Lord said here is a place by me. You shall stand on the rock and remember what Paul says that rock is Jesus Christ.
What he is saying is the only way that we can even get a glimpse of God is in Jesus. So it shall be he says while my glory passes by I will put you in the cleft.
Of.
The rock and I will cover you with my hand while I pass by. I will put you right there in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you, I will protect you so you will not disintegrate so he provides for him and then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back only just a quick glimpse but my face shall not be seen.
Wow.
That's a great truth and think of this all. In Jesus Christ we can catch a glimpse of the glory of God. So God is a God of glory. My second point is this God is also the God of goodness and notice what God told Moses.
That I.
As I pass by I will make all my goodness pass.
Before you.
My goodness God's goodness all that goodness goodness and mercy.
David says will follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever mercy and goodness, goodness and mercy. The phrase. If you go back to John look at the phrase there. And the last phrase of verse 14.
The glory.
The glory only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth grace and truth. Let's just ponder that for a minute, the awesome description of Jesus Christ.
He's not just.
Half way full of grace and truth he's full to the brim of grace.
And truth.
Wonderful. And as all the goodness passed by Moses as he was put in the cleft of the rock God's goodness passes by so all of God's goodness is in.
Jesus Christ.
The Lord is merciful, he's gracious he's long suffering, abounding in goodness and truth. These wonderful attributes of God's glory emphasize God's goodness, his character especially in relationship to salvation.
All this goodness is bound up in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone full of grace and truth.
Full.
As only as applied to Jesus Christ this phrase marks out him as the author of perfect redemption and perfect.
Revelation.
Isn't that wonderful?
That all we have is in Jesus everything everything about God is in Jesus.
What a wonderful truth to.
Ponder, isn't it? Let's go to the third.
Not only is he a God of all glory not only is he a God of all goodness he's the God that is God over all flesh. He has all authority over flesh and he is listen to what John testified of. Look at verse 15 he testifies.
John testified or John bore witness of him or about him speaking of Jesus Christ. And the scripture says he cried out saying this was he whom I said. He who comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me.
Did you get that?
He was before me?
In other words he existed before me. Now wait. Amazing thing about this John the Baptist witness concerning Jesus Christ is.
He existed before me?
Remember that John the Baptist on the physical way said he had been born several months before Jesus but yet he says here and testifies that Jesus was before him, he's preeminent. He understood by the spirit of God and the revelation that was given to him who Jesus really was that he was God in flesh he was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world that was before.
The foundation of this world.
Beloved.
Jesus existed.
He made the worlds he is God in flesh and that's why he said when Jesus came to be baptized John says I am not even worthy to stoop down to unlatch your sandals and he says you come to me to baptize you and Jesus says suffer to be so and let it be to fulfill all righteousness because Jesus' one desire was to do the will of God and to please the Father and he did it.
Jesus was before the beginning of time, Jesus was before the worlds beginning, he created all of it.
He was Zion.
Amen. He existed in the, actually he says this in chapter 8. Well see you see the Jews arguing with Jesus and Jesus says to them in John 8 56 your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad.
And Abraham.
Lived thousands of years before Jesus was born. How could you say such a statement. Well John 8 57 58 answers that. And Jews. Therefore, the Jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and you have seen Abraham.
Jesus said to them truly, truly.
Barely barely or.
Amen, amen I say to you before Abraham was.
I am.
Listen to that.
Before Abraham was I am, he was speaking of himself.
That he is.
God Jesus Christ is God of glory he's God of goodness, he's God over all flesh. He existed before time began, he existed before the world began, before the foundation of this universe was created. John testified to this truth.
He existed before.
Me.
Next we see in verse 16 God is not only the God of.
Glory.
He's not only the God of goodness. He's not only the God that's over all flesh, he's also the God.
Of all grace.
The God of all grace look at verse 16 and of his fullness we have received. And grace for grace grace for grace. Actually this wonderful, wonderful attribute of God's grace is I like to put it across it's God's riches at Christ's expense.
But it's deeper than that.
It's all in Jesus, right? God's riches at Christ's expense, all that Jesus is and all that he did for us is all that we need for heaven and all that we need for salvation, nothing added to it nothing subtracted from it.
Just Jesus. He brings God to us. He brings God among us God with us. You know what that grace upon grace means? It's beautiful actually. MacArthur put it super abundance grace. It's super abundance grace.
Grace that's in super abundance. It's unlimited grace. It's as it is said that that he loved us when we were unlovable. It's unmerited favor. He saved us when we were unsavable, he forgave us when we were unforgivable, not only he loved us and forgave us and saved us but we have received of his fullness grace upon grace or grace for grace.
It's grace piled on top of grace. Grace and grace and more grace. I don't know about you. I need this grace all the time and we need to be careful not to sin against this grace because I tell you what.
That's far more higher of a standard and we'll see in a minute than law to sin against God's grace and God's goodness. All the riches of God is available to us through Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Through the blood.
Of the cross it's almost like through the blood of the cross he brings through his flesh through what his sacrifice has done and he brings it all the way from heaven all the way that has bridged it down to this sinful earth has come from heaven and has.
Bridged the chasm that has been.
So wide eternally and so deep that no one else could reach it but he comes to us you notice. That's the difference between true Christianity and religion. Religion. Religion says I'm going to do everything I can to get to God I'm going to do this I'm going to do that, I'm going to keep this book I'm going to keep this rule, this regulation, these laws and do, do, do, do.
But God has done, done, done. Isn't that beautiful. And all that Christianity is is that God has done it all for us. Isn't that glorious. He has provided the salvation.
He's fulfilled the law. We don't have to fulfill the law.
We can't fulfill the law, we can't even come close to it and we're going to see that in a minute. But Jesus has kept the law perfectly in his works, in his life and all, I'm telling you what if you focus on that you will be on your face worshiping and say oh God thank you.
Jesus Christ, paid it all all to him. I owe, he did it all. And when Jesus died on the cross and said it is finished that's what it meant. I paid it in full and we believe it and even the believing, he gives us the gift.
To believe.
Even the repentance, he gives us the repentance to turn from sin and hate sin.
Oh I.
Love that, don't you, that's the glory.
Of the gospel, so there's.
Glory, it's grace upon grace grace upon grace all through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well there's a fifth point I'd like to take us to. Not only God is the God of all glory God of all goodness God over all flesh, he's the God of all grace but.
He's.
He's the God of all truth and holiness. Look at verse 17 for the law was given through Moses. Let's stop right there, the law was given through Moses, Moses was just a vessel to give the law of God he represented it the law and I believe on the mount of transfiguration you have Moses representing the law here and the prophets, Elijah was there and Moses.
The law giver.
And they were both discussing, both of them had exodus and Jesus in the middle. Glorious isn't it. And the father focuses not on Moses or Elijah. And actually Peter got rebuked for getting called up in Moses and Elijah.
And then the father says.
This is my beloved son.
Hear him that's who we need to hear Jesus. We don't go to mount Sinai even though we'll see mount Sinai has a purpose. Let's look at that, the law was given through Moses. These verses draw a contrast to John's prologue.
So the first is.
The law of God was given to Moses and was not a display of God's grace. Was it, actually it displays God's justice and we need to hear this.
Because.
Unless we hear the law of God and God's demand for perfect holiness in which we fall so short of we will never know what sin is.
The law basically is just a tutor and a school master to lead us to Jesus Christ. It shows us who we really are it shows us our disease as Luther said that we may go to the remedy now beloved the law of God.
Is perfect.
As Psalm 19 says, it's good. Paul says it's good, it's holy and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, actually we need to hear the law of God, but it cannot save us it condemns us. God designed the law as a means of to demonstrate the sin and unrighteousness of man in order to show us the great need that we have of a savior.
That's why, I love what D. Martin Lloyd-Jones says as we evangelize people, always start with the holiness of God, always start with the law of God, Jesus did take them to the law of God and then ultimately in your mind and by the help of the Holy Spirit lead them through that and take them to the cross.
You see, you always start with the holiness of God. So, Paul says this in Romans, actually that's what all of Romans is about. Let me just give you just a few verses, Romans 3. You can turn there with me very quickly, look at Romans 3.
I wish we had more time on this but, it is really deep.
There's a lot here.
Verse 19, Paul says now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and listen to what he says here.
And all the world.
May be guilty, may become guilty before God.
All the world.
Be guilty, become guilty before God, and then he says in verse 20, therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh.
Will be justified.
In his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin, that's the definition of the purpose of what the law does, it gives the knowledge of sin, it shows us our sin, so that needs to be preached,. I believe I was reading the other day, that excerpt of that wonderful sermon it wouldn't go over too well today but we need to hear it.
Jonathan Edwards, that Puritan preached when he was very sick with a candlelight, and he just got up in a sick and frail body and preached that powerful sermon, sinners in the hands of an angry God, and he took that text from the Old Testament and just expounded on the law of God, and after it was delivered to them, the people there were just literally on their faces, thinking they were going to drop right into hell.
Beloved, we need that kind of preaching again. He preached much on mercy and grace, and the love of God but that day he preached on the wrath of God, and how often do we hear those kind of messages today.
But you hear a thousand sermons on the love of God, but hardly one on the wrath of God, but God is just as wrathful as he is loving.
There's no degrees with God.
I just ask people, which side of God are you on? So here Paul is basically, this is a legal term used of a defendant in court in trial, and he talks about justification and Luther said he preached this every week to his congregation because, why?
He said someone came up to him and said, why do you preach justification by faith alone every week? He said, because we forget it every week. And basically what Paul is saying, this justification means, it's a declaration that God himself makes that we are righteous, and he could only do it through Jesus Christ his son, because as he looked at his son Jesus fulfilled the law of.
God, perfectly.
No one no one will be declared righteous by doing what the law of God requires.
That's why.
As we put our faith in Jesus.
Christ, he fulfilled the.
Law of God, he pleased God. No one else can do this. Keeping the ten commandments is absolutely ridiculous and impossible, I see these bumper stickers, keep the ten commandments. I think to myself when I read that I say, you've got to be kidding me.
Only Christ kept those commandments, and by the way there was more than ten, there was over six hundred and something of them. But Jesus kept every one of them perfectly. The problem with the Pharisees that they added to it they put man's traditions to it.
Oh beloved. You see, we need to hear this. Go with me to Galatians chapter 3. Look at this very quickly. Look at Galatians chapter 3. Look at verse 10. And I'm going to try to read this all the way through as much as possible.
There's a lot here, but this is really important. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law.
To them that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith.
Yet the law.
Is not of faith but the man who does them shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law because having become a curse for us, for it is as written cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles and Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Through faith brethren, I speak.
In the manner of men though it is only a man's covenant.
Yet it is confirmed.
No one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. And he does not say, and to seeds as of many, but as of one, as to your seed capital S, who is Christ. And this I say that the law, which was 430 years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ that it should make the promise of no effect, for if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer promised, but God gave it to Abraham by.
Promise. It goes on.
What purpose then does the law serve? There's a question what purpose does the law serve? He answers it. It was added because of transgressions till the seed Christ, that's who he's talking about should come to whom the promise was made and it was appointed through angels by the hand of the mediator.
Now a mediator does not mediate for only one.
But God is one.
Is the law then against the promises of God. Certainly not. Certainly not. For if there had been a law giving which could have been given life, truly righteousness should have been by the law. But the scriptures has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those.
Who believe.
To those who believe. And then he says this, but before faith came, we were kept under the guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterwards be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.
That we might be.
Justified by faith, I'll stop right there.
It's glorious isn't it.
All through Jesus Christ by faith alone. The sixth point is God is the God of the gospel and I like the way Piper says this, he not only gives the gospel through Jesus Christ he is the gospel.
God is the gospel.
And the scripture says but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Go with me to Hebrews chapter 8, I'd like to read some portions of Hebrews.
I tell you honestly I really mean this, if I had time I'd read that whole book before you and we would look at it in detail but you know that's pretty deep I'm telling you isn't the book of Hebrews.
Glorious folks.
Isn't it wonderful. Because it draws a contrast of law and grace of Mount Sinai, Mount Zion and it shows us Christ is a better brings a better covenant.
Isn't it.
Look at chapter.
8.
Now this is the main point of the things which we are saying, we have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man.
For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this one also has something to offer. For if we.
Were on earth.
If he were on earth, I'm sorry he would not be a priest since there are priests who offer the gifts.
According to the law.
Who serve the copy and the shadow of heavenly things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he said see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
Now there is a heavenly pattern that pattern comes from heaven. It's like a shadow. And Jesus is the reality. Folks it goes on verse 6. And now when he has obtained a more excellent ministry and as much as he is also a mediator of a better covenant which was established on better promises he is speaking of Christ.
Then he speaks about the new covenant. For if that first covenant had been faultless then no place would have been salt. For a second because finding fault with them he says behold the days are coming says the Lord.
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day which I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt because they did not continue in my covenant and I disregarded them says the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people.
He's talking about regeneration, the new birth. None of them shall teach his neighbor and none of his brothers saying no. The Lord for all shall know me from the least to them to the greatest for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds.
I will remember.
No more and in that he says a new covenant.
He has made the first obsolete now what is becoming obsolete is growing.
Old is ready to vanish away.
And it goes on and on chapter 9 and chapter 10 keeps just revealing more and more of what Jesus fulfilled. Glorious just absolutely glorious. I love what John Bunyan says so simple a child can understand this.
Run John run. I think that's.
Pretty simple isn't it.
Run John run. That's a child story right.
But he says this the law commands.
But gives neither feet nor hands. Better news the gospel brings it bids me fly and gives me wings.
Don't you love that.
Run John run.
The law commands.
But gives neither feet nor hands. Better news. The gospel brings it bids me fly and gives me wings. I tell you that's glorious hallelujah.
It's all in the gospel.
Isn't it great. Seventh and final point is God is the God.
Who is great.
He's the God who is great. Look at verse 18 of John chapter 1. No one has seen God at any time the only begotten Son.
Who is in the bosom of the Father.
He has declared Him how great is our God and greatly to be praised. Jesus has explained the Father. Only Jesus has mutual intimacy love, knowledge within the Godhead. Only Jesus reveals who God really is because He is God in flesh.
Right.
In other words this word explains or reveals means he interprets.
Him.
Jesus interprets.
The Father.
Interprets who God is. He brings us near to God because He's God. He is as a man has bridged and reconciled He's our substitute in flesh and He has bridged it at the cross. That's why if you leave out the cross we don't have a gospel.
Take away the blood sacrifice. You don't have a gospel take away the resurrection. No hope. See. He's the God of all glory the God of all goodness the God over all flesh. He's the God of all grace and all truth and all holiness.
He's the God of the gospel.
And He's the God who's great in power and He's greatly to be praised because He has revealed.
To us.
The only begotten Father He is, I'm sorry, the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him He's explained the Father He's the Lord of glory. Behold what manner of man is this.
A song.
Wonderful hymn goes, listen to this. Behold what manner of man is this. Who steals the raging sea. He heals the sick in the lane the halt and makes the blind to see. He opens all the prison's doors. He sets the captives free.
Behold what manner of man is this. What manner of man is He. Behold what manner of man is this. Who stands between.
His eyes are as a flame of fire and seven stars are in His hand. John saw Him in the seven churches as the sun in brilliancy. Behold what manner of man is this, what manner of man is He.
Behold.
What manner of man is this who healed the lame and halt, who says thy sins be forgiven thee take up thy bed and walk. He stands as the mighty healer now and cries come unto me. Behold what manner of man is this.
What manner of man is He. Behold what manner of man is He this who sits on the heavenly throne.
He rules.
And reigns from heaven above His beloved and His own. He's the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David is He.
Behold what.
Manner of man is this, what manner of man.
Is He.
And the chorus goes, He's the Lord of Glory He's the Great I Am.
He's the Alpha and.
Omega, the beginning.
And the end.
His name is wonderful the Prince of Peace is He He's the Everlasting Father throughout.
Eternity.
Praise God all that we have.
And all.
The riches that we have is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Christ and Christ alone has come to us. It's not like we have somehow to try to get to Him. We trust and He comes to us.
He's come to us.
He's already came and He's did it all, He's paid it all and we're going to look to our Lord in just a few minutes and remember our Lord's death and what He did for us, Amen. Let's pray, our Father and our Great God.
Lord we thank You we bless Your Holy Name we thank You for this Gospel we thank You for the Good News we thank You for Mount Zion we thank You for Mount Calvary where our Lord Jesus came and.
Where He went in love.
To shed His precious blood for our eternal salvation. Lord, Mount Sinai only shows us how utterly fallen we are. Mount Sinai only shows us how sinful we are. Mount Sinai condemns us all we see there is thunder, lightning and the frown of God.
We only see judgment, condemnation.
And justice.
But Lord at Mount Calvary.
Hallelujah.
We see grace.
We see Your smile Lord. We thank You for Your Son that took all this.
Upon Himself.
Died in our place took Your wrath.
Took justice.
He who knew no sin became sin that we might become the righteousness of God.
In Him.
Now we see mercy at Calvary mercy there that was great and grace was free pardon there that was multiplied to me all through Jesus Christ our Lord Lord. We look at Calvary we see we see the great sacrifice Jesus took Your frown took the punishment took Your wrath for our sake that we may be accepted into beloved and adopted as sons of God wrath and that we.
So deserve.
Hell that.
We deserve justice that we deserve.
And yet mercy we do not deserve.
Mercy.
Compassion and grace all in Jesus Christ no other way to heaven He is the way. So Father we thank You for that sacrifice that blood sacrifice that was shed on Calvary's cross. So now Lord as we come together bless this time as we praise Your holy name and celebrate and remember our Lord's death and His sufferings in Jesus name I pray.