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And we are looking today at the Word Becomes Flesh, the Word Becomes Flesh. Please bow with me in prayer. Our Father and our great God, O Lord, hallowed be Your name. We now come before Your throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, Lord.
We beseech You. We beseech You, Lord, in this hour and our great need in this day and this hour is Thyself. We need You. O Lord, we need Thee. As the old song goes, we need Thee every hour. So, Lord, we do praise You and we thank You once again for this wonderful privilege that You've given unto us to come into Your presence to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Who has triumphed over the grave, who has risen and now glorified at Your right hand as our great high priest and soon to come back again to gather Your people together as one. Thus we shall forever be with You.
We pray, Lord, that Your blessed Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, would help us for truly He is our teacher. He's the teacher of truth. So, Father, we pray that everything that is spoken by Your Word, that the Spirit of God would apply it to our lives.
Lord, hide me behind the cross and help me, Lord, to be just a vessel of honor to give forth Your Word, to proclaim Your Word. May each and every one of us remember that we are nothing but channels vessels to be used for the Master's service.
Lord, I pray that You would sanctify us today as it has already been prayed. Cleanse us and change us. May we never be the same. Lord, our great desire is to be more like Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Help us, we pray, and we pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for Thy glory and for Thy honor.
Amen.
Seems that every Christmas season, our family tradition at our home is to watch the classic old cartoon that's basically put together by Charles Schultz, Peanuts, as you're well familiar, a very well-known cartoon character, Charlie Brown.
Everybody knows Charlie Brown Christmas, don't we, children? We know about that Charlie Brown Christmas, don't we? It's our tradition to watch it every Christmas season, especially the children. They never get tired of it, and rightly so.
It's very short. It's actually under 30 minutes, and it brings us to the point of what is the true meaning of Christmas, really. Let me just give you just a little overview, as you well know that wonderful cartoon.
But, as you know, Snoopy, Charlie Brown's little comic beagle, he's very comical. You always get a laugh out of Snoopy, don't we? It's all caught up in the commercialism of the Christmas season. Nailing Christmas lights to his little doghouse and so forth.
Just full of life. That little dog is one of my favorite characters anyway. Then we see a Christmas play that is put together in progress with all of Charlie Brown's friends. Charlie Brown's really the main character.
He's a thinker. He's really asking questions a great deal. And Charles Schultz says basically that's him in the cartoon. He was a thinker. Charlie Brown's constant cry there in that story is for the true meaning of Christmas.
And Linus, don't you love little Linus? With the blanket and sucking his thumb, he comes forth. That's his friend. It's Linus and Charlie Brown. There's good friendship between the two. And as you know, as they're putting together, it's kind of a mess on the stage.
Linus comes forward on the stage after Charlie Brown has basically cried out, can anybody tell me the true meaning of Christmas? Linus comes forward, that little theologian, with his blanket. And as a spokesman, he gives the simple definition of bringing glory to the newborn king.
And he simply and beautifully recites, marvelously depicted. He depicts the true meaning of the Christmas story. And you know what he reads right directly from Luke chapter 2, verse 8 through 14. Let me read it to you.
And he says this. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
And then the angel said to them, do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign to you. And you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with an angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, saying, glory to God in the highest.
And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. And although little Linus did such a wonderful, wonderful job, didn't he? In reciting that meaning of the true Christmas story. But let me say this, as we look at John chapter 1 verse 14, we will see that there's much, much more given in depth of the meaning of the Christmas story of the newborn king's birth.
John chapter 1 verse 14 gives us an awesome, awesome revelation. It's packed in one great verse. Apostle John declares it in this one verse. And hear God's word on this as we look at our text this morning of this great revelation from heaven.
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And there you have the incarnation. There we have the depths of the great Christmas story from heaven.
A great revelation that defines for people everywhere, who is this great Messiah, the King?
Who He really is?
The person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, and can I say this? It's just not for Christmas season, right? Even though I began in my introduction by talking about that of the Christmas season, but it's for all seasons.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, we know it's just not that time of the year. That's a time of the year, a window for us to bring the gospel, because no other time of the year you actually can hear some Christmas gospel songs and hymns in grocery stores and so forth, as people are out about shopping amongst the commercialism and the busyness of everyone else.
But yeah, are they really thinking of Jesus Christ? Well, no, they're not. Most are not. But it's an opportunity for us Christians to take the gospel in that time of year, right? But we know that Jesus is for all seasons.
The good news of the gospel, a great tiding, is a great joy for all people. It's for all times, and it's for all everywhere, and it's for all people, all languages. It's for the whole world. It's to the ends of the earth.
And within this one great verse, beloved, John the Apostle, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, compacts, or I like to use the word, I use it quite often, compresses in just 29 words of what it really means, the Word became flesh.
I want you to think of that. I want to set that before you today, and as I read this, and as we go through this story together, as this text together, we will see what it means, the Word became flesh.
So within these next minutes of worship, as we look together at this text, as we look and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ in this wonderful verse, and this text before our eyes, and Jesus, our eyes fixed on Jesus, in the spirit of wonder and awe, in worship, may we gaze at the beautiful meaning of what it means that the Word became flesh.
The Word became flesh. It's deep waters, but it's amazing. It's simple enough for a child to grasp, but yet it's, as one theologian put it, it's simple enough for a child to wade in ankle-deep water that's shallow, but it can drown the richest and most deep theologian, right?
It's too much for even the theologians. The Word became flesh. So let's begin right there. In verse 14, and the Word became flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word became flesh. What does this mean?
What does this mean by the Word become flesh? That's my first point. What is the meaning of the Word became flesh? What a question. You know, think of it. John the Apostle, by the Spirit of God, when he says the Word became flesh, basically simply referring to God, the second person of the Trinity, the second person of the God who had taken on humanity through Jesus.
This means that Jesus is eternally one with God. How do we know that? Well, we've already looked at it. You go back to verse 1 and 2. In the beginning was the Word, the logos. The logos. That's the Greek.
The logos is the person, the Word. That's Christ. The Word, logos, was with God and the Word, logos, was God. He was in the beginning with God. While Christ as God was uncreated, opposite of what most and all cults proclaim about Jesus Christ, that He was a created being.
We know what the Word of God says. He is uncreated. He is being. He has no beginning and no end. He is the beginning and He is the ending. And as in Revelation, Jesus says that of Himself. I am the Alpha and I am the Omega.
I am the beginning. I am the end.
So, Christ is saying of Himself that He is the Eternal One with the Father. That's with the Father throughout eternity. And He's the logos that became flesh. Now, beloved, we're diving in some deep waters here.
And I'm trying to make it as we're in this time of worship that we focus on who Jesus really is because it's really awe-inspiring. Christ takes on humanity. Think of that. That this everlasting God and the second person of the Trinity decided to make a choice to come to the world in which He created.
Jesus Christ, eternally one with God the Father, reveals the Father to us as the only begotten Son. John 3 .16 says it, doesn't it? For God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The same Apostle opens up in 1 John 1, verses 1 and 2. He says this, That which is from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the Word of Life, the life was manifested.
Listen to that.
Manifested. And we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. How much crystal clear can that be? That Jesus Christ was with the Father and He was manifested to us.
1 Timothy 3 .16. Isn't it wonderful? The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest theologians to ever live, one of the greatest missionaries to ever live, and that gave us by the Holy Spirit and by God's choice in choosing him as a man, as Apostle to the Gentiles, wrote this about in these few lines in 1 Timothy 3 .16.
A good way to remember it, 1 Timothy 3 .16, isn't it wonderful? God was manifested. There it is. Manifested in the flesh. That's how He began. He was manifested in the flesh. Justified in the Spirit. Seen by angels.
Preached among the Gentiles. Believed on in the world. Received up into glory. You see that? Six lines of great truth of what contains the gospel in a nutshell. Which was part, really, if you look at that, that one verse there was part of an early church hymn that they sung.
The Word, the Logos, the Logos became flesh. Became flesh. It is most spectacular, isn't it? I would say it's the most spectacular event next to the resurrection in history. God enters into history. God Himself comes into history, time.
God enters into it, in which He created. He comes out of eternity because the scripture says He inhabits eternity. He is eternal being and yet He enters into time. How do we know that? Galatians 4 .4.
But when? The fullness. It's interesting, the fullness. It's like at God's timetable. And that's the time that God chose to send Christ. And when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
And don't you love verse 5? I can't leave that part out because verse 5 in Galatians 4 .4 and then verse 5 gives us the reason and the purpose why Christ was born. And then Paul continues. He said, to redeem those who were made under the law.
Under the law that we might receive the adoptions of sons. That's the purpose of Him coming, is to redeem. Redemption. You know, actually the story of Christ entering into time and why He came and His mission is all summed up in one word and it's called redemption.
To redeem us. And the word, logos, became flesh. God, think of this for a second. Go with me in this. Perfectly just. Perfectly holy. Perfectly righteous. Holy and sovereign. Infinite. Loving. Theological words.
Omnipresent. Omnipotent. Omniscient. That basically means He's everywhere. He's all powerful. He's all wise. I was talking to a wonderful Dr. Lindsey yesterday. I haven't seen him since over 36 years.
And we called up some time and reminiscing and we were actually talking about the person of God and the person of Christ. That the Bible is all about Jesus Christ and how great and awesome and wonderful He is.
And what is missing in the church today is an all-inspiring wonder of the majesty of God. Lord, give us from Your Word, I would pray, what the majesty of the Lord is all about. We need a revivalization.
We need to be revived of what the majesty of God's all about. This is God Himself who is all wise. And think of it. Every hair of the head of every person. We don't even can fathom our own heads about how many hairs is on our head.
But God knows every person on this entire planet of the number of hairs on each of the head. There's nothing that goes unnoticed by God. And you know why Jesus mentions that? It shows you how much great love and care that He has for each and every one of His people.
Isn't that awesome? And think of this. This is the God that is all powerful, all wise. And He's every present. He's everywhere and He floods the whole entire universe. The Bible says that the whole earth is full of His glory and the Word became flesh, flesh.
What does that mean? He clothed Himself in humanity. Oh, it's mind-boggling that God would choose to come and do this to redeem us. Isn't it glorious? As one who is both God and man. And only Jesus has, He's one person with two natures.
And I don't want to go there because I'm telling you right now it's a mystery. But it's absolutely awesome and awe-inspiring. John 1 .18, no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
In other words, the bosom of the Father basically is a term that speaks of mutual intimacy with the Father. Perfect intimacy with the Father. He had perfect love, perfect love and perfect knowledge existing in God, in the Godhead.
No interruptions, no separations. Perfect unity. Perfect knowledge existing in the Godhead. And the second person of the Trinity reveals everything about God and everything that God does. Jesus comes to reveal who God really is because He is God.
Made flesh. He comes, became flesh. You know, beloved, what I just mentioned there, this is why Jesus said in John 14 .7, If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you will know Him and have seen Him.
And I love verse 8 because you got, you have the disciple that's there and he's listening to Jesus and he's wanting to take in everything he can and understand everything Christ is saying. It's like they're hanging on every word.
And Philip says to Him, Lord, listen to this question, show us the Father. And it is sufficient for us.
Show us the Father.
And this is a great revelation. Let me read this because in chapter 14 and verses 9 to 11, Jesus gives us that revelation about that in which Christ is teaching. And this is all about Jesus as God incarnate.
The Father is revealed. But Jesus says this, if you had known Me. And He's speaking to Philip and answering his question. If you had known Me, you have known My Father. Well, let me back up. First He says, I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Me.
And let me jump to verse 7 I just mentioned. Philip said to Him in verse 8, Lord, show us the Father. And it is sufficient for us. Then He answers him. Jesus said to him, He just actually answered Thomas' question.
Now it's Philip's turn. And Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?
The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on My own authority. But the Father who dwells, there it is, dwells in Me, does the work. In other words, what He's saying is, He's the Son.
I am God.
He's not the Father. But when He says, have you seen Me? You've seen the Father. I am one with the Father. That's what He's saying. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. See what He's saying?
He has given the confession, I am God in flesh. Then He says, or else, believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Tremendous revelation, tremendous revelation there. Very crystal clear that who Jesus is.
The Word became flesh. Not only means that Jesus is fully God, He's fully man. It's not 50 -50. He's 100 -100, mingled, mingled perfectly together.
Unique.
No one else like Jesus Christ. No one can compare to Him. Fully God, fully man. It also implies that Jesus has fulfilled all Old Testament prophecies. That's my second point. So we basically looked here at the offset of the beginning of this message.
What does it mean that the Word became flesh? And believe me, I can go further and further and further, and we can go out to the deep, deep, deep waters. But I'm going to stop right there and just let you meditate on that.
But it also means that if the Word became flesh, it means that Jesus Christ Himself fulfills every one of the Old Testament prophecies. He is that fulfillment. He is that seed. If we truly believe this, beloved, it is so important.
That what the Bible says is one unified story. And I believe this is why it's so important for us to read the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. And to meditate on those Scriptures. Because that's what we are to do.
And meditate on it. It's one thing to read it. It's another thing to meditate on it. To meditate on it, as one preacher put it years ago, I remember him saying it. He says, there's a difference between just eating and really chewing up steak and enjoying the juice and the food.
And I have to mention steak, not chicken, because I love steak. But anyway, I love steak. And I love to get the juices out of it. And that's what it's like when you meditate. You chew and you chew and you chew on it.
Like a cow chewing cud, as Brother Keith mentioned. But you chew it and you love it and you enjoy it and you delight in it. And that way we should be doing the Word of God. David says it's sweeter than honey in the honeycomb.
But we should meditate on it because it's the greatest story ever told, folks. And it is the greatest story that we will ever hear in this life. And anyone else will ever hear, even though they don't know it.
That Jesus, being born into this world, becoming flesh, does not just mean that He was just a baby born in the stable. But rather, He is the very fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies given for all the promises of God.
Paul said, in Him are yes and in Him amen to the glory of God through us. Isn't that wonderful? 2 Corinthians 1 .20. And in the beginning, when you look in Genesis 3 .15. We're all familiar with Genesis 3 .15.
We see that God Himself, God Himself gives the promise. The promise is given to Adam. Sin has entered into the world. As we see that Adam fell, Eve fell. But yet, what God does, He gives the gospel and it's interesting.
He directs it to the serpent. It's to the serpent. And He says this, and I will put enmity between you and the woman.
Now listen to this.
This is God Himself preaching the gospel. And He tells the serpent, the devil, and between your seed and her seed. And if you look in the text, when He says, your seed is a small s. And He says, her seed, the Eve, is a capital S.
That's the promise of the Messiah right there. The first time we get it in Revelation. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
Ain't that wonderful?
Right there, God is already known. And Christ is there eternally, knowing what will come the past. Because God knows perfectly what has happened in the past and the future.
All that.
Jesus is what? God's land that was slain before the foundation of the world. He's in God's mind because He's there. And He will, even though Satan, the serpent, will bruise His heel, He will be put to the cross.
But in opposite of that, you shall bruise His heel. His head will be bruised. Satan's head will be crushed. And Jesus' heel will be bruised. That's all. Satan will be given a blow that will destroy him.
Jesus came, what? To destroy the works of the devil. The first gospel is preached to the serpent by God Himself. And Adam and Eve is in the presence right there. Jeremiah 23, 5. I want to go through all these prophecies.
There's so many of them. You know this. Jesus, when He rose again from the dead, He walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And He gave the story, and He expounded on the scriptures concerning Himself.
From Moses, from the law, and through the Psalms, and through the prophets. It would be marvelous to hear, Jesus. Preaching concerning Himself. The living Word. Preaching the written Word. And the disciples there said, Our hearts burned within us.
But Jeremiah 23, 5 says this, Proclaims that Jesus will be from the tribe of Jesse, A king that deals just and wisely with all. He says in this, in Jeremiah 23, 5, Behold, the days are coming, Says the Lord, that I will raise to you, David, a branch of righteousness.
A king shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. As we will familiar with Isaiah 7, 14, that great prophecy. Jesus is prophesied to be born of a virgin. We know her name and revelation in the New Testament.
It's revealed, Mary. Having God alone as His Father, Being called Immanuel,.
God with us. God with us.
And we don't get the God with us until the revelation in Matthew 1, 23. And it says, Behold, the virgin shall conceive a bearer son, And shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel, think of that, means translated or interpreted, God with us.
God is with us.
Spurgeon said this about that, Quote, those words being interpreted, Spurgeon says, Salute my ear with much sweetness. Why should the word Immanuel in Hebrew be interpreted at all? Was it not to show that it has reference to us Gentiles, And therefore it must needs be interpreted Into one of the chief languages of then existing Gentile world, Namely the Greek language.
He goes on to say, This being interpreted or translated at Christ's birth, And the three languages employed in the inscription upon the cross at His death, Show that He is not Savior of the Jews only, But also of the Gentiles, end quote.
Isn't that wonderful?
God wants the world to know this. And when Jesus rose again from the dead, He said what? Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person. Every person needs to hear this gospel. My third point, the word became flesh means that Jesus dwells among us.
This is as far as we can get today because there is so much here. But Jesus dwells among us. I want you to think about that. Jesus dwells among us.
What does that mean?
Well, it believes that Jesus not only is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, And there are many, many of them. Ultimately, it leads to us to believe the truth that what comes after the word Logos, That became flesh, that Jesus came down.
He descended from heaven, came to earth, into a dark earth, by the way. The darkness was on the earth because of sin. And a great light has appeared. Jesus is that great light to dwell among us, to dwell among us.
There it is, to dwell among us. And that means the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us. Meaning that in the original language means to pitch a tabernacle. To pitch a tabernacle or to live in a tent.
The tent is the flesh. That's what we are. We are fleshly tents. And Jesus here speaks that God came in flesh in Jesus among us. The term here basically recalls to mind the Old Testament tabernacle. Let's look at this.
Where God met with Israel. This is how God met with Israel, His people. Before the temple was even constructed. You go to Exodus 25a and it says in a simple way. And let them make me a sanctuary. Or in the original Hebrew, a sacred place.
A sacred place and then He says this. That I may dwell among them.
That I may dwell among them. Moses provided the first tabernacle as a prophet. A place in which God dwelt among His people. Yet there is a prophecy given by Moses himself. That speaks there will be one greater than him.
Let's go with Deuteronomy 18. Chapter 18. I'd like for you to see this. And this is very important for us to see. Because this is a new prophet will rise up like Moses. But he will be greater than Moses.
Look at verse 15. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. From your midst and from your brethren. Him shall you shall hear. According to all you desired of the Lord your God and Horde.
In the day of the assembly. Saying let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God. Nor let me see this great fire anymore lest I die. The Lord said to me. This is Moses. What they have spoken is good.
What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you among their brethren. And I will put my words in his mouth. And he shall speak to them all I command him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear my words.
Which he speaks in my name. I will require it of him. Now he's speaking of Christ to come beloved. Thousands of years later. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name. Which I have not commanded him to speak.
Or which God who speaks in the name of other gods. That prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart. How shall we know that the word which the Lord has not spoken. And when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord.
If the thing does not happen or come to pass. That is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. That crystal clear. And the prophet has spoken in presumptuously. Presumptuously. And you shall not be afraid of him.
But all together in these verses. It's speaking about the new prophet like unto Moses. And it's speaking of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came to dwell among us. He pitched his tent. He came in the flesh.
He tabernacled among us. It's the ultimate picture of God's glory and God's grace. And Lord willing we're going to finish this text next week. As we will be looking at the latter part of it. And it goes on to say.
That after he dwelt and he dwelt among us. We beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Full of grace and truth. Isn't it wonderful? Though look at verse 17. For the law was given through Moses.
But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus dwelt among us. His own creation. During his lifetime he sent the Holy Spirit within us. Now the Spirit of God dwells within us after his resurrection.
Because Jesus at that time could only be at one place at one time. Now the Holy Spirit can flood this entire planet through believers. Go with me to Isaiah chapter 11. Isaiah chapter 11. And we see this wonderful prophecy once again about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The reign of Jesse's offspring. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. And a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding.
The Spirit of counsel and might. The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight is in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes. Nor decide by the hearing of his ears.
But with righteousness he shall judge the poor. And decide with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth. And with the breadth of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Now it's almost as right there. This is speaking of now his second coming. His reign. But he first comes. But it still speaks of the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. And you can see it that when he comes.
We know that he grew in stature and the grace of God was on him. And wisdom and Spirit of the Lord rested upon him. That's what I want to say. But you see later on when he comes and he reigns on this earth.
He will reign in righteousness and holiness unto the Lord. I would love to have a one world leader like that wouldn't you?
And he will be. He will be.
Jesus in his earthly ministry where he was here. You remember when he was baptized. We're coming up to that part in John chapter 1. But he comes to John the Baptist. And John the Baptist knows fully who he is.
He said I'm not even worthy to stoop down and unlatch your sandals. I'm not even worthy to do that. And he said you come to me to be baptized? Jesus said suffer it to be so that to fulfill all righteousness.
And he baptized him. And you know what happens? As he's baptized he's representing his people. He comes up out of the water. And the Spirit of God descends upon him in the form of a dove. And then the Father speaks in heaven.
This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased in. And then you see after that he's driven into the wilderness. To be tempted of the devil. And the devil every time says if you are the Son of God. If you be the Son of God.
If you be the Son of God. The devil heard that. Jesus takes him home after he fasts 40 days and 40 nights. He's driven into the wilderness. And as a man full of the Spirit of God. Because the Spirit of God was resting upon him.
And fullness descends upon him in the form of a dove. And in our conversation yesterday we were talking about that. That the Spirit of God doesn't manipulate. The Spirit of God doesn't force. The Spirit of God is gentle.
God is gentle.
God is.
He brings people to himself lovingly. Doesn't he? That's the way he works. Patience.
Kindness.
Gentleness. God is long-suffering. He's good. It's absolutely awesome because that's the way God is. But the Spirit of God is resting upon him. Jesus had the Spirit of God upon him. Go with me into John 14.
I'd like for us to see a little bit more here. Not only Jesus fulfills God being with us. Dwelling among us as people in the tabernacle. In the physical temple. But through his Holy Spirit makes a way for us as individuals.
And the church to become the temple of the living God. In John 14 Jesus speaks to his disciples. And actually once you start reading John 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Oh my goodness. It's absolutely awesome the revelation that's given there.
But John 14, 15, verse 15. Verse starting at 15. I like to read to verse 24. If you love me, Jesus says. He speaks to his apostles. Keep my commandments. If you love me, keep my commandments. There's obedience.
And I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper. That he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth. There it is. The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive. The world cannot receive him.
Because neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him. And he dwells with you and will be in you. There's the word dwells. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you in a little while longer.
And the world will see me no more. But you will see me because I live. You will live also. And at that day you will know that I am in my Father. And you in me. And I in you. As a believer, we enter into that communion.
That fellowship.
And at that day. At that day.
Verse 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them. It is he who loves me.
Obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ. He keeps them. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I will love him and manifest myself to him. And here's one of the greatest questions coming up.
Judas not Iscariot said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? What a question. But it's such a wonderful question. And Jesus says it right. He gives it the answer in verse 23 and 24.
And Jesus answered and said to him. And here it is, folks. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him.
And we. We.
Get that. Will come to him and make our abode or our home with him. Dwelling within us. And he who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.
I'm telling you, folks, that's a lot there. But that comes down to obedient living to Jesus Christ and keeping his commandments. Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 3 says 16 asked the question. Do you not know that you are the temple of the of the living God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Verse 17. If anyone defiles and destroys the temple of God, God would destroy him. Listen to this warning. For the temple of God is holy. Which temple are you? You know what that's speaking of? That's a warning and it's a severe warning, folks.
And what Paul's referring to is exactly what Jesus referred to in Matthew 18, 1 through 7. And he speaks to about anyone that tries to interfere or destroys the building in which Christ is building the church in which he's building.
God himself will destroy him. The living God that protects his people in building his church. That's why Jesus says, I will build my church in the gates of Hades. Hell would not stop it. That's the foundation that rests upon Jesus Christ.
All right, look at Matthew 18. I want you to see this. This is very, very important. This is such a warning, but we need to be comforted by this too. After Jesus speaks about who's the greatest in the kingdom of God, he talks about a child coming to him.
Therefore, whoever, in verse 4, who humbles himself as this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me.
But Jesus doesn't stop there.
He goes on, he said, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin. Listen to the severity of this. Causes someone to stumble and to sin. Jesus says it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and were drowned into the depth of the sea.
Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come and woe to that man by whom the offenses come. And then he talks about repentance. If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.
It's better for you to enter into life and lay and be maimed rather than having two hands or two feet be cast into everlasting fire. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire.
You see what Jesus is doing? He lovingly not only gives the severe warning, he gives the remedy. Here's how to repent. You cut it off.
You stop it.
Stop practicing sin. If your eye is causing you to sin, pull it out.
Pluck it off.
It doesn't mean literally, but he's talking about spiritually.
Stop it and repent.
You can't get anything more loving than this. Because Jesus is telling us this is how to repent. You need to repent. Repentance. Well, Jesus warns of those offenses. God comes to dwell with his people.
And now by the Holy Spirit. How about application? Let's look at application. Well, I'd like to close this with a parable found in Luke chapter 20. Go to Luke 20. I'd like for you to see right here in this wonderful, powerful parable in Luke 20.
This is the parable of the wicked vinedresser. And Jesus says much here. Our Lord tells this parable basically to explain why the word, the Logos, became flesh. Let's look at it. Verse 9. He began to tell the people this parable.
A certain man planted a vineyard, listed at least it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. At a vintage time, he has sent a servant to the vinedressers that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.
But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Beat him. Sent him away. Again, he sent another servant and then they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.
And again, he sent a third. They wounded him also and cast him out. And then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? And I will send my beloved son. There it is. I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.
Think again. Verse 14. But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir, the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? Listen to this. He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. Do you see what he's saying? The gospel comes to the Jew first.
The Jews rejected him and killed him. The gospel goes to the Gentiles. They rejected him and then he continues. And when they heard it, they said, Certainly not. Certainly not. And when he looked at them and he said, What then is it that is written?
And Jesus says this. He quotes from the Psalms. I believe it's 118. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. You hear that? Christ. And then he says this in verse 18. Whoever falls on that stone will be broken.
But there's a reverse pattern. But on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. You know what he's saying? When the stone falls on us, it will humble us and break us to pieces and we receive him and repent.
But when the person and whoever rejects Christ, on judgment day, when it falls, it will grind him to powder. You see the image that Jesus is using? It's very graphic. And the chief priest and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on him because they feared the people and they knew he had spoken this parable against them.
Did you get that? They knew that Jesus directed that parable to them. He came unto his own, his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right and the privilege and the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name.
You see this?
To the Jew first, then to the Gentile. This parable Jesus was reminding the Jewish leaders that day and warned them if they rejected the prophets, they rejected him, which is the son, the Logos. They did reject him.
They took him to a cross. They crucified him. And by the way, that was at the end of it. If you turn to John 10, Jesus gives this wonderful exhortation because really in that rejection and as they chose to do this, there is a great revelation here because God is in control of all of this.
And what does he say in verse 16 through 18 of John 10? Notice I love this. And the other sheep I have which are not of this fold. He's talking about the Gentiles. Them also I must bring that they will hear my voice and they will be one flock and one shepherd.
And listen to this. Therefore, my father loves me because I laid down my life that I may take it again. That's the death, burial and resurrection in one verse. No one takes it from me. No one takes it from me.
But I have laid it down. I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from my father.
Isn't that glorious?
God, the sovereign God is in control. And now because of our great high priest, he's risen from the dead. He's at the right hand of the father. Not only is he able, he's willing. And our weaknesses in every way because Jesus is the God-man, man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
One who has been tempted in every way but just as we are yet without sin. And he was able, he was able to be tempted, but he was not able to sin. And then it's verse 16 in Hebrews chapter 4. It says, let us therefore come boldly with confidence to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy to find grace and time, help in time of need.
Doesn't that, isn't that directed to us how we need this? According to Esther 4 .11, most ancient rulers were absolutely unapproachable by anyone but the highest advisors. And in contrast now, the spirit of the living God calls for us to come with confidence by faith before the throne of grace.
And you know what I love about this? Because there's two things we need here to obtain mercy, that's compassion. And to find grace, that's favor. And we need to humble ourselves, amen. Where do we humble ourselves?
At the foot of the cross. At the cross, at the cross. Where I first saw the light and all the burdens of my soul rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight. Now I'm happy all the day. Hallelujah.
Only the cross bridges that great gulf between a holy God and sinful man. Jesus has bridged it, beloved, by two boards and three nails. And he sacrificed himself and he became sin and the wrath of God came upon him.
And now we could become the righteousness of God because when God looks at us, he doesn't see us, he sees Jesus, amen. At the cross, that's the reason for the incarnation. That the word became flesh. And now we could be one with him through the cross, Christ crucified.
Father, we thank you for this great word from your scriptures. Thank you, Lord, that you dwell among us.
You're with us.
And that's all that really matters. You're with us, father. You're with us, son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest, savior and Lord. And blessed Holy Spirit through the Holy Spirit. Our father, we are so grateful that that our salvation is resting alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Not by our works, not by our deeds, not by anything that we do. It's all of you. And thank you, father, that we can rest and place our faith, even the faith that's given to us as a gift from you. And even repentance is granted to us by you that we may be able to turn from our sins and serve you.
Thank you, father, for the Lord Jesus Christ that has redeemed us, that you have redeemed us by the blood of the lamb.
You have washed us.
You have cleansed us. You have sanctified us.
You have made us holy.
And one day we will be glorified. Lord, we look forward to that day. Help us to be watching and waiting and working and glorifying you in everything that we do. Thank you for the death. Because the death of Christ, because his death is our death, his burial is our burial and his resurrection is our resurrection.
Lord, we believe this and thank you, Lord. Now we praise you and we worship you. And we thank you because of Jesus Christ, that eternal life that has come from you to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Father, we thank you and we praise you for this time. And we glorify you and plant this in our hearts by your blessed Holy Spirit. And we give you praise and glory.
Amen and amen.