John 1:1-18 - This is Jesus: The Supreme Revelation of the Glory of God (The Prologue - Part 4)

Preached on June 3, 2007, by Eric Schumacher

Topics: Gospel Of John

(c) Eric M Schumacher - Preached June 3, 2007 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Last week, I argued that the Bible is the story of God acting to redeem his people and to dwell with them, revealing his glory. Another way of wording that would be--The central theme of the Bible is the glory of God in the redemption of his people and the destruction of his enemies.

The Glory of God

As we looked at this last week, we looked at the story in terms of God "dwelling" with his covenant people. God dwelt in the Garden. God dwelt with his people again in the wilderness in the Tabernacle. God dwelt with his people in the Land in the Temple. God will dwell with his people in the New Jerusalem. We learned that when John wrote "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us," he was signaling something significant happening in salvation history. In Jesus Christ, God was coming to dwell again. As the True Tabernacle, Jesus is the place where God dwells with his people.

John says something more than that the Word tabernacled among us. He adds, "and we have seen his glory..." Why are these words significant? 1) What contribution does this make to the storyline of the Bible? 2) How does this effect how we read John's Gospel? 3) What significance does this have for us?

1) What contribution does this make to the storyline of the Bible?

Exodus is a mini-picture of the storyline of redemption. At the center of Exodus (and the Bible) is the presence and revelation of "glory of the Lord." When the covenant is given to Israel and confirmed in Exodus 24, Moses and the elders went up and "they saw the God of Israel." Then later, in Exodus 34, when the new tablets of the covenant are made, the Lord gives Moses a brief glimpse of his glory. Then, after the Tabernacle is completed in Exodus 40, the glory of the Lord descends and fills the Tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys in the wilderness, the glory of the Lord was present among his redeemed people. When the people saw the glory of the Lord dwelling amongst them, they had the assurance that their redeeming, covenant God was with them--the God who was on their side.

When the Israelites reached the Promised Land, the Lord eventually dwelt among them in the Temple.

1 Kings 8:10-11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

And, after the people and their kings forsook the Lord, his glory departed from Israel.

As I mentioned last week, the prophets foretold a day when the Lord would dwell with his people again. This would be the day of their salvation.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the Lord dwelling with his people. He spoke of it in terms of the glory of the Lord being revealed to all people.

In Isaiah's day, the people were dwelling in exile, outside of God's place, because of their sins. Isaiah called them to repent of their sins and to return to the promised land in faith. The gospel that Isaiah preached was the gospel of the revelation of the glory of the Lord.

Return from Exile was announced in the good news (gospel) of the revelation of the glory of the Lord.

Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

A day was coming when the "glory of the Lord shall be revealed." On that day, the "warfare" of the Lord's people would be ended because "her iniquity is pardoned." The Lord's people would no longer be persecuted for their sins because they would be forgiven. The day of salvation was the day of the revelation of the glory of the Lord.

In Isaiah 58-59, the sins of Israel are confronted. At the end of Isaiah 59, we are told that there was no one to intercede for Israel, so the Lord's own arm brings salvation. We are told that "a Redeemer will come to Zion." The announcement of this Redeemer-Messiah is given in Isaiah 60:

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ² For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. ³ And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

The day of salvation will be the day when "the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" and the when "his glory will be seen upon you." On that day, God's redeemed people will be radiant (verse 5-6) and the nations will bring their wealth to Israel in gifts such as gold and frankincense.

So, what is the significance when John tells us "we have seen his glory"?

John is telling us that the Incarnation is:

...the arrival of the glory of the Lord to save his covenant people from exile by forgiving their sins.

...the arrival of the light, which will draw the nations and kings to its brightness.

...glory as of the only Son from the Father...

John refers to this glory as that "of the only Son from the Father." What does it mean that Jesus is the "only Son from the Father"? The word used here literally means "the one (or, unique) begetting." In the Gospel of Luke, it is used three times to refer to an "only child" (Lk 7:12; 8:42; 9:38).

An only child is a child that cannot be replaced, and therefore is loved in a special way. An only son, in particular, is the son to whom all that you possess will be given. You give to an only son everything that you have. You give him all your glory.

So when John says that the glory of the Word is the "glory as of the only Son from the Father," he is saying that this glory is the type of glory a Father gives to best-loved Son. He gives him everything that he has to give. Therefore, Jesus is the supreme revelation of the glory of God.

...full of grace and truth.

John also tells us that the glory of the Word that they saw was "glory...full of grace and truth." What does this mean?

"Glory...full of grace and truth" takes us back to Exodus 33-34. In Exodus 33:18, Moses asks the Lord to reveal himself to him. He says, "Please show me your glory."

The Lord responds to Moses' request by answering, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The Lord.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But...you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."

Moses' request is "Please show me your glory." God's reply is "I will make my goodness pass before you." I do not read this to say that God is answering Moses' request by offering to show him something other than what he asked for. It is not as if the Lord is saying, "I can't show you my glory, but I'll show you something else."

The Lord says that he will make his "goodness" pass before Moses. And, he will "proclaim" his name. However, Moses cannot "see" his face. The Lord's glory is going to pass before Moses. However, Moses cannot see it in its fullness. Therefore, as it passes before Moses, the Lord is graciously going to shield Moses with his hand. However, as the glory passes by, the Lord is going to "proclaim" his name. That is, the Lord is going to narrate to Moses in words what he cannot see with his eyes. The Lord is going to speak and reveal to Moses who he is. We read of this in Exodus 34:5-7:

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."

The Lord speaks his personal, covenantal name twice, and then describes himself. This description of the Lord is important, because this is how God chooses to reveal himself to his covenant people.

What is the "glory of the Lord" that is revealed to Moses? First of all, the glory of the Lord is his goodness. Moses asks to see the Lord's glory and the Lord says, "I will make my goodness pass before you." I said almost a year ago, as we examined the glory of God in a sermon series, that "the glory of God is the display of his excellencies." Whatever it is that is excellent about God--that is his glory.

So, when the Lord reveals his "goodness," what does he reveal? The Lord's self-revelation centers around his grace and his faithfulness to his covenant people.

The first category is the Lord's grace. In 33:19, when the Lord promises to cause his goodness to pass before Moses he says, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." The Lord speaks of his sovereign grace and sovereign mercy. He will show it to whomever he is pleased to show it.

The Lord speaks again when he passes before Moses. The first half of his self-revelation deals with his saving grace. He describes himself as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger." He forgives iniquity and transgression and sin.

The second half of the statement deals with the Lord's faithfulness. He is "abounding in...faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands." In other words, the Lord does not forsake the people to whom he has shown his sovereign grace. He commits himself to their welfare and upholds his commitment in faithfulness.

At the center of this self-revelation is the term "steadfast love," which translates the Hebrew word "hesed." "Hesed" is a word that denotes the Lord's covenant relationship with his people. "Steadfast love" (hesed) is used throughout the Old Testament to denote the Lord's devotion to his people. Psalm 136 praises the Lord for his goodness in creation and redemption, repeating after every verse (26 times!), "his steadfast love endures forever." The Lord's "hesed" is celebrated in his faithfulness to his wayward bride in the book of Hosea, where he says (2:19-20), "I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."

This is truly an amazing revelation. When the Lord reveals his glory, he reveals it in the way that he relates to his people. The Lord's glory is the sovereign grace and mercy he chooses to show to sinners. The Lord's glory is the faithfulness and loyalty with which commits himself to those that he shows mercy and grace. The Lord's glory is his goodness in the salvation of his people. The glory (goodness) of the Lord is his grace and faithfulness to his covenant people in salvation.

This is why it is so important to Israel that the Lord dwells in the Tabernacle wherever they go. To have his glory present among them is to have his covenant grace and faithfulness present among them.

This is why John tells us "we have seen his glory...full of grace and truth." What does "grace and truth" signify? John is not saying that he was a nice guy who didn't lie.

The glory and goodness of the Lord revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai can be summarized in two words: grace and truth. Grace--the Lord is "merciful and gracious." Truth--the Lord is "true" to his people, "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands."

So, what is John telling us?

John tells us that:

• ...to see Jesus Christ is to see the glory of the Lord.
• The glory revealed in the Incarnate Word is the same glory revealed to Moses on Mt Sinai.
• The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us is the supreme revelation of the Lord who descended in a cloud and stood with Moses (Ex 34:5).
• The glory that Moses could not see and live, "we have seen his glory, glory...full of grace and truth."
• Everything that God revealed himself to be on Sinai has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ.
• The covenant grace and faithfulness of the Lord is now found in Jesus Christ.
• If you want to know the Lord's salvation and be in a covenant relationship with him, you must come through Jesus Christ.

2) How does this effect how we read John's Gospel?

We should read this Gospel looking for how the glory of the Lord is revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

That is what John says is happening in what Jesus does. In John 2:11, after Jesus turns water into wine, we read that, "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did...and manifested his glory." Jesus' teachings, healings and miracles are done to "manifest his glory." His glory is glory that is "full of grace and truth"--that is, it shows us the Lord's steadfast love and faithfulness to his covenant people. Therefore, as you read through this gospel, you should be asking yourself with each story, "How is Jesus showing me the glory of the Lord in his steadfast love and faithfulness to his covenant people?"

In John's Gospel, Jesus death, resurrection and ascension is the supreme revelation of his glory (7:39; 12:16, 23-33; 13:31-32; 17:1, 4-5). When Jesus spoke about his crucifixion, he said things like, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified....For this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." And, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once." And, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you."

These passages can be mind-boggling. How in the world can crucifixion be glorifying? The answer is clear when viewed against the backdrop of the Lord's revelation on Mt Sinai and John's statement here in John 1:14. The glory (goodness) of the Lord is his grace and faithfulness to his covenant people in salvation. This glory, full of grace and truth, is seen most clearly in the cross of Jesus Christ.

The grace of the Lord is shown in that he offers up his Son as a sacrificial lamb to die in the place of his people. Because Jesus dies as a sinless substitute and satisfied the demands of the Law in his life and death, the Lord can freely show mercy and grace and forgiveness.

The "truth" or faithfulness of the Lord is shown in his radical commitment to the salvation of his people. The Lord is so loyal to his people, that he kills his own Son for their salvation. The cross offers us great assurance. The Lord will not slay his Son to redeem us and then decide to forsake us, thus shedding his only Son's blood for no purpose. But, rather, as Paul says in Romans 8:31-32: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

3) What significance does this have for us? What does this mean for Northbrook Baptist?

The supreme revelation of the glory of God is his goodness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The good news of the Bible is that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord God has entered into a covenant relationship with his people in which he has show them mercy, grace and forgiveness and has bound himself to them in loyal, everlasting love.

To glorify God is to declare and to display what is excellent about God. What is excellent about God is his covenant love and faithfulness in Jesus Christ. Therefore, to be a church that glorifies God, we must be a church that declares and displays the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Our focus must be the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

Application

In your bulletins, you should find a bookmark. These bookmarks are designed to be distributed with our Outreach Bibles; a ministry which will soon be underway.

In order to offer a brief introduction of our church to recipients, I put on the back of the bookmark this brief purpose statement:

The purpose of Northbrook Baptist is to spread, strengthen and savor a passion for the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

This purpose statement is really an application of John 1:14. This purpose statement offers three ways in which our church should be focusing on the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

· Spread a passion for God's glory in Christ through our preaching, teaching, missions and evangelism.

In Isaiah 66:19, the Lord says, "I will send survivors to the nations...to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations."

The task of missions and evangelism and one of the purposes of preaching and teaching is to help more people come to see and delight in the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, missions and evangelism is not mainly about solving social crisis or meeting humanitarian needs. The task of missions and evangelism is to proclaim the Gospel of the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

And, the task of preaching and teaching--whether from the pulpit or in Sunday School or in home Bible study--will not mainly be to entertain people or to meet their "felt needs," but to unfold in every doctrine and from every passage of Scripture the glory of God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ. We want to be asking ourselves, "How can we be helping others come to be passionate about God's glory in Jesus Christ?"

· Strengthen this passion in our discipleship ministries.

Once people have come to be passionate about the glory of God in Jesus Christ (which is what the Bible calls "conversion"), we desire to strengthen that passion and see it lived out (which is called Christian maturity or sanctification).

Therefore, the church does not exist to entertain people or to cater to theological curiosities and hobby-horses. The church does not exist merely to see how many people it can get to come (and keep coming) or to see how many programs it can offer.

We want to help believers come to better understand and enjoy the glory of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is the task of every ministry of the church--pastoral ministry, Meet, Greet-n-Eat groups, preaching, Bible studies, Sunday School classes, nursery, youth group, children's church, Kingdom Kids, music ministries, janitorial staff, hostess committee, deacons, buildings and grounds--every ministry of the church should be asking the question: "How can we minister so as to strengthen a passion for the glory of God in Jesus Christ in the people Northbrook Baptist Church?" If any aspect of our church neither spreads nor strengthens this passion, it should not exist.

· Savor this passion in our corporate worship and fellowship.

My Webster's Dictionary defines the word "savor" as "to enjoy with appreciation; dwell on with delight." That is what true worship is. True worship is "enjoying with appreciation and dwelling on with delight the glory of God." This is what we want to happen when we gather corporately to worship and fellowship. (In fact, if we gather for worship and this does not happen, then we have failed to worship.)

God's glory is supremely and finally displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ, particularly his death and resurrection. For all eternity, the worship of God will revolve around who he is for us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the first task of our worship is to make sure that the glory of God in Jesus Christ is kept central and held before the eyes of the congregation. We want elements of our service to help us appreciate and dwell upon the glory of God in Jesus Christ. We want to ask ourselves, "How does this element of our service (this hymn, this chorus, this special music, this Scripture reading, this prayer, this sermon, this Lord's Supper, this baptism, etc.) help us to appreciate and to dwell upon God's glory in Jesus Christ? How might this help me to appreciate and to delight in who God is for me in Jesus Christ?"

This is not only the task for myself and Samantha and Joshua. We must be asking these questions as we plan our services. However, we cannot worship for you. You must come with a mind determined to "dwell on the glory of God in Jesus Christ."

So here is my simple (but not easy) application for this text:

Believe that God has revealed the glory of his grace and truth in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Set your hope of salvation and forgiveness in this revelation.

Devote your life to these three things: to spreading, strengthening and savoring a passion for the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And join us in praying and laboring to be a church who does this as well.