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John 1:14-18 (Part 2) · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Well, good morning and happy Mother's Day. I do hope you have a copy of God's Word with you this morning and that you'll join me in John chapter 1.
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! Our text for today will be, again, John chapter 1, verses 14 through 18. And yes, we're doing a part two expositional sermon on Mother's Day.
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Because, yep. Last week we began a look at verses 14 through 18, which we didn't quite complete. So today we have the privilege of setting our minds once again on the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
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It's not just a thing to be done at Christmas time. The word incarnation originates in Latin and means literally in flesh.
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It is most regularly used to speak of the embodiment of a deity. Christians most regularly refer to Jesus' incarnation as the incarnation.
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Because it is not understood to be one amongst many, but to be the only time that deity took on humanity.
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Last week I hope that I clearly established that the errors concerning the incarnation are plentiful.
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Which means that this doctrine is incredibly important to the Christian faith and to understand its nature accurately deserves our careful attention.
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We had time last week for the first two of three points.
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And they were the reality of the incarnation.
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And secondly, the witness to the incarnation.
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And considering the first point I read to you, the Chalcedonian Creed, and then issued six summary points from it.
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We thought together about the nature of what it means for Christ to indwell flesh.
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So quickly those six points.
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Jesus Christ is one person with two natures.
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And the important phrase here is he is truly God and truly man.
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Some people will say fully God and fully man, which is roughly equivalent.
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Not half God and half man, but fully both.
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This is often referred to as the hypostatic union.
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100%, 100%, 100%, dwelling in one.
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The divine nature was not diluted by the incarnation, nor was the human nature abstract or incomplete.
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Secondly, two natures united without confusion, change, division, or separation.
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His divine and human natures are distinct, yet united.
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They're not mixed, not divided, not reduced into some kind of third nature.
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Thirdly, the human nature was fully assumed.
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Jesus had a real human body, mind, soul, will.
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Everything essential to true humanity.
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He really hungered.
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He really thirsted.
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He really got tired.
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He was really tempted.
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Fourth, the divine nature remained fully intact.
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In the incarnation, Christ did not in any way lay aside his divine attributes.
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Fifth, the person of the Son is the subject of both natures.
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Hear me here carefully.
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Jesus is not two persons or a split consciousness.
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The eternal Son is the acting subject of both divine and human experiences.
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So, like I said before, hungered as a man, forgave sins as God, yet always the Son of God.
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And then lastly, the incarnation was for our salvation.
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It was purposeful.
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Jesus became man, not merely to reveal God, but to redeem sinners through his substitutionary death and victorious resurrection.
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The unity of his person ensures the efficacy of his work.
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It means that the thing he came to do was, in fact, accomplished because of who he is.
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And we'll have more on this in today's concluding point.
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Then, in considering the second point, we took a brief look at John the Apostle's insertion in verse 15.
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Translators put it in parentheses, so it's a parenthetical insertion.
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When John the Apostle wrote his gospel, there was still a group that claimed John the Baptist as the Messiah.
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John makes clear in verses 7 and 8 that John the Baptist was not the Christ.
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And he does so again here in verse 15, but this time in John's own words.
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John the Baptist said,
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This was he of whom I said,
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He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.
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John the Baptist acknowledged the supremacy of Jesus Christ and boldly proclaimed so by appealing to his eternal pre-existence.
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In some small measure, this catches us up.
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So, let's read our text in its entirety and turn our attention to the final point, which is the accomplishment of the Incarnation.
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What is it that the Incarnation set about to accomplish?
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And John tells us here.
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So, this is John chapter 1, verses 14 through 18.
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Before I read it, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good,
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that we might believe its promises, obey its commands, have affection for its author.
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May we hear it and respond accordingly to it.
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John writes,
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And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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John bore witness about him and cried out,
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This was he of whom I said,
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He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.
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For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
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For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
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No one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the Father's side.
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He has made him known.
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So, let's think together about the accomplishment of the Incarnation that we find in verses 16, 17, and 18.
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Remember that verse 15, right, is that parenthetical insertion.
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So, John at the beginning of verse 16 is continuing his thoughts from the end of verse 14.
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There he said that Jesus is full of grace and truth.
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In verse 14, John uses the adjective full in describing Jesus.
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Full.
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That is, he is filled up with grace and truth.
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The Greek word translated grace in these verses is the same word that we get charity from.
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Grace is undeserved benevolence.
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It is kindness shown where kindness cannot be expected.
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This word only exists in John's gospel in this paragraph.
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Once in verse 14, twice in verse 16, and then once again in verse 17.
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Although it is only used in this place, the repetition of it suggests that we should not neglect it as it is an important idea in the framing of John's account.
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Right?
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Grace comes through Christ.
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He is full of it.
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He is filled up with grace.
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Now, the word truth is used very often in John's gospel.
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It brings together the Hebrew and Greek concepts of truth.
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The Hebrew word for truth represents firmness, stability, steadfastness, or trustworthiness.
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John's Hebrew readers would have understood the Greek word.
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John's Hebrew readers would have understood the Greek word he uses, aletheia, in the same way as their Greek translation of what we call the Old Testament would have used this very same word.
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So they understood it as firmness, stability, steadfastness, or trustworthiness.
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Among Greeks, the word aletheia denotes that which really is eternal reality as revealed to men.
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So as John is writing to both audiences, he is pulling those two ideas together.
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Don't lose the significance of John stating that Jesus is full of grace and truth.
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Jesus is the ultimate reality, the steadfast, the trustworthy, the kindness of God expressed to mankind.
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Now, in verse 16, he uses the noun fullness.
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So verse 14, he is full of grace and truth.
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And then the following idea is that it is from his fullness.
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The noun fullness to speak of his previous explanation of the character of Jesus definitively.
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He is now giving him, in some sense, a title.
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He is the fullness of grace and truth.
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That is to say, right?
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He is those things.
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He cannot be separated from these qualities.
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Perhaps you are seeing just a little of why it is proper to get the incarnation right,
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to understand the nature of Jesus.
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Understanding it correctly is the foundation on which our salvation sits.
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And so it is so very important.
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John goes on, for from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace.
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Grace upon grace.
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What a beautiful term that is.
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Grace upon grace.
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Grace upon grace.
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The idea of this phrase is that as soon as grace is received,
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there is a new, a fresh supply of grace to be received.
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So it is received and supplied and received and supplied and received and supplied.
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This is inexhaustible grace.
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Right?
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Kindness of God shown to us in Jesus Christ,
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overflowing abundantly for all who believe in him.
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The grace comes and it comes and it comes.
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Right?
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Undeserved benevolence.
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Kindness shown where kindness cannot be expected.
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Again and again and again and again.
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Another place that we can see this is in Ephesians chapter 2.
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And so I would invite you to join me there.
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We'll look at a few verses and then come back to our text.
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There Paul writes,
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You were dead in the trespasses and sins.
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Dead.
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Spiritually dead.
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In which you once walked,
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following the course of this world,
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following the prince of the power of the air.
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That's Satan.
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The spirit that is now in work in the sons of disobedience.
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Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
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carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
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and were by nature children of wrath,
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like the rest of mankind.
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Paul is dividing mankind into two categories.
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And he's speaking to these Ephesian Christians
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about who they once were.
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He characterizes them in various ways.
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Dead.
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Walking in sin.
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In the way of the world.
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A worshiper of God's enemy.
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Living in passions of the flesh.
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And by nature children of wrath.
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Categorically enemies of God.
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And therefore deserving of God's due wrath.
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But then,
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the beginning of verse 4,
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there's a precious,
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and I think too often ignored,
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conjunction.
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But,
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even though that is true,
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even though it is the case
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that before believing in Christ,
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you were an enemy of God,
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God.
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But,
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God,
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being rich in mercy,
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because of the great love with which he loved us,
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even when we were dead in our trespasses,
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made us alive together with Christ.
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Did it.
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Brought dead people to life.
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The greatest miracle we see happening today,
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right?
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We were once dead,
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we have been made alive with Christ.
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By grace,
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you have been saved.
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Undeserved benevolence.
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Kindness being shown,
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where kindness cannot be expected.
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By that grace,
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you have been saved.
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And raised us up with him,
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and seated us with him in the heavenly places,
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in Christ Jesus.
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Why?
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So that,
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in the coming ages,
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he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us,
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in Christ Jesus.
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In the coming ages,
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immeasurable riches of his grace.
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That he might put on display his graciousness.
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Grace upon grace.
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If you're in Christ this morning,
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this is why you are in Christ.
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God is showing himself to the world to be a gracious God.
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And he supplies it in plenty.
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Now,
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the astute watcher of me,
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probably notices when I come up with another book.
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So here it is.
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I read to you from it last week.
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This is the Pilgrim's Progress.
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Aside from the scripture,
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it's my favorite book.
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If you don't get it,
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spend some time with me.
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I'll convince you otherwise.
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Or I'll try it very least.
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I don't want to read to you just a little excerpt from it.
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This is to speak of this term,
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grace upon grace in the life of a Christian.
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What does it look like?
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And there's a little picture
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as the main character,
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whose name is Christian,
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goes to the house of the interpreter.
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And the interpreter takes him around the house
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and teaches him some things
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of what it means to follow Christ.
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And so this short little bit.
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Then I saw in my dream
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that the interpreter took Christian by the hand
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and led him into a room
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where there was a fireplace.
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The flames from the fireplace
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grew larger and hotter,
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even though there was someone
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continually throwing water on it
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to try to quench it.
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Then said Christian,
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what does this mean?
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The interpreter answered,
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this fire is the work of grace
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that God accomplishes in the heart.
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He who throws water on the flames
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to try to extinguish it
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is the devil.
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But as you see,
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the fire burns higher and hotter
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despite his efforts to put it out.
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Now, let me show you the reason for that.
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So the interpreter took Christian
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to the other side of the wall
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where he saw a man
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with a vessel of oil in his hand
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from which he secretly funneled oil
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into the fire.
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Then Christian asked,
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what does this mean?
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The interpreter answered,
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this is Christ
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who continually with the oil of his grace
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maintains the work already begun
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in the heart.
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No matter what the devil tries to do,
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the gracious work that Christ is doing
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in the souls of his people
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only increases.
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You saw that the man stood behind the wall
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to maintain the fire?
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That is to teach you
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that it is hard for the one being tempted
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to see how this work of grace
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is maintained in the soul.
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Whether or not we acknowledge it to be true,
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if God has begun a good work in you,
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he will bring it to completion
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at the day of Christ.
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That's Philippians 1.6.
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Grace upon grace.
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Immeasurable, abundant grace
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is received from Christ.
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The fullness of grace and truth.
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John, to further exalt this work of Christ,
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underscores it with a comparison
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in verse 17.
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A comparison to the law of Moses.
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For the law was given through Moses,
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grace and truth came
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through Jesus Christ.
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The law was given through Moses.
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It's what we often refer to as
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the Old Covenant.
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That covenant that was
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God would be Israel's people
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if they would keep his law.
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Much of the Old Testament's aim
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is to show us that they did not keep his law
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and that they were not able
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to keep his law.
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The law's ultimate
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purgifies that law
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that is written on our hearts
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so that when we are confronted by it,
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we cannot flee to frail excuses.
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The law is an exposer of our sin.
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It is an accuser.
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It's meant to serve us in this way.
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It's to show us our deadness.
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We're walking in the way of the world,
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not in the way of God,
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that we would flee to Christ
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for our salvation.
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I read to you last week,
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kind of in a sweeping,
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hurried summary from Galatians chapter 3.
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I'll do so again to make the point.
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There Paul writes in verse 23,
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Now before faith came,
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we were held captive under the law,
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imprisoned until the coming faith
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would be revealed.
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The law was given through Moses.
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It does not set us free,
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but rather makes us captives.
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If you try to justify yourself before God
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by the standard of the law,
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on your own,
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you will miserably fail.
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You have failed even probably
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in the moments you're sitting here.
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Praise God,
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grace and truth
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came through Jesus Christ.
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Paul goes on in Galatians 3,
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verse 24,
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So then the law
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was our guardian
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until Christ came.
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And the picture here
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is of a schoolmaster
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or of a person hired
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to oversee a young man
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while he's being taken to adulthood.
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Kind of a tutor,
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a guardian,
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until Christ came
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in order that
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we might be justified
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by faith.
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declared righteous
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by faith.
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He goes on,
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But now that faith has come,
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we are no longer under a guardian,
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for in Christ Jesus
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you are all sons of God
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through faith.
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Now, let's not lose sight of the fact
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that John is still talking about
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the incarnation.
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incarnation.
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I have argued that
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it is of vital importance
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to get the incarnation
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of Jesus right
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as a foundation
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for our salvation.
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I said,
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the unity of Jesus' person
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ensures the efficacy
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of his work.
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Maybe you'll remember me
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using that word.
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But how so?
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Why make such a fuss
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about all of this?
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Why have Christians
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throughout the history
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of the church
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contended for
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a proper view
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of the incarnation
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of Christ?
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The nature of the embodied
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Son of God
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matters
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because of the nature
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of God the Father
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who,
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in his simplicity,
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is always just
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blessed
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and always
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merciful.
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Now,
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when we speak of God's
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simplicity,
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we don't mean simple
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in that he's dumb.
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It's not at all
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what we're referring to
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at all.
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In another sense,
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we could speak of God's
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great complexity
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not even to be understood.
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His ways are above
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our ways.
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What we mean
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when we talk about
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God's simplicity
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is that he doesn't change.
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He is always
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who he is
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at all times.
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We've developed this a lot
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even in John chapter 1.
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We're becoming
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he is not.
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He is.
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Always what he is
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at all times.
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He can't set aside
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part of who he is
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at one time
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and then another.
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He's always just.
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He's always
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merciful,
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gracious,
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kind,
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loving.
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All at the same
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time.
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So,
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if God,
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the Father,
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is going to
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forgive sin,
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he has to be
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who he is
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all the time
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when he does it.
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So,
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when he forgives
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our sin,
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beloved,
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he doesn't merely
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pass over it
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and forget about it.
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He doesn't cast it
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off to the side
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because if he does,
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then he'd be
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betraying his
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justice,
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part of his
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very nature.
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He must
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punish
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sin.
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It's right
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and proper
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that he
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does so.
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There's a trend
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right now
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amongst parents.
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It's often called
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parenting with grace
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or you might hear
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gentle parenting
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is sometimes
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the nomenclature.
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And the suggestion
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is that we can
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teach our children
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something of
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the gospel
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by
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forgetting about
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their infractions
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against us,
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which is not
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a display
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of the gospel
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at all.
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A proper display
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of the gospel
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if even one of my
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sons disobey
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and I'm telling
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that they disobeyed,
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I snatch one
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of their brothers
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and I give them
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the punishment
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that is due
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them.
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I maintain
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justice in the home
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while also being
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merciful.
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God cannot
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stop being
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who he is
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at any
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given
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point.
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And frankly,
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he would cease
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to be God
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if this
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was the case.
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So God
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has to
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punish
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our
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sin.
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Has to do it.
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He has to
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maintain his
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justice
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as he's being
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merciful.
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So how is this
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accomplished?
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He sends
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his very
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own
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son.
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Jesus Christ.
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Fully
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God
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and
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fully
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man.
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Now,
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it matters,
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his humanity
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matters,
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because he
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needed to
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step into
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our place,
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be a
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propitiation
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for us,
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bear God's
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wrath on
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our behalf.
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He has to
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be a
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substitute
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for us.
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We're going
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to read a
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text that
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speaks about
25:46
this in
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just a
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moment.
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Further,
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for him
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to die
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and pay
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the penalty
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for our
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sin
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wasn't
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quite
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enough.
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Hear me
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out.
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Don't
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clip that.
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Hear me
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out.
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We also
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need to
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keep God's
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law.
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Remember that
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Old Testament
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covenant that I
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quickly mentioned
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before?
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God will be
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our God
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if we keep
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his law.
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The law
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has a
26:12
function.
26:13
It serves
26:13
in our
26:14
lives as a
26:14
guardian to
26:15
bring us
26:16
to Christ
26:17
because we
26:19
need
26:20
righteousness
26:21
to be
26:22
before God.
26:23
Having our
26:23
sin
26:24
canceled
26:24
brings us
26:25
up to
26:25
zero.
26:27
We now
26:27
have
26:27
nothing
26:28
in the
26:28
account,
26:29
but we
26:29
need
26:30
perfection
26:30
credited
26:32
to us.
26:33
A thing
26:33
we cannot
26:34
do.
26:35
We can't
26:36
accomplish it.
26:36
We've
26:37
proven that
26:37
we cannot
26:38
accomplish it.
26:40
And so
26:40
Jesus,
26:41
in his
26:41
humanity,
26:43
kept
26:43
the law.
26:45
It's so
26:45
important.
26:46
Sacrificial
26:46
death,
26:48
perfect
26:48
life.
26:49
He did
26:49
it on
26:50
our
26:51
behalf.
26:52
That's
26:53
why the
26:53
humanity
26:53
matters so
26:54
much for
26:55
the gospel
26:56
of Jesus
26:57
Christ.
26:59
How about
27:00
the deity?
27:01
Why does
27:01
the deity
27:01
matter so
27:02
much?
27:03
It's
27:04
because when
27:05
God poured
27:06
out his
27:06
wrath for
27:07
our sin,
27:07
our sin
27:08
was due
27:09
infinite
27:10
wrath.
27:12
It was due
27:12
wrath forever.
27:14
So how do
27:15
you pay that
27:16
penalty?
27:16
three hours
27:17
on a cross.
27:20
It's not
27:20
something you
27:21
and I
27:21
could possibly
27:22
accomplish.
27:23
We don't
27:24
have the
27:24
ability because
27:25
we're not
27:26
infinite.
27:28
Christ
27:28
himself,
27:29
fully God,
27:31
is
27:32
infinite.
27:33
And therefore
27:34
he could
27:34
drink up
27:35
all of that
27:36
infinite
27:37
wrath
27:37
on our
27:38
behalf.
27:39
We couldn't
27:40
do it.
27:41
He had to
27:42
do it
27:42
for us.
27:44
Christ's
27:45
deity and
27:46
his humanity
27:47
must be
27:48
understood for
27:49
the gospel
27:49
to make
27:49
any sense
27:50
whatsoever.
27:54
Let me
27:54
take you to
27:54
Romans chapter
27:55
three.
27:56
You may
27:56
appreciate being
27:57
there with
27:59
me.
27:59
I'm jumping
28:08
into the
28:08
middle of an
28:09
argument that
28:10
Paul began
28:11
back in
28:12
chapter one
28:13
and verse
28:14
sixteen.
28:14
So you won't
28:16
have it in its
28:16
completion.
28:17
I'd really
28:17
encourage you to
28:18
study this
28:18
more if it's
28:19
foreign to
28:20
you.
28:22
I'm going to
28:22
pick up in
28:23
verse twenty-one
28:23
of Romans
28:24
three.
28:26
There Paul
28:26
says,
28:26
but now
28:27
the righteousness
28:28
of God
28:29
has been
28:31
manifested
28:31
apart from
28:33
the law,
28:33
although the
28:34
law and the
28:34
prophets bear
28:35
witness to
28:37
it,
28:38
the righteousness
28:39
of God
28:40
through faith
28:42
in Jesus
28:43
Christ.
28:43
What he's
28:43
saying is we
28:44
become righteous
28:45
not through
28:46
the law,
28:47
although the
28:47
law and
28:47
prophets
28:48
point us to
28:50
the way we
28:50
do become
28:51
righteous.
28:52
We become
28:52
righteous through
28:53
faith,
28:55
verse twenty-two,
28:56
in Jesus
28:57
Christ for
28:59
all who
29:00
believe.
29:01
For there is
29:02
no distinction
29:02
between Jew
29:04
and Gentile.
29:05
Verse twenty-three,
29:06
for all have
29:06
sinned and
29:08
fall short
29:09
of the glory
29:10
of God.
29:13
We did not
29:14
keep, right?
29:14
It's impossible.
29:15
Every single
29:16
one of us
29:16
have sinned
29:17
and we fall
29:19
short of
29:20
that standard,
29:21
the righteousness
29:22
of God
29:23
through the
29:24
law.
29:25
Praise God,
29:26
it's been
29:26
manifested
29:27
apart from
29:28
the law.
29:31
And are
29:31
justified,
29:32
verse twenty-four,
29:33
justified,
29:34
declared righteous,
29:35
this is a
29:36
judicial term,
29:37
justified
29:37
by his
29:40
grace.
29:41
There it is
29:41
again,
29:41
grace upon
29:42
grace,
29:42
grace as
29:43
a gift
29:44
through the
29:46
redemption
29:46
that is in
29:48
Christ Jesus,
29:50
whom God
29:51
put forward
29:52
as a
29:52
propitiation
29:53
to be
29:54
received
29:55
by
29:56
faith.
29:58
This
29:59
was to
30:00
show
30:01
God's
30:02
righteousness
30:02
because in
30:04
his divine
30:05
forbearance
30:05
he had
30:06
passed over
30:06
former sins,
30:07
that is he
30:08
was dealing
30:09
with Israel
30:10
patiently,
30:11
they were
30:11
hoping in
30:12
a future
30:13
promise.
30:14
It was to
30:15
show his
30:15
righteousness
30:16
at the
30:17
present time
30:18
so that he
30:19
might be
30:20
just
30:21
and the
30:23
justifier,
30:24
merciful,
30:24
just and
30:25
merciful,
30:26
of the
30:26
one who
30:27
has faith
30:28
in
30:28
Jesus.
30:30
Right?
30:31
So righteousness,
30:32
right,
30:32
apart from the
30:33
law,
30:33
in Christ
30:34
because he
30:35
kept the
30:35
law and he
30:36
was put
30:36
forward as
30:36
a sacrifice
30:37
on our
30:38
behalf.
30:39
I think you
30:39
can maybe
30:40
see why I
30:40
gave you a
30:41
clearer,
30:42
simpler
30:42
explanation
30:43
before reading
30:44
this text.
30:46
Verse twenty-seven,
30:46
then what
30:47
becomes of
30:48
our
30:48
boasting?
30:49
It is
30:50
excluded.
30:52
By what
30:52
kind of
30:53
law?
30:53
By a
30:54
law of
30:54
works?
30:55
No,
30:57
but by
30:57
the law
30:59
of faith.
31:01
For we
31:01
hold that
31:02
one is
31:02
justified
31:03
by faith
31:04
apart
31:05
from works
31:06
of the
31:07
law.
31:08
We bring
31:09
nothing to
31:09
the equation,
31:10
we have
31:10
nothing to
31:11
boast in.
31:12
I can't
31:13
boast in
31:13
my faith,
31:15
God
31:15
has
31:16
saved
31:17
me.
31:18
To what
31:18
end?
31:20
The glory
31:21
of God.
31:23
The glory
31:24
of God.
31:25
Back in
31:26
our text
31:27
and verse
31:27
eighteen,
31:29
there John
31:30
writes,
31:30
no one
31:31
has ever
31:31
seen God,
31:32
the only
31:33
God,
31:34
who is
31:34
at the
31:35
Father's
31:35
side.
31:36
He
31:36
has made
31:38
him
31:38
known.
31:40
When we
31:41
behold
31:42
Jesus,
31:43
we behold
31:44
God.
31:47
John's
31:47
gospel
31:48
records
31:48
Jesus
31:48
making
31:49
this
31:49
case
31:49
again
31:50
and
31:51
again.
31:53
Do you
31:54
want access
31:54
to God,
31:55
Jesus says?
31:56
Come
31:56
to
31:57
me.
32:00
Colossians
32:01
one
32:01
and verse
32:01
fifteen,
32:02
there Paul
32:03
declares
32:03
that Jesus
32:04
is the
32:05
image
32:06
of the
32:07
invisible
32:08
God.
32:10
He
32:11
has
32:11
made
32:12
him
32:12
known.
32:14
Some
32:15
translations
32:16
say he
32:17
has
32:17
explained
32:18
him.
32:19
That's
32:19
because the
32:20
Greek word
32:21
here is
32:21
where we
32:22
get our
32:22
word
32:23
exegesis
32:24
from,
32:24
which is
32:25
the way
32:25
we try
32:25
to preach,
32:26
open a
32:26
text,
32:27
explain to
32:27
you what
32:28
the text
32:28
means.
32:29
So think
32:30
of it in
32:30
those terms,
32:31
right?
32:32
Jesus
32:32
Christ has
32:33
explained
32:34
to us
32:35
God,
32:37
shown to
32:38
us
32:38
God's
32:39
character
32:40
in the
32:40
saving
32:41
of a
32:42
people
32:42
for
32:43
his
32:43
praise.
32:45
So in
32:46
closing
32:47
and briefly,
32:49
there's
32:49
three things
32:50
to be
32:50
thinking
32:50
about
32:51
applying
32:52
in this
32:54
coming
32:54
week.
32:56
First,
32:56
I want to
32:57
strongly
32:57
encourage you
32:58
to behold
32:59
God
33:00
in the
33:01
Bible.
33:02
This
33:03
book
33:04
is where
33:05
we get
33:05
to take
33:06
up and
33:06
see
33:07
the life
33:08
of Christ.
33:09
both Old
33:10
Testament
33:10
and New
33:11
is pointing
33:12
us to
33:12
him,
33:13
that we
33:14
might
33:14
behold
33:14
him and
33:15
have our
33:16
affections
33:16
turned
33:17
toward him.
33:18
Be
33:18
regularly
33:19
in this
33:20
book.
33:22
If you
33:22
have the
33:23
spirit of
33:23
Christ,
33:24
he is
33:25
very pleased
33:26
to exalt
33:26
Christ as
33:27
you take
33:27
up this
33:28
word and
33:29
read.
33:30
It's not
33:31
enough.
33:32
Perhaps
33:33
40.
33:34
It's not
33:34
enough.
33:35
This is the
33:36
broadest way
33:37
that the
33:38
church can
33:38
be discipled.
33:39
It's
33:39
extremely
33:40
important.
33:41
Coming
33:42
together and
33:42
opening God's
33:43
word together
33:43
is central,
33:44
but it
33:45
can't be
33:46
it.
33:47
You need
33:47
to be
33:48
regularly in
33:49
this word,
33:49
taking up
33:50
and reading,
33:51
beholding
33:52
God,
33:52
meeting with
33:53
him in
33:54
the text
33:55
on a
33:55
regular
33:56
basis.
33:57
I've told
33:57
you before,
33:59
most of
33:59
the counseling
34:00
that I do,
34:01
I ask the
34:01
question,
34:02
how regularly
34:02
are you
34:03
reading the
34:03
Bible?
34:04
And the
34:04
regular answer
34:05
is not
34:05
very much.
34:06
Not very
34:07
much.
34:07
Let's
34:07
start there.
34:08
Take up
34:09
and read.
34:09
See how
34:10
it shapes
34:10
you into
34:12
the image
34:12
of Christ.
34:15
Secondly,
34:16
behold God
34:18
in the
34:19
church.
34:21
And by
34:21
that I
34:21
mean the
34:22
local assembly
34:22
of those
34:23
who God
34:24
has saved.
34:26
If we
34:26
will have
34:27
the proper
34:28
eyes for
34:29
it,
34:29
when we
34:29
come together,
34:31
there are
34:31
myriad,
34:33
lots of
34:34
pictures of
34:35
God's saving
34:36
work.
34:37
God's
34:39
work all
34:38
around us.
34:39
So many
34:40
people are
34:41
seeking for
34:41
experience when
34:43
they come to
34:44
church.
34:45
Should church
34:46
be lively?
34:46
Should it be
34:47
compelling?
34:48
Sure.
34:48
Any of those
34:49
things.
34:50
But is the
34:51
point that we
34:51
put on a
34:52
show that you
34:53
come and
34:53
consume?
34:54
No.
34:55
No.
34:57
Who is in
34:58
this room
34:58
together matters.
35:01
Because as you
35:01
are members of
35:02
our church,
35:02
most of you
35:03
are your
35:05
pictures of
35:06
God's grace.
35:09
You see the
35:09
way that Christ
35:10
has worked in
35:11
you across
35:13
time, in
35:14
this past
35:14
week.
35:15
It matters
35:16
that you
35:17
come and
35:18
participate in
35:20
the worship of
35:20
God.
35:21
It naturally
35:21
grows his
35:23
people,
35:24
day in,
35:25
day out,
35:25
practicing these
35:26
types of
35:27
habits.
35:28
And then
35:30
lastly,
35:30
behold God
35:31
in your
35:32
proclamation
35:34
of the
35:35
truth.
35:37
We need
35:38
to be sharing
35:39
the good
35:39
news of
35:39
Jesus Christ.
35:41
Our
35:41
affection should
35:42
be high for
35:43
him and we
35:44
should want
35:44
to talk about
35:45
him.
35:46
And we're
35:47
either going
35:47
to experience
35:48
seed sown
35:50
on good soil
35:51
that bears
35:51
fruit,
35:52
seeing the
35:53
spirit of
35:53
Christ change
35:55
the hearts
35:55
of people,
35:56
see them turn
35:57
away from
35:57
their sin,
35:58
turn toward,
35:59
embrace Christ,
36:00
faith in
36:01
him, or
36:02
we're going
36:04
to suffer for
36:04
the name.
36:05
People are
36:06
not going to
36:06
want to hear
36:07
what we have
36:08
to say.
36:08
They're going
36:09
to want to
36:09
go the way
36:10
of the world
36:10
and they're
36:11
going to hate
36:11
us because
36:11
Jesus has
36:12
called us
36:12
out of the
36:13
world.
36:13
And either
36:14
way, we
36:16
get to see
36:17
God as we
36:18
go forth and
36:19
share this
36:20
good news of
36:22
Jesus Christ.
36:23
So behold
36:24
God in the
36:24
Bible, behold
36:25
God in the
36:25
church, behold
36:26
God in your
36:27
proclamation,
36:28
and let's be
36:29
sure that we
36:31
get the
36:31
incarnation right.
36:34
Let's pray.
36:34
Thank you.