They Beheld His Glory

John 1:14-18

Introduction• The last few verses of the prologue (Jn 1:1-18)

– John identifies the Word . . .• Who was in the beginning with God, and was

God (Jn 1:1-2)

• Through whom all things were made (Jn 1:3)

• Who was life, and the light of men (Jn 1:4-5, 9

• Who came into the world, though many did not receive Him (Jn 1:10-11)

• Yet those who received Him, were given the right to become children of God (Jn 1:12-13)

The Word• The Word was Jesus Christ . . .

– Who became flesh and lived among men (v14)– Whose glory was seen by men (v14)

• The word "glory" as used here . . .– Means "majesty, dignity, splendor" (Barnes)– Means “magnificence, excellence, preeminence,

dignity, grace” (Thayer)– Pertaining to Christ, it refers to His personal

excellence or majesty • John writes, "We beheld His glory"

– What majesty, dignity, magnificence, preeminence, grace or splendor did John and others see in Jesus when He walked in the flesh among men?

The Glory of the Incarnation• “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”

– God, the Word, came into a fleshly existence• “became” Grk ginomai “to come into existence,

arise”– Not that he newly existed, for He was eternally

God (Jn 1:1-3)– But that he took on a new form, flesh

– And He did so to dwell among us• “dwelt” Grk skenoo “tented, tabernacled”

– He ‘pitched His tent with us’» Implies the temporary nature of His visit» Reminds us of God who dwelt with Israel in the

tent (tabernacle) – He came to show us the way

The Glory of His Deity• "the glory as of the only begotten of the

Father" (v14)• "The dignity which was appropriate to the only

begotten Son of God" (Barnes) – Glory or splendor that could belong to no other,

because it expressed His rank and character – The glory that was clearly seen at the

transfiguration (Lk 9:28-32; 2 Pet 1:16-18)– Glory that was also seen in His miracles, His

doctrine, His resurrection, and His ascension (Jn 2:11)• Only the Son of God could say and do such

things

The Glory of His Grace• "full of grace . . . grace for grace . . . grace and

truth came through Jesus" (Jn 1:14, 16-17)– Grace means a gift or favor– He was full of grace – kind, merciful gracious,

doing good to all– But His grace led to more grace

• Ultimately to His gift of His own life to save ours

• Yet He did not just reveal His grace . . .

The Glory of His Truth• "full of grace and truth . . . grace and truth

came through Jesus Christ“ (Jn 1:14,17)

• He declared the truth– The truth of God’s word (Jn 17:17)– He lived the word, He taught the word– He is the Word

• By His life He showed how man should have lived– He showed the truth of our sinfulness– That truth shows the deservedness of

punishment for sin

The Glory of His Preeminence• “He who comes after me is preferred before me

for He was before me” (Jn 1:15) – “preferred” Grk ginomai means “came into

existence, arose” (same as “became” in v14)– 1st “before me” Grk emprosthen mou means “in

front of me”• Not birth order, but preeminence, importance

– 2nd “before me” Grk protos mou means “first in time”• He was first, prexistent

• Christ was preexistent and remains preeminent

The Glory of His Revelation• "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten

Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (Jn 1:18)– Not denying that men had witnessed manifestations of

God, as when he appeared to Moses and the prophets (e.g., Num 12:8)

– Rather that no one had seen the essence of God or fully known God

• As God told Moses (Ex 33:18-20)• The prophets delivered what they heard God speak

– Jesus revealed God as His equal, understanding fully His nature “in the bosom of the Father”

• Jesus declared the Father as no one had done before! – As Jesus told Philip (Jn 14:9) – As Jesus expressed in His prayer (Jn 17:6,24) – As written in the epistles (Col 1:15; Heb 1:1-4)

We too can behold His glory• 2 Cor 3:18

– We behold His glory in the mirror of God’s word• Written by those who saw, heard and touched

(1Jn 1:1-4)– Verified by signs (Heb 2:2-4)

– And seeing His glory we are to be transformed• Into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29, 12:1-2)

• And one day we will see Him in all His glory– Col 3:1-4– Php 2:9-11

Conclusion• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among

us, and we beheld His glory . . .”– We may not have seen Jesus in the flesh, but

we can still behold His glory . . . • Through the testimony of His apostles and the

Word of God • When Jesus comes again to be revealed in His

glory – What will we do with the glory of Jesus as

declared by His apostles? • We should let it transform our lives as we behold

the glory of the Lord• Then when Christ comes, He will be glorified in

us, and we in Him! (2 Thes 1:10-12)