The Revealing Word

Well, would you turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 14 through 18.

John 1:14–18

That's page 833 in the Pew Bible.

Let me pray as we come to God's Word together.

Our Father in heaven, as we come to your Word written, help us to behold your Word incarnate,

our Lord Jesus.

It's him that we really want to see.

It's his glory that we want to behold.

So help us, Lord, to do that by your Holy Spirit.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right, let me read John, chapter 1, 14 through 18.

John 1 · chapter mention

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.

John bore witness about him and cried out,

This was he of whom I said,

He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.

For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God.

The only God who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

In his book, Simply Christian, N.T. Wright tells this parable in one of his chapters.

There was once a ruler, a dictator, who wanted everything in his country to be thought through

and worked out according to a strictly rational system.

Nothing would be left to chance.

But this ruler, this dictator, noticed one day that the water sources around the country were erratic

and in some cases quite dangerous.

There were thousands of springs of water, often in the middle of towns and cities.

They could be useful, but sometimes they would cause floods,

and sometimes they got polluted, and often they burst out in new places

and damaged roads and fields and houses.

So the dictator decided on a sensible, rational policy.

The whole country, or at least every part where there was any suggestion of water,

would be paved over with concrete so thick that no spring of water could ever penetrate it.

The water that people needed would be brought to them by a complex system of pipes,

and we would even treat the water with some chemicals and keep the people healthy.

With the dictator controlling the supply, everyone would have what they needed,

and there wouldn't be any more nuisance from these unregulated springs.

Well, for many years, the plan worked just fine.

People got used to their water coming from the new system.

It tasted a bit strange, and sometimes they would look back longingly

to the bubbling streams and fresh springs they used to enjoy.

And many of the problems didn't go away.

It turned out the air was just as polluted at times as the water.

But on the whole, the people praised the dictator for his forward-looking wisdom.

A generation passed.

All seemed to be well.

Then, without warning,

the springs that had gone on bubbling and sparkling beneath the solid concrete

could no longer be contained.

In a sudden explosion,

they burst through the concrete that people had taken for granted.

And water shot up everywhere,

through the sidewalks and in the middle of the roads,

through the floors of their shops and homes.

Water came shooting from all directions.

Some people loved it.

At last they could get water without depending on the system.

Others were dismayed.

Especially those who ran the water pipes.

Where would all this lead?

Well, this parable is meant to tell the story of the Western world

for the last few hundred years.

For the past two or more centuries,

philosophical and cultural currents have tried

to pave over spirituality or religion or transcendence

with a thick layer of concrete.

Pack it down.

Keep it away.

Only give it a very small, controlled place in our private lives.

But on the whole, just keep it buried.

But the concrete couldn't hold.

The deep human longing for spirituality,

for transcendence,

keeps breaking through.

For many years, sociologists thought that religion would eventually die out.

That we just wouldn't need it anymore.

But now those confident predictions are seen to be foolish.

The thick concrete of materialism just couldn't hold.

And now the springs of spirituality are bursting forth from every corner.

The human heart longs to be in touch with something greater

and something deeper.

Of course, for many people in the West,

that does not mean a return to traditional religion, does it?

Religion still seems stuffy and cold and boring,

but spirituality,

a way to connect with transcendence and meaning,

that is alive and well.

Just walk through the aisles of Barnes & Noble long enough,

and you'll stumble across the section

filled with books about meditation

and mindfulness,

about mind and body and spirit.

our age is an age hungry

for something more than the old,

concrete, layered world

of the 19th and 20th century rationalism could provide.

And you know,

in that hunger,

there are no shortage of options today.

And there were no shortage of options in John's day either.

The Apostle John,

who wrote what we just read,

spirituality in the first century

was alive and well,

just like in the 21st century.

Now, in John's day,

there were sort of the classic options.

You know,

there was good old paganism

with lots of gods,

each god with his or her own sphere of influence.

You could pick a few of your favorites

based on your tribe or your profession,

and you could hope they would give you

some kind of control or blessing in this life.

And then,

on the other hand,

there was good old Platonism.

The gods were sort of out there

in their own sphere,

and the trick was to escape

this messy material world

and to go dwell there.

But alongside these kind of classic options,

there were some more up-to-date versions.

In the place of good old paganism,

there was Stoicism.

Which sort of held that the divine,

you know,

it wasn't located in individual gods,

but rather there were divine forces

within us and the world.

And if you could just align yourself with them,

with the right mindset,

then you would actually achieve

sort of proper peace now

and maybe even union with that divine

when your life expired.

Stoicism wasn't actually far off

from a lot of spirituality today,

when you think about it.

But then in the first century

and into the second century,

there was also Gnosticism,

which was sort of a revamped Platonism.

In Gnosticism,

what matters about humans

is sort of their secret inner core,

that you have a real self,

deep down,

buried down,

that needs to be identified

and allowed to express itself.

And this real self

is often quite different

from your outer person,

your physical person.

And if you can find this inner spark,

this secret inside of you,

then you'll really be connected

to the divine,

to the transcendent.

And you know,

a lot of spirituality today

is highly Gnostic.

We sort of anxiously try

to find our true self

and our physical bodies

give us no indication

of what that might be,

we think.

So what does the Gospel of John

have to tell us

when it comes to this whole

human impulse for spirituality?

Well, John puts the whole question

on a very different footing.

He says in verse 18,

no one has ever seen God.

All of our human attempts

to reach God

or connect with God

or break through to God,

they don't work.

We can't possibly cross the divide

between the finite

and the infinite.

The gap is just too great.

You know the play Hamlet?

It's sort of like imagining

Rosencrans and Guildenstern,

two characters in that play,

searching the castle,

stalking the graveyard,

marching all over Denmark,

trying to find Shakespeare.

No matter how hard they try,

they aren't going to find

the author of the play.

No one has ever seen God,

John says.

Keep looking.

You won't find him.

But what about all of our human impulses

for spirituality?

Is John just paving more concrete

over the wild springs

deep in the human heart?

Ah, keep reading.

No one has ever seen God.

The only God who's at the Father's side,

he has made him known.

Humans cannot reach up to God,

but God can reach down to humans.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

won't ever break outside the play

to find Shakespeare in a pub

in Stratford-on-Avon, right?

But Shakespeare might choose

to write himself

into their world.

And that's what John

is trying to tell us.

The impossible human longing

to see God,

to know God,

the impossible human longing

that bubbles like a spring

under the concrete

of our late modern world

and takes countless shapes and forms

from yoga studios

to mindfulness seminars.

This impossible human longing

has finally actually become possible.

Why?

Not because of anything

you or I have done

or could do,

but only because of what God has done.

God in Jesus has made himself known.

He's written himself into the play.

In fact, the Greek word

that John uses here for make known

at the end of verse 18

and other places in the New Testament

means to tell a narrative

or to narrate.

So we might say that Jesus

is the narration of God.

God speaking his own self,

his own story,

right into ours.

Do you see how this makes Christianity

very different

than other spiritualities?

You know, nearly every other approach

to spirituality says,

if you want to see God,

then you have to make yourself

more like God.

If you want to get in touch

with the transcendent,

here's a set of practices

that will change you

and align you

with that transcendence.

If you want to see God,

well, here's the secret

to become more like God.

Here's the path up.

Here's the path in.

Here's how you,

a finite human,

can get up to the infinite.

But Christianity is very different.

This spirituality says,

not humans must become God,

but God has become a human.

God has become a human

and made himself known.

And for John,

that means two things.

First, it means that in Jesus

we can see God's glory.

And second, it means that in Jesus

we can receive God's grace.

So let's look at the first of those.

We can see God's glory.

Look again at verses 14 and 15.

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.

John bore witness about him

and cried out,

this was he of whom I said,

he who comes after me

ranks before me

because he was before me.

We've seen his glory.

Isn't that what so many spiritualities

are trying to get at?

A sort of glimpse of glory,

of transcendence,

of infinite,

of awe and wonder and holiness.

John says, here it is.

In the word,

Jesus, the only son

from the father

who became flesh

and dwelt among us.

Of course, in one sense,

this is what the whole Bible's about.

Remember all the way back

in Genesis chapter one,

God creates the world.

In six days,

he sort of sets up the form, right?

And then in six creation days,

he sort of fills it out.

And then on the seventh day,

what happens?

Well, the writer of Genesis says,

God rests.

But you know,

that doesn't mean that God took a break

because he was tired, right?

It wasn't as if six days of work

was really rough.

You know,

you and I work five days

and we get kind of worn out.

We need a two-day weekend.

God can work six,

but he still needs one day off, right?

That's not what Genesis is saying.

The resting on the seventh day

is not the rest of a weary laborer,

but the resting of a king on his throne.

All of creation in Genesis one

is built like a temple for the living God,

the place where his glory rests.

From the very beginning,

God intended to dwell with his creation,

with his people.

But as the story goes,

the first humans disobeyed their king.

They disobeyed God

and they were driven out

from God's presence in the garden.

The dwelling place seemed to be lost.

But then as the story continues,

God reestablishes his dwelling place.

He redeems his people from slavery in Egypt

and he tells them to do what?

He tells them to build a tabernacle,

build a tent in the wilderness.

And this tabernacle would be the place

where God again begins to dwell

in the midst of his people.

They lived in tents,

so God would come

and dwell in their midst in a tent.

And then after God establishes them

in the promised land,

he allows them to build a temple.

Because after all,

the people now live in houses,

so God will dwell in their midst in a house.

And the tabernacle and the temple

would be the place,

it would be the center

of the spirituality of God's people.

Here is where God's glory would reside,

right in their midst.

Here is where the infinite

would touch the finite.

Here is where transcendence

and holiness would come into contact

with the material and the mundane.

This is where God would rest.

This is where God would dwell.

And in both instances,

when the tabernacle was first raised

and the temple first constructed,

we are told that God's holy glory

comes down and fills it.

But you know,

the tabernacle and the temple,

these were just signposts.

They were just preliminary sketches.

God had something greater in store.

Because when the fullness of time had come,

the word became flesh

and dwelt among us.

And the word dwelt that John uses there

is the same word

for pitching a tent,

for a tabernacle.

John is very deliberately saying

that the true tabernacle,

the true temple,

is finally here.

God's no longer dwelling in a tent

or in a temple.

God became flesh

so that humans might know his glory at last.

God has become human.

In Jesus Christ,

we see God's glory.

That was the message of John the Baptist,

Jesus' forerunner.

He who comes after me ranks before me

because he was before me.

According to John the Baptist,

Jesus has the preeminence,

the glory.

John saw it and testified to it,

the gospel writer John says

about John the Baptist.

But how about you and me?

Do we see it?

Do we see God's glory

in the incarnate become flesh word,

Jesus?

Many choose not to.

After all,

I mean,

isn't God's glory

supposed to be powerful

and overwhelming?

Shouldn't it be huge

and gilded

and shining

like the walls of the temple?

But Jesus,

look at him.

born to an insignificant family

in an insignificant part of Israel,

living an insignificant life

for 30 years.

Goodness gracious,

he dies hung up

on a Roman cross

like the trash of the earth.

There's no glory there.

Where's the power?

Where's the shock and awe?

But what sort of glory

were you looking for?

The real glory of God,

the true God,

the God who makes himself

known in Jesus,

it isn't that sort of glory.

You want celebrity,

fame,

money,

power,

that's not real glory.

Real glory,

God's glory,

is right here.

in Jesus,

John says,

full of grace

and truth.

That's what God

ultimately wanted us to see.

And that's what he had been

telling his people

for centuries actually.

Do you remember

when Moses said to God

in Exodus,

God, show me your glory.

What did God do?

Well, God knew

that if sinful Moses

really saw God

and his holiness,

Moses would be undone.

Just like Isaiah's

vision in the temple.

Do you remember that?

Isaiah has this prophetic vision

where he sort of sees

just the hem

of God's robe,

sort of like the edge

of the outermost piece

of his clothing.

And what happens?

He sees the edge

of God's robe

and Isaiah cries out,

woe is me!

I'm undone!

My very being

is shaken to the core

and I'm in pieces.

I'm uncreated

by the holiness of God.

So how is God

going to show Moses

his glory?

Well, God says,

Moses, hide here.

Hide in the cleft

of this rock

and I'll cover you

and then I'll pass by

and you won't see my face.

You'll see my back actually.

That is, you'll see

the kind of after effects,

the echo

of my passing by

and then I'll declare

to you my name

and my glory.

And God does just that.

Exodus 34, 6 says,

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.

Abounding in steadfast love

and faithfulness,

full of grace

and truth.

That's God's glory.

And it comes to its climax

in Jesus Christ.

Because in the incarnation,

God proves his faithfulness

to all of his promises.

And in the incarnation,

God demonstrates

his steadfast love,

his grace.

In the incarnation,

God completes his plan

promised all the way

back in Genesis

when the first human couple fell

and when God promised

on that day

that one day

a child would come.

One day the child

would come

to crush the head

of the serpent,

to defeat sin and evil.

But in the crushing,

the child would be crushed.

Look again at the tabernacle.

Look again at the temple.

What do you see there?

Day after day,

month after month,

week after week.

What do you see happening

at the tabernacle,

at the temple?

The temple.

Sacrifices.

After all,

how could this holy God,

this almighty creator,

dwell in the midst

of a sinful people?

Would it not surely

mean their death,

their undoing?

Surely his unimaginable holiness,

wouldn't it,

would it not just simply

crush them under its weight?

This last summer,

my family,

we made a trip

to Niagara Falls.

I don't know

if any of you

have been to Niagara Falls,

but it's just massive.

And the just weight

of the water

pouring down.

You can't really feel it

until you're there.

And we were there

and we went on this thing

called I think

the hurricane deck

or something like that

where you sort of

can climb out on this deck

and you're sort of

next to the water

pouring down

and it's spraying off of you

and it hurts.

But it's like the bouncing

of it that hurts, right?

Not the full weight of it.

And honestly,

it's very troubling

being that close

to Niagara Falls

because you think,

one slip

and we're done for.

And if that's true

of a mere waterfall,

friends,

what about the holy God

who made waterfalls

and mountains

and stars

and universes?

Could sinful people

dwell with a God

like that?

So God gives them sacrifices

and so the sacrifice dies

so the people don't have to.

God allows a substitution

to be made.

But you know,

the sacrifices

at the tabernacle

and at the temple,

again,

they were just signposts.

It wasn't going to be

bulls and goats,

but the word made flesh

full of grace

and truth,

full of steadfast love

and faithfulness,

true to his promise.

God himself

would bear the curse

and the crushing weight

of sin.

And that would be

the full display

of God's glory.

According to the Gospel

of John,

where do we see

the glory of God?

It's the glory

of the cross.

The Holy One

would stand

in the place

of the sinner

and the sinner's debt

would be paid.

And that's why

John goes on to say,

for from his fullness

we have all received

grace upon grace.

For the law

was given through Moses,

grace and truth

came through Jesus Christ.

So John's saying,

look,

we don't just see

God's glory

in the incarnate

word Jesus,

but we receive

his grace.

We receive it.

I mean,

think about it.

What is it

that we're really

looking for

in what we call

spirituality?

There might be

a lot of reasons

why people go after

what they think of

as something spiritual.

You know,

it might be a desire

for awe.

It might be a desire

for control,

trying to get

some kind of control

around yourself

or your surroundings.

It might be a desire

for meaning.

To make sense

of life.

But I think

deep down,

isn't what we're

looking for,

isn't what we really

want,

isn't it to be

known

and to be loved?

John says,

we've been given

grace upon grace.

One grace

in place of another.

What was the first grace?

He says,

the law was given

through Moses.

The law is a great gift.

Why?

Because when you look

into the law,

you see yourself.

You see yourself

without any hiding

and without any pretense.

God's perfect law

comes and God says,

I know you

fully.

All of you.

All your virtues

and your vices.

I know you.

Everything that makes you

lovely and everything

that makes you ashamed.

All your triumphs

and all your failures.

All your flaws

and all your sins.

God says,

I know them all.

But is that where it ends?

No,

there comes a second gift

in place of the first.

The law came through Moses.

Grace and truth

came through Jesus Christ.

God knows you fully

and

he loves you completely.

So much so

that what he requires

of you,

what God requires

of you in the law,

God provides for you

in his son.

That's why it's grace

and truth.

There's no one

who knows you better

than Jesus Christ.

He is the God,

the one through whom

all things,

you included,

were created.

And he became flesh

and lived

in this very humanity

that is ours.

No one knows you

better than him.

And still,

he chose to love you

and lay down

his life for you.

No one knows you

better than Jesus

and no one loves you

better than him.

From his fullness

we've received

grace

upon grace.

So where does this

leave us?

Well,

if it is true

that no one

has ever seen God

but the only God,

Jesus,

the Son,

who's at the Father's side

has made him known,

if that's true,

well,

then the application

seems clear.

The only true

and real spirituality

is the one

focused

and centered

utterly

on Jesus Christ.

the bubbling

streams

of human

spirituality

that keep

breaking

through the concrete

are meant

to flow

to him

and to him

alone.

So friends,

what will you do

this week

to draw near

to him

because he

has drawn

so near

to you?

Perhaps

it means

entrusting

your life

to him,

placing your

trust in him

for the first

time

and becoming

a follower

of this Jesus.

perhaps

if you've

already done

that,

it means

taking a step

to get baptized,

to make a public

profession

of faith

in him,

to identify

with him

and his people.

Perhaps

it means

spending a few

moments

in the morning

before the day

begins

to just be

still before him,

to put yourself

not in a posture

of doing

but of receiving

and simply

receiving

his grace

upon grace

for you.

Perhaps

it means

rethinking

what kind

of glory

you've been

living for

because what

we see

in the

incarnate

word

is that

God's glory

isn't found

in power

but in service.

God's glory

isn't found

in celebrity

but in humility

and in honesty.

it's not found

in wealth

but in

self-giving

generosity.

That's the sort

of glory

God wants

to work

in you

through his

spirit.

So where

is the incarnate

and risen

Christ,

the word

made flesh

inviting you

to behold

his glory

and in

beholding

him to

become less

like the world

and more

like him?

That's real

spirituality.

That's the

real wellspring.

That's the

water we're

all longing

to drink

no matter

how much

concrete

we try

to pave

over it.

Let's pray

together.

Our Father

in heaven

by your

Holy Spirit

would you

enlighten

the eyes

of our

hearts

that we

might

behold

Jesus

the

word

made

flesh

crucified

risen

and

reigning.

Lord

help us

through the

power of

your spirit

to behold

his glory

and to

receive his

grace.

We pray

this in

his name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.