God made visible in Christ

Good morning, everyone.

It's a great privilege to open the Word of God to you this morning.

It's also an awesome responsibility.

But before we open God's Word, why don't we just commit this time in prayer to the Lord?

Our dear, gracious and heavenly Father, we are so grateful to have the opportunity to gather together here in your presence.

I pray that you would soften our hearts, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you want to say to us this morning.

And help us, Lord, to know, to take action, to know what to do about it.

I pray that we would bring our burdens before you this morning.

I pray that you would ultimately be honored and glorified.

In your name, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I'd like to open with a question this morning, asking you simply this.

How would you describe what God is like?

If I were to ask you individually, what would you say?

How would you describe what God is like?

Some of you might begin by describing God as you relate to Him personally,

by describing His characteristics.

You may say God is love and how love is central to who He is.

You may describe how faithful God is and how He has always been your refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble, as the psalmist says.

And you can go on and on describing God, describing His characteristics,

as it relates to you personally.

Some of you here today are watching or will be watching online,

may not have any idea how to describe what God is like.

You believe in a higher power, but you're not sure how to describe this higher power.

Or you believe God is relative to the individual.

God is whoever one wants Him to be.

Or you may know people who think and feel this way.

The good news is that God did not leave us to wonder what He is really like.

For it is in Jesus Christ that God is most fully revealed and known.

And this morning I have the great privilege of calling your attention to John 1, verse 18,

John 1:18

where it describes how, in John Stott's words,

the invisible God has been made visible in Christ.

The invisible God has been made visible in Christ.

And we're going to see how Jesus reveals God in two ways.

First, the invisible God has been made visible in the life of Christ.

Secondly, God's character was made visible in the death of Christ.

In this sermon series, we've been looking at what the cross of Christ has accomplished

and what this means for you and I.

Today we're going to explore about how God is revealed in the life and death of Jesus

and what this means for you and I.

But before this, let me just provide you with a little bit of background to our verse this morning.

Also, when reading John's Gospel, we want to keep in mind that

John gives us an eyewitness account to the life of Jesus.

John, the beloved disciple, an eyewitness to Jesus' death and resurrection,

introduces us to Jesus in the first chapter known as the prologue.

Here, John presents Jesus as the eternal, preexistent, incarnate word,

who became flesh and dwelt among his people.

Jesus, whom the world was made, is the true light who gives light to everyone.

So just as John begins chapter 1, so he concludes in chapter 1 in verse 18,

where he describes how the invisible God has been made visible in Jesus Christ.

Speaking of Jesus, John says in 1 verse 18,

No one has ever seen God.

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

John begins by saying,

No one has ever seen God.

In the Old Testament, God revealed himself partially to some,

but never in a complete and full way.

To Moses, God says,

You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, speaks of God dwelling in unapproachable light,

whom no one has ever seen or can see.

In his book, The Living Church,

John Stott asks the question,

How has God solved the problem of his invisibility?

First, he has revealed himself in the world he has made,

for both the heavens and the earth reveal and declare his glory.

Second, and supremely,

God has revealed himself by sending his Son into the world.

John 1 speaks of Jesus,

the Logos, the Word,

through whom all things were made,

who took on human flesh and reveals God to us.

This is why, in verse 18,

John tells us,

No one has ever seen God.

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

he has made him known.

This is why Jesus says to Philip,

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

This is why Paul could describe Jesus

as the image of the invisible God

in his letter to the Colossians.

The invisible God being made visible in Jesus Christ

is a conviction that separates Christianity

from all other faiths.

In early church history,

God's revelation of himself

came under fierce attack.

Arius,

a 4th century bishop from Alexandria of Egypt,

taught that Jesus was semi-divine

and was something like the angels.

In response,

defender of the faith,

a deacon by the name of Athanasius,

held fast to the truth of Jesus' full divinity,

eventually affirmed at the Council of Nicaea,

and captured in the Nicene Creed

where we confess

that Jesus is God,

a very God,

begotten,

not made,

of one substance

with the Father.

even so,

Arius' views

trickled down

into our world today

in the teachings of

the Jehovah's Witnesses,

for example.

Having been raised

as a Jehovah's Witness,

I was spiritually blind

to the revelation of God

taking on human flesh.

In 2 Corinthians 4,

2 Corinthians 4:4

verse 4,

Paul says

that the God of this age

the devil

has blinded the minds

of unbelievers

so they cannot see

the glory of Christ

who is in the image of God.

And several people have asked me,

what was the tipping point

for you to go from

unbelief to belief?

The short story is

it was through the faithful,

persistent,

constant,

and continuous witness

of a dear friend

pointing me to the Scriptures

where I began to see Jesus vividly,

where God Himself

removed the veil,

as it were,

and shunned the light

of the gospel

of the glory of Christ

on my heart.

It was like being behind a curtain.

I think this stage

is a good illustration for this.

And imagine I'm behind this curtain

and God,

through the faithful Christian witness

of another,

pulls back the curtain

and shines the light

of the gospel

of the glory of Christ

on my heart,

granting me spiritual sight

to know Him

as He is revealed in Christ.

That's what Paul talks about

in 2 Corinthians 4.

I pray that this would encourage you,

those of you who have loved ones

who don't know Christ,

as you bear witness

to the love of Jesus

and pray for them

that God

would shine the light

of the gospel

of the glory of Christ

on their hearts.

Because the only way

to know God

is as He has revealed Himself

in Christ.

No one has ever seen God,

the only God

who was at the Father's side.

He has made Him known.

In what ways?

Well,

first,

God was made visible

in the life of Christ.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

through the performing

of many miracles,

demonstrating that He Himself

is sovereign creator

and ruler of the universe,

who shows mercy

and provides for His people.

John gives us

a number of examples.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

at a wedding in Cana

in Galilee,

where Jesus turned water

into wine,

after which His disciples

believed in Him.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

when Jesus healed

a royal official's sick son.

for only the Lord

of all creation,

by the sheer power

of His Word,

can heal the sick

from such a long distance away.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

when Jesus healed a man

who had been paralyzed

for 38 years.

Only a person

who shares

the same divine nature

as God

has such power

and can demonstrate

such infinite mercy.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

when Jesus fed

5,000 people,

demonstrating God's provision.

For only the creator

and sustainer

of everyone

and everything

can feed a multitude

and claim to be

the only one

who can satisfy

the deep

spiritual longings

of our heart

as the bread of life.

God was made visible

in the life of Christ

when Jesus

walked on water,

John 6,

healed a man

from lifelong blindness

and raised Lazarus

from the dead

after four days

in the tomb.

For only the God

through whom

the world

was made,

who became flesh,

can walk on water,

calm the sea,

heal the sick

and raise the dead.

John tells us

that there were

many other things

that Jesus did

which,

if they were written

one by one,

that even the world

itself

could not contain

the books

that would be written.

But these miracles

were recorded.

Why?

so that you

would believe

that Jesus

is the Christ,

the Son of God

and that by believing

you may have life

in His name.

So not only

was God

made visible

in the life of Christ

through all the miracles,

but Jesus

came in the flesh

to bring us back

into a relationship

with God

through His death

and resurrection.

resurrection.

It's very sad

to see

what's happening

in the world

around us today.

And I think

we can all agree

that

this world

is broken,

disordered,

and sinful.

But what we see

around us

is really

a reflection

of our broken,

disordered,

and sinful nature.

Tim Keller

reminds us

that when we

open the Bible

and see ourselves

in light

of a holy God,

we see that

we are sinners,

enslaved to sin,

to idols

and the prince

of power

of the air.

And yet,

the God

of the universe

comes to you

and I

as broken

as we are.

poor

and wretched,

weak

and wounded,

sick

and sore,

as that

old hymn

says.

The promised

Messiah

of the Old Testament,

the eternal

Son of God,

came in human

flesh,

lived

in perfect

obedience,

died the death

that we deserved,

and was raised

on the third day

so that He

could rescue us,

free us

from the grip

of sin,

give us a new

heart,

and grant us

eternal life.

If you look

again at verse 18,

the phrase,

who is at

the Father's side,

literally means

in the bosom

of the Father.

Early church

father,

John Chrysostom,

points out

how this phrase

paints a picture

of an intimate

union

of oneness

between the

Father

and the Son.

The Bible

teaches that

there is one

true

living God

who exists

in an

eternal

loving unity

of three persons,

Father,

Son,

and Holy Spirit.

In love,

the triune

God

created you

and I

to be

in relationship

with Him.

The phrase,

in the bosom,

shows up again

in John 13

where it speaks

of John,

the beloved

disciple,

reclining

on Jesus'

bosom.

Again,

speaking of

that relationship

he had

with Christ.

and when you

put your

trust

and faith

in Jesus,

you enter

into a

relationship

of love

that had

existed

before the

world

began.

So not only

was God

made visible

in the life

of Christ

through all

those miracles

whom John

was eyewitness

to,

but Jesus

came in the

flesh

for the purpose

of bringing us

back into

relationship

with God.

Secondly,

God's character

was made

visible

in the death

of Christ.

God's character

was made

visible

in the death

of Christ.

At the cross,

we see

God's character

of justice

and mercy.

Reverend George

spoke about this

last week

and I think

it's worth

reviewing again

here.

As fully

God and

fully man,

Jesus died

in our place,

paid the debt

that we owed

for our own

sin,

and conquered

sin and death.

At the cross,

God in His

justice

did not allow

the horror

of sin

to go unpunished.

At the cross,

God in His

mercy

met the

demand

of justice

through the

death

of His

Son,

Jesus.

Webster's

dictionary

defines

injustice

as an

absence

of justice,

violation

of right

or of the

rights

of another.

Because we

live in a

broken,

disordered,

and sinful

world,

because of

our sin

nature,

the reality

is that

all kinds

of injustices

occur on a

daily basis

all around

us.

we live

in an

unjust

world,

with

unjust

societies,

unjust

systems,

unjust

people.

Perhaps

some of

you have

been

victims

of some

form

of

injustice.

But when

we reflect

on the

cross

and see

Jesus,

we see

a just

and holy

God,

who won't

allow sin

to go

unpunished.

God

will have

the final

say.

Hebrews

4, 13,

for no

creature

is hidden

from his

sight,

but all

are naked

and exposed

to the

eyes of

him to

whom we

must give

an account.

Now,

as I said

this morning,

we must

make no

mistake

that as

Christ

followers,

we are

all

called

to do

justice,

to love

mercy,

and to

walk humbly

before God.

We're all

called.

But at the

end of the

day,

we also

know that

God will

have the

final say.

And yet,

on this

side of

eternity

and judgment

day,

there is

hope for

the hopeless.

When we

see Jesus

on the

cross,

we also

see a

God who

shows mercy

and grants

those who

put their

trust in

him newness

of life,

adopting them

as sons

and daughters,

where they

become a

part of the

family of

God.

Secondly,

at the

cross,

we see

God's

love.

God

doesn't

meet us

when we

try to

be a

good

person.

He

doesn't

meet us

when we

have

everything

together.

He

meets us

in our

mess and

rebellion,

following the

devices of

our own

heart.

God

shows his

love for

us in

that while

we were

still

sinners,

Christ

died for

us.

This is

love,

John says,

not that

we loved

God,

but that

he loved

us and

sent his

son to

be the

propitiation

of our

sins.

Presbyterian

minister and

the late

Bible,

radio Bible

teacher,

J.

Vernon McGee,

once said,

the cross

tells the

greatest

story.

It sings

the sweetest

music.

It brings

the best

news and

the most

glorious

truth,

and it

whispers the

infinite love

of God

to your

heart and

to my

heart.

Look into

the heavens

tonight and

you'll see

something of

the glory

of God.

Look at

the mighty

mountains that

are around

us and

you can see

something of

his greatness.

look into

the fragile

little flower

and it

will tell

you something

about God.

But listen,

McGee says,

if you're

going to

know about

the love

of God,

you will

have to

look at

the cross

of Christ.

God's

love was

made visible

at the

cross.

As

COVID-19

continues to

disrupt

lives,

societies,

and nations

alike,

many of

us are

left wondering

if life

will ever

be the

same.

Some of

you may

be feeling

pandemic

weariness

or Zoom

exhaustion

or Zoomed

out

or cabin

fever

where you're

tired of

being

stuck at

home.

some of

you have

been

also,

some of

you,

not all

of you,

but

experiencing

an increase

of isolation,

loneliness,

depression,

and anxiety

like never

before as

you deal

with a

number of

question marks

of uncertainty.

uncertainty.

If this

is you,

I want to

encourage you

to focus

not what

is uncertain,

but what

is certain.

Christian

counselor

Edward T.

Welch

reminds us

that there

are all

kinds of

things every

single day

that we do

not know.

There are

mysteries galore

in life.

And in

the midst

of that

and what

we anticipate,

there is

plenty

that we

do know.

In the

midst of

life's

uncertainties,

focus

on the

certainty

of God's

love.

Dear

friends,

should there

ever

be a

time

when in

moments of

despair or

wherever you're

at in your

walk with

God,

where you

begin to

doubt the

certainty of

God's

love.

Then look

to the

cross.

Lean on

God's

word and

the promises

of his

word.

Consider him

who loved

you with

immeasurable

love and

pursued you

even to

death on

the cross.

Whatever is

true,

whatever is

honorable,

whatever is

just,

pure,

lovely,

commendable,

if there's

any excellence,

if there's

anything worthy

of praise,

think,

meditate on

these things.

Focus on

the certainty

of God's

love.

God's

love and

love and

love.

If you don't

know Christ,

my prayer

is that you

will put your

trust and

faith in

the living

God,

the Lord

of all

creation,

the Redeemer

and risen

Savior,

who is

good and

forgiving,

abounding in

love to all

who call upon

him.

God's

love and

God's

love and

hope.

God's

love and

hope and

guarantee,

our only

certainty in this life.

John 1,

18 has

great practical

implications for

the church.

Just as God,

just as the

invisible God

has been made

visible in

Jesus,

those who

trust in

Jesus,

we have

been called

to make

him visible.

Because

Jesus is

Lord over

all creation,

because he

is our

Redeemer,

the Christian

life is a

life of

submission to

Jesus.

Our

sole purpose

in life

is to know

Christ and

to make him

known.

it is to

make,

as we've

heard so

many times,

disciples of

Jesus,

gripped by

the gospel,

living for

God's glory.

And I

think this

begins with

love for

one another,

right here

in our

church.

Jesus said,

by this,

all will

know that

you are my

disciples,

if you

have love

for one

another.

So,

I just

want to

leave us

with this

simple

challenge,

that we,

during this

week,

starting today,

would pursue

ways where

we can glorify

God and

make Christ

visible to

one another,

by loving

one another.

you may

want to

look for

one person

in our

church,

who you

can call

up and

encourage,

or one

person or

family who

you can

pray for,

one person

to comfort

with the

comfort which

we ourselves

are comforted

by God,

one person

who you

can love

in the

name of

our Lord

Jesus.

The

invisible God

was made

visible in

Jesus Christ,

God was

made visible

in the

life of

Christ,

God's

character

was made

visible in

the death

of Christ.

Let's pray.

Lord,

just thank

you that

you were

not left to

wonder what

you're really

like.

And it's

because of

your grace

that we

are gathered

here this

morning.

I pray that

your blessing

would be upon

every person

here and

those who

are watching

and that

we,

too,

in the

power of

your spirit

would make

you visible

each and

every day

from moment

to moment

living for

your glory.

We ask

this in

the name

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

Amen.