Sermon

Behold the Word Shining

December 21, 2025 Christ the King Church Sermons

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And if you would open up your Bibles to John chapter 1 verses 1 through 18.

John 1:1–18
! So the four Gospels are all accounts of the life of Jesus.
Matthew and Luke keep record of the birth of Jesus.
Mark just kind of jumps into the life of Jesus.
And John 1 through 18 holds record of the prologue to John,
the introduction to John, and it accounts the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
with a little different language.
Would you hear John 1, 1 through 18?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John, John the Baptist.
He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through Him.
He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,
who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
And we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son, the one-of-a-kind Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John the Baptist 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, the one-of-a-kind God,
who is at the Father's side.
He has made Him known.
May God bless the hearing of His Word.
It gets pretty dark in Wisconsin during the wintertime.
And it's not just the sun setting around four in the afternoon.
Winter in Wisconsin can be one dark, overcast day after another.
And it can have psychological effects.
But, some of my favorite days as a Wisconsin resident,
are those crisp Wisconsin winter days when the sun is shining.
You come outside, and you're like,
Look it!
Behold!
The sun is shining in its glory!
Surprise!
Surprise!
Those are great days.
This morning reminded me of that.
And this morning, here we are four days out from Christmas Day,
and there is a different sun shining in His glory.
Behold!
The Word shining!
Jesus Christ, in His incarnate glory, is shining today.
And He will be shining for the rest of our lives until He returns.
He will be even shining on Friday, December 26th of this week.
He will be shining even when your soul feels cold.
He will be shining even when the circumstances of your life are one overcast day after another.
Or maybe you've come into the sanctuary this morning,
and you're feeling like my Christmas tree right now.
And that is, it's starting to dry out.
It's starting to get a little brittle.
Needles are falling.
And you're like, I just need some life.
The sun, the Word incarnate, is always shining.
And He is a life giver.
He gives life.
If you want to feel the sun shine upon your face.
Well, we've reached a point in John 1, 1 through 18.
We've reached the last section of this prologue.
And these 18 verses are designed to pique your interest in what's to come in the rest of the book.
John has been giving us glimpses of the glory of Jesus Christ.
And I don't know about you, but I've been asking myself, who is this Word made flesh?
The Gospel of John answers that question.
You might be kind of feeling this, like I want this light which gives eternal life.
I want it.
That's what this book is designed to do.
You might be saying, I want His light to shine into my darkness and give me life.
Behold the Word shining in His incarnate glory.
And this morning, I'm going to show you three ways He is shining from verses 14 through 18.
His super grace is shining.
See that in verse 16.
His surpassing greatness is shining.
We'll see that in verses 15 and 17.
And His seeable glory is shining.
And that's in verses 14 and 18.
Behold the Word incarnate shining who gives us life.
Do you need life this morning?
You feel like a dried out Christmas tree?
It's just a matter of time.
The Word is shining in His life-giving grace.
Let's look at His super grace in verse 16.
You've got to see this.
This is extraordinary.
Verse 16 says,
For from His, the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ,
from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace.
Of course, the His, His fullness, is the Word Jesus.
1-1, John 1-1, in the beginning was the Word.
He was in the beginning.
It's a shout out to Genesis 1-1.
He is the uncreated creator of all things.
The second person of the Trinity.
He was distinct from God.
And yet, He was with God.
He was in relationship with God.
We're going to see that in verse 18 when we get there.
The Word was God.
Totally God.
Fully God.
Completely God.
And in verse 4, we see that in Him was life.
Not just the physical life of creation.
He sustains all things by the Word of His power.
But spiritual life.
Eternal life.
Saving life.
He is not just the creator,
but the recreator of a whole new creation.
Starting with the souls of men and women.
He is our light shining into the darkness of our sinful, spiritually dead world.
And last week, we learned that if you receive Him, if you believe in His name.
And again, that's not just some kind of passive acknowledgement, but it's an act of faith.
Remember the illustration from last week?
When I brought you to Lincoln Lagoon, it's frozen over.
I put a hundred bucks, rubber banded it around a rock, put it in a yellow festival bag,
and threw it on the middle of the ice and said, go get it.
In order for you to get that hundred bucks, you need to exercise faith.
Got to walk on the ice.
You can't just say you believe and stand by me.
Saving faith is an act of faith in His name.
All that Jesus Christ is.
And it's His fullness.
The fullness of His grace.
Grace upon grace.
It's a super grace that we have received.
His grace gives life.
You remember John 3.16.
He gives eternal life to those who believe.
John 10.10.
I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.
What is grace?
Grace is God's posture towards sinners.
His unconditional love.
But God's grace is not limited to His posture.
God's grace is also God's power.
His power to make sinners who were dead in their sins and enemies to Him living in darkness.
And powerfully give them new life.
Making them His sons and daughters.
And bringing them into His family.
His kingdom of light.
That is His power.
It's His power to forgive.
It's His power to give us new desires.
New affections.
New priorities.
A new telos.
A new reason for being.
And this grace.
It brings peace.
It brings shalom.
Remember the angels in Luke 2.
Glory to God in the highest.
Christ.
And on earth peace among those whom He is pleased.
His posture.
His power.
Brings us peace.
Because He makes us pleasing in His sight.
By paying a great price.
We can think about this grace in two ways.
It's a superseding grace.
And what I mean by that is this.
I'll explain it in the next point a little bit more.
But God gave Israel the law through Moses.
We see that in verse 17.
And the law was the first covenant.
Or what we have come to see through Hebrews as the old covenant.
And God gave Israel the law.
He made them His people.
Not because they earned it or deserved it.
It was all by His grace.
And the grace that now comes from Jesus Christ.
Supersedes the grace of the old covenant.
It is a new fuller grace.
A new covenant grace.
Both covenants were costly.
They came with blood.
The new covenant comes with the blood of Jesus.
Because He is totally God and totally man.
And that blood has brought us peace.
It's a superseding grace.
And it's a super abounding grace.
Isn't it good to know that when you are saved by God's grace.
It's not just a one and done grace.
God graces you.
Saves you.
And He's done pouring out His grace.
No.
He keeps pouring out His grace.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.1.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
His super abounding grace.
His posture to us continues to give us strength and power.
His grace is a ferociously flowing grace.
Jesus isn't in the manger anymore.
We don't worship a baby in a feeding trough anymore.
Nope.
He grew up.
He lived a perfect life.
He died for sinners.
He was raised victorious over sin, death, and the devil.
He's reigning on high.
And we're one Christmas closer to His second advent.
And the throne that He sits on.
Hebrews 4.
Is a throne of grace.
And it's not just a trickle grace from the throne.
It's not just this kind of like dripping faucet grace from His throne.
It's Niagara grace.
It is flowing.
681,000 gallons of water are flowing over Niagara right now.
Every second.
Now.
Every second.
It's unmeasurable.
It's unceasing.
It's unstoppable.
God's grace is unconditional.
It's always flowing.
Super abounding.
Niagara-like grace.
Super seeding.
Super abounding.
It's super grace.
Are you starting to see the grace?
This grace upon grace.
Grace.
Behold the word shining.
His grace is spectacular.
It's nothing that we earn.
And it's located in Him.
In Jesus.
And grace is there.
Life is in there.
Our Christmas tree?
It's starting to die.
But if you're rooted in Jesus.
Grace upon grace.
Grace.
We have seen.
His super grace.
Now let's take a look.
At His surpassing greatness.
Because that too.
Well that's shining.
In verses 15 and 17.
John points us to.
Two members of the Bible's prophetic.
Hall of fame.
Verse 15.
JTB.
John the Baptist.
And in verse 17.
Moses.
Two members of the prophetic.
Hall of fame.
And there is a reason why.
We're being showed.
John the Baptist.
And Moses.
On either side.
Of this grace.
Upon grace.
You see.
This one.
In whom.
Grace is found.
Life is found.
He is.
Of surpassing greatness.
Than John the Baptist.
And Moses.
We've already been introduced.
To John the Baptist.
In verses 6 through 8.
He was not the true light.
But came.
As a witness to the light.
He was.
The Isaiah 40.
Verse 3.
Voice crying.
Out in the wilderness.
Make straight.
The ways of the Lord.
He will say that here.
In John.
Verse 123.
In verse 15.
John the disciple.
Quotes.
John the Baptist.
As saying.
He.
Speaking of the incarnate word.
He who comes after me.
Ranks.
Before me.
He's greater than me.
Because he was before me.
Now I know that kind of sounds like a riddle.
But it's not.
It's an extraordinary declaration.
Of the eternal pre-existence.
Of the word.
He who comes after me.
John the Baptist.
Is talking about how Jesus was born.
Six months after him.
He started his ministry.
After him.
And in that culture.
Those who are older.
Had a higher social standing.
Than those who are younger.
But not in this case.
No.
John the Baptist says.
No.
He ranks.
Higher.
Than me.
He's greater than me.
Because John the Baptist knows.
That he has come.
To make way.
The way of the Lord.
God.
John the Baptist knows.
That this who comes after him.
Has no beginning.
John the Baptist knows.
That this incarnate word.
Jesus Christ.
Was totally God.
God.
And he's bearing witness.
To that the word incarnate.
Is God.
Eternal.
Become a man.
The uncreated creator.
The one with no beginning.
From everlasting.
To everlasting.
The second son.
The second member.
Of the Trinity.
Is God.
So what JTB.
Is saying here.
Is that Jesus.
The word incarnate.
Is God.
Eternal.
Which makes him.
Of surpassing greatness.
Than John the Baptist.
And then in verse 17.
We are.
We see that.
That Jesus.
Is greater than Moses.
Moses.
Moses was the man.
He wrote the first five books.
Of the Old Testament.
The law.
God.
God delivered.
Israel.
Out of the slavery.
To Egypt.
Under the leadership.
Of Moses.
God.
Gave.
Moses.
The Ten Commandments.
On Mount Sinai.
When God made a covenant.
With Israel.
That God.
Would be.
Their God.
In Israel.
Would be.
His people.
It was only by God's grace.
That he would do.
Such a thing.
It's not on the basis.
Of anything.
That Israel had done.
God had chosen them.
By his grace.
But.
But Israel.
Failed.
To keep the covenant.
That God had established.
They failed.
To keep the law.
That was given.
By Moses.
But God.
Had a succession.
Plan of grace.
In place.
He had it in place.
All along.
The old covenant.
Was superseded.
By the new covenant.
Grace upon grace.
The law.
Was given through Moses.
Grace.
And truth.
Came through Jesus Christ.
Now in the gospel of John.
This is the first time.
In verse 17.
Jesus Christ is named.
But there's something.
Even more.
Spectacular.
Going on here.
The little phrase.
Grace and truth.
In the language.
Of the new testament.
Is actually.
Capturing something.
From the language.
Of the old testament.
Something that had been.
Repeated over.
And over.
And over again.
Something that.
Was repeated.
In God.
Had actually.
Said about himself.
Grace and truth.
Is actually.
A translation.
Of.
God's.
Steadfast.
Love.
And faithfulness.
And why that is.
Significant.
Is this.
God.
Appeared to Moses.
In Exodus.
In Exodus 34.
Six through eight.
And God.
Proclaimed himself.
To Moses.
As he went by Moses.
He had.
He had put Moses.
In a cleft of a rock.
And he couldn't see his glory.
Straight away.
So God.
Passes him by.
And.
But God.
Declares himself.
Among other things.
Slow to anger.
Full of mercy.
Abounding.
Full of.
Steadfast.
Love.
And faithfulness.
And what we are being shown here.
Is that Jesus.
The word incarnate.
Is.
The Lord incarnate.
Abounding.
In steadfast.
Love.
And faithfulness.
In the flesh.
Grace and truth.
Moses.
Was putting a cleft of a rock.
Because he couldn't handle.
The surpassing greatness.
Of God.
Going by.
What this means is.
Jesus is greater than Moses.
God.
Eternal.
Abounding.
In steadfast.
Love.
And faithfulness.
The maker.
And keeper.
Of covenants.
He has come.
In the flesh.
Do you see.
His surpassing.
Greatness.
Here.
In verse.
15 and 17.
Let me ask you.
Three questions.
Is.
The incarnate.
Word.
Jesus Christ.
Greater than.
Less than.
Or equal to.
John the Baptist.
Amen.
Is.
Jesus Christ.
Wonderful.
Counselor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting.
Father.
Prince of Peace.
Is he greater than.
Less than.
Or equal to.
Moses.
Jesus.
Amen.
Amen.
Is.
The king of kings.
And lord of lords.
Greater.
Less than.
Or equal to.
You.
Greater than.
He's greater than us all.
And what we see here.
Is that.
His surpassing.
Greatness.
Is.
Because.
He is.
God.
In.
The flesh.
The baby.
In the feeding trough.
Was.
God.
Eternal.
Full of.
Steadfast.
Love.
And.
Faithfulness.
The maker.
Of a new covenant.
Come to rescue.
Us.
Do you have an amen.
So now.
We move on to.
seeing His seeable glory.
We've seen His super grace
towards you and me.
We have seen His surpassing greatness
greater than you and me.
And now, let's behold His seeable glory.
This is in verses 14 and 18.
Again,
it's extraordinary.
Verses 14 and 18
make an extraordinary claim
about the Christian faith.
And if you're new to the Christian faith,
in order to become a Christian,
you're going to have to own this,
believe this.
And the Word became flesh.
One commentator that I read this week
said that this is John
putting the incarnation
of the second person of the Trinity
in the most blunt of words.
And the Word became flesh.
It's kind of like this.
And the Word took on human meat.
That kind of bluntness.
The Word became a man.
100% God became 100% human,
yet without sin.
And this is one of the glorious wonders
of Christmas,
that God became a man.
We sang it just moments ago.
The second verse of
Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Christ by highest.
You know, I'd sing it for you
because I'm one of two crooners
in the room.
But I shan't.
Christ by highest heaven adored.
Christ the everlasting Lord.
Late in time, behold Him come.
Galatians 4.4.
Offspring of the virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh,
the Godhead.
Behold.
See.
Hail,
the incarnate deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell.
Jesus,
our
God with us.
Emmanuel.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Glory to the newborn King.
It's a wonder.
It's amazing.
And
this,
the Word became flesh.
And the next phrase is,
and dwelt among us.
Literally,
that will read,
He pitched His tent among us.
And we're to think about how God in the Old Testament
pitched His tent with His people in the wilderness.
How God would descend in His cloud of glory
and enter the tabernacle,
which was this really fancy, elaborate tent of God's design
in order for God to dwell in with His people.
So God came to dwell with His people in a tent.
And we're being told here,
God came to dwell again with His people
in a tent of humanity,
in the flesh.
And He remains in the flesh.
That's amazing.
And then John said,
we beheld His glory.
John and the disciples
saw the glory
of the incarnate God
in His human tent.
His glory on display
when we go through the book of John.
We'll be in it for several months
in 2026.
Lord willing.
And what we'll see is the glory
of Christ
on display
in a variety of different ways.
He will perform seven signs
through the gospel of John.
And each one shows us His glory.
But the distinct
and brightest glory
of the gospel of John
comes at the end
when the one and only Son
dies on the cross.
That is the glory of glories
of the Son
that they beheld.
God in the flesh
the maker of everything
the uncreated creator
no beginning
taking on flesh
would die.
Glory
for sinners like you and me.
Spectacular display
of glory on the cross
for those who have eyes to see.
So what we see here
is absolutely stunning.
John and his disciples
seeing the glory of the Son
the seeable glory of the Son.
And now we turn
to verse 18.
These two verses are related.
No one has ever seen God.
John starts.
He's talking about
the first person of the Trinity.
No one has ever
seen God's face
in fullness.
Moses
Joshua
Isaiah
Daniel
had glimpses of God.
They had shielded views
of God.
Even the six winged
seraphim
in God's presence
shield their eyes
with a pair of their wings
so as not to look
directly at the glory
of the first person
of the Trinity.
Exodus 33.
20.
God says to Moses
you cannot see
my face and live.
But that all changed.
That all changed
with the birth of Jesus.
The word become flesh.
You know this song.
Mary did you know?
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
would one day
walk on water?
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
would save
our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your baby boy
has come to make you new?
Mary he came for you.
This child that you delivered
will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
will give sight
to the blind man?
Glory.
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
would calm a storm
with his hand?
Glory.
did you know
that your baby boy
has walked
where angels trod
and when you kiss
your little baby
you've kissed
the face of God?
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
is the Lord
of all creation?
Glory.
Mary did you know
that your baby boy
will one day
rule the nations?
Come Lord Jesus.
Did you know
that your baby boy
was heaven's perfect lamb
and the sleeping child
you're holding
is the great I am?
How about that
for glory?
Spectacular.
And then we read this.
For God who said
let light shine
out of darkness
has shown in our hearts
to give the light
of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face
of Jesus Christ.
You see
the word incarnate
is shining
in the face
of Jesus Christ.
Life.
We read
in 18
no one has ever seen God
the only God.
It's the same
word
in verse 14
being used.
Glory as of the only
son from the father
the only God
and the only son
it's one of a kind
from the father.
It's the same
language used
in John 3 16
for God so loved
the world
that he gave
his one of a kind
son
that whoever
believes in him
shall not perish
but have eternal life.
He's one of a kind
because he's totally
God
and totally man
the perfect mediator
between God
and man.
And this
one of a kind
son
who's at the father's side
it's getting back
at this relationship
between father and son
that was in place
at the beginning
of creation.
That little phrase
at the father's side
was used of
the disciple
of John
leaning on
Jesus' chest
at the dinner.
It's a picture
of closeness
of relational
intimacy.
intimacy.
This
enfleshed
second person
of the Trinity
Jesus
who has this
relationship
with God
the father
he has
made
seeable
the
never before
seen
God.
Eternal
the uncreated
creator.
covenant
maker
and keeper.
The God
of steadfast
love
and faithfulness
can now
be seen
because
he's been
made known.
The son
has made
known
the father.
Philip
in
John 14
says
have we seen
the father?
Can you show us
the father?
And Jesus
says
if you've seen
me
you've seen
the father.
father.
He is
the exact
representation
of him.
He's the
radiance
of the
glory
of God.
He is
the visible
unseen
God.
He is
a wonder
and he
is shining
into
the darkness.
You can think
about it
this way.
Jesus
is preaching
God the
father
with an
incarnate
sermon.
this word
of being
made known
is where
we get
exegesis
from.
It means
to explain
to draw
out
to bring
out the
nuance
and the
wonders
of something.
And so
you can be
thinking this
as Jesus
the son
narrates
God the
father.
He makes
him known.
It's
absolutely
wonderful.
You see
both 14
and 15
both
point to
the one
and only
son.
The one
and only
God.
And both
are talking
about this
making known
of God.
The word
became flesh
in order
to make
known
the unseen
God.
The God
of steadfast
love and
faithfulness.
And that
glory is
best seen
at the
cross.
But
what?
You say
how can I
see his
glory today?
I mean
John
we
behold his
glory.
They were
they saw him
they walked
with him.
They saw him
raise the
dead.
They saw him
on the cross.
They saw him
after his
resurrection.
They saw him
their eyewitnesses.
How are we
to behold
his glory?
glory.
The gospel
of John
all of its
pages are
glory pages.
Are revelation
after revelation
of the glory
of the son.
The unique
glory culminating
in his death
and resurrection.
That's where we
look.
Right here.
That's where we'll
see his glory.
Show me your glory.
And then we'll
read it.
For the months
to come we're
going to get
into the gospel
of John
and we're
going to be
beholding the
glory of the
son.
So come
Sunday after
Sunday
and we will
behold his
glory together.
Behold it.
Believe in him
and we will
live.
By the way
the Holy Spirit
the third person
of the Trinity
he's not left
out of all this.
What he is
eager to do
is he is eager
to spotlight
the son.
The second person
of the Trinity
because salvation
is found in no
one else.
And like Moses
we respond
by saying
show us your
glory.
Help us to see.
We want to be
changed.
Do you want
to see his
glory?
Do you want
to be changed?
Do you want
the life
that he alone
can give?
Are you
feeling like
a dried out
Christmas tree?
If it's not
today
he probably
will in
February.
Show me
your glory
and when he
shows you
his glory
it's his
grace on
display
and it is
a life
giving
grace.
Show me
your glory.
behold
the
incarnate
word
shining
his
super
grace
superseding
grace
super
abounding
grace
that gives
life
his
surpassing
greatness
he's
greater than
John the
Baptist
he's
greater than
Moses
and he's
greater than
you and
me
and his
seeable
glory.
The gospel
of John
puts the
glory of
Christ
on display
again
and again
and again
and the
most spectacular
fashion will
take place
at his
cross.
He's
always
shining.
This
child
born to
us
this
son
given
to us
is the
true
light
that
brings
light
and
life
into
our
darkness.
Merry
Christmas.
Let us
pray.
Lord
Jesus
we love
it when
you steal
the show
and there's
no stealing.
because you
are due
rightfully
yours
all glory
and power
majesty
and might.
God
would you
give us
hearts
that have
received your
fullness
grace upon
grace
that we
would be
full of
life
and
whether
that's this
coming
Thursday
or this
coming
Friday
that you
would be
the
controlling
center
of our
life
and
because
you
and
your
grace
are at
the
center
of our
life
we
would
be
enlivened.
Would you
give us
life?
God we're
so grateful
to gather
around your
word
together.
In Jesus
name we
pray.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
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