AM John 1:1-18 "The Word became Flesh"

[0:01] I've got a confession to make to Norman that we're reading different scriptures for those intimated. I haven't been preaching for a good number of months and when you stop doing something you get out of the habit of doing it and I've had quite a difficult time preparing for the service and we changed round about and altered a wee bit and so the sermon is barely recognisable from what it started off. We apologise to you, Brother Norman.

[0:54] And pray that God might bless the reading of his word. A portion then from the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 9.

[1:19] Verse 6. Isaiah chapter 9. Verse 6. Verse 6.

[1:30] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

[1:50] Of the increase of the increase of the increase of the increase of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

[2:12] The zeal of the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Over to John chapter 1, New Testament. Testament. Version.

[2:27] Version. Version. Version. Version. Version. Version. Version. Bible.

[2:43] Version. Version one. Version. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[2:55] 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.

[3:09] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

[3:22] He came as a witness, to bear witness through the light, to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him.

[3:35] He was not the light that came to bear witness about the light. The true light which enlightened every man, every one was coming into the world.

[3:50] 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.

[4:01] But 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 mind, but of God.

[4:20] 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.

[4:40] John had witnessed 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.

[4:56] May God bless the reading of his inspired word. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[5:07] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[5:21] The gospel writers present the Lord Jesus as they have been commissioned to do so.

[5:38] They did not write what they thought about the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. we wrote under the dictation and direction of the Holy Spirit.

[5:56] We're old-fashioned enough to believe that this book is the written and inspired Word of God. We're living in a day when the Word of God is under attack.

[6:13] When all sorts of people are casting doubt upon God's Holy Scripture. Thank God this morning we still believe, we're simple enough to believe that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God.

[6:35] God has given us this book that we might be wise in the things of God. There's such a thing as being wise in the world's wisdom.

[6:48] And there are some people who know all about everything except spiritual things. We have met men and women who are uncommonly knowledgeable in general knowledge.

[7:06] who seem to know about everything. And yet when we speak to them about the Word of God, speak to them about the things of God, they're completely like the boss.

[7:22] There is a terrible ignorance today of the Word of God. And our schools are being filled with teachers who have no knowledge of spiritual things and who are teaching our children error, wrong, The whole matter of sex education is a point in fact.

[8:02] We would be horrified if we knew what was being taught our children. Many parents don't know. There are awful things being taught.

[8:18] Evolution is being taught as a proven fact. Something that's truth.

[8:32] And there is only one way of dealing with that, my dear friend, is to bring the Word of God to bear upon the error. We can only meet error with truth.

[8:47] And as children, as parents, why do you trust that you're bringing up your children in the things of God? Teaching them from an early age the Holy Scriptures.

[9:05] Meeting the terrible influence that comes from the world by the truth and purity and holiness of the Word of God.

[9:21] Thank God we have the Scriptures. Thank God we have Scriptures available and we're grateful to God for every attempt being made to give forth the Scriptures to the Scriptures to ones and to nations abroad.

[9:55] The Gospels then are God's account of His Son.

[10:06] the Gospel writers are instruments that's what they are instruments of divine inspiration.

[10:23] God took men and used them to reveal something of the beauty and glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[10:40] When you're reading Matthew you're not just reading Matthew. The channel's there but the inspiration is of God.

[10:54] God moved Matthew. Mark, Luke, John. God stirred them and God moved them and God inspired them to write a fourfold account of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[11:13] And when we come to the portion we've read in John chapter 1 we read about the beginning. in the beginning was the word.

[11:33] Thank God we have information about the beginning. There are many people as we have already said who are brilliant in our concept of knowledge and science and who admits that there is there is a concept abroad that teaches something different but they will not bow to scripture.

[12:29] We've spoken to people who admit that there's difficulties with evolution but they won't accept the authority of holy scripture.

[12:46] They won't do it because it's not in the fashion because they perhaps fill their minds with the logic of evolution so called.

[12:57] we know that the whole logic of evolution falls stands or falls on the whole point where is the missing link.

[13:27] link. Where is the link between the ape in the jungle and the man in the moon?

[13:47] Where are the links between the links are there and with the links the scripture opens up in the beginning where is the word?

[14:24] Thank God we know about the beginning in the beginning where is the word?

[14:38] That's where it began not with an explosion it began with the word in the beginning was the word he was there the Lord Jesus is not only a wonderful saviour he's a wonderful creator he not only saves men and women's souls but he creates and holds together the mighty universe in the beginning he was there he began it all and in the very beginning of things the word was it's an interesting word interesting term word logos wisdom the translators have delved into it the word i think the best translation i don't know whether i'm speaking to people who know more about it than perhaps that the best seems to be reason reason word reason or wisdom not that he spoke wisdom but he was wisdom it's not a word of doing that made him wisdom he ever was wisdom he was wisdom in the essence of his being in the beginning was wisdom wisdom and everything that has stemmed from the beginning in the history of humanity and in science and in knowledge stemmed from this that he was in the beginning he conceived all things he perceived all things he created and developed all things he was the wisdom of

[18:03] God I think that's important a man can say wise things and nobody very wise but the Lord Jesus Christ is wisdom personified all that he does is wise because it stems from him wise all that he said was wise because it stemmed from him he was not made wise by intellectual development he was wise because he was wise in his being wise in the totality of his personality wise in all that he did and said in the beginning was the word and

[19:28] I want to say that you can trust the Lord Jesus he's wise you can trust him sometimes we get any problems and troubles in our own life just because we don't trust the saviour enough to trust in him to trust in him we must know and believe that he's wise he knows sometimes we've got to make choices and the choice is clear between what we want and what the Lord wants we've got to learn to trust the Lord what he wants to trust in him to have confidence in him he indeed is the fount of reason and wisdom it all falls from him and the happiest we'll ever be in our Christian life is when we'll learn just to trust the saviour our troubles and problems we say so often are caused because we want our own way we make our own choices our own paths faith is trusting in

[21:10] Jesus faith is trusting completely in Jesus and the more we trust in him we become wise wise he never became wise he always was wise but when we trust in him we become wise we learn from him we learn to trust him and to allow him to lead us and to guide us and sometimes we've got to trust in him without knowing the wise and the wharfers sometimes we've got to make a choice and we're not really sure but we know the Lord wants us to go this way we can't see the ultimate end of that but because the Lord teaches us because the

[22:11] Lord leads and guides us just to trust in him and to allow him to guide us along his way in the beginning was the world and the world was with God and the world was God in the beginning was the world that's his deity the world was with God and the world was God here's the great mystery of the Christian faith here is something that stands alone and can never be understood the triune

[23:18] Godhead is something that must be accepted by faith he was with God and he was God how can we explain that how can we explain that we have teachers that can help us teachers that can enlighten us but in the full depth of the mystery of the trinity this stands alone and unique he was with God and he was God that's beyond us isn't it we are taught that there is one God in three persons and it's that that stamps out the Christian biblical evangelical

[24:23] Christianity out is unique in the world today that there's one God in three persons he was in the beginning the word was God and the word was with God we leave it there we can only trust and I tell you there are times when the Godhead becomes for us a trusting matter not an understanding matter but a trusting matter you asked me today do I believe that there is God the father I say yes do you believe that there is

[25:24] God the son yes do you believe there's God the holy spirit yes you say explain that I can't I can't explain it I know that each one is worthy of my trust and love and devotion that one is not greater than the other that the three together are the Godhead oh these are wonderful things to think that there is a God in heaven father son and holy spirit that we can in communion with God know the ministry of father son and holy spirit in the beginning was the word the word was with

[26:27] God and the word was God he was in the beginning with God we've already said the beginning he was in the beginning wonderful wonderful you know I feel this morning as it's a wonderful and glorious thing to be a Christian to deal with these things even in a stumbling way deal with reality of father son and holy spirit living for us and our disposal and let step of the way to another presence without him was not anything made that was made

[27:52] John's a great book isn't it dealing these great realities just as what we would term matter of thought they're not explained in some obtrusive difficult fashion they're stated stated for our faith we'll never understand the Bible until we learn to take it by faith until we just prepare to accept it for what it is this morning I just want to draw to a close by looking at verse 14 with you

[28:58] Norman what time am I finishing read me around 12 o'clock the word became flesh and brought among us and we have seen his glory glory is of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth the word became flesh what to end on that note this is what the gospel by John's all about the word becoming flesh isn't that lovely that we've got a saviour who is absolutely God and in flesh we see him in all his glory in his smile we see

[30:10] God's love in his tears we see his compassion in his walk we see his holiness and in his talk we see his gentleness it's all there in him you see and this is going beyond theology we're believing theology thank God for this we church it stands for theology we're in no way setting it aside but here's something that's so wonderful the divine attributes of God seen in his son in him I see the Godhead shine Christ for me he is the majesty divine Christ for me the father's well beloved son co-partner of his royal throne who did for human guilt atone

[31:19] Christ for me thank God we're my saviour and as we look at him we see the beauty of a revealed Godhead oh hallelujah I feel this morning that we're privileged I feel really that that's what this is all about the privilege of having a saviour and the privilege of knowing that that saviour is real and the privilege of knowing that we can make him relevant in our lives oh dear beloved saints of God this is something that's worth all the gold in the offer it's worth everything to know this and it may be as we close this meeting it may be that you've got sidetracked by the way it may be that you've lost the sense of love the sense of thrill that the person of Jesus oh I don't want to lose the thrill of having a saviour like this we're talking about this is the most important thing in the world to have

[32:39] Christ as your saviour and Lord may God bless his word amen there's a hymn in the back of the sheet guide me amen you can a jairk as as as