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,
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,
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.
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.