Tag: Christ

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How Christ Reveals the Father to Us (John 1:18)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 1:18

Explanation:

The idea that “no man has seen God at any time” is pretty incredible.  Moses was one who knew this reality. At one time He asked God to see His glory.

[18] And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. [19] And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. [20] And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. [21] And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: [22] And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: [23] And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 33:18-23

God’s own testimony is that mankind cannot handle seeing Him in all His glory.  Moses encountered God in the burning bush.  The children of Israel saw God’s presence manifested in a vailed way through the pillar of fire, the pillar of cloud.  They saw the shekinah glory of God as it filled the tabernacle.  Moses only saw the after effects, the back parts, of God’s presence in glory, and it changed him. Check out Exodus 34:

[29] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. [30] And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. [31] And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. [32] And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. [33] And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. [34] But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. [35] And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Exodus 34:29-35

This is just someone who saw the effects of God’s glory, and they had to cover his face.  God is so infinitely glorious and holy that mankind, after the fall, has no hope of standing in his presence and seeing his glory.

Yet this verse tells us that though we have not seen God, now Christ in His incarnation is revealing God to us.  He is vailed in flesh.  At the transfiguration His glory was revealed.  This was Peter’s testimony.

[16] For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. [18] And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 2 Peter 1:16-18

This was also the testimony of Jesus Christ about Himself.  His claim was that He was the Son of God, equal with the Father.

“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” (John 14:8-11)

The text says that He was in the bosom of the Father.  This is an intimate reality for Jesus.  He enjoyed perfect fellowship with the Father and Spirit from eternity past as a coequal with them.  Jesus’ testimony here is that God the Father has revealed Himself to the world through the person of Jesus Christ.  

The word “declared” is the word exēgeomai , from which we get words like exegete.  The idea is to expose, to clarify, to proclaim or declare.  Exegetical or expositional preaching has as it’s aim to say what the text says in a way that is faithful to it.  We are walking through the text and considering what it means.  We’re exposing the text.  John’s statement here is that God the Father is exposing what He is like by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Application:

I can have a relationship with God the Father by believing in Christ the Son and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell me once I am saved. This reality is so wonderful I ought to let it impact every part of my life. The God who created the Universe became one of us. He did it to save us. He did it to reveal Himself to us. 

His holiness and glory helps me to see who I really am next to who He really is. I need His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. 

Response:

  1. What is your response to this depiction of the glory of God?
  2. Take some time to thank God for sending Jesus to reveal Himself to us.
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Jesus Christ as the True Light (John 1:8-9)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John 1:8-9

Explain

Who is “He” and who is “the Light”?

John the Baptist was not the same as Jesus.  He is being distinguished from the Light, Jesus Christ, the Word.  Jesus said that no man born of woman was greater than John the Baptist.  If John the Baptist was not that Light, or equal with that Light, then no one could be the Light that Jesus Christ was, and still is.  

John the Baptist did come so that all men might believe.  He was another bullet point on the long list of proofs that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah, and Savior of the World.  He was not the Savior.  This was a question that many still had over the years even into the book of Acts.  John probably knew of people who had confusion about the place of John the Baptist in God’s view of things.

Acts 19:1-4

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

How does the true Light lighteth every man in the world?

Some who translate this verse emphasize the word “true” as much as they emphasize the word “Light” which is interesting.  The idea is that this revelation of God in the form of the Word or the Light was a reliable, trustworthy, and clear picture of who God is because the Light is God revealed. 

He has been revealed to every man, He lights every man that comes into the world in the very least through His creation.  This is referenced as we will see in verse 10.

Romans 1 speaks to this truth.

Romans 1:20-21

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Notice two things we see in parallel from this passage in John.  First, that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen in creation.  Second, that the person that suppresses this reality is described has having “their foolish heart…darkened”.  

It’s not that people cannot see God’s light.  It’s that they suppress what they do see, or they exchange what they see into worship of self or worship of the created rather than the Creator.  

Apply

I am to be like John in that I am a witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ.  I must follow John in the attitude reflected in what he said, that, “He must increase and I must decrease.”  John said that in terms of ministry effect and attention from the people.  That same sentiment must characterize my whole attitude.  It’s not about Ben Jennings.  It’s about Jesus Christ.  

I can be encouraged that every men has access to the Light revealed in Creation, and they must hear about the Light of God in the revealing of His Son.  That message must go out through every means possible in my life.

When I worship idolatrously, worshipping the created over the Creator, in a real sense that is darkness.  Darkness is not good.  

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!

Respond

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for giving me opportunity to see Your Light, to know Jesus and to make Him known.  Help me to do that faithfully today.  Help me to love you like I ought to love you.  

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Understanding John the Baptist’s Role as a Forerunner (John 1:6-7)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(6) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  (7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of that Light that all men through him might believe.”

John 1:6-7

Explain:

Verse 6 introduces us to a man “sent from God” named John.  This is not the namesake of the Gospel, but John the baptist.  He came as a forerunner of the messiah who proclaimed who Jesus was and why He was coming.  This was predicted in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 40:3-5

[3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: [5] And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah has been called “the Bible within the Bible.”  As the Gospels begin with the proclamation of the witness of the forerunner, the 40th chapter of Isaiah foretells of this prophet coming proclaiming the Messiah’s coming, and preparing people for His ministry.

This is also predicted in Malachi.

Malachi 3:1

[1] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

What John the Apostle says here about John the Baptist is literally what John the Baptist said about himself.

Luke 3:15-18

[15] And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; [16] John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: [17] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. [18] And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

John the Baptist was not the Light, but he prepared people about Jesus Christ.

What was his aim?

“that all men through him might believe.

Who is “him”? Some say that “him” here is John the Baptist.  Some say that “him” here refers to the Light.  It works either way.  All people who believe eventually believe because of the evidence of who the Light is and was. John’s whole ministry was to get everyone to believe.

Apply:

The ministry of John the Baptist should be imitated by every person who is a Christ follower. We bare witness of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We point people to faith and repentance. We testify that we are not God, we are not the Savior, we are not the answer for people’s sins.  Jesus Christ is.

Respond:

God, I pray that today you’d help me to be a good witness for You.  I love you!  Amen.

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The Life and Light of Jesus: A Deep Dive (John 1:4)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

Explanation

Here we have two thematic words that show up in the Gospel of John regularly.  The word for life, Zoe, shows up in the New Testament  132 times, and 36 of those times are in the Gospel of John.  The word and theme of light is also repeated throughout the Gospel of John, showing up 23 times in the word “phos”.

In Jesus was life in a way that life has never been in a human being.  Sin when it is finished brings forth death.  He was without sin, and was therefore not subject to death.  He submitted Himself to death, even the death on the cross.  Because of His death, burial, and resurrection, the Bible calls Him a “quickening” Spirit or a life-giving Spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45).  Jesus brought physical life to the world in Creation.  He also brought spiritual life to the world through redemption.

The life that Jesus gave to people became “the light of men”.  The life that Jesus had and the life that He gave to those who trusted in Him was “the light of men”.  Light is a powerful metaphor in that like words, light reveals.  Light exposes.  Light is the agent by which we see what is there.  “To shed light on” something is to reveal the truth about a subject.  Jesus certainly did that, and it is by His light that we are lit.  We are “the light of the world” as we believe in and follow Him.

Application

We cannot have spiritual life in ourselves apart from Christ.  It is by His regenerating, life-giving power that we have life.  We believe and receive life from Christ.

John 20:30-31

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Similarly, we cannot have spiritual light apart from Jesus.  It is by Him that we see.

John 11:9-10

9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

John 12:35-36

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Response

Heavenly Father, I pray that you’d help me to see today with your eyes, with your light, in every situation I encounter.  Help me to live for you today, and to show up in a way that your light reveals truth to others.