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No one else has existed before he or she came into existence on
this planet. But the Word did. He existed before anything or anyone started to exist, because He sustains His
own life. The Word was in the beginning and took human flesh at a later time. No one else has done this! John
wanted us to know that the human being called Jesus had always existed. This is an incredible statement. Jesus
is truly the “One and Only.”
Full of Truth. John has another incredible statement to make. We know that the
apostle had spent three to four years with Jesus before His physical body died. Therefore, he can accurately
make the following statement,
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. (NASB) John 1:16 Have you ever met someone who is full of grace and truth? John did. Most of us have met some nice people
over the years. They spoke kind words and expressed love for those around them, but eventually we have discovered
that they were only partially full of grace and truth. Eventually we discovered a flaw in their characters.
We discovered a bad attitude or a wrong perspective. But that was not true about the Word. Jesus was full of
truth! Jesus was full of grace! He was FULL of grace and truth!
Later in the apostle’s memoirs he wrote this,
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (NASB) John 14:6 And to the saints in Ephesus the Apostle Paul adds,
But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus . . . (NASB) Eph. 4:20-21 They knew Him. They knew that Jesus spoke the truth. He was FULL of truth!
Full of Grace. The Apostle John and Jesus' neighbors and friends personally
experienced His gracious character and conduct. A wonderful example of what they thought about Him occurred
on a sabbath in a synagogue just after Jesus had read from the scroll of Isaiah. Here is what they thought
about Him,
And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" (NASB) Luke 4:21-22 When a blind man asked Jesus for mercy (Luke 18:35-43), Jesus graciously and mercifully healed him. Jesus
did this for thousands of people. The people who knew Him best said that He was gracious and that He demonstrated
it by His words and conduct. Jesus was and still is gracious!
His Glory. His truthfulness and grace displayed His glory. Jesus' glory was
displayed when He spoke the truth, when He treated people with grace, and when He performed signs and wonders.
Jesus' glory was also demonstrated when He walked on water and calmed the wind and waves. His glory was displayed
when He told a fig tree to stop producing figs and the tree then died. His glory was revealed at the moment
He turned water into wine. His glory was observed when He disappeared from the middle of a crowd without anyone
seeing Him slip out. Jesus' glory was shown on the Mount of Transfiguration. His glory was noticed on the day
He physically died. The sky was darkened; an earthquake occurred, and dead people came out of graves and walked
the streets of Jerusalem.
There was no one like Him. There is no one like Him. He is unique. He is the One and Only.
Not Like Moses. But to whom should we or can we compare Jesus? Comparisons always
help us. They are like word pictures. Word pictures help us understand. So the apostle compares Jesus to one
that the Jews highly honored. The man's name was Moses.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (NASB) John 1:17 |
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||