The Supreme Excellence of Jesus
John 1:15-17
For many people today, Christmas is past history. But for those who believe in the wonderful person of Jesus Christ, the Name means Peace, Hope Everlasting, Infinite Grace and Love. For many December 25th IS finished, but for many, Christmas means the beginning of relationship with the Living God: the incredible birth of the one and only Savior for sinners. John 1:14 NAS: “The Word (of the Living Almighty Eternal God) became flesh and dwelt among us. We saw his glory, (plural, but YOU could make it first person singular if He has revealed Himself to you: “I”) glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Today we look at John 1:15; the writer, the apostle John states a reminder of John 1:7 in verse 15: (John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' ") 16 “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
The Baptist’s Trustworthy Witness
In verse 15, as in verses 6-8, John the Baptist is again identified by John the Apostle as a trustworthy and TRUE witness of the Word from Heaven who tented among us on Earth. He was NOT the Word but was a witness of the Word. John’s use of the word, “witness”, “martureo”, covers almost half of all NT uses. Additional TRUE witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in John’s Gospel are the very Person of Jesus Christ Himself as God the Son, and His very works, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and the God-breathed-out scriptures. The emphasis in John’s Gospel concerning “witnesses” is not on the witness of “men” but on the Excellence of our God in the life and work of the Word made flesh.
In John, there are a few human witnesses who testify to this truth; If you examine the New Testament words “witness”, “witnesses”, “testimony”, “testify”, “truth”, or “false”, you find that WARNINGS appear in most every New Testament book concerning FALSE WITNESSES and FALSE testimony. Wherever the TRUTH of God is preached, close counterfeits arise: the counterfeit looks or seems to be the Truth, but there is an element which IS NOT TRUTHFUL. Biblical accuracy pertaining to the TRUTH is crucial: Straying from the truth of the WORD just a little bit can have catastrophic results because it is no longer THE TRUTH. People of God, the warnings appear throughout God’s Word to be on our guard because not all witnesses are true witnesses, and we are to be discerning toward witnesses and testimony that is not TRUE. Be on your guard!
Jesus is Unique in His Origin: The Preeminent One
The human witnesses of Christ are committed to follow Jesus to such an extent that they, if necessary, would give their very lives for Him and for His Glory. Many in the Church are doing that today, as we well know. Why would they follow Him even to death? Because Jesus is not just an ordinary prophet. He is not just a “good teacher” or a “good example for living.” Jesus is ABSOLUTLEY unique in His origin, since He is from everlasting to everlasting. John the Baptist said: “This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” (15)
Chronologically in the flesh, in Jesus earthly, fleshly appearance, John the Baptist came before Jesus and Jesus came after John. John was born into this world before Jesus, so on the calendar in this world, Jesus comes after “the Baptist” temporally, that is, in His human nature. John the Baptist who is the forerunner, the herald who goes before Jesus Christ.
But the Lord Jesus “has a higher rank” than “the Baptist”: Jesus came ETERNALLY BEFORE John (or anyone!) in His Divine God-Nature. Jesus ranks higher than ANY other, not just John the Baptist. None other has ever been God who took on flesh. None other is “a god” and none other will ever BE God. All of the talk of the Church should center on this Jesus who is Savior. Our worship and our activities as His center on Jesus and none other. All the glory of our lives is for Him because we know that “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Phil 2:9-10)
Look at Romans 11:36 concerning Jesus in this powerful benediction to the Son of God: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” This fits the words of John 1, doesn’t it?
Look again at Colossians 1:15-20: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (JESUS alone is the PREEMINENT ONE) 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him. (JESUS is the PREEMINENT ONE) 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (JESUS is the PREEMINENT ONE) 18 He is also head of the body, the church; (JESUS alone is the PREEMINENT ONE) and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (JESUS is the PREEMINENT ONE) 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
JESUS alone is the PREEMINENT ONE. HE IS SUPREME IN ALL THINGS, above all things, and ALL glory and ALL honor belong to Him because He is the PREEMINENT ONE! Jesus is not only “before” John but FIRST in all things because Jesus alone is the image of the invisible God. No one else can be compared to Him!
The Fullness of Jesus is the Source of every blessing.
16 “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” The Fullness of Jesus is the Source of every blessing. All Good things flow from Him. How many times did you sing “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost.
Jesus alone is the source of common blessings. He is the source of common grace. “Common Grace refers to the grace of God that is common to all humankind. It is "common" because its benefits are experienced by the whole human race without distinction between one person and another, believers or unbelievers. It is "grace" because it is undeserved and sovereignly bestowed by God.” (theopedia.com)
Included in “common grace is the Providential care in creation that God alone gives. (Heb. 1:2-3: “In these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”) Material blessings and care are given to all of God’s creation, whether believers or not and whether or not they acknowledge Him as the Giver. These blessings are “common” not because they are not valuable, but because God does not discriminate: He graciously gives everyday blessing to all even though NONE deserve them.
God provides Providential restraint of sin (Rom. 13:1 says: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”) Believers as well as unbelievers benefit from this common grace of Law and authority so that society in general can live without fear. Again, God is the one who provides and restrains evil so that society is not as bad as it even could be! When authority seems to be out of control, we can still be assured that God is not out of control, and that He still rules sovereignly, even through unrest and persecution.
“By God's common grace fallen mankind retains a conscience indicating the differences between right and wrong. This may be based on the fact that human beings, though fallen in sin, retain a semblance of the "image of God" with which they were originally created.” (Gen. 9:6: 1 Cor. 11:7) (theopedia.com). The apostle Paul says that when unbelieving Gentiles "who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, . . . They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them" (Rom. 2:14-15)
God in the Lord Jesus is not only the source of “common grace” but also the source of “special grace”. Special grace is special because it is saving grace: It is grace which leads to salvation. It is God’s redemptive, atoning grace which is undeserved, unmerited, it is applied, received, believed, obeyed and followed because God ordains it, but He ordains it to those He will save. Philippians 1:6 states: “For I am confident (absolutely certain) of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.’
Believers come decisively to faith in Christ because of the GRACE received from God in Christ. John 1:12- 13: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Then verse16: “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”
As Believers, we have not only received common Grace but Grace to BELIEVE. We have received heart-changing favor from God, life-changing favor, Holy Spirit powered fullness from the fullness of God in our Lord Jesus which leads to salvation. We have received and believed FROM HIS fullness. We receive from Him out of the fullness of His Grace and Truth.
John 1:16: For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
The Law was given through Moses, and all of God’s Law is good, but it served as an intermediary, pointing us to the Lord Jesus. When Jesus appeared in the flesh, we beheld the FULLNESS of God’s Grace and Truth embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ came as the perfect fullness, the perfect filling up of the law, which history tells us is impossible for fallen sinful mankind.
The Jews of John’s day were certain that there was NOTHING better than their Judaism. The contemporaries of John the Apostle were already challenging the Christ who had come as the Savior from sin as the Redeemer sent from God, but John’s response through the inspiration of God’s Spirit is that you cannot improve upon the Preeminent Supreme Grace of God incarnated in Christ.
Believers in Him have experienced unbroken grace, grace that is unlimited. Believers will ALWAYS receive grace continuously with no interruptions EVER because we live and breathe and have our being in Him and in Him alone. Col 1:19 says- “For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Christ).” Who could improve on this? Then Col. 2:9-“ For in Him (in the Lord Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Jesus is greater than the Old Testament system and far greater than ANY system of beliefs; He alone encompasses and supersedes ANY way of doing things. To God alone be the Glory! Amen
OUTLINE
I. The Testimony of Jesus is True. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)
A. John the Baptist was a trustworthy witness.
B. Additional witnesses: the very Person of Jesus Christ as God the Son, and His works, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and the God-breathed-out scriptures.
C. Warning: be on guard concerning witnesses and testimony.
II. Jesus is Unique in His Origin. (Col. 1:15-20, Rom. 11:36, Phil 2:9-10)
A. Jesus comes after “the Baptist” temporally. (in His human nature)
B. Jesus “has a higher rank” than “the Baptist”. (in His divine nature)
C. Jesus is THE Preeminent One: He is the image of the invisible God.
III. The Fullness of Jesus is the Source of every blessing.
A. Jesus is the source of common blessings.(common grace)
1. Providential care in creation (Heb. 1:2-3)
2. Providential restraint of sin (Rom. 13:1)
3. In man's conscience (Rom. 2:14-15)
B. Jesus is the source of special grace. Special grace is special because it is saving grace:
1. Believers come decisively to faith in Christ because of GRACE received from God. (verse 12)
2. Believers have received and believed FROM HIS fullness. Col 1:19- 2:9-“ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
C. The Law was given through Moses as an intermediary but God’s Grace and truth are embodied in Christ.
