Go! And See the Glory of the Word Made Flesh
John 1:14 (NLT): “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
Introduction – The Eternal Word Who Stepped Into Our World
Imagine this with me for a moment: the infinite God — the One who spoke galaxies into existence — steps into human history as a baby born in a manger. Not as a king in a palace, not as a warrior on a white horse, but as a fragile child. Heaven’s majesty clothed in humanity. That is the staggering truth of John 1:14.
This is not just theology; this is the greatest miracle in all of history. God became man. Eternity entered time. The invisible became visible. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Today, as part of our “Go! And…” series, I want to speak on this theme:
“Go! And See the Glory of the Word Made Flesh.”
We will explore three great truths in this verse:
The Word Became Human — God’s Incarnation Revealed.
He Made His Home Among Us — God’s Presence Experienced.
We Have Seen His Glory — God’s Salvation Displayed.
1. The Word Became Human — God’s Incarnation Revealed
John opens his Gospel with a breathtaking declaration:
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, NLT)
Before time began, the Logos — the divine Word — existed eternally with the Father. The Greek term Logos carries the idea of “divine reason,” the wisdom through whom God created and sustains the universe. John tells us this Logos is not an abstract idea but a Person — Jesus Christ, fully God from all eternity.
When John says, “The Word became human,” the Greek word used for human or flesh is s??? (sarx) — it means more than just a body. It refers to human nature in all its weakness, frailty, and limitation. God didn’t just appear human; He became truly human.
This is the mystery of the Incarnation — God wrapped in human flesh.
Philippians 2:6–8 (NLT) explains it beautifully: “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”
Jesus did not cease to be God — He added humanity to His divinity. The infinite became finite. The Creator stepped into His creation.
Charles Stanley once said: “Jesus didn’t come to explain God; He came to reveal Him in a way we could understand — as one of us.”
That’s exactly what the Incarnation is. God stooped down, entered our world, walked our streets, felt our pain, and faced our temptations — yet without sin.
This means no one can ever say, “God doesn’t understand what I’m going through.” He does. Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) assures us:
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”
Jesus knows what it is to be tired, lonely, betrayed, misunderstood, and tempted. He truly understands — because He became one of us.
2. He Made His Home Among Us — God’s Presence Experienced
John writes, “He made His home among us.” The Greek phrase is ?s????se? (eskenosen) — literally, “He tabernacled” or “pitched His tent” among us.
In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle was the dwelling place of God’s presence among His people — a tent of meeting filled with divine glory (Exodus 40:34). John is telling us that Jesus is the new Tabernacle — the visible presence of God dwelling among His people.
In Jesus, God has come to dwell — not in a building made with hands, but in a Person.
Matthew 1:23 (NLT) echoes this truth: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
God with us. Not distant, not unreachable, but right here among His people.
Tim Keller wrote: “The essence of Christianity is not that we go up to God, but that God comes down to us.”
That’s the wonder of grace. Religion says, “Climb up to God.” The Gospel says, “God came down to you.”
Think of a parent kneeling to speak eye-to-eye with a child. That’s what God did in Christ. He didn’t shout from heaven; He came close enough to whisper in our ear, “I love you.”
And even more astonishing, through the Holy Spirit, that same presence of God now dwells within us. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT): “Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
The God who once dwelt in a tabernacle now dwells in the hearts of His people!
This means wherever you are, you are never alone. You carry the presence of God into your workplace, your school, your home. Every believer is a living, breathing tabernacle of divine presence.
R.T. Kendall puts it like this: “The greatest honour God can give us is His presence; the greatest tragedy is to take that presence for granted.”
Church, never take His presence for granted. Walk with Him daily. Talk with Him. Live conscious of the God who is with you.
3. We Have Seen His Glory — God’s Salvation Displayed
John continues: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
The word glory — d??a (doxa) — refers to the visible manifestation of God’s greatness and holiness. In the Old Testament, God’s glory filled the tabernacle with radiant light. In the New Testament, that glory is revealed in Jesus Christ.
The disciples literally saw His glory — in His miracles, His compassion, His transfiguration, His resurrection. But the greatest display of glory was not on the Mount of Transfiguration — it was on the cross.
John 12:23–24 (NLT): “Jesus replied, ‘Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives.’”
The cross was not shame — it was glory. For on that cross, love and justice met. Mercy and truth embraced. The glory of God shone brightest in the darkness of Calvary.
John Piper once said: “The highest display of God’s glory is the display of His grace in the death of His Son.”
That’s what John means when he says Jesus was “full of unfailing love and faithfulness.”
The Greek terms are ????? (charis) — grace — and ????e?a (aletheia) — truth. Grace and truth met perfectly in Jesus Christ. Grace invites us in; truth sets us free.
Romans 5:8 (NLT): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
This is the heart of the Gospel. God Himself took on flesh, lived the perfect life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again so that we might have life eternal.
A missionary once told of a tribal chief who declared he would take the punishment for a young man caught stealing. When the chief was whipped, the tribe gasped. He was innocent — yet he bore the punishment of the guilty. That’s what Jesus did. The innocent bore the pain of the guilty so that the guilty might go free.
To truly see His glory, you must come to the cross. You must recognise your need for forgiveness. You must repent of sin and trust in Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT): “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”
When you see Jesus for who He truly is — the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners — His glory transforms you.
The Gospel Invitation – Come and See His Glory
Friend, maybe tonight you feel far from God. Maybe you’ve heard about Jesus, but you’ve never truly known Him. The Word became flesh for you. He came to rescue you. He lived the life you could not live, died the death you deserved, and rose again so you could have eternal life.
John 1:12 (NLT) says: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
You can be forgiven. You can be made new. You can know the glory of God personally. But you must come — humbly, repentantly, believingly.
Repent — turn from your sin.
Believe — trust in Jesus Christ alone.
Receive — His grace, His mercy, His life.
Call to Action – Live as Reflections of His Glory
Believer, if you’ve seen His glory, then go and show it. Let your life radiate His presence and grace. Let His love shape your words, His compassion guide your actions, His truth direct your choices.
Matthew 5:16 (NLT): “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Go into the world — your workplace, your street, your home — and reflect the glory of the Word made flesh. Live as one who carries the presence of God.
Max Lucado reminds us: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.”
That’s the goal: to be conformed to the image of the Son — the glory of the Father’s one and only.
Benediction:
So, go — and see His glory.
Go — and live in His presence.
Go — and show His grace and truth to a world desperate for hope.
May the God who became flesh dwell richly in your hearts.
May His glory shine through your life.
And may the world see Jesus in you.
Amen.
