Let's take our hymn books and sing what we just heard played, Hiding Thee, hymn number 282 to begin our worship tonight, 282. Oh, save to the rock that is higher than I, my soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly. So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be. Thou blessed Rock of Ages, I'm hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee. Hiding in thee, thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee. In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow's lone hour, In times when temptation has o'er me its power, In the tempest of life, on the wide heaving sea, Thou blest rock of ages, I'm hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee. Hiding in thee, thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee. How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, I have fled to my refuge, How often, when trials like sea bellows roll, Have I hidden in thee, O thou rock of my soul? No more safe hiding place than them in Christ, our refuge. Let's take our Bibles and for our scripture reading commentary, we're going to read through Genesis chapter 33. Genesis chapter 33. Here's a pivotal chapter in the story of Jacob and God's dealings with him. After years of estrangement and deceit, fear, and even divine intervention, Jacob finally meets his brother Esau. The last time they were together, this would have been back in Genesis 25 and verses 29 to 34, Jacob had deceived Esau twice. First by taking his birthright and then stealing the blessing that accompanied that birthright. That was in Genesis 27. And at that time Esau's response had been rage. and even a desire to kill Jacob. So Jacob fled, the years passed, and now here in Genesis 33, the moment of truth arrives. This chapter really is a moving account of reconciliation between two brothers that were not only at odds, even though they were physically twins, but spiritually a separation. And this is the point I want us to think about. What do you do with your kinfolk that are not the Lord's? They don't have the spirit of Christ in them. And perhaps they're jealous of you and hate you for how the Lord has blessed you. And yet here we find these two not only meeting, but the Lord in his mercy bringing healing of wounds. It shows, I believe the hand of mercy of our God. As much as lies within us, let us live peaceably with all men. So we begin here in Genesis 33, verses one to three. Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, Esau came. and with him 400 men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother." So here we see how Jacob had been deeply afraid of this meeting. We saw that last time in chapter 32 in verses six and seven. It says, Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed at the thought of meeting up with his brother. And particularly the detail that Esau here is accompanied by 400 men evokes even more fear and implies the possibility of violence. So as we look at this from a natural standpoint, nothing about this look good, either for Jacob or Esau. But here we see the hand of God rather than running and hiding, Jacob takes proactive steps. He continues forward. That had to be the Lord alone, because fear can do one of two things to you. It can drive you back and cause you to become just disabled, or it can push you forward to deal with it. Here, he arranges his family in order, placing Rachel and Joseph last. And some look at that and say, aha, see favoritism. But that was part of his protective instinct because she was the one he loved and worked for initially. But more importantly, in verse three, we read where Jacob bows to the ground seven times as he approaches Esau in the ancient near East. This was a gesture of deep respect. You've seen some cultures where that's the way when you greet somebody, they're always going way down, coming back up, way down. And the whole thought here of it being seven times is the idea of completely. Jacob, who had once grasped for dominance, now approaches in humility and submission. That had to be the Lord. No one likes to, be the one to give in or submit, but here the Lord was at work. I don't believe this was mere diplomacy, but I believe a true indication of God's work in his heart, dealing with this brother who right by rights should still want to kill him and yet he's seeking reconciliation. So we continue on in verses four through seven. And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, who are those with thee? And he said, the children, which God graciously has given thy servant. Then the handmaidens came near they and their children and they bowed themselves. And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves. And after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. This has to be an act of God causing Esau, the rebel, the reprobate, and yet to be tender toward Jacob and toward his family. Here, as we read, we're expecting confrontation. How many times have you gone to a family reunion, just kind of worried about how things are gonna turn out and then you wonder what kept the calm? Well, that's the Lord. What unfolds here is an illustration of God's hand of mercy. The scriptures say, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. That means that Esau was always an object of God's wrath. He was not a vessel of mercy, a vessel of wrath, but when it says he was hated, it doesn't mean he was mistreated. There's a whole world of condemned sinners to whom God is merciful. In other words, he deals with them kindly and prospers them and turns their hearts even to be kind toward his elect. Any kindness that's shown by a worldling is, it has to be the Lord in mercy causing it. So Esau once vengeful now runs to Jacob. Look how it's put there with open arms. He ran to meet him and embraced him. Sometimes we try to figure out how we're going to work things out, get people to like us or we don't, if the Lord's in it, they'll embrace us. And we see even in this falling on his neck and kissing him and they wept a sign of forgiveness that only the Lord could work in his heart. So this is a moment that is key with regard to the reconciliation of individuals, we're all sinners. Not all are the Lords. I would trust and pray that any who are the Lords, that there's not a need to be reconciling because we've already been reconciled in Christ and yet we're sinners. There's times where it's like in a family, you might have a fight and get along, but you don't abandon the family. But here it's talking about two separate brothers two separate spiritual states, one the Lord's, one not, and yet the Lord in his mercy, causing both to forget the past and to move forward. And I believe that illustrates beautifully how God's purpose to direct our paths. And so verses eight through 11, the sign that this is a true reconciliation, there's an exchange of gifts. He said, what meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, these are to find grace in the sight of my Lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother, keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, for therefore I have seen thy face, As though I had seen the face of God and thou was pleased with me. Take, I pray thee my blessing that is brought to thee because God has dealt graciously with me. And because I have enough and he urged him and he took it. So Jacob here insists on giving Esau a gift, not a small one. This is a large one. In fact, originally prepared to appease him. We know that from reading back in Genesis 32, 13 to 20. That's why he got it all together. He thought this is what's going to make the difference. And he gets there and finds out the Lord had already made the difference. That just shows all of our strategizing and conniving and preparing and thinking, okay, this is going to do it or that put that out of your mind. cast yourself on the Lord and he'll make his way plain. But now because of that, he didn't hold back the gift, but it becomes something deeper because it's a gesture of restitution, an attempt to heal the breach, which the Lord had already healed in the heart of Esau. It's interesting that in the reprobate, God had already tendered his heart even before Jacob was given any kind of peace or assurance. That's how God works. You would think, well, it'd be the other way around. No, oftentimes it's even the kindnesses of the worldlings that cause you to ponder and wonder how it is that they could be merciful to you. It's interesting to hear Jacob's use of the word blessing. When he says in verse 11, take, I pray thee my blessing. That's the same word that was used when Jacob stole Esau's blessing. Same word. And so Jacob is offering here a voluntary gift in a sense, returning to him symbolically what he once took. Now we know he couldn't give it back because God purposed that it remain on Jacob, but still Jacob's use of that word would have reminded Esau, this is the guy that stole my blessing and now he's returning the favor. But yet Jacob explicitly attributes all that he has to God, doesn't he? And shows therefore, the true work of the Spirit in his own heart, giving glory to God for all that he had. Then verses 12 through 17, we see a parting of the ways here. They could only walk so far together, just like in this world. We can have friends and acquaintances. They might be those of our own household, but there still is a parting of the ways because we're on two separate paths. And here he said, let us take our journey and let us go and I will go before thee. And he said unto him, my Lord knoweth that the children are tender, the flocks and herds with young are with me and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my Lord I pray thee pass over before his servant and I will lead on softly according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure until I come unto my Lord unto Seir." Seir was the mountain that the Lord had designated for Esau. And Esau said, let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, what needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my Lord. So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. Says in Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built him and house and made booths for his cattle. Therefore, the name of the place is called Succoth. So here Esau was suggesting that they travel together and that's what the world would do. Once you show kindness and they say that there's a certain reconciliation, they're going to want you to continue to walk with them. But Jacob holds back. He cites the need to travel slowly with his family and livestock. Maybe he was still uncertain about Esau's true intentions. That's why some would view this as evasive or deceptive saying, yeah, well, I'll go with you. Instead he goes to Succoth. But all I can say is that's what the Lord purposed. The text doesn't explain Jacob's motives fully and so we have to be careful not to read into here anything of dishonesty even though on the part of Jacob. How many times have you said to somebody that says, why don't you come along with me? You tell him, well, let me go do what I need to do and I'll catch up with you later. I believe that was more of the sense here with Jacob. Reconciliation had already taken place. And trust does take time to rebuild on it. And so it's the Lord giving this time to settle and for this relationship to continue. And so Jacob continues to journey to sucketh and eventually in the next verse to Shechem and, and all of that, all I can say is he was following the Lord's leading and the path that he was on. But here's what's key when they come here to verses 19 and 20. It says, when he came from Padan Aram and pitched his tent before the city, and he bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent at the hand of the children of Hamar, Shechem's father for a hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar. and called it El Elohi, which means, or El Elohi Israel, which means God, the God of Israel. Wasn't that his name, Israel? So Jacob's altar here in Shechem, I believe is significant. Esau went on his way, pursued his path, had no interest in sacrifice and probably somewhat self confident in what he had done and how he had worked it out. But here, Jacob acknowledges that everything that had taken place was of the Lord. This is the first time that Jacob uses that new name, Israel, that had been given to him back in Genesis 32 and verse 28, where he wrestled with the Lord. And so here affirming his new identity as being one of the Lord and as Israel, a type of Christ, because from Jacob would come an entire nation, just like with Christ, the true Israel of God. God, the father has chosen and given him a people, a race, but reconciliation with Esau wasn't the end of Jacob's journey. It was a step. in this journey, but here the building of the altar, I believe signifies God's true work in his heart and a public acknowledgement of God's faithfulness. He couldn't go far without sacrifice. That's what the altar represents. Knowing that if he was the Lord's, the most important reconciliation was that he was reconciled to God. A lot of people go around trying to appease their relatives and loved ones without considering that the most important, even if your relatives and loved ones hate you the rest of your life, if you're the Lord's and he has bought you, he's chosen you, bought you and drawn you, you can't ask for any greater reconciliation than that. And so you give God the glory. So this is a powerful narrative. hear of forgiveness, humility, restoration, but the reminder is that any reconciliation always begins with God. Jacob's encounter with the anger in chapter 32, I'm sure prepared his heart. The Lord uses all those things, fear, causes us to be humbled in the face of certain circumstances and situations that we don't even know how to handle. But it does not depend on us, but on the Lord. And I see that in this chapter, the reconciliation that brings humility, that's seen in Jacob's bowing. The reconciliation that is marked by grace, whereby he embraces Esau, even though they had been enemies. Reconciliation by restitution. That's how God has reconciled us by the restitution of his son. And it's just a small illustration here of Jacob's gift to Esau, letting him know that the Lord had blessed him. And then reconciliation found in the work of Christ, Jacob's altar. So in a world that's fractured by wounds and relationships that are broken and torn, the answer isn't in psychology. It's not in counseling. It's not in therapy, all these things. Let's get everybody together and see if we can work this out. There's still an enemy heart. If there's ever to be. true reconciliation, true forgiveness. It can only be done through the power of God, through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what he's done with us as rebel sinners. We can't point the finger at Esau, say, oh, what a rebel or Jacob. Now, if the Lord has been pleased to redeem us by the blood of his son, then we can't have any greater standing or state before him than that reconciliation with his son. the Lord Jesus Christ. Gracious Father, I thank you for your word, how precious it is to read how deep, profound what we see here as far as types and pictures of how you've been merciful to sinners such as we are. And just as with Jacob, seeing the need to erect that altar and calling it El Elohi Yisrael, So it is with us. We know that you alone are the God of our Israel, which is Christ. And I thank you for the reconciliation, forgiveness that you grant such centers as we are in him. I give you the thanks and praise in Christ's precious name. Amen. All right, let's take our hymn books and Sing hymn number 217. We're gonna change a few words on the third verse here, 217, where it says there, thou hast for all a ransom paid. We just changed the word all to thine. Thou hast for thine a ransom paid, for thine a full redemption made. All right, with that, we'll sing it. Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress. Midst flaming worlds in these, arrayed with joy, shall I lift up my head. Bold shall I stand in thy great name, For who ought to my charge shall lay, Fully absolved through these. I am from sin, and fear from guilt and shame, Lord, I believe thy precious blood, which at the mercy seat of God forever doth for sinners plead for me, and for my soul was shed. Lord, I believe for sinners more, Great hymn when it's sung that way. Let's take our Bibles and look to John chapter one and verse 14. And in this message, we're going to consider Christ the truth. That's the title as we go through alphabetically, Christ, the truth, the tease here in John chapter one and verse 14, it says, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." In a world that is filled with error and confusion and deception, self-serving sinners outside of Christ, there is one in whom truth abides in its fullness. And that's none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. If I were to ask you, what is truth? Pilate asked the question. Truth is a person. Truth is a God who has purposed to glorify his son by bringing him into this world and earning and establishing a righteousness for a people that he has chosen. and paid their sin debt and whereby they're saved. That's the truth. When people are looking around and trying to figure it out, looking to philosophy or education, all these things to define truth, it's not there. It's in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here he's described as the eternal word made flesh. as unbelievable as that may sound, that God would condescend to come to this earth and take on human flesh. This is why the Jews turned their thumbs down on him, because they couldn't conceive that God would take on flesh. They considered all flesh to be evil. Well, that's what flesh is, except for the way that God purposed that his son should take on flesh and it would be sinless. From the conception, he wasn't born of a man, but a woman. And he did that, that he might be made under the law and fulfill that law, that he might redeem those that were under the law, that he might be just God and savior and how he justifies those centers he's chosen. That's the truth. You can't deviate from it. People can hear him haul and say, well, what about this? Nope. It's the truth. So here, the apostle John writing again, by the inspiration of the spirit, let's remember that this is not John's word. This is the inspired word. Why is it that we believe this word? Well, it's because the spirit of Christ has testified to our spirit that these things are so. And it not only declares the incarnation of the son of God, but also the glorious revelation of truth in his person and work. That's why it says there that he's revealed the only begotten of the father. It says full of grace and truth full. You can't add any more to it, take anything from it. The Lord Jesus is not merely a messenger of truth or a teacher of truth. There's some that get that close. He is the truth. And again, probably you're already thinking about John 14 and verse six, when the disciples asked to see the father and Christ chided them in a way when he said, In verse five, Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know that not whither thou goest and how can we know the way? A little earlier, he said that, well, it's a little later in here that he said, Lord, show us the father in verse eight and it suffices nothing. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet has thou not known me, Philip? We don't know everything there is to know about Christ. I'm still learning every time I open this word, but he that has seen me, Christ said, has seen the father. And how sayest thou then show us the father, but up there in verse six, he lays it all out, doesn't he? He doesn't say, I came to show the way. He said, I am the way. And there it is again, the I am of Jehovah God. I am the truth. I am the life. No man. cometh unto me, unto the father, but by me, by his determining, by his drawing, by his authority. So that's what it is for him to be the truth. And in him, the truth of God, everything there is to know about God is in this one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And certainly with regard to our redemption or salvation. It's perfectly manifested in him. So in this message here, I want to give you three key aspects of truth from this particular text. First is the incarnation of the truth. Christ was full of grace and truth even before he came here, but it was manifest in his coming in the flesh. Truth was born in this world, manifest in the flesh. Then secondly is the revelation of the truth. And then thirdly is the salvation by the truth. God never has saved a sinner by error. There's nobody that following error right now can say, well, in the end, it'll all work out. Unless God's pleased to reveal Christ in them and His finished work and what He accomplished so that That sinner is brought to bow to the truth. Then they'll perish as they've lived. They can't, they might know a lot of things. They think about Christ and even cite some facts, but even the devil knows many things, which still he's condemned. So let's look at this first, the incarnation of the truth. What does it say in your, your word, the Bible, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Just pause and think about that for a minute. The mystery of that, that the word mentioned back in John chapter one and verse one in the beginning was the word. However far back you want to go for the beginning, the word was with God and the word was God. In other words, he had no beginning. So here we behold a divine mystery and that is the eternal word. who was with God and was God, he became flesh. You say, why was that necessary that he became flesh? Because God cannot die. And because God's just, in order to save that people that he had chosen, it was necessary that he himself come in the flesh and that that flesh be sacrificed, his life be given in that flesh. God didn't die on the cross that day, but The man Christ Jesus did, because it says he commended his soul to his father, just like in any death, there's a separation of body and soul. And so it was a real death. He didn't just swoon. And when he came, he didn't become a phantom or just some symbol of life. No, he truly became man. And yet, here's the mystery, without ceasing to be God. So this is the incarnation of truth. God manifests in the flesh. Look how Paul wrote about it to Timothy over in 1 Timothy 3, in verse 16. This is an easy one to remember. If you know John 3, 16, this is 1 Timothy 3, 16. And he says without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. What's a mystery? It's hidden until it's revealed. And then it says, God was manifest in the flesh. Make sure your translation says that. There are other perversions that they just changed the word God put he, because they don't want to identify Christ as God. No, God was manifest in the flesh. justified in the spirit that has to do with his resurrection. He declared himself to be the son of God and that when he would lay down his life of himself, that it would be raised again the third day. And it is by the spirit of God that he was raised, that very life flowing through that dead body that caused him to arise and come out of the grave. He was seen of angels. We know that was the case from his birth all the way to the cross, even in the garden. He was so weakened in his trial, the weight already of the justice of God being upon him as a man that when he had finished, it says that God sent an angel to minister unto him, strengthen him. That's what God does with the heirs of salvation. Here was the heir of salvation, Christ. And that's a mystery in of itself that here were these angels that he had created and yet now as a man, they were coming to minister unto him. And then in his ascension into glory, there on the mound as they stood gazing into heaven, as Christ ascended, the angels appeared again and say, why stand ye here gazing? This same man that you've seen go shall come again in like manner. But then preach, notice, unto the Gentiles. The Jews turned thumbs down on it. There was a divide in God's purpose of redemption there at the cross where the Jews left to themselves, crucified and slew this Son of God. and even said his blood be upon us and our children. What did God do? He had his elect throughout the world, so preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, even though most did not believe on him in the nation that he came, he came unto his own, his own received him not, but he was believed on in the world and that's a point of contention, even for Jews today, that somehow God would be merciful to Gentile dogs and pass them by and then received up into glory. Oh, that's a mystery. That's the incarnation of the truth. God manifests in the flesh. And again, why did the truth that's a synonym for Christ take on human nature? Well again, it's because the elect, that God had chosen even before the fall, yet in the fall were fallen in Adam. I get this question often, people say, were the elect ever under condemnation? Yes. not as vessels of wrath, but under the condemnation, first of all, their sin in Adam, but secondly, their own disobedience. They proved that they were sinners by their own disobedience. We did. And because of the fall could not come to the truth by their own reason or righteousness. That's just how bad it is the fall. There's none righteous, no not one. There are many just think that we were wounded in Adam and you'll hear some say, there's still a little bit of light in there. If you just fan it like a fire, you can get it going again. Nope. The trial was over when Adam fell. And so left to ourselves, even as the elect of God, This is a point that I can't make plain enough. Election is not salvation, it is unto salvation. And those that God elected, it was unto this salvation that Christ should come and fulfill on their behalf. Left to themselves, none of us would have discovered Christ or come to Christ. That's why later on in John, he says, none can come to Christ except to be given them of the father. But this revelation, it's not that God just gives enough information to people that they can now work it out. It's like these safe rooms, you're looking for hints and you keep trying to work it out and figure out what the solution is to be able to get out. You might be able to do that in a safe room, but you won't do it with regard to coming to Christ because this revelation is found in Christ alone. And as I said, it's in the truth concerning Christ. There's a lot of false thinking with regard to Christ. People make up an idea or a notion of how he is and who he is much like themselves. And what God must do then is completely destroy that and reveal Christ as the one who came to fulfill all righteousness. You can't cooperate with God in this and say, well, he does his part and I do my part. Here in John chapter one and verse 18, John says, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him. Even when Christ was on earth, he was still in the bosom of the father. There wasn't any separation between the father and the son. That's why three times the voice came from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased, but he has declared him. He came from the bosom of the father. He lived his life on this earth in the bosom of the father and full fellowship. He had no sin that would cause any separation. Even when he was on the cross, the sin of the people that he bore didn't cause him in any way to be separated from the father. I know people. Take Psalm 22 one and say, well, there was a separation in the Godhead between the father and the son. No, there wasn't. When he said, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why has thou left me in this state that others were looking upon and marveling and mocking? And then he says, because thou art holy. He had to go through everything that was done to him on that cross as the sin bearer. If you want a picture, of the wrath of God. Don't look at the flood of Noah, although that is a manifest state. Don't look at Sodom and Gomorrah. Don't look at other nations that God has destroyed. Look what he did to his son. If you want a picture of the wrath of God, how sinful am I that it would require nothing less than the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in my place to pay my sin debt. That's what he says here, that it's the only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the father that has declared him. So in God's sovereign grace, he sent his son, not to improve the flesh, didn't come to pick us up, pat us on the rear end and say, okay, come on, get along, but rather to condemn sin in the flesh. You see how it's put over here in Romans chapter eight, That's how serious this matter was, we couldn't do it. But here it says for what the law could not do, all the law can do is condemn and that it was weak through the flesh, our flesh. God sending His own Son, notice it says, in the likeness of sinful flesh. He didn't come in sinful flesh, but He came in the likeness of those that are sinful flesh, yet He Himself without sin and for sin, that word for is substitution, what does it say? Condemned sin in the flesh. That means when God laid on him the sin, he became sin for us. When God laid on him the sin of every one of those that he had chosen and condemned his son to death, he was condemning that sin in the flesh of his son. In other words, he bore that sin in order that he might bring us to God. You see the vitalness then of the incarnation as a sovereign gracious act of God to save those that the father had given him even before the foundation of the world. This wasn't for everybody. You realize if people say, well, I think he died forever, but then there's no more condemnation. Quit talking about hell and don't worry about going out and preaching the gospel, everybody's saved anyway. The reason why God has sent us into the world to preach this gospel is that he might buy that gospel, call out, draw out to himself everyone for whom Christ paid the debt. And those that remain in blindness and never are brought, it's because God purposed to leave them to themselves. Over in John chapter 17, that's a key chapter. When people want to argue with it, just tell them, go read some scripture. Cause they're just arguing according to as they've been taught, as we all did for a while. It's like the man, the preacher asked him, well, you know, what is it you believe exactly? He said, well, I believe like my preacher. And he said, well, what does the preacher believe? He said, oh, he believes like I do. Circular reasoning. That's not why we believe here in John 17, he's thanking the father. The hour was come notice the hour from all eternity down to this hour. It was for Dane to glorify his son, how through his death and that the son also may glorify thee through that death. as thou has given him power over all flesh. Yes, he has power over all flesh, but it says that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him. No one is saved, but those that the father gave the son and the ones for whom the son paid the debt. And he says, this is life eternal, that they might know the only what true God God always works according to the truth. Quit talking to me about your profession back there in false religion. Say, well, I think I actually, I, you know, I was a Christian at that time. No, you weren't. You didn't become a Christian until God opened your heart and taught you of Christ and his death. And it wasn't something you earned or merited. It was, it was Christ's word from beginning to end. That's what it says here, that they might know thee the only true God and for even Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. So that's the incarnation of the truth. We could spend an entire time on that. But secondly, we have here the revelation of the truth. Coming back to John one and verse 14, we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. To behold Christ, and I'm talking about not with physical eyes, I've never seen him physically, and I don't put any confidence in these pictures that people draw, but to behold Christ by the Spirit opening the heart is to behold the glory of God. Wherever in scripture you read the glory of God, put Christ. He is the glory of God. But his glory is not one that the world esteems because they can't see him. That's why you see all these religious places that have icons and images and all these things because they're natural minded. They have to have something that they can look at and bow down to. That's what is idolatry. I look around here, I'm thankful it's just bare walls. How are we going to know Christ right here in this word? that we're reading. That's what the spirit takes and opens. And his is a glory that is hidden. That's why it's a mystery in the veil of his humanity and also in his humility and his sorrow and suffering. That's why the Jews turned away from him. They couldn't understand how he could be the Messiah and yet suffer as he did. Well, read Isaiah 53 and you'll find out why, because as a substitute, he had to take the place in death for everyone that the father had given him. And so when the Lord gives us eyes to behold his glory, that's what John's talking about there in verse 14. There wasn't anything about Christ physically. that indicated that he was the son of God. He wasn't walking around with a halo over his head. Oh, there goes the son of God. He was, this was veiled in the flesh. And so how is it that John can say we beheld his glory, the glories of the only begotten of the father that is by spiritual eyes. It's a glory that was hidden and veiled in his humility and sorrow and suffering. And when John says that Christ was full of grace and truth, those are attributes that pertain to God alone. He means that in him is the full revelation of God's gracious purpose and truth as revealed in Christ. You say, well, what's the truth of God? Well, there's the truth of God's justice. That being holy, sin had to be punished. People want to just talk about God is love as if he looks over the sin. No, he's a just God. So there's the truth of God's justice. And yes, there is the truth of God's love. We don't take that from him, but that love is not some general love. It's a specific love that loves everyone that He has chosen and he is purposed to save from their sins through the work of Christ. But then there's also the truth of his grace that not only has he had chosen a people in Christ, but, and that he has redeemed them. That's his grace. There's electing grace, there's redeeming grace, and there's regenerating grace. The spirit calls out from blindness and darkness, everyone for whom Christ paid the debt. All of that's the revelation of the truth. If you took a piece of paper and put a big circle that represents God and truth and Christ, you could put all of this inside of it. There's nothing left out here for man. And it's all revealed in Christ. He's the truth of every type and shadow. The Lord ever shows you that you'll spend all your time in the old Testament. I know we've had a visitor here that got upset because every time she came, we were in the old Testament. That's the foundation. But there's also the truth of Christ, not only in type and shadow and prophecy, but promise. You'll hear me repeat that often, type, picture, promise, prophecy. When we read the scriptures, that's what we look for. And that's really what John's saying over here in John 1 17, the law was given by Moses. That's speaking of the old Testament and the word. Now here you'll notice, but is in italic. So it's not contrasting the law to Christ. He had to fulfill the law, but just read it without the, but in there for the law was given by Moses. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. What the law could not do, Christ did. The law was given as a tutor until Christ should come. And so even there, we see the revelation of the truth throughout the whole of scripture. Moses represented the law, but Christ, the fulfillment of the law on behalf of his people. The law wasn't given as a means of salvation. Paul said in Romans, it was given that sin might abound. It's like the light, when you go into the doctor's office and he wants to get a closer look, he reaches up and turns on that light and gets down there. That's like the law, it can't heal, that light's not gonna make you better. But in the hands of the physician, the sinner that's in the hands of the physician, that light shines and exposes all that is wrong with us but everything that is right with him. So this is what it is, the revelation of the truth. It's to be given eyes to see him, behold him as he is in truth, as the redeemer, as the justifier and as the savior. There is no truth outside of him. I don't care how people argue. And I know they'll get upset. You mean to tell me, that of all the billions of people in the world that have never heard of Christ, they're perishing? Yes. If you don't believe that, go ahead and burn your Bible. Because that's what it's all about. That God has justly passed by billions and sent them to their just dessert. And that would be you and me, were it not that God had purposed beforehand to pull us out as a brand out of the fire. and to reveal Christ in us for whom Christ came. And a third final point here is that salvation then is by the truth. Incarnation of the truth, the revelation of the truth, and then salvation by the truth. Salvation's not merely learning the truth intellectually, but it's being united to the truth, grafted in by the Spirit of God to Christ over in John chapter eight and verse 32. If you look there with me, we read and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. You know what that word know is? It's an intimate knowledge of Christ, the truth. And that is how he makes you free in the sense of free from all error or false way. But this isn't a head knowledge. Everybody talks about salvation is something you did, a profession you made, what you did. No, this is a heart union by God's sovereign grace to Christ, who is the truth. And again, who are those that know the truth? Well, you're not going to know Christ is the truth apart from the father having chosen you. and the spirit quickening you, bringing you to life and having been redeemed by the son who came. See, that's the triune God at work. Christ, the truth over here in John 10 and verse 11 says, I laid down my life for, for who? For the sheep. He didn't lay it down for everybody. If you believe that you don't, you still don't know the truth that somehow he died for every single person. Now it's up to you to make it effectual? No. We know that Christ the truth laid down His life for His sheep and at the cross, that's where we behold the truth of God's justice and mercy kissing each other. Back here in Psalm 85 and verse 10, that's what we read that mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed one another. That's where the wrath of God was poured out on Christ, the substitute and the grace of God then has flowed freely to all for whom he died. Everyone for whom he died is saved, not shall be saved, is saved. if he didn't die for you, you're going to die just as you were born this world in your sin without a ransom. So just as Christ did not merely show us the way to truth, here we see how he came and accomplished the salvation that truth demands. Everything about the work of salvation is according to the truth. The law demanded perfect obedience and satisfaction. We couldn't offer that, couldn't even begin, but Christ gave both on behalf of his elect. Therefore, the truth of God, it's not something that you have to seek to enter into. It's already been accomplished. It's in Christ. And now Christ reveals it in the heart of those for whom he died. If you know Christ today, it's because this was already done when he died. Purpose even before the foundation of the world. And that's how his purpose that is elect be united to him, who is the truth. That's why we value the truth. We're not going to let anybody come in here and mealy mouth and fill us with thoughts and words that are contrary to the truth. It's by the truth that Christ has revealed and it's by his power that we're kept through faith. Over in John 17, 17, again, Christ said, I sanctify myself. That's how we're sanctified. It's by the truth. John 17, 17, sanctify them through thy truth. It's another way of saying through Christ, the truth, thy word, that's Christ is truth. Every one of those, Christ, Christ, Christ. And therefore the truth of God is what gives us our standing before Him, all the work of God. And that's why we have that hope of when we die, being raised again with Him, be absent from the bodies, be present with the Lord. That's the truth. So in a world full of lies and shifting opinions, this truth never changes. But in the world, when you hear them meeting together in these conferences and trying to keep up with the times and change their bylaws and things of how they run their organizations, it's because there's no truth. The truth is not one of shifting opinions or false gospels. Paul said, if a man come and preach any other message than what they had received, let them be what? Anathema. So we rest our souls in this one. It's like man said to me one time, it sounds to me like you're putting all your eggs in one basket. Well, salvation isn't a basket of eggs. It's a sure foundation. So I don't have to worry about dropping the eggs, them breaking. But to be laid on that foundation, which is Christ, the one who is full of grace and truth. You can't find grace apart from him. You can't have truth apart from him. He's not a partial savior where he partially gives you grace so that now you're enabled to do the rest, no. And he's not even the means to salvation. He is salvation. He is the truth of God revealed from heaven. The truth that has satisfied God's justice and the truth that truly sets captives free. I can speak to you as a free man. right now, not for anything I did, but because of the work of Christ. That's why we don't trust any other gospel. People call you narrow. That's awful narrow. Yep. Just as narrow as Christ himself, just as narrow as his cross. No other righteousness, no other message, but Jesus Christ and him crucified. and as those are sanctified by the truth, so we worship God in spirit and in truth because he's worthy. That's worthy. That's why Paul said to the Colossians, ye are but complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. I'm thankful it's so, aren't you? All right, let's take our hymn books and sing one final hymn and we'll be dismissed. 172, we just talked about this. Truth incarnate. This is O Word of God incarnate. O Word of God incarnate, O wisdom from on high, O truth unchanged, unchanging, O light of our dark sky, we praise thee for the radiance that from the hallowed beach a lantern to our footsteps shines on from age to age. The church from her dear master received the gift divine, and still that light she lifteth for all the earth to shine. It is the golden casket where gems of truth are stored. It is the heaven-drawn picture of Christ the Living Word. It floateth like a banner before God's host unfurled. It shineth like a beacon above the darkly world. It is the chard and compass that o'er life's surging sea, midst the nimb, nox, and quicksand, still guides O Christ to thee. O make thy church, dear Savior, a lamp of purest gold, to bear before the nations the true light as of gold. O teach thy wandering pilgrims by this their path to trace, till clouds and darkness and They see me face to face. Amen. All right, we'll be dismissed. Look forward to next time. Lord bless.