In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him and cried out, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me. For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, The only God who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. We spoke in a previous sermon here at the beginning of John's Gospel about the wonderful reality that God has given us the story of his son and of the salvation that his son accomplished for us, not simply in one gospel account, not in two gospel accounts, not in three gospel accounts, but in four wonderful books that recount to us the life and ministry of our Savior. Now I want to share, in that regard, a delightful quote that comes from John Calvin, and he wrote this in his own prologue to his commentary on the Gospel of John. He says, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, if I may be permitted to speak this way, exhibit to us Christ's body. but it is John's gospel that exhibits to us Christ's soul. And this has been a common notion that has been mentioned by different preachers and theologians all the way back to the early church. And we know, of course, as we talked about earlier, that John comes after Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And it seems very much the case that Matthew, Mark, and Luke, having been written, having so extraordinarily blessed the early church, that the Spirit moved John to say to himself, by the prompting of the Spirit, I need to write down yet another account of our Savior. an account that delves even yet more deeply into the glorious mystery of who he is as God become man. Calvin continues in that same passage. This gospel is a key to open the door for understanding the rest. whoever shall understand the power of Christ, as it is here strikingly portrayed, will afterwards read with advantage what the others relate about the Redeemer who is manifest." And we've been talking about this these last couple of weeks, how From the very first words of John's gospel, he means to plunge us unfathomably deep into the person of Christ. The glorious reality that the eternal word of God, who was with God in the beginning and who was God, became man for our salvation. And the whole of his gospel, having laid out all of these glorious things right from the beginning, unfolds them, develops them, rejoices in them. And so this afternoon, as we are looking at John's prologue as a whole, and as we will be returning to it next week, there are two things that I want us to particularly consider this afternoon. I don't know if you've noticed the title to the sermon yet. I meant for it to be a little curious, you know, that you'd read it and go, huh, I wonder what that's about. Two wondrous becomeings. That's what we're thinking about this afternoon. Two wondrous becomeings. You know, as I mentioned this morning with Genesis chapter one, right from the start of John's gospel, Each and every word is so rich with meaning and important. You can't rush through it, lest you miss something important, or lest you twist your understanding of what John is trying to say. Every word has to be carefully weighed. And to this end, this afternoon, we are noticing that John uses one particular verb twice to describe two extraordinary realities of our salvation. And it's the verb, become. To become. John displays before us two wondrous becomings. Number one, verse 14, and the word became flesh. and dwelt among us. And then becoming, number two, verse 12, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. One verb, brothers and sisters, and just about the sum total of the glory of our salvation. The Word become flesh and dwelt among us. And then we, sinners, lost in Adam, yet believing in his name, becoming the children of God. Two wondrous becomings, the becoming of the incarnation and the becoming of our regeneration and our adoption into the family of God. And so we're going to begin thinking about verse 14 and the becoming of the incarnation. Now, there's another really neat thing to notice about the prologue to John's gospel, and maybe it's something you've already considered. what verse do we finally hear Jesus' name? It's not verse one, or two, or three, and if you start at the beginning of John's gospel, we know it's about Jesus, right? If we're familiar with the gospel story, we know exactly who John's talking about, and so we don't think about this, but if you start from verse one and say to yourself, okay, well, when do we actually find out that this is Jesus? That doesn't happen until the very end of the prologue, verse 17. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. And if you went back to perhaps some of John's early readers who maybe had a little bit of awareness of the gospel story, but not an intimate knowledge of what Jesus had done, this would have been an extraordinarily dramatic unfolding. Right, it starts with the eternal word. And then, as we're learning about this word, who was with God and who was God, and through whom all things were made, then we find out verse four, that in this word was life, and that that life was the light of men. And then, you know, you read down a little further, and we find out, Verse 14, that this word who is life and light is also son. And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the father, full of grace and truth. And then as a final thunderbolt, we have verse 17, where this word and life and light and son is finally identified by his name and his title per his messianic office. We are speaking of Jesus, who is Christ. And this would have been all the more dramatic particularly in the first century context, because John begins with a word and a concept that was fairly well known in the ancient world, the logos, which is the word we have translated in our Bibles as word. The logos was a very common concept known among the Greek intellectual life of the first century. People knew the Logos. People were familiar with the Logos as that divine principle of rationality from whence all the order of the world comes. People knew about the word. And so the average Greek reader who had a little bit of philosophical training would have opened up and started reading about the Logos and there would have been an immediate point of reference. But it wouldn't be too long before The way in which John was speaking about the Logos started to defy what he knew about the Logos from his Greek philosophical training. And verse 14, however much he would have been confused by the time he got to verse 13, verse 14 would have utterly shattered all of his expectations about where this was headed. And the word became flesh. And we've talked about this some. Remember that for the ancient Greeks, The material universe was an evil. Physical matter was not something desirable. The whole goal of this life was to get out of these bodies and to get away from this physical matter of creation. Physical matter was a fall away from the purity of the logos. And yet here, the apostle is telling us that the Word became flesh. There's quite a wonderful passage in Augustine's Confessions where he talks at great length about being introduced to the writings of the Neoplatonists and how much, in certain respects, those writings helped him. And he compares it to the prologue to John's gospel, and he says, you know what, I read the writings of the Platonists, and I learned something about the Word. That in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. But that the Word became flesh, I did not read. And in this wonderful way, Augustine is showing how The philosophers of the nations have been groping after something of the eternal glory of God's triune nature, but ultimately failing to rise up to its true glory. But here, brothers and sisters, The beauty, the shattering beauty of the Gospel of John is that right from the opening words, God is ushering us into the eternal triune glory that he has known, that he has been from before the foundation of the world. And it is that eternal word that became flesh and dwelt among us. Now, when we think about the becoming of the incarnation, we should not think of it as a change in the nature of the Word. The eternal Word did not stop becoming what He had always been. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. None of those truths change or are violated in His becoming flesh. One way it's been put before is that the eternal Word became what He was not while not ceasing to be what He had always been. He did not stop being the eternal Word, or the life that was the light of men, or the only begotten Son of the Father. But for us men and our salvation, He became man. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we've already thought in verses one and two and three, the way in which the incarnation involves the one who is with God in the beginning and who was God, the beauty of the doctrine of the Trinity that's displayed for us in these opening verses, and the way in which the Word was there as God the Son, active in creation, But then look now at verses four and five. Who is this one who became flesh and dwelt among us? Not just the word, but the one in whom is life. And the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. You know, one of the beautiful things about John's gospel is that you're immediately met with words that are so very common in any language, whether it's Greek, English, or whatever language it might be translated into. Words like word, life, light, sun, flesh, truth, and yet we immediately sense, don't we, as we read these words, that we are being ushered into a reality that is beyond our full comprehension. They ought to be the simplest words we could ever encounter, and yet the reality that they display and unveil to us is beyond our full comprehension. Another great quote that I'll pass along to you, and this one comes a little earlier than Calvin. This is Gregory the Great, writing at the end of the 6th century AD, speaking about scripture as a whole, but I think it particularly applies to John's gospel. Indeed, it is surely like a river, if I may say so, which is wide and deep, in which a lamb may walk and an elephant swim. Kind of a fun image. The Bible is utterly unique in this way. We could have been a Christian for half a day and come to John's gospel and have our minds and our hearts filled with wonder at what is displayed here. We may be like that lamb dancing in the shallows. Or we may have been a Christian for 50, 60, 70 plus years. and still find room to swim in these waters. Something of a humorous story along these same lines that I remembered just this morning, when I was in seminary, we all had lunch downstairs. And one day at lunch, I was sitting at a table with the systematic theology professor and the Greek professor. And the Greek professor said, don't you just love the Gospel of John? The Greek is so easy. Or something along those lines. And the systematic theology professor said, what are you talking about? The Greek is extraordinarily hard. And the Greek professor said, well, no, no, it's actually pretty easy. And back and forth it went, and they were both right. And they kind of caught on to what the other was doing and had a good laugh about it. The point was, the Greek professor was saying, the syntax, the vocabulary, it's not that difficult. It's pretty simple, as goes the Koine Greek of the New Testament. But the systematics professor was trying to emphasize, well, yes, but, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. Easy enough to translate, words, the vocab's pretty simple, but the depths, brothers and sisters, into which that verse takes us. waters in which a lamb may walk and an elephant swim. Now, when we think of light, right, this is one of the reasons it's been so much fun to pair Genesis and John, where, again, where do our minds go when John speaks about the light of men? Well, it takes us back to Genesis 1. Remember what we talked about this morning, the earth was without form and void. What was God about to do? He was about to make earth a habitable place for the divine image bearer. And what's the first thing that God does in order to make the earth a habitable place? Let there be light. And here John is telling us that God creating light speaks to us about more than simply photons. We're talking here about more than simply the physical phenomenon that we know as light, but we're talking about a life that existed in God before even the creation of light itself. That is our Savior. A little later in John's Gospel, chapter eight, in verse 12, Jesus will stand before the Pharisees and testify, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. And it makes you go back and read passages like Isaiah 9 and discover a deeper and richer sense. But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shone. Physics isn't my speciality, but as I understand it, it wouldn't take very long. Let's say the sun just went out. You know, there was a big light switch and somebody flicked it off, and that was it. That it wouldn't be too long before life as we know it on this earth would simply cease to exist. As our sun is to life on earth, John is telling us here, so is the Son of God to the spiritual life of man. In him was life and the life was the light of men. In a moment, when I pronounce the benediction this afternoon, it will be Numbers chapter six. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face. to shine upon you. The light of God is our life. And this isn't, again, this isn't the physical property of light. This is the unmade, undying glory of the triune God. It's the light which Jesus allows to be seen ever so briefly on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember, he brings John and James and Peter up to the mountain, and for a brief moment, the veil covering His divine glory is peeled back, and He shines before them. And they are given a glimpse of the uncreated light that Jesus, not only that Jesus has, but that He is and has been from before the foundation of the world. And all of this is to say, brothers and sisters, we come to verse 14. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And the reality of the incarnation fills us with glory that Jesus is not simply a human being in whom deity was very powerfully present, if you understand what I mean. But all through the centuries, there have been people who said, well, you know, let's not get too carried away with this Jesus is God stuff. Yeah, he was really special, really powerful. He was like a human being in whom God dwelled to a very high degree, let's say. John will have none of that. He doesn't say, here's this wonderful human being who, oh yeah, and he's God. He takes it exactly the other way around. Here is God, the eternal word, through whom all things were made, in whom was life, and that life was the light of men, who is the only begotten Son of the Father. That word became flesh and dwelt among us. And the power of the verb became, right? This isn't God sort of appearing as though he were a human being, or putting up an appearance of flesh, he became flesh. He took to himself, uniting himself with everything that humanity is, apart from sin, of course. He became flesh and dwelt among us. Because when you think about the incarnation, you may say to yourself, well, God appeared as a human in the Old Testament, did he not, on several occasions? Is that sort of what we mean when we're talking about the incarnation? It is not. Those were, we can speak of them perhaps as preparations for the incarnation. We speak of them as theophanies, times in the Old Testament where God displays himself in the form of some earthly thing, whether it be a man or a burning bush or a great chariot cloud in the sky. Lots of Old Testament theophanies. Only one incarnation. This first wondrous becoming. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And then we have a second wondrous becoming. a second wondrous becoming that is only possible on the basis of the first. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. And we've done this before, but I think it's a wonderful thing when you're reading John's gospel to sort of toggle back and forth between the gospel and John's epistles. Because there are so many shared themes that if you're kind of stuck in one of them, going to the other might actually help you understand it better. And at the beginning of John's first letter, what he emphasizes so powerfully is that the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us, that they saw, that they heard, that they proclaim, that the apostles are calling us into fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things, John says, so that our joy may be complete. John isn't just telling us about the Word become flesh, but he's telling us that fellowship with the Father and the Son is possible, that we might even become the children of God. Now, in verse 14, when John says the Word became flesh, That, of course, implies the Word was not flesh. He was the Word from all eternity, and then, in the fullness of time, became flesh. Likewise, here in verse 12, becoming the children of God implies what? We are not naturally born the children of God. Now, of course, we know from Luke's gospel that Adam is spoken of as the son of God. What happened? Why aren't we naturally born as the children of God? Well, Adam sinned, and that fellowship was broken, and he was cast out of the garden, human nature was corrupted, and now there is this seemingly insuperable problem that has to be dealt with. Right? And John recognizes it. In the previous verses, he was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. How could it be, brothers and sisters? How could it be that the one through whom the world was made, the world did not know? How can the world not know its maker? And so from the very beginning of the gospel, John sets forth something of the problem, that the incarnation is God's solution in order to make right, that sin has so thoroughly corrupted mankind that we do not know our maker. We are not naturally born his children. We are born as rebels. Verse 11, he came to his own and his own people did not receive him. So it's not just that the world doesn't know him, it's that even the people of God who have received centuries and centuries of promises concerning this Messiah, when he arrives, they don't recognize him because their hearts are filled with unbelief. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Now, verse 13 emphasizes so wonderfully, doesn't it? When we think about this second wondrous becoming, what it means to become God's children, we have to first of all recognize that we are not naturally born as children of God. And in order to become his children, it is nothing, nothing like anything that we know from this present age. What do we know about becoming a child? About being born? It's a matter of blood, right? It's a matter of the will of the flesh. It's a matter of the decision of parents to produce children. And John is saying none of that comes into play when we think about becoming the children of God. It's not the decision of men to simply will themselves into salvation. We have to be born of God. I will leave the full exposition of John chapter three for when we actually arrive at John chapter three, but that's where your mind goes. If you know John's gospel, right? Jesus meets with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and has that extraordinary conversation with him. where Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, and in a sense, throws a bone to Jesus. Hey, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. And then just completely ignoring what Nicodemus has said, well, acknowledging it, but responding to it in his own divine way. Jesus says, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, let's just cut the nonsense and get straight to the point. You're dealing with me according to the ways of the world. You're dealing with me as though being a child of God is simply a matter of blood, but you don't understand. That's what John is preparing us for here in verse 13. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. We must be born of God. And in order to be born of God, what must we do? Look with me at verse 12. You know, we might stop there and say, well, okay, if we have to be born of God and if we can't just simply will ourselves into salvation, then what's the point? I guess we just give up if it's so utterly beyond us. Well, no. Verse 12, what must we do to be born of God? It's so simple, brothers and sisters, we would almost not even dare to believe it if it wasn't the very promise of our God. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. You see, we don't presume upon it. We don't stand before God and just say, well, of course I'm your child. I've decided you must receive me. It's not about us demanding that he receive us. It's about us humbly receiving his son. But to all, you see, all, not most, not some, not throw the dice and take your chances, to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Now, it's easy, I think, regrettably so, if you've been in the church long enough, to start thinking about being a Christian as just a normal, simple thing. Well, of course I'm a Christian. I've always been a Christian. I go to church. I do Christian stuff. Brothers and sisters, being a Christian is no small, normal, ordinary thing. The world doesn't know its Maker, because the corruption of sin has so darkened our minds and our hearts. But this is the grace of our God, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, that for all who receive Him, who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God. May the wonder of that grow in our minds and our hearts over the years and never diminish. And as your pastor, this is my greatest concern and my greatest burden. For myself, for my family, for all of you, In this little flock of Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church, there are such a good many things to talk about in the Christian life and to grow in and to understand, but brothers and sisters, may all of us be most zealous to rejoice at the grace of God in these verses and to receive Him. that none of us might become excited about a good many things, and yet fall short here on this most all-important of points. Receive Him, believe in His name, and the promise of God is yours. He gives you the right to become children of God, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God. A great little quote from Augustine. Do not let go of the wood on which you can cross the sea. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. Why? Because we had no hope of saving ourselves. Because apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we have nothing. We have no eternal life. We have nothing but darkness and condemnation. And so let us hold fast to Him. Let us rejoice in Him. May every day be a continual act of worship as we meditate on the mercies of God that are ours in Christ our Savior. These two wondrous becomeings. That for us, men in our salvation, the Word would become flesh and dwell among us, and that receiving Him and believing in his name, he gives us the right to become the children of God. And as his children, brothers and sisters, let's rejoice in him, let's rejoice in one another, together, the members of the household of God, and may our lives be thanksgiving offerings to praise his holy name. Let's pray together. Gracious God in heaven, the beauty and simplicity of the gospel is the joy of our hearts, and yet also, Father, the depth of it. That the deeper we go, the more we confess, Lord God, that we see the depths, but we cannot see the bottom. And we praise you for the Word become flesh and dwelt among us. We praise you, Father, that you sent your Son to be our Savior. We praise you that now Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to bring us to new life. And that our fellowship and our communion, both now and forever, is with the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. May our joy be great. May our love be ever deepening. And may you receive all glory and honor and praise. We pray this for Jesus' sake. Amen.