Episode Transcript
Week 7: Jesus: The Embodiment of Knowledge
Let’s open our Bibles together
I heard a story about Queen Elizabeth, who recently passed away, where she met a husband and wife who were American tourists in the park and they did not know who she was. They carried on a long conversation and eventually asked if she or her escort had ever met the Queen and she quickly stated that he had. “He gets to see her all the time” she continued “and gets to spend a lot of time with her”. They got excited and asked her to take a picture of them with him… and she did… Her escort then graciously recommended they all take a picture together.
After they left, without ever realizing who she was, the Queen said she would love to be a fly on the wall when they were back home going through the photographs and someone told them who she was.
I found that story to be amusing and it also struck me as a sort of modern day parable.
We believe that The Bible is one overarching story and it all points to Jesus. The entire OT points forward to His coming. The Prophets gave divinely inspired details in their prophecies about His birth, life, death, and resurrection. The priests, Scribes, and teachers of the law studied and taught about His coming, but when they met him face to face… they did not recognize Him.
We need to look back to John 1 to set the stage for our text today. “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 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.”
Jesus is the embodiment of knowledge. He is the Word, the Logos. In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. He is the image of the invisible God. 1 Cor. 1:20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Yet this world has rejected Him. They do not know Him. But those of us who know Him, receive Him and acknowledge that He is the way, the truth, and the life! He is the only way to the Father. He is our only hope for salvation.
1 John 3
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Prayer: Lord, we ask that you would speak to us today through your word. May Jesus be exalted and may the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts to understand the text and love you more. In Jesus' name, amen.
1. WHAT JESUS IS!
- The love of God vs. 1 - God expressed His love to us in this way…
- The gift of God vs. 1 - God gave us Himself!
- The founder of our salvation vs. 1
Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many
sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Hebrews 12: 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of
God.
- Sinless perfection vs. 5
- Righteous vs. 7
- Sin-bearer vs. 5
- Son of God vs. 8
- Serpent Crusher vs. 8
Gen. 3:15 “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman,
And between your
seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head,
And you shall [only] bruise His
heel.”
Heb. 2: 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the
same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the
devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
8 The
reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
2. WHAT WE ARE
- Children of God - 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called
children of God; and so we are.
- Outsiders in the world - The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
We used to sing - This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through…
I believe there are some
problems that come along with this type of mentality. - We are here for a reason. We are on mission.
If we only focus on leaving here, we will not fulfill God’s purpose for us in this life.
However, if we are
too focused on this world, we will be distracted from our mission. This world is not our eternal home. - We are exiles. We are pilgrims. But, God has put us here for a reason.
Phil. 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
The world doesn’t know us, our true identity. It does not understand us. Our beliefs and actions
should stand out by our good works and love for others.
If this world feels like home… if this world sees no difference in us… what gives?
3. WHAT WE SHALL BE
- “Has not yet appeared” 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet
appeared;
- “we shall be like him” - …but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall
see him as he is.
Phil. 3:21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables
him even to subject all things to himself.
One way we measure things is the amount of power connected with them.
- Phone chargers - 5-20 watts
- Tesla Electric Car - 17,400 Watts per hour - 60 mph
- Average American home - 29,360 watts per day
- New York City - 11 Billion Watts per day
- The Sun - At any moment, the sun emits about 3.86 x 1026 watts of energy. So add 24 zeros to the end of that number, and you’ll get an idea of how unimaginably large an amount of energy that is!
Most of that energy goes off into space, but about 1.74 x 1017 watts strikes the earth. (ie: 174,000,000,000,000,000, or 174 quadrillion watts). [ http://www.yourturn.ca/solar/solar-power/how-much-power-does-the-sun-give-us/]
- The sun was spoken into existence in a second by God’s word. The power that enabled Him to create and sustain the universe, is what will recreate us!
- God measures the work He will do in us in terms of power. He is all-powerful.
- The gap between us and Jesus is immeasurable, yet we will be like Him.
- There is a lot we do not know, but here is what we do know - The curse will be removed, no sickness, no pain, no death…
4. WHAT WE SHOULD BE
- “Pure” - 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
- “Law abiding citizens” 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is
lawlessness.
- “Like Jesus” 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No
one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known
him.
- “Wise” - not deceived - 7 Little children, let no one deceive you.
- “Righteous” - Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
- “Repentant” - “Practice of sinning” “keep on sinning” 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the
devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed
abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is
evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Application:
1. We must know Jesus if we want to be like Him.
- Salvation
- We must know Him as Savior and Lord to be saved.
- Sanctification
- We must know Him to become like Him.
2. We must know who we are!
- Our Identity - We are in Christ
- We are Children of God
3. We must long for what we will be!
- The Return of Christ - This is the Catalyst
for our being changed into being like Him.
- We will "See Him as He is" - This is our Blessed Hope
- We will be forever free from sin and shame
4. We must be what we are!
- Redeemed
- Cleansed
- Set Free - We are set free so that we can live out our freedomGalatians 5:1
