The Glory of God Manifested to Mankind

John 1:14

Introductory Thoughts

* This Morning, we looked at the awesome truth that God became a man and lived among us.

* This evening, we will look more closely at what that means, as we analyze the next phrase of this powerful, amazing verse:

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

* It is not just that Christ came to live among us, but He came to manifest to us the Glory of God—

But what is the Glory of God?

1. The Glory of God— and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father

a. A very large topic

(1) The Meaning of the Words

(a) OT, “kabod”: weight, or worthiness, splendor, wealth, reputation.

(b) NT, “doxa”: reputation. “…its chief use is to describe the revelation of the character and the presence of God in the Person and work of Jesus Christ…” (New Bible Dictionary)

(2) Hundreds of References

(3) The Glory of the Lord is spoken of as a burning light which no sinful man may see. Exo 33:18-22 "And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." 19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."

(4) The Glory of God is seen in His creation…Psa 19:1 "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork."

(5) The Glory of God is spoken of as a vision of His Presence…Acts 7:55 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,"

(6) The Glory of God is the light which will light heaven itself. Rev 21:23 "The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light."

b. A key: The context of this verse.

c. The Glory of God is the burning light of His Presence, revealing the absolute perfection of His Being, and encompassing all of His attributes, but the particular emphasis of this term here is on Christ:

(1) His relationship with the Father

(2) The moral perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His fitness to be our Savior.

(3) The Power and Authority of Christ

(4) The Manifested Glory of Christ through His Person and Work

(5) We behold HIS glory, we put all our trust in Him, we follow Him.

2. The Relationship Between the Father and Son—the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,

a. As of—these words do not mean, as we use the phrase, “similar,” but mean “appropriate to.”

(1) The Glory of Christ is the Glory which is due to Him as the Son of God, as the Glory of God is spoken of as the praise which is due to Him.

(2) Psa 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

(3) John 17:5 ""And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

(4) The Glory is His glory; it is properly His; it is not reflected Glory, but it is His own.

(i) HE is in now way less than the Father

(ii) He possesses His own glory

(5) Christ is called the Brightness of God’s Glory Heb 1:1-3 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

b. The Relationship of Father and Son— the only begotten of the Father,

(1) Begotten does not mean “less than.” As God the Son and the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is divine, eternal, and equal with the Father in every way.

(a) Phil 2:6 "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:" (form = morphe = in very nature God)

(b) John 5: 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he …..said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."

(c) John 10:30 ""I and My Father are one.""

(d) Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones."

(e) A man is God’s fellow? Yes, the God-man, the Savior, the Redeemer, He is God’s fellow.

(2) Begotten does not mean “created,” for Christ was not created. Col 1:16 ”… by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

(3) “Begotten” does not mean inferior, because Christ is not inferior to the Father, but is One with Him. John 10:30 ""I and My Father are one.""

(4) “Begotten” does not mean Christ had a beginning, because He is without beginning, He is eternal. Rev 1:8 ""I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.""

(5) Micah 5:2 ""But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.""

(6) As man, Christ was acting in our place, and He assumed the role we should, but in essence, He is not in any way subordinate to or inferior to the Father.

3. The Glory of God Manifested In The Life Of Christ—“We Beheld His Glory.”

a. In His Life (selected episodes).

(1) Luke 2—the Angels declare His Glory. Luke 2:8-14

(2) Matthew 3:17—The Father witnesses His approval "17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

b. His miracles are a revelation of His Glory John 2:11 "This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him."

(1) Matthew 8—Christ shows His Glory

(a) Power over disease Mat 8:1-3, 14-16

(b) Power over demonic spirits Mat 8:28-34

(c) Power over the natural world—stilling the storm. Mat 8:25-27 "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?""

c. The glory manifested in the Sermon on the Mount—the moral perfection, wisdom, and authority of His teachings. Mat 7:28-29 "And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

d. The Glory Manifested on the Mount of Transfiguration. Mat 17:1-9

e. The Glory Manifested In the Garden

(1) As He prayed for us on the way—John 17

(2) As He prayed alone

(3) As He knocked them down with a word. John 18:4-6

f. The Glory Manifested on the Cross

(1) The Son is Glorified—John 12:23-24 "But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

(2) The Father is Glorified John 12:28-33

(3) How can we say that glory is manifested in the Cross? How can such an ugly thing as the Son of God being slain on the Cross be glorious?

(4) On the Cross, God’s perfections are revealed.

(i) God, Who is Holy, showed how much He hates sin

(ii) God, Who is Love, showed how much He cared for sinners.

(iii) God, Who is Just, dealt with sin

(iv) God Who is all-knowing, knew our sins and made a plan to atone for our sins.

(v) God, Who is Sovereign and all-powerful, brought His plan to pass.

(vi) And the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of God and God the Son, the Savior, the Redeemer, laid down His life as a voluntary sacrifice for sinners. Glory Be To His Name!



g. The Glory Manifested in His Resurrection Mat 28:1-4

h. The Glory Manifested in His ascension Acts 1: 9-11

(1) The Glory Manifested in His intercession—Acts 7:55, Rom 8:34 "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

(2) Heb 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

(3) The Glory is to be Manifested in the Local Church Eph 3:14-21

(4) Remember, principalities and powers, the rulers of the universe, are watching this Earth and are watching the drama of redemption being unfolded by God’s Sovereign Hand. Eph 3:10-11

(5) When God’s people in the church follow Him and give good witness by their words and actions, God is glorified.

(6) If you are a professing believer in Christ and a church member, the way you live and work and act in the church is not your business alone, for the personal reputation of God is at stake in your conduct as a believer!

(7) When Christians act in unGodly ways,

(i) When believers live like pagans, God’s reputation is being drug through the mud.

(ii) When churches fuss and fight over non-essential items, it is God’s reputation which is beaten up.

(iii) When believers fail to do their part to support the ministry of their local church, it is God they are failing.

(iv) When preachers fail to preach the Truth, It is God they are letting down.

(v) When Christians refuse to study and be disciples, when they have enough time for everything except God’s business, it is God who is being neglected.

(vi) When these things happen, it is the Name and reputation of God Himself which is under attack.

(vii) “…Well, preacher, that’s why I don’t attend church very much. I’ll just glorify God somewhere else…”

(viii) God is to be glorified in the church! The Answer is not to forget the church or neglect the church, or leave the church, the answer is to heed God’s word and glorify Him in the Church!!!

i. The Glory to be manifested in His return and rule—The Glory Manifested to John in the Apocalypse Rev 1:1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants; things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,"

(1) John shows the glories of the worship of heaven now—

(2) John shows the glories of the return and reign of Christ—

(3) The Glory to be manifested when every knee shall bow. Phil 2:9-