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Grace, Truth, Love - (Background & John 1) - Fred R. Coulter—November 3, 1984 It's certainly good that we're going through this series in the Book of John. I've just been excited about it because it allows me to study Greek and refresh and review it. It's like anything else. If you don't use it on a daily basis, then you lose a certain proficiency in it.
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Grace, Truth, Love - (Background & John 1) - Fred R. Coulter—November 3, 1984 It's certainly good that we're going through this series in the Book of John. I've just been excited about it because it allows me to study Greek and refresh and review it. It's like anything else. If you don't use it on a daily basis, then you lose a certain proficiency in it.
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The speaker is excited about studying the book of John in Greek. They discuss the importance of the words of Christ and how they give life, while the flesh profits nothing. They also mention the significance of the words of God in the Old Testament, emphasizing that they must not be cast away. The power of God's words is highlighted, as they have the ability to bring destruction or blessings. The speaker stresses the importance of understanding the weight and authority of God's words. Well, it's certainly good we're going through this series in the book of John, and I've just been as excited about it as anything that I have taught in a long time. From the point of view that it gives me, especially the opportunity to study in the Greek and to really get in and refresh and review the Greek and get that into my system again, it's like anything else. If you don't use it on a daily basis, then you lose a certain proficiency in it. So this has helped me redo it. I know that Dr. Dorothy, when he taught the Greek class to us, he said one of the reasons why he took, and it was a special class that we had, it was not a regular college course, but it was a special tutoring class, and he said one of the reasons why he really liked that was because it could refresh him with his Greek. Well, he knows Greek, and he knows Latin and German, and he studied Hebrew, and so he knows all those languages, so very, very proficient in it. But I found it very exciting that way myself. And I know that when we come back from doing one part, we may very well have a review because obviously certain sections are going to be so loaded that it will be impossible to be able to get all the information in it. So there are just a couple of things that I wanted to review concerning the first chapter. Remember last time we ended with verse 16, and I wanted to review just a couple of things here concerning the Word of God that is very, very, very important. And we'll be coming back to some of these from time to time. Now let's first of all turn to John 6 and verse 63 concerning the words of Christ. John 6 and verse 63. It is the Spirit which quickens, or that is, gives life. And it's very, very important for us to understand this. The flesh profits nothing. Now you can tie that in with the Scripture in Matthew 16, 25, where Jesus gave the quote, whosoever shall save his life shall lose it, whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall save it. The flesh profits nothing. And I am convinced this is why that the human experience is such that we come to a point in life where we realize that as human beings there just isn't anything really worthwhile. I mean, look at the world this week. Look what happened this week. Look at all the supposed good they supposedly did in India. Well, we weren't told that they've been doing that for 500 years. And that the hatred is so deep that it's incredible. And I think I finally heard one man give an honest answer about the things in the world on KGO, and that was Ray Coughlin. He said that, in reference to the problems of the world, he said that he has traveled the world over, and he's been into these third world, fourth world, developing countries, and he said that there is no way that things will ever change because of the hatred, which is perpetuated. And he said, as long as you have a religion, such as the Muslims and others have, where that if you die by the sword, then you have your reward. And one of the callers commented, well, Christians don't think like that. They turn the other cheek, but the Muslims turn the other sword. And it really pointed out this scripture that the flesh profits nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that means all the things of this physical world and all the things that we can amass or acquire or do or whatever, it profits nothing. Now then he went on to say something very important here. The words which I speak to you, and of course the very name of Jesus is The Word. The words which I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. Now the Greek actually means, spirit are and life are. Now we're going to see certain things that John emphasizes all the way through. And one of the things that I want us to keep in mind as we're studying through the book of John is this, why does he make certain statements? And we'll see one of them today. He will make a certain statement. And I think the only reason why that statement is there is because the writer is combating something that has been going on. We'll see one of those statements today as we study. Now let's continue on in this review. There's something else about the Word of Christ. Now we find in Luke 21, let's turn there, Luke 21 and verse 33, and all of these are very, I can say profound, I can say important, whatever the word is that I need to say to make it really stick home, but Luke 21 and verse 33, and this is why we need to focus in on this continuously so we can really know and understand. Verse 33, Jesus said, Verily I say to you, now I'm going to pronounce this in the Greek because you will see this an awful lot in the book of John. It is, Amen, lego, human. And that is, amen means amen, truly, so be it. It could be translated either one of those. And in the book of John we will see that he goes, Amen, amen, lego, human. So he does it twice. Any time that it's done twice, that really gives the emphasis to it. Now notice what he said, that in no wise, now this is a double negative. You look at the Greek above it, oome, that's the way it's pronounced, it's a double negative. So if you really had a proper English translation, he would be saying, it is not possible. That's what he's saying, when you have that double negative. In no way will pass away this generation until all these things have taken place. Now verse 33, the heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words, now if you have your inner linear, it might be good to bring your inner linear every time you come. You will notice that the word logos is there in the form of l-o-g-o-i, that's a plural form of logos, which is hoi logoi. My words, in no wise, there's the double negative again, see, oome, shall pass away. Now how important then are the words of Christ? I mean, that's a pretty substantive thing. This is as close to swearing by something as you could come to, though it's not swearing. The earth is here, the heaven is here, so how important are Christ's words? Fantastically important, brethren. We cannot, cannot emphasize the importance of it. Now, one of these times I'm going to bring you, I have this interpreter's dictionary of the Bible, and I'll read to you what an atheist wrote about the book of John. And it's really amazing how these men will come along and just throw this out and throw that out and throw the other thing out, and take to themselves to try and rearrange everything. They don't even know why he wrote the book of John, they don't even understand what is in here. And the reason they don't is because the words are spirit and they are life. But Jesus said here, my words shall in no wise pass away. And whenever you see that double negative, because in English if you have two nots, not not, that makes it a positive. Two negatives make a positive, so they couldn't literally translate it that way. That's why you do not have a sentence constructed this way, I do not have nothing. Now, there are a lot of people that say that. You would properly say it, I do not have anything, or I have nothing. But in the Greek, the double negative just reinforces it. And so, we'll see some of these things as we go along, so just keep that in mind. Now Jesus said the same thing in John 10 and verse 35, that heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall in no wise pass away. Now let's go to the Old Testament and see something very important, right here in the book of Isaiah. We'll just take a look at a couple things in the book of Isaiah, because sometimes as human beings we get the feeling that since God is not right here looking over our shoulders, somehow it doesn't make any difference what we do. But that's not the case, because God doesn't have to be looking over our shoulders. You know, it's like the little three-year-old girl. She got caught for doing something really bad, and her mother was sitting down talking to her and was saying, well, why did you do this? You knew it was bad. And she said, well, here in my bedroom, God can't see me. Because she thought, well, the ceiling is there, so I can't see through it, so God can't see me. But you see, God doesn't need to be looking over our shoulders to tell us what to do. He doesn't behave as a man. So the words of God are absolutely important. Let's go to Isaiah 5 and verse 24. Isaiah 5 and verse 24. Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Now, if I had a Septuagint, I'm sure that would be translated Logos, which is the word. So if you cast away the word of God, in a sense, you're casting away Christ. Now if we can understand in the word Logos is embodied everything concerning what God would say to us. The words of God, Christ is the spokesman, the words that he inspired in the Old Testament, the words that he inspired in the New Testament, all of those are embodied in that very statement of that Christ is the Logos. Now let's just look at a couple of other scriptures here and show how important this concept is. Isaiah 1 and verse 20. Isaiah 1 and verse 20. Let's just go back to verse 19. This is always true of God. Always true. Verse 19, Isaiah 1. If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. And if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with a sword. Now notice this statement, and Isaiah uses it quite often. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Now that's how powerful the words of God are. And this surely did happen. This happened to Israel. This happened to Judah. When it says, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it, that's very weighty to understand. See because all Christ has to do is speak it, and it is so. That's how the universe is upheld, by the word of his power. Okay, now you can take down these other two references for your notes if you would like. Isaiah 40 and verse 5 says, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Isaiah 58 and verse 14, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. And Jeremiah 9, verse 12, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Now the one I want to turn to is Isaiah 40 and verse 5, because this has to do with the prophecy referring to the second coming of Christ, and also right in the midst of that is the prophecy concerning John the Baptist. Now we're going to cover a little bit about John the Baptist, perhaps today. I don't know if we can get that far in chapter 1. Let's just pick it up here in verse 3. The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Now if there are some devout Christians who believe in the secret rapture and that Christ is coming unseen, I don't know how on earth they can read this scripture, Revelation 5, the places in Matthew 24, Luke 17, Luke 21, about how Christ is going to come. Every eye shall see him. But notice how he emphasizes it here. It says, all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Now with that emphasis on there, after seeing the background of how important the word is, that is a tremendous statement. So every eye shall see him. Okay, let's go back to John the first chapter and before we get into it, I want to review just a little bit on the Greek alphabet. So for those of you who are on the tape, I won't bother you with that just because it's awfully hard to do it unless you see it. So from time to time we're going to have a review and go back and cover some of these things. So let's pick up where we left off last time. Let's go to the Gospel of John chapter 1 and continue on in our study in the book of John. And we're going to find that the book of John is very, very important in the flow of the Gospels. One other thing that I didn't mention in the background last time was that in just the sense of the feeling I get, which can probably be substantiated in history, that one of the reasons why John was writing it this particularly way in addition to God inspiring him to do so was that because the preponderance of the Gentile feeling against the Jews was so vehement, I think I touched on this last time a bit, but that one of the reasons he wrote this was to go back and reestablish the fact that, remember he makes the statement there in John the fourth chapter, salvation is of the Jews. Now when we get to John the fourth chapter, we'll go through and we'll study all the symbolism that is there and I think you're going to be surprised who in symbolism the woman at the well really symbolizes. Now let's go back. John the first chapter, and let's pick it up here in verse 16. And of his fullness we all received. Now fullness, the Greek here is pleiro, which means to be absolutely filled, the fullness of his ministry he's talking about, the fullness of what he's going to say next. And of his fullness we all received and grace upon grace. We'll have something more to say about grace I'm going to bring at the, remember I said I was going to do four in the book of John and then take two weeks for something else and then do four more. When we come to the first two week break what I'm going to do is give two detailed sermons on the grace of God and really cover that very thoroughly. But if you receive the grace of God, which we do when we are called, is there anything greater in this life that you can receive? There's really nothing greater in this life you can receive than the grace of God. And that's why I said that we have received his fullness. And grace upon grace. Verse 17, for the law through Moses was given. The law was very important. The law is a foundation. That was given through Moses. Moses, aside from Adam, was the most important human being from the time of Adam to Moses. Remember the book of Romans talks about from Adam to Moses, it skips everybody else. Moses was the foundation under God of the Old Testament. And the law came through Moses. Now notice what it says of Christ. It says, The grace and the truth through Jesus Christ came. The grace and the truth through Jesus Christ came. Now I want you to notice the word in the Greek above came. And I want you to just hold your finger right there and go back to verse 3 where it says came into being. The word here is aginato and comes from the root ginomai, which means came into being. But it also means that it came. But it's interesting how he uses this word here, aginato, that it came into being through Jesus Christ. The grace and the truth. Now, let's look at some things in the Bible concerning the grace of God. We'll take just a couple of these, not much, but just a couple because I will go through it in detail when we get to another section here and I will give two sermons on the grace of God. Let's go to the book of Acts, Acts 20 and verse 24. Acts 20 and verse 24. Now we're going to find something interesting about the gospel. The gospel means good news. And there is the good news of the kingdom of God. There's also the good news or the gospel of the grace of God. The kingdom of God is yet coming. The grace of God is here now. Verse 24, Paul says, But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy in the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus Christ, to do what? To testify, or that is witness to, and to preach the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that among you all, that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Now notice how closely tied together the good news of the grace of God which he received from Jesus Christ and the preaching of the kingdom of God are tied together. So you really can't preach the kingdom of God unless you preach the grace of Jesus Christ. Let's look at another scripture, Acts 13 and verse 43. And there's something very important here again. We have a comparison between Moses and between Jesus. And let's just back up to verse 38, and then we'll drop down to verse 43. Acts 13 and verse 38, and this is Paul speaking in the synagogue, and this is really something when you go through and read it all. Verse 38, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, which is part of the grace of God, and that by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. So there again we're contrasting Jesus Christ and Moses. Remember we just read that the law came through Moses, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ. Now let's come down to verse 43. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who speaking to them persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Now notice for all those who believe in Sunday keeping, verse 44, And the next Sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. So part of the grace of God involves Sabbath keeping. I mean if you just put the two together simply and add it together, part of the grace of God does involve Sabbath keeping, as well as all of the other things concerning the grace of God. We know that we are justified by grace and we know that here in the very last chapter of the New Testament, let's turn there and we'll just...this brief dissertation on grace will end with this and then one other scripture. Verse 22 and verse 21, it says, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. It's a good way to end it, isn't it? And of course it's interesting, which we can see, you go up to verse 20, it says, Amen even so come Lord Jesus. So in several places in the Bible, we find this in the four sections of the book of Psalms, that there is the Amen, Amen. When it ends a section, there are two Amens. Here when it ends the Bible, we have two Amens. Now let's go to Ephesians, the first chapter, and then we will go back to the first chapter of John. Ephesians, the first chapter, Ephesians, the first chapter, and this shows us about the grace of God and grace to us. Let's pick it up here in verse 2, where it says, Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. And then let's just come over here to verse 6, where then we're made the children of God, with the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in thee beloved, and you could, you know, almost as thee beloved, if you want to put it that way, the love of God to us. That's why, in spite of all the difficulties and things we go through, we need to have the hope and the joy and the faith and things that come from God, because he has made us accepted in Christ, or as Christ. Now, hey, the voice came out of heaven twice, and the disciples heard it, where the voice said, This is my beloved son. In the Greek it means, This is my son, thee beloved, thee only begotten, in whom I am well pleased. You know, we're accepted on that level and basis. That's fantastic when we really look at it that way. In whom, verse 7, we have redemption through his blood. That's why, as we read there in Acts 13, that there were certain things that were not forgiven through Moses. You can only be justified to the temple. Here you're justified to God the Father and heaven above, see. We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he proposed in himself. OK, now let's go back to the Gospel of John. So the grace and the truth came into being through Jesus Christ. Now let's study just a little bit about truth, and as I mentioned last week, that if you could go ahead and study through your concordance, I'll give you some things you can study as we go along. Study about truth. Study about the things concerning truth. And I think you're going to be absolutely amazed. Just a couple of things I want to touch on. Let's go to John 8 and verse 31, John 8 and verse 31, where Jesus let his disciples know the truth of God's word. Beginning verse 31, Jesus therefore said to those of the Jews who had believed on him, if you abide, and that is to remain and live in, if you abide in my word. Now if you have your inner linear, look at it very closely because there are two definite articles. One is tologo and tomeu. That makes it very, very definite. Which means, if you abide in the word, the word of mine. You remember what I read to you about the definite article. When a definite article is there, it has a very distinct meaning. If you abide in my word, and this goes back to our study on the word, then you shall truly be my disciples or truly you are my disciples. Notice verse 32, and you shall know the truth. And the truth shall set you free. There are certain things concerning the truth of God that go together. We have grace, we have truth, we also have truth, and we have love. Let's go back to the Gospel of 1 John, and we can also see a couple of these in 2 John. Let's go back to 1 John and verse 6. Notice how this ties in together, and this is what I like about the writings of John so much. They all tie together, they fit together so nicely, and just add one to the other as you're going along. Just like beautiful building blocks. If we should say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness. Now I'm going to, when we come to the third chapter, talk a little bit more about the light, because there is something that is very important we need to realize, that if we are seeking God's way, we will be walking to the light. Just as you said last week, we'll be walking to the light. So that our deeds will be shown by the light that what? They are of God. But notice the comparison here. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth. So if the truth about God the Father, and Jesus Christ, if the truth about the grace of God, if the truth about Jesus Christ came into being through Jesus Christ, then it's very important that we understand these things. Now let's go down to chapter 2 and verse 4. It says, He that says, I have known him, and his commandments is not keeping, a liar is, the truth is not in him. And John really hits this thing of truth, and light, and love, all the way through. We'll see this all the way through. Chapter 3 and verse 19. First John 3 and verse 19. Let's go back to verse 18. My little children, you should not love in word, nor with tongue, but in work and in truth. Now there we have love and truth connected together. And by this we know that we are of the truth. And that's one thing we have to know. If you are not convinced by God's Spirit in your mind that you are of the truth, then I'm sure everyone here is convinced of that. After all the things we've gone through, we surely ought to be convinced of that. But if there are people who are not, then that's what they have to convince themselves of. They have to go see it. They have to ask God to make it real to them. Come to the light, and then the truth will set you free. That's what Jesus said. Now let's go to chapter 5 and verse 6. Chapter 4 and verse 6. It says, We are of God. Now notice the little word for of in the Greek. It's pronounced ek. We are of God, and that means out from God. In other words, having God's Holy Spirit, it comes out from God the Father to us. Okay. We of God are, and he who knows God. Notice again in this particular situation, it is not he who knows God, but he who knows the God. The God. There's only one God, the God. He who knows God hears us. He that is not of God hears us not. By this we know the spirit of the truth and the spirit of the error. Very important. There is a spirit that comes from the prince of the power of the air, that spirit which works in all the children of disobedience, which is the spirit of error. Okay, there is the spirit of the error. Now hold your place right here and go to Ephesians 4, especially those of you with your inner linears. And if you don't have your inner linear here, be sure and get it out when you get home and mark down these two scriptures together, Ephesians 4. And let's see if I can pick it up here. This is very important in reading this verse, because it tells us something what was happening and why we have so many false Christianities and how soon they started. Now we find this, let's begin in verse 12, the purpose of the ministry and so forth, with a view to the perfecting of the saints for the work of the service, which is ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ until we all may arrive at the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God at a full grown man, or that is a fully mature spiritually person, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that no longer we may be infants tossed and carried about by every wind of the teaching and the slight of men in craftiness with a view to the systematizing of the error. The word the is left out in the English, but notice it is there, to a systematizing of the error. Now how do you systematize an error? You dogmatize it. And they were at that time systemizing by renaming all the pagan things Christian and they were systematizing the error. Now you don't get this in the King James, but it sure comes out here when you tie it in with 1 John there, that you have the spirit of the truth and the spirit of the error, and then here is a system which has what? Doctrines, which when you hear them you're tossed to and fro. You hear it one way and it sounds good, and then you hear it another way and that sounds good, that we are no longer tossed to and fro by the slight and deceptive cunningness of men who are seeking to systematize the error. Now we have seen that even within the church of God, haven't we? Where there are people who have come along to systematize, or that is make part of the system, the error of belief, such as the primacy of Peter, such as all of the things that have propelled us to the point that we assembled together. Now let's look at just a couple of other ones here. Now let's go to 2 John. Maybe this helps us understand what happens in a church of God. When love leaves the church of God, what then enters in? I think it will become very clear, very clear. When love starts to leave a church of God, what enters in? Error. Error. Notice his writing to combat the error here in 2 John. Now I am going to give one full sermon on 2 and 3 John alone, but I just want to cover a couple of these verses here. Verse 1, the elder to the elect lady and her children whom I love in truth. Love and truth together. So what happens when there is a lack of love within a church? The church is losing truth because they go together. When you lose truth, what do you accept? There is never a vacuum, you accept error. And error is what? Error is sin. And why does the love of many grow cold? Because of iniquity or sin. So whenever you have a church where the love is growing cold, they are allowing error in in place of truth, which is sin, and love cannot grow. Love can only grow in an atmosphere of truth. And not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and with us, shall be with us forever. Now notice down here in verse 3. Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father, from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love. So he emphasizes truth and love. Truth and love. I'll get into that more when I go through 2 and 3 John. Now let's go back to the first chapter of John. I don't know if we are going to finish this in three tapes or not. Let's hope we can. Let's review again. Verse 17. For the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ came. Or came into being. Now you see how weighty that statement is when you bring to bear the other scriptures to it. How much more meaning it has. We'll go back and review that and I'll bring the two sermons on grace. Verse 18. This is another weighty, very important verse. One sentence tells us something very important. No one has seen God at any time. Now I want you to understand he wrote this about 85 A.D. He put that together with the background that there were many antichrists. We know the history of Simon Magus and if you want a real interesting, some Sabbath afternoon when we don't have services, go down to the library and get out the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics and read about Simon Magus. He said he was the father. He said he was Christ. He said he has seen God. Why do you think this is written then? Who saw Simon Magus face-to-face, person-to-person? And who refused to lay hands on him? Peter and John. Remember, John outlived Peter. He saw all the things that were going on. We come to 2 John. He talks about the love and the truth and the commandments and knowing God. So when you come here and he makes a statement, you read it over. No one has seen God at any time. You go right on to the next verse. You know, there's a lot that that says. No one has seen God at any time. Now let's look at another scripture, chapter 3 and verse 13.
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