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Sermon #1074

Grace and Truth Through Christ

A Sermon on John 1:17

Originally preached Dec. 16, 1962

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Scripture

John 1:17 ESV KJV
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Sermon Description

All throughout the New Testament, it is clearly shown that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law of the Old Testament. Therefore, a good question to ask is that if Jesus came to complete the law, then in what ways was the law incomplete? In this sermon on John 1:17 titled “Grace and Truth Through Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers this question by pointing out different ways where the law is incomplete on its own. The law only speaks in terms of types and shadows, while Jesus came to fulfill it and reveal the truth. The law only gave promises, while Jesus was the fulfillment of these promises. The law tells that the truth will come and that Jesus not only revealed the truth, but is the truth. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how truth in this sense is defined as the knowledge of God and the law was given to Moses as a divine revelation of who God is. However, this revelation only contained parts of this truth and therefore, the truth could not be understood fully until Jesus came and revealed who God is through grace and truth.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ
  2. The law was incomplete and imperfect in revealing truth. It only provided shadows and types, not the full reality.
  3. The truth conveyed through the law was done through hints, glimpses and suggestions. The truth has now arrived in fullness through Jesus Christ.
  4. The law provided promises but never the fulfillment of those promises. The promises have now been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
  5. There is a contrast between Moses and Jesus Christ. Moses was a servant, Jesus Christ is the Son. Moses provided a testimony to the truth, Jesus Christ is the truth itself.
  6. No man has truly seen or known God. The only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed God to us.
  7. Jesus Christ has revealed God through his teaching, life, death and resurrection. We see God's character displayed in Jesus Christ.
  8. We see God's wisdom, especially regarding salvation, revealed in Jesus Christ and him crucified. We see justification, sanctification and redemption in Christ.
  9. In Christ we see God's plan and purpose for all ages - to gather all things in heaven and on earth in Christ.
  10. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. Only through him can we know God as our Father. The law provided a distant God, Christ provides an intimate Abba, Father.

The Book of John

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.