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“In the Beginning” He IS God

“In the Beginning” He IS God

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Today’s Passages – John 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 61:1 – 3

Read the “1106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Just Do It“

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by 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 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. … 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – (John 1:1–5, 14)

“In the beginning”

As we examine these introductory verses to John’s Gospel, we immediately see that John is not interested in giving us the same earthly information regarding the birth and early life of the Lord Jesus. John starts out by going back much further than Jesus’ birth as a human baby in the manger in Bethlehem. He goes all the way back to the beginning, not the beginning of His earthly life, nor the beginning of his ancestry, but the beginning of all things. Right from the start, John immediately presents Jesus as God.

The deity of Christ can also be seen in the many “I Am” statements in John’s Gospel. You will recall when God first appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses asked Him His name:

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14)

The phrase “I am” when used in reference to God is known as the eternal present tense. God is never “I was” or “I will be,” He is always “I am.” God transcends time. He dwells outside of it. He is also immanent: as Christ, He entered time and lived within it. Yet as the God-man, He lives both in time and outside of time. He is the “I am.”

  • I am the bread of life (6:35)
  • I am the light of the world (8:12)
  • I am the door (10:7, 9)
  • I am the good shepherd (10:11, 14)
  • I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)
  • I am the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)
  • I am the true vine (15:1, 5)

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)

These many “I am” references in John’s Gospel echo the divine title that God gave to Himself in Exodus 3.

Let’s consider the introductory verses of John’s Gospel and see how they teach Christ’s deity.

I. Jesus is The Word of God (vs. 1 – 2; 14)

“In the beginning was the Word (λόγος – logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-2, 14)

Jesus is called the Word of God. He not only wrote the Word – He is the Word.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7)

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

A practical point that needs to be made here is the fact that God is intimately connected to His Word.

II. Jesus Does The Work of God

A. Creation

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3)

The phrase “in the beginning” immediately draws our minds back to the Creation:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:13-18)

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

B. Salvation

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

Jesus is life. Physical life comes from Him as the Creator, but in Him also is eternal life, which He offers to all of those who will put their faith in Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:16, 36)

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:12)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. … And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. … Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:27, 40, 47)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

C. Illumination

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5)

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that we are to shine His light to the world around us:

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Conclusion

As we conclude this brief taste of John’s Gospel, let’s apply these introductory truths to our lives today.

To the lost: Jesus is Life. He offers eternal life with Him in Heaven to all who will put their faith in Him. Have you trusted Christ for eternal life?

To the believer: Jesus is the light of the world, and through Him we are also the light of the world. Are you shining the light of Christ to the people around you?

 

Sweeter Than Honey

Sweeter Than Honey

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Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mathew 1 – 2; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Proverbs 27:15

Read the “0401 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.” – (1 Samuel 14:29)

In 1 Samuel 14 we see a great victory for Israel against their enemies, the Philistines. It all started when Saul’s son, Jonathan, and his armour bearer decide that they are going to trust God to bring a great victory. This is a somewhat similar situation to the account of David fighting Goliath in that they were both miraculous victories and they both involved the same enemy. Here, the massive army of the Philistines is encamped near the much smaller army of Israel. Saul, Israel’s king, is not really taking any action, so Jonathon decides to do something. Him and his armourbearer go up to where the Philistines are and God goes with them and gives them a great victory. This starts a chain reaction where the Philistines run for their lives and even fight each other. Saul is watching this from a great distance and is not sure what is happening, but soon realizes that the enemy is leaving. Finally, he decides to get involved. The rest of the people of Israel, along with Saul, join the chase and attempt to kill all of the Philistines before they completely escape out of Israel. Saul then does something really dumb. He tells all of his people that they are not to permitted to eat anything until the battle is completely over, and anybody who violates this command will be put to death. The people don’t eat, but Jonathan does. He come upon a little honey in the woods as he is chasing the Philistine army and he eats it. Jonathan did not know about Saul’s order. However the Bible says that his “eyes were enlightened.”  By the way, if the rest of Israel were allowed to have a little of that honey, they would have had a lot more energy to continue in the battle. In fact, they are so famished that when it does come time to eat, they don’t even cook their meat; they eat it raw, which was against the Law of God.

There is a wonderful picture here regarding the honey. Honey is a picture of the Word of God. Notice other verses that compare honey to the Word:

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” – (Psalm 19:9-10)

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – (Psalm 119:103)

Notice also this reference from Psalm 19 about the Bible “enlightening the eyes.”

“The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8)

As Christians, we are supposed to be in a battle, and we need to have our eyes enlightened and our spiritually batteries recharges often as we fight. We need to take time to open the Bible and allow God’s Word to “enlighten our eyes,”  giving us the wisdom and the strength that we need to face the difficult situations that will come our way. Have you eaten your honey today? Don’t let the Sauls of this world keep you from tasting the sweet Word of God.

By the way, have you noticed that Saul has a rather insecure and obsessive personality? Why would he come up with such a rule anyway. He wants total control over the people. He didn’t want their eyes to be enlightened. Religion can be like that today. It frowns upon people tasting of the heavenly honey for themselves, because they want to completely control the spiritual nutrition the people receive.

On Second Thought …

I wrote the above post a few years back but edited it for today. I had another thought from 1 Samuel 12 that I had not noticed before:

“13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (1 Samuel 12:13-15)

Notice that Samuel stated that if the people continued to obey the Lord and serve Him, then the king would also continue following the Lord. We often blame the rulers for the spiritual condition of the land, but perhaps the leadership is really just a reflection of the spiritual condition of the people.

Isn’t that what Solomon stated win 2 Chronicles:

“14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)