The Nature of Our Lord
Notes
Transcript
Good morning ABC!!!
How many of you were blessed in 2023?
Who is excited for 2024? Boy....I am thrilled. I am looking for big things this year…big things in my own life; big things in my family; big things in this church!
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
I love Jesus! Does anybody else love Jesus? Yea....I thought so!
I am been praying about where we needed to go next, and man I am telling you. I just can’t get enough of Jesus!!!
This year, we are going to start a journey. I think it is going to be a prosperous journey. There will be some highs and lows; there will be some ahh yes’s and there will be some oh no’s.
This morning, we are embarking on a journey through the life of Jesus. We are going to take all four Gospels and blend them together into one, and we are going to walk chronologically through the life of Jesus. To do this chronologically simply means that we are going to do it in order. We are going to start at the beginning, move through His miraculous conception, His birth, His childhood, His ministry, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension.
As disciples of Christ, we are called to follow Him. My hope and prayer is that as we learn about our Lord, we will cherish Him more and more; and as our love for Him builds our capacity to follow Him more faithfully will build as well.
Who is excited to learn more about our Savior?
Praise God....me too!!!
Context
Context
As I previously stated, we want to cover the entirety of Jesus’ story. We cannot exactly do that if we start with His birth, or even His conception, for that is merely the start of His earthly existence.
Jesus existed long before He stepped foot onto the Earth. Matter of fact, He existed long before the Earth even existed.
Thankfully, one of the four gospels that God has given unto us, begins with this thought in mind. Its beginning goes back as far as it can in dealing with the person of Christ and His nature.
And that is what we want to explore today.... “The Nature of Our Lord”.
We are going to start our journey in the book of John, Chapter 1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Content
Content
The first thing we must do is acknowledge that these verses actually speak of Jesus. Verse 1 speaks of the Word of God. Verse 14 says, “And the Word became 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.”
That will help most people to see that Jesus is the Word spoken of in Verse 1. If not, you can read all of the verses between verse 1 and 14 and see how it speaks of John the Baptist being called to bear witness of this Word and how that person was Jesus.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
His Permanent Nature
His Permanent Nature
To equate Jesus with the eternal God of creation was a statement not lightly made. John was a Jew and knew full well the punishment for blasphemy. To make this statement was to essentially sign his own death certificate, but John did not care. He was only concerned with what he knew to be true. It did not matter whether he lived or died, Jesus was the eternal creator, and to say anything other than that of Him would be to diminish who He was.
John was willing to take the risk for the purpose of truth.
Notice his wording. It does not say, “In the beginning of the Word....” No, no, no. It says, “In the beginning was the Word.” He also says in verse 2, “He was in the beginning with God.”
Therefore, the word “beginning” is not in reference to the Word, but rather to the world. In the beginning of the world, The Word already was. Jesus was present as the world was formed.
John elaborates on that statement in verse 3 when he says that “all things were made through Him...”
John had spent his entire life around Jesus, though most knew nothing of Him until the beginning of His earthly ministry.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were actually first cousins of Jesus. Their mother Salome was a sister to the virgin Mary, the mother of Christ.
John had spent his entire life surveying the life of Jesus. He then spent 3 1/2 years dedicated to following His every movement. He grew to love Jesus more than most and is even recorded to have leaned into His bosom on one occasion.
After having the better portion of half a century to dwell on these things, John now writes with conviction that Jesus was truly the Son of God and was eternal in His nature.
John echoes this same truth in his later epistle of 1 John.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
Jesus is eternally God!!!
His Preeminent Nature
His Preeminent Nature
Not only do we see the Permanent nature of Jesus, we also see the Preeminent nature of Jesus.
The word “preeminent” means that something is superior. It means that something is placed in the highest rank or exalted to the highest position.
Jesus is preeminent.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every person who has ever lived and every person who ever will live, will acknowledge this truth at some point in their existence, whether here or in eternity. Why? Because God the Father has said so.
Everything in this life points to Jesus. He is the very source of life and without Him we could not exist.
For 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.
And He is before all things, and in 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 may have the preeminence.
Did you hear that? “In Him all things consist.” That means that all things are held together in Him. Without Jesus, the very existence of creation would simply fall apart. Why? Because the very existence of creation was designed by Him, through Him, and for Him. So without Him, it could not continue.
Everything points to Jesus. John makes that clear right here in His opening statements.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Life came from Him. He passed that life onto mankind. Without Jesus there could be no life. Without Jesus, there would be no reason for life. He is the reason we exist, but He is also the purpose of our existence. Our purpose in existence is to point towards the one whom created us. It is to bring glory to His name. It is to realize that He is our source and then praise Him for it.
Everything points to Christ. Have you ever wondered why there are four Gospels? It’s a great question.
Now listen. Everything I am about to show you has been commented on before. Different preachers, teachers, and theologians have commented on these things in messages, books, and commentaries. This information is not new but it is fitting for us today. Arthur Pink wrote a book entitled “Why Four Gospels” and outlines all of this information beautifully within the introduction of the book.
Imagine if you will that you are some type of explorer. We will use Antarctica as an example since we know the least about that continent than we do any other.
Imagine that you are on an expedition in Antarctica and you stumble across a never before seen village that has been almost perfectly preserved in the ice. As an explorer, you want to be able to take evidence of this place back to the mainland so that you can show others what you have discovered.
In that situation, would you take one picture…from one angle and say that it will suffice? No, you would take multiple photos…from multiple angles…so that you could produce the most accurate and complete representation possible to those you are delivering your discovery to.
Now, God divinely inspired these men to write the account of Jesus through the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. But one photo from one angle was not enough. God wanted us to see Jesus from multiple angles. He wanted to give us the fullest experience of Jesus that we could handle, but in order to do that, He had to give us four different accounts, from four different angles.
The four Gospels present to us the person and work of Jesus, but each one views Him in a distinct relationship, and only that which served to illustrate the particular character of Christ they were lead to write about found place in their Gospel. Everything else, which was not beneficial to his immediate purpose, was omitted.
Why Four Gospels? Introduction: Why Four Gospels?
In Matthew, Christ is presented as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, and everything in his narrative centers around this truth. This explains why the first Gospel opens with a setting forth of Christ’s royal genealogy, and why in the second chapter mention is made of the journey of the wise men from the East, who came to Jerusalem inquiring “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”, and why in chapters five to seven we have what is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” but which, in reality, is the Manifesto of the King, containing an enunciation of the Laws of His Kingdom.
In Mark, Christ is depicted as the Servant of Jehovah, as the One who through equal with God made Himself of no reputation and “took upon Him the form of a servant.” Everything in this second Gospel contributes to this central theme, and everything foreign to it is rigidly excluded. This explains why there is no genealogy recorded in Mark, why Christ is introduced at the beginning of His public ministry (nothing whatever being told us here of His earlier life), and why there are more miracles (deeds of service) detailed here than in any of the other Gospels.
In Luke, Christ is set forth as the Son of Man, as connected with but contrasted from the sons of men, and everything in the narrative serves to bring this out. This explains why the third Gospel traces His genealogy back to Adam, the first man, (instead of to Abraham only, as in Matthew), why as the perfect Man He is seen here so frequently in prayer, and why the angels are seen ministering to Him, instead of commanded by Him as they are in Matthew.
In John, Christ is revealed as the Son of God, and everything in this fourth Gospel is made to illustrate and demonstrate this Divine relationship. This explains why in the opening verse we are carried back to a point before time began, and we are shown Christ as the Word “in the beginning,” with God, and Himself expressly declared to be God; why we get here so many of His Divine titles, as “The only begotten of the Father,” the “Lamb of God,” the “Light of the world” etc.; why we are told here that prayer should be made in His Name, and why the Holy Spirit is here said to be sent from the Son as well as from the Father.
Some do not make the connection, but it seems as if this fourfold presentation of Christ in the Gospels was indicated through the OT prophets. Jesus was illustrated in many ways throughout the prophecies of the OT, and one of those ways was “a branch”.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
This illustration of Christ seems to fit perfectly with the purpose of Matthew’s Gospel.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
“My servant the branch” seems to fit perfectly with the message of Mark’s Gospel.
Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
Remember that Luke’s Gospel carried the purpose of revealing Jesus as the Son of Man.
In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.
We see this fourfold representation of Christ used elsewhere in Scripture as well.
Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
While in Eden, it was one river. Once it left the Garden, it parted into four heads or streams.
Eden is paradise and represents Heaven. In Heaven, Christ is seen fully as He is. The river that watered the Garden represents Christ who gives life to men. Once Christ left heaven and went out into the world, He was presented with four different perspectives. We call them Gospels.
In Revelation 4:6-7
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The lion:
But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
The lion is a fitting symbol for someone being portrayed as the “King of the Jews”.
Also note that it says the lion is the “root of David”. Matthew says that Jesus is the “Son of David”.
The calf (or young ox):
The ox was the chief animal of service in Israel, which seemingly fits with the message of Mark’s Gospel of Christ portrayed as the perfect “Servant of God”.
The face of a Man:
Luke’s Gospel message loudly as it spoke of Christ’s humanity and portrayed Jesus as the “Son of Man”.
The Flying Eagle:
The first three (the lion, the calf, and the man) all belong to the earth, just as the first three Gospels present Christ in an earthly relationship, but this fourth creature lifts us up above the earth. It calls us to raise our attention to the heavens.
The eagle soars the highest and symbolizes the character in which Jesus is seen in John’s Gospel. He is the Son of God!!!
Everything in Scripture points to Christ as the Preeminent One. Is ranked the highest. He is positioned the highest. He is the source of all life and the fabric interwoven into the existence of creation itself.
Jesus, the Christ, is King!!!
His Personal Nature
His Personal Nature
We have seen the Permanent Nature of Jesus. We have seen the Preeminent Nature of Jesus. Now we see the Personal Nature of Jesus.
Why do you think Jesus is referred to as the Word? Why not something else? Why not be referred to as the King of Kings right here? Why not be referred to as the God of creation? Why not be referred to as the Son of God? Why “The Word”?
I think it is very fitting that Jesus be called the Word. The entire theme of the Bible is one of redemption. From the beginning of its pages, we see a Holy, righteous, loving God attempting to reveal Himself unto humanity.
God wants us to have a relationship with Him!!
In terms of communication, what better avenue has been seen than using our words? If we speak, we are using words. If we write a letter, we are using words. If we turn on the radio, we hear words. Just about every means of communication involves words of some variation.
God said, I want them to know that I have attempted to reveal myself unto them. I did this using words. He gave us a book, a very big book at that, and it is full of words.
They are not just any words from any person. Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus. Since Jesus is eternal, The Word is eternal.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
See the Bible is not just some book that tells us about a version of a God that exists from legends and folklore. The Bible is Jesus, in written form, and was preserved by His hand to speak to us of His love for us and His desire for us to love Him.
Jesus has a personable nature. He wants you to know Him. He wants you to see Him from every angle. He wants you to know His love for you. He wants to spend an eternity with you.
Commitment
Commitment
Do you believe in Jesus....All of who He is? Have you ever really seen the fullness of who He is? Have you ever witnessed Him from every angle?
I hope, over the course of this study, regardless of how long it takes, that we will all come to know Jesus a little better than we do right now. I pray through that knowledge, that we will all lean in a little closer and believe a little deeper in who He is and the love He has for us.