Jesus and The Word

Introduction

Tonight, we are finishing out our section on the relationship between the members of the trinity and the Word of God. we are going to begin in John 1:1-14 which mentions a character called the Word. Most of us probably know who this is, but let’s not assume. How is this word described?

He existed in the beginning

He was God

He created all things

He possesses life

He became flesh

He lived among us

He was the only begotten son of the Father

All of these descriptions make it pretty clear that when John speaks of the Word, He is talking about Jesus Christ. But have you ever stopped to think Why is Jesus called the Word? Maybe you have just taken it for granted. The bible declares it so that’s enough for me. I applaud the heart that receives and accepts the word of God, but the curious mind is more likely to understand the deeper truth here. Elsewhere, the scriptures are called the Word of God. Is Jesus really just the scriptures put into a body? I think the key here is in understanding what the Word was intended to do.

There are certain things about God that we can know from creation like God’s power and godhood; but there are many things we would never know if God didn’t tell us. Scriptures are the record of God’s special revelation of Himself to mankind. There is a key passage in Hebrews 1:1–3 “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;”

This passage connect the act of God speaking through the words of the prophets found in scripture with God speaking by the Son. Jesus is called the word first and foremost because He is the only perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus would tell his disciples in John 14:8–9 “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” Jesus communicates what God is like in a way that we would not have known if he had not come.

So tonight we are going to look at the connection between the person of Jesus Christ and the word of God? As we have seen in the previous messages, there is a trend within some in Christianity to try to pit God against the word or the Spirit against the word. We see the same thing with Jesus Christ. It usually takes the form of a statement like this: I don’t need to study the bible or doctrine, I just need to focus on my relationship with Christ. This is a common sentiment and yet it fails to understand the relationship of Christ and His word.

Jesus brought the Words of Life

We previously looked at Peter’s words in John 6:67–68 “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” Jesus Himself was not the only communication from God that He brought. He also spoke words to people. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus preaching sermons, giving parables, teaching lessons, debating religious teachers and dropping words of wisdom to those He interacted with. Jesus did more than just exist, He spoke and the record of those words is found in the scriptures.

Those words which he spoke offered eternal life to people. They gave us the opportunity to be born again. 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” The word of God has a role in bringing about our salvation and in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” it plays a role in bringing about faith in the heart of a sinner. But this message, the gospel was brought to us by Jesus Christ.

Later Jesus would equate His words with God’s word in John 8:44–47 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” Jesus is directly saying you don’t believe me because you are not one of God’s children. If you were you would recognize that my words are God’s words.

While those words from God offer us life, they become at the same moment words of death to those who reject them. John 12:47–50 “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”

Jesus was not judging the world at this time

rejecting His words = rejecting Jesus

the word will judge in the last day- we are accountable for what we hear

the words of Jesus are authoritative because they are the words of God

Life and death were attached to the words of Jesus Christ and how we respond to them makes all the difference in how we fair in the final judgment. There is coming a day someday when the lost will stand before the Great White throne and give an account for how they received Christ’s words.

The Scriptures speak of Jesus

John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

The scriptures are ultimately all about Jesus Christ. This makes sense because they are about God and Jesus is God. But in condemning the Jews, Jesus admitted that they had search the scriptures thinking that knowledge of the bible alone was enough to give them life. But they missed the whole point of the scriptures. This is again a warning against textualism or a focus merely on the words of scripture and not on the relationship with the author of scripture. Jesus claimed that the scriptures speak of Him.

When Jesus met the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, he discussed with them the events of the crusifiction. Luke 24:13-35. In vs 25-27 Jesus began to expound to them all the things in the bible that spoke about Him. Beginning with the first five books written by Moses, then looking at all the porphets and then finally all the scriptures. Later when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the closed room, in vs 44 it say that all the things written in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms needed to be fulfilled. These three categories were recognized by the Jews to represent the three divisions of the OT canon:

The Torah- the books of Moses

The Neviim- the prophets

The Ketuvim- the writtings which included the psalms and other non- prophetic OT books

Throughout the OT, we see direct prophecies fulfilled in Christ, Christophanies or OT appearances of Christ, we see Christ in creation. He is written on its pages and so if we want to know Him we need to begin to look at His words.

Jesus fulfilled Scripture

As we have seen mentioned, the bible prophesied about Jesus. The exact number of prophesies fulfilled in Christ’s first coming is debated and range anywhere from Alfred Eidersheim’s estimate of 300-350 or the most conservative estimates that include only the indisputable ones of 35-40. Either way, Jesus fulfilled promises made by God hundreds to thousands of years before His birth. Jesus claimed that when He came, His goal was not to destroy the OT, but to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Jesus was claiming that he came to satisfy the requirements of the OT.

Part of the work of Jesus was what theologians call the active obedience of Christ. Isaiah 42:21 “The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” prophesied that Jesus didn’t diminish the law, he magnified it specifically by his righteousness. John 8:29 “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” says that Jesus only ever did God’s will. It was His meat and sustenance to obey God. That must include the scriptures which were God’s revealed will. Jesus obedience is not just incidental, Romans 5:18–19 “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Jesus obedience and righteousness were vitally important because they were transferred to my account when I got saved.

If Jesus had merely paid the penalty for sin, it would be like having all my debts paid off. It would be amazing and a great weight would be lifted from your shoulders; but you know what, you would still have zero money in the bank. Christ didn’t merely pay for my sin, his righteousness was deposited to my account. A righteousness seen in the fact that He fulfilled scripture. Matthew 26:24 “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.” Jesus lived His life according to what the scriptures said including being betrayed in the end. But woe to Judas by whom he was betrayed.

Jesus lived His life fulfilling prophesies and fulfilling the requirements of scripture on our behalf.

Jesus pointed people to the Scriptures

We have already seen that when Jesus was explaining his death, burial and resurrection to the disciples, he took them immediately to the scriptures; but this was not the first time that Jesus pointed people to the scriptures. In fact, Jesus clearly recognized and used the authority of scripture in His temptations in the wilderness. Each time he was tempted in Matt 4:4,7,10 Jesus responded with It is written. Even in the face of His enemy when He could have just commanded Satan to flee; Jesus modeled for us the value of scripture in our battle against temptation.

In multiple debates with the Scribes, Pharisees and the Sadducees, Jesus pointed them back to the scriptures. Matthew 22:29–33 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.” Back in vs 23, we are told that Jesus was talking with the Sadducees. This is important because their bated question was dealing with the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the bodily resurrection. So the question is merely trying to trip Jesus up.

But Jesus’ response is first of all to claim that they err because they don’t know the scriptures. How many error in conduct, practice or even belief have crept up in Christians lives because they just do not know the bible like they should. Jesus knew that their question was not really about marriage after the resurrection. It was really about the resurrection itself. So he points them back to the OT scriptures. Specifically he quotes

Exodus 3:6 “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” to prove that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. How does he get here? The key words are I am the God of Abraham. These words were spoken to Moses many years after Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had died and yet the text does not say I was the God of Abraham. He presently is the God of Abraham. The implication is that Abraham is alive though he be dead.

It is also important to note that Jesus chooses this passage though He could have quoted verses from Isaiah and Daniel to prove his point. The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of the OT; so they would have rejected Daniel and Isaiah.

Jesus pointed men to the scriptures:

support his teaching- authority

correct their false teaching- “Is it not written in your law…”

interpret other passages of scripture- comparing scripture with scripture

resist temptation

strengthen belief in Him

prove his identity

shape our beliefs

Conclusion

There is an essential connection between our relationship with Christ and our knowledge of the word of God. But Tonight I want to challenge you with this: If Jesus thought the scriptures were worth teaching, preaching and pointing men to, if Jesus thought they had value in our lives, should we place a high priority on the words of scripture. These words do not detract from a personal relationship with Him, rather they add to it because in this book you can find a deeper understanding of the Person of Jesus Christ.

Maybe the scriptures haven’t been too important to you. Maybe you feel you just don’t have time for the word of God. I understand that feeling, but we always have time for what we prioritize. Jesus didn’t treat this book as optional so neither should we.