God's Eternal Plan

Introduction

This morning we are beginning our yearly look at the birth of Jesus. Christmas is here again, ready or not.

As we begin this year, I want us to go back to the beginning of it all. That is where John begins his account.

John begins “In the beginning. . .”

John 1:1-

John 1:1–2 NIV84

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

In the Beginning was the Word

John begins by going all the way back to when time began!

The first thing that John says was there was the logos or Word.

The idea of logos in the Greek was the normal conversation.

So the Word was in the beginning—way back at the start of it all.

It says the Word was with God, and the Word was God! The Jehovah Witnesses say the word was “a” god. The problem with this is that it would be polytheism.

Other’s translate “the Word was divine.” The problem with this interpretation is that it is way too ambiguous.

No, the Word was with God and the Word was God—points to the Trinity,

Now we see that the Word was an instrumental part of creation.

John 1:3–5 NIV84

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

:3-

Creation

Verse 3 says that the Word made everything, and without the word nothing was made.

The Word is life!

The Word is Light!

The light shined into the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The truth be known, the darkness has NEVER understood the light. Just like the world has never understood the Word.

The Word became flesh

This is what we read in verse 14.

John 1:14 NIV84

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So

Now we know, that John is talking about Jesus. Notice the five things said about Him.

Became Flesh

Made His dwelling among us

Displayed His glory

Displayed God’s glory

This Logos was full of grace and truth!

Compare

Genesis 1:1–31 NIV84

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1:1-

Notice all of the “And God said. . .” which is then followed by, “And it was so.”

So What?

As we begin this year’s Christmas Season, I want us to go all the way back to the beginning. Before God ever created the World he planned to send His Son Jesus into the world to redeem mankind!

Jesus has always been. He existed before time was ever created.

Without Jesus we have NOTHING.

So let me ask you this morning, Who or what is most important to you?