The Word
John 1:1- In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
*Word= Jesus.
He was present in the beginning, meaning before, during, and after Creation. He was with God, and was God.
Jesus reveals God to us.
How fitting that Jesus should be called “the Word” for he communicates the very nature of God to us.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique ONE, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
John 1:18 reminds us that no one has seen the essence of God the Father, but the Son has “declared him” or “made him known” or “explained him” or “revealed him.”
Jesus makes known what we would never discover on our own.
Without Jesus we would never know the fulness of God. We would know him as Creator and Designer of all things (Romans 1:19–20), but we would never know the depth of his compassion toward sinners.
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4). That is the secret of spiritual growth: to abide. To abide means to stay in a given place. For believers, it means to maintain unbroken fellowship with God. It is regularity. It is consistency. And it results in producing lasting fruit!
Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
Jesus is the key to the universe for “all things have been created through him” (Colossians 1:16).
*We were created by Him for a purpose. ****To serve Him. Amen
*Do all things for the glory of God.
*What defines an earthly activity or a spiritual activity is who you do it for…
**Anything spiritual can be done selfishly, and will not be rewarded from God – but earthly things can also be done for God. If you do this – God will show up, and there will be unexpected joy.
God left his fingerprints everywhere. The galaxies shout out, “He is there.” The wildflowers sing together, “He is there.” The rippling brooks join in, “He is there.” The birds sing it, the lions roar it, the fish write it in the oceans—“He is there.” All creation joins to sing his praise. The heavens declare it, the earth repeats it, and the wind whispers it—”He is there.”
Deep cries out to deep, the lamb and the wolf agree on this one thing—“He is there.”
Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3).
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
He is not some grimy, blurry image of the Almighty. He isn’t the sun peeking through the clouds.
**** Jesus radiates the glory of God.
Theologians have a word for this. They say the Son is “co-essential” with the Father. That means the Father and the Son share the same essence. The Father is God and the Son is God.
Jesus is the blazing, magnificent revelation of God himself.
When Jesus speaks, God speaks. May we have ears to hear what he is saying.
Yesterday I was crucified with Christ;
Today I am glorified with Him.
Yesterday I was dead in Christ;
Today I am sharing in His resurrection.
Yesterday I was buried with Him;
Today I am waking with Him from the sleep of death.
Jesus is the Father and His Spirit is Him dwelling within us so Jesus and His children would be as one. He is in us and we are in Him..
Romans 9:5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of Eternal Praise! Amen.
Today’s celebration note:
In loving memory of Deb’s mom Arlene Demmer. Born April 8, 1923 and May 22,2011went home to be with the Lord. One of Arlene’s favorite Verses:
John 11:25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.
****To GOD be the Glory!!!!!