Pastor’s Pen Pulpit                                                                                                                            Christmas Series

December 11, 2005

 

THE JESUS OF CHRISTMAS –WHO IS HE?

John 1:1, 14

Part I

 

After sending the pen pulpit to the office last week,  I’ve decided to  set aside our series in Romans which we will pick up again on the second Sunday of January.  I would like to do a two part series on “THE JESUS OF CHRISTMAS – WHO IS HE?”  We will investigate John verse one and verse  fourteen.  Our study could get a bit technical.   However, I will attempt to bring it on a level for all to understand.

 

THE JESUS OF CHRISTMAS IS GOD – verse one and verse fourteen  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . 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.”  (NIV)

 

1.  AS SEEN IN HIS ETERNALITY

 

In the beginning in the Greek text it reads “IN BEGINNING”. 

                    This term expresses eternality. It takes us past the remotest point that can be imagined.  Since He  was IN the beginning,  He was without beginning. When the world was created He was there because He was the one who created the world.  This transcends finite minds.  This is a matchless sweep of inspiration that rises above the level of human thought.  No scientist can figure it out.  This is pure faith material.  What existed before anything was made?  CHRIST the Eternal Son.

 

“was”               Imperfect tense indicating “continuing action in the past.”  In other words in the past His existance was on-going - “Before Abraham (literally) came into being  I AM” (John 8:58).  There was never a point in time or in eternity in which He did not exist.  Go back as far as you can and Christ, the eternal Word, was already existing.  In Isaiah 9:6  He is called “The Father of Eternity or  the ages.”  The Jesus of Christmas is the alpha and the omega – He created time.

 

“The Word” -            This term ordinarily refers to a spoken word with emphasis upon the meaning conveyed.  This term is the Hebraic expression of personality  in communication.  To the Hebrew mind “The  Word of God” was the self -assertion of divine personality (Hebrews 1:1-3).  When the term “word” is applied to Christ in John 1:14, 18 it indicates that He is the full expression of  God in His essence, His character and His being.  Jesus expressed it in these words, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

 

2.  HIS EQUALITY WITH THE FATHER

 

“Was with God”                                 “facing on the same level”  or “face to face.”

In Greek the definite article “the” is a term of qualification.   It indicates specificity.  When appearing before “God” in the Greek text, scholars tell us that it refers to God the Father - cf verse 2.  When “God” occurs without the definite article “the” -  the emphasis is upon essence or character.  When the text in verse one reads And the Word was with God,  in the Greek text God is preceeded by a “the” -”The Word was with THE God.”  God is therefore specified as God the Father.  Hence, the Word was face to face with God the Father.  So we have two members of the trinity seen in verse one:  The Word and God  the Father.  Note on the trinity.  The Scriptures teach a tri-unity of God..not 1+1+1=3 but 1+1+1= 1.  There is only one God. 

 

Question?  Is God the Spirit in John 1:1?  Could be; however, He is not alluded to.  Question?  How could Jesus be the Son and still be God?  This is what confuses the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I have a child.  Now is my daughter sub-human because she is my child?  Of course not.  Sherry is as much human as I am.   Now lets extrapolate this concept to the divine realm.  Jesus is the Son of God, right?  Right!  Does this make Him sub-God.  Of  course not.  He is as much God as God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.  Amen?  Another thing.  The word  “teknon” for “born one” is never used of  The Lord Jesus Christ.  HUIOS or SON is the Greek word used to speak of His Sonship.  This conveys the idea of priority or position.

 

     “ The Word was God.”

 

There is no qualifying article before this occurance  of “God”.  Therefore this stresses the fact that The Word is the essence of God – The word was God.

 

So what we’ve been saying is this:  In the beginning before anything was created the Eternal Word, Who is the Lord Jesus Christ was in exstence.  The Lord Jesus Christ did not have a beginning - He has always existed.  He existed as the Eternal Word in fellowship with God the Father.  In fact He, Himself is the Eternal God.  I challenge you to read this pen pulpit over and over again until you grasp what is being said.  The CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION reads John 1:1 in this way, “In the beginning was the One who is called the Word  The Word was with God and was truly God.”

 

SO WHO IS THE JESUS OF CHRISTMAS?  He is none other than God in the flesh!  Do we see Him as such and are we bowing down to Him as God in the Flesh?  Are you into His Word on a daily basis?  The God of this universe has answers to all of your questions about life, death and eternity – and His Word is where we find those answers.  Next week -  “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  God bless!