Jesus Christ as the Word of God Text:  John 1:1-5

INTRODUCTION: Seven References to Christ as the Word In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1) The Word was with God (John 1:1) The Word was God (John 1:1) The Word was made flesh (John 1:14) The disciples saw Him who is the Word of life (1John 1:1-2) He is three in one with the Father and the Holy Ghost (1John 5:7) He returns to earth in power as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13)

'THE WORD OF GOD' The eternal name of the one we call Jesus Christ is 'THE WORD OF GOD' "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", and "The Word became flesh and lived among us." (Jn.l:14) At the end of the age, when he returns in glory to judge the world, the name by which he is called is again, the Word of God. (Rev.19:13)

Jesus from Genesis to Revelation Every time the Word of God is mentioned; every time God speaks, from Genesis to Revelations, that is Jesus Christ. "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?" (Jn.5:46-47)

Why is Jesus called the Word? As the Word, Jesus is (1) an expression of the unseen God (John 1:18). He reveals to man the true nature of God (Matthew 11:27). He makes us to understand the true nature of God (Hebrews 1:1-2). Finally, He transforms those who will listen to Him (John 1:12). These points tell us of the purpose of Jesus Christ as the Word.

The Eternity of the Word (v.1a) In the beginning: The beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:10) The beginning of God’s way (Proverbs 8:22-23) The beginning of beginnings (John 17:5, 24) The Word already was; that is, He already existed (Micah 5:2; John 8:58)

The Deity of the Word (v.1c) The “Word was God.” He is one with the Father and the Spirit (John 10:30; 1John 5:7) This establishes the deity of Jesus Christ This establishes the unity of the Godhead. Notice Isaiah 6:8, which asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

The Immutability of the Word (v.2) the unchanging nature of God. The “same was in the beginning with God.” The same Word who was God and was with God is now made flesh (John 1:14). Yet, He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The Creativity of the Word (v.3, 10) Jesus Christ, as the Word, is that element of the Godhead who directly created all things. See Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:2; 2:9-10. Jesus Christ created all things by His word (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 11:3). This verse (John 1:3) refutes the doctrine that makes Christ a created being.

The Vitality of the Word (v.4) The Word is life (John 11:25; 14:6) The Word has life in Himself (John 5:26; 10:18) The Word gives life to man (John 3:16; 10:10)

The Luminosity of the Word (v.4-5) A light to men (v.4b; 8:12; 12:46) A light to shine in darkness (v.5a; 12:35-36) A light rejected by darkness(v.5b; 3:19-20)

Spiritual food! Jesus said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you" (Jn.6:53), and "he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day, for my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

The word gives life He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, abides in me, and I in him." (Jn.6:54-56) Again, "it is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (Jn.6:63)

Developing an appetite for the word "Your words were found, and I ate them, and they became to me the joy and delight of my heart, for I am called by your name Lord God Almighty." (Jer.l5:16) Again, “Eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. And he said to me ‘Son of man, eat this scroll that I give to you, and fill your stomach with it.’ Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth." (Ezek.3:1-3)

Physical and spiritual food Once more, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Deut.8:3, Matt.4:4) So when Jesus said, "eat my flesh", he was telling us to take the written Word into our hearts - to eat it.

Physical and spiritual food The wonderfully amazing thing about this is, if we do it gladly, the Word, on its part, will do its own work in us, provided we give it (him) free course in, and complete access to, every area and corner of our lives (Heb.4:12-13), and it will also develop in us an appetite for itself. (Jer.l5:16, Ezek.3:1-3)

The spirit interprets the ‘code’ We all know and understand, I presume, that if one takes all the blood out of any living being, that being is dead. It is on this basis that God says "the life of the flesh is in the blood". (Lev.17:11) In the same way, it is the Spirit of the Word which gives life to the written Word. Without the Spirit we have only the ‘written code’, and that, of itself, just brings death. (2Cor.3:6)

The spirit interprets the ‘code’ No one knows what was in God's mind when he caused his Word to be written down for us, except the Spirit of God. (lCor.2:11) No one knows how to apply it in our lives except, again, the Spirit of God in us, or the same Spirit in a brother or sister in the Lord. (1Cor.2:13) And we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the things, or gifts, bestowed on us by God". (lCor.2:12)

How does God see us While to the natural eye, man is just a physical being, to God he is primarily a spiritual being, otherwise we could not have been made in his likeness, or image. (Gen.l:27) Physical man can only see the physical, and if it were not for my body, no other human would know of my existence, because my body is the physical evidence of that.

Physical evidence of the word When we turn to the Word of God, we must realise we would not know of its existence, if it were not written down. The scriptures, in the bible, are the physical evidence of God's Word. The entire book from Genesis to Revelations is the body of Jesus Christ, the Word, which we must eat to have his life in us.

One of the greatest gifts he has given us is his Word, in written form. And we have no right to expect to understand that mighty Word unless we are reborn, Spirit filled, children of God, thereby being in a position of having him reveal that Word to us, either directly, or through others who also actually possess that same Spirit, the Spirit of his Word, and have the mind of Christ dwelling in them. (1Cor.2:13-16, 1:20-31, 3:18-21)