Eternity of Christ

FOR THE
CHILDREN:

Now Is The Time To Learn of Christology #1

THE ETERNITY OF CHRIST

Sept. 25, 2005 (AM) - Pastor Ronnie Wolfe
John 1:1-5

Introduction To Christology

Christology has to do with the study of Christ, who he is, what he did or accomplished in his life, and other doctrines about his life such as the trinity, the incarnation, his birth, and his resurrection.

We will be studying this subject for some weeks to come. Today we are going to consider Jesus Christ=s pre-existence and his eternal existence.

Our text today is John 1:1-5. Let=s read that portion of scripture right now. Please turn there so we can read it together.

IN THE BEGINNING, verse 1
1. In the beginning is the farthest distance in time that we can go. Anything before that is inconceivable to the human mind.
2. Yet the Bible says A In the beginning was the Word.@ Now we know from John 1:14 hat Jesus is the Word, and he was in the beginning.
3. This has to mean that he was already in existence before the beginning, a time I like to call Timeless Eternity Past.
4. I= ll tell you that, before there ever was a thunder bolt, or the shining of the lightning across the sky; before there ever was a cloud in the sky or a wind to blow across the sea; before there was air to breathe, or a sun to shine or a moon to hang in the sky at night; before the first sunrise or sunset; before the first sparrow flew gently across the sky; before one drop of water was ever thought of; before time; before space; before logic, mathematics, rationalism, English or any other language, Jesus Christ was in existence.
5. Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
6. This is what was in the beginning: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

WAS THE WORD, verse 1
1. Jesus was the Word. He was the expression of God in all of God= s plan and purpose. He was the expression of God= s will in himself, the trinity, the world that now is, and the world that is to come.
2. The word was also with God. They were together, you might say, side by side, as the universe and all things were being created. They dwelt together as one being, along with the Holy Spirit.
3. Jesus was not alone. He knew the companionship of his Father, who now lives in Heaven; but then there was no heaven, because Heaven had to be created, too.
4. These three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were together in the beginning.
5. Can you imagine the wonderful fellowship that these beings had in the beginning, before there was any sin, any wrath, any Hell, any sickness or pain, any disappointments; before the Spirit of God had ever been grieved or quenched. This must have been a wonderful existence. Verse 2 tells us that A the same was in the beginning with God.@
6. Jesus is the living Word; the Bible is God= s written Word. This written word was also in the beginning; because it was already settled in heaven before the foundation of the world.

THE WORD WAS GOD, verse 1
1. Now this is one of the most amazing things that a believer can even consider in his mind: that Jesus was God.
2. Our Jehovah=s Witness friends do a horrible job of translation here, making Jesus A a God,@ which would indicate that he is one among many. But there is only one God, and that God is made up of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and all three of these are equally one and the same being, though they have different offices to perform and works to do.
3. We call this the Deity of Christ. He is God in every way. He has all the attributes of God; he loves as God loves; he hates as God hates; he saves as God saves. But his duty was to come to earth and give himself a ransom for many.

ALL THINGS WERE CREATED BY HIM, verse 3
1. This point also illustrates that Jesus is eternal. He created all things, which excludes himself, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
2. If he created all things, he could not have created himself, so he must be eternal.
3. Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
4. Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

IN HIM WAS LIFE, verse 4
1. Life had to come from somewhere. We do not believe in spontaneous generation, where it is taught that life just pops out of nothing. That is not possible, and it is absurd.
2. But it is not absurd to believe that, if there is life now on the earth and we see it every day, that this life must have come from some source, some First Cause.
3. Jesus is the source of this life. Paul said it well in Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being ...
4. If there were no life in Jesus Christ, then there would be no life in human beings. Do you remember when Adam was created? He was only flesh and blood. He had no life. But God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. He was not a living soul until life was put into him.
5. In other words, without God, we would not exist.
6. In him was physical life, but also in him is eternal life. Jesus Christ had the right, authority, and power to give to man eternal life. He did not give eternal life, as we know it in salvation, to Adam when he was created. He put a tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden, that, if Adam ate of the tree, would give Adam eternal lifeB he would live forever.
7. What a blessing it was that Jesus Christ did not give eternal life to Adam in this sense. Also, it is a blessing that Adam and Eve did not eat of the Tree of Life; because if they had, man would live in his sin forever. God cast them out of the garden in order that he might bring a better life after their sin.
8. Jesus had a better plan. He is the Better One in the book of Hebresws:
  1. He is better than the angels (Heb. 1:4)
  2. He is our better hope (Heb 7:19)
  3. He is the surety of a better testament (Heb. 7:22)
  4. He is the mediator of a better covenant (Heb. 8:6)
  5. As a result we have a better resurrection; we are going to a better country;

THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN, verse 4
1. The Physical Light
  1. This life that Jesus has within himself, this eternally existing life that never wanes or evaporates or diminishes, is very much the light of men.
  2. Without this life, men would have no light of knowledge.
    1. Even our carnal mind is enlightened by Jesus Christ.
    2. James Watt could never have invented the steam engine, John Fitch the first steamboat, or Robert Fulton the first submarine if it were not for the light given by Jesus Christ.
    3. Karl Benz could not have invented the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    4. Henry Ford could not have improved the assembly line to make the automobile so popular if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    5. Rudolf Diesel could not have invented the first diesel powered automobile if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    6. William Sturgeon and Joseph Henry could not have invented and perfected the telegraph if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    7. Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell could not have invented the first telephones if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    8. Nancy Johnson and William Young could not have invented the first hand-cranked ice cream freezer if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    9. Orville and Wilbur Wright could not have invented the first airplane if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    10. The worldwide web could not have been developed by Timothy Berners-Lee, the English computer scientist, if it were not for Jesus Christ.
    11. And anything else that was invented or discovered or learned could not have been done without Jesus Christ.
    12. Joh 1:9 [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
2. The Spiritual Light
  1. Mt 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
  2. It was said of John the Baptist that he was To give light to them that sit in darkness and [in] the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Lu 1:79.
  3. Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
  4. 1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
  5. This is spiritual light. So, with the new birth, we have not only the physical light, but also the spiritual light whereby we are saved from sin and judgment and have ourselves eternal life as a gift from God (Rom. 5:8).

THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS, verse 5
1. Ever since the beginning of creation Jesus Christ has been shining in the darkness, the darkness of the wickedness of this world.
2. He is still shining today, and every person can see it through creation and through the working of God= s hands among us performing his perfect will.
3. Just look around you can see Jesus Christ= s handiwork in the stars, the moon and sun, the wind, the catastrophes, the blessings of rain and warmth, and a myriad of other things.
4. But we will close with the sad part of this message in the last part of verse 5.

THE DARKNESS COMPREHENDED IT NOT, verse 5
1. The darkness is the wickedness of this world, the carnality, the mere physical being of man on the earth with his limited knowledge and meager abilities.
2. The light is shining in this darkness, but the darkness cannot comprehend it.
  1. First, the word comprehend means to understand. Of course, the carnal mind cannot know the things of God. 1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
  2. Secondly, the word comprehend means to grasp; and although man can have some philosophical or even scientific knowledge of God, he cannot see the Light of God= s grace, mercy, judgment and justice.
  3. But then, thirdly, the word comprehend can mean to overcome; and I am so glad that it is true that the darkness of this world cannot overcome the Light, Jesus Christ.
  4. I am not afraid of the darkness of this world as far as their being able to judge me pertaining to my salvation. Ro 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
3. The challenge here today is whether you have understood or grasped the Light, Jesus Christ.
  1. Poor sinner, who now sits in darkness, will you awake to the knowledge of Jesus Christ?
  2. All I can do is give you the message. It is God that justifieth, not me.
  3. But you must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3); you must believe in Jesus Christ and his work on Calvary, his death, burial and resurrection. You must rely on that as completely as anything you have ever believed.
  4. Upon your faith in him, Jesus will bring the Light to you, and you will understand, you will grasp what is eternal, and that is Jesus Christ.
  5. And because he lives, you will live forever. He is forever and forever the same. He never changes. You can trust him.

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