Jesus is God The Messiah: Part 2
Part 2 - Jesus is God!
NIV- John 1:1-14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 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 all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Let us follow the sequence of events that John is bringing to our attention:
- The Word was there in the beginning
- The Word was with God in the beginning
- The Word was God
- The same was in the beginning with God
- All things were made by him and without him nothing was made
Let us pause for a moment: what just happened? The writer was talking about the ‘Word’ (Noun) and changed it to a ‘him’ (pronoun). The writer changed the “Word” that was present in the beginning to a specific living being and described the function of that living being.
- In him was life
- His life was the light of men
- His light shine in darkness but the darkness does not understand him
- He was the true light that gives light to everyone entering the world of God, the creator of the world came into the world and the world did not know him
- Not even his own people recognized him
- He gave everyone who believed and received him the right to become children of God. What does it mean to believe and receive Him? We will explore this question later.
- The Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us
- He came full of grace and mercy
I am certain and hopeful as you are reading the scriptures you are beginning to see how Jesus is the architect and builder of the world because when He walked on earth, He was the very “Word” of God in flesh. He, the “Word”! The “Word” became a verb in the physical form to demonstrate for us how to live the words of God in our lives. The Word (Jesus) is the cells, ligaments, and bones that God used to create the world into existence. When Jesus (Yeshua - Hebrew name for Jesus) says in John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day” he is simply warning us that the Son - who represents the physical form of the Word of God - will actually be our Judge because He is God. Jesus says again in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one” He is declaring that He is God and rightfully so. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are one God! For one to say they believe in God and reject the Son who is the Word of God in action, (I John 2:23) or the Holy Spirit who is our counselor and the spiritual passageway of communication between us and God, (Romans 8:26-27) their worship is in vain. Jesus is clear as we read earlier, Yeshua is the only way to the Father. Lastly, Jesus’ appearance to John in Revelation 1: 17-18 where he exclaimed “…Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. The living One. I was dead but look! I am alive forever and ever! I hold the key to death and sh'ol (Hades)”, is a clear warning to us all that accepting His final effort as Jesus the Messiah to unite us with Him as we were once before is the final preparation for the last judgment that is to come. Jesus, the Messiah, is the vocal voice of the living God. God Himself became flesh to exemplify how to live under His vocal authority. The voice of God (Jesus in the spiritual form) had to return where He belongs after He died for me and you (John 14:27-28). He knew that without a spiritual connection with Him, we would get lost trying to follow His words, therefore He sent us the Holy Scriptures as our map to get to Him. That is why Jesus’ teaching in John 16: 1-15 were so important for Him to explain to His disciples.
The Holy Spirit, who Jesus identifies as our counselor, is the compass given by God to those who say yes to His voice. The Spirit leads us to God as we live the Holy Scriptures in our lives, like Jesus demonstrated for us (John 16:13). Just as Jesus became the Word in flesh, when we declare that Jesus is Lord during baptism and we're submerged under the water (died to the old self) and raised out of the water as a symbol of the new creation (Romans 6:4)), we as disciples of Jesus Christ become God's temple because God’s Spirit lives in us. Yes, Jesus died for everyone in the world (John 3:16), but He also knows not everyone will say yes to Him because they love darkness instead of light (John 3:19-21). Yes, God Himself through Jesus Christ came into this world in the human flesh full of “Grace and Mercy.” Similarly, while He was living in human flesh, He was faced with choices like you and me. Satan knew Jesus was only the vocal part of God; therefore, Satan also knew Jesus can choose to disobey God’s voice while in the flesh. As we learned in (Matthew 4:1-11), Satan tried to manipulate Jesus to disobey the voice of God. Just as Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-2) had a personal relationship with God in the Garden of Eden and was able to hear and see God in their presence. Jesus likewise had a personal relationship with God when He was in the flesh. The difference between Jesus and Adam and Eve is that Jesus did not allow the flesh, which is our sinful nature (Galatians 5:16-21), to destroy God’s original plan to be one with us for eternity (Col 2:14, I Peter 2:24-25). Adam and Eve were faced with a choice (Genesis 3:1-7) in the same way Jesus did in Matthew 4:1-11, they chose to allow the voice of God to diminish and the voice of Satan to increase which led to our separation from God (Genesis 3). In contrast, Jesus had a choice and chose to reject the voice of Satan and allowed the voice of God that lives in his human flesh to be the bridge that unites us with the fullness of God once again (John 14:6, Romans 6:5-7).
As we ponder on our free will to choose the destiny of our lives like Adam, Eve, and Jesus, which voice are we listening to? The option is simple, we either listen to the voice of God or the devil. What compass are you and I using to guide our lives, God or the devil? The reality is each compass leads our soul to a destination whether you admit to this truth or not (Mathew 7: 13-14). Jesus came and lived His life demonstrating what the Hebrews writer is compelling us to look like if we choose Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our compass “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). This passage is a reminder that the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God - who Jesus promises lives in us (John 14:16; John 16:13; John 3:8) and is our compass, therefore, our lives have a different purpose.
I work in the cancer world which gives me a simple analogy to what the Word of God and the Holy Spirit can do if we allow Him to remove sins in our lives that often paralyze us. As we read in the scriptures (Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:13), God already knows everything about each of our lives so why not give Him a chance to restore you? I know that the words of God are continuing to remove and repair so many cancer cells (sins) in my life. My life is also proof of what He can do when we decide to return to Him and allow Him to be the continuous spiritual radiation to heal our inner soul from Satan’s lies and schemes that are killing us. The Word of God without the manifestation of the Holy Spirit will seem powerless in our lives. Jesus says in John 14:16 -17 “If you love me, keep my command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever the Spirit of truth." As you continue this journey with me, I will share with you my own encounter with Jesus and how He continues to penetrate my soul, dividing spirit, joints, marrow and the battles in my mind which if allowed, will and have created cancer cells (sins) in my heart.
I pray this devotional expands your mind to think about your life as you decide who will be the master of your life. Yes, we have free will, but we must choose wisely because there is a cost for each choice that we make. The result of your choice determines the destination of your soul. Take heed to Jesus' words from John 12:48 “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”
