What does it mean for “the Word to be made flesh and dwelt among us”? I’ll be honest when I had someone text me and ask me this question I didn’t know how to answer them!
It’s simple to say, “The Word is Jesus manifest in the flesh.” Well sure… but that doesn’t really explain too much does it? In fact, if you’re like me you’d probably ask 1,000 more questions.
Today, I want to look at this concept of the Word of God being made flesh.
Main Point
Everything the Bible explains describes the person of Jesus – His character, experiences, and thoughts before He ever came to the earth because God is outside of space, matter, and time.
Our Text
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 KJV
What is “The Word”?
The Word (of God) is a book written of all the characteristics, actions, thoughts, and intents of Jesus. We are getting a glimpse into the character of the man who would (and has) come to reconcile us back into a relationship with God.
The Word is also called the Bible. It was written by men under the command of the Holy Spirit. This is really important because it shows and reveals to us that it’s true. Men hundreds and even thousands of years apart from one another with no prior knowledge or communication between themselves would prophesied things that would later come to pass in the life of Jesus.
The Word was written before the foundations of the Word. Jesus was predestined to die long before we were even born.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 Peter 1:19-21 KJV
The really cool thing is that all of this predestination was written in a Book called The Bible or The Word of God (“The Word” for short).
The Word Prophecies
Here’s the thing. Because God is outside of space, time, and matter, it’s really easy for Him to see the beginning from the end and then write a Book (The Bible) to tell us everything that happened and how He planned it.
So for us, if we were around in Moses or Isaiah’s time we’d be asking ourselves, “How is God going to bring this Messiah into the world?”
That’s where the Holy Spirit came along and told them things like Jesus will be…
- Born in Bethlehem
- From the Lineage of Abraham
- In the tribe of Judah
- With no outward beauty or specialness about Him.
- Born of a Virgin
- Sent to carry our hurts and pains
- Destined to die
All of these prophecies came thousands of years before Christ ever entered the earth but they were who Jesus IS.
All of this writing in the Bible became flesh when Jesus entered the earth not because Jesus was being forced to live up to the writings and things God said, but because Jesus was already all those things and God just let us know about it in the Word of God.
Jesus IS His Word because there’s no Difference
This is what I’m trying to say, Jesus was all these things written in the Bible long before the Bible was written. I used to think,
Man Jesus sure did have a lot to live up to… He had to go around and heal, preach, cast out demons, gather disciples, die, and rise again. He really did have to know the Word of God inside and out and work REALLY hard not to make a single mistake.
But the truth is that all these prophecies foretold things that God already knew were going to happen in the life of Jesus.
It’s like writing a movie script after you’ve seen the movie!
The book written about YOU
The final thing I want to tell you is that you too have a book written about you. It’s based upon all of the actions you’ve taken and all the actions you’re going to take.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:12-15 KJV
God has already spoken His Word over you. He has actually predestined you for salvation and good works!
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5 KJV
Salvation
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:5 KJV
What I’m really telling you is that all of this work…
- God writing all these prophecies
- Jesus coming to earth
- Jesus fulfilling the prophecies
- Even me writing this blog this morning, sitting in my house at 7:20 AM with a cup of tea.
It’s ALL been for YOU.
I didn’t choose this. I didn’t want to write blog posts, but God spoke to me and told me to.
Salvation is easy all you have to do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 KJV
In fact, it’s so easy that many have stumbled over the fact that it is so easy.
Example Salvation Prayer
Jesus come into my heart. I confess you as Lord of my Life. I turn from doing things my way and look to you for guidance in my life.
Good Works
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 KJV
Now here’s the thing that many people miss. They try to do the good works before they do the salvation. In fact, they try to use the good works to make themselves feel better about themselves and convince themselves they are going to heaven.
The problem is that it will never work.
The person who isn’t born again (hasn’t confessed Jesus as Lord) is literally LOST. You aren’t going to be separated from God you ARE separated from God.
Think about this. Would you tell a person lost in the woods, “Hey go help John he’s lost in the wilderness too.”
No! Because John is just as lost as you are.
We needed someone else who isn’t lost to bring us out of the wilderness.
That’s Jesus.
But after we’ve been born again NOW we have the ability to actually do something for God. These good works are just us serving the Lord and doing what He desires us to do.
That’s like me writing the blog post this morning.
I was created to do THIS so that YOU could hear the Gospel and come into the family of God.
Now it’s time you got with it because there are others out there who need what YOU have.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 KJV
I’ve told you these things because I love you and want you to be part of the new heaven and new earth. It’s really just a simple choice. Will you say yes to God?
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