Bible Ballistics: Vol. 11 No.01 In The Beginning, Really???
Jesus is the beginning and the end, and what we believe about the beginning will affect what will happen to us in “the end”! John the beloved Apostle saw the Lord Jesus while on the Isle of Patmos, and heard His own proclamation of who HE was, is and ever shall be!
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying,
I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last:
and, What thou seest,
write in a book,
and send it unto the seven churches
which are in Asia….” Revelation 1:10-11a
“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,
Fear not;
I am the first
and the last:
18 I am he that liveth,
and was dead;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen;
and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:17-18
Jesus is the first and the last, and while many refuse to accept or believe this truth, it is the essential, the cornerstone, of our faith, and we need to remind ourselves of its veracity and import often, and that is what I want us to think about today. Let’s spend some time rehearsing what we know (and introduce truth to those who may have never heard!) about Jesus so that we can stand fast in assurance of the truth of His Word!
Many believe that God was in the beginning, but Jesus was an ‘after-thought’ and only came when plan ‘A’, the law, failed, but that is not true. Jesus was the Redeemer before the foundation of the world, and when Genesis 1 says “in the beginning God…” it doesn’t mean God’s beginning but ours!
“In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form,
and void;
and darkness was upon the face
of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be…….” Genesis 1:1-3a
“In the beginning God” created us—it’s of Him and through Him and to Him—all because He wanted a relationship with you and me.
“For of him,
and through him,
and to him,
are all things:
to whom be glory
for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36
This verse is in a context of Paul rehearsing the faithfulness and goodness of God’s salvation through Jesus—it all started with God, and He will bring it to pass.
“Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work
in you
will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6
God was not only “in the beginning” of creation, He is the “beginning” of our new birth, our spiritual life. It is God that brings us to “be born again”!
“But as many as received him,
to them gave he power
to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born,
not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man,
but of God.” John 1:12-13
All because HE first loved us—you and me, and sent His Son to die for us, to be payment for our sin.
“We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
“The beginning” is always of God, and He made provision for us before we ever failed Him.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things,
as silver and gold,
from your vain conversation
received by tradition
from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest
in these last times
for you,
21 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 1:18-21
God knew we would fail when He created us, and He had already made provision for our redemption back to HIM—we who were enemies with Him because of our sin, would have a way back to Him!! Oh, what a wondrous blessing—one that we can ever rejoice in! Amen and Amen! All because “HE first loved us”! Jesus paid for our sin with His own blood—He sets us free!
“My little children,
these things write I unto you,
that ye sin not.
And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation
for our sins:
and not for ours only,
but also for the sins
of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2
And simply put, ‘propitiation’ means the payment in full for a debt due—in our case the sin debt that demanded a penalty of death. He came to be our payment—the righteous, sinless Son of God, came to pay for our sin, so that we could have God’s righteousness applied to our account.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Romans 5:1
“For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness
of God
in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
The God who created us, made provision for our salvation, who loved “us first”—is the God of all creation, and Jesus His Son is creator too!!! He also is “the beginning”, and unless we believe and know Him, we will surely fall.
“And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us
to God
by thy blood
out of every kindred,
and tongue,
and people,
and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God
kings
and priests:
and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power,
and riches,
and wisdom,
and strength,
and honour,
and glory,
and blessing.” Revelation 5:9-12
This Jesus—the Lamb of God—will receive glory, for HE is Lord and creator! HE is God!!
“I and my Father are one.” John 10:30
Jesus claimed for Himself oneness with God, and God verified that claim when He raised Him from the dead—and He remains God forever. And He is coming again soon.
“In whom we have redemption
through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven,
and that are in earth,
visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones,
or dominions,
or principalities,
or powers:
all things were created by him,
and for him:
17 And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:14-17
So we can stand fast on the assurance that our God IS the creator of all things—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He began the ‘good work in you’ and He “will complete it”; yet we are called to stand fast in Him and His truth. We can know that He was, and is and evermore shall be, and we are to serve Him faithfully until He comes for us!
“And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name
which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11
I pray that these things will help you spend some time this week rehearsing the truth, faithfulness and goodness of our God—Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
“Hath in these last days spoken unto us
by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir
of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things
by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged
our sins,
sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better
than the angels,
as he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent
name than they.” Hebrews 1:2-4
May we rejoice in HIM who IS the ‘beginning’! Amen and Amen! And may I just close with this reminder; if the fist 11 chapters of Genesis are not true, then there is no need for the rest of The Word. For if there was not “Adam and Eve”, then there was no perfect creation, no man and woman with a relationship with God, and no sin! If there was no sin, then we have no need of a Redeemer!!! Genesis is the foundation of all that we believe—and Jesus is that ‘founder’!
“According to the grace of God
which is given unto me,
as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon.
But let every man take heed
how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11
Only One Way—Jesus!
Only One Foundation—Jesus!
Only One Message—Jesus!
Is HE your beginning? I pray that He is!!!
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