Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Jesus is the Word of God – In John’s gospel Jesus is referred to the Word of God through whom the world was made. There are hundreds of verses in the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah, His life on earth, His death and resurrection, and His coming again. When on earth Jesus spoke and stuff happened, and now all of God’s promises are “Yes” in Jesus. The key thought revolves around the trustworthiness of the words of Jesus, from the creative words that framed the world to the “I love you” He whispers in our heart.

We are called to walk (a position) with the Holy Spirit and to fix our eyes on Jesus (a person). There is something about looking at a person that changes the way we relate to them and the world around us. Looking at Jesus, recognising who He is, impacts on what we do and changes our perception of the world around us.

1. In the Beginning the Word already existed – He is God

John begins with a dramatic intro, he wants his reader to know who Jesus really. There’s no build up, no subtlety – HE’S GOD! He was there when the world was made and everything that was made was made through Him.

John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

2 Why Word? 

Much as our words reveal to others our hearts and minds, so Jesus Christ is God’s “Word” to reveal His heart and mind to us.

Webster says that the noun “word” means “something that is said, talk, discourse, living speech, oral expression or declaration.” Word is an expression that communicates. In a parallel passage in Hebrews 1 we read that “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son (THE WORD), Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Bill Johnson has written a book – Jesus Christ is Perfect Theology. In it he writes, “Whatever you think you know about God that you can’t find in the person of Jesus, you have a reason to question. Jesus Christ is the precise revelation of the nature of the Father.” 

3. Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus 

The Jews were looking for the Messiah – they searched the OT looking for clues (prophecies), here are a few of the well-known ones:

• “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
• “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).
• “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
• “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9).

The words spoken about Jesus in the Old Testament came from Him and painted a clear picture of what His life on earth would be like, but many of those looking for the coming Messiah couldn’t see it.

John 1:10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

4. When you read a book – you learn something about the author

When you read a book written by someone you know, you can often “see” them in their writings. One example of this was a man called Dave Duell, a rancher who God raised up to “break religion” off people, he was unconventional, full of love, completely prepared to do the unexpected. His books are the same, wild stories, overflowing with love, strewn with nuggets of truth. Dallas Willard was very different, a scholar, a logical and rational thinker, but also full of Jesus. I read one of his books when I was younger and it had a tremendous impact on my life so when I had the opportunity to hear him and meet him, I jumped at it. He was better than the book, so full of love and grace, and now when I read his books I can see so much more because I had a glimpse of who he was.

So how much more Jesus – He is the author of the Bible and we know Him. The more we immerse ourselves in the Bible the better we know Him, the more time we spend with Him the better we understand the Bible. It’s the Holy Spirit’s delight to reveal the nature and character of Jesus to you from the Bible and just as things took on deeper meaning when I met Dallas Willard so the better we know Jesus the more understanding we have. One of my favourite verses is Psalm 25:14 in the Living Bible: Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises. The better I know Him, the more I get to know and understand – that’s amazing. 

5. What does this mean for us now? 

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

All of God’s promises are Yes in Jesus. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, the promises He’s made, and provided the fulfilment for, will never change. He is utterly consistent; if He promised peace, He still promises peace. The problem comes when we think that just because God promises it, it will automatically happen. The Jews knew a promised Messiah was coming but the majority of them missed it. God’s promises need to be believed and understood and in many cases there are conditions that affect our receiving. Some of those conditions relate to our own mindsets, others relate to our faith and actions. When you find a promise from God, read the verses around it and other verses about the same promises to find out the conditions required for receiving that particular promise.

The words of Jesus are trustworthy; He is the eternal, unchanging Word of God. Whether it’s the creative words that framed the world or “I love you” He whispers in our heart, it’s all true.