The Preexistence of Christ
John 1:118
December 1999
Mt. Bethel
I. Introduction
A. No study of the life of Christ would be complete without looking carefully at His ministry before He was born on earth to Mary.
B. Many have tried to explain away the preexistence of Christ.
1. Jesus did not exist at all until his birth.
2. One group teachers that God came personally and visited Mary, bringing about the conception of Jesus.
3. Another teachers that Jesus was Michael the archangel before he came to earth.
4. Many just try to avoid it altogether.
C. The preexistence of Christ is important because if we are to believe that Jesus Christ is indeed God, and that God is eternal, the Christ of necessity must have been in existence before He visited us on earth.
D. The birth of Christ was simply an advent. And just as that advent effected the history of man and has continued to do so, the things that he did before that advent had great effect as well.
E. What can we know about Christ in His preexistent state?
F. Read John 1:1-18
II. (1-3,14) You can know first that Christ was preexistent in His presence.
A. In the beginning was the Word-the Word as Jesus.
B. He created all things. Gen. 1:1 says in the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth.
C. John explains this by saying that the word, Jesus, was not only with God in the beginning or creation, but that Jesus I God.
D. Co. 1:16-17 “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: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
E. Jesus was present in the creation working with and for man. Be He was also at work all during the years before His birth.
1. By Him all things consist—He holds it all together
2. In Gen. 18 the Lord appeared unto Abraham
3. In Joshua 5 He appeared unto Joshua
4. In Daniel, He stood with the three young men as they stood for Him.
F. Read John 8:33ff Jesus spoke of His own preexistence.
G. Read Pro. 8:22ff
III. (3,10) You can know also that Christ was preexistence in His power.
A. We have already seen that Jesus had the power to create all things.
B. There is nothing you can imagine that He did not create. He created even your ability to think and use that imagination.
C. Not only did He create; He still holds it all together.
D. Is it any wonder then that He had power to heal, to raise the dead, to forgive sins?
1. Is. 9:6 says “the government shall be upon his shoulder:”
2. Is. 40:10 “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him and his work before him.”
3. Is. 50:2 “Is my hand shortened al all, that it cannot redeem?’
E. Perhaps the greatest statement ever made by Christ himself of His own power concerned His resurrection.
1. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh if from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, I have the power to take it again.”
2. There has never been, nor will there ever be one who has that power.
F. It is because of His mighty demonstrations of power that helps us to trust Him when He:
1. gives to His church power to do His work
2. says that He is able to save them to uttermost that come unto God by him
3. tells us that He will save us
4. says that we don’t have to give in to sin or temptation
G. It is only in him that you can have that power. “I can do all things through Him!”
1. People think they have some kind of power today.
2. What kind of power do you have?
-the power to heal the sick?
-the power to raise the dead?
-the power to give sight to the blind?
-the power to yield up your own spirit?
-the power to get up out of the grave?
-the power over Satan? So many people think they are deceived into thinking that they have some sort of power over the devil and his demons.
a. They forget that even God’s mighty angels had to firth for 21 days against one demon in Daniel.
b. That not even Michael the archangel would bring an accusation against Satan in the book of Jude.
c. You hear people say and teach about commanding Satan.
d. Who are you to Satan? Who do people think they are? They can’t even make their own kids mind!
H. Christ is the all-powerful one that we’d better look to in times of trouble.
I. When God the Father cast Satan out of heaven, God the Son looked on and watched, knowing that one day in the future it would be He, our Lord and Savior who would cast Him into the pits of Hell for all eternity.
IV. (4-12) Christ was preexistent in His purpose.
A. Jesus Christ from the beginning of man until right now has always been the hope of all mankind.
B. When sin entered the human race, darkness, and corruption became a part of life, and yet in the midst of this darkness would come One who would shine forth in true righteousness and holiness.
C. The Bible teaches us that God’s plan of redemption stood before He ever created the world.
1. 1 Peter 1:18-20, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…. 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…”
2. Rev. 13:8 tells us that Jesus was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
D. This is why Jesus repeatedly told people that He was to be about His Father’s business.
E. This is why nothing was going to deter Christ from going to the cross.
F. By giving Himself for you and me, He gave us the power to become His sons. (vs. 12).
V. Conclusion
A. The question is, are you one of those sons?
1. You see, John came to bear witness of the Christ, to prepare people for the coming Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world
2. Though we still preach that message, we are given an additional message to proclaim.
-Behold the Lamb that can still take away your sins
-Behold the Lion who is coming again to judge the world once for all
B. This is the Christ who has always been present with man, giving him opportunity for a relationship with Himself, the Christ who has always shown forth His might power, and will show forth that power when He returns and destroys Satan and then sets up His kingdom, and the Christ whose purpose has always been to save man from his sin and give him eternal life.
C. Do you know Him?
