Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Jesus Existed Before He Was Born - Apples of Gold - February 2, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 2, 2010

“Jesus Existed Before He Was Born”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

On Christmas Day we tell our children, “Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus.”

But what many people don’t know, and haven’t even thought about, is that Jesus existed before He was born to Mary some 2,000 years ago.

That thought may blow you away.  It certainly blew the Jews away in Jesus’ time, especially during one big showdown in John chapter eight.  In verse 57 they said, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!”  And Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!”

It blew them away so much that they decided to blow Him away!

So . . . He existed before Abraham, and listen to what Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things.”

John the Baptist repeatedly said that, even though Jesus was coming after him, He was actually before him.

Jesus makes a lot of grand statements in the book of Revelation, and here are two of them.  In Revelation 1:8 He said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  And in Revelation 21:6 He said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”

The prophet Micah delivered this powerful prophecy of the Messiah in Micah 5:2.  It’s a prophecy that the Messiah would come out of Bethlehem, and it says, “…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

So there are many indications that Jesus existed before every other person and thing, which makes sense when you consider that all things were created through Him.  That’s what it says in John 1:3, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

Hebrews 1:2 says that, through His Son, God made the universe.

So Jesus existed before all of creation, since all things were created by Him.

Now, if He existed before He was born, where was He?

In John 6:62 Jesus asked a rhetorical question, “What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!”

Of course some of them did see Jesus ascend, as reported in Acts chapter one.  It says Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, up into the sky, and a cloud finally hid Him from their sight.  And where did He go?  Well both verse two and verse eleven say He went into heaven.

He ascended into heaven, where He was before.  Before what?  Before He came to earth.

John 1:14 describes it this way, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

And where was the Word before He became flesh?

John 3:13 says, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.”

That’s Jesus.  Several times in First Corinthians 15 He is described as the “man from heaven.”

John 6 talks about the bread that came down from heaven.  In verse 41 Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  In verse 38 Jesus uses this phrase, “…I have come down from heaven…”

So before Jesus was born, He was in heaven.  In John 16:28 Jesus said, “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

And in John 17:5, before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.”

It’s important as Christians that we know who Jesus is, and that we understand what He did.  In this case, He left heaven, and the Word became flesh.  He became a baby in Mary’s womb, was born and carried out His life and ministry, and finally His glorious redemptive work on our behalf.  And then He was taken back up into heaven from where He came. 

Yes, it’s nice to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but there’s much more to the story.  So keep this in mind when you think about the little baby in Bethlehem. 

Jesus existed before He was born.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000

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