“JESUS IS GOD’S WORD, GOD’S IMAGE, AND GOD’S SON”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
Earlier this year the longest running game show in television history celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. “Jeopardy” is a game show with a twist. The host gives the answers while the contestants have to provide the questions. For example… the answer is, “The Green Bay Packers.” The question is, “Who has won more championships than any other NFL team?”

Today’s sermon title is the answer: “Jesus Is God’s Word, God’s Image, and God’s Son.” The question is: “Who is Jesus?” or, as we just sang, “What Child Is This?” The words of that hymn provide us with at least a partial answer to the question when they say, “…(He) is Christ, the King.” And so He is. And more!
Revelation 19:16
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

But this child, this Jesus, is even more than that. He is eternal God. He says so Himself.
Revelation 22:13
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

So this morning, on this first Sunday of the Advent Season, we’ll set the stage by looking at three biblical passages – John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-19, and Hebrews 1:1-3. They all describe and define the Person of Jesus Christ. When you take time to ponder them, you can’t help but be awed by the One of whom they speak. And they’re not merely about who He is; they’re also about what He is. In them we’ll see that in addition to what we have been told about Jesus in Revelation, He is also God’s Word, God’s image, and God’s Son.
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II. Text
John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1 all emphasize magnificent truths about Jesus Christ. Each of them includes a direct or indirect reference to the other two. And beyond that each of them speaks to this little child as actually being the efficient cause of all of creation itself.

First, Jesus Christ is the Word of God.
*John 1:1-3, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being…
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Notice how John begins his gospel with the same words Moses uses to begin Genesis. “In the beginning…” The very next word – “was” – emphasizes the fact that Jesus existed before time began. So in his gospel the first thing John wants us to know is that Jesus, just like His Father, was present in eternity past.

God did not come into existence at some point in time. God created time. He existed before there was time. He is outside of time and beyond it. His existence is independent of time, if you will. Therefore, time has no constraints on God. While time had a beginning, and time will have an end, God has neither. This is the essence of what it means to be eternal.

In John 1:1 it says that Jesus is “…the Word.” The Greek is “lógos,” meaning, “to speak.” Jesus is the living Word and it was God’s spoken Word that literally brought creation into existence. In Genesis 1:3 the Scripture says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” In Psalm 33:6 it says, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made…” The pre-incarnate Christ was with God the Father at creation. That is why, in Genesis 1:26, God can say, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…”

John 1:1 also says that Jesus was “…with God.” That means more than merely being in His presence. It speaks of divine agreement, unity, and intimacy. Then it says, “…the Word was God.” Here deity is ascribed to Christ. If the first parts of John 1:1 don’t make it plain enough, these last four words – “…the Word was God” – surely do. Jesus Christ is God!

Then John 1:2 reiterates Christ’s eternality, “…in the beginning with God.” Finally, in no uncertain terms, v. 3 presents Jesus as the efficient cause of creation. All things are made by Him and nothing exists that He did not create. There’s no wiggle room for us here, is there? There’s none intended!

In John 1:14 our Lord’s humanity is stated once again. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Apostle Paul reveals the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ becoming a man.
*Philippians 2:8-11
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is now, at this time of the year, that we remember and celebrate God coming to earth in the form of a baby boy.
Isaiah 7:14 (ca. 700 B.C.)
14 “Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

This prophecy was fulfilled on the first Christmas.
Matthew 1:23 (angel speaking to Joseph)
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Thus the Word became flesh and we beheld His glory. So in a way the finite human mind can never fully grasp, the spoken Word (the power of creation), the living Word (Jesus Christ Himself), and the written Word (the Bible), are inextricably and eternally linked together.

The symbolism of the sharp sword coming from Jesus’ mouth in Revelation connects Him directly to the written Word, the Holy Scriptures.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And finally, just as Jesus Himself is eternal, so too are the words He has spoken. Thus He could say…
Matthew 24:35
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

Jesus Christ is the Word of God.
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Second, Jesus Christ is the image of God. It has been rightly said that if you want to know what God “looks like” all you need to do is look to Jesus Christ.
*Colossians 1:15-19
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first- born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in every- thing.
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.

The women are in the midst of a detailed study of Colossians so this is a familiar passage.
But for this morning I want us to consider two aspects of God’s image that are seen in Jesus. He is both visible and is incarnate. God is a spirit and a spirit is not visible to human eyes. But Jesus took on human flesh. In doing so He could be seen by human eyes. The Greek word translated “image” in Colossians 1:15 is “eikón.” We get the word “icon” from it. An icon is an “exact representation.”

But Jesus is not a copy. He is the original, the prototype. Jesus Christ does not merely resemble God. He comes from God; He is drawn from God and is therefore, the exact rep-resentation of His Father. These words here in Colossians 1:15, just like those in John’s gospel, proclaim the deity of Christ. In fact, when we look at this morning’s third passage, we will see that the writer of Hebrews uses those very same words (“exact representation”).

The deity of Christ is the central truth of Christianity that is denied by every cult. They all deny the deity of Christ. This is true whether they are some fringe group like the one led by Charles McHugh (who calls himself Jesus Christ Lightning Amen) or one of the so-called “main-stream” and respectable cults such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or Christian Scientists.
• Mormons deny the deity of Christ even though they call themselves “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” They say He is a created being, the eldest brother of all men and all spirits. Mormons believe Satan is one of Jesus’ brothers.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Christ. They say He is really Michael, the archangel. They claim that after His death His body was destroyed. So they say that there can be no such thing as a second coming.
• Christian Scientists deny the deity of Christ. They argue that Jesus is not God. He was a man who embodied “the Christ idea,” whatever that means. There was no cross, no resurrection, and nobody is coming back.
• Unitarians deny the deity of Christ. They do so by simply denying the doctrine of the Trinity.
• Spiritists deny the deity of Christ and claim that He was a medium.
• Hindus deny the deity of Christ arguing that He was a guru.
• Buddhists deny the deity of Christ saying that He was just a wise man.
• Muslims deny the deity of Christ by saying that He was merely a prophet like Abra-ham, Moses, or Mohammed.

And so it goes ad infinitum ad nauseum. Virtually all the cults deny the deity of Christ. But John tells us…
*1 John 4:1-6
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Remember that “…greater is he that is in you than he who is in the world.” Never forget that a Christian, by definition, is “one in whom Christ lives.”

Colossians 1:15 also tells us that Jesus is the very image of the invisible God. He said…
John 10:30, 14:9
30 “I and the Father are one.”
9 “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”

In those statements Jesus is not only visible, He is also incarnate, He is in the flesh. In God the Son we not only see the Father, we can touch Him.
John 1:14a
14a And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…

After His resurrection from the dead, when Jesus appeared to the disciples, He said…
Luke 24:39
39 “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

Then later, when Thomas struggled with his faith, the risen Christ said to him…
John 20:27
27 “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it in My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.”

Visible and incarnate – God in human flesh – the very image of the invisible God. Like John 1, Colossians 1 also tells us that this baby Jesus is the creator God Himself. “…by Him all things were created…(v. 16)” and “He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (v. 17).”
• Jesus is superior to creation because He is the Creator.
• Jesus is separate from creation because He is the Creator.

“But,” someone says, “He’s just a man. Isaiah only prophesied that a child would be born.” Yes, but Isaiah also said a Son would be given.
Isaiah 9:6a
6a For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…
The visible Son of Man came from Bethlehem and the incarnate Son of God came from eternity past. Here in Colossians we have a God we can see and God we can touch. His name is Jesus!

So first, Jesus Christ is the Word of God. And second, Jesus Christ is the image of God.
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Third, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Listen to the writer of Hebrews. He confirms what we have already seen in John’s gospel and Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae.
*Hebrews 1:1-3a
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3a 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…

In Genesis God is assumed to exist. The first word in Hebrews makes the same assumption. There is no argument put forth to deal with the atheist. These words are written to believers.
Hebrews 1:1 says, “…(God) spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets…” Now here is a second assumption. When God speaks He speaks truth, absolute and unchanging truth.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Now a third assumption is this. “…in these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son,” carries with it the idea that just as the OT is true, so too is the NT. The divine revelation that began with the OT is now completed in the NT.

God spoke through the prophets. Now He has spoken through His Son. If you believed the prophets you will believe the Son. Listen to one of the OT great prophecies of the Son.
*Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days (an Aramaic name for God) and was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him (to the Son of Man) was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His king-dom is one which will not be destroyed.”

By the way, some of the greatest hymns of the faith describe God as “the Ancient of Days.”
“O Worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing His wonderful love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”

“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious – Thy great name we praise.”

In Daniel 7:13 the One who comes up to the Ancient of Days is none other than the Son Himself. Who is He? Who is the Son?
Mark 1:1 (John Mark)
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Matthew 16:16b (the Apostle Peter)
16b “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mark 15:39c (a Roman centurion at the crucifixion)
39c “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

“But,” someone says, “Those are merely the testimonies of men. How much credibility can you place in them?” All right! Then what about testimonies from the spirit world?
Luke 1:35b (the angel Gabriel speaking to Mary)
35b “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.”
Mark 5:7b (a demon)
7b “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”
Mark 3:11(multiple demons)
11 And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, “You are the Son of God!”

So both the holy and unholy angels know who Jesus is. But there a testimony that is infi-nitely more powerful than that of any created being. And that would be the testimony of the Creator Himself.
Matthew 27:43b (Jesus Himself)
43b “I am the Son of God.”
Mark 14:62 (answering the question, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”)
62 “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 3:17 (God Himself at Jesus’ baptism)
17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Luke 9:35 (God Himself at Jesus’ transfiguration)
35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One, listen to Him!”

And God the Father has appointed God the Son to be the heir of all things. When Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He prefaced it with these words…
Matthew 28:18
18 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

These are words that can only be uttered by the rightful heir. They’re the words of the Son of God. Hebrews 1:2-3 reiterate that Jesus is the Son, “…through Whom (God) made the world.” Then we are reminded that His Word not only created all things but it keeps all things together. He “upholds all things by the word of His power.” Once again we see Jesus as creator and sustainer of all that there is or ever will be.

Finally Hebrews 1:3 tells us again that Jesus is “the exact representation” of the Father. He is God’s Word, God’s image, and God’s Son. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”
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III. Conclusion
If you want to know what God says, listen to Jesus. If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus. If you want to know who God the Father is, you’ll need to know God the Son. Now we know the answer to the question, “What Child is this?” The question that logically follows is, “What are you going to do about it? What have you done with Jesus?”

Everyone must answer that question. It will be on your final exam. Your eternal destiny will be determined by your answer. You will answer that question with saving faith in this life, or you will answer it at the Great White Throne judgment of the lost. As Christmas draws near we can be fully prepared for that exam. We have to know and believe in our hearts just who Jesus is.
• He is the King of kings.
• He is the Lord of lords.
• He is the One through whom God created all that there is.
• He is God’s Word.
• He is God’s image.
• He is God’s Son.
• And Jesus Christ is the Savior of all who will repent, and trust in Him alone.

Have you put your faith in the precious newborn baby wrapped in cloths and lying on a bed of hay in that stable in Bethlehem? Come to the manger, gaze upon the baby, trust Him, and then you’ll know in your heart “What Child this is.”

God is giving you Jesus this Christmas. Have you given yourself to Him? ~ Pray ~