A Look At Jesus #1

Preexistent and Eternal

Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash

My Desire

I have one desire in all of my writing.

It’s one desire with two parts.

First, I want to fix my eyes on Jesus continually, know him deeply, and love him more than everything.

Secondly, I want everything I do to exalt him. I want men and women to truly love him and not just know about him. This is why I write on Substack: that we may know Jesus. What I learn in private, I declare on the rooftop (Matthew 10:27)

With this as my focus: I want to show you, Jesus.

So, this series will set to focus on the beauty and wonder of Christ. It won’t be exhaustive, but I hope to refresh you with each post. I hope it encourages you. I hope you can see the reality that you are apart of, and I hope it radically changes every part of your life. I want us all to, look at Jesus!

Preexisting Jesus

Before Jesus entered the world, He was.

Before the rock was rolled away, He was.

The prophets saw him and spoke of his arrival. They longed for it!

Listen to Micah, he says,

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” —Micah 5:2

Where was Jesus born?

Bethlehem.

This was the plan.

In the beginning of Matthew, we read as he list out the lineage for us to gaze upon. We see that Jesus was from the line of Judah. We see he was in the line of king David.

Jesus was no second thought; He was the climax of the whole story!

The prophets saw this!

Notice secondly that Micah points out his preexisting life when he says,

“His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

In John, Jesus says this about himself when speaking of Abraham.

He says,

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” —John 8:56–58

Or consider Colossians 1:17, when it says,

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

This verse not only points to his preexistence, but even to the fact that he is the creator of all things! He sustains everything, right now, as I type.

John says at the beginning of his Gospel,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. —John 1:1-3

This is Jesus. He was the son who was sent. He was not made, but sent. This is the Messiah. This is the Incarnation. This is the I AM.

Isaiah points to his birth (Isaiah 9:6), Micah points to the location (Micah 5:2), Every covenant points to him, Abraham knew it, David knew it.

David writes,

“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’” —Psalm 2:6-7

Jesus was the planned true king.

Jesus was the planned high priest.

It says,

“The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” —Psalm 110:4

Jesus was the planned Messiah.

Jesus was before everything and everything points to him.

He is the reason why you and I exist and without him we have no life. His preexisting life is what carries our salvation and existence from now into eternity!

Our whole life is wrapped up in this very reality! Do you know this?

Look at Jesus!

Cling to Christ!