Covenant Lord, Part 5: 'In the Beginning was the Word' John 1:1

We live in a day and age where the world is increasingly portrayed as mechanistic and based on little more than chance and random chemical exchanges. We are then left striving to find some sort of meaning and purpose as we seek to forge an identity for ourselves and find a sense of security in what is often perceived as a hostile environment – and yet we still have questions as to our identity.

Who am I, what am I and what is the meaning of life are all very important questions, and are questions that the Bible addresses and answers time and time again. We live in a world created by the One who is like a father and have been placed in this world to receive His love and to share His love with others; but do we recognise this?

How many of us are prepared to slow down and recognise that we are part of God’s plan! We are the beneficiaries of God’s plan, the plan forged for us by the most offended person in history who still seeks to reach out to us with a love that does not compromise holiness. As scripture clearly reveals in so many places, God has always been committed to the salvation of man and the restoration of all things (Eph 1:4 Titus 1:1-2, 1 Peter 1:19-20, Rev 13:8) and one of the ways He does this is through covenant.

In the Bible we see that God is the one who takes the initiative in establishing covenants as He formulates them and offers them to man as a means of help and support. Despite the fact that we are the ones who break God’s laws and damage His world as we live our own way, God is still willing to offer the most precious gift a person can offer: Himself. In grace and mercy God makes covenant and gives Himself to us through covenant (ultimately seen in Jesus; John 3:16; Phil 2:5-11).

A covenant is something that is conferred upon man, who is always the receiver, and in all God’s covenants with man we see God’s love, grace, mercy and holiness towards those who deserve nothing. Therefore, in the Bible, the term ‘covenant’ speaks of the deep binding relationship that God forges with His people.  We may ask, “How can this be possible, since God is so holy and does not compromise His holiness in any way?” The answer to this question is Jesus Christ, who met the full requirements of God’s law and then gave His life as a sin-offering so that we could find forgiveness and reconciliation. As John writes in his gospel, Jesus is the expressed word of God (John 1:1).

In Hebrew thought the term ‘word’ speaks of the sum of that which is spoken with, for example,  the Ten Commandments often being called the ten words (‘dabar’) that direct, protect and strengthen those who embrace them. In Jesus we see the living Word (John 1:1), the One who most clearly reveals the heart and mind of God who entered darkness in order to bring us into the light (John 8:12).

Jesus was born through the natural process of childbirth, yet as the Pre-incarnate Son of God was older than the stars that shone on the night of His arrival. As sinless man He stood on earth, veiled in flesh, He is Immanuel (God with us) who came to die our place. And how did Jesus do this? He did so in the weakness of the flesh (Phil 2:5-8) and as One who was willing to sacrifice everything out of love for His Father and the joy of offering salvation to rebels such as you and I. He became the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) and then triumphed over the grave (Phil 2:9-11) having disarmed all powers and authorities (Col 2:15, Rom 8:38-9)

Jesus’ entire history was a revelation of his involvement in our needs - the needs of those who have no rightful claim on His care. Yet we are called upwards into covenant relationship through Christ, and in doing so are called to become what we were meant to be right from the beginning: sons and daughters of the living God.  Like many fairy stories, we are the pauper who becomes the prince or princess; yet unlike a fairy story, this story is true. Therefore, through His incredible grace, mercy and loving-kindness, we are called to declare that God is love (1 John 4:16), to a world that is often fragmented and impersonal.

Jesus was and is the most spiritual person who has ever walked these earthly realms. Whilst on earth He was totally rooted in His Father’s will, and totally established His ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you want to understand what true spirituality is then just look at Jesus, who is the only reason we can be in a relationship with God and know Him as a Father.
The purpose of covenant living here and now is to receive all the blessings that our father has through the work of His Son. In Him all the promises of God are “Yes” (2 Cor 1:20). Through the work of Jesus, the Spirit of God lives within us to empower us as we are transformed (Rom 12:2) by grace and mercy. We are living stones (1 Peter 2:5), indwelt by the Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and called to minister through all we have by way of fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

God is the One who knows the number of hairs on our head, speaking of intimacy and awareness (Luke 12:7) and sees the two small coins given by a widow, (Luke 21:2). Our Father has entered into covenant with us through His One and only Son and never sees anything or anyone as small and insignificant. He is aware of every small deed and accepts all that comes from an open heart – even something as small as a glass of water (Mark 9:41). The Church is His and is therefore part of His ongoing work of reconciliation as He sets the lonely in families (Ps 68:5-6) and leads us into eternity with Him (Psalm, 93:2).  In Jesus we see that ‘God has crossed the road to stand with us’ as He reached out to the likes of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5), a woman caught in adultery (John 8:11), a Samaritan woman trying to hide in the head of the day (John 4:7f) and a terrorist on a cross (Luke 23:43). In Jesus we see the One who said to a grief-stricken widow, “Woman don’t cry” and then raised her only son from the dead. In all that Jesus did we clearly see what God looks like and as covenant children we are called to point to Him in all that we do. Thankfully we have never been asked to do this on our own because He has sent the Holy Spirit to helps us bear covenant-fruit and covenant-gifting in all that we do (2 Cor 4:6) as we serve Him in reaching out to those around us (Matthew 5:14).
 
Be blessed and be encouraged.
Written and produced by Pastor Jem 2017