 Now this evening we're talking about the pre-incarnate Christ, the pre-incarnate Christ. This is our series on Christology. We're calling the series The Glorious Christ, roughly 18 sermons or so on the best subject matter imaginable. I love your prayer, brother. It's like we have no want because we have you. What a glorious blessing the Lord Jesus Christ is. And so it's a great joy for us to be able to consider him during these sermons on the glorious Christ over the next 17, 18 weeks. And this evening in particular we're discussing the pre-incarnate Christ, the pre-incarnate Christ. And I thought a good place to begin would be a text that we have looked at before in our study through John on Sunday mornings. And that is the prologue of the Gospel of John, John chapter one beginning in verse one, where the Bible says verse one 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 were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it and dropped down to verse 14. And the word, that word which is the subject of John's prologue, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. John bore witness of him and cried out saying, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness we have all received in grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. The pre-incarnate Christ. When we consider the person of the Lord Jesus Christ from the scriptures, we have to remind ourselves when we go through these sermons and as we're working through this series that we're not simply talking about theology. Right? This is not a novel theological discussion or idea. John in John chapter one, John through the gospel of John, isn't writing these words. He's not writing his gospel to introduce a concept. You're not being introduced to an ideology, a religious system per se, or a philosophy, an idea. You're being introduced to a person, a person of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to John chapter 20 verse 31, John's purpose for writing is to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in him, his person and his work, you and I might have life in his name. So the gospel of John, if you think of chapter 20 verse 31, you might think that that was only referring to unbelievers. But the gospel of John is not written merely or only to unbelievers. Believers too must persevere in their believing. They must believe in his name, going on to believe in his name, and endure to the end believing in his name to be saved. So the Holy Spirit through the pen of John teaches that we must abide in him, in the person and work, abide in those promises, abide in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. John chapter 15 verse 6, Jesus says, if anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. They gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. These things have eternal significance. We're not just talking about good information. This is information for transformation, right? Good information for life transformation. We're talking about a person. The Holy Spirit through these texts and through his presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ, both Old Testament and New Testament, intends to, through that revelation, intends to awaken faith in the unbeliever and sustain or preserve faith in the believer. And one person has said that there may be no better book in the Bible than the Gospel of John to help us to see that and to treasure Christ above all. For that reason, we can't simply consider Christ as we work through our series on Christology. We can't simply consider these things about Christ, these aspects of his character, his attributes. We can't consider them merely from our head. We need that information to make its way from our head to our heart and we need to consider these things and meditate on these things from the heart. These things should provoke awe, should provoke worship, should provoke wonder and amazement at who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Paul said, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up in glory. We should be enamored with those things. Those should cause our affections for him to rise. So tonight as we continue our study of Christology, we're considering the pre-incarnate Christ. Jesus is often thought of as being in three different states or modes of existence. We think of Jesus in his pre-existent state, referenced here in John 1.1. We think of Jesus in his earthly or his temporal human existence when he took on flesh, came in the form of a man being found in the appearance of a man, his incarnation, and then lastly, the heavenly state of exaltation and glory after his resurrection from the dead. However, we think about it together. I know we've introduced these concepts as we've been working through the gospel of John. From the time of his incarnation, he is and forever will be the God-man, 100% God, fully God, 100% man, fully man. In our study of John, we've come to see that his humiliation, his humbling when he took on flesh, when he made himself of no reputation, in his humiliation, in his incarnation, that incarnation, that humiliation led to and was encompassed in or enveloped in what would become his subsequent exaltation in his suffering at Calvary. And both his humiliation and his subsequent exaltation and his subsequent glory in heaven are all connected together in his person and work as the God-man. So as we consider that, then it's best to think of the Lord Jesus Christ as consisting in two states, not three. His pre-existent state and his incarnation, his pre-incarnate state and his humiliation and exaltation. And those two states, masterfully, beautifully, clearly, profoundly stated in the prologue of John's gospel, John chapter one, verse one. His pre-incarnate state in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him, nothing was made that was made. He pre-existed all creation. In him was life. He is the source of life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. That's his pre-incarnate state. Now we have the coming of the God-man. Look at verse 14, the coming of the God-man and the Word, that Word became flesh. It was not a beginning, it was a becoming, right? Not a beginning of becoming. That Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. And John bore witness of that, cried out saying, this is he of whom I said, he who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness, we have all received grace for grace. The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, now incarnate, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. So why is this important to understand? We consider these states of the Lord Jesus Christ specifically tonight, his pre-incarnate state. Why is it important to understand what that's all about? There's many reasons. And listen, we will be meditating on and considering and worshipping the Lord for these realities for all of eternity, right? Worshipping the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many reasons, but here's a start, okay? And we're going to just scratch the surface tonight on this subject. There are many who would say that Jesus Christ is nothing more than a prophet, no more than a great teacher. Lord Jesus Christ is simply a great example of the moral life that people should live. He's an example of love, an example of compassion. He certainly is, amen? But that's merely and only what he is. Just an example of compassion. They have respect for Jesus. Many would say that he is a great man. Deepak Chopra says that Jesus is a state of consciousness that we can all aspire to. Whatever that means. The Dalai Lama says that Jesus is either a fully enlightened human being or a very high spiritual realization. Whatever that is. Mahatma Gandhi. He was certainly the highest example of one who wished to give everything, asking nothing in return, not caring what creed might happen to be professed by the recipient. You can get that, not caring what creed might happen to be professed by the recipient. I'm sure that if you were, that's the same Lord Jesus Christ who said, if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. He goes on, I'm sure that if you were living here now among men, he would bless the lives of many who perhaps have never even heard of his name. If only their lives embodied the virtues of which he was a living example on earth. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals, they all give honor to a false Christ while dishonoring the true Christ of the Bible. And one has said, if Christ shares the nature of God, then we are called to worship him without cessation, obey him without hesitation, love him without reservation, and serve him without interruption. To him be the glory forever. Amen. John's chief reason, again many reasons to consider the pre-incarnate state, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. John's chief reason is this, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the believing you may have life in his name. Again, let's consider John 1.1. In the beginning was the Word, was the Word. 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 were made through him. Without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life. Life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. This is a clear statement. John 1.1, a clear statement of the eternality, the eternality of the Word of God, the eternal Son. There never was a time when the Word was not. The Word always was. When the beginning started, Christ was already present. Do you see? There was a time when there was no universe. There was a time when there was no matter, no space, no time, but there never was nothing because the Word always was. All other things in these verses are said to have come into beginning. Verse 3, all things came into being. Verse 3, without him nothing came into being that came into being. Verse 6, there came into being a man whose name was John. Verse 10, the world came into being. Everything came into being, but the Word was using a verb to mean to be. That verb, I mean, in the present active indicative, it means he was always and continually present. It's a present active. You can't speak of the Lord Jesus Christ really as being in any way eternally in the past tense or eternally ever stopping being in the future tense. He was and is and is to come. This speaks of the words pre-existence, pre-existence. He was not a beginning but a becoming. Before Abraham was, I am, the Lord Jesus Christ said. Revelation chapter 1, verse 8, he is the Alpha and the Omega. He is interminable, no beginning and no end, infinite, induration, eternal, existing outside of time. And as such, there can be no distinction between deity and pre-existence, between deity and eternality. They co-exist. He is God in the flesh because he is, is, like always. There is no distinction between deity and eternality. John 1-1, 1 John 1-1, that which was from the beginning, when is that eternity past? That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life, the Lord Jesus Christ. If that's the case, if that's the case, then we should expect to see evidence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity throughout the Old Testament, shouldn't we? And we do. He is God. He is the second person of the Trinity. He has always existed. He was there in the beginning with God. We should expect to see him throughout the scriptures and we do. In John chapter 5, verse 39, the Lord says, you search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify of me. What scriptures was he referring to? It's the Old Testament, the Old Testament. Luke chapter 24, in verse 25, when he was giving a gentle rebuke to Cleopas, he said to them as they walked along the road on the way to Emmaus, oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. As we look at the Bible, Old Testament, New Testament of course, we see Jesus Christ in terms of his pre-incarnate state in many ways in the scriptures. We see the Lord Jesus Christ in the fulfillment of all these Old Testament promises. We're going to be looking at those as we work through this text in John chapter 19 on Sunday mornings. He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, promises. We see him as the subject of Old Testament prophecies. There were many prophecies in the Old Testament written about the Lord Jesus Christ. We can see the Lord Jesus Christ pre-incarnate as the subject of these promises, as the subject of these prophecies. We also see him, we see him in the Old Testament on the pages of scripture. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 16. I'm going to spend a few minutes speaking about this particular aspect of his pre-incarnate state from the scriptures. One of the first examples that we have is in Genesis chapter 16. We have time tonight just to give you a few examples of many in the Bible. That's maybe a subject you want to take up and consider for yourself in your own personal study. Well worth your time. Genesis chapter 16, and this is when an account of Abram and Sarai, Abram is impatient, Sarai impatient here, showing weakness, a lack of faith, and trusting God for the child of promise. Abraham is sent into her maid servants quarters. Abraham taking matters into his own hand goes to lie with Hagar. Hagar has Ishmael. We drop down to verse 7. Hagar with Ishmael have been cast out. It says in verse 7, that now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to sure. And he said, this is the angel of the Lord speaking to Hagar. He said verse 8, Hagar, Sarai's maid. Where have you come from and where are you going? She said, I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai. The angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand. Then the angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply your descendants exceedingly so that they shall not be counted for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said to her, behold, you are with child. You shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man. His hand shall be against every man and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And look at Hagar's response here to the angel of the Lord in verse 13. Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, you are the God who sees. For she said, have I also here seen him who sees me? Therefore the well was called Bir Lahai Roy. Observe it is between Kadesh and Barad. So Hagar bore Abram a son. Abram named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abraham. Now Genesis chapter 16, we're introduced here to the angel of the Lord. The Hebrew word for angel, Malak, had the basic idea of one who is sent. An angel meant a messenger. One commentator said this, of the 214 usages of the Hebrew term used for angel in the Old Testament. About one third of them refer to what is labeled by theologians as a Christophany, a temporary appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. And here specifically we see Hagar referring to the God whom she sees and the God who sees her. Flip the page and look at Genesis 22. Genesis 22. And again we're looking specifically at Old Testament appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ. Pre-incarnate Christ. Genesis chapter 22 looked down at verse 6, the account of Abraham about to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Verse 6, so Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and he laid it on Isaac his son and he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, my father, and he said, here I'm, I, my son. Then he said, look the fire and the wood, but where's the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, my son, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering and so the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Verse 11, but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham, so he said, here I am. The angel of the Lord said, verse 12, do not let your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went, took the ram, offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son and Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide as it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided. Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and he said, by myself I have sworn says the Lord. So we have the angel of the Lord in Genesis chapter 16 in Genesis chapter 22 we hear the voice of the angel of the Lord out of heaven and the angel of the Lord in verse 15 identifies himself as the Lord swearing by himself as the Lord often has and does by myself I have sworn says the Lord because you have done this thing, have not withheld your son your only son blessing I will bless you multiplying I will multiply you, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies in your seat all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice what voice is that it's the angel of the Lord it's God himself. So Abraham returned to his young man they rose and went together to Beersheba Abraham dwelt at Beersheba look at Isaiah chapter 6 again time prevents us here but just a few examples of many Isaiah chapter 6 Isaiah chapter 6 and look at verse 1 we're familiar with this text Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1 in the year that king Uzziah died I Isaiah speaking here saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up what is God the catechism question goes right God is spirit spirit invisible here Isaiah says I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up the train of his robe filled the temple above it stood seraphim each one had six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet and with two he flew and one cried to another and said holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory and the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke so I said Isaiah said in verse 5 woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts and one of the seraphim flew to me having it in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar and he touched my mouth with it and said behold this has touched your lips your iniquity has taken away your sin purged he also heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us and I said here am I send me flip with me to John chapter 12 John chapter 12 want corroborating evidence of who specifically Isaiah saw here in Isaiah chapter 6 we find that testified of in John chapter 12 and look down beginning at verse 37 so this is John chapter 12 verse 37 where John writes but although he had done so many signs before them speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ they did not believe in him so that verse 38 the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke Lord who has believed our report and to whom as the arm of the Lord been revealed that's a quotation directly from Isaiah chapter 6 right we were just in that text a quote from Isaiah chapter 6 verse 39 therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes lest they should understand with their hearts in turn so that I should heal them again another quotation directly from Isaiah chapter 6 then look at what John says in verse 41 these things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him what's the antecedent to his and him he's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ Isaiah saw and Isaiah 6 Isaiah saw the Lord Jesus Christ on his throne high and lifted up the train of his robe filling the temple above his throne stood seraphim six wings two he covered his face two he covered his feet with two he flew and they cried before the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory I notice here for example for a minute that I've given you concrete examples we're looking at concrete examples of where scripture clearly states that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ and there's a warning in this and the warning is this that with these things don't become speculative you know don't become imaginative with the word of God as it relates to these things speculation does not lead to sanctification all right we can't become speculative and many people have become speculative over these kinds of things one preacher said that God's people need solid food not possible food right we're not to be enamored with those things that might be we're to focus on those things that are God's people need better powers of observation not better powers of speculation right when you think of other places was it was it the Lord Jesus Christ who was said to have walked in the cool of the day in the garden with Adam and Eve we can't speculate about those things we're looking specifically at concrete examples from scripture that tell us clearly who the angel of the Lord was and when he appeared and how he appeared and who he was when he appeared a better awe and a better appreciation will be for what the scripture reveals as what is not what might be we have to dig for what is actually in the text considering our time other than what we see in the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ and the Old Testament what was the pre-incarnate state of the Son of God the pre-incarnate state of the Son of God we have various examples of this in scripture one comes from John chapter 17 verse one I'm just going to read that to you John 17 Jesus spoke these words he lifted up his eyes to heaven and he said father the hour has come glorify your son that your son also may glorify you you have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him and this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent I have glorified you on the earth I have finished the work that you have given me to do and now oh father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was the glory that he had with God before his incarnation included in that glory that pre-incarnate glory of the Son of God in the words of Micah in chapter five verse two you Bethlehem Ephrata though you are little among the thousands of Judah yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel whose going forth goings forth are from old from everlasting in other words he was eternal he was also eternally the lamb of God revelation chapter 13 verse 8 it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them and authority was given him over every tribe tongue and nation all who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the book of life of the lamb slain when from the foundation of the world right eternally the lamb of God he was eternally the son in John chapter five eternally the son this is called the doctrine of the eternal generation of the son John chapter five verse 24 most assuredly I say to you the Lord Jesus Christ speaking he who hears my word and believes in him who has sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life most assuredly I say to you the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live for as the father has a life in himself so he has granted the Son this is eternal granting the eternal generation he has granted the Son to have life in himself he was eternally the Son he was eternally the only begotten the unique Son of God so much to say so much to consider this should provoke God's people to worship amen let's pray Father in heaven when we thank you for what your word reveals of your Son our Lord the Lord Jesus Christ we worship you and we praise you Lord for who you are and what you have done for sinners all glory praise honor blessing dominion majesty be to the lamb who sits on the throne we praise you and we worship you and we thank you for what you've done to save us to redeem us to bear the penalty that was due us for our sin and we will forever worship the lamb who lamb who was slain from before the foundation of the world thank you Lord for these immeasurable and infinite gifts it's for your glory God we know for our good we love you and thank you for it in Jesus name amen