Teaching Notes

We made these huts at Williams' Camp one year. As I look at this picture the thought that crosses my mind is, what are you building your house out of? We built these huts out of craft sticks. We had to be careful. The warped ones or ones that were not straight could not be used because they would make the entire wall warped and unable to fit together. That is the truth about the word of God. If we want to have a spiritual house that is build right, we must reject any thoughts or ideas that would warp the truth and therefore cause our "walls" not to fit together. Are you building a strong house?

What Should I Know About Jesus?

John 1:5, 10-14 (The Message)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Notes: We went yesterday to the first book of the Bible, Genesis to explain the Godhead and to show that Jesus was always with God. Today we take a closer look at Jesus. In this piece of scripture it says the Word was with God and the Word was God. In this scripture the Word was said to become flesh and dwell among us. It was through this Word that everything was created and nothing was created that did not come through him.

Question: Who then is the Word?

Answer: Jesus is the Word. The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world. The fact that the scriptures tell us everything was made through Christ should give us assurance that he is well qualified for the work of our redemption and salvation. The scripture also tells us that many did not understand Jesus (the light that had come into this dark world). Many reject Jesus as the son of God therefore, they never receive the light of Christ. This scripture confirms for us that Jesus was in fact all divine. He was with God in the beginning and now he has come to earth and has taken on human flesh.

How do we understand from this scripture that Jesus was in fact all human? It is because the word says he dwelled among us. In order for him to be among us, he had to take on human flesh to become part of the human race. He was fully human yet fully divine. We should then know that Jesus was always with God and that through him everything was made. He came to earth at God's appointed time to redeem lost mankind. To do that he took on human flesh, yet he kept his divine nature so that he could become the final sacrifice for the sins of the world. We will discuss this more tomorrow. Why was Jesus the sacrifice for the world?

Prayer: Lord, today we say thank you for giving us understanding through your word about your son and his reason for coming to earth. You sent him so that all could come to a saving relationship with you. Help me this day to understand and grasp this truth. Help this seed to be planted in my heart and to grow stronger. Your word helps me to have a greater understanding of your ways. Thank you for loving me enough to share your wisdom with me.