Before The Beginning |05-03-26|

May 03, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Eternal Word Before Dawn

The room held no light when God spoke. Before stars burned or oceans stirred, the Word already was. John’s opening line crashes against time itself: “In the beginning” echoes Genesis, but shifts focus to the One who predates dawn. Jesus—the Logos—existed before atoms, before angels, before the first breath of creation. He wasn’t made; He simply was. [29:56]

This truth shatters small views of Christ. The Word isn’t a helper God recruited mid-story. He’s the eternal Son, present at creation’s first syllable. When Genesis says “God said,” John reveals it was Jesus speaking galaxies into being. Your Savior didn’t begin in Bethlehem—He stepped into time from eternity’s throne.

Do you limit Jesus to His earthly ministry? Do you forget He holds your past, present, and future in His eternal hands? Write Genesis 1:1 in your Bible’s margin. Circle “beginning.” Draw an arrow to John 1:1. Let the connection anchor you: the One who formed light still illuminates your darkness. When chaos threatens, whose eternal presence steadies your heart?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
(John 1:1, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for existing before your fears, failures, or needs began.
Challenge: Write Genesis 1:1 in your Bible’s margin with John 1:1’s reference beside it.

Day 2: With God in the Unseen

Father and Son faced one another in the void. No angels watched. No earth spun. Yet perfect communion thrived. “The Word was with God” paints intimacy—two distinct Persons sharing one divine essence. The Trinity isn’t a math problem to solve but a love to marvel at: Jesus enjoyed the Father’s presence long before Mary held Him. [42:20]

This changes how you pray. Jesus didn’t learn compassion at Nazareth; He carried heaven’s heart into time. When He called God “Abba,” it echoed an eternal relationship. Your access to the Father comes through the Son who’s always known Him.

Who do you struggle to love today? Name them aloud. Then whisper: “Jesus, You loved the Father before time. Teach me to love like You.” How might mirroring Their communion transform your relationships?

“He was in the beginning with God.”
(John 1:2, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to deepen your trust in His eternal unity with the Father.
Challenge: Text one person: “I prayed for you today, remembering Christ’s unchanging love.”

Day 3: The Word Was God

Cults whisper, “He’s divine, but not God.” John roars: “The Word WAS God.” Greek grammar leaves no wiggle room—Jesus shares the Father’s essence. Thomas touched resurrected flesh and cried, “My Lord and my God!” Christ didn’t correct him. The nail-scarred Rabbi accepted worship reserved for Yahweh alone. [57:09]

This truth demands response. A “good teacher” can inspire morals. Only God can bear your sin’s weight. Your faith rests on Christ’s deity—if He’s less, salvation crumbles.

Where have you diluted Jesus’ divinity to fit modern sensibilities? Open your hands. Confess: “You are God.” Then read Hebrews 1:8 aloud. What shifts when you worship Christ as fully divine?

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”
(Hebrews 1:8, ESV)

Prayer: Confess areas where you’ve doubted Christ’s deity. Declare His lordship.
Challenge: Underline every “God” referring to Jesus in John 1:1-18 with a red pen.

Day 4: Creator’s Voice in Clay

Darkness fled when He spoke. Stars blazed where He pointed. John 1:3 stamps “MADE BY JESUS” on creation. The hands later pierced for you crafted hummingbirds, glaciers, and your fingerprints. Yet He entered His masterpiece as a crying infant, letting His creatures nail Him to wood. [39:44]

You’re not a cosmic accident. The Architect who shaped Orion also shaped your story. Your pain, joy, and mundane moments matter to the One who scripted time.

List three parts of creation that awe you (e.g., oak roots, child’s laughter). Thank Jesus for designing each. How does knowing He shaped galaxies AND your soul change today’s worries?

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
(John 1:3, ESV)

Prayer: Praise Jesus for creating something specific in your life today (e.g., a relationship, skill).
Challenge: Take a 5-minute walk observing creation. Thank Christ aloud for one thing He made.

Day 5: Believing the Uncreated Name

John wrote so you’d “believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31). Not a prophet. Not an angel. GOD. Eternal. Uncreated. The early church fought heresies; today’s world still dims His light. But truth remains: your salvation hinges on Christ’s divine identity. [01:02:35]

Doubts will come. When they do, return to John 1:1 like a foundation stone. The Word who was God still speaks. His eternal nature secures your eternal life.

Write “JESUS WAS GOD” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly. Each glance, whisper: “My Lord and my God.” What stronghold trembles when you declare His deity?

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
(John 20:28, ESV)

Prayer: Ask boldness to proclaim Christ’s divinity to one person this week.
Challenge: Memorize John 1:1-2. Recite it aloud before bed tonight.

Sermon Summary

The congregation received announcements about building progress, a call for Bible school volunteers, and urgent prayer for a child facing medical uncertainty. Worship opened with John 4 23 24 as a guide: God seeks worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. Attention then turned to the opening lines of the Gospel according to John, where the prologue pushes readers all the way back to Genesis and the act of creation. John insists that the Word existed at the beginning, that the Word stood with God, and that the Word was God.

John connects the Greek term logos to the Old Testament habit of divine speech. Creation in Genesis repeatedly happens through the phrase and God said, and John identifies that creative speech with a person. The logos did not come into being; the logos eternally existed and brought all things into being. This reading defends against claims that Jesus is a created being or one god among many.

The prologue also frames the doctrine of the triunity. Scripture affirms one divine essence alongside real personal distinctions. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share the same divine nature yet relate to one another in distinct ways. John grounds these claims in passages that show the Father as God, the Spirit as God, and the Son as God, including the scene where Thomas addresses the risen Jesus as my Lord and my God.

Practical instruction accompanies doctrine. Readers receive an invitation to carry a Bible habitually, take notes, and let doctrine shape conversation with others who deny Jesus deity. The apostolic aim appears clearly: these words exist so that readers may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing gain life in his name. The prologue concludes with an image of God stepping into his own story, incarnating the eternal Word to redeem a people for himself. The service closed with prayer asking for deeper faith, a clearer love for Christ, and specific intercession for the child and family in need.

Key Takeaways

1. The Word existed before creation John begins by placing the logos prior to Genesis creation. That affirmation rejects any timeline in which the Son comes into being and insists on continuous past existence. This claim protects worship from reducing Jesus to a mere creature and calls believers to see Jesus as the eternal ground of all reality. [27:22]
2. The Word creates by speaking Scripture repeatedly links creation to divine speech, and John identifies that speech with a person. Creation happens when God speaks, demonstrating that language and will are not secondary but active means of bringing being into existence. Recognizing the Word as the agent of creation reframes how scripture reads God’s ongoing work in word and sacrament. [38:26]
3. One God in three persons The text insists on both unity of essence and distinction of persons within the Godhead. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share full deity while remaining personally distinct in relation and role. Holding both truths keeps worship properly directed to one God without collapsing relational differences into modalism or dividing the divine essence into parts. [43:34]
4. Belief in Christ brings life John states his purpose plainly: these writings aim to produce faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Faith here is not mere assent but trust that results in participation in the life he gives. Doctrine comes not as abstract knowledge but as the means by which people find salvation and adopt a new identity in Christ. [63:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:14] - Building updates and volunteer needs
[04:53] - Prayer for Maddie Barkman
[05:20] - Call to worship: spirit and truth
[22:44] - Opening prayer and John prologue
[27:22] - In the beginning was the Word
[36:41] - Logos and the Old Testament
[38:26] - Creation by the Logos
[41:24] - The Word was with God
[44:57] - The Word was God
[63:54] - Believe and have life in his name
[72:34] - Benediction and final prayers

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 1:1-3 (ESV)
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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 20:31 (ESV)
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Observation Questions

What three claims does John 1:1-2 make about the Word?
How does John connect the "Word" to the act of creation in Genesis 1:1-3? [38:26]
What does Thomas’s declaration in John 20:28 reveal about Jesus’ identity?
According to John 20:31, what is the purpose of the Gospel’s message?

Interpretation Questions

Why does John begin his Gospel by linking Jesus to the creation account in Genesis? [27:22]
How does the phrase "the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1) clarify both the unity and distinction within the Trinity? [43:34]
What does it mean for Jesus to be the "logos" (Word), and how does this refute claims that He is merely a created being? [31:08]
How does the doctrine of the Trinity shape our understanding of God’s nature and His work in salvation?

Application Questions

If someone told you, “Jesus was a good teacher but not God,” how would you use John 1:1-3 to respond? [31:08]
The sermon emphasized carrying a Bible and taking notes to engage with doctrine. What practical step could you take this week to deepen your understanding of Jesus’ divinity? [25:47]
How might trusting in Jesus’ eternal nature (His existence before creation) change the way you pray during seasons of uncertainty or suffering? [34:23]
Thomas called Jesus “my Lord and my God” after seeing His wounds (John 20:28). What doubts or struggles in your life could be met by declaring Jesus’ lordship today?
John 20:31 says belief in Jesus brings life. How can you intentionally share this truth with someone who views faith as mere tradition or rules?

Sermon Clips

54s

#LogosNotCreated

“Heresy that attacks and assaults the very nature of Jesus. The opening words of John's gospel will protect you from such heresy. John declares that the word is not a created being. As many cults will tell you, Jesus is a god amongst many gods and there was a time in which he didn't exist there was a time in which he was created. John says, no. The logos, the word, Jesus is not a created being. There was not a time when the word of God did not exist and then began to exist. At the beginning of creation, the word was there.”

45s

#WorshipConfirmsDivinity

“How many times throughout the gospel accounts do we read of somebody falling down and worshiping Jesus and Jesus not once stops them and says, Wait, wait, wait. That worship is reserved for God alone. No. He receives worship for God alone. Why? Because he is God. The Apostle John begins his gospel by writing the words, In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Not like many cults would say, well, he is a God.”

44s

#GodBecameFleshToSave

“The one true God who put on flesh and came into his own creation to save and redeem sinners. That is the mission statement of the apostle. I pray that as we go through this book that that would be exactly what is accomplished, that we would know him, that we would trust him, that we would adore him, that we would worship him. Our hope would be as Vance said in his communion preparation, that if somebody asks you why are you gonna go to heaven when you die, that it wouldn't be because I, it would be because he. The one true and living God put on flesh and he accomplished everything that I might be forgiven.”

39s

#GodIsUndivided

“God cannot be divided. You can't make a pie chart of God. He is God and when we speak of God being God, we are speaking of all that he is all of the time. And the church confesses that God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit are of the same essence. But we must also understand understand the the persons of God. When we speak of the person of God, we are addressing not the what is God, but the who is God.”

45s

#ThomasWantedProof

“I think sometimes we read those words and we just move on past. Jesus was dead, murdered, crucified. They watched him get stuck with a spear in his side. He is dead and now they say, we have seen him, he is alive. But, Thomas said to them, unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, obviously, where he was pierced, he said, will never believe. I cannot believe after seeing Jesus in the shape he was in, he was beaten to death.”

35s

#MyLordMyGodDeclaration

“And I can guarantee you this, if Jesus was nothing more than a good teacher, if Jesus was nothing more than a good rabbi, but he was not God in flesh, he would have said right there, woah, woah, woah, Thomas. Slow down. I I I am not God, so let's not go there. That is blasphemy. But Thomas's declaration when he sees the risen Christ, as he looks at Jesus, seeing his hands, seeing his side and his declaration is my Lord and my God.”

29s

#TrinityExplainedSimply

“This passage is is vitally important for our understanding of the doctrine of the trinity, That God is one in essence, at the same time, God is three in person. You need if you're a Christian, you need to be able to answer this. If somebody comes up to you at school or somebody comes up to you at work and says, hey, you Christians are weird. Do you believe in one God or do you believe in three gods? You need to be able to answer that question.”

41s

#TheWordIsGod

“Here's what the apostle would have us to take away this morning. The one true and living God, the God who created all things, He's about to tell us he put on flesh. He came into his own creation to accomplish everything that is necessary for sinners to be saved. As we progress through this book of the bible, I beg of you not to forget the truths that have been presented to us in these opening lines. The word is God.”

Ask a question about this sermon

FBC Holton This sermon · AI assistant

How does logos relate to creation and Christ?

What distinguishes God's essence from his persons?

Why is Jesus identified as the eternal Word?

Before The Beginning |05-03-26|

Devotional

Day 1: Eternal Word Before Dawn

Day 2: With God in the Unseen

Day 3: The Word Was God

Day 4: Creator’s Voice in Clay

Day 5: Believing the Uncreated Name

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Before The Beginning |05-03-26|

Share