Christology, The Attributes of Jesus. (Full Sunday Service)

Jul 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Eternal "First and Last" Beyond Dusty Roads

When life crumbles like Babylon’s temple, Jesus remains the same eternal God who declared Himself "the first and the last" to enslaved Israelites and a persecuted John. His identity transcends time, geography, and circumstance. The One who shaped galaxies still holds broken lives. Those feeling abandoned discover He was present before their pain began and will remain after it fades. [54:13]

"This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last. Apart from me there is no God."
(Isaiah 44:6, ESV)

Reflection: What situation feels too permanent for change? How might Jesus’ eternal nature reshape your view of this struggle?

Day 2: Worship When Chains Clank Louder Than Praise

John praised while imprisoned; Israelites doubted while enslaved. Both faced chains, but only one saw Christ’s nail-scarred hand rest on their shoulder. True worship isn’t denial of pain but defiance against despair. When temples lie in ruins, songs become hammers rebuilding hope. The same hand that comforted John lifts weary heads today. [52:26]

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!'"
(Revelation 1:17–18, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to replace complaint with worship this week? What song or truth could become your defiance against despair?

Day 3: The Unchanging Hand That Holds Collapsing Worlds

Babylon’s captives questioned God’s power; modern believers doubt His consistency. Yet the hands that formed planets still steer history. Jesus remains the same Savior who calmed storms, forgave betrayals, and conquered death. His unchanging nature means yesterday’s miracles fuel today’s trust. When everything shifts, His grip never loosens. [01:06:29]

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
(Hebrews 13:8, ESV)

Reflection: What unstable area of your life most needs the anchor of Christ’s consistency? How can you actively remember His faithfulness today?

Day 4: More Powerful Than Your Most Persistent Failure

Legions of demons fled His voice; your recurring sin cowers at His authority. The lie that “this time is too far” dies at the cross. Jesus’ resurrection power outmuscles addiction, shame, and cycles of defeat. Those feeling owned by failure discover they’re already owned by grace. [01:10:08]

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'"
(Matthew 28:18, ESV)

Reflection: Which repeated struggle have you secretly believed might be beyond Christ’s reach? How can you wield His authority over it today?

Day 5: Persistent Praise as Spiritual Warfare Armor

Praise isn’t denial—it’s demolition. The Israelites saw ruins; John saw Revelation. Worship reframes battles as altars. Every “thank You” chips at despair’s walls. When prisons feel permanent, songs become crowbars. The same God who turned John’s cell into a sanctuary transforms kitchens, commutes, and crisis rooms into holy ground. [01:16:51]

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
(Colossians 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: What current challenge could become your praise anthem? How might singing truth aloud shift your perspective this week?

Sermon Summary

The question of attributes presses deeper than surface characteristics. An attribute explains why a person does what that person does, not just what other people notice. That question becomes weighty when it turns toward Jesus, because faith in what Jesus says about the future depends on knowing who Jesus is right now, who he was, and who he is to come.

Isaiah 44 speaks to people who were free and then became slaves again. Israel had known rescue from Egypt, had received the promised land, had worshiped at the temple, and then watched Jerusalem become rubble. The Lord speaks into that discouragement, not with soft religious talk, but with his own name: “Israel’s king and redeemer, the Lord Almighty.” The Lord says, “I am the first and I am the last. Apart from me, there is no other God.” That matters when Babylon looks stronger, when the temple is destroyed, and when God’s people wonder whether God is still powerful enough to help.

Revelation answers Isaiah with Jesus. John is also in prison, but John is worshiping on the Lord’s Day. Jesus appears in glory, John falls down like a dead man, and Jesus puts his right hand on him and says, “Do not be afraid.” Then Jesus says the same thing the Lord said in Isaiah: “I am the first and the last.” Revelation repeats it again to Smyrna and again at the end of the whole Bible: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The title that belonged to the Lord Almighty belongs to Jesus.

The attributes of God therefore belong to Jesus. God is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting, and Jesus already existed “in the beginning.” Before Abraham, before Moses, before Noah, before Adam and Eve, Jesus existed. God never changes, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is omnipotent, and Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

The power of Jesus is not beaten by sickness, storms, demons, death, or that stubborn personal sin that keeps making a believer feel defeated. Sin gets too much power when it convinces a forgiven person that Jesus can handle everything except that one failure. Jesus is not just some guy who walked the dusty roads of Jerusalem. Jesus is Lord, Israel’s King, the Redeemer, the Lord Almighty, the first and the last, and that truth needs to make a difference on Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is first and last The title given to the Lord in Isaiah is placed on the lips of Jesus in Revelation. That is not a small connection or a cute Bible trivia moment. The one who comforts enslaved Israel is the same Lord who lays his hand on John and says, “Do not be afraid.” [49:33]
2. Prison can become worship Isaiah’s audience sits in captivity questioning God’s strength, while John sits in captivity worshiping on the Lord’s Day. The contrast exposes how suffering can either shrink God in the imagination or become the place where his glory is seen more clearly. John’s prison did not cancel Jesus’ reign, and hard circumstances do not get the final word on who Jesus is. [52:01]
3. Jesus existed before everything Jesus must not be left on the dusty roads of Jerusalem as if his life began in Bethlehem. John’s “in the beginning” reaches back to Genesis and says the Word was already there. Faith becomes sturdier when Jesus is seen not merely as helper, healer, or teacher, but as the eternal Lord of creation. [59:59]
4. Sin has too much authority The heart can believe Jesus defeated death, demons, sickness, and storms, while still doubting that he can forgive one repeated sin. That doubt quietly gives sin a throne it has no right to occupy. Forgiveness does not mean sin is harmless, but it does mean sin is not stronger than the Redeemer. [70:08]
5. Christ’s name gives authority The name of Jesus gives authority to proclaim salvation, stand as forgiven, pray with power, and practice persistent praise. That authority is not bravado or religious hype. It comes from seeing Jesus where he belongs, not tucked behind daily worries, but lifted up as Lord of all creation. [74:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:29] - Gratitude After Traveling
[35:50] - Attributes Versus Characteristics
[39:33] - Why Christology Matters
[40:17] - Isaiah’s Setting And Israel’s Failure
[43:13] - Slaves Again In Babylon
[48:05] - The Lord, King And Redeemer
[49:33] - I Am The First And Last
[51:31] - John Worships From Prison
[53:32] - Jesus Comforts John
[55:36] - Revelation Repeats Isaiah’s Title
[63:22] - God’s Eternal Attributes
[66:07] - Jesus Never Changes
[67:26] - Jesus Is All Powerful
[70:08] - Sin Is Not Stronger Than Jesus
[74:39] - Living Under Christ’s Authority

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 44:6
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.’” [49:33]

Revelation 1:17-18
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” [53:32]

Revelation 22:12-13
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

John 1:1-3
“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 was not any thing made that was made.” [59:59]

Hebrews 13:8
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [01:06:07]

Matthew 28:18
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” [01:07:26]

Observation questions

In Isaiah 44:6, what titles are given to the LORD, and what do those titles show about who he is for his people in their captivity? [49:33]
In Revelation 1:17-18, what does Jesus do for John before he speaks, and what words does he say about himself? [53:32]
What repeated phrase appears in both Isaiah 44:6 and Revelation, and where does it show up again at the end of the Bible? [55:36]
According to John 1:1-3, what does the passage say about when the Word existed and what role the Word had in creation? [59:59]

Interpretation questions

If the title “the first and the last” belongs to the LORD in Isaiah and Jesus uses that same title in Revelation, what does that suggest about Jesus’ identity? [54:12]
John is in prison and worshiping on the Lord’s Day, while Israel in exile struggled to believe God was still strong enough. What does that contrast reveal about the difference between looking at circumstances and looking at Christ? [52:01]
John 1 says the Word was already there “in the beginning.” How does seeing Jesus as eternal change the way a person thinks about him beyond just teacher, healer, or helper? [01:00:14]
Jesus has authority over sickness, storms, demons, and death. Why does repeated personal sin still feel stronger than Jesus to so many believers? [01:10:08]

Application questions

Where has life lately felt more like captivity than freedom—discouragement, doubt, fear, shame, or some repeated sin? How might Isaiah 44:6 help speak into that exact place this week? [43:49]
John’s prison became a place of worship. What would it look like for a hard part of life right now to become a place of worship instead of only complaint? [52:01]
Jesus is not only someone from the dusty roads of Jerusalem; he is the eternal Lord of creation. What part of daily life most needs that bigger view of Jesus—work stress, family strain, temptation, grief, or something else? [01:05:53]
Is there a particular sin that keeps making a person think, “Maybe Jesus can forgive others, but not this again”? What would it look like to stop giving that sin more authority than it deserves? [01:10:08]
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. How could that truth steady someone whose emotions, circumstances, or faith have felt unsteady lately? [01:06:32]
Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. Where does fear tend to take over in ordinary life—speaking about Christ, loving difficult people, confronting something unhealthy, or praying boldly? [01:14:39]
Christ’s name gives authority to stand as forgiven, pray with power, and practice persistent praise. Which of those feels most needed right now, and what is one concrete way to live that out this week? [01:16:32]

Sermon Clips

54s

#WalkAsForgiven

“Number two, you have the authority, because of the attributes of God, to present ourselves as forgiven. You should never walk around defeated spiritually. Don't do it. I'll kick you in the bottom if I see you doing it. Right? don't let if you fail, just get back up and say, God has washed me clean, I'm done, I'm gonna try again. And so it's another hour or two hours later, you fail again, stop, repent, turn around, and and and start walking in the holiness that you already are. Don't let sin defeat you, and you'll be victorious in so many ways if you see yourself as already being forgiven. He doesn't have to die for you again.”

68s

#CourageInChrist

“This needs to make a difference to your Monday morning when you wake up and you're gonna go, who is Jesus today? Right? So why does this matter? Christians carry the most powerful name in the universe, and yet we walk around in fear. We carry the most powerful name in the universe, and yet we walk around in defeated fear. We're afraid to love others because they might want more of us. And so we hang out in our safe little cocoon of friends that we know and we don't reach out to people that we don't know. See, we're actually afraid.”

59s

#PersistentPraise

“practice persistent praise. Yes. Amen to that. Practice persistent praise. Amen. Practice Colossians chapter three. You just you just gotta you just gotta, in faith, praise god in the midst of those challenging circumstances. Let me close with this. What attribute of Jesus do you need this week? This week this week, think about who he is and and take him out of the dusty road, take him out take him from around the table and bring him up and elevate him to the same god that was encouraging those that are in prison in Isaiah to the same man that put his arm of encouragement on John. John was in prison. John had done nothing wrong, and Jesus came to encourage him and give him the word. What word do you need from Jesus this week?”

77s

#EternalWord

“let's apply that as a attribute of Jesus. Is Jesus eternal? John chapter one verses one through three, what we've looked at, what we've mentioned a couple of times, in the beginning was the word and it already existed. Chapter one verse 14, the word became flesh. The word which already existed, the word then became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the only son who came from the father full of grace and truth. Jesus is eternal. Before Jesus speaking to the crowd, before Abraham was, using the name of God, but admitting that he existed well before Abraham. Colossians chapter one, Paul writing about Jesus said, he existed before anything else and he holds all creation together. Are we clear, church? Are we clear that if God is eternal and Jesus is eternal, therefore, Jesus and God are eternal in nature? You catch that?”

62s

#JesusOvercomesAll

“What about a legion of demons, church? Sickness, that's not too strong for Jesus. Nature is not too a legion, not just one demon, not just, you know, you're hanging out, you got one demon inside of you and you okay. You can take your but, man, he's gonna be outnumbered, outflanked. Is Jesus gonna be outflanked by an army of demons? No. Jesus is just going, dang, go hang out with the pigs. Get out of here. Yeah. He's not doesn't even break a sweat against the legion of demons. You and I would be running towards the hills. Jesus is gonna I got it. Don't worry about it. It's cool. Right? Death. Is death is death more powerful than Jesus? No. Not at all. Thank you. Little Augustine spirit coming in here. Thank you. Right? Is death more powerful than Jesus? No. And in your hands, commit my spirit. Yeah. And he conquers death. He conquers death.”

52s

#JesusBeforeAll

“So, before Jesus ever walked the dusty streets as a little boy in Bethlehem, he existed. Before Elizabeth ever felt John leap in her womb, Jesus existed. Before Moses ever worshipped at the burning bush and had to take off his shoes because he's standing in holy ground, Jesus existed. Before rains came and they El Nino twelve point o flooded the world. Right? Right? Before Noah built the ark, Jesus existed. Before Adam and Eve rebelled and ate from the forbidden fruit, Jesus existed because in the beginning, he existed. So”

59s

#CreatorNotCreated

“We've looked at how Jesus is before everything. We talked about that passage as he created everything, verse 13, chapter 44 verse 13. Right? Right? I created all things and we've seen that Jesus is not just part of creation. He's not just some guy who walked the dusty streets of Jerusalem. He is Lord. He is the first and he is the last. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The word in the beginning is there on purpose. It's not just so that John can begin the letter and say, in the beginning, the word was with God and the word was God. It connects us to creation. How does creation begin? How does Genesis chapter one begin? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. John is saying, in the beginning was the word. Very, very purposeful and intentioned, pay attention to little things.”

59s

#WorthyOfWorship

“Jesus is the first and the last. Jesus is the anointed one. We've looked at Jesus as divine in nature. We he accepted worship. When Jesus rose from the dead and doubting Thomas doubted him for for weeks, we looked at that and when Jesus miraculously shows up into the room, I don't believe that Thomas put his hands in Jesus' palms and put it in the side. I believe that when Jesus said, look, Thomas, here I am. Thomas believed. Thomas believed because Jesus says, you believe because you have seen. Blessed are you who believe who have not seen. Right? And then Thomas falls down on his feet and he calls him lord and Jesus accepts it. Something that would be radically wrong if Jesus was not lord.”

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