From the Beginning - Jesus

Jun 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Was Before the Beginning: The Eternal Word

John’s gospel opens with a cosmic claim: Jesus existed before time. He wasn’t created at Bethlehem but was present at creation, the Word who spoke galaxies into being. This truth dismantles small views of Jesus—he isn’t merely a teacher or prophet but the eternal God who shaped history. To know Him is to encounter the uncontainable God who defies boxes, politics, and human timelines. His preexistence means He transcends every limitation we try to impose. [48:52]

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2, NLT)

Reflection: Where have you tried to fit Jesus into a “box” of your expectations? How does His eternal nature challenge you to trust Him beyond your understanding?

Day 2: The Word Became Flesh: God With Us

Jesus didn’t remain distant. He became human—weary, thirsty, tempted. He slept in storm-tossed boats and wept at gravesides. His flesh-and-blood life proves God understands our struggles intimately. He didn’t avoid pain but entered it, showing that redemption requires incarnation. His humanity isn’t a weakness but a bridge to our brokenness. [57:08]

The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14, NLT)

Reflection: When have you felt God was distant in your suffering? How does Jesus’ humanity comfort you in your weaknesses today?

Day 3: Seeing the Father Through Jesus’ Life

Jesus’ actions and words were a direct reflection of the Father. To watch Him heal, forgive, or weep was to see God’s heart in motion. Philip’s request to “see the Father” was already answered: Jesus’ life was a living portrait of divine love. Our call is to mirror this revelation, letting others glimpse God through our choices. [01:10:12]

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9, NLT)

Reflection: What aspect of God’s character do others struggle to believe? How can your life today make that trait visible?

Day 4: From Apathy to Awe: Honoring the Son as the Father

Apathy toward Jesus is spiritual numbness—ignoring the One who breathes life into our days. Honoring Him isn’t about grand gestures but daily surrender: voting, working, and loving in ways that echo His priorities. Every ordinary moment becomes worship when we acknowledge His lordship over secrets, fears, and routines. [48:21]

All who honor the Son honor the Father who sent him. (John 5:23, NLT)

Reflection: What mundane part of your life have you withheld from Jesus? How might honoring Him there transform your perspective?

Day 5: Living the Mission: Reflecting Jesus to a Lost World

Churches crumble when they forget their mission: reflecting Jesus. Coffee pots and carpets don’t matter—disciples do. Like Jesus, we’re sent to embody God’s love in tangible ways. This isn’t about perfection but pointing others to the One who bled for them. Our task is simple: live so that “who they see is who He is.” [01:12:15]

[Jesus said,] “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (John 20:21, NLT)

Reflection: Where has comfort or tradition dulled your mission? What step can you take this week to align your priorities with Jesus’ sending?

Sermon Summary

John opens by insisting that the Word already was. The text refuses language of beginning or becoming, and simply says, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So Jesus does not start at Bethlehem. He precedes Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and even Adam and Eve. When Jesus says, before Abraham was, I am, he speaks the unswerving truth of his eternal life with the Father. The upshot is simple and seismic. Jesus is not a manageable teacher for a small box. Jesus is Lord, prior to opinions, politics, comfort, career, and family expectations. He stands taller than the doors anyone walked through, and his claim calls for allegiance that makes voters pray, disciples risk, and sinners repent.

John then says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The One who preexisted all things got tired by a well, fell asleep in a small boat, thirsted on the cross, felt the tug of real temptations, wept at a tomb, loved friends by name, and bled. None of that weakens his glory, it reveals it. His humanity means he knows exhaustion, misunderstanding, and the ache of surrender, not my will but yours. So discouraged saints are not talking to a distant idea. They are known by the One who walked into hunger and pain and still obeyed.

John finally presses the union of the Son and the Father. To believe in Jesus is to believe in the One who sent him. To see Jesus is to see the Father. To honor the Son is to honor the Father, and to hate the Son, which in practice looks like apathy, is to hate the Father. Jesus does only what he sees the Father doing, speaks only what the Father gives, and finishes only the work the Father sent. That is why his words are God’s words, and why his life reveals the Father’s heart. The text will not let disciples bank on miracles to manufacture faith. It calls the church to read, to hear, and to follow the preexistent One who became flesh and makes the Father known. The mission is therefore clear. Those who watch sons and daughters watch their parents will see it. People will learn the Father by the shape of a life that mirrors the Son.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus existed before everything The Word already was, which means Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. His eternal life with the Father dethrones every box that tries to shrink him down to teacher or mascot. Allegiance to the preexistent Son outruns opinions, comfort, and even family pressure. Worship belongs to him because he simply is. [48:52]
2. The Word truly became flesh His fatigue, thirst, tears, and blood are not pretend. Real temptations pressed him, and real obedience answered. Because he entered weakness without sin, the discouraged gain a faithful High Priest who understands and helps. Apathy melts when the church looks at the scars. [56:46]
3. Apathy equals functional hatred The opposite of love is not rage, it is not caring at all. When a life moves through the day without prayer, gratitude, or attention to Jesus, it treats him as nothing, which is how hate works at room temperature. Love reorders the day around his presence and voice. [46:22]
4. To see the Son is to see the Father Believing in Jesus is believing in the One who sent him. Honoring the Son honors the Father, and the Son only does what he sees the Father doing. Those who read his words are hearing God, and those who imitate his life are showing the Father to a watching world. [44:19]
5. Get Jesus out of the box The Lord refuses domestication. He calls disciples into faith that feels risky, into choices that place his voice over party lines, preferences, and safe routines. When he gets out of the box, the church leaves apathy and steps into mission. [54:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:31] - In the beginning, Jesus series
[09:18] - Fall in love with Jesus first
[43:02] - Believe, see, and honor the Father
[45:27] - Apathy is practical hatred
[48:52] - In the beginning was the Word
[51:22] - Preexistent: “Before Abraham, I am”
[54:04] - Get Jesus out of the box
[55:06] - Allegiance over comfort and politics
[58:02] - Word became flesh: weary and tempted
[63:31] - He wept and he bled
[66:45] - Jesus reveals and models the Father
[72:15] - Mission over preferences
[74:10] - Words of Jesus are God’s words
[76:00] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 1:1, 14 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Observation Questions

What does John 1:1 reveal about Jesus’ relationship to time, God, and creation?
How does John 1:14 redefine what it means for Jesus to be both divine and human?
According to the sermon, what practical examples show Jesus’ humanity (e.g., tiredness, thirst, tears)? [58:02]
What connection does the sermon make between honoring Jesus and honoring the Father? [44:19]

Interpretation Questions

Why does John emphasize that Jesus “was” in the beginning rather than “began” in the beginning? How does this shape our understanding of His authority?
How does Jesus’ humanity (e.g., weariness, temptation) actually reveal His divinity rather than diminish it? [56:46]
The sermon states, “Apathy equals functional hatred.” Why might indifference toward Jesus be as dangerous as active rejection? [46:22]
What does it mean that “to see Jesus is to see the Father”? How does this challenge common misconceptions about God’s character?

Application Questions

Where have you tried to “put Jesus in a box” by limiting His influence over your opinions, habits, or decisions (e.g., career, politics, family)? What would it look like to let Him out of that box this week? [54:04]
Apathy toward Jesus often shows up in prayerlessness, ingratitude, or ignoring His presence. What practical step could you take daily to replace apathy with intentional love (e.g., setting reminders to pray, journaling thanks)?
Jesus’ humanity means He understands exhaustion, grief, and temptation. How might this truth change the way you approach Him in your current struggles?
The sermon says people “learn the Father by the shape of a life that mirrors the Son.” What specific trait of Jesus (e.g., compassion, obedience, courage) could you intentionally imitate to reflect the Father to others?
When have you prioritized comfort, family expectations, or cultural norms over allegiance to Jesus? What would it cost to reorder that area of your life around Him? [55:06]
The sermon warns against relying on miracles to “manufacture faith.” How can you grow in trusting Jesus’ words in Scripture today rather than waiting for a dramatic sign?

Sermon Clips

39s

#UnboxJesus

“``We put Jesus in this box. And as long as Jesus operates well within this box, that's great. Here, I understand Jesus. He's good. I can see both sides around him. Things are well. But Jesus doesn't wanna be encapsulated in your box, church. Jesus wants to be free. Jesus wants to be and he wants you to come to him. He doesn't want you to say, okay. This is where I'm comfortable with Jesus. I've been around long enough to know that Jesus wants you a little uncomfortable. Jesus wants you to step out in faith, and that means that there's a little bit of unknown and you have to trust him to do it. You gotta you gotta get him out of your box.”

35s

#VoteJesus

“You need to know he's greater than any of my opinions. He exists before my politics. And this this coming Tuesday, I think, we have an election. Right? And we're supposed to vote. And I want you to vote the way of Jesus, not in the way of your opinion. You and Jesus are gonna have a conversation before you go to the ballot and say, Jesus, how do you want me to vote? And even though your family heritage might say you vote this way, what if Jesus says you gotta vote that way? Are you willing to give your vote to Jesus, or are you gonna be allegiant to somebody or something else?”

31s

#PreexistentJesus

“I want you to understand that who you sang about didn't start at the Bethlehem manger, but he started before the manger ever came into being. Jesus is more than the greatest moral teacher that ever lived. He is greatest greater he he's not just a good prophet. He's not just a really good teacher. He's not just a man who wow. Those words are phenomenal. These words are these words are wise. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, man. Jesus was a really wise man. I knew a man and I used to work with a man who said, you know,”

31s

#EternalWord

“Let's listen. It doesn't say in the beginning became the word. It doesn't say in the beginning birthed the word. In the beginning was the word. And the word was with God and the word was God. In other words in other words, Jesus didn't begin to exist in at the Bethlehem manger. He was birthed. Mary gave birth to a baby boy and they gave him in swaddling clothes. Right? We celebrate that in December and that's not when Jesus began.”

35s

#LiveForGod

“We go through the day and we don't think about him. We don't pray about him. We actually never invited him into our day, into our journey. We never gave thanks to him. We never acknowledged him. We were apathetic to the fact that he made us. He created us. It is his air that we breathe, his energy that we walk, his words that we hear. We never gave a second thought to that. We were apathetic that day towards God. We might not be angry at him because then we'd be giving him our emotion, but instead we're not giving him anything. That's apathy.”

43s

#BeforeTheProphets

“Jesus didn't begin when Ezekiel spoke life into the dry bones in that desert land and then spoke the spirit into that land. That's not when Jesus began. Jesus didn't begin when Isaiah the prophet started prophesizing, when Jeremiah or Hezekiah or Ezekiel or Malachi. He didn't begin when all of those prophets started prophesizing. He was before that. He was before He was before David heard that he's gonna have a kingdom that will last forever. Jesus existed. Jesus existed before Moses redeemed and rescued the people out of the land of slavery. Jesus existed before Abraham saw the two pots go through the fire, and Abraham would receive the promise that you're gonna have a son.”

34s

#ForeverTheWord

“Jesus existed before that. Jesus existed before Noah hammered that first cog into the ark, and Jesus existed before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit because it says, let us make man into our own image. Into our image, we made them. Jesus preexisted all of these things because in the beginning was if you have your Bible, circle the was. Not did, not started, was the word, and the word was with God.”

37s

#IAmJesusClaim

“See, Jesus testified this to himself. Jesus said, before Abraham was, before Abraham started to exist, I am. And he uses the name of God in that in that phrase, but you need to understand that Jesus was claiming something absolutely amazing. He was claiming that he existed before Abraham existed, and Abraham was a great patriarch, the great patriarch of the Jewish religion. is not hyperbolic language. Jesus isn't saying to get their attention. Hey. Before Abraham was, I am.”

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From the Beginning - Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Was Before the Beginning: The Eternal Word

Day 2: The Word Became Flesh: God With Us

Day 3: Seeing the Father Through Jesus’ Life

Day 4: From Apathy to Awe: Honoring the Son as the Father

Day 5: Living the Mission: Reflecting Jesus to a Lost World

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

From the Beginning - Jesus

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