105: Harry Tennant - The Pre-Existence of Christ

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help each one of us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to hear. And now let's hear more about this week's talk. This class is titled The Preexistence of Christ by Harry Tennant. There's no information on the date or where he gave it on Christadelphianbibletalks.com, but I just downloaded it because I'm such a fan of Brother Harry's. I really enjoyed this class. I think this is a topic that I feel, for me personally, I feel like I could always listen to a class on it. It's not something that I think is immediately easy to figure out or get a handle on. And I really enjoy the passages that he explores and kind of the arguments that he takes. I find it not only, you know, an important part of our faith, but also an encouraging study. I apologize about how late this is. This class was all lined up to go out on Sunday, but I had a mistake in uploading it and then basically forgot for a few days. So here we are on Thursday. Chris does have a class lined up for this coming Sunday, so we will not be missing a week. But anyways, we're not, you know, nobody pays us to do this. And it can be, you know, life can be busy, but that's not an excuse. It was all ready

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   to go. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. Please continue to send us your suggestions. We've got a couple coming up that were all suggestions from our listeners. That is such a help for us, and we really appreciate that. For now, here is The Pre-Existence of Christ by Harry Tennant. The subject of the pre-existence, as it is in this chapter in Colossians, for example, is very difficult at first to get to grips with. Now, I don't think we should expect it to be easy, because we're dealing with God, the Almighty, and it's just like a small piece of dust trying to explain the universe and trying to understand it. It's beyond our understanding in some ways, and we can only understand what God has revealed to us. If he hasn't revealed things to us, and he never reveals everything. God never reveals everything. Not even the immortal will know everything. Jesus didn't know everything after he was raised from the dead, and he said so.

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   And he didn't receive the book of Revelation until he got to heaven, which was several weeks after he was made immortal. So, knowing everything is God's nature, and what God reveals to us, teaches us, that we can begin to understand. What we'll do, and I don't mind if you interrupt and say, sorry, I don't understand that, would you go through that again? Just say it. And if you want to ask questions, ask them. And it doesn't matter how simple the questions are.

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   You know, you might think, well, that's a bit simple, and everybody will feel, if I ask that question, that I'm pretty stupid. Now, in actual fact, you'll discover that everybody else will be glad that you ask a question. Because it's only by asking that I can see whether I'm saying things that can be understood, or even talking about the things that you really want to understand. So let's start in the first chapter of Genesis.

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   Genesis. Now remember, all that we have now is the beginning of the revelation of God. We're right at the very beginning, and God is beginning to explain to us things about himself. And so he says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now that isn't God's beginning, beginning, that's the beginning of what we know as heaven and earth. So, God is still without beginning there. When there was a beginning of the things which we live on and amid, God was there at that time. But the creation had not yet received its form. And in verse 2 it says, and the earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep.

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   And the Spirit of God moved. So in the beginning we've got God, and then we have his Spirit revealed to us right away. And because it's possessive, hey, Spirit of God, God's Spirit, it's that which belongs to him. And you would not think of it in terms of two persons here, and two independent things. It's God's Spirit, and it's moving. And that word for moving there is the idea of brooding, fluttering over, as though bringing into existence as a hen might do with eggs. It's over it and it's now going to bring forth. Now I'd like you to notice how the bringing forth is carried out. Because the Spirit of God seems to disappear now altogether. And all that we have is, well, verse 3, and God said. And verse 6, and God said. And verse 9, and God said. And verse 14, and God said. So right in the beginning we have the word of the Lord. Right at the very beginning. And all creation is brought into existence by his word. What God says happens. I didn't like when you and I speak, because our words just go away and they just echo into space. They continue to exist forever, every word that we speak, because it's only by, you know, the law of inverse proportions that the sound is gradually reduced and reduced reduced and reduced, but it remains. But as far as God is concerned, his word is his power. And when he speaks, it's done. So God said, let there be light. And there was light. In fact, he didn't just say, let there be light. It was even shorter than that. It was a command, light,

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   be. And it was. In Proverbs it says, where the voice of the king is, there is power. When it is God, it's almighty power. It's very interesting. We're not going to deal with it now. But when the serpent comes into the picture, all that the serpent deals with is the word of God.

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   It begins to tackle the word of God. It's the word of the serpent versus the word of God in Genesis chapter 3. Now, come to Psalm 33 and you'll see that the two things that we've been talking about are brought together. Psalm 33. In fact, just to see how what we've been talking about is set in poetry. Just glance back four psalms to 29. We've been singing Hallelujah Yahweh's name in the heavens and loud proclaim.

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   Well, we've got a similar kind of psalm here. But notice, instead of the word, we've got the voice. Right? And there it is in verse 3. And verse 4. Twice. And verse 5. And verse 7. And verse 8. And verse 9. The voice. Now that's equivalent to the word. And so the voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars. So when the winds come and the cedars are broken, the cedars of Lebanon are broken, and are broken by the powerful wind. Then God's word is in the wind. And so it makes the, makes them skip, it says in verse 6. And he brings forth flames of fire. He shakes the wilderness. And this is God at work in his creation.

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    So in Psalm 33 then, in verse 5. We read, He loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Now that word breath is just like the word spirit.

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    Alright? So when God just breathes out, it isn't such as we breathe out, just air. When God breathes out, that's his spirit. In fact, that word that you know very well in 2 Timothy chapter 3, that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. It isn't inspiration, that is breathing in, it's breathing out.

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    It is by God breathing out. And by his spirit, when he, when he exhaled his spirit, as it were, then the word came into existence. And what it is, is the spirit, is God's directed power by his word. It's sent forth to accomplish a purpose. And it doesn't return unto him void. And so the two things are brought alongside there.

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    The word of God and the spirit are brought alongside one another. And they're teaching us that when it said the spirit of God was upon the face of the water, in actual fact, what it was, was, this was God's purpose now. And when it was going to bring into existence, what came out of the mind of God was that directive which could produce results.

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    We, we can't produce results by words ourselves. But God can do it. If he speaks, that's exactly what he wants done. And it's done. And there's nothing. Nothing can withstand his power. There's nothing in between. He doesn't need anything. As a matter of fact, it was due me a long time to understand this matter of the word of God and the spirit of God, especially in creation.

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    And, it was only when I'd read Isaiah chapter 40 several times, just have a glance at Isaiah chapter 40, that it dawned on me that I wasn't just reading about creation, but there is something even more wonderful than that. And so, in describing God here, it says in verse 12, who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, as though, just though it was a divine architectural workshop in which God was able just to comprehend everything by his power, to produce the balance of nature, of water, and of mountains, of land masses, and of seas, that, as it were, he was able to spread his compasses across, and just mark out what there was to be, and to weigh the great area of the Himalayas, and to put them in position, and there they were, and so the great Andes range, or the great fault that runs through the earth here in Africa, and God knew each of these, and he just brought everything into existence, and then around the earth, he placed in precise position, producing a perfect balance, otherwise the earth would be completely inundated by floods of water, that he put the moon in her position, not too near, and not too far away, and the sun, just right, so that we wouldn't be scorched, and yet it would bring forth food for us all, and there was to be a balance between sun, and moon, and earth, all were going to

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    work together, and then the amount of water on the face of the earth had to be worked out, so that it would be just sufficient then to come into the clouds, and to be carried around in that great cycle of life that God was going to bring by the evaporation and the falling of waters, and that the earth then would be just perfect in her wonder, that there would be an exact condition in which life could live, and in fact man's struggling now to think is there any other place where there is this balance, and so far he hasn't found any place, he thinks, occasionally that he might have come across it, but it wasn't just by chance, it was by the voice of the law, when evolution takes it, it wants to say that it was, it was just there, and this is the way things behave, as though by a shrug of the shoulders you can bring the earth into existence, and by saying it quickly and changing it as many times as you like to say you were doing it by computer, somehow you come up with the amazing answer, but as you know, with computers you can't get out of it more than you put into it,

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    and therefore if there is to come out of what there is there, an intelligent design, somewhere locked away in the program there was intelligence, which the evolutionist wants to deny, for us it's the intelligent word of God, now just have a look at Isaiah 40, because what I hadn't noticed was how God then talked about creation, verse 21, have ye not known, have ye not heard, has it not been told you from the beginning, have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth,

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    it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in, and I hadn't noticed that that was in present tense, it doesn't say he stretched out the heavens as a curtain, and spread them out as a tent to dwell in, it says he stretcheth, in other words, God is still in creation, that the order of creation all remains where it is, working as it does, because the word of God is still there, it's an abiding word of God, and that word, that intelligent expression of the mind of God, keeps everything as it is, so this building doesn't collapse, but the laws by which it was made operate today, as they did when the building was first designed, and whoever produced the structure, and took the weight of the roof, and then decided how it was going to affect the walls, and how the walls were to take the strain, and how the foundations were laid, all that was because there were laws in operation, and could be calculated on paper, and the laws have continued, and not changed since that time, and every space shop is just the same thing, the laws, that take the shuttle off every time, and bring it back, are the same laws, they are there all the time, God is in creation, still, all the time, in his creation, so he brought it into being, and he remains with it, he's the creator, and we've always sung it, the sustainer, and we've perhaps not understood,

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    that sustaining means, that he remains, through it, and in it, and so, just look at Acts chapter 17, just glance at it, because you'll see that, it runs right through scripture, this idea,

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    we were in this chapter yesterday, at least we quoted it, verse 24 of Acts chapter 17, Paul in Athens, with all the wise men of his generation, all the philosophers of his generation, God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined before the times appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us, for in him we live, and move, and have our being, in God, notice that, so Paul has taken up the idea that was there in Genesis, that this great spirit of God, this when directed by his word, produced all that there is, and now it's upholding everything, and within that we move, we can't get outside the spirit of God, we're right inside it, always, everywhere we are, in him we live, and move, and have our being, he alone has life, and it's from him that life has come, and he sustains us every day, that's why he knows what goes on in our minds, just grab it, Psalm 139, just have a look at it, and see how the psalmist took it up,

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    there's one aspect, by the way, that we haven't yet, quite got hold of, and it's, going to lead us into the, subject of the pre-existence of Jesus, and you'll see that subject in a moment, here is this wonderful psalm, I don't know what you do with psalms, maybe you're not interested in poetry, you know, you, you don't feel moved, or caught up by poetry, I think most of us do, but all this is set out, in poetic form, it was memorable, and it was done by the spirit, in other words, God also is a poet, if you understand, this is what he inspired, it was out of his mind, that he produced, not just prose, but poetry, and so we see it, in creation around us, don't we, that he hadn't got to make birds just fly as beautifully as they do, or the colours, as wonderful as they are, well, that's not what God is like, he's got all that within him, you know, and, it's a marvel, isn't it, you know, you look at the human eye, and all that's involved in the human eye, and we just regard it as a mechanism, but, you and I know, that the eye is, not just a mechanism, by which we see, it's that, by which we convey, to one another, the feelings we have, and so we look, into one another's eyes, and you don't go, to any kind of optometrist, or anything, to tell you about, how you look, into somebody's eyes, and he can't, he can't put that part, right either, but that's just one of those, great things, that God has done,

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    he's put a beauty, in the eye, hasn't he, that we're all aware of, we look into one another's eyes, as I do into my wife's eyes, regularly, and she into mine, because that's how we, and we don't have to speak, to one another, we convey exactly, how we feel, we understand, or she may be, sitting on that side, of the meeting room, and I sitting on this side, and we can look across, and convey a message, we get it wrong, sometimes, we get it wrong, when we lived in Scotland, we had a little meeting, of 34 of us, and there'd been a campaign, just a little distance, away, a little distance away, about a hundred miles away, and all the campaigners, were coming through, the town in which we were, on their way back home, to go down south, into England, so they all arrived, and it just so happened, that on the same day, a nearby Ecclesia, that was very small, decided, just to get more fellowship, and they closed their Ecclesia, and they all came across, to us, where we were, in our Ecclesia, so at the end of the meeting, my wife looked across, at me, and went, and I said, and that's all, that we conveyed, with our eyes, when we got home, for lunch, we got all the Ecclesia, and all the campaigners, she had signaled, should we have the campaigners, and I was, and in my mind, I'd worked out, that we'd have all the Ecclesia, and we both went, and, not only that, but at the same time, we had, Alfred Norris' wife, and his two children, with us,

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    and, my nephew and niece, and the speaking brother, from Bradford, whom, brother Phil Taunton, will know very well, and, he was there, brother Stanley Fowler, and his wife, and when he saw, all these people walk in, he couldn't, he wondered, what on earth had happened to him, you know, and we got, hadn't got enough, we've got no tables, we had to get a table, tennis table, to make everybody sit down, but we hadn't got enough, knives and forks, to go around, all this lot, so we had to get, take knives out, and, all other little things, you know, and, so we thought, we'd look after the speaker, on this particular day, and, suddenly, whilst we're in the middle, of having our lunch, my wife, looked across, a brother Stanley Fowler, who was, a beautiful brother, but, but really, almost Victorian, like, out of the last century, altogether, you know, and she noticed, that he was eating his lunch, with a small cake knife, and a little fork, and going like this, so, your eyes do give you away, from time to time, but you see, God put beauty, in everything, so that we can, indeed, convey messages, and, and at the same time, use this wonderful mechanism, that God has given us, and in this chapter, he's expressed in poetry, Psalm 139, and notice what he says, O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me, thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine up-rising, to all that you and I, have done, today, last evening, God has known it, in all its details, and that isn't just, the externals, either, verse 4, for there is not a word,

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    in my tongue, but, O Lord, thou knowest it, altogether, as to set me behind, and before, and lay thine hand upon me, such knowledge, is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it, and then he says, whither shall I flee, from thy, spirit, or whither shall I go, from thy, presence, notice this, the link of, spirit and presence, that God is everywhere, present, by his spirit, and we use, that expression, brings in both those words, of spirit and presence, so where you are now, God is, and he knows, entirely, all together, everything about you, more than you know, about yourself, he knows, what stress you can stand, and what your breaking point is, he knows yesterday, he knows today, and he knows tomorrow, not with, not by taking away, your free will at all, but he knows, what you will choose, now, what we've got to do, you and I, is to learn, how to commit ourselves, and make our choices, choices, wisely, so in this chapter, you get everything of God, about his spirit, so we, we've seen how creation, came into existence, and how, that in the beginning, were we to, take creation, like you can do, with a film, and wind it back, you would wind it back, until it was all, in the mind of God, there will be no creation, nothing, it's not all now, in the mind of God, all locked away, inside him, so that he knew, before he spoke, exactly how it would appear, in exactly the same way, as a landscape gardener knows, that wherever he moves anything, the rock, or any earth,

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    he's taken, in his mind, exactly how it shall be, or an artist, with a picture, he knows exactly, how it's going to be, or the dress designer, knows how it will be, before he's finished, or the house, that's to be built, just what it will look like, now some people have, that marvellous vision, for God, he got it all, it was all, in his mind, so he can wind it all back, and it's all there, and as far as God is, that's why he knows, the end, from the beginning, because it's already there, in him, it is already there, inside, it's a question of time, it's everything, is there, already in the mind of God, and then, he can release it, and at its release, so, then there is the wonder, of what God makes, but nothing of it, is a surprise to him, it doesn't come about, by some flukish chance, or strange, coming together, of circumstances, it's, just as there are, words in sentences, that make meaning, so what's in the mind of God, makes sense, and it's sense, that comes out, now, come to the first epistle, of Peter, chapter one, the first epistle, of Peter, chapter one, now, we were in this chapter, for those of you, were at Peter Maritzburg, for that, evening talk, we had, we came into the chapter, but I want to come into it, in a particular way now, and that is, by entering into, verse eight, which speaks of Jesus, whom having not seen, ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable, and full of glory,

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    receiving the end, of your faith, even the salvation, of your souls, of which salvation, the prophets, have inquired, and searched, diligently, all right, so the prophets, that had gone by, had inquired, and they had searched, diligently, about salvation, that is salvation, in Christ, it's that salvation, who prophesied, of the grace, that should come, unto you, searching, what, or what manner, of time, the spirit, of Christ, which within them, did signify,

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    now how was the spirit, of Christ, in the prophets, if Christ did not exist, in the time of Daniel, or Isaiah, how was the spirit, of Christ, in the prophets, what, what he's saying, what he's actually telling us, about, the prophecies, because it says, in verse 11, searching, what, or what, manner of time, the spirit, of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it testified, beforehand, the sufferings, of Christ, and the glory, that should follow,

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    so there were the prophets, Isaiah 53, we did esteem him, stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, but he was bruised, for our iniquities, all right, so, the grief, that was his, was for us, the chastisement, of our peace, was upon him, and all the sufferings, of Jesus, are described, in the Old Testament, here, before ever they happened, there, and they're described, in such detail, that they are, in greater detail, in the Old Testament, than they are, in the New, there is more, about the sufferings, of Jesus, and the mind, of Jesus, in his sufferings, in the Old Testament, than there is, in the New, now, if what we now do, is to wind all that back, into the mind of God, all of it back, into the mind of God, and there it is, before ever it happens, God is now able, to make such revelation, as he wishes, of what is going to happen, when Christ is here, in advance of it, because he's already got it, it's already with him, and so, the sixth day of creation, was in God's mind, before, the first day, of creation, or with the first day, of creation, they came out, in that order, because that was the order, necessary, for order, and for life, but that sixth day, was here with God, at the first day, they were all there, together, in the mind of God, and they were there, in order, they were part, of the divine plan, they were not a, just a mixture of words, in the mind of God, they were, an orderly, plan in the mind of God, the universe, was in God's mind,

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    to begin with, and he released it, and out of it, by his word, and by his spirit, it then came into existence, but the power for it, was there with him, in the beginning, it didn't diminish, that he used it, it was exactly, the same power, and so the mind of God, then extended, and what we now, see about it, is the mind of God, now when it came, to Jesus then, what God, released, in advance, through the days, until the coming, of Jesus, was information, in part, about Jesus, information, in part, so the colors, in the tabernacle, or the Passover, or the death, of the firstborn, or the high priest, Raymond, or the sufferings, of Jeremiah, the prophet, or the words, that came through Daniel, they were all, part of the final picture, it was as though God, had the white light, in his mind, which he then, put through the prison, and allow it to divide, into its seven parts, and there were all the colors, and Jeremiah had one, and Isaiah had another part, and Daniel had another part, and it was divers ways, and divers manners, and then, before the birth of Jesus, all of those colors, were brought back, and come out as white light, in him, so each of the prophets, has a part, and the spirit of Christ, was that revelation, of God, that God had given, to that prophet, that had to do, with Christ, and that's why, it was truly, the spirit of Christ, because it was all, about Christ, it wasn't that Christ, gave it, it was, because, that was a part, of what Christ,

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    would be like, Christ is not, yet in existence, except, altogether, in the mind of God, indeed, he has the priority, in the purpose of God, before everything else, that nothing else, makes sense, without him, nothing at all, not even the six days, of creation, makes sense, without him, because the six days, of creation, are molded, on Jesus, who is, the light, of the world, and the, son, of righteousness, he's, the perfection, in creation, so that when Eve, is taken out, of Adam's side, that's where the spirit, will go through, and, as it was, through a deep sleep, that Eve, came into existence, so it would be, through the death, of Jesus, and so, all the threads, of Christ, were running everywhere, in the old testament, so that when, on that way, to Emmaus, with Cleopas, and the other, as they walked, on the way, and Christ, unfolded to them, in all the scriptures, the things, concerning himself, all he did, was to produce, the picture, from the old testament, and he said, you remember, when you stood, watching me, ride into Jerusalem, on the ass, and that's what, Zechariah said, because he had, the spirit of Christ, and so all, all the prophets, suddenly came alive, before, they were there, looking backwards, they were, as it were, shrouded in darkness, but when Christ came, and cast a light on them, everything was visible, all the past, was visible, and what is more, then all the future, became visible, because what yet, lies ahead of us, is still in the mind, of God, and has been revealed, in part, to the prophets, and it will all,

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    come together, in the end, in that final, purpose of God, so, when you come now, to the chapter, of John, John chapter 1, there is no problem, within the beginning, was the word, now there wasn't, the beginning, remember that, as far as God, is concerned, there never was, a beginning, this is only, in relation, to those things, which are necessary, for our salvation,

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    and we, you can read, that little expression, in the beginning, was the word, or you can say, in the beginning, was the word, how did it all start, well, it began, with the word, you see, the four gospels, as I might have mentioned, to some of you, before, at some time, or another, the four gospels, treat it differently, don't they, because, Mark says, the beginning, of the gospel, of Jesus Christ, the voice of him, that cries, in the wilderness, and he starts, with John the Baptist, he says, that's the beginning, of the gospel, of Jesus Christ, but Matthew says, no, the beginning, wasn't there at all, the beginning, was that Jesus Christ, is the son of, Abraham, and the son of David, so it all began, with Abraham, but Luke says, no, he said, it all began, with David, with Abraham, and then it began, with Adam, so Luke takes it, back to Adam, but John says, no, in the beginning, was the word, it didn't start, with any of those, at all, it started, in the beginning, with God, and the word, was God, of course it was, that word, that was it, that word, that spirit, which we read about, in Genesis 1, was God, it was God, it wasn't that, it was a thing, separate from him, it was God, and that's, there's a lesson there, isn't there, you see, it's all one, it's a unity, of God, and not a separation, of God, there is not a God, the Holy Spirit, and a God, who is the Father, it is God, all one, it was all in him, to begin with,

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    that word, was God, not like your word, which you can speak, and forget, you don't know, what you said, when God speaks, it's a living, trembling thing, that goes on living, so those prophecies, that he's given, are active, they're moving, when the word of God, goes out, it's an active thing, it isn't, when he says, it won't return, unto be void, until it has accomplished, that, where unto I sent it, it's because, it's doing it, and so that prophecy, in Jeremiah, that says, hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, is declared, in the isles, afar off, he that scattered Israel, will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd, doth his flock, when God sent that word out, it got to work, and it's been working, ever since, actually working, and it's now, bringing its fruit in, now in our days, it's bringing its fruit in, when the word went out, it wasn't just, stowed away, in a book, it was beginning to work, all the nations, had to be arranged, all history, had to be fashioned, and all that was being done, by that word, that God sent out, and if a man says, well I don't really believe, that that can happen, with history, we look at creation, around us, and say, well that's what God did, he did it in the beginning, in that very same way, he had time, in his mind, and he unfolded it, and made it into six days, and then extended it, into the six thousand years, but it was all there, in the mind of God, all being worked out, so in the beginning,

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    was the word, and the word was, with God, and was God, and we've seen, how it was with him, that forever he spoke it, and it came out of him, the same was in the beginning, with God, now in this chapter, we arrive, at verse 14, and the word, was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we behold his glory, the glory, is to the only begotten, of the father, full of grace, and truth, now Jesus, does not exist,

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    until the word, is made flesh, until that time, the word is, with God, it has been spoken, and the spirit of Christ, has been in the prophets, and all that there was, was there, but not until, it became flesh, did Jesus exist, alright, Jesus, is the word, made flesh, you can't, separate those two, and say, that's the word, that lived, and was God, and here's the flesh, that was Jesus, that isn't how, Jesus exists, he's not, two parts, one of which, is this word of God, and the other is the flesh, which is Jesus Christ, and you can separate the two, or as though, the two are, son of God, and son of man, that's, that's the doctrine, of the church, that's the doctrine, of the two natures, that's the doctrine, that they have had to invent, to try to explain things, having said to themselves, that Christ existed, from the beginning, but the true doctrine, of scripture, is, that those, are, brought together, the word, and flesh, are brought together, and now, they are one, they're not separable things, that is Jesus, and they can't be separated, at all, there's nothing, you can do about it, there isn't a, a Jesus in two parts, there is only a Jesus, when they are together, just look at Luke, chapter one, Luke, chapter one, and so, here is, Gabriel, the angel of God, on two missions, the first, is to Zacharias, the husband, of Elizabeth, the parents, of John the Baptist, and the second, is to Mary, who is to become, the mother of Jesus, and there's this, wonderful, man, no, angel, Gabriel, and he says,

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    to Zacharias, in verse, 19, I am Gabriel, that stand, in the presence of God, and a marvelous thing, because, Gabriel normally, is with God, stands with God, and he's now, standing with Zacharias, and so, six months, before Mary, is approached, so, Elizabeth conceived, and John the Baptist, is now on the way, and before ever, there was a John the Baptist, before ever, ever John, was conceived, he already existed, in the mind of God, and so, it says, in the first chapter, of John, there was a man, sent from God, whose name, was John, he didn't pre-exist, except in that mind, and purpose of God, and he was truly, sent from God, John the Baptist, came into existence, because, that word of God, that was, God himself, that, that divine, plan of God, had within it, John the Baptist, so, when Gabriel, came and spoke, and said, you're going to have a son, it was only by, that word of God, it wasn't by anything, else at all, because there was no way, in which Gabriel, in which, Zacharias, and Elizabeth, could have children, they were old people, she was fast, childbearing, there was no way, and what is more, she was barren, when the word of God, came, which was, a life giving power, it touched them, and right away, by a normal process, then, they were able, to conceive, and bring forth, a child, and that's, what happened, and then Gabriel, came to Mary, verse 26,

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    and in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel, was sent, from God, unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin, espoused to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, so Gabriel, has now, come to Mary, now the interesting, thing about that, is, that this same Gabriel, had already, spoken to Daniel, and he spoke to Daniel, about the birth of Jesus, in Daniel chapter 9, so the same Gabriel, that went and spoke, to Daniel, and gave, and by the spirit of Christ, gave Daniel, part of the picture, now comes to Mary, when it's going, to be fulfilled, and you just think, of the wonder, how God took hold, of that situation, and how God, made that happen, made Gabriel, the one who was to be, the one who was to work, in both parts, of this wondrous, bringing forth, and so, God now takes hold, of his ancient word, and he says, in verse 32, he shall be great, and shall be called, the son of the highest, and the Lord God, shall give unto him, the throne, of his father David, and he shall reign, over the house of Jacob, forever, and of his kingdoms, there shall be no end, and he's quoting, all parts of scriptures, there, the promises made, to David, Daniel 2, 44, all kinds, of places, he's quoting, and bringing this, Lord Jesus Christ, now, first into the mind, of Mary, before ever, ever, Christ is conceived, so that Mary, is now told, that that's my plan, and there he is, and he shall be great, and shall be called, the son of the highest, and the Lord God,

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    shall give unto him, the throne of his father, David, and he shall reign, over the house of Jacob, forever, and of his kingdoms, there should be no end, he doesn't exist yet, that part of the film, is in the mind of God, and he's giving Mary, a preview, and she sees it, and here is Mary, and there's this, and then Mary says, be it unto me, according to thy word, and the word, is now made flesh,

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    and not until Mary, consented, did that happen, and it says in the same chapter, I think it's verse, verse 43 is it, yes, verse, verse, 45, Elizabeth says to Mary, blessed is she, that believes, so is the belief, of Mary, her faith, that brought the conception, so there was no conception, it was there, in God's hand, as it were, beforehand, all the parts of it, and he could see Christ, the Lord could see, the Lord Jesus Christ, not crucified on Calvary, but king yet to be, in Zion, he's going to be it, and God's seen him already, on the throne, and there's no problem, as far as God is concerned, about speaking of things, that are not, as though they are, because they are, in the mind of God, they haven't yet, unrolled, and been revealed, but they're clearly, there in the mind of God, all of them, and so, when Christ was born, he was that word, all those parts, that we've read about, now made flesh, and, if you now come to, 1st Peter chapter 1, and you can tell me, Mary, when you want me to stop, two minutes, you've got to move fast now, ready, 1st Peter chapter 1, what I've told you, is all summed up, in one expression here, in verse 21, let's read verse 19, but with the precious blood, of Christ, that's what we should be, remembering those of us, who break bread this morning, and the rest of us, of course, in contemplating it, you see, what happens, may I just say this, what happens, when this word made flesh, is this, before we are baptized,

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    that word is there, and your mind is there, alright, you'll hear all about it, like those of you, who are not baptized yet, hear all about it, you know that Jesus Christ, was the son of God, that he died at Calvary, that he was raised from the dead, that he was exalted, that he went to heaven, that he will come again, that he will reign in Zion, and there it is, but not until you take it, and make it yours, in your mind, does that seed of God, conceive, and bring forth, the son of God, you may know it, but not until you believe it, and take it to yourself, as part of you, and that's what you've got to do, that's why we're here, when you take that to yourself, as, as the word of God, then you'll discover, as it says in verse, verse 23 of this chapter, that being born again, the very thing we had, in Peter Manichsburg, not of corruptible seed, but of the word of God, that liveth and abideth forever, verse 20, who verily was foreordained, before the foundation, of the world, but was manifest, in these last times, for you, so God had foreordained him, but he wasn't manifest, he wasn't here, until the word, was made flesh, he was in the mind, of God, and so, he could say, before Abraham was, I am, and of course that's true, there never could have been, an Abraham, if God had not, had Christ in mind, all Isaac, as the son of Abraham, of being offered, and dying, was based on Christ, like, there could never have been,

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    a Joseph without Jesus, and so, Jesus preceded everything, final reference, Colossians chapter 1, which we read together, then we must, wind up, now, they're all together here, all these things, but notice the preeminence of God, and you'll now see, that, well, chapters like this, take, a more simple form, verse 12, giving thanks unto the father, which hath made us meet, to be partakers, of the inheritance, of the saints, in light, who hath delivered us, from the power of darkness, and translated us, into the kingdom, of his dear son, in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image, of the invisible God, now notice, he's the image of God, right, not God, that word image, is the stamp, as though you've got, a hard stamp, that's been pressed home, on metal, or in clay, and he's the image, not the original, he's the image, he's exactly like, the original, and it says it, in Hebrews 1, 3, but it's that, impress of God, upon Jesus, he's the image, he's the, six day image, of creation, that God was trying, to produce in the beginning, when God made man, in his own image, a man, marred it, and it's not complete, until it's complete, in Jesus, who is the perfection, so he's the image, of the invisible God, he's the firstborn, of every creature, now firstborn, is used in this chapter, about three times, and there are two senses, in which firstborn, is used, firstborn, is used in the sense, of having preeminence, and it is used, in being first in time, now, the Lord Jesus Christ, is preeminent, because he's above,

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    all things, as it says, in this chapter, he is first in time, because he is, the firstborn, of the new creation, he's the firstborn, from the dead, not the firstborn, of all earthly creation, he is the firstborn, of the new creation,

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    all those millions, as we hope, of saints, who shall be, Christ precedes them all, and their immortality, comes from him, therefore he is, as it says, here in verse 17, the head of the body, the beginning, that is the beginning, of the church, the ecclesia of God, the firstborn, from the dead, that in all things, he might have, the preeminence, so Christ, is the wondrous marvel, the son of God, he's our lord, and our master, he is to be praised, and worshipped, and adored, because God, has made himself, but he is derived, from God himself, and he worships, the father, as we said, in Peter, the man of his birth, well, I've gone on, and you didn't interrupt, because I didn't give you, a chance of birth, or maybe, that was the better way, to do it, but I'm here for a week, and we can talk, thank you for listening, to the good Christ Adelphine Talks podcast, please subscribe, for new episodes, and leave a review, on Apple Podcasts, or whichever service, you are listening from, to help people find the show, when they search for it, if you enjoyed this talk, share it on social media, so other people, can find it too, for show notes, and links to the talk, that you just listened to, visit our show page, at anchor.fm, slash gct, we want to encourage everyone, to share their thoughts, from the talk this week, on Facebook, or Instagram, where we are at, good Christ Adelphine Talks, or on Twitter, where we are at, gct underscore podcast, if you know of a great talk, we want to know about it too,

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    send a suggestion, to good Christ Adelphine Talks, at gmail.com, or message us, on any of our social media platforms, thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week,

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    and be safe,