Music In a day full of conflicting opinions and ideas, the Word of God stands true, and the Bible is the source for absolute truth. In these days of confusion and questions, it is so important to know what the Bible says. In today's study, let's ask the Lord to open our heart and mind as Scott Pauley leads us into Scripture to help us discover God's absolute truth. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go. I do love the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful that He is my personal Savior. And when I come to the written Word of God, I find the living Word of God. If you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ, then you must learn what the Bible says about Christ. Let's begin with a couple of scriptures, one in the Old Testament, one in the New Testament today. Let's begin with the first mention of Christ in Scripture. Now, let me hastily say that there is no beginning to the Son of God. His sonship is eternal sonship. The Bible says he's the only begotten Son of God. That is simply a reference to the eternal relationship between Father and Son. So he didn't begin at Bethlehem. He didn't even begin in the book of Genesis. No, my friend, he has always been because he is co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit. But this is the first reference to the Lord Jesus in scripture, Colossians chapter 3 and verse number 15. It's the first promise that a Messiah was going to come. God says, Genesis 3, 15, to the devil, and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." I love this verse. What an amazing verse it is. Basically, God looks the devil in the face and says, I want you to know that there's going to come a seed from the line of this woman that is going to conquer you. There's going to come a redeemer that is going to crush you someday. You're gonna bruise his heel, but he's gonna bruise your head. You know, heel bruises are not fatal. They're painful, but they're not the end. But a head wound, now that's a different thing altogether. And God says to the devil, you may bruise the heel of the seed of the woman that's coming, this Messiah, this Redeemer, but then he's gonna take that bruised heel and he's gonna crush your head with it. I want you to know at Calvary, the heel of our lovely Lord Jesus was bruised, but when he came out of that grave alive forevermore, he put his heel on the head of that old serpent, the devil. He has conquered death, hell, and the grave. Satan is under his feet and will be under his feet for all eternity. Aren't you glad everything God foretells, he always fulfills. So this is our introduction. to what the Bible says about Jesus Christ. Now when you come to the New Testament, let's read in Colossians because Colossians is all about the preeminence of Christ, Christ above all. Colossians chapter 1 verse number 14 says, In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, get that, God is a spirit, remember. He is the invisible God. But the Lord Jesus came to reveal God to us. He's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things, were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him all should all fullness dwell and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things to himself by him I say whether they be things in heaven or things in earth and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works Yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight." What an amazing portion of Scripture. I've marked in Colossians 1 four key words. The first is the word created. Christ is the Creator. All things were made by Him and for Him, for His pleasure. Then I have circled the little word CONSIST. God not only created all things by the Lord Jesus Christ, but they are all sustained by Christ. He is the one who keeps us, by whom we continue to exist. In Him we live and move and have our being. I've circled the word cross because that's why I came. That's why I came to earth, to redeem us from our sin and bring us to God. And then I've circled the word church. He who started it all is to be preeminent among his people. He is the head of the body, the church. Now the question is, do you know the one who created the world? Do you know the one by whom all things consist? Do you know the one who went to the cross? Do you know the head of the church? You see, it must become personal. So it's not enough for you to simply know about Christ. You need to know Christ for yourself. It's one thing to say, well, this is what the Bible says. But now may I ask you, what does the Lord Jesus Christ mean to you today? When we come to Scripture, we come to Scripture with one great hunger, and that is to know God. We've established that already. And we know that the Bible reveals God to us. But as you read and study the Bible, what you're going to find again and again and again is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The great prayer of every person should be this, Lord, I want to know your Son. Why is that? Because when you come to know Jesus, you come to know God. John chapter 1, verse number 1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Anyone that tells you that Jesus never claimed to be God has never read the Bible. Anyone that says that the scripture does not plainly show the deity of Christ has never really studied the scriptures. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ came to reveal His Father to us so that we could come into the family. The writer of Hebrews said it this way in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they, I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like Colossians 1 to me. He is the creator. He's the one by which things are upheld or consist. He's the one who redeemed us. The one who went to the cross. And yes, he's the head of the church. He has a name above every name, Philippians 2 says. Someday, in the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You see, our desire is not simply to understand the written word, it is to know the living word. The perfect, final, fullest expression of God to man. and that is the person of His Son, the lovely Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder today, would you speak His name? Even now, would you just say the name Jesus? Jesus. Jesus. There's no name like that name. If you don't know Him as your Savior, speak it now in faith. Jesus, save me. Jesus, come into my life. Jesus, I want to know you. And if you are a believer, would you simply pause now and say, Jesus, I love you. Jesus, thank you for saving me. Jesus, thank you for revealing God to us and bringing us into the family of God forever. Let what the Bible says about Jesus Christ become deeply personal to you today. have more than head knowledge, have a heart understanding, and rejoice that you know God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you'll tell someone else about Jesus today, because there's none of the name under heaven whereby we must be saved. There's no name like the name of Jesus. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content, and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.