Jesus, the Beginning

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yesterday, we looked at the history of the city of Laodicea.  Today, I want to concentrate on the descriptions of Jesus, the Amen, the Faithful and true witness, and the Beginning of God's Creation.  Here, in today's scripture, Jesus is identified in three specific ways. Let's examine them.  1. He is the AMEN! Jesus is the personification of this word. The Hebrew word for truth in Isaiah 65:16 is "AMEN"!  “All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭65:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Here, in Isaiah, we see that God is called the God of "AMEN" (truth in our translations). Truth, or "AMEN" is understood as "certain" and "affirmed". Jesus is the certain affirmation of God Almighty!  "Amen" is very often used in support of a statement made. The word "amen" has to do with veracity. Veracity is defined as "true, correct, and in conformity to fact!" The fact is this: Jesus is Lord!  Everything that God is, and has accomplished for us, is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is why He is called the AMEN!!! Take a look at 2 Corinthians 1:20  - “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus is the AMEN of God!!! Can I get an "amen" from the church?? Shout it out right now!  All of our hope is in Jesus Christ. The church must know who He is and what He has done in order to be set right with God! Any church who has lost sight of Jesus is in utter darkness and ripe for judgment.  2. The Faithful and True Witness!  Now we must recognize the truthfulness of His Words. Everything Jesus says is faithful and true! He never lies! He cannot lie!!! He is infinitely trustworthy! He is completely accurate! He is eternally reliable!!! Listen to this from John the Baptist in John 3 - “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what He has seen and heard, but how few believe what He tells them! Anyone who accepts His testimony can affirm that God is true. For He is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves His Son and has put everything into His hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3:31-36‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I purposely capitalized all of the pronouns referring to Jesus in this scripture to emphasize the person of Jesus. Take a look at it again. Re-read it and pay close attention to what is said about Jesus. This passage is monumental stuff!! Jesus will never be proven wrong. He is infinitely right!  Listen to the words of the Holy Spirit, through Paul -  "Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ On Judgment Day, none of us will be able to argue with the assessment of Jesus Christ! The only way we can win is to listen to Him, repent of our sin, and submit to His Lordship! What is He testifying concerning our current state of affairs in the church?? 3. The Beginning of the Creation of God! Jesus was not created. This isn't what the statement means. The opposite is true. He is the Beginning of all of Creation! Everything finds its Beginning in Jesus! Let's look at a couple of scriptures:  “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” ‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭NLT It just don't get any more plain than this!!