Before Anything Else, There Was Jesus

11/01/2026

Have you ever wondered what God was doing before He created the heavens and the earth? Before there was a sun to rise, a moon to shine, or a single human being to walk this earth, what was there? Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about eternity before creation. We’re too busy dealing with what’s happening today, much less thinking about what existed before time itself. But John opens his Gospel with a statement that ought to make us stop and consider just how extraordinary Jesus really is.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1 ESV

There is something remarkable about the way John begins his Gospel. Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus. Mark begins with John the Baptist preparing the way. Luke tells us about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. But John goes further back. Much further. He takes us all the way back before creation itself.

And what does he tell us? Jesus was already there.

John doesn’t say Jesus came into existence in the beginning. He says Jesus was in the beginning. That one little word makes an enormous difference.

Jesus wasn’t created. He wasn’t God’s first accomplishment. He wasn’t someone who eventually became divine. He has always existed, and He has always been God.

John calls Him “the Word,” and a few verses later, in John 1:14, he tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He’s talking about Jesus Christ.

Think about what that means for a moment.

The same Jesus who walked dusty roads, touched lepers, welcomed children, and sat down to eat with sinners is the eternal God who existed before anything was created. The One who wept at the tomb of Lazarus is the One through whom Lazarus was created in the first place.

That’s difficult for our minds to fully comprehend, isn’t it?

We’re accustomed to everything having a beginning. Every person has a birthday. Every building has a construction date. Every business, every church, every nation has a point in history when it began. Even the universe had a beginning.

But not Jesus.

And John doesn’t stop with His eternal existence. He tells us that the Word was with God and that the Word was God.

Those statements teach us something foundational about the nature of God. Jesus is distinct from the Father, yet fully divine. He isn’t simply a messenger from God or a particularly good man who understood God better than everyone else. He is God Himself.

This is part of what Christians mean when we speak about the Trinity. One God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We may not be able to explain every mystery of God’s nature, but we can trust what He has revealed about Himself.

Now, here’s where this becomes more than a theological discussion.

If Jesus is truly God, then everything He says deserves our complete attention, and everything He asks of us deserves our obedience.

I think sometimes we become so familiar with Jesus that we unintentionally reduce Him to someone who is simply there to help us through difficult situations. We pray when we need something. We ask Him to bless our plans. We turn to Him when life gets uncomfortable.

And there’s nothing wrong with bringing our needs to Jesus. He invites us to do exactly that.

But Jesus is so much more than someone we call upon when we need help.

He is Lord.

That means He doesn’t simply exist to participate in our lives. Our lives exist because of Him, and we are called to surrender them to Him.

There’s a significant difference between asking Jesus to bless the direction we’ve chosen and asking Jesus to show us the direction He wants us to take.

One keeps us in control. The other recognizes who He truly is.

And I wonder how often we struggle with surrender because we’ve forgotten just how great the One we’re surrendering to really is.

Consider this. The eternal Son of God, who had no beginning and needed absolutely nothing from us, willingly entered the world He created.

He experienced hunger, exhaustion, rejection, betrayal, and suffering. He allowed Himself to be mocked, beaten, and crucified.

Not because He was powerless to stop it.

But because He loved us.

John’s Gospel begins by declaring the deity of Jesus, and it goes on to reveal the extraordinary love of that same Jesus. The One who existed before time was willing to enter time to rescue people who had rebelled against Him.

That ought to change the way we look at the cross.

Jesus wasn’t merely a good man who died for a noble cause. He was God the Son, giving His life for the salvation of sinners.

And He did it willingly.

Sometimes I think we spend so much time asking God why certain things happen that we forget to consider what He has already done. We may not understand every circumstance in our lives. We may not know why certain prayers seem unanswered or why some roads are harder than others.

But we do know something about the character of the One we’re trusting.

He is eternal. He is sovereign. He is faithful. And He loved us enough to come into His own creation and die for us.

That doesn’t answer every question we have, but it gives us a solid foundation on which to stand while we’re waiting for answers.

There’s another truth in this passage that I find especially comforting.

Because Jesus existed before creation, He is not limited by the things that limit us. We see life one day at a time. We remember yesterday, experience today, and wonder about tomorrow.

God sees what we cannot.

Nothing about your life has caught Him by surprise. The circumstances you’re facing today are not beyond His knowledge or His authority.

That doesn’t mean everything happening in your life is good. Scripture never teaches that. But it does mean the One who holds your life is greater than anything you’re facing.

And perhaps the most amazing part of all is that this eternal God wants a relationship with you.

Not merely your religious activity. Not just your Sunday attendance or your occasional prayers.

He wants your heart.

The One who was there before the beginning knows you personally. He knows your struggles, your failures, your fears, and the things you haven’t told anyone else.

And still, He invites you to follow Him.

So today, don’t think of Jesus as simply a part of your life. Recognize Him for who He is: the eternal Son of God, your Savior, and your Lord.

The One who existed before everything is worthy of being first in everything.

Action Steps

1. Recognize who Jesus truly is. Spend some time reading John 1:1–18. Pay attention to what John reveals about Jesus before describing His earthly ministry. Ask yourself whether your understanding of Jesus reflects the fullness of who Scripture says He is.

2. Examine who is directing your life. Think about a decision you’re currently facing. Have you been asking God to approve what you’ve already decided, or have you genuinely sought His direction? Be willing to surrender your preference to His will.

3. Worship Jesus for who He is, not just what He does. Set aside a few minutes today to pray without asking for anything. Simply thank Him for His eternal nature, His love, His sacrifice, and the privilege of knowing Him personally.

Challenge for the Day

Before making an important decision today, stop and ask yourself, “Am I treating Jesus as someone who should bless my plans, or as the Lord who should direct them?” Then choose one specific area of your life where you need to surrender control to Him.

Prayer

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Jesus. Sometimes I become so focused on my own circumstances that I forget just how great and powerful You are. Forgive me for the times I’ve treated Jesus as someone who is simply there to help me accomplish my plans rather than the Lord of my life. Help me understand more deeply who He is and what it means to follow Him. Teach me to trust His wisdom, submit to His authority, and never lose sight of the incredible love that brought Him into this world to save me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

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