TITLES OF CHRIST
WORD OF GOD
DR. JIM DIXON
JOHN 1:1-3, 14 & REVELATION 19:11-13
JUNE 4, 1989
Muhammed was an Arabian man who in the 7th century A.D. founded the religion of Islam. Mecca was the city of his birth. Medina was the city where he gathered his followers. Muhammed really believed that Jews and Christians would follow him. He claimed to honor both Abraham and Christ and he instructed his followers to face the city of Jerusalem when praying. He thought this would please both Jews and Christians. But you see, when Jews and Christians refused to follow Muhammed, he became angry and in anger, he instructed his followers to turn from the city of Jerusalem and to face Mecca the city of his birth when praying. He was angry with Christianity and with Christians, but he said to the moment of his death that he was not angry with Jesus Christ. It is said that Muhammed actually placed a picture of Jesus Christ in the Kaaba, in the Holy Mosque, in the city of Mecca. It is said that to this day, that picture of Jesus Christ remains there. Muhammed referred to Jesus Christ by the title “the Word of God.” To this day, the Islamic religion refers to Jesus Christ by the same title. They call him the Word of God. But you see, the religion of Islam does not understand the meaning of this title. Muhammed himself did not understand the meaning of this title.
What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is the Word of God? Biblically, this title tells us three things about Jesus Christ. First of all, it tells us that Jesus Christ is divinity. Jesus Christ is deity.
When the Greeks spoke of the Word of God, they spoke of the “logos” of God because “logos” was the Greek word for “word,” but it was also the Greek word for “reason.” It was the word from which we get the word “logic.” When the Greeks thought of the word of God, the “logos” of God, they thought of the mind of God. When Greek Christians called Jesus Christ the Word of God, the “logos of God,” they were saying that Jesus Christ is the very mind of God incarnate.
We live in a world where people want to know what God is like. Some people want to know what God looks like. You’ve probably heard the story of the mom who went into her little boy’s room and she saw her five-year-old drawing a picture. She said, “Son, what are you doing? What are you drawing?” He said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” She smiled and she said, “Dear, no one knows what God looks like.” And with total confidence, the little boy said, “In a minute, they will!”
You see, children want to know. They want to know what God looks like. As we become adults, we really become more concerned with what God thinks like than we are with what God looks like. As we become adults, we want to know what God’s mind is like. What does he really think like? You see, the Bible tells us, if you want to know what the mind of God is like, if you really want to know what He thinks like, you don’t have to go any further than Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the logos of God, the mind of God.
You see, when the Hebrews…when they thought of the word of God, they thought of the “dabar of God” because dabar is the Hebrew word for “word.” That’s a very active word because the Hebrews believe that the word of God, the dabar of God, was the creative energy of God, the creative power of God. The Hebrews believed that by the word of God, by the dabar of God, the universe was made, the universe was created. God speaks and things happen. God spoke and things came into being. God said, “Let there be light. And there was light.” Dabar, the word of God, the creative power of God. When the Hebrews called Jesus Christ the Word of God, using dabar, they saw Him as the very creative power of God.
You see, scientists and astronomers and cosmologists, they tell us that 15 to 20 billion years ago, the sum of matter in the universe was all gathered in one large ball. They claim that there was a great explosion, a great explosion 15 to 20 billion years ago of this ball of matter, sending the galactic systems out into the cosmic void forming the universe. This is called the Big Bang Theory. For many secular scientists, it’s adequate to explain the creation of the world, but of course it doesn’t really explain the creation of the world. It doesn’t explain where that that ball of matter came from. Did it always exist? Was it eternally existing matter? You see, that violates the very fabric of science because science deals with a time space continuum. Everything must have a beginning and everything must have an ending. Did that ball of matter spontaneously generate? Well, that too would violate the very fabric of science because science deals with a world of cause and effect. For every effect there has to be a cause. You can’t have something that came from nothing. You see, ultimately, science just isn’t able to explain creation. The Bible simply says by the word of God, the heavens were formed. The Bible tells us Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Dabar, the creative power of God.
You see, when the Aramaic-speaking people spoke of the word of God, they spoke of the “memra” of God because “memra” was the Aramaic word for “word.” It was a very special word. We should remember that in biblical times, most of the Jewish people did not speak Hebrew. They spoke Aramaic. It was the common language of the streets. The Bible is written in Hebrew and Greek and in Aramaic. Now, if you go to the 33rd chapter of Exodus, you see Moses on Mount Sinai and he is talking to God. He says, “Lord, let me see your glory. Let me see your face.” God says, “No one, no man can see my face and live.” So we’re told that Moses was covered, he was sheltered, he was protected as the glory of God passed before him. He saw God, but only as from behind. You see, the Jewish person knew that you couldn’t look at the face of God and live, but the Jewish people also believed you couldn’t even mention the name of God and live. So you see, they came up with substitute names for God.
In the Targums, the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament scriptures, oftentimes when God is mentioned, instead of saying the name of God, they would simply say the memra, the word. It was a circumlocution for God, for the name of God, a way of addressing God without saying His name, the memra, the Word of God. So when the Aramaic-speaking people spoke of Jesus Christ as the Word of God, the memra of God, they were truly saying, “He’s God, the mind of God, the creative power of God, God.” “Logos,” “memra,” “dabar,” it’s all summed up in Hebrews, chapter 1, when the Bible says “In many and various ways, God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, He has spoken through his Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things, and through whom also He created the worlds. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by His word of power.” The Word of God, Jesus Christ.
Well, this title tells us something else about Jesus Christ. It not only tells us that He is deity, but this title also tells us that He is meant to be heard. You see, if Jesus Christ is really the Word of God, then we better listen to him. When Jesus Christ was transfigured and He radiated heavenly light, we’re told that the Father spoke from heaven and God said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Jesus said, “Many have ears to hear, cannot hear.” Do you listen to Jesus Christ? Do you listen to the Word of God?
You might say, “Well, how do I listen to him?” When you go to church and you hear preaching and you hear teaching, you listen to Jesus Christ, you listen to the Word of God. And that is good. When you pray, and hopefully you pray every day, when you pray and the spirit of Christ communes with your spirit, you listen to the Word of God, to Jesus Christ. And that is good. Perhaps more mystically, if you hear a word of knowledge or a prophetic utterance, you listen to the Word of God. But I want to tell you beyond a doubt, the primary way you can listen to Jesus Christ is through this book, the Bible. This book is called the Word of God because Jesus Christ speaks here. The Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. The New Testament reveals Jesus Christ. This is the Word of God. Listen to it.
We live in a nation that is becoming increasingly biblically ignorant. In Newton, Massachusetts, in a high school there, a secular high school, a Bible as literature class, an examination was given to the students…a Bible content examination, multiple choice questions to test their knowledge of the Bible. They found that a majority of the students thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers. They thought Jezebel was the name of Ahab’s Donkey. They thought the four gospels were Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John. They thought Eve was created from an apple. They thought Jesus Christ was baptized by Moses. Some of them thought that Golgotha was the name of the giant that slew the apostle David. Pretty strange stuff.
Now, I’m sure that most of you have greater Bible knowledge than that, but do you really listen? Do you really listen to the Bible? You see, a long time ago, in the early part of the Middle Ages, Bibles were called “catena,” a strange word, meaning chained. Chained. And why were Bibles called catena? The reason is really very simple. There weren’t very many Bibles. In fact, there were very few Bibles. There were no printing presses. Only a few people had bibles and what Bibles as there were, were handwritten in beautiful script by talented scribes. The covers of those bibles were adorned with precious jewels and they were chained. Those bibles were chained to pulpits in cathedrals and in homes of the rich and famous they were chained in the study to the desk. You see today, we have the printing press, and everybody has a Bible. You all have Bibles. If some of you were to go home, and you really looked, you might have more than a dozen Bibles in your house. You see those Bibles are still catena, they’re still chained if you don’t really listen. Do you listen to the Word of God?
I want to explain to you biblically what it means to listen to God’s word. I want to do that through a little bit of horse lore. Throughout history, of course, there have been many famous horses, mythological horses such as the Trojan Horse, the Winged Pegasus, Hollywood horses like Silver and Trigger. Of course, famous race horses like Man of War and Citation. More recently, the great Secretariat. But you see, there’s no group of horses more famous than a group called the Arabian.
The Arabian horses; they only weigh 850 to a thousand pounds. Yet they have incredible strength and incredible endurance. Even the great thoroughbreds which originated in England were really bred from the Arabians which originated in Arabia. Now, where did Arabia get these horses? Well, nobody knows, but there is a legend known to most of you, which tells how Muhammed searched the world over for 100 of the finest horses, 100 of the finest mares, and he brought them back to his native Arabia. There, he trained them to respond to the sound of his bugle. He would blow his bugle, and the horses would stop whatever they were doing and these 100 horses would come to him. Well, having trained these 100 horses, he then placed them in an enclosure on top of a hill overlooking a fresh water stream, but he denied them drink until their thirst was great. When their thirst was at its peak, Muhammed opened the gates, and these 100 horses came thundering down the hill towards that fresh water stream. Their nostrils flared, their mouths foaming, their tails flying, their hoofs pounding, and when they were almost to the river, almost to the river, Mohamed took out his bugle and he blew it. 96 of the horses, we’re told, continued into the water and they drank. But four of those horses dug their hoofs into the earth and they stopped and they returned to Muhammed. It is said that from these four, he bred the great race of Arabians. I want to tell you that all 100 of those horses heard the sound of that bugle. They all heard it, but only four, only four listened. Because you see, biblically to listen, to truly listen, means to heed. To truly listen means to obey. God’s looking for a special people, people who will truly, truly listen to the Word of God, to the voice of His Son.
I trust you know we live in a world that is changing. I think it’s safe to say that this world is drifting further and further from the heart of God. Even in our high schools, we see incredible changes. In the 1940s, the top seven offenses by public high school students, as reported by teachers, were these: talking first, second, chewing gum, third was making noises (let your mind wander on that one), fourth is running in the hallways, fifth is getting out of turn in line, sixth is wearing improper clothing, and seventh was not putting paper in the waste basket. These guys were out of control! Now, in the 1980’s, the top eight offenses by public high school students as reported by teachers were rape, robbery, assault, burglary, arson, bombing, murder, and suicide. Changing times.
Just this last week, Sam Donaldson and ABC did a special report on the erosion of moral and ethical values in the political and economic arena here in America. They said they were alarmed. Sam Donaldson and ABC claimed that perhaps the moral and ethical values of American business and politics is weaker today than at any point in American history. When you add to that, the sexual revolution that is going on in our time is being so promoted by television and movie media, this world is drifting. If you don’t believe that, then you have eyes to see and you cannot see.
But you see, Jesus Christ is looking for a very special people, people who will obey His word, truly listen, no matter what the world does. No matter what the world says. There is a lot of bugles out there. There’s a lot of people wanting you to follow. I know it’s hard, but if you really believe Jesus Christ is the Word of God, you’re going to obey Him. He says, “I know my sheep. They hear my voice, they follow me. I give them eternal life.” The choice is yours.
Well, thirdly, and finally, this title tells us something else about Jesus Christ. He’s not only meant to be heard, He’s meant to be proclaimed. You see, if Jesus Christ is really the Word of God, we must proclaim Him. Time and again in the Bible, you see these instructions; “Preach the word. Teach the word. Proclaim the word.” That is why the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ is called the Word of God. It’s meant to be shared. It’s meant to be proclaimed.
Now, when I was in seminary, in theological school, I read a number of books by a man whose name was Jurgen Moltmann. Jurgen Moltmann is Professor of Theology at Turgen University, a German man. Some say he is the most influential Protestant theologian in the world today. You see, Jurgen Moltmann was not always a Christian. In fact, through much of his life, he was an atheist, or at least an agnostic. In World War II, he was conscripted. He was drafted into the German military, made to support Adolf Hitler and to fight Americans. He said he really didn’t even know what he was fighting and what he was fighting for but he was defeated and he was placed in an American prison camp. There, in an American prison camp, Jurgen Moltmann, for the first time in his life, was given a Bible. It was given to him by the American government, signed by President Roosevelt because you see, back in World War II, we did things like that. As he read that Bible, he met Jesus Christ and he gave his heart to Jesus Christ and received him as Lord and Savior. His life would never be the same. Just two years ago, he stood before a group of American chaplains and he shared that testimony. Jurgen Moltmann pulled that Bible out of his vest pocket, the Bible that had been given him in that American prison camp. Every page worn from daily use, and he cried. With tears in his eyes, he said he wanted to thank the United States government.
Well, you see, the time has long passed when we can trust the United States government to proclaim the Word of God. Time is long passed when we can expect the United States government to share Jesus Christ with the world. In any event, that’s the primary function of the church, and that’s responsibility given to each and every one of you. Your called to share the Word of God. It’s a very rare thing when a man can pick up a Bible like Jurgen Moltmann did, and just by reading the Bible all by himself, receive Jesus Christ. Most people need help. Most people need another person to come and explain the gospel message, and share their personal love for Jesus Christ with them. Most people need you. They need you to come and share your love for Christ with them. If you really believe He’s the Word of God, share him. Proclaim him.
You know, Anthony Campolo, and with this we will close, Anthony Campolo is Professor of Sociology at Eastern University. He’s a deeply committed Christian man, one of the outstanding communicators of our time. He tells a story of one time when he was on an airplane. He was sitting on the airplane. The plane hadn’t taken off let yet, and he noticed a woman came and she sat just a few rows away. He noticed her, he said, because she was beautiful. He said he didn’t, you know, normally comment on things like that, but she was just so beautiful, so attractive. She was just striking. He couldn’t help but look at her. She sat down there all alone, just a few rows away. Then suddenly he noticed another man come on. He was coming down the aisle and this guy was really studly. I mean, he was really cool. He had on his pleated pants, and he had on the blazer, and his shirt was open and the hair was coming out. He had on all the gold jewelry. He was really cool. He said he just knew what that man was going to do because it was open seating. He watched the man walk down, the man look around, and the man saw this beautiful woman, and he just kind of worked his way over and sat right there next to her as Campolo knew he would. Campolo thought to himself, “I’ve got to watch this. I’ve got to see how this guy does this and what he says, how he opens the conversation. So Campolo is just kind of sitting there, listening, watching. The plane takes off. In mid-flight, there in the midst of conversation, this man in this woman, and suddenly Campolo is stunned when he sees this beautiful woman reach down into her handbag and pull out a Bible. She opens it, and she begins to share with this man the Word of God. I’ve got to tell you, that wasn’t what that guy had sat there for.
Well, when they arrived at their destination, Campolo got up like everybody does on an airplane. You know, everybody just stands there because you really can’t get out yet. He looked over and he saw this woman and this man, and they were praying together. The man was asking Jesus Christ to come into his heart.
I’ve got to tell you, that’s beautiful. I don’t mean to lay a trip on you so you’re afraid to take a flight or feel like you always have to share the gospel with a person sitting next to you. You have to let the Holy Spirit lead you. But I’m hesitant to tell you that you need to let the Holy Spirit lead you because for a lot of people, that just becomes a cop out and they say, “Praise God. The Holy Spirit never leads me to say anything to anybody.”
You see, if you really believe in Jesus Christ, He wants you to share Him with other people. “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth.” He is the Word of God. He is deity. He is meant to be heard, meant to be obeyed, meant to be proclaimed. Let’s close with a word of prayer.