Where Jesus First Appears In the Bible

Main message: Jesus is the pre-existent, incarnate Lord and King with all authority who has defeated the powers of darkness through his death and resurrection; reclaiming reverent awe of who he is restores our confidence, victory, and abundant life.

Key points:

• We’ve minimized Jesus to a friendly “buddy,” losing healthy fear, awe, and trust in his authority.
• Jesus is eternal, the image of the invisible God, the Creator through whom all things were made.
• Old Testament “embodied” appearances (the angel of the Lord, walking in the garden, burning bush, pillar of fire, Joshua’s warrior, Abraham/Isaac, Passover) were encounters with the pre-incarnate Jesus.
• Jesus humbled himself, died, and rose again, defeating spiritual powers so sinners can be saved and adopted as God’s children.
• Jesus is unchanged — “the same yesterday, today, and forever” — and will fight for us; if we stick with him, we share in his victory.

Scriptures mentioned: Colossians 1:15-17, Hebrews 13:8, Philippians 2:6-11, Genesis 3, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 22, Exodus 3, Exodus 12, Exodus 13-14, Joshua 5:13-15, Luke 2