JESUS!
- fccreative
- 5 days ago
- 10 min read
The Eternal Word, the Promised Seed, the Greatest Gift, and the Name Above All Names!
From Matthew 1 and Philippians 2, the focus centers on one person: Jesus. The name given by heaven is not a title crafted by empire or trend, but the revelation of God’s eternal plan. The story does not begin in Bethlehem; it stretches back beyond Caesar, beyond Israel’s kings, beyond time itself. Before He was called Jesus in time, He was the Word in eternity—the personal, divine self-expression of the Father—through whom all Scripture and creation hold together. What God declares, the Son accomplishes; what the Father promises, the Son fulfills. He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, the key that makes the entire Bible make sense and the One present at “Let us make man in our image.”
This eternal Word is also the promised Seed. Hidden in Genesis 3:15 and veiled throughout the Old Testament, the Seed is planted in types and shadows—Abraham’s ram, Moses’ bush, the rock in the wilderness, the fourth man in the fire—until Isaiah and Daniel glimpse Him rising. The prophecy calls Him “the seed of the woman,” signaling a birth that defies biology. God writes a new creation story through a virgin’s womb, so that the One born to do the impossible enters creation in an impossible way: the Creator becomes creation, the Master becomes servant, God becomes Savior.
Then the Word becomes flesh and “tabernacles” among us. The direction of approach changes: no longer humanity inching fearfully toward the veil, but God stepping out from behind it to meet humanity in Christ. At the cross, the Gift is “opened”—His wounds tear the veil, His stripes heal, His blood makes a way. God did not give the world what it wanted or deserved; He gave what was needed—His everything in His only Son.
Because of His obedience unto death, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name above every name. That Name bears blood and authority. To speak “Jesus” is not mere sentiment; it is appeal to the fullness of God, the confession the Spirit Himself empowers. This Name is a complete prayer when words fail, a door that opens when strength is gone, power over darkness, sickness, sin, and shame. Call Him by His first name—Jesus—and everything heaven purposes begins to move.
Key Takeaways
1. Jesus, Eternal Word made known
Christ is not a late entry into history but the eternal Word who fulfills the Father’s decrees and makes sense of all Scripture. He is the personal revelation of God—expression, explanation, and execution of the divine will. The gospel is older than time; the Lamb was slain before foundations were poured. Knowing Jesus as the Word steadies faith when sight is dim because His promises cannot return void.
2. Salvation hid as a humble Seed
God concealed the plan in a “seed” no enemy could read, unfolding it through shadows and types until the fullness of time. Genesis promised the woman’s Seed, signaling a virgin birth that rewrites creation and births a new humanity. What looks small, hidden, or insignificant often carries heaven’s largest harvest. Trust the slow work of God; seeds do their best work underground.
3. God comes near as our Gift
In Christ, God left the mercy seat, stepped through the veil, and came to us, becoming both High Priest and Sacrifice. His wounds are not defeat; they are the tearing open of the Gift, the opening of the way. He gave not something but His everything—the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. Receive Him rightly, and the Gift keeps giving—mercy, healing, and access.
4. The Name that carries all authority
Because He humbled Himself to death, Jesus now bears the Name above every name. That Name carries blood, history, and divine fullness—when spoken in faith, it confronts darkness, steadies anxious hearts, and gathers heaven’s help. The Spirit empowers its confession: “Jesus is Lord.” When language runs out, His Name is a complete prayer.
Bible Study Guide
Bible reading
- Matthew 1:20–21
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
- Philippians 2:5–11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- John 1:1, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Observation questions
In Matthew 1:20–21, what two instructions does the angel give Joseph, and what two reasons are given for them (about Mary and about the child’s name “Jesus”)?
In Philippians 2:5–11, trace the “downward” movement of Christ (what He chose to do) and the “upward” movement (what God did in response). What verbs stand out to you in each part?
In John 1:1, 14, how does John describe who “the Word” is, and what does he say “the Word” did among us? Why does “dwelt/tabernacled” matter?
Several Old Testament “shadows” were named as hints of the hidden Seed—what were two or three of them? “The Old Testament is like a long episode of ‘undercover boss’”
Interpretation questions
“He is the Word of God”—not just letters on a page but God’s own personal self-expression in person . How should this change the way a believer listens to Scripture and trusts God’s promises when circumstances are unclear?
God promised “her seed” would crush the serpent. Why is the phrase “her seed” theologically important, and how does it point to a virgin birth and a new creation work of God? “I’m calling it her seed”
According to Philippians 2:5–11, what does true greatness and authority look like in God’s kingdom? How does humility lead to exaltation, and why is that so different from normal human power?
If “instead of us going to meet God, God came to meet us” , what does that say about access to God today? How does this reshape ideas about earning, striving, and fear before God?
“His name is a complete prayer” . What does it mean to call on the Name with faith rather than superstition? How does this relate to the Spirit empowering the confession “Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:11; cf. )?
Application questions
Trusting Jesus as the eternal Word: where is life confusing right now, and how will you practically lean on what He has spoken (a specific promise, a passage, a confession) this week? “He is the Word of God” .
Seeds do their best work underground: what small, hidden thing is God growing in you right now (a habit, a calling, a healing)? What one step will you take this week to water that seed? “Seeds are...undercover and buried” .
God came through the veil to meet us: where are you still living like you have to earn your way into God’s presence? What is one way you will receive—rather than strive—this week (for example, simple confession, silence, or thankful rest)? “Instead of us going to meet God, God came to meet us” .
The Gift was opened by His wounds: what specific wound (sin, shame, grief, habit) needs to meet His stripes? Name it. How will you bring it into the light before Jesus this week (prayer, trusted friend, communion, journaling)? “When they whip Him…they’re opening up the gift” .
The Name over every name: name one place of darkness, sickness, fear, or bondage you’re facing. For seven days, speak the name of Jesus over it once in the morning and once at night, and record what changes in your heart and circumstances. “His name is a complete prayer”.
First-name nearness: what keeps you from simple, childlike closeness with Christ? Try a breath prayer when anxiety rises this week—“Jesus, have mercy”—and note what happens in your mind and body. “Call me Jesus” .
In the midnight hour: if you wake with fear or feel pinned down by pressure, what will you do next time? Even if you can’t speak, plan to think His name until peace returns, and tell a friend what happened. “If you could just think the name” .
Devotional
Day 1: Jesus, Eternal Word Before Time and Christmas
Jesus did not begin at Bethlehem; He is the eternal Word who was with God and is God. Christmas celebrates His arrival, not His origin. From eternity He is the Father's perfect expression—what the Father decrees, the Son brings into reality. He ties the whole Bible together so that promises, prophecies, and patterns find their meaning in Him. Let your view of Him stretch beyond years and seasons; He is the Lamb prepared before the foundation of the world, present and active even now.
John 1:1–2,14: Before anything began, the Word already existed, alongside God and fully divine; from the start He was there. Then the Word took on our humanity and made His home among us; we saw His glory, overflowing with grace and truth.
Reflection: How would your Bible reading change this week if you expected every page to point to Jesus as the living Word? Choose one book or chapter and look for how He fulfills it.
Day 2: Christ the Seed: Hidden, Growing, Revealed
From humanity’s first fall, God promised a seed who would crush the serpent. Seeds work undercover; they look small and insignificant, yet they carry a whole harvest inside. Throughout the Old Testament, Jesus moved quietly—foreshadowed in rams, rocks, burning bushes, the fourth Man in the fire, and the Son of Man vision—until the secret blossomed in plain sight. What looked like delay was preparation; roots were forming where eyes could not see. Trust that God’s plan still grows beneath the surface of your life, even when the soil looks dry.
Genesis 3:15: I will set enmity between you, serpent, and the woman—between your offspring and hers. Her descendant will crush your head, while you only manage to bruise His heel.
Reflection: Where do you sense God working below the surface right now, and what small act of trust could you take to agree with His hidden growth?
Day 3: Her Seed: The Virgin Birth and New Birth
God promised a salvation so holy that He called it “her seed,” overturning natural expectations. The Creator stepped into creation, older than His mother, choosing a womb He fashioned, to bring impossible hope to a broken world. He defied biology to author your new birth, proving that your “impossible” is His normal. This is not a tale of myth but of mercy—God drawing near, taking on diapers and dust to lift us into sonship. Let your cynicism yield to wonder: if He began this way, what impossible thing might He begin in you?
Galatians 4:4: When the appointed time arrived, God sent His Son—born of a woman and born under the law—so those bound by the law could be brought into the full rights of God’s family.
Reflection: Name one area that feels biologically, financially, or emotionally “impossible.” How will you invite Jesus into it this week, and what first step will you take?
Day 4: The Gift Who Opened the Way to God
In the wilderness the priest moved cautiously toward God, but in Jesus, God moved compassionately toward us. The Word “tabernacled” among us; the Holy One stepped out from behind the veil and became the Lamb Himself. On the cross, the “packaging” was torn—stripes, thorns, and nails opening the way we could never force open. What looked like destruction was deliverance; as He was wounded, the barrier fell and mercy flowed. Receive Him not as a trinket to shelve but as your everything, the gift you entrust with your whole life.
Isaiah 53:5: He was pierced because of our rebellion and crushed because of our crookedness. The cost of our peace was laid on Him, and by the blows He bore, we are made whole.
Reflection: What is one concrete way you will honor Jesus as God’s costly gift this week—confession, forgiving someone, or setting time to worship?
Day 5: The Name Above Every Name: Jesus
Jesus humbled Himself all the way down—servant, cross, tomb—and the Father lifted Him all the way up. His name carries His story: obedience, blood, and victory. You may not recall every verse, but you can call His name; in pain, fear, or silence, whisper “Jesus,” and find heaven drawing near. This is first-name grace: the King invites you to know Him closely, not from a distance of titles. Bowing to His name frees the heart, clears the mind, and leads the will into joy.
Philippians 2:5–11: Take on the mindset of Christ Jesus: though truly God, He did not cling to privilege but emptied Himself, becoming a servant. He became human and obeyed to the point of death—death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him beyond measure and gave Him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bows, and every tongue announces that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Reflection: Identify one situation that tempts you to anxiety or control. How will you intentionally speak the name of Jesus over it each day and respond with one act of humble obedience?
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