Lesson 12 Trusting In The Word

     In Psalm 128:2 (Amplified) God said that "He had magnified His name above all the heaven; and that He has magnified His Word, above all of His name."
     We find in Philippians 2:9-10 (Amplified) that "God has bestowed upon Jesus, a name that is above every name."  Verse 10 says, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow; in heaven and on earth and under the earth. "  This is the name that has been magnified above even God's name.  In Psalm 138:2 (Amplified) this name of "Jesus" is the Word of God.
     Jesus was always the Word of God.  John 1:14 (Amplified) tells us "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we (actually) saw His glory (His honor, His majesty) such glory as an only begotten Son receives from His Father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth."
     This Word was in the beginning with God and the Word was God in Genesis.  John 1:1 (Amplified) says that, "When the Christ child was born, we named the baby, (this flesh and blood body) Jesus, but He had already existed with God from the very beginning." When I say that Jesus and the Word are One and the same person, it's a Divine truth.  When I talk about learning to trust in the Word, it's actually learning to trust in Jesus.  We seem to see Jesus one way and the Word another way.  I hear people all the time, talk about taking the Word literally.  When they speak of the Word in that way, it's usually in reference to not being credible.
     When you realize that Jesus and the Word are One and the same, then how can the Word not be credible?  When we see the man Jesus on the cross, the Word was placed there first.  In Isaiah 53,53,54 (Amplified) we see that before Jesus was placed on the cross, the Word had already been there.  When we read Isaiah, we see the crucifixion only by the Word.  Then, we see the Word made flesh in the gospels actually doing what the Word had already done.
     The same Jesus we placed our faith in for forgiveness of our sin, is the same Word that bore everything else in that body.  The only way man could be saved was for a sinless man to die in his place.  Therefore, this Word became flesh and was actually God's Own Word (His Word of truth) that hung on the cross for us.  Now that the Word of God has vindicated all who will believe, He has exalted His Word above all His name.
     We see God (by His Word) begin to build a man (the man Jesus) by speaking Him into existence one piece at a time.  He spoke Him into existence in every book of the old covenant.  Every "shadow" of things in the old covenant became the substance of the new covenant.  The only way to see Jesus was by the Word.
     From the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 (Amplified) to Malachi 4:2 (Amplified) the "Son of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings and His beams."  Once the complete plan of salvation had been spoken and was filled for all time, Mary tells the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1:18 (Amplified), "Let it be done to me according to what you have said."  It wasn't only about what the angel said just then, but what had been said of this Child from the beginning.
     Now, what the angels said in Luke 1:30-35 (Amplified) was the totality of all the Father spoke from the beginning.  Now, this Word became flesh and now we had a name for this Word and we call this Word, Jesus.  Everything the Father said concerning our redemption and deliverance would become the sinless sacrifice and die on the cross.  Now, we can actually see God's Word as a living, breathing man.  We see that they are still One and the same.
     In Psalm 2:7 (also quoted in Hebrews 1:5- Hebrews 3:5-6 (Amplified) we read how "The Father has spoken by His Word, the resurrection of the Lord, before He was crucified."  It was no wonder that Jesus spoke to Pilate in John 19:11 (Amplified) saying,"You would have no power over Me, had it not been given you from above."  The only way Pilate could do as he did towards Jesus is because the Word had already been spoken and exalted and was now the flesh that had to die and become alive again.
     As strange as it may sound to us today, Jesus had to trust in the Word for His resurrection by faith. He actually had to put His total existence at the very truth of the Word for His being raised from the dead.  All He had to prove at His resurrection, was the Word of God.  We sometimes think that because Jesus was the Son of God, He had more going for Him than we do today.  His trust in the written Word and His life as the Word made flesh had to come into agreement the same as we do today.  His flesh didn't want to go to the cross.  Luke 22:42 (Amplified) shows us Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but (always) Yours be done."  Jesus has to trust in the Word (the written Word) to raise Him up from the dead.
     If Jesus could trust in the Word enough to actually die in my place, become sin in my place, become the curse in my place, be separated from God in my place, and trust the Word enough to believe God would raise Him from the dead, then surely, we should be able to trust Him (as the Word) to do what He (the Word) has said about us. 
     You are righteous because the Word said so.  You are justified because the Word said so.  You are a King and a priest because the Word said so.  You are actually alive because the Word said so.  You are healed because the Word said so.  And, this "Word has been exalted even above God's name," according to Psalm 138:2.