The Supremacy of the Son of God

Going through COVID, where we were forced to go to church online exclusively, taught me something about myself. I really enjoy worship, but only in the context of an in-person worship service. I didn’t enjoy singing along at home at all. Maybe its because I’m the best singer in our house, which says a lot.

Some of you did enjoy it though, and you still do. You connect to God through music so purely, that a car ride with Elevation Worship blaring is a spiritual experience for you. You love to praise God in song and that’s amazing. I love to praise God in song too, but I need the church around me.

For those of you who have been going to church for a while, have you ever been reading your bible and then you hear a song as you read it?

Like, you’re reading Psalm 121 and you start going...I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? (sing songey)

It happens to me all the time. So many of our great hymns and songs are based on the scriptures, as they should be. But what not everyone knows is that there are tons of hymns written in the Bible as well.

A hymn is just a song of praise to God, and there are dozens of psalms that are hymns, there are songs like Mary’s Magnificat that are hymns as well as passages within Paul’s letters that are hymns, such as Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Tim. 3:16 and many more throughout the scriptures. Our scriptures are more than just an instruction book - it’s a hymnal designed to encourage our soul and draw us near to the Triune God.

Two weeks ago, we started a new series in the book of Colossians and although we celebrated Camp Sunday last week, today, we are coming back to Colossians and looking at chapter 1, verses 15-23. These verses, written by the Apostle Paul are written as a hymn - a song of praise about Jesus. So as we read the scriptures this morning, may your hearts be united to Jesus through the word.

Colossians 1:15–23 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

May the Lord our God bless the reading and proclamation of his holy word and use it to draw us near to God and grow in our faith. Amen.

Paul has opened this letter to this young church plant with a recognition of how well they are doing in their faith in Jesus and their love for each other. Now, in a moment of praise, he wants to turn their eyes from themselves for a moment and point them to Jesus. In this hymn, he shares three truths about Jesus that I think will not only encourage our souls, it will strengthen our worship and lead us deeper in our relationship with Christ.

The first truth that Paul shares is that...

Jesus is the Image of God

If I were to ask you to tell me who is Jesus in eight words or less, each of you might give me a different answer.

Some would say, “Jesus is my saviour.”

Some would say, “Jesus is my redeemer.”

Some would say, “Jesus is my ever-present help in times of trouble and the one who died for my sin and gave me a new heart” which is more than seven letters but some of you are really bad at following the rules, aren’t you?

Paul’s answer in this beautiful hymn that he wrote is “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” But what does Paul mean by this? He means that Jesus, a man who walked and talked, who ate and drank, who sometimes felt joy and awe while at other times felt tired and hurt - in other words, a human just like you and I - was also fully God.

As the church was growing in the first century, the seeds of a belief called Gnosticism were beginning to form. Gnostics believed that God created everything through a series of emanations and that Christ was one of those emanations. Paul refutes that idea, calling Jesus “the image of the invisible God.” Here, Paul, uses the term “image” to mean “an exact representation.” And he’s not alone in that thought. The author of Hebrews writes...

Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

These verses aren’t just things that others say about Jesus years after his death. Jesus himself attested to it. In the gospel of John, Jesus says,

John 10:30 (NIV)

30 I and the Father are one.”

And they wanted to kill him for saying that. But Jesus doubled down on that statement.

John 10:36–38 (NIV)

36b Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

Jesus, the author of Hebrews, AND Paul all taught that Jesus was more than just a regular person. He was also fully God. And this is crucial to our understanding of Jesus, which is why Paul includes it in this hymn.

It’s crucial because it affects our worship. We don’t just worship an ideal or an idea. We worship a person and in order for our worship to be true, we have to worship that person not as we want, but for who they are. Too many people distinguish between God in the OT and Jesus in the NT. They see God in the OT as mean, vengeful, racist, homophobic, genocidal and cruel. But they see Jesus as kind, loving, full of grace and truth. But Jesus is the EXACT representation of God. The God of the OT is Jesus - they are, by Jesus’ own declaration - one. Not two people in agreement but who are different - Jesus and the Father are one.

This means that however we see Jesus in the NT, we need to apply that to God’s character and intention in the OT. And when we see the justice of God flowing in the OT, we need to remember that’s Jesus too.

Jesus is the exact representation of the God. This is crucial because it affects how we see, and therefore how we worship, our God. But it’s also crucial for our theology of salvation.

For our salvation to make sense according to the scriptures a few things have to be true:

A proper sacrifice for humanity had to be human - Hebrews 2:14-17; The animal sacrifices were always insufficient.

That human had to be perfect - to have never sinned - Hebrews 4:15; 2 Cor. 5:21;

For the atonement to be all sufficient, the human had to be eternal. Hebrews 9:12;

Only God is eternal, therefore the sacrifice had to be both fully human and fully God.

In other words, this doctrine we believe, is at the core of our Christian faith. That God saw us in our helpless state, lost in sin, and knowing we couldn’t save ourselves, stepped in by becoming fully human and reconciling us to God, at the cost of his life so that you and I can experience redemption through faith in him. In eight words Paul summarizes a crucial doctrine for us to hold as followers of Jesus.

First, this hymn teaches us that Jesus is the exact representation of God. Second, it teaches us that...

Jesus is the Firstborn Over Creation

I read a parenting blog this week about the differences between parenting the first child versus the third child. Some of you, as parents might be able to relate to some of these differences.

First, it talked about how we talk about the age of our kids. With our first, we say things, like “She is 8 months, 5 days, 3 hours and 26, no 27, 28 seconds old.” With our third child, it’s more like, “I think he was born in August sometime, but I’m not sure. I’m not even sure what day, week or month it is right now so I can’t really do that kind of math.”

The article also talked about screen time. With your first, many parents are like, “Well, maybe you can watch half-an-hour of TV sometime next week, if you eat all your kale and berries.” By your third, you see them point to Bob the Tomato and say, “Daddy” and your okay with that.

If Instagram had a summary caption, it would say, “You posted 54 pictures of your child today” with your first. But by the time the third comes around, you get a notification like “You haven’t posted in 6 months, do you want to delete your account?”

And when it comes to the pacifier, when your firstborn drops it, you sanitize you, wash it with soap and water and pray over it. When your third baby drops it, you MIGHT wipe it on your pants before you shove it back in the face hole to keep them from crying.

Parenting is really hard work, whether you have one kid or nine kids. It drains your energy, can be deeply frustrating and you have to learn that sometimes, you have to be unproductive in order to be present. But it also fills your soul in ways that you can’t quite explain as well. And for those with more than one kid, we all know that you love your kids “equally,” but that there was something special about that time with your firstborn when you were new, they were new and the feelings were new.

Paul calls Jesus “the firstborn.” So does that mean that God made Jesus? No. Jesus IS God - he has always existed and will always exist. Yes, he was born of Mary for the incarnation, but Jesus himself always existed. So what does Paul mean when he calls Jesus “the firstborn?”

Throughout the scriptures, there is an emphasis on those who are the “firstborn.” Firstborn sons would receive a double portion in an inheritance, with the expectation that they take over for their father and firstborn cattle were used for sacrifices in the OT worship system. But the language isn’t just reserved for those who were birthed physically.

Israel was called God’s firstborn in Exodus 4:22; and the king of Israel was called his firstborn in Psalm 89:27. So when Paul calls Jesus “the firstborn” he is not meaning that Jesus was born first, but that he has pre-eminence - that Jesus is greater than anything else in all creation and that he has a special relationship to the Father and authority over everything. That’s why he’s not just called “the firstborn” here but “the firstborn of all creation.” Over everything that is, Jesus is first in both time and rank - Jesus existed before all things and he is above all things.

And this idea helps us understand other scriptures like

Philippians 2:10 (NIV)

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and

John 1:1–3 (NIV)

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.

Jesus isn’t just our local deity. He reigns supreme over all creation - over every planet, every person, every animal, and every atom in all existence for all time. Jesus has pre-eminence over all creation. He is the firstborn. And Paul outlines two ways this doctrine impacts our worship of Jesus

First, we find our purpose in Christ alone. We weren’t made to own a business, be a parent, or work at a job. We do those things, but they aren’t our purpose. My purpose for existence isn’t to preach and teach people about Jesus. I do that, and I believe God is honoured by it, but that is not the reason for my creation. I am infinitely more than just a tool to be used by God. Look at what Paul says here in our passage:

Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

We have been created through Christ and FOR Christ. The purpose of our existence isn’t doing, but being. God made us for himself, for relationship with him, so that you could both receive his eternal, divine love and give him your flawed, imperfect love in return. You were made to be loved.

Second, we are sustained by Jesus.

Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

God did not just create the world and then step back to see how it would go. He is the one who holds all things together. In the original Greek language, the word used for “hold together” means that it is ongoing. Jesus is still sustaining all things and without him, everything would cease - the planets would stop rotating around the sun, the earth would stop spinning, and all life would cease. It is only in Jesus that anyone or anything has any form of life in it.

The New Bible Commentary

All men and women, whether they recognize it or not, are totally indebted to the Lord Jesus as Creator and Sustainer. For not only has he made every person who enters the world; he also sustains their lives daily, giving life and breath to each one

Jesus is the firstborn over creation and that impacts our worship, for it reminds us that that not only have we been made to be loved, God continually pours out his love to each one of us by sustaining all life. You are alive because Jesus loves you. May our praise reflect a gratitude for our creator and our sustainer.

As we move through our passage, we see that Paul wants to take us deeper. We’ve seen that Jesus is the image of the invisible God and he is the firstborn over all creation. Now, Paul reminds the believers in Colossae that...

Jesus is the Head of the Church

One of Paul’s favourite metaphors for the church is that of a body. In 1 Corinthians 12 in particular talks about how we are a body, we are different people with different skills, abilities and gifts, and in that diversity, by working together, do we function best.

Paul reiterates that idea briefly here in his Jesus-centred hymn in Colossians.

Colossians 1:18 (NIV)

18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

There are two take-a-ways from this declaration:

Jesus leads the church. We, the church, follow Jesus, not pastors. Pastors elders, deacons, etc. don’t really lead the church. Their number one job is to point us to Jesus. Their number two job is to invite us along to where they see Jesus working. This is why I can be so hopeful for the future of this congregations as I prepare to move to BC to minister there. I am moving on, but Jesus is still the head of this congregation and as you press into him, God will empower you to grow deeper spiritually and to have a wider, positive, gospel impact in the community. I’m not the true leader here. My job is to point you to Jesus. Pamela’s job as your interim pastor is to point you to Jesus. It’s all about him.

Paul could have said, “Jesus is the head of the church.” But he used the metaphor of body for a reason. Paul is stressing the unity of Christ and his church. He, as the heavenly head, is present in earthly form in the church, while the church, as his body, is present in heavenly form in Christ. We, the body of Christ are one with our head, Jesus. But how is this unity expressed?

Through our obedience to Jesus. If I want to give a high-five to ________, my head has to tell my arm, shoulder and hand what to do. When it all works together, it’s a seamless action that looks cool and makes people feel good. But have you laid on your arm weird and it went numb? The signal between your brain and your arm is interrupted so you go to do the high five and looks like you’re swinging a wet rope at someone’s face.

Through our worship of Jesus. The word for “head” here is also used in reference to something that is first, like the point of a spear, the prow of a boat, the mouth of a river or an entry port. In our worship, whether it’s through our songs, communion, or prayer, we commune with the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit - Jesus is the means by which we enter into our worship. It’s because of his sacrifice that we can draw near to God.

Hebrews 10:19–20 NLT

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

When we worship Jesus, we are expressing a unity with him in what his death accomplished - the forgiveness of sin and the reconciliation of man and God.

Conclusion

So what is Paul’s goal in this great hymn of who Jesus is and what he has done? It’s to encourage his readers, no matter what time or location they live in to ENDURE.

Colossians 1:22–23a (NIV)

22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Abolitionist William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10 year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: "Unless the divine power has raised you up... I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might."

In life, there is a multitude of things that can wear our souls down, and cause us to contemplate giving up our calling, our commitments, our even our faith. But God is calling us through this beautiful letter to lift our eyes to Jesus, to remember what he has done for us and to re-orient our life around HIM!

Not the church, which is great but flawed and will let you down at some point in your life.

Not your spouse, your kids or your friends, who are great but flawed and cannot fill the needs of your soul that was designed to be filled only by Jesus.

Not your feelings, which change drastically depending on the situation.

Not your jobs, careers or finances, which are only about life here and now, while you were made for eternity in Christ.

We have been made by Jesus for Jesus and it is only in Jesus will we find our soul’s true satisfaction.

So no matter what struggles assail you - no matter what burdens are weighing you down - no matter what pains you are bearing - HOLD ON TO JESUS - don’t give up on him, even if everyone else around you has let you down.

He is the image of God, the firstborn over creation, and the head of the church who has - if you have put your trust and faith in him - redeemed you because he loves you with an everlasting, perfect love - a love that was revealed through his death on the cross so that you and God could be reconciled.

Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.