A Superior Christ

Introduction: You can turn to Colossians chapter 1 if you are not already there. And I first want to say, it is an honor to be asked to come and proclaim God’s Word for you all. My name is Rusty, this is my wife Krista. We are here from Redeemer Borger and we planted about two years ago which is when I first met the Joel and Megan. And it has truly been a joy to watch you guys get planted and grow over the last year. Just know that it is to the glory of God that Jesus Christ is exalted as supreme above all else, week after week right here in Amarillo. While I was studying for today I thought it would be interesting to Google, “Who is the most superior person in the world?” You get a bunch of different results like, who is more superior, man or woman? You see things like the 50 most influential people or the 50 richest people or even the 50 most powerful people. Now, there are some out there that truly believe that these types of people are the most superior people alive. The flaw with this kind of thinking though, is that at some point these, more superior people, will fall short of that flawed standard that we tend to measure people by. And what happens when those people fall short? They get replaced by another flawed person who will eventually fall short. You see, we base superiority on the amount of influence someone has, the amount of followers someone might have or the amount of money someone might have, or the power one might hold over others. We can even bring this down to a more personal level and say that we simply want to see ourselves as more superior than others, and we will do whatever we can to be better than everyone else. The world even kind of pushes this narrative, that in some way we are all superior to others so long as we have more money than them, or power, or influence, better cars, or better job. So in a way it is not just one superior person in the world, rather all of mankind is superior in their own way. But this is not what the Bible teaches us is it? Jesus says that we must be servants among all people, living with humility not superiority. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” Humility takes maturity in understanding that you are not superior to others. And there is no one more superior than Christ. Listen to these words that I found about our text while studying for today. “This is the apostle’s masterful portrait of Jesus Christ. Where should we be but on our faces before him? Away with our petty, puny, pygmy, Jesuses! Away with our Jesus clowns and pop stars! Away too with our political Messiahs and revolutionaries! For these are caricatures. If this is how we think of him, then no wonder our immaturities persist.” You see, as long as we are placing someone or something in the place of Jesus, we will never mature into seeing Jesus as he truly is. So I want to ask the question, do we really believe that Christ is superior to all people? Does Christ reign as King in our lives, or do we simply say that He does because, well that is what we are supposed to say? Paul understood that Christ was superior in every way and knowing this he launches into this hymn of praise. In this hymn we get an all encompassing portrait of Jesus Christ and why we should see Christ as superior to all other things and people. As I walk us through the text today, I want us to be in awe of who Jesus really is, and to give Him the praise and adoration he so deserves.

IF THEY HAVE ALREADY THROUGH TEXT SKIP TO FIRST POINT!! READ THE TEXT Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Superior To All

Verse 15 – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

In verse 15 we see that Jesus is the image of God. What does this mean?

Jesus says in John 14:9 when Phillip asks if Jesus would show them the Father, he says “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Wherever we see Jesus we see the Father and we see Jesus on every page of Scripture, therefore we see God the Father on every page of Scripture! It is an amazing thing that we, simple finite creatures, get to see and experience the triune God every single day if we want to. This is why our daily Bible reading is so important! I don’t know about you guy’s but waking up in the morning and knowing that I get to commune with the triune God, it just hits different. Every time you pick up the Word of God, read it, pray it, meditate on it, and live it; you are having a real-life experience with God. This is exactly the point that Paul is trying to make here, that in seeing Christ we see the Father also. Listen to these words from Charles Spurgeon, “If Jesus be not indeed God, such language as this is far-fetched, not to say blasphemous. What more could be said? Is not language put to its utmost tension to set forth the Redeemer’s glories? Blessed be his name, he is all in all to us. We adore him as Creator, Head, Fullness, and Peacemaker; and let others say what they will of him, we shall never cease to sing his praises.” If Jesus be not God then this type of language is not necessary and is actually blasphemous. Paul would be blaspheming if it were not true that Jesus is God. So Jesus and the Father are one and because Jesus is one with the Father, he is also superior just as the Father is superior.

Then we see Jesus is the first-born of creation. What does this mean?

There is no need to complicate this. If Jesus Christ is creator he cannot be created, therefore he is the “first-born of all creation” in the sense that Christ is the first-born into a family and all the rights of the inheritance belongs to him. It does not mean that Jesus was a created being at some point prior to creation or during creation. That would imply that Jesus was not God. And this is not the only time that the Scriptures present Jesus as the firstborn. In Romans 8:29 Jesus is the “firstborn among many brothers.” Here in Colossians 1:15 Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation.” Later in Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5 Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead.” And in Hebrews 1:6 Jesus is the “firstborn of God.” If Christ is the first-born than Christ is also first in superiority and deserves all the reverence and adoration that we could ever give him. Do we give Christ the adoration he deserves? When we think about, speak about, and sing about Jesus Christ is it because we are in awe of him or simply because we know about this guy that supposedly did some things and now things are supposed to be all better? Church, if you are not in awe of Jesus, then something is off. Jesus is God and Jesus is the first-born of creation, which means that he is above all superior to creation.

Superior To Creation

Verse 16 – “For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.”

Because Jesus is superior, everything is ultimately for him.

It is as if Paul is saying to us, “Look, it is not enough to believe that Christ is God and the first-born of creation, we must also understand that it is through Christ and for Christ that creation even exists!” That is how superior Christ is. There is not a king or a ruler or a president, that can lay claim to the throne that Christ occupies, because they all belong to Him! You see, not only was the entire created order made through him, but it is all made for him. God spoke creation into being, Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, ‘Let their be light, and there was light.’” By the very Word of God creation began! Now listen to the words of John at the beginning of his gospel narrative, John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Listen, Jesus is the living Word of God, and Jesus was at the very center of creation. But not only was Jesus at the center of creation, it was all created for him! You were created for Jesus! Do you understand that? Because of Christ you have purpose! And it is through Jesus that we have access to the Father, because Jesus is the exact imprint of God! We see Jesus we See God. We, along with all of creation, belong to the triune God. How incredibly amazing is that? And to make it even better, Paul reminds us here that there is not a single person that will ever take the place of Jesus Christ. So all things are made through him and for him, He is superior to creation and he is superior in order and power.

Superior In Order And Power

Verse 17 – “He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

1. Jesus holds all things together for the good and glory of God.

By now we should be seeing this rhythm that Paul is using, building on the foundation of Christ’s superiority. Now, in verse 17, it is as if Paul is saying, “Look, it is not enough to know that Christ is God and that he is the first-born of creation, that all of creation was created byHim and for Him. We also must understand that Jesus is the one who holds all of the created order together!” Listen to these words of Phillip Melanchthon, a German reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther,

“Now this is an important point, teaching the doctrine that all things were fashioned through the Son, and that all things continued to exist through him. The same statement comes in the letter to the Hebrews 1:3: “Upholding all things by the word of his power.” From it we learn what creation means. For realities are not so made, that they can continue in existence without God’s help; rather, God governs them, and constantly keeps them in being. As Paul says in Acts 17:28, “In him we live and have our being and move.” That realities endure, that we breathe, that we live, that we eat, that we speak, that we perform our natural capabilities, are all works of God. Nor should we suppose that God will dissociate himself from what he has made. He is not like a carpenter, who hands the ship he has built over to the crew, and goes away.” - Phillip Melanchthon

Phillip Melanchthon is correct in saying that “this is an important point.” God did not create the world and then hand it over to Adam and Eve saying, “Ok. Here you go. It’s all yours, you better not mess this up because it is the only one you’re going to get.” No. God, through Christ, upholds the world and everything in it! This is a beautiful truth to behold. When your world feels like it is closing in around you, when you lose a friend or family member, when you lose that job, when you can’t pay your bills or buy those groceries; remember that it is Christ who holds everything together! When you feel like a failure, when your classmates are laughing at you, when the world is mocking you; Christ has not left you or failed you. He can’t, and even if he could, he wouldn’t; that is how much Christ cares for you. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:35-39 “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You are secure in Christ. We hold on to Christ and he holds on to us, never letting go.

Superior In Position

Verse 18 – “He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.”

Jesus is the head of the church and in everything he is preeminent.

Again, in verse 18, let us hear Paul say to us, “Look, it is not enough to know that Jesus is God and the first-born of creation, that all of creation was created for Him and through Him, that Christ holds all things together. But we must also understand that Jesus is the head of the church and the first-born of the dead that in everything it is he that is first place in everything.” The ESV uses the word “preeminent,” which is a verb in Greek, showing that Christ was not just first in everything when Paul wrote this, but that Christ continues to be first in everything today and forevermore. And it follows that if Jesus has “first place in everything”, then he is also the head of the very church that he created. Jesus is the very foundation and authority for which the church stands on. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that we preach. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ which has the power to bring sinners into the fold. So it is on the authority of Christ, and the grace of God, that we have a place to come and worship our triune God. It is on the very authority of Jesus Christ that this church was planted a year ago. Jesus is superior and in this little hymn from Paul, it is Jesus Christ that is being exalted as the superior King and ruler of his church.

And then, in the second half of verse 18, we have this sentence that begins a new aspect of what Paul is trying to communicate. When it says that “He is the beginning,” it is not saying that Jesus is the beginning of God’s creation, which would imply that Jesus was created by God. Remember in verse 15 it says that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, meaning that Christ is before and superior to the rest of creation in its earthly state, as in now. Here Paul is saying that Jesus is the “firstborn of the dead,” in other words he is first to be raised from the dead and the founder of a new people in a resurrected state. And because Jesus is supreme in the current creation as well as in the new heavens and the new earth, then Christ is “preeminent” in everything! Jesus is not only the supreme King now, but he is the supreme King in our future resurrected state, which means that the future resurrected state is guaranteed for us! Because Christ cannot fail. Isn’t that the best news you have ever heard? Paul’s point was that Jesus was the King then, the King now, and will be the King forevermore. And if Jesus is supreme in every way, then He is also the supreme way to reconciliation with God. Which brings us to the final two verses of our text today.

The Superior Way To God

Verse 19-20 – “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Jesus is the superior way to God because he is THE way to God.

Paul here says to us, “It is not enough to know that Christ is God and the first-born of creation, that through Christ everything was made and that everything was made for Christ, it is not enough to know that Christ is holding everything together, that Christ is superior in order and power. We must also know that through Christ alone we can have peace with God.” It is no secret how sinful we all can be, and will continue to be. Because we all rebel against God we need a peacemaker, and that peacemaker is Christ himself. Whether on earth, as in the “firstborn of all creation,” or in heaven, as the “firstborn of the dead,” Christ is the one who makes peace between us and God. John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And then in Romans 5:1 it says “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is through Christ, and only through Christ, that we are justified and have peace with the God that we so often rebel against. But even in our rebellion, because we are justified, we have peace. And this is not of our own doing that we might boast in our own good works. Christ, the preeminent King, has made a way for us. Knowing all of this, and especially knowing that Christ has, by his own blood, made a way for us, should be enough to draw us to our knees to exalt our king and praise him with all adoration. A man named Johannes said this -

Christ is the head and beginning of all things. Whether you look at the work of creation or the work of the new creation and redemption, Christ himself is the firstborn ahead of all creatures. He is the Author and Lord of all. He is truly the firstborn, glorified before all creatures. He is the first to be glorified by resurrection, the Author and Lord of the new creation, the head of the body of the church. Because he pleased the Father (lest any merits be attributed to human beings), all things are in Christ, through whom all things were made. Through him the broken and lost are brought to new life by the blood of the cross and his assumption of a mortal body. This fact totally persuades and confirms our faith. Does not the Father tell us to rest assured in that he gave us his Son, and with him everything that is his? This is the same Son he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. - Johannes Bugenhagen

Charles Spurgeon, the great Prince of Preachers, much like Paul, was so in awe of our Saviour that every time he read his Bible he wrote his own hymns, and I want to share one with you.

A Hymn from Charles Spurgeon

Ere the blue heavens were stretched abroad,

From everlasting was the Word:

With God he was; the Word was God,

And must divinely be adored.

But lo! he leaves those heavenly forms,

The Word descends and dwells in clay,

That he may hold converse with worms,

Dress’d in such feeble as they.

Mortals with joy beheld his face,

Th’eternal Father’s only Son:

How full of truth! how full of Grace!

When through his eyes the Godhead shone.

Conclusion: If Christ is superior in every way on this earth and in the new, how could we not trust Him and love Him? We must behold the glory of God in Christ. We have a God that left the heavenly places, to come down in humility and be born in human likeness, from a virgin. The only begotten Son, for us, lived a holy and perfect life. And for our wretched lives, He gave himself up on a cross, beaten, and bloody; covering us in His righteousness. What grace and love God has for us, that he reveals himself in Christ and then takes upon himself the very wrath that we deserve! If you are a believer then marvel in this and exalt your savior like never before, with joy behold his face! If you are not a believer, then marvel in this, and behold the lamb that was slaughtered for you! Believe in Him and may he give you the faith that you might trust in him. Paul says in Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” Run to Him and find your rest. Let’s pray.

Pray: God help us to see your glory, grace, and love threw the perfect obedience of your Son. May we adore and praise Jesus Christ like never before. God soften our hearts that we may be humble in serving others rather seeking to hold superiority over them. Remind us that Christ holds all things together. Lord we love you and pray these things in your Sons most holy and superior name. Amen.