Jesus is Greater Than Your Sin
Notes
Transcript
Today we continue a series that we started last week called Jesus is Greater. I want to look at the thought today, Jesus is Greater than your sin.
We are continuing throughout this series in the book of Colossians. Let me encourage you for these next few weeks to study the book of Colossians while we are doing this series. It will enhance these messages for you.
Today we are staying in chapter 1 of Colossians. Go to verse 15. I love this verse.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
These words that Paul writes here is regarded as some of the most important verses in the New Testament establishing the deity of Jesus Christ.
So, what does he mean when he writes Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. The verb that Paul uses here is present tense. He is describing Jesus’ position now and forever. Jesus says in John 10:30...
30 I and the Father are one.”
Jesus continues to describe and He and God are one in John 12:45
45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.
God as Spirit is invisible and always will be.
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
God’s Son is His visible expression. He not only reflects God, but, as God, He reveals God to us.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
Christ existed before God made anything at all. Therefore, He is supreme over all creation. He has all the priority and authority of the firstborn prince in a king’s household. He came from heaven, not from the dust of the earth.
47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.
And He is Lord of All.
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
Christ is supreme over all creation, including the spirit world.
Now look at verse 16.
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.
Not only is Christ the creator of the world, but He is also its Sustainer. And because Christ is the Sustainer of all life, nothing in creation is independent from Him. In Him alone and by His word, we find the unifying principle of all of life. So, everyone, all believers, we are His servants and we must daily trust Him for protection, for our care, and for our sustenance.
When you look at our text today, the first three verses describes the son’s relationship to the “old creation” the world. But look at verse 18 again.
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.
This verse describes the Son’s relationship to the church or the believers.
The church existed because Christ was its beginning. He was its source. He is the head of the church. And just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, we as Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ.
Christ is the first of all who will rise from the dead. Yes, there were those that rose from the dead like Lazarus, but they all died again. Jesus rose from the dead and then ascended to the heavens and today is sitting at the right hand of God. That makes Him first in everything.
Jesus’ resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christ faith, the reason that the church even exists. Only Christianity has a God who became human, died for His people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule the old creation and the new creation, the church, forever. The Resurrection assures us that Christ is not a legend; He is alive and ruling His Kingdom. And because He is spiritually supreme in the universe, then surely we should give Him first place in all our thoughts and activities.
Look at verses 19 and 20 again.
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.
So, think about this, everything that God is dwells in Christ and it is in that fullness that God reconciled everything to himself. And it was this reconciliation that was accomplished through Christ’s blood on the cross.
Reconciliation means reestablishing a relationship, causing a relationship to become friendly and peaceable when it had not been so.
Reconciliation means reestablishing a relationship, causing a relationship to become friendly and peaceable when it had not been so.
We all agree that Jesus Christ is our creator. He is fully God. And Jesus Christ is the Sustainer of everything, therefore, His death on the cross provided reconciliation for everything. But what did Paul mean by “everything”?
We can sum up what Paul means in three points.
1. Jesus Became the Substitute Sacrifice
1. Jesus Became the Substitute Sacrifice
There can be no peace between sinful humans and a holy God. You and I are born into sin. And there is nothing that you can do to make you good enough to be acceptable to God. In the Old Testament, God would accept symbolic offerings. Jesus had not come to earth yet. Jesus had not been sacrifice so, God accepted the life of an animal in place of the life of the sinner.
But Jesus came to earth. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and would be perfect. He knew no sin. And He would substitute His life for our sinful lives. He took the penalty for sin that we deserve. The penalty for sin is death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are guilty. We should be punished. But Jesus took the punishment for us. So, what he did was redeemed us from the power of sin and reconciled us to God. Jesus became the substitute sacrifice that we needed. Jesus is greater than your sin. He conquered sin on the cross.
2. You Have a Choice
2. You Have a Choice
The choice is yours. God is not going to force anything on you. You get to choose whether you want to follow Him or not. Paul understood salvation to be something that is either accepted or rejected by humans.
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
We are given a choice to either accept Christ or reject Christ. God’s reconciliation is universal, it is offered to all people. But reconciliation is accomplished only for those who accept Christ as Savior.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
3. There will Be a Full Restoration
3. There will Be a Full Restoration
When Christ died on the cross for our sins, He made peace possible between God and humanity, restoring people’s opportunity for a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
In the process, Christ also restored the harmony of the physical world and everything in the universe. That full restoration will occur only after Christ returns to earth at the end of history.
21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
There is one group that will never be reconciled to God. That group is Satan and his demons. There is end is certain.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The believers in Colosse had, at one time, been far away from God and they were God’s enemies. Their thoughts and behaviors had revealed, not apathy or ignorance, but hostility toward God because of sin. The people at Colosse were strangers to God’s way of thinking.
What does wrong thinking do? It leads to sin. Sin perverts and destroys thoughts about God. When people are out of harmony with God, their natural condition is to be totally hostile to His standards. So, what did God do for all of us.
God Made Peace by His Death on the Cross in His Own Human Body
God Made Peace by His Death on the Cross in His Own Human Body
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.
Jesus’ fleshly, physical body actually died. Jesus suffered death fully as a human. Jesus literally took the strips upon His back. He took the nails to His feet and hands. He took the crown of thorns upon His head. He suffered death fully as a human. And it is through this that we can be assured that He died in our place. And since Jesus, as perfect God, faced death, we can be assured that His sacrifice was complete and with that He truly removed our sin. He conquered sin. Jesus is greater than our sin.
What is the purpose of reconciliation? When two people reconcile they come to an agreement that there is no more division between the two. Jesus Christ wants to bring His people into the very presence of God. He wants us to be holy and blameless. He doesn’t want there to be a single fault. We can be called holy and blameless because we have been acquitted of all charges.
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
Christ’s act of reconciliation put us in perfect standing with God. So, when Jesus died on the cross, God dealt with our sin. Now His goal is to make us His holy people. He wants to transform our character so we can live consistent with our faith.
I want to leave you with this. As believers, it is time to grow up. It is time to step up and be whom God called you to be. How much time are you spending in prayer? How much time are you reading your Bible? How much time are you telling others about Jesus? We’re not doing enough. So, put your big boy pants on and lets go to work. The church can’t move forward and until the people of God get it in gear.
Jesus made the greatest sacrifice for you, so, it’s okay if we make a little sacrifice. Let’s go to work.
Let’s pray.