Colossians 1:15-23 - King Jesus
Notes
Transcript
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
17 And 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Let’s get a running start our passage today…go back two verses to vs 13...
In the last section Paul was thanking God for the Colossian’s faith in Christ Jesus.
And he ended that section with reflection on what the Father has done through Jesus, saying...
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We were once part of the domain of darkness and we have been transferred to the Kingdom of the Beloved Son, Jesus.
So, our passage today describes the characteristics of the Beloved Son, King Jesus.
The point contextually in the letter is to challenge thinking in the region of of Colossae and Laodicea that Jesus is a power among powers and that Christian faith can be mixed with other belief sets.
Paul’s challenge later on in Col 2:19 to the Colossians is that they would hold fast to Jesus...
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
So at the outset, Paul wants to emphatically describe the Power and Authority of Jesus above all things...
100 dollar bill...
Jesus, Image of God (15)
Jesus, Image of God (15)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
-Image of the INVISIBLE God
-FIRSTBORN of all creation
Jesus, Creator of Everything (16)
Jesus, Creator of Everything (16)
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
-All things created by him through him and for him
The Created Order
-In heaven
-on earth
Physical & Emotional/Mental
-visible
-invisible
Natural & Spiritual Realms
-Thrones
-Dominions
-Rulers
-Authorities
Jesus, Sustainer of Everything (17)
Jesus, Sustainer of Everything (17)
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
-He is before all things (TIME)…omnipresent
-He holds everything together (POWER)…omnipotent
Jesus, Chief Elder in the Church (18)
Jesus, Chief Elder in the Church (18)
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
-He is responsible for the Bride of Christ, the Church
-He is the beginning, He started the church
-He is the firstborn from among the dead, Resurrected King
-Every purpose and intention of any true church is directed solely by him
Jesus, Reconciler of Everything (19-20)
Jesus, Reconciler of Everything (19-20)
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
-The whole world was broken when Adam and Eve fell
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
-The fullness of God was pleased to exist in Jesus’ flesh.
-The mission of the incarnation was the reversal of the curse of the fall.
-The scope of the mission is all things in heaven and earth (CF: v16)
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
-The means of the mission is Jesus’ blood on the cross.
-The reconciliation of Jesus is a completed work which stands ABOVE time but is being realized by us WITHIN time.
The Gospel of Jesus (21-23)
The Gospel of Jesus (21-23)
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
21 - We were sinners
-we were alienated from God…foreigners to Him
-We were enemies of God...hostile in mind
-We were doing evil deeds
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
22a - He has reconciled us by his death
22b - He is presenting us to the Father
-holy
-blameless
-above reproach
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
23 - IF we continue in faith
-stable - strengthened/reinforced
-steadfast -
-not shifting from the hope of the Gospel
GO WITH THIS...
Who you were, Who you are and WHO you ARE
Before we follow Jesus, we don’t understand him or His ways and we actively work against Him and even His people.
When we follow Jesus, Jesus puts the Church in front of the Father as complete and whole…holy, blameless, above reproach
We constantly feel our inadequacy in comparison to this description.
But this IS who we are IN CHRIST
When we sin…we have forgotten or identity and sought hope in something other than Jesus. We trade the riches of the Kingdom of the Beloved Son for the temporary pleasures of the dominion of darkness which always leave us dissatisfied and lacking in hope.
AND compounding to this...When we sin…Satan lies to us saying, “You are not holy, you are not blameless, you are not above reproach”
Jesus is
The Image of God
The Creator of Everything
The Sustainer of Everything
The Chief Elder in The Church
The Reconciler of Everything