Jesus, the All in All - Part 1

Colossians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  27:13
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In this sermon we are going to take a look at Colossians 1:15-20, which is one of the earliest recorded hymns about Jesus, the All in All. There is theological depth in this first century song. I wish we had the melody to which they sang it. This song gives us confidence to know and trust in Jesus as we walk with him through life. This can be truth rehearsed on our darkest night.
Colossians 1:15 .
Colossians 1:15 ESV
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
The first line of the song is packed with four theological concepts concerning Jesus.
The first is the “invisible God”.
The second is the “Image of”.
The third is the “firstborn”.
The fourth is the “all creation”.
What is meant by the phrase “invisible God”?
This is an OT concept which comes from Exodus 20:1-6; 33:17-20.
Exodus 20:1–6 ESV
1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 33:17–20 ESV
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
These two passages communicate God’s otherness. He is unknowable without mediation. For God to be seen, to be known, he needs Jesus, who images him.
What is being communicated with the phrase “image of”?
There are two senses to the meaning of “image”.
The first sense is that of representation, like a reflection in the mirror.
The second sense is one of manifestation. It carries with it the very presence of what is being imaged. So Jesus brings the very presence of God - his glory - into the human experience. The author of Hebrews says it this way Hebrews 1:3.
Hebrews 1:3 ESV
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
John communicates this imaging concept as well in John 1:14, 18.
John 1:14 ESV
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 ESV
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Jesus, the All in All, brings God’s presence into our lives. He has made the invisible God known. Praise God for Jesus, the All in All.
What is the idea behind “firstborn”?
The word in the Greek has two meanings.
The first meaning is very evident in the construction of the word; it means first in birth order. If taken this way, then we have contradiction in the text that is claiming the deity of Jesus. The Jehovah’s Witnesses apply this definition to the word “firstborn”.
The second meaning is: one having privilege, first priority, or precedence. Psalm 89:27 uses firstborn with this meaning in regards to David.
Psalm 89:27 ESV
27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
In verse 15, “firstborn” is speaking of the privileged relationship Jesus has with God the Father as his representative in creating all things.
What is meant by the phrase “all creation”?
It means every created thing, both physical and spiritual. In other words, everything that is not God. Jesus, then, is “His Father’s representative and heir and has the management of the divine household (all creation) committed to Him”. (Vaughan)
Jesus is the All in All.
Colossians 1:16 .
Colossians 1:16 ESV
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 first verse of the song continues in verse 16, supporting the claims of Jesus as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation.
He is Jesus, the All in All.
What supports these claims of Jesus is his creative power of all things. This is broken up into three categories, which are in parallel to each other, to emphasize the totality of Jesus creating all things.
The three categories of creation are:
“in heaven and on earth”
“visible and invisible”
“thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.
The phrase “in heaven and on earth” would be better translated as “in the heavens and on the earth”, since heaven is plural in the Greek and rightly communicates the view of there being different types of heavens.
The first century Christian’s basic understanding would be the heaven where the birds fly, the heaven where the stars are, the heaven where spirits dwell, and the heaven where God dwells. The idea here then is to emphasize that Jesus created all things, even spiritual realms.
The phrase “visible and invisible” covers it all. Jesus made both.
The phrase “thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” is the terminology the first century Christians and Jews used for spiritual beings. This is illustrated by Paul in Ephesians 6:12.
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
So the phrase is meant to cover both spiritual rulers and earthly rulers, if we continue in the parallel pattern. Jesus has the spiritual side of authority covered, and he has the physical side of authority covered. This truth needs to be rehearsed, seeing that this is an election year and we are all wondering who will get elected. We need to remember Jesus created all authority and has it in hand. Let us rest in his work.
There are also three functions of Jesus’ creative work, represented by the prepositions “by”, “through”, and “for”.
What did Paul and Timothy mean in choosing the preposition “by”?
It should be understood as in his mind or in his sphere of influence and responsibility. Practically, it means that Jesus conceived of creation and its complexities. Creation was his idea. (Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 217).
What did they intend with the preposition “through”?
That creation came about through his power and ability.
The example of construction of a building can illustrate this well. The Father is the architect who determined to bring creation into existence. Jesus the Son is the general contractor who is overseeing the construction of the Father’s plans. The Holy Spirit acts as the subcontractors who do the actual work of the creation, so he is the concrete guy, the framer, the electrician, the plumber, the drywaller, the roofer, etc. (Sorry if I forgot a trade. You get the idea.)
What did they want to communicate with the preposition “for”?
Everything is made for Jesus, who is God. Everything! What is the chief end of man? It is to glorify God. 1 Corinthians 8:6 states it well.
1 Corinthians 8:6 ESV
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Colossians 1:17 .
Colossians 1:17 ESV
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The song concludes its first verse in verse 17, giving awesome support of Jesus, the All in All, with two phrases.
The first phrase is “before all things”.
The second phrase is “in him all things hold together”.
How is Jesus “before all things”?
He is uncreated; the originator of all things. John 1:1-3 says it this way:
John 1:1–3 ESV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
How does Jesus hold together all things?
According to Hebrews 1:3, he holds it all together by the word of his power. That means he is holding us together. It means that we have Jesus, the Creator of all, working in and through his creation. We can trust his work.
Let us rehearse Jesus, the All in All, on our darkest nights, to find hope in the dark, for he is Creator of all.
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