Preeminent Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Children’s Bible Page 1276

Introduction:

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week.

Last week, we began our holiday series, I guess now that we are past Thanksgiving, I can officially call it our Christmas series.

And the series is called “Merry Christology.”

The word Christology simply means a study of Jesus Christ.

Who is this one who was born of a virgin over 2,000 years ago whom we still celebrate at Christmas time?

Who is this one that we worship not only at Christmas time, but we offer our whole selves every day of every year as a living sacrifice which is reasonable and acceptable in light of who he is and what he has done?

You know, whether this holiday season is all joy, and fun, and family, and memory making or whether this holiday season is a difficult season for whatever reason and one you would rather forget,

I want to remind us that in every season, Jesus Christ is our life, and our hope, our redemption, and both our present and future delight.

And so with this series, I want us to gaze on the glory and wonder of the person and work of Jesus Christ, and as we do that, I pray our souls are so satisfied in him that we grow in his likeness and obedience to Him.

John Owen, who was an English Puritan pastor in the 1600s, wrote a little book called “The Glory of Christ.”

And in it, we writes:

What is the true blessedness of the saints in heaven? Is it not to behold and see the glory of God in Christ? Does it not fill them with inexpressible joy and delight? And do we expect, do we desire the same state of blessedness? If so, then know that it is our present view of the glory of Christ which we have by faith that prepares us for that eternal blessedness. -John Owen

May we dedicate ourselves this holiday season to gaze at the glory of Christ and grow in our worship, dedication, rest, and obedience to Him.

As I read our passage, we are going to build on some things about Christ that we saw last week in Hebrews and be introduced to some new things as well.

Would you follow along as I read God’s word?

Colossians 1:15–23

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.

1. Jesus Is The Lord Of Creation

Verse 15: He is the image of the invisible God

The word image can mean likeness, representation, form, or reflection.

John 1:18

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

We saw last week in Hebrews 1 that Jesus the Son is the one at the Father’s side and Jesus the Son is the exact imprint of God’s nature.

And while it should be easy enough for us to understand the concept that Jesus gives us a perfect reflection and image of the invisible God, I want us to make sure that we understand the implications of this truth especially in our image obsessed day and age.

Gazing on an image can be a very powerful thing.

A young girl may spend hours watching her favorite actress or singer, read every article about them, listen to all their music, watch all their movies, learn how they eat, think, talk, and this image of that person they see on the screen or in the magazine shapes how they view that person and who they want to be themselves.

A young man may be fully involved in his studies and his sports until the image of a beautiful girl comes into view and quickly, she is all he can think about.

The advertising industry is all about shaping a desirable image in order for you to see it, want it, and invest in it.

We use images of what we want out of life in order to motivate us to work hard and make good decisions.

And now, more than ever, we are bombarded with influencing images at every turn.

But the most powerful and preeminent image that should catch your attention, that you should gaze upon and allow to transform you, is the image of the invisible God that is only seen in Jesus Christ.

John Calvin wrote of this passage:

Paul calls him the image of the invisible God, meaning by this, that it is in him alone that God, who is otherwise invisible, is manifested to us…. Christ is called the image of God on this ground - that He makes God in a manner visible to us…. We must, therefore, beware of seeking Him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God apart from Christ, will be an idol. -John Calvin

And the more you gaze on the glory of God in Christ, the less you will be allured by the false glories of the world all around you.

He is not only the imagine of the invisible God, but He is also the firstborn of all creation.

Now, some throughout history have wrongly interpreted this phrase to say that Jesus Christ was the first of all created beings.

Yet, Jesus, the Son of God, was not created, instead He is the creator. The Son of God has always been from eternity past.

It only takes looking at one or two other passages to see that being the firstborn does not have to mean created, but it can mean holding a position of primacy, prominence, and privilege.

Although David was the youngest of all his brothers, the book of Psalms states:

Psalm 89:27

27 And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

David being the firstborn had nothing to do with being created or born in this context.

He was the youngest in his family!

It had everything to do with his preeminent privilege and position.

In the book of Exodus, God said:

Exodus 4:22

22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Now, we now that Israel did not become a people until a good time after creation.

So, Israel being God’s firstborn son was not about when they were created, but the prominent position they were given.

In the same way, Jesus Christ, God’s Son finds himself in the preeminent and primary position over all of creation.

Verse 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.

Consider the all encompassing nature of what the Son has created.

In ancient times, the heaven and the earth was a way to speak of the whole of the physical universe.

Visible and invisible reminds us that God the Son not only created the physical world, but the spiritual world as well.

Do you understand that?

The invisible spiritual world of angels, those angels who have fallen that we know as Satan and demons, they are not eternal like God is.

The Son created all things in the spiritual and invisible realm just was he did in the physical realm.

And notice, they were all created through him and for him.

Not only is Jesus the Son preeminent over all creation because it was made through Him, but he is also so much more preeminent because it was all created for him.

It’s a vast and awe inspiring thought to consider that all things of the physical and the spiritual has been made with a specific purpose, and that purpose is the glory of Jesus.

This church, your work, your physical body, your money, your time, all created for the glory of Jesus.

Ephesians and Romans tell us that while the elect of God, who is all believers in Christ, bring glory to Jesus, the unbelievers who end up under the eternal wrath of God finally bring glory to Jesus in their destruction.

Even Satan himself will ultimately bring glory to Jesus when Jesus has his final victory over him.

There is not a ruler or throne in the spiritual or physical world that is truly sovereign save the throne of Jesus Christ alone.

All other thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities only have a derivative power and authority that is ultimately accountable to the throne of King Jesus now, and will ultimately be done away with as the true Sovereign Jesus Christ will reign for eternity.

How are you stewarding what God has entrusted to you for his purposes?

What areas of your life do you need to renew your sense of purpose because you know it is from Jesus and for Jesus?

What authorities are you fearful of or bitter toward? Consider that they are all temporary authorities under the ultimate authority of King Jesus.

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

Think about it: if Christ is before all things in creation, we should keep him before all things in our worship, our thinking, and our decision making.

As you think about your priorities in life, Christ should be before all things.

When you see the glory of Jesus, you put Christ before all things.

The blessed life in Christ is giving your first and your best to Christ.

You don’t give out of what you have left at the end of the month, you give your best portion at the beginning of the month.

This is true of finances, relationship, time, and priority in all aspects of life.

And listen, if you are hearing all this and you would say to me, pastor, I’m just holding on right now.

My life feels like a chaotic mess. I have no idea the first thing I could do to make any sense of it.

Well, the very place to start is by gazing at the one who ordered the universe away from chaos, and who is right now holding all things together.

Sometimes when I’m anxious and my life feels chaotic, I have a hard time getting anything done because I’m trying to hold onto all of it at once,

But, in those moments, we must intentionally place our faith in the one who holds all things together, so that we can focus on the next right thing that is right in front of us.

It is good and right to say, God, I can’t deal with all the chaos, but you can.

You take care of these 99 things while I focus on one at a time.

Jesus is Lord of Creation.

2. Jesus Is The Head Of The Church

Verse 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.

Consider what is being said here: not only is Jesus Christ the Son of God, Lord of Creation; all things visible and invisible,

But He is also the Lord of the New Creation, His body, the church.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

And when you are saved, you are not only saved from the wrath of God through forgiveness of sin, you are also saved and adopted into Christ’s family and body, the church.

And in the church, Jesus Christ is the head, the firstborn from the dead.

You see, as believers in Jesus, we have died with Christ to sin through His cross, and we are raised to newness of life through His resurrection.

His resurrection precedes our resurrection and gives us hope of the future resurrection, and when God raised Jesus from the dead, it signified once and for all time the preeminent position of Jesus over all who will place their faith in Him and so be raised with Him.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ looks to the head, Jesus Christ, as its ultimate and final authority.

For He is the only one who purchased His church through the shedding of his blood.

Any authority that I or any other church leader has is a derived authority, and it is only as good as its submission to the ultimate authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That means if I and the other four current elders of this church brought a recommendation to you that clearly went against the Word of God and the Word of God made flesh, you should absolutely reject our recommendation and follow Christ.

It is the derived authority of every church member to submit ultimately to Jesus Christ and His word above all else, for he alone is the head of the church.

If God’s word follows up the fact that Jesus is preeminent over all things in the universe, with the fact that He is preeminent over the church, what do you believe is God’s focus, his priority, His great love and purpose in the world?

It has got to be the church.

So, let me say this as unapologetically as I can: If Jesus is Savior and Lord of your life, your first priority must be following Jesus as a dedicated member of the church.

Because it was not only God’s idea to save you from your sin, it was his idea to save you into the church.

Why else would God spell out a plan for spiritual leadership in the church and give us instructions for when we come together as the church?

And why else would God tell church members to obey their leaders and submit to them as ones keeping watch over your souls, if being a part of the church was no more than a universal spiritual thing, and not also a local committed family thing?

If there is no local church membership, are you just supposed to obey anyone and everyone in the world who simply calls themselves a Christian leader?

Listen, I understand the fear of committing yourself to a body in membership.

It is not a comfortable thing to proclaim your faith through public baptism in the church.

It is easy to think we need to have all the spiritual options available to us, going to this ministry for this, and this ministry for that.

It is certainly daunting to consider submitting yourself to spiritual authority.

It is tempting to think you need the church to have this many people in your age group and offer this or that,

But, at the end of the day, prioritizing God’s church, being obedient to baptism and committed membership is not about being convenient, or comfortable, or having all your desires met, at the end of the day, it is about submitting to Jesus as Lord.

And listen, we are doing a great disservice to our children when we prioritize school, sports, dance, and whatever else over and above the church.

And some of us say with our mouths that we prioritize God’s church, but it is obvious on our calendars that church is the first thing to be dropped when things get too busy.

And I know you are thinking, well, we made a commitment to that sports team.

Church will still be here what that sport is done.

But you see a membership covenant is a commitment to not forsake the gathering but to prioritize what God prioritizes.

And a priority is not really a priority if you do not sacrifice other things for it, I don’t care if you call it a priority or not.

Listen, most of you know me well enough to know, I’m not saying you should never miss a Sunday morning, a Wednesday night, or a community group for any reason.

But, neither should growing as a disciple through a membership commitment to Jesus’ church for which he died be a casual or easy thing to continually miss.

Sometimes people think: well, I don’t want to make my kids go to church, or they may end up resenting the church.

But, do we do that with anything else? I don’t want to make them read books, they may end up resenting books.

I don’t want them to play soccer, they may end up resenting soccer.

That’s not how it works.

I would submit it is the opposite.

Our children are looking for a meaning and purpose larger than themselves to give themselves to and be a part of, and being a part of the church, which is a team that is assured of victory is a great team to be a part of.

There is no greater privilege then to be a child of God and a member of His church, for which the Son of God died and was raised.

Jesus is the head of the church.

3. Jesus Is The Reconciler Of All Who Hope In The Gospel

Verse 19: For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell

It is clear in reading the rest of the letter to the Colossians that one of Paul’s goals in writing this letter was to argue against a false teaching that was being pushed on the church in Colossae.

These verses give us a hint to the kinds of things the false teachings were seeking to add to the gospel of Jesus:

Colossians 2:20–23

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

It’s like the false teachers were saying: Jesus Christ is good and all, but if you really want to experience the fullness of God, you need to follow these rules and deprive yourself in these ways.

Paul combats this by stating: For in Christ the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

Everything you could possibly ever want of God is found fully in Christ.

That is why the gospel is Jesus + nothing = everything!

Colossians 2:9–10

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, filled with the fullness of God.

And in his fullness, verse 20, he reconciles to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Romans 8:19–22

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

In other words, all of creation is currently under the bondage of corruption because of sin, yet God’s saving work is so full and complete that He will finally reorder all of creation and free it from its bondage as a newer and better Eden.

Through the blood of the cross, God reconciles souls to himself and will reconcile the world in the new heavens and new earth.

Consider, all humanity under sin is in verse 21: alienated and hostile in mind.

Paul pictures the great chasm between the glory of God and the corrupt nature of sinners.

You and I, before seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, were alienated from God.

Alienation is to be completely withdrawn, separated, and hostile.

The selfish pride of sinners like you and me is hostile against the glory of God for which we were created.

And in our selfish pride, hostile to God, we did evil deeds, motivated by love of self.

Yet, verse 22, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death,

Reconcile means to bring peace to a relationship.

How could God possibly bring peace to a relationship that is so alienated and hostile?

He takes the alienation and hostility onto himself.

The Son of God took our place of sin on that cross, to the point where the Father turns his face away in alienation, as He poured the hostility of His wrath upon His son,

And because the son of God took the place of our alienation and hostility, he positions all who believe in the position of being holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.

Jesus Christ the Son had to be completely human in order to take humanity’s sinfulness onto himself.

Jesus Christ the Son had to be completely God in order to be the holy, blameless, and spotless lamb offered as a sacrifice pleasing to God.

That Christ would shed His perfect blood under the wrath of God in punishment for my sin, that is the glory of God revealed.

That is where God’s holiness, justice, truth, and wrath perfectly meet God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion.

And as you gaze on the lamb who was slain, God’s glory fills your heart, and drives out the false glories of the world.

As the hymn says:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace.

Verse 23 speaks to what is true about all who are truly reconciled to God through hope in the gospel.

All who are truly reconciled to God will indeed continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Some read this passage as warning to the believers that they could lose their salvation if they do not continue in the faith,

But we already know that faith itself is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

We are also sure from

Romans 8:29–30

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

So, what we understand Paul to be saying is that there is a staying power to our faith because our faith is a gift from God.

Our faith is stable and steadfast, not because we could never falter, but because our faith is in a God who never falters, and in a God who gives us to the Lord Jesus and those whom are his will never be cast out.

Even so, it is important for us to cling to Jesus in all of his fullness and not be swayed from the hope of the gospel by any false teaching.

For this is the gospel that has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.

It is the fullness of the good news because it is the only good news for all creation.

The verse ends: of which I, Paul, became a minister.

For when you see Jesus as Lord of Creation, as Head of the Church, and as reconciler of all who hope in the gospel, how can you not offer your life as a living sacrifice to Him and become a minister, a servant to this God, this gospel, and his church for whom He died?

Would you offer yourself fully to Him today as you gaze upon the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ?

Let’s pray.