The Lordship of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
WELCOME:
Good morning church!
SCRIPTURE READING:
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“The Goodness of God”
Words and Music by Hillsong’
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord, thank you for your constancy. For never turning Your back on us, for never getting frustrated with us, for forgiving our sins, for allowing us to be part of Your plan. We ask that You would look down upon this gathering of people and fill our hearts with great joy today as we focus on You. Amen!
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord, give us ears to hear Your voice and eyes to see Your glory. Would you this morning illuminate Your Word and make it known to us? Help us no to make application to others peoples’ lives, but to apply every Word to our own lives. Amen
SERMON
INTRODUCTION:
We will be in the book of Colossians today and we will be talking about the lordship of Jesus Christ.
What does the word Lord mean in the Bible? It simply means to be the supreme ruler and authority.
In the Bible, you can find this word “lord” used nearly 8,000 times. Sometimes referring to people but mostly referring to God.
In the NT Jesus is called Lord over 700 times. 700 times people acknowledge His authority, His power, His royalty, and that He is the supreme ruler of the universe.
That what this passage in Colossians is all about. It is six verses that tell that Jesus Christ is Lord!
1) Jesus is Lord over Creation
1) Jesus is Lord over Creation
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and 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 in Him all things hold together.
Explanation:
“He is the image of the invisible God”
Now suppose you have a spirit of some sort in your house and it is invisible. You cannot see it, but you know its there because it speaks and it moves furniture. But when the spirit stands in front of a mirror, you can see him. You can see his form, what his face loos like, whether it is a male or female by looking at his image in the mirror. What is seen in the the mirror is the visible expression.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. What God did was show the world who He is through the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. Jesus manifested God the Father to us. He has made thew Father known to us. John 14:8–9 “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
All that the Father is, Jesus is. He is the image of the invisible God. The revelation of God in the person of Jesus made God where we could actually see Him despite all our human limitations.
“the Firstborn of all creation”
Now this is can spark all kinds of questions and different meanings in the last 2,000 years of church history
Arius in the 4th century believed that this meant that Jesus created. Arius said, “there was a time when he was not”. There are still several religious groups who still believe this.
But that cannot be what it means, because in the very next verse it says, “and by Him (Jesus) all things were created”. And in verse 17 “He is before all things”
The word “firstborn” in Scripture can mean the firstborn child from the womb
(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
It can also refer to status of being superior
“I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
This verse in Psalms is speaking of King David, but David was not the firstborn in his family. He was the youngest of seven other brothers.
God is not saying DAVID was the firstborn out of the womb, but that David is the highest King on earth!
He is the supreme King
That is what Scripture is saying here. The Son of David, who is the firstborn, not as first from the womb, but because He is supreme or Lord over all of Creation. Jesus is the firstborn of God’s children.
How is He Lord over Creation?
(v 16) “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth”
Again, He cannot be created, if He is the One creating Creation!
He is the Creator! Everything we can see with our eyes and was created by Jesus!
The very manger that Mary and Joseph placed the baby Jesus in was created by Jesus.
Mary and Jospeh both were created by Jesus.
The very dirt that the town of Bethlehem sat upon was created by Jesus.
The stars, the sun, the earth, the planets, galaxies, universe was created by Jesus!
Every Throne
Every dominion
Every ruler
Every authority
The angels, demons, hell and heaven itself was created by Jesus!
He commands the weather and it obeys him!
He commands the sun to rise and set and it obeys Him!
He commands the fish to bring a coin to Peter and it obeys Him!
He commands diseases to leave and they obey Him
He commands the blind to see, the lame to walk, and mute to speak and they obey Him
He commands the demons to flee and they obey Him!
Nothing in this entire creation has any authority over our Lord Jesus! Nothing can defeat Him, overthrow Him, nothing happens outside of His permission! Every creature, every power, whether evil or good IS SUBJECT TO JESUS!
So what are we so afraid of? If Jesus is Lord of this world, nothing can touch us without His permission…
Why are we afraid to tell people about this glorious Savior who is Lord over IT ALL??
Do we fear our reputation? Do we fear embarrassment?
Wouldn’t it be much worse that all the people we love never come to know Him?
Why do we place so much emphasis on our health and our looks INSTEAD OF OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH??
What a tragedy when we are more worried about what we eat or what we look like, than they they are about the sin in our life that can damn us to hell forever…
If Jesus is Lord over Creation (as this proclaims) then shouldn’t we believe that He can take care of our health and diseases and certainly our life too??
And why are we worried about the future?
If Jesus Christ is Lord over all then He Is Lord over our future as well.
He is Lord over your finances
He is Lord over your relationships
He is Lord over Your children
There is nothing He is not Lord over…
“all things have been created through Him and for Him”
That includes your life and my life right now!
You and I have been created for Him. And do you know what we have been created for?? TO WORSHIP AND ADORE HIM! TO SEE HIM AS LORD OVER OUR LIVES, AS LORD OVER OUR HOMES AND FAMILIES, AND LORD OF THIS WORLD
When people see us, interact with us, talk to us, they should say, Jesus truly is their Lord. They love Him more than anything else ands thats plain to see
Not only is He supreme over Creation, He sustains creation
“In Him all things hold together”
That’s talking about sustainability. Not only did Jesus create this world and everything in it, He sustains this world and everything in the world.
The world continues to spin on its axis because Jesus keeps it spinning
The sun continues to shine because Jesus keeps it burning
Planet earth has not been wiped out by a meteorite becuause Jesus prevents it from happening
IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER
And if Jesus can keep this world spinning, the sun burning, and sustain this entire world….surely he can hold things together in my life??
One of the troubles we often find ourselves in, is the belief that IT IS US WHO HOLD THINGS TOGETHER in our lives AND that often comes at the cost of our faithfulness to God.
I can’t fully commit myself to the Lord or to the church or my husband or wife will get upset and my marriage will be in jeopardy and may fall apart, and that is not an option for me
I AM THER ONE who puts food on the table and if I do not work all these hours my life will fall apart. I cannot gather together with the saints regularly
I have to settle for someone who is not a believer and be unequally yoked or my life will never come together…
I have to use this substance…if not my life will fall apart
You cannot possibly expect me to find happiness and fulfillment and joy doing what Jesus wants me to do…
On and on
The reality is, it is Jesus who holds all things together and those who attempt to try to live life otherwise will often see their lives fall apart
What Jesus wants us to do is put everything on Him, everything in Him, all our faith and dependence in Him for ALL OF OUR NEEDS and that is the glue that will keep our lives together!
It is to see Him as the source, as the Lord, as the One who can change every heart BUT HE MUST FIRST HAVE OUR HEARTS!!
IT IS TO LIVE AS THOUGH LIFE WITHOUT FULL DEVOTION TO HIM IS NOT AN OTION LEST ALL THINGS FALL APART
2) Jesus is Lord over the church
2) Jesus is Lord over the church
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Explanation:
In the previous 3 verses the subject is Jesus’ role in creation: the heavens, the earth, the stars, mankind. Jesus is Lord over it all.
In verses 18-20 the subject is the new creation, the church, and Jesus is Lord over it as well.
Jesus created the first Adam who sinned and brought death into the world.
Jesus became the LAST ADAM who through His death brought eternal life into the world.
What constitutes the church is not what is on the inside of these four walls. The church consists of those who have also shared in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ:
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Those who have been transferred into the Kingdom of His beloved Son, this is the church!
Those who have been rescued from the powers of darkness, from the power of sin, who have had the Light of Christ dawned upon them, and live as though Jesus is their Lord in this life!
An those people gather together to worship and proclaim this risen Savior and walk as pilgrims through this world
“He is also head of the body, the church”
The church is not an institution, nor is it an organization, it is an organism! It is a body with a Head and it has been given life from the Head Jesus Christ. It has been given spiritual life by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is to follow the Lord Jesus WHO IS ITS HEAD all the days of its life.
Jesus is the head of the church
The head is the governing part of the body that directs it and controls it. The head tells the body what to do. It tells the body where to go, how to act, when to sit down, when to stand up, it is the control center for the body
“Jesus is the Head of the church” exercising direction and control over all that we do.
He is superior to the pastor
He is superior over any board or committee
He is superior over tradition
He is superior over feelings
He is the Highest in the church
What happens when the head tells the arm to grab a cup of coffee?
Does the arm say to the head, “get your own coffee”?
What happens when the head tells the feet to get up and got to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Do the legs and feet say NO?
Jesus leads, we obey. Its really that simple.
Guess who the body is? It is the church. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are the ones who take the orders and carry them out in our own lives.
Thats how a church works. There is no simply coming and sitting for one hour a week and then claiming that we are the church….no what would you say to foot that refused to support the body?? Cut that thing off give me prosthetic one, at least I can use that one
Jesus is the Head of the church meaning it is totally dependent upon Jesus
I think one of the most deadly mistakes a church can make is to think we can manufacture what only Jesus can do.
“He is the firstborn from the dead”
That is Jesus was the first to rise from the dead in creation. He is not the first to rise from the dead in human history.
Elijah raised the widows son
Elisha raised the Shunnamites son
But both of those sons eventually died again
Jesus is the first to rise from the dead paving the way for others to have eternal life
This resurrection in Jesus, is a resurrection to immortality. It does not mean that we will not die at the end of our earthly life, it does mean that we will not die a second death at the end of this age
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
I say all of that because as Lord of the church, only Jesus can give eternal life
Only Jesus can create believers. No matter how much I plead and preach no one will be born again apart from Jesus’ power.
No matter how many people we attract here, no one will be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God without the power of Jesus.
And even if we have a thousand people coming here every single Sunday and no one is being transferred into the Kingdom of God then what is the point??
So we can tell others, “look at all these people…yet none of them have eternal life…
That’s why we must depend upon Jesus in everything we do! Its His church and if Jesus is going to save anyone, it will be Jesus’ way not our way!
We must bath every ministry in prayer, seeking His direction, being willing to step out in faith in all we do, trusting Him that whatever He says for us to do, is non-negotiable.
If we do not cling to Jesus, depend upon Jesus, we should not expect to survive
3) Jesus is Lord Over Salvation
3) Jesus is Lord Over Salvation
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Explanation:
“and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself”
That is through Jesus God the Father brings reconciliation
In order for there to be reconciliation, there must first be separation.
What is the separation?
It is the fact that all of mankind has sinned and continues to sin against God. This is mankind’s greatest danger. Its not a nuclear war, it it’s not the global warming, it’s standing before a hold God whom we are at enmity with because of our sin.
When we talk to people about getting saved, most people do not understand what they need to be saved from because most people do not understand that sin makes us an enemy of God.
And what people need to be saved from is the rather of God that will come upon them for their sin.
How?
“having made peace through the blood of His cross”
What Jesus did was step into the flesh of a man, so that he could bear the sin of men upon His back and in return create peace between us and God.
That is why Peace is one of the themes of advent.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Notice the last phrase there: “with whom He is pleased”
Who is it that God is pleased with?
It is the people who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is through Him that people are reconciled to God.
What does that look like today?
That begins when a person realizes that they themself are living as a sinner. They sin against God on a regular basis. They always have.
And then they see that this is a problem. And that all this sin has stacked up in their life like a massive credit card debt that they cannot pay on their own.
And then they realize that the only way this sin debt can ever be taken away from them is if they ask the Judge to remove it from their account.
And so they come to Him, like a poor beggar with nothing to offer, no works, no goodness, no righteousness, no hope, nothing but sin stained hands just hoping for an act of mercy
And they lay themselves down before the King of the world and cry out for mercy, and the King has the authority to grant it because His Son paid the price for our sin on the cross.
And then through Jesus people are reconciled to the Father and given new life, become a new creation, to live under the lordship of Jesus forever.
And you can do that today. See Him as Lord. Come to Him as Lord. Know that He is enough and all that we need. His sacrificed pleased the Father and saves us.
What I am asking you to do today, is Live your life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Live for Him
Serve Him!
Love Him
Worship Him!
These are the ones who are reconciled by Him!
~PRAYER~
