Colossians 1:15-23

It is so good to be before you this morning. My wife Faith is sitting right there with our baby girl Haven. And we have just been so overwhelmed by your generosity and love for us, and the church as a whole. Thank you to Will Baldwin and family for opening up your home for us this week. Thank you Ron, Scotty, and the rest of the search committee for doing everything it took to make this happen.

You may not know this but my wife and I have had you in our prayers for quite a while now. I think it was early last summer when I first got connected with Pastor Terry. He shared with me the ways you have walked through hard times as a church and loved your community well. I have heard of your attention to the truth of God’s word. And your dedication to reaching the younger generations moving into your area. He was honest about both your strengths, and the weaknesses that every church body may have. Since those initial conversations, you have all been on my heart and in my prayers.

As I was thinking about all this trip entails I was really wrestling with what in the world to preach on during this weekend. 

Because this isn’t just another Sunday. This isn’t just another pulpit. When a church invites a man to come and open the Word, there is a sense in which you are not only asking what he will preach, but who he believes God to be, what he believes the church exists for, and where he believes hope is ultimately found.

So I wasn’t looking for a clever passage. I wasn’t trying to find something trendy or something that would say, “Look at me.” I wanted to open a text that simply and unmistakably says, “Look at Christ.” If I never get to preach to you again, I want to leave knowing that I have proclaimed the good news of salvation that Christ offers to all of us who need him.

In seasons of transition—whether for a family, a pastor, or a church—it is easy to become overly focused on questions of direction, leadership, vision, and the future. Those are important questions. But before we ask where we are going, Scripture presses us to ask who is leading us. And before we ask what the church should do next, we must be clear about who the church belongs to.

That is why I was drawn to Colossians 1:15–23.

Paul writes to a church that has a history of faith, but vulnerable. A church that loves Christ, yet is being quietly pressured to look elsewhere for wisdom, security, and spiritual fullness.They are falling for early versions of gnosticism, meaning they are looking for secret or mystical knowledge rather than what God has clearly revealed. Its making them question the divinity of Jesus. And Paul does not begin by correcting behavior or naming false teachers, although he does do that. He begins by lifting Christ as high as possible.

Because when Christ is clearly seen for who He is, everything else falls into its proper place.

This passage does not merely tell us what Jesus has done—it tells us who Jesus is. He is supreme over creation. He is the head of the church. He is sufficient for salvation. And He is the one who holds His people fast.

And my prayer this morning is not that you would be impressed by the preacher, but that together we would be re-centered on the Christ who is preeminent in all things.

Here in Colossians 1:15–20, Paul gives us what many call the Christ Hymn. It may have been an early song or poem used in the churches. Either way, it was meant to be remembered, recited, and rejoiced in. And its theme is clear: the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ.

We are going to unpack Christ’s supremacy in 4 areas. We will see that Christ is supreme over creation, Christ is supreme over the church, Christ is supreme over redemption, and Christ is supreme over salvation.

So if you would, please turn with me to Colossians chapter 1, beginning in verse 15.

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:15–23.

Let us pray.

Gracious and holy God, We come before You this morning because You have first called us out of darkness and into the kingdom of Your beloved Son. We confess that apart from Your grace, our minds are darkened, our hearts are prone to wander, and our eyes are slow to see Your glory.

So we ask now that You would help us. As we open Your Word, give us eyes to see Christ as He truly is—the image of the invisible God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Guard us from reducing Him to something familiar or manageable. Lift our thoughts above ourselves and fix them on His supremacy.

We thank You that Christ is not only Lord over creation, but the living Head of the church. Remind us this morning that we belong to Him, that He governs His people by His Word, and that His purposes for His church cannot fail.

We praise You that in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and that through the blood of His cross You have made peace. For those of us who were once far off, alienated and hostile in mind, You have reconciled us to Yourself through His death. Let that truth humble us, steady us, and give us confidence not in ourselves, but in Him.

And Father, as we consider the call to continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, we ask that You would strengthen us to persevere. Keep us from drifting. Anchor us in the hope of the gospel. Preserve us by Your grace until the end.

Do this work among us not for our glory, but for the glory of Christ, that in all things He might have the preeminence.

We ask this in His strong and sufficient name. Amen.

AW Tozer once said that ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.’ So I ask you, what comes to your mind when you think about Christ?

See Paul is writing this letter during his first roman imprisonment around 60 AD. And He is awaiting a trial. By this point, He had counted the cost of the faith and considered following Christ worthy of all the affliction because he had known the true Christ.. 

His letter to the Colossians is rather unique. Paul did not start the church at Colossi. But he’s heard about them, both good and bad. The book opens with Paul thanking God for them. Paul wants to encourage them for what they are doing right and build up their strengths. But they’re getting into some weird things. They were playing with early versions of gnosticism, mechanism, and docetism.

That is to say they are looking for secret knowledge. You know the Scriptures can’t mean what they say, there has to be a deeper code to decipher. They also have a weird fascination with angelic beings that looked like Arianism, a heresy still alive in the Jehovah witness movement. Not just angels but other heavenly beings. They think they can get closer to God through these mediums than through Jesus Christ. And Paul shuts this down not with outright correction, but with positive instruction through this early church hymn. It starts with Jesus and who He is. He says that Jesus is the Lord over creation.

1. Christ Is Supreme Over Creation (v.15–17).

Verse 15: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:15.

When you or I use the word image, we may think that we are discussing an alike copy of something. Like a picture of a beautiful waterfall that is indeed impressive but fails to capture the true majesty of observing it in person. That is not what the text is saying here. It is saying that Jesus is the very essence of God. Hebrews 1:3 puts it this way, 

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Heb 1:3.

Jesus is the manifestation or visible expression of God. The point is that in Christ the invisible God has become visible. He is no longer an enigma. Calvin says in his commentary that “we must be careful not to look for Him anywhere else, for apart from Christ whatever offers itself to us in the name of God will turn out to be an idol.”

And we so often look for God in so many places other than Christ.

Think about the absolute uniqueness of Jesus. In the Old Testament it was absolutely forbidden to make any image of God. Jews and Muslims turn their nose at the idea that any such image could exist. For God is bigger than any image the human mind could ever think of. And yet, in Christ, the fullness of God dwells. Emmanuel, God with us. John 14:9 tells us that if we have seen Christ then we have seen God the Father.

The beauty of God in Christ is such that we can actually see him, even with all of our limitations.  In Christ we see this beautiful mystery where he bears the image of earthly Adam and the image of the divine God, portraying the best of them both wherever He goes. In Christ the invisible becomes visible. He is not only equal to God, He is God.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Jehovah Witnesses love this verse. For they believe that Jesus is a created being. This is nothing new. Arius in the fourth century was the main proponent of this utter nonsense that became known as Arianism. It was condemned as heresy by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. This teaching stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what the word firstborn actually means.

The greek word here, prototokos, (say that five times fast), is used eight times in the new testament. Only once does it refer to birth order. And its not here. In fact this word is used to describe king David, who was not the literal firstborn. He was the seventh born. It is also used to describe Israel, which is a nation. This word cannot talk about literal birth order. Instead it talks about privilege, priority, honor, power, and authority. Christ came from heaven not the dust of the earth. He is Lord, He is Holy, He is judge. He is eternal. He is most loved by the Father. And Christ is Supreme over all.

This is confirmed by verse 16

16 For in him all things were created

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:16.

As if Paul anticipated future objections he says that all things have been created by Christ without exception. More accurately All things were created in Him. Practically this means that creation was conceived of in the mind of Christ. Its complexities were His idea. The verse goes on to say All things were created through Him and for Him. All of creation was made through Christs power. And all of it exists for Him. That is Jesus is the goal of creation.

And creation certainly obeys. We see that creation teaches us about God, declares His praises, and even sings of His goodness.

Paul’s argument in these verses may be illustrated by an artist who produces a sculpture. Originally the idea and details of the sculpture come from the mind of the artist. He builds the proportions, the perspectives, the figures, and the emphases desired from the statue. Then, the sculpture is constructed by the artist as he and he alone can “see” it. Finally, those who admire the finished work think of the artist who imagined, planned, and accomplished the work of beauty. As long as the sculpture stands, people remember and appreciate the artist. In the same way, Jesus is the central point of all of creation, and he rules over it.

Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 218.

 If it was not clear that Jesus is supreme over everything Paul repeats this word all seven times in these verses. All things were created in Him, by Him, and For Him. The verse goes on. All things visible and invisible. The laws of nature are created by God. The smallest piece of an atom belongs to Him. Things we will never even discover are God’s. Again the verse goes on

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.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:16.

Remember the weird things I said that the church had fallen into? The middle section of this verse deals with those things. And the language Paul uses here is not just about our earthly governments. It speaks most clearly of another dimension.  As Christians we do not get to simply dismiss the parts of Scripture that make us uncomfortable or are hard to understand. We must not ignore the spiritual realm nor become too obsessed. The Bible is clear that we interact with an unseen realm. This realm is full of Angels, demons, and any number of spiritual beings. These beings seek to influence our world, some for good, and some not so much. They may interact in the governments of this world as Daneil 10 suggests. But Paul seems to be condemning more the interaction with these being for special revelation and worship. Today this may look like tarot cards, wicaan practices, the exploration of pagan rituals, mediums, New age practices and the like. For Paul, the ‘powers’ were real unseen beings working in the world through pagan religion, astrology, or magic, or through the oppressive systems that enslaved or tyrannized human beings.

 Stop it. Have no part in these things. For they are evil and only produce evil. 

This unseen realm may tempt us through its role in our culture and its eroding of our faith. And that is where our true battle lies. Paul uses this language elsewhere. Eph 6:12 says

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eph 6:12.

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And that’s why Paul is so careful here. He wants the church to understand that the forces at work in the world are real—but they are not ultimate. There are powers that influence cultures, systems, and even nations, but none of them operate outside the authority of Christ. As Colossians 1 has already told us, thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities were created by Him and for Him. They exist on His terms, not their own.

This matters because when we forget that Christ is supreme over every power—seen and unseen—we can begin to fight the wrong battles in the wrong ways. We start to direct our fear and anger toward people made of flesh and blood, rather than recognizing the deeper spiritual conflict at work. And before we know it, our hearts begin to look more like the world’s than like Christ’s. As if we forget that all people are made in the image of God.

The Christian is not called to be naïve, but neither are we called to be consumed by outrage or anxiety. We are citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken. That means we can care deeply about justice and righteousness without allowing the spirit of this age to disciple us. We do not excuse evil, but we also refuse to let hostility define us.

Because Christ is supreme over creation—over every authority, every power, and every system—we are free to stand firm without panic, to speak truth without hatred, and to love our neighbors without compromise. Our battle is real, but it is not against people. And our hope is secure, because the One who holds all things together reigns over it all.

The chief reality is that Christ reigns. All creation was made in Him, By Him, and for Him. Spiritual beings are no exception. There is nothing outside the scope of Christ’s sovereignty. Since all things—natural and supernatural—were created through Him, they are subject to His authority. Christ has no equal nor rival. The devil is nothing before Him.

In case this was not clear enough that Christ is supreme over creation we have verse 17.

17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:17.

Again Paul emphasizes that Christ is before all things in both prominence and time. Before time began Christ was. Before The universe was spoken into being Christ reigned.

Not only has He created but the text says that in Him all things consist, or better said Christ sustains all things. Sometimes man may believe either explicitly or at least implicitly believe that if there is a god that he created the world and then let it go just to see what would happen. But that is not true of the Christian God.

It can be said that by God all things came to be and continue to be. The creator has not forgotten His creation. Every single moment of every single day He maintains it by His power. Everything is dependent on Him.

Christ as the sustainer of creation has profound implications on the meaning of His love. My mind is drawn to the cross. In eternity past Christ knew that he would redeem man on a wooden cross. So at the beginning of creation he made a tree. This tree made more trees throughout the generations. As the world devolved into chaos Christ continued to nurture this tree’s line. For thousands of years He guided its descendants until sometime around 33 a.d. the tree that would become His cross was cut down. And as Christ was nailed to the tree, becoming a curse for us, He was actively sustaining that cross. The molecules were held together by His will. The flesh of His executioners was sustained by His will. At any moment, He could’ve stopped. But he willed creation to hold together. He did so for His glory and our good. 

It is clear that Christ is supreme over all creation. What does that mean for us?

Well If or rather since Christ rules creation, then He rules you. He doesn’t just “fit into” your life; He holds it together.

Our only response to such a supreme creator has to be wonder, humility, trust. 

Wonder

Do you ever pause and take in the beauty God displays in creation? I mean truly seek awe and wonder. Psalm 46 tells us to be still and know that I am God. Every sunrise, every breath is a gift and a wonder. There are 200 billion galaxies that we know about. There are over 27 trillion cells in the human body. And God created it all. Don’t let your familiarity dull your worship. Look and take notice of God’s creation.

Humility

Our next response must be that of humility. It is important to remember that God is God and we are not. We must submit to His authority.

We live in a culture obsessed with identity. Who am I? Who do I want to be? What do I want to do? Frankly those questions are inconsequential when we ask the right questions. For we are not our own

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Co 6:19.

 It does not matter how the world or we define ourselves. Our creator has already done so. And we know that He desires our good. The clay does not get to question the potter. Ask of God each day, for each day is the day that the Lord has made,  What would you have me do today? How can I become more like you today?

And lastly because God is supreme over creation we must trust. This world is chaotic. Our lives are filled with great pain and uncertainty. The good news is that the Bible is not full of platitudes. Rather it is filled with wisdom for our daily lives. In the chaos of this world where else can we go? Who else has the words of eternal life but Christ. We must cling to the God who holds all things together. Hide these verses in your heart. For God’s Word is an anchor in the storms of life. 

Christ is supreme over creation. Not only is Christ supreme over creation He is supreme over the church.

2. Christ Is Supreme Over The Church(v.18a)

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

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:18.

Verse 18 brings us to a transition in this hymn. In verses 15-17 we see that Jesus is the Lord over the old creation. And now we begin to see that He is Lord of the new creation. This begins with the church, the people of God, saved from sin to be a new gathered people. It is important to note the word for church. It comes from the greek ekklesia, or the gathering of the called out ones. Those who owe their alliegence to Christ. By definition, the church is a community. You cannot be the church on your own. You cannot have church by yourself in your hunting stand. You cannot have church at bedside baptist. The church is the gathering of believers. And it is crucial to the Christian life.

 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Heb 10:23–25.

This gathering is central to our hope. It is essential for encouragement. It is essential for obedience. The faithful christianlife is one that is practiced in community.

And of this gathering, Christ is the Head. This illustration of Christ as the head and Christians as the body is a common one throughout Scripture. Corinthians 12 compares believers to different body parts. Your thumb has a different responsibility than your eyes. But they’re both important. And when one is missing, the body suffers. So it is with believers. Some people are gifted with musical abilities. Some teaching. Some can fix a leaky roof, or the stairs in the parking lot. I am thankful for everyone and the role they play. But if Kevin tried to play the piano with his power tools it would not go well. We as members of the body are interdependent on each other. And we are supposed to grow together. We grow in serving each other. We grow in our love towards each other. Church is the place where believers can love one another (1 John 4:12), encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), “spur” one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), honor one another (Romans 12:10), and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32). Like any family there are fights are disagreements. But we get to practice grace and forgiveness.

But it is not just a horizontal growth. The church is supposed to grow vertically, we are to grow towards Christ.

Ephesians 4:15-16 says

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Eph 4:15–16.

We as the church have a dependence on God. A body does not live without its head. The head gives direction. It has authority. So it is in the church. We cannot do church however we want. God tells us how to do so. Nor can we be passive participants. Every part of the body owes itself to the head. Don’t be a rebellious apendix. Seek to be a productive part of the body.

We must submit to Christ’s leadership. The church does not belong to Pastor Terry, or the deacons, the church council, or even a majority vote at the business meetings. It belongs to Christ. Yes we should submit ourselves to the leadership in the church such as pastors and elders. But only as far as they are walking in obedience themselves. In every decision we must ask ourselves, what has Christ the head spoken? What has God decreed? Churches who lose their way at some point stopped listening to and obeying Christ. We must remember that faith in Christ is not simply a way of entering God’s kingdom—it is the way of life within the kingdom

We must stay connected to Christ. Programs, traditions, or emotions cannot sustain us or the church. So live with a dependence upon God and His Word. Gather together often. Serve together. Live together. Cultivate your prayer life. Read the Bible. If you struggle, listen to it.

In John 15 Jesus gives a parable. He calls himself the vine. And believers are referred to as the branches. If you cut a branch off a tree, it will wither and die. Stay connected to your Lord. Cling to Him. He is your life.

Christ is supreme over creation. Christ is supreme over the Church. And Christ is supreme over redemption.

3. Christ Is Supreme Over Redemption (v.18b–20)

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. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:18–20.

Here we come to the climax of this hymn. And the climax is not found in creation. It is not found in good works. It is not even found in the church. Instead it is found in the person of Christ. Christ is the beginning. He is the source, the initiator, the first principle. Beginning here can also be translated as ruler. This hymn talks directly about Christ’s rule and conquering over the greatest enemies of mankind, Sin and death. With Jesus’ resurrection, a new age has come. The new man, that is Jesus, has emerged from the old humanity, sharing their pain and bearing their sin. For Christ defeating death has shown that he defeated sin.

This reflects verse 15 where it says that Jesus is the firstborn of creation. Now He is the firstborn of the dead.

What is Christ the beginning of? This new age of redemption.

1 Corinthians 15:20-21 says

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Co 15:20–21.

Now resurrecting from the dead is not a normal occurrence. But a handful, such as Lazarus had risen by Christ’s power before. Jesus was the first to rise never to die again.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Th 4:14.

The glorious truth for us is this. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, ours is assured. Do you not see? This is such good news. And it gets richer and richer. Why did He resurrect? So he could have preeminence. That’s a big old fashioned word to mean that Christ rose to have supremacy. For just as Jesus is lord over creation. He is Lord over redemption. There is no other path to God or eternal life than that which is freely given by the son.

But who. Who could rule with such justice. Who could actually crush the horrid enemies of sin and death. Who could pay back God the glory that sinful man tried to smear with their cosmic rebellion.

Only God.

verse 19:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:19–20.

As we mentioned earlier the Collosian church was falling into Gnostic teaching. They believed that anything physical is bad. So in their understanding Jesus was either just spirit or just sinful man. But Paul is screaming that this cannot be the case. Instead there is a glorious mystery in what theologians call the Hypostatic Union. Jesus is truly God. Everything that God is, Jesus is. But He is also truly man. When we have Jesus we have God.You see the text says God was pleased to take on human form. 

This union was for the highest of divine purposes. Look at verse 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. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:20.

Paul takes us from the old creation, to new creation. To cosmic reconciliation.

To reconcile means to make peace with, to pacify, or to overthrow evil. To cease all hostilities. This does not have to be a voluntary process. Nor does it have to end with all parties enjoying the outcome.  Sometimes reconciliation looks like grace, sometimes it looks like righteous judgement. Romans 8:19-20 tells us that creation, the seen and unseen realms, were affected by the fall all the way back in Genesis chapter 3. And as creation did not fall by its own choice, its reconciliation will be by God’s choice and timing. Yet creation looks eagerly towards the day when it is free from decay and brought back into God’s glory. As mans fall brought about the fall of creation, their redemption will bring about the the redeeming of that creation.

 The reconciliation of fallen spirits will be different. For Collisions 2:15 uses war language to describe their fate. They will be disarmed, disgraced, and triumphed over. These evil forces still live in a state though restrained, they still rebel. Some day soon Christ’s death will be applied to them completely.

So what about man? Does the word all mean that all are restored to a right relationship with their creator. No. Some, perhaps many, will resist. Man sees God’s offer of forgiveness and still rejects Him. No all speaks to scope, The offer exists for all men through Christ. You see all will be reconciled before Christ but the specifics of their fates will be vastly different.

      that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

         in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Php 2:10.

Vodie Baucham likes to say that you will bow the knee, or you will bow the knee. No one can resist the king. If you reject Him here, God will not force you into an eternity in His good presence. Instead your eternity, will be spent with God’s justice. Sin against an infinite God deserves the highest payment. But that payment does not have to be borne by you or me. It was borne by Christ. The Supreme Lord over all creation. The self existent eternal one bled. He died on across for you. For me. Those who were unable to pay their debt. And it is not as if we showed any remorse. The Scriptures tell us that we were yet sinners, enemies of God, He died for us. It is not what we can do for God it is what He has already done in Christ. There is no other way to God. No angelic beings, no wisdom, no power, no wealth, nothing. Only Christ’s death on the cross makes a way for fallen man to be reconciled.

Christ is Supreme in creation, Supreme in the church, Supreme over reconciliation, and supreme in our salvation

4. Christ Is Supreme Over Salvation (v.21–23)

The hymn has come to a close and now Paul makes it personal. What does reconciliation look like for believers. Lets read beginning in verse 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. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:21–23.

And you. Collosian church. And you, Greenville SBC. And you, Joe Case. Do you see your dire circumstances apart from Christ? Or have you forgotten what you once were?

As Ephesians 2 reminds us, we were dead in our sin going the way of the world. Chasing every lust. Sons of disobedience. Children of wrath. 

You know many of us spent our lives in a church pew. When we get saved at a young age we may forget what we were saved from.Our nature was to do evil deeds. Our nature was to be God’s enemies. We must know our condition before God to truly appreciate what it means to be reconciled. 

We were alienated. 

                But your iniquities have separated 

         you from your God; 

         your sins have hidden his face from you, 

         so that he will not hear. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Is 59:2.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 59:2.

God is Holy. We are sinners. Therefore there is separation. This is objective reality. 

Second we were enemies of God in our minds. Romans 8:6-8 tells us that the mind of the flesh is death. The mind of the flesh is hostile to God. The mind of the flesh will not and in fact cannot submit to God’s law. Those in the flesh cannot please God. We are born insubordinate. We are by nature rebellious towards authority. We hate anyone tellings us what to do or who to be. This has always been the case. We want to call the shots. We don’t want God to direct our steps. That is our condition before Christ.

Lastly this manifested in evil works. Paul is not saying that we behaved in evil ways and thus corrupted our inner goodness. No. Our innermost being was corrupted, and expressed itself in wicked actions.

Before Christ we were dead men and women. I ask the teens regularly what can a dead man do? Nothing but stink. And that’s all our works are. We try to spray perfume on a corpse. Our former condition was oh so desperate, far removed from the promises of God.

But God did not leave us there. Once we were alienated. But the verse goes on. 

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

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:22.

We are no longer alienated. Now we are reconciled. How? Through the blood of Jesus. 2,000 years ago, before you are I ever existed. We have been forgiven. The debt was paid by Christ. There was a physical offering. Jesus walked among men. He went hungry. Felt the strain of a hard days labor. And He experienced the fullness of temptation yet He did not sin. And He died. Christ, God, experienced death. This was the payment. But why? Yes its to bring Him glory, to bring Him a spotless people of His own possession. But Paul goes a different direction here. 

to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:22.

Paul is so excited that he appears to be mixing His metaphors. We are presented before God without blemish. This is sacrificial language. Like a spotless lamb before the altar we are pleasing in the sight of God. Holy and free from accusation brings the imagery of a courtroom. On the day of our judgement before God it is as if the prosecution doesn’t even bother to show up. For they have no case. Our debt has been paid in full. I know I keep beating this point into the ground but it is the crux of our faith. The source of our hope. What drives our lives. 

We did nothing. Christ did everything

You contribute nothing to your salvation but the sin that made it necessary- Johnathan Edwards. 

Christian, the Judge of heaven will one day call your name — and instead of a record of your sin, Christ Himself will present you as holy, blameless, and above reproach. That is the weight of reconciliation, and that is the joy.

So what now? We have been saved. Do we sit and twiddle our thumbs until judgement day? May it never be. Verse 23

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. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 1:23.

If. This word causes a lot of uanessacry confusion about what is meant here. For the word If is not in the Greek. There is not a doubt in the mind of Paul that the Christian will persevere till the end.

 Many people make shipwrecks of their faith. They may have come close to the cross but they ultimately turned away. They were not grounded or steadfast. They moved away from hope and the Gospel so clearly preached to them. And in the end there was no repentance in them.

John describes such people this way.

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Jn 2:19.

Paul doesn’t believe this to be the case for the Colossians. He believes that they know Christ and are raised with him by faith as 2:12 puts so clearly.

It is not a mere intellectual knowing of facts about Christianity that saves. I think of those I attended undergrad alongside. One of my roommates in particular. They all got the degrees. They were all dual majors in Bible. But almost immediately after leaving, they deny the faith.

It is about receiving Christ. The treasuring of Christ. The union with Christ is where our hope is found. That is where the Christian faith starts. So don’t shift away from this foundation. Don’t forget what you once believed.

In Romans 8:28-30 we see the golden chain of salvation. Those God predestines will be called out of darkness. If you have been called you will be justified. All the called are justified. And all the justified will be glorified. There are no dropouts in God’s kingdom. He will not lose you.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 put it this way.

8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Co 1:8–9.

How do I know that I will wake up tomorrow still a Christian? Well because I did my good deeds and prayed reaaaaly hard. No!!! Because Christ is faithful. Because God keeps all those he calls.

Philippians 1:6 shows that Paul is sure that Christ who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

It does not matter how firmly you hold onto Christ, it matters how He holds onto you.

So as the days get darker, we have no reason to fear. My soul is secure.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro 8:38–39.

So what is to be our response? Because God’s love is so great towards us what are we to do. We must stay vigilant. Be frequent in prayer. Abound in good works. And live no more for ourselves but for Christ. Live as reconciled people. Worship as reconciled people. Witness to a lost world as reconciled people.

Conclusion

“Christian, with your eyes closed, I want you to reflect quietly before the Lord. You’ve just heard that Christ is supreme — over creation, over the church, over life and death, and that He has reconciled you by His blood.

The question is: are you living like He is supreme in your life?

Have you been living with guilt, forgetting that you now stand holy and blameless before Him? Tonight, bring that guilt to the cross.

Have you been holding on to bitterness while Christ has reconciled you? Surrender that today and ask Him for the grace to forgive.

Have you been drifting, letting the things of this world shake your faith? Today is the day to resolve again to stand firm in Christ, not moving from the hope of the gospel.

Or maybe you’ve grown quiet about your faith. This week, will you ask the Lord to give you one opportunity to speak of the Christ who reconciled you?

Friend, Christ is supreme — but He also dwells in you. Don’t leave here unchanged. Live reconciled. Live for His glory.”

And if you’re here tonight and you’re not yet a follower of Christ: This passage is also for you. The Bible says you are alienated and hostile in your mind apart from Him — but that He died to reconcile you, too. You don’t have to stay far from God. Today, He offers you peace by the blood of His cross. If you’ve never trusted in Jesus, tonight can be the night you step from alienation into reconciliation, from hostility into peace, from death into life.

. And if you know you need Christ, don’t leave here without speaking to someone. He is supreme, and He is enough to save. We will have a deacon and wife standing by our prayer room ready to discuss anything tonight.

Lets pray

“Almighty God, we come before You in awe of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. Lord, we praise You that He is supreme over all creation, the one by whom and for whom all things were made. Help us to marvel at His majesty and live in wonder of Your glory.

Lord, we thank You that Christ is the head of the church. Unite us in Him, strengthen our love for one another, and help us to submit to His authority, depending on His life-giving power to guide and sustain Your people.

We rejoice that Christ is supreme in redemption. Thank You that through His resurrection and the fullness of His Godhead, He has reconciled all things to Himself. Teach us to trust in Him fully, to rest in His finished work, and to join Him in the ministry of reconciliation to those around us.

Finally, Father, we praise You for the reconciliation we now enjoy through the blood of His cross. Present us holy, blameless, and above reproach, and empower us to live as reconciled people — forgiving, persevering, and sharing the hope of the gospel with others. May we never drift from the faith but cling to the supremacy of Christ in every area of our lives

    24      Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

    And to present you faultless

    Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

    25      To God our Savior,

    Who alone is wise,

    Be glory and majesty,

    Dominion and power,

    Both now and forever.

    Amen.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jud 24–25.