Colossians 1:15-23: Christ is Supreme
Notes
Transcript
Today we continue our journey through the book of Colossians,
as we unpack chapter 1:15-23.
Paul has written to this young church
that has been marked by the grace of God.
When they believed the true gospel of Jesus Christ
and understood the grace of God in truth,
their lives were forever changed.
They were no longer defined by their past,
but rather defined by God's grace.
They had been set apart as God's holy people,
which gave them
an eternal hope that shaped the way they lived.
This hope produced something visible in their lives.
Which resulted,
in them building a reputation,
as a people of faith in Christ Jesus
and a love for all the saints.
The gospel had not simply changed what they believed;
it changed how they lived.
Yet Paul knew
the Christian life was never meant
to be lived on yesterday's victories.
So he prayed.
He prayed
that they would continually be filled with the knowledge of God's will—
a knowledge accompanied by spiritual wisdom and understanding
that teaches one not merely what God says,
but how to faithfully live it out.
Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord
is not just about knowing God's will—
it is about having the wisdom to live it out...
When they were rescued from the domain of darkness
and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son,
something greatly shifted in their lives.
They went from being unqualified
to share in the inheritance of God's Kingdom,
to being fully qualified
through Christ's redemption to share in the inheritance of the saints.
The moment they received the forgiveness,
purchased through Christ's redemption,
they were qualified to be called sons and daughters of the Most High.
Not because they earned it.
Not because they deserved it.
But because Christ accomplished it....
Their identity had been forever changed,
and as they grew in the knowledge of God,
they would increasingly learn to live in light
of who God had already declared them to be.
Building on what Paul has already laid out,
he now helps them understand who Jesus truly is
by declaring His supremacy over all things.
Because Paul understands that the more they know Jesus,
and the more they see Jesus for who He is,
the more it will affect how they live...
A.W. Tozer once wrote,
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." 2x
I love this quote
because it reminds us that our understanding of Christ
shapes something far deeper than we often realize—
it shapes who we become...
Let me put it this way:
A small view of Christ produces a small faith.
But a high view of Christ
produces a steadfast faith that endures.
Paul knew
that if the believers in Colossae were going to continue on the path they had begun,
their faith had to grow.
And for their faith to grow,
they needed a deeper revelation of who Jesus truly is.
Therefore,
Paul begins to unpack
what many theologians believe was one of the earliest hymns of the church—
a beautiful portrait of the supremacy of Christ.
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.
Family went to Epcot… 1st time ok 2nd time way better.
(Show was the same… but understanding changed)
Paul wants the church in Colossae to see Jesus more clearly and,
as a result,
understand Him more deeply.
So,
he begins this hymn by declaring that Jesus
"is the image of the invisible God." (v. 15)
In other words,
if you want to know what God is like,
look at Jesus. (God in the Flesh)
No one has seen the Father in all His glory,
yet He did not leave us guessing about who He is.
Instead,
God stepped into human history in the person of the Son.
Therefore,
the more you see Jesus,
the more you see the Father...
30 I and the Father are one.”
9b Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
3a He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,
Jesus does not merely resemble the Father...
He perfectly reveals the Father...
When Jesus touched the leper,
we see the compassion of the Father.
When Jesus welcomed the sinner,
we see the mercy of the Father.
When Jesus stretched out His hands on the cross,
we see the love of the Father.
Jesus is God made visible.
“He is the image of the invisible God,” (V15)
Paul then makes this statement:
"The firstborn of all creation." (V15)
At first glance,
this phrase can be misunderstood.
In fact,
this statement became one of the passages that fueled a heresy known as Arianism—
not to be confused with Arminianism.
A modern group that adheres to this heresy called Arianism,
is Jehovah’s Witness.
Arianism teaches that Jesus was created by God
and is not eternally God as historic Christianity has always affirmed…
The word "firstborn"
in this context of our passage here,
is not speaking about Jesus being the first thing created.
It is speaking about status, authority, and rank.
Throughout Scripture,
the term "firstborn"
often refers to position and inheritance rather than birth order.
In Exodus 4:22, God calls Israel His firstborn son:
"Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son.’"
Israel was not the first nation created,
but they were chosen by God for a unique position.
We see this again with Ephraim and Manasseh.
Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn son,
yet when Jacob blessed Joseph's sons,
he intentionally placed his right hand on Ephraim,
the younger son,
giving him the greater blessing.
Later, God refers to Ephraim with the language of the firstborn:
Jeremiah 31:9b "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn."
The last example I will give is with David.
David was the youngest in his family, yet God says:
Psalm 89:27 “And I will make him (David) the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”
David was not the first son born,
but he was given the position of highest honor and authority...
So when Paul calls Jesus "the firstborn of all creation,"
he is not saying Jesus was created.
He is declaring that Jesus has the highest rank over all creation.
And Paul immediately makes this clear:
Colossians 1:16–17
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.
Think about the weight of what Paul is saying.
Jesus is not part of creation.
Jesus is the Creator.
Everything that exists
came into being through Him and for Him.
Everything we can see—
the stars, the galaxies, the earth beneath our feet—
was created through Jesus.
And everything we cannot see—
the spiritual realm,
heavenly beings,
powers,
and authorities—
was created through Jesus.
There is no throne higher than His.
There is no authority greater than His.
There is no power that exists outside of His rule.
Jesus is above all things,
and therefore Jesus rules over all things.
He is not simply important among creation.
He is supreme over all creation...
“In Him all things hold together” V17
The Bible begins with these words:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
And what a precise creation it is.
The earth sits in exactly the right place from the sun.
If it were much closer,
life would burn.
If it were much farther away,
life would freeze.
The earth's tilt,
atmosphere,
and even the moon's position all work together to make life possible.
Creation is not random.
It is finely tuned by its Creator.
But Colossians tells us something even more amazing:
Jesus did not create the universe and then walk away from it.
Paul says...
“He holds it all together.” V17
That doesn't mean there is no brokenness.
Sin entered the world.
We still get the report we did not want,
the door we prayed would open stays shut,
and the breakthrough we longed for does not come.
But the same Christ who holds galaxies together
also holds His people together.
Paul knew something about pain and brokenness,
as he wrote these words from a prison cell.
His circumstances were difficult,
but his confidence remained unshaken because he knew that even in suffering,
Christ had not abandoned His creation.
The God who keeps the stars in their place
is still working in the midst of our brokenness,
and even when we cannot see His hand,
He is holding all things together...
Paul’s hymn moves from declaring Christ’s rule over creation
to declaring Christ’s rule over this new creation,
the church.
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.
GENE 200 Art and Culture
(orchestra conductor)
[Head keeps it all together]
Paul unfolds a beautiful truth:
Christ holds creation together because He is the head of creation,
and Christ holds the church together because He is the head of a new creation.
Notice in verse 18 that Paul calls Christ "the beginning."
This points us back to Genesis,
where all things began through Him.
But it also points us forward to something even greater:
through His death and resurrection,
Christ has begun a new creation.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Jesus did not simply come to improve broken people;
He came to make all things new.
Paul then says that Christ is "the firstborn from the dead."
Once again,
Paul is speaking of status.
Christ is supreme over the new creation.
The empty tomb announced that a new creation had begun.
And because Christ is the beginning of creation
and the beginning of new creation,
Paul declares this reality that Christ is preeminent!
Meaning he is number 1 in everything,
not just somethings,
but in everything Jesus is supreme,
because Jesus is first in everything!
And because of this reality...
Because Christ is supreme...
Because Christ is first in everything...
Only he has the power to reconcile…
Paul says,
V20 “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Only Christ has the power
and authority to bring true reconciliation.
Sin brought chaos into God's good creation.
It shattered what was whole
and introduced disorder where there had once been peace.
The relationship between God
and humanity was broken because of rebellion.
Instead of fellowship,
there was separation.
Instead of peace,
there was conflict.
And there could be no peace
because mankind was cut off
from the One who is Himself the very source and essence of peace.
But through the blood of His cross,
Jesus came to do what no one else could do—
He came to reconcile what sin had torn apart
and make peace where there was once hostility...
An important reality to understand is that peace does not just come;
peace must be established...
Story of a King...
(Ahaz and Hezekiah)
[For peace we like to put Band-Aids on for quick fixes]
{Jesus made peace..}
Jesus established peace by means of his blood,
by bringing reconciliation to fallen creation,
in order to create something new.
Therefore,
Paul tells us what it means to have been reconciled...
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.
Paul gives us this picture of a transition in our relationship with God.
Once you were enemies of God.
Your mind was hostile toward God.
Your thinking was corrupted by sin,
and your heart was bent toward doing what was evil.
But what is extraordinary
is that while we were in this state of evil,
while we were in this state of rebellion,
while we were in this state of being enemies of God,
that is the very place where Jesus stepped in and brought reconciliation....
Here me this morning...
You did not make the first move to make things right with God.
God made the first move toward you...
10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
While we were still enemies,
Christ came to restore what had been broken.
Our relationship went from being an enemy
to being a friend
as we were reconciled to the Father through the Son.
And because of that transition in relationship,
there was also a transition in our standing before God.
We are now presented before Him as holy,
blameless,
and above reproach...
Therefore,
Paul urges them to continue on this path of faith.
Continue to be stable and steadfast in the gospel.
Don't drift away from the hope of salvation you have received in Christ.
Don't throw away this gift that has been given to you by God's grace.
Don't walk away from the assurance you received when you heard the good news of Jesus...
Paul understood
that there would be seasons when life would be hard.
Times when you would walk
through the valley of the shadow of death.
Times when the pain would be so deep
and the burden so heavy
that giving up would seem like the only way to find peace.
But Paul from his prison cell,
wanted these believers to understand something he had experienced firsthand:
The One who holds the stars in their place
is the very One who can hold you in the midst of hardship and pain.
The hands that hold the universe together
are the same hands that will hold you in your darkest night.
The One who spoke the world into existence
is the One who speaks peace into your storm.
Because if Jesus is strong enough to sustain the universe,
then He is certainly
strong enough to sustain you through whatever you are facing.
The Christ who holds all things together is holding you together,
even when it feels like everything in your world is falling apart...
Paul declares that:
Christ is supreme over creation...
Christ is supreme over new creation, the church...
But I want to leave you with this question:
Is Christ supreme in your life?
(have you made Jesus number 1 in your life...)
