Surrendered to God (2)

Surrendered to God

Colossians 1:15-23 Athens Greece (July 26th, 2026)

Intro: Not long ago, my family members living in the village of Fancy, nestled immediately beneath the volcano, experienced the terrifying power of an eruption. At first there was only the strong smell of sulfur lingering in the air. Then came the shaking of the earth, the smoke darkening the sky, and finally the streams of burning lava flowing down the mountainside. In a matter of moments, homes were destroyed, crops were buried, animals were lost, and many watched everything they had worked for disappear before their eyes.

What struck me most was hearing how helpless people felt in the face of such overwhelming power. No amount of human strength, or preparation could stop the volcano. The eruption reminded everyone how fragile life truly is and how quickly the things we depend on can vanish. Yet in the middle of the devastation, many cried out to God because they realized He alone is unshakable when everything else is falling apart.

In the midst of a world filled with uncertainty, destruction, and things beyond our control, Colossians 1:15–23 reminds us that Jesus Christ alone is supreme over all things and worthy of our complete surrender.

I want to give you 7 Absolute Truths about the Supremacy of Jesus

The titleof the message is Surrendered to God.

 In order to surrender ourselvesto God we need to have an accurate and biblical pictureof who Jesus is.

Pray: Lord God be exalted in our presence, help us to put First things First in our lives so we can live your word. Give us a longing for your word as we open it up now in Jesus’ name amen.

I am about to make a radical statement that in some ways may stun you: You will never experience the fullness of Joy that God wants for you to experience in your life until you put Christ 1st place in every area of your life!

Jesus must be first place in our homes Jesus must be first in our entertainment choices First in the way we use our financial resources, Jesus must be first in our careers, Jesus must be first in our marriages, Jesus Christ must be first in our singleness, Jesus Christ must be first in the area of our sexuality, First in our relationships, First in our dreams for the future.

 Otherwise, we will not experience the fullness of Joy that God wants us to experience!

Now the question for all of us here this morning is: Is Jesus Christ first place in our lives? Most of us would subscribe to this theoretically but when it boils down to reality it is a difficult thing.

 Now we have in front of us today the focal point, the bull’s eye, the singular strongest Christological passage in all of scripture. More of what we believe about JC, more of what we celebrate about him, more of what we rejoice in regard to him comes from Colossians ch 1: 15-23. It is my hope that each one of us will leave here with this desire.

 Maybe you have not been doing such a good job at putting you first place in my life up to this point but from now on by your grace and in your strength, I am going to put you first place in my life.

 The 1st absolute truththe supremacy of Jesus

1- JESUS IS GOD! (15a) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

 In the original language image means representation and likeness. It gives us our English word icon. Jesus is a living Icon who will be remembered for centuries. Where in the Bible does it say Jesus is God?

 Many places, here's a few.

 The Father called Him God  "But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom." -Heb. 1:8

 Jesus called Himself God "I and (My) Father are one." -John 10:30

 Others called Him God. "And Thomas answered and said to Him, my Lord and my God!" -John 20:28 ILLUSTRATION: The volcano and Hurricane reminded us that human beings are not in control. But Jesus is. The winds, the seas, and even the earth itself answer to Him because Jesus is not merely a good man  Jesus is God!

The 2nd absolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus…

2- JESUS IS LORD OVER ALL! (15b; 18b) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation ... the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.

Firstborn is used 6x's in the NT to describe Jesus. It doesn't mean first born of creation. That was Adam.

 It means sovereign over allcreation That’s Jesus!  Jesus is overcreation, NOT a part of creation.

 In the orriginal greek language he is  talking about priority NOTorder. Jesus rules over all creation because he is in a position of privilege and authority. The term firstborn does not refer to time, but to place or status. Jesus Christ was not the first being created, since He Himself is the Creator of all things. Firstborn simply means first in rank or prominence.   In Ps 89:7- I will make David first born the highest in the kings of the earth. There were millions of people who lived before David, he was not the first person ever born. The text means that David was first born. Not chronologically but in rank, authority and power.

 That’s why the end of v18 says"...that in everything He might be preeminent. Why is Jesus first? B/c Jesus is Lord of All! Understand this–we don’t make Jesus Lord. Jesus IS the Lord!

Sometimes we say, “We need to make Jesus Lord.” A better way to say it is...we need to surrender to Jesus as Lord!

 When we surrender to Jesus as Lord, He is first in our lives.

To be first in our lives means Jesus is first in position & priority, first in importance & relationships, first in marriage & family, first in work & finances, first in our minds & in our hearts, first in conversations & in activities, first in adversity & in triumph ... First in everything!

 Augustine said it like this – "Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all." - Augustine

1. Jesus is God. 2. Jesus is Lord over All.

The 3rd absolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus is ...

 3- JESUS IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! (16) 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

 Jesus didn’t come into existence in Bethlehem. Jesus was present at & participated in the creation of all things. Jesus spoke & this universe came into existence.

By studying the creation, a person can get a glimpse of the creation around them. I am no scientist but in the little studying I’ve done regarding God’s creative abilities it makes me amazed at the power of God. No wonder the Psalmist in Ps 19-104: Says the heaven declares the Glory of the Lord.

The Entropic principle - Has to do with the sun. It states that the universe is carefully designed for the well-being of mankind. Did you know that a slight change of the earth’s rotation around the sun would be catastrophic? The earth will either be too hot or too cold for life, if it was changed in just a minute way. The moon if it were just a little closer to the earth would cause tidal waves that would inundate the continents. But yet God has placed the moon in such a way that it is the right distance away from the earth so that life is able to exists here on earth.

"ByHIM"answers the WHO created everything! "Through HIM" answers the HOW He created everything! "For HIM" answers the WHY He created everything!

 For His glory! Why did He create the heavens & the earth ? For His Glory! Why did Jesus create the lilies of fields ? For His glory! Why did Jesus create animals? For His glory! Why did He create you? For His Glory! You were created on purpose & for a purpose – by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus.

ILLUSTATION: When the volcano erupted, we were all reminded of the terrifying power of creation. We saw mountains shake and the sky turn black, and it made us feel incredibly small. But Colossians 1:16 tells us that all things were created by Jesus and for Him even the forces of nature that feel out of our control. He created them.

The 4thabsolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus…

4- JESUS IS THE SUSTAINER OF LIFE! (17) 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

 V17 is in the presence tense

 Meaning Jesus is the one who continuesto hold things together and if He doesn't everythingwill blow apart and disintegrate.

 Physicists have theories of what holds the atom together amongst its whirling protonsand electrons.

They don't know for sure!  I'm no scientist but I knowit's Jesus because of this verse! All of the earth is made up of this basic building block called the atom. Scripture says that all things were created by Christ both visible and invisible. The atom flies in the face of the principle that opposites attract because in the nucleolus the protons and neutrons are both neutral. So the scientist come to this and they still don’t know what holds the atom together. Look at verse 17: And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. May I suggest to you that Jesus Christ is the DIVINE GLUE that holds our world together!!!

 Question? If Jesus can hold atoms together ... don’t you think He can hold you together? whatever it is that you are going through?

 How have you experience Jesus holding you together? How has Jesus sustained you?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If he has sustained, you in the past – He will do the same today and in the future.

ILLUSTRATION: Cleo has 4 children, during the volcanic eruption we reach out to this unemplyed single mother with Food, Water & Clothing. Because of the church being the hands and feet of Jesus. Cleo is now attending chruch with some of her children, and working at the church as our cleaning leady. Glory to God! Jesus continues to hold our lives together.

The 5thabsolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus…

5- JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH! (18a) 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.

 The Bible uses many metaphors to describe the church.

 It's a Family

It's a Flock

It's a Building

It's a Kingdom

It's a Vineyard

It's a Bride

All theseare profound and true. Whichever one you like the bestJesus is the head. What is the head? It is focal point of the body, the focal point for human activity. The head is what we hear, see, smell, taste, think. What is a body without a head? It is a corpse…

 What is the church without Jesus Christ? It is dead!

 If Jesus Christ is not the head of the church, then we are just playing around. We should not even be here. When we come here to worship, Jesus must be first in our thoughts, first in our worship, first in the way we interact with each other.

He is in the beginning:He is the reason why there is a church in the first place! This simply means that the church has its origins in Jesus.

 It says he’s the 1st born from the dead: Here is that word first born again. It means first in Rank and prominence!It means that he is the first one to rise from the dead for the purpose of redeeming all mankind.

 That in everything he might be preeminent: As a result of his death and resurrection. Jesus has come to have first place in everything! Jesus Christ is supreme, and we ought to be lifting Him up. Illustration: Our new church building will be more than a place for Sunday worship. During future hurricanes, it can become a refuge for families, the elderly, and children who need safety. A hurricane center/shelter during the storms. Its kitchen can feed people, its walls can shelter people, and its ministry can point hurting people to Christ. That is what happens when Jesus is truly the head of the church, the church becomes the hands and feet of Jesus in the community, to our city and to our nation.

Absolute truths about the supremacy of Jesus…

1. Jesus is God. 2. Jesus is Lord over All. 3. Jesus is the Creator of All Things. 4. Jesus is the Sustainer of All Things. 5. Jesus the Head of the Church

The 6thabsolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus…

6- JESUS IS THE RECONCILER OF THE WORLD! (19-20)

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.

 How?

 One phrase at the end of v20"Through the blood of the cross" Interestingly Pauldid not often put blood and cross together.

 For him they were synonymousbecause the blood and the cross reconcile us to God.

 We see the word reconciled 2x'sin this passage. It literally means to be changedfrom the inside out. That's what the cross does. That's what the blood does.

 Here’s the reality...

We aren't bad people in need a reformation, but spiritually dead people in need of a resurrection!

 "Jesus didn't die to make bad people good but to make dead people live!"

Because of the cross, though we were dead, we can experience life!

•     Do you have assurance of your salvation?

•     Can you point to a time where you turned from your sin & embraced Jesus      for the forgiveness of your sin?

•     Being good is not good enough. If being good was good enough, why would Jesus need to die?

•     Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven.

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day you can be reconciled to God.

The 7thabsolute truth about the supremacy of Jesus…

 7- JESUS is THE TRANSFORMER OF HUMANITY! (21-23)

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.”

 God is in the business of transforming lives:

In these final verses we see ultimate contrasts–our life before & our life after.

How would you summarize your transformed life in Jesus?  I was...But Jesus...And Now...

 Notice the BEFORE words– alienated (separated), hostile (at war), doing evil deeds (from an evil heart).

Now look at the AFTER words – holy (set apart), blameless (purified), above reproach (maturing).

Jesus is the transformer of humanity. How has God transformed your life?  How would you summarize your transformed life in Jesus: I was...But Jesus...And Now...

• I was guilty...But Jesus...And Now I’m forgiven • I was lost...But Jesus...And Now I’m found • I was an addict...But Jesus...And Now I’m free • I was victim...But Jesus...And Now I’m a victor

I was dead...But Jesus...And Now alive.

So who is this Jesus? Who is the transformer of Humanity?

Jesus is not just a good man Jesus is not just moral teacher. Jesus is not just a prophet. Jesus is not just a suffering servant Jesus is not who you make Him to be. Let’s review our 7 Absolute Truths about the Supremacy of Jesus (summary slide)

1. Jesus is God. 2. Jesus is Lord over All. 3. Jesus is the Creator of All Things. 4. Jesus is the Sustainer of All Things. 5. Jesus the Head of the Church 6. Jesus is the Reconciler of the World. 7. Jesus is the Transformer of Humanity.

“So the question is — is Jesus truly first in every area of our lives?”

*Story of how our church started.

Pray: Lord Jesus, We thank You that You are God, Lord over all, Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and King. Forgive us for the areas of our lives where we have not placed You first. Teach us what it means to fully surrender to You.

When storms come and life feels uncertain, remind us that You alone are unshakable. Help us to trust You more deeply, serve others more faithfully, and live for Your glory in every area of our lives.

May our church be a light in this city and may our lives reflect the transforming power of the Gospel.

We surrender ourselves to You again today.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.