Untitled Sermon

# We Must Never Forget

## The Problem With Forgetting

- The Man who never came home

- Our home is God when we move from him, we lose our sense of identity

- The danger of forgetting the foundation. - The american house

## Remember the greatness of our redeemer

### REVELATION: He is God, *revealed*.

- He is not some powerful angel, or some higher spiritual power, he is God. The one who took it upon himself, to deliver us from dark spiritual powers, from the chains of sin and death, the one who we know as the Lord Jesus Christ, is God. And he is not a God, hidden, far away, uninvolved, whom we can-not know, he is God made known.

* Notice, our redeemer is God revealed. - He is the image of the invisible God. How can one who is invisible be seen? How can a God who is eternal, be known and loved by otherwise estranged creatures? How can me and you know God ? Well, Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the one who makes God known to us. In him, we can see and know God. As puts it, “No one has seen God at anytime, the only begotten, who is at the bosom of the father, he has made him known”- If you ever ask yourself, who is God? Where is God in this world that seems increasingly chaotic, does God have an answer, does he have anything to say ? Is he going to hide and leave the world to self-destruct? When we ask with Job? the answer is look at Jesus. He is God’s full and final response to the world, he is God made known to us.

* And through Jesus, we find that everything begins to make sense, everything falls into place. I love the CS Lewis Quote that reads as follows. “'I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else’, If I were to tweak this quote, I would change Christianity to Christ. I would say that “I believe in Christ, as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by the son, I see everything else” - Christ enables us to make sense of the world, keeps us from being cynical, and gives us great hope for the future.

* What are some things in the world Christ helps us to understand ? Well we can look at the reality that Christ becoming man, to save those who are his enemies, there we see that God indeed has not left the world to crumble, but so loves the world that he came into it to fix it. We can look at the wonder of the cross, that at the very time it seemed that Christ was defeated, at the cross, he was achieving the greatest victory for himself and his people, is this not the wisdom of God ? We can consider, the wonder and power of God, who has created a way of salvation, that is so other-worldly yet so beautiful, so powerful, and we see in that his wisdom, is this not what leads Paul to exclaim,

* “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (, NIV)”

* So in Christ, as the image of God, we see things about God, and we learn things about God, more clearly than we ever could without him. So remember that the one who redeems us, is no second best, he is very God of very God. Who else would you want to redeem you than Christ? who is the very image of God ?

### REDEMPTION: He is “firstborn” of all creation

* This phrase may seem strange at first, but it’s very helpful and illuminating. The reality that Christ is the first-born of all creation, clarifies and defines further for us his relationship to the created world. As the image of God, he is the only one by whom the world can come to know God. As first-born of all creation, the universe and everything in it, belongs to him, in every sense of the word.

* It may help to give some background to this term first-born. If you were a Jew reading this, you would have instantly understood the significance of the term, because in Jewish history, the first-born had a particular significance in the family, as both the family’s head and representative. In-fact in some cultures this still exists, the firstborn son, has a responsibility to care for the family, and has a primary place in the family. It’s very striking that when we get to the exodus, in the last plague, as the angel of death goes over the houses, it’s the first born from every house who must die, he is the representative head of that home, he is the one who is to have the inheritance, in a unique and special sense, the home is his responsibility, you remember that for the first-born to be spared death, a lamb had to be shed in his place.

* This is the background of the phrase first-born. Verses 13-14 have already started reminding us of the exodus, just as they were delivered from slavery into a new kingdom, so we too are delivered from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of Christ. Just as they had a representative head, a first-born, with all the privileges and responsibilities that comes with it, was the one who would die before their redemption could be accomplished if the sacrificial lamb did not die in his place. So also christ, as the first-born of all creation, is responsible for creation, as I said before, the significance of first-born is that creation and all that is in it, is his, he is the one responsible to do something with it, he is the one who decides if it will be fixed or not, if he will renew it or cast it away. The text makes this plain, notice the connecting word, “for” in verse 16. He is the firstborn of all creation, for, or because.

* All things were created in him. Weather things we can see or things we can’t, all things that exists where created through him. Not only did he create all things, he created all things for himself. Everything exists for his good pleasure. Paul is not just giving us some abstract theology here that Christ made the world. He is doing that, but he is doing much more, he is saying its his world! He made it for himself.

* He is telling us, that as the world is broken, as first-born, who created the universe for himself, he is not agnostic to it, it’s his world! Far from being a God who is far off and aloof from the pains and concerns of this world, he is impacted by it, because he made it, and he didn’t just make it to sit there, he made it to glorify himself, and when it’s not serving it’s purpose, there is trouble. This is why sin is referred to as falling short of the glory of God in romans, it’s because Jesus made the world to bring glory to himself, so when we do not bring glory to him, we are essentially like people who have broken into a mans house, and damaged it, when that man comes back, he will not be very pleased, so you can rest assured that as Lord, and first-born of creation, he is deeply concerned for it.

* The text goes even further, it tells us that as first born, he not only created the world for himself, even now he continues to sustain it. He created it, and he created it for himself, and he allows it to continue to exist. There is no room here to even entertain the thought that Christ is aloof from his creation, he is sustaining it, all things hold together in it. It’s his, even if it’s broken, he is still keeping it, he is refusing to throw it away, he is sustaining it.

* This point must not be missed. It reminds me of an ancient tribe, who performs certain ceremonial rituals every year, because they believed that if they did not do so, the universe would crumble, so they had to perform the rituals to keep it together. Paul is saying, No, the universe must indeed be kept together, but it is keep together by the Lord Jesus. He is the glue that binds the universe together. Indeed as one preacher has helpfully put it, “even those who oppose Christ are entirely dependent on him”

### Church : He is the head of the Church, (his new creation?)

* People are looking for ways to fix the world, ways to make it right, ways to fix even themselves, and they are at a loss for where to turn, Paul says, look to Christ, he is the image of God, he is the first-born of creation. It’s his! This leaves us with a question, it’s simply this, if as first-born, christ created the universes, and he created it for himself, and he is even now sustaining it, and keeping it ticking as it were, what is he going to do with it? it seems to be getting worse does’t it?

* Well the answer is simple. He is going to re-create it. He is redeeming the world. This idea that the world will be redeemed by Christ is not a new one, Paul picks it up in romans 8, where he says that not only will the Children of God, will be glorified with Christ he says that “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (, NIV)”

* The church, the children of God are going to be given a Glory, the very Glory that Christ, our head has purchased for us through his reconciling work.

* Note that he is the “first-born” from the dead. This is speaking of that Glory, which he purchased for us, in Christ’s death, we finally have peace with God. The death of Christ was an act of cosmic reconciliation. That is to say, since the fall of man, the whole universe was under a curse, in the death of Christ, in his bearing the curse, he is paving the way for the effects of the curse to be undone, starting with his church, and then spreading out to the whole universe, thus in revelation we read.

* “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”” (, NIV)

* You see that, there is a new creation, a new heaven, a new earth, as first-born, Christ has taken hold of his world, which remember he created for himself, and he has redeemed it, it meant he had to become man and die, yet as a man he was still fully God, verse 19 “In him the whole fullness of God was pleased to dwell” - and as such on the cross, when in a way we truly will never be able to fathom, God Died! And his death, mended the breach that had existed between God and man, making it possible once again for God to dwell in his people, and one day as revelation points out, he will be with us in the new heavens and new earth forever and ever.

* Let me ask you, who then would seek another saviour? When we have a saviour that is so comprehensively adequate to save us? When we have a saviour that is so unfathomably powerful, when we have a redeemer that is so intensely kind. When we have a redeemer that loves us so much that he would come, and become a curse and die. When we have a first-born in the family we are freely welcome into who has purchased an inheritance for us. Peter says the same thing, as he praises God, saying,

* “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (, NIV)

* He is the beginning of the new creation, and because he is our first born, because he is our representative head, because we are in him, whoever he has accomplished, he has accomplished on our behalf. The death he died he died for all. Christ suffered once, the righteous for the unrighteous that he may bring us to God.

* But why did the Colossians need so desperately to be reminded of these things? - I will answer the question, with a question.

* Who would you want to be your saviour, but the one who is God himself?

* Who would you want to be your saviour, but the one who created the world?

* Who would you want to be your saviour, but the one who sustains and allows all things to continue to exist?

* Who would you want to be your saviour, but the one who has began, even amongst people in this room, to restore the world?

* When we forget this, we begin to seek other saviours, but when we remember the greatness redeemer, and see him as the God he truly he, who is passionate about restoring his creation, then we begin to marvel, then we see that we need no other saviours. Then we say with the singer of old, I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me.

We see the glory of our redeemer, in eternity and in time. He is very God of very God, creator and sustainer of the universe, revealer of God in time. Revealer of the beauty, wonder, kindness, of God. I want you to ask yourself, who would not want such a king? who would want any other king?

## Cling to Your Great Redeemer

Now that you have been reminded, how might you keep from forgetting?

Let me ask it in a different way, what is a key, without which the Christian life can not be victorious ? the answer is in these verses, Cling to your redeemer.

He is great, in his power, he has taken people who once hated him, people who were absent from God, people who lived futile lives, and he has changed our hearts and put in our hearts a love for him. He has eliminated the hostility that existed between ourselves and God, and he has in his death, made us who were once unclean, Holy, made us who were once guilt of sins against our great redeemer, he has made us blameless, he has given us his very righteousness, so that nothing in all creation can accuse us. This is the foundation on which we stand, any other foundation is not solid.

This is the rock of Christ’s righteousness that he gives to all who put their hope in him. It is the gift that is received by those who sing, Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. This is the gospel we have, and as Paul reminds us of what we were and what we now are in Christ, it is critical, that we heed the closing exhortation in verse 23. We must continue in the faith. How do we do that? We must not shift from the hope of the gospel. That is to say, we must keep Christ, and his atoning work, at the front and centre of all our hope for this life and the life to come.

We must reject any other so called Gospel, that calls us to save ourselves by our own doing. We must resist the impulses for building a righteousness of our own, we must instead depend fully on the righteousness that Christ has in his death and resurrection provided for us.

Amen.