Jesus!
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Claim: Christ is supreme over all: revealing God to us and redeeming us to God
Focus: Have faith in Jesus as the only, and completely sufficient, way to stand faultless before God
Function: To magnify Jesus over all, exciting us to a persevering faith in Him!
PRAY
Blow up your ballon of awe at how awesome Jesus is until it explodes and the gases escape expanding eternally! last week,
The Holy Bible: New International Version—Anglicised (1984) The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by 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 fulness 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 behaviour. 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, not moved 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.
We saw, as we began our series in Colossians
that Christian life is all about
living in the kingdom of Jesus
by faith in Jesus and
love for all the saints (other Christians).
That life is founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross,
If you’re planning to find an excuse to leave half-way through the sermon don’t
for the forgiveness of sins,
but crucially is now motivated by the Hope we have in Jesus for eternity.
Verse 5 sums it all up well.
the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
If you’re planning to sleep, don’t.
It was the beginning of Paul introducing us to
If you’re planning to plan your next holiday, or work out what’s for lunch don’t.
some of the themes of this letter.
If you’re planning to dismiss the next 20mins as irrelvant nonsence becasue you don’t believe in any of this stuff - then don’t
Nothing must distract you from today’s passage.
We also considered the purpose of why Paul wrote this letter
- and if you remember we concluded
that we can’t be precise about the problem or porblem’s
Paul is addressing in Collosse.
Given that we don’t know what Paul is addressing specifically,
but still trusting God that all of scripture is useful for us to walk in faith with Jesus,
we concluded that the antidote,
the solution this book offers has to be applicable to,
well,
basically all of Christian life, whatever we are going through.
Nothing is more important than the
That antidote, or solution, the core theme of this book is -
the supremacy of Jesus is all things.
Last week considered then
how the hope we have in Jesus,
founded on the work of Jesus
is ALL we need to please Jesus in every-way.
And then this week, v15 to 22,
just in case we haven’t grasped how great it is to have Hope in Jesus,
Paul moves on to exult Jesus in all His glory.
Perhaps the false teaching in Collosse had something to do with who Jesus was,
or how important his role in this life was?
Perhaps you’ve grown up believing in Jesus - believing the Gospel even.
But have we FILLED our minds with who Jesus is?
I expect we are fairly familiar with the life of Jesus
on earth as a Man.
But here today,
Paul raises the bar on our understanding of Jesus.
We will see the not just the character and work of Jesus as a man,
but we will see Jesus eternal, Jesus who is God!
What was Jesus up to during creation for example.
What role does Jesus play today in the world.
What position does he hold in the heiracy of the heavenly realms,
What role does he play in making a relationship with God possible?
Who is this Jesus we have hope in?
Who is this Jesus we have hope in?
Who is this Jesus who has freed us from darkness?
Who is this Jesus who is the King of the Kingdom we live in?
Who is this Jesus that our lives are to be worthy of?
Who is this Jesus who we are to seek to please in every way?
Is he worth staking our entire lives on?
Is he worth loosing our lives of worldlyness
Is hope in him enough?
Is Jesus enough?
Let’s see shall we...
Our first point then -
1 - Jesus: The Image of God
1 - Jesus: The Image of God
v15 introduces the 2 main themes of verse 15 to 20.
So let’s look at the first:
v15a
He, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God,
But he is the image of God.
When we look at Him, we look at God...
Is he like a mirror then that reflects the likeness of God?
No - becasue he is not ‘an image’ or ‘a reflection’ of God - he is ‘the image’ of God.
He is ‘who we look at’ to see God.
So is he the image like a
a son who represents the family heritage and characteristics of his father?
No, becasue in v19 something more is going on here.
v19a - For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him..
He makes God’s character known in this earthly spehere in which we currently live.
IF you want to see who God is,
What is God like,
What are God’s priorities,
He makes God’s character known in this earthly spehere in which we currently live.
What does God love,
How does God act.
Well,
IF you want to see who God is,
My Children do not have the ‘fullness’ of me dwelling within them! They simply have a few of my characteristics, whether by genetics (if they are unlucky) or by my parenting and lifestyle.
We look at him,
What is God like,
And when we look at Him,
What are God’s priorities,
What does God love,
How does God act.
Well,
we look into the heart of God Almighty!
We look at him,
You look at them and you may see traits of me - but they are not ‘The image’ of me.
And when we look at Him,
Is Jesus then an image, meaning just one fo the ways to find/see God?
Perhpas, God allows his fulness to dwell on Muhammod, for the Muslims,
or Buddha for the Buddists,
or within ourselves for the athiest?
Is he called an image becasue there are lots of ways/images to see God?
Well that can’t be right either…becasue v20
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.
So, all things -
we look into the heart of God Almighty!
are reconciled to God, by the blood of Jesus.
This image idea is not one of may images of God,
that we can pick and choose from.
No,
There is One image of God.
And it is Jesus.
So what does this mean - it means a lot..
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
God is described as inviible, becasue he is physically and spiritual invisible to us.
We can’e see him with our eyes -
In fact the OT is very clear that if anyone did look at God they would instantly die
- for he is perfectly holy and we cannot look ‘spiritually or physically upon His Holiness!
Paul picks up the idea again in v21 were he says we have ‘alienated ourselves from him, we were enemies in our minds.’
But, now, before us, is not just, an image of God, not just the reflected image of God, not just a representative demonstrating traits of God
But Jesus is THE image of God.
In fact he is the Image we can actually now look at - and see God!
When we look at JESUS, we look at God…v19 - God’s fullness dwells in Jesus - everything of God,
The OT, as we saw in Ezekiel over the last year,
is full of promises that God will one day
‘dwell’ (have a place to live among) His people!
And Jesus, again as we saw fulfilling that promise in Ezekiel - is now being declared by Paul as the very place God calls home and ‘dwells’ among His people.
col 2v9
For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
All the attributes and activities of God—his spirit, word, wisdom and glory—are perfectly displayed in Christ
All the attributes and activities of God—his spirit, word, wisdom and glory
—are perfectly displayed in Christ
v19-20
For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, 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.
v19 -
Hebrews 1v3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
What a glorious expression ‘He is the Image of the invisible God’ is.
We can only marvel at our Trinitarian God. He is One God, yes, in 3 persons.
Jesus shares the same substance as God,
He makes God’s character known in this earthly spehere in which we currently live.
IF you want to see who God is,
What God is like,
What God’s priorities are,
What God loves,
How God acts.
Well,
We look at Jesus,
And when we look at Him,
we look into the heart of God Almighty!
To look at Jesus
is to see the hope set before us stored up in heaven,
to enjoy the love of God the Father,
through the sacrifice of the Son,
given freely to us by the Spirit.
Jesus is the image of the otherwise invisble (becasue of our actions) God -
and we can look long into his face as revealed in the bible and enjoy him forever.
So to look at Jesus is to see God himself, and yet
But Paul isn’t finished singing the praises of Jesus - not by a long way.
He makes God’s character known in this earthly spehere in which we currently live.
IF you want to see who God is,
What is God like,
What are God’s priorities,
What does God love,
How does God act.
Well,
We look at him,
And when we look at Him,
we look into the heart of God Almighty!
The SOn, has made him, God, known,
And singing is right,
Who is He?
as there is general agreement that verses 15-20 is an early Christian hymn.
And we’ve only looked at a line from each of the 2 verses...
His name is Jesus.
SO now:
2 - Jesus: Supreme over All
2 - Jesus: Supreme over All
v15b, he is...
The second part of v15 introduces this idea:
v15b, he/Jesus is...
the firstborn over all creation.
the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by 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 fulness 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.
now v16 explains this more:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
As incredible as this verse sounds in English, our English language doesn’t actually do it justice!
Those 3 references to Jesus, can you see them:
‘by him, (at the beginning)
‘by him (at the end) and then
For Him
Carry a depth of meaning lost in translation:
If you have your own bibles
(or take a note to change your own at home),
it might be worth changing the language a bit to help appreciate what is being said here.
write a note by that first ‘by Him’ that it is better understood to be ‘In Him’. Or just cross out ‘by’ and write ‘in’
Ignite - you’ve heard me correctly
- you can go change a bit of the bible - and your parents wont get mad at you!
The original greek expression literally means ‘In Him’ carrying the idea of ‘in his sphere of influence, and responsibility.’
So, ‘In Him’ all things were created! That sounds odd in English, becasue it sounds like we exist only inside his body or perhaps in the mind of Jesus!
But the idea Paul is teaching is that
- creation, all of it, was, well - Jesus’ idea !
Jesus is not just a man who walked the earth and died for our sins - as glorious as that is!
Jesus conceived,
and thought up the complexities of the universe and everything in it!
The ideas man, the detailer!
Mind boggling to us - normal to Jesus!
I don’t know how big your understanding of Jesus is,
but however big it is - it’s not big enough!
Might I suggest for most of us we have a half-inflated balloon view of Jesus!
Blow it up with all you can find in Scripture - becasue he’s Lord of Everything!
And Not just the creation and order of the natural world, ‘the visible’ as Paul calls it,
but also the ‘invisible’ the heavens,
and all the heavenly creatures in all their array of heir-achy -
which is what is being refered to by
‘thrones or powers or rulers or authorities’
We’ll think more about that in chapter 2 - but for now
- get your heads around, or at least amazed at Jesus!
He is supreme in creation,
supreme over all the earth,
supreme over all the heavenly realms and powers!
He thought it all up,
For… ‘IN HIM (under his area of responsibility) all things were thought up before the beginning of time!.
That second ‘by him’ at the end of v15
- cross that one out and write ‘through him’.
All things were not only created ‘in Jesus’ his idea,
but through him -
Jesus is fundamental to the literal creation and order of all things!
The words ‘by him’ works, but through him conveys the more accurate understand.
The Gospel of John unquestionably decalres that God the Father
created all things by His word - and the Word was?
Jesus
Hebrews 1v2, phrases it like this:
v
‘God appointed Jesus as heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.’
in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The Father in perfect harmony with the son, bringing about the ideas and details of the son into very existence through the Son.
and then that final reference to Jesus in v15 we could leave as it is ‘For Him’ - but can I suggest we tweak it to ‘Unto Him’ ,
all of the magnificence of the universe and all the heavenly powers created...
In Him
Through Him
Unto Him!
All for Jesus, unto his glory and prasie, his honour and majesty.
Everything exists Unto Jesus! For Jesus! Jesus is the GOAL of creation!
It will all, ultimately bring him Glory!
v17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Jesus is Lord over every day and detail - without him the universe would fall apart.
Like a magnet holding 100 paperclips togetehr - remove the magnet and they have nothing to keep them united, they fall to the floor
v18 - He’s the head of the church - meaning His people, not a denomination or a building - the people of God!!
The church was his idea, he ordained it - we are part of his plan here today if we are a follower of Jesus!
]
And He is our head! And Susutainer, and we exist unto Him - for His glory!
Lord of All, you see!
Still in v18
He is the beginning, that is the firstborn from the dead - even life after an earthly death was not only his idea, but he fulfilled it first!
All humans die, but Jesus Rose first from the dead -before anyone else - so that even eternity is all possible in him, though and unto him.
Why?
still in v18 - So that in everything He might have the supremacy!
Blow up your ballon of awe at how awsome Jesus is until it explodes and the gases escape expanding eternally!
That is how massive and supreme Jesus is!
We could spend weeks in these verse! In fact - why don’t you at home over the next weeks, read and read these verse.
read them from a chidlrens bible with your kids.
read on the train to work.
Listen to them while you do the ironing
Pray about them on your knees....
Jesus is Supreme over all - he is massive!
Lord of all the unverse, all the pwoers within it, all the church,
In Him, through him and UNto him!
Imagine then, all that Jesus is, and all that Jesus has done, All that is owed to him,
And then most of humanity denies him!
When we hear our friends at school, at work, our neighbours - or perhaps you are not a Christian here today - and you say -
I’m not that bad a person - I’m a good person
- we/they simply haven’t grasped the unbelievable nature of Jesus.
Still in v18, he is the firstborn
Who He is!
If we had - we would see how no-one is good before him.
All things exist in, through and unto him?
He is the image of God himself.
Do you live every second acknowledging him as he deserves?
No-one does, and no one can - by their own strength.
col1v21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.
That’s pretty straight talk isn’t it.
No human has ever lived or ever will,
in a way that glorifies Jesus
to the full extent that he deserves, and is owed.
Humanity is too proud, we want to wear our own crown,
to do things our way.
But did you or I come up with the ideas behind all of the universe?
Were you and I the means by which God ordained the Universe to come about?
Is all the universe ultimately ‘unto our own glory and purposes!’
We should look at who Jesus is - and humanity should fall to our knees and offer our lives as a sacrificial offering, pleading or His mercy...
For we are alienated from God, becasue of our evil behaviour.
Do you see the massive chasm between humanity and Jesus!
Him way up here in Glory! Supreme over all!
And us right down here as enemies and evil, dead, in darkness!
That is, unless we have acknowldged and have faith in the most wonderful chracteristic of Jesus, that shows us the heart of God, and it’s our final point, and very breifly...
3 - Jesus: The Way of Reconciliation
3 - Jesus: The Way of Reconciliation
col 1 21
The detailer of creation
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 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, not moved 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 detailer of creation
Image of God
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of Creation (1:15–17)
The point is that in Christ the invisible God became visible. He shared the same substance as God and made God’s character known in this earthly sphere of existence. The revelation of God in Christ is such that we can actually see him, even with all of our limitations.
JEsus is prominant over Creation
v16
by him - IN HIM
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of Creation (1:15–17)
The first of these is the Greek expression translated literally “in him.” It should be understood as in his mind or in his sphere of influence and responsibility. Practically, it means that Jesus conceived of creation and its complexities. Creation was his idea.
The detailer of creation
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of Creation (1:15–17)
The Father, of course, has a significant relationship to creation. He is presented as the architect; he determined to bring creation into existence. The Son, Jesus, actually brought the plans into existence. Through his creative imagination and power, the created order exists. He is, in a sense, the foreman of the construction. The Spirit, finally, does the actual work of applying the plans in a hands-on relationship to creation. This statement about Jesus, therefore, speaks to Jesus’ originating the details of creation and bringing them into existence by his own creative energy.
21 Once (ok, so this is past tence for the Christian) you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 22 But now he (GOD) has reconciled (made us friends, not enemies) you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of Creation (1:15–17)
John affirmed emphatically that everything created owes its existence to Jesus. In Heb 1:1–3, the writer pointed to Jesus’ creative and sustaining power in relation to all material things.
For Him - UNTO HIM
JESUS is the GOAL of creation
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of Creation (1:15–17)
This means that Jesus is the goal of all creation. Everything exists to display his glory, and ultimately he will be glorified in his creation.
We can be made right with God, through the Jesus!
18-20 - Jesus Lord of Creation through redemption
Do you remmebr that balloon exploding with the greatness of Jesus we discussed earlier!
eph
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 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.
firstborn from the dead
The one whom all of creation, visisble and invisible, was created in, though and unto!
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of the New Creation (1:18–20)
It recalls the fact that Jesus entered the world of sinners, endured their punishment, and rose victorious with the power of the Spirit. Thus, in Christ there is a new order of existence. It is a resurrection existence. It is an after-death existence that is guaranteed by the fact that Jesus, who died as any die, rose in resurrection to redeem those who trust him.
The purpose of the resurrection is stated here as “so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
Well he, Jesus, Supreme over all, died for you, His enemy!
The “reconciliation of all things” ought to be understood, in our judgment, with Lohse (59) to mean that the “universe has been reconciled in that heaven and earth have been brought back into their divinely created and determined order … the universe is again under its head and … cosmic peace has returned.”
So that you might become ‘holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation’
Alienation from God, gone,
Evil behaviour, Gone.
We stand before God Almighty,
seeing him in all His fulness, in Jesus, the way of reconciliation.
Jesus, supreme over all, cares and loves us enough,
while we were still enemies, to die on the cross,
and share His holiness with us
- so that we may have Hope eternally, life after death, with Him.
The balloon of awe and wonder at Jesus has already I hope exploded in your mind, \
well now perhaps our minds themsleves should be blown,
that the Son of God, loved us enough,
to descend from his infinite glory,
and shed blood for you and me..
if v23....
‘if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.’
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved 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.
This is not a threat that we can loose our faith, this is a reminder of were all our hope comes from.
It is through ‘faith in Jesus’.
Don’t kid yourself you have faith,
Don’t tell others you have faith to fit in,
Don’t enjoy the ‘church lifestyle’ but not have faith....
Don’t think you can have life with out faith!
All of Jesus is available to all of us - IF we continue in faith.
Friends in turmoil,
friends at risk of pride,
friends tempted to follow other images,
do not loose faith - there is absolutely no need,,,
JESUS IS SUPREME - and he dearly loves you!
Let’s pray...’
Do not doubt that Jesus has the
v21-23
“At any rate if you stand firm in the faith—and I am sure that you will,” words with which Thrall (Particles, 88) rightly compares chapter 2:5, “rejoicing to see your order and the firm stability of your faith in Christ.” But continuance is the test of reality. If it is true that the saints will persevere to the end, then it is equally true that the saints must persevere to the end. And one of the means which the apostle uses to insure that his readers within the various congregations of his apostolic mission do not fall into a state of false security is to stir them up with warnings such as this.
