Incomparable Supremacy
class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 12-23-07…..PM…..SBC“Incomparable Supremacy”
Colossians 1:15-10
Introduction:
Ø All people at some point in their life will have to ponder this question, “Who is Jesus Christ and is He really God?”
Ø many church councils have convened to determine and proclaim the Bible’s specific teaching about Christ with maybe none of them being greater than the Council of Constantinople
· A man by the name of Arius (256-336) Taught that Jesus could not be co-eternal with the Father because He was the Son
· the debate raged mainly between two men:
o Arias, who said that Christ was a different substance than God
o Athanasius who said that that Christ was of the same substance as God
· The Nicene Creed (325) was adopted by the Council of Constantinople in an attempt to resolve the controversy over the nature of Christ.
“We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made;
Ø They had something decisive on this matter of Who is Jesus and Christ and if He was really God
- No Matter what church councils say and hold to, you and I still have a choice…A choice to allow Christ to hold supremacy (1st place) in our lives or to suppress our innate or built in desire to worship Christ alone.
Ø Our free will to choose to suppress Christ’s leadership of our lives leads us to the importance of this passage
Ø Of all the Bible’s teaching about Jesus Christ, none is more significant than Colossians 1:15–19. This dramatic and powerful passage removes any needless doubt or confusion over Jesus’ true identity. It is vital to a proper understanding of the Christian faith.[1]
Ø Who Christ is and is He really God is the central issue. Before we can get to how this truth can change our lives, we must figure out where we come down on this issue.
Ø This passage shows where God expects us to land on this critical issue.
Proposition:
Our goal this morning is two fold.
First of all, see that Christ already holds supremacy over everything else and place your life under His control.
Second, to see that only recognition of and obedience to supremacy of Christ can bring true eternal joy to our lives.
Transition: Let’s look first of all at…
1) Christ’s Supremacy over Creation v15-17
· much of the heresy threatening the Colossian church centered on the Person of Christ.[2]
o The heretics, denying His humanity, viewed Christ as one of many lesser descending spirit beings that emanated from God. [3]
· Paul confronts the Colossian heresy head on. He rejects their denial of Christ’s humanity, pointing out that it is in Him that “all the fullness of Deity dwell-s in bodily form” (2:9).[4]
· By far the most serious aspect of the Colossian heresy was its rejection of Christ’s deity. Before getting to the other issues, Paul makes an emphatic defense of that crucial doctrine.[5]
A- Paul’s first apologetic reveals Christ as the perfect image of God
(“the discipline that teaches Christians how to give a reason for their hope”) – 1 Peter 3:15
(“the application of Scripture to unbelief”)
1- He did not become the image of God at the incarnation, but has been that from all eternity.[6]
2- In Christ, the invisible God became visible, “and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14)[7]
Illustration: Icons
· the Nike “swoosh” emblem is nothing by itself but only means something when it is scene to represent athletics and determination and a successful business campaign
3- Christ is God in human flesh. That was His claim (John 8:58; 10:30–33), and the unanimous testimony of Scripture (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1). To think anything less of Him is blasphemy and gives evidence of a mind blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4).[8]
B- Paul’s second apologetic reveals Christ to be the first-born over all creation
1- those who would deny our Lord’s deity (cults) have sought support from this phrase. They argue that it speaks of Christ as a created being, and hence He could not be the eternal God. [9]
2- Such an interpretation completely misunderstands the sense of prōtotokos (first-born) and ignores the context.[10]
3- This term for Christ, although it does have a range of meaning to include being first born chronologically, does mean a created being
· but this doesn’t fit with the rest of Scripture when speaking of Christ
· if He is to be the “only begotten,” “one and only,” or “unique” then how can he be the “first begotten”
· the adjectives of “first” and “only” don’t go together
· How could He be the first of many in His class, and at the same time the only member of His class? [11]
Application: The application of the doctrine of Christ comes in v16
Ø Christ holds high authority in this world, but does He hold that same rank in your life?
- to think that Christ is anything less that all God is to be blinded by Satan
- Come to Christ by accepting in his full deity by faith
- Illustration of Faith –Faith is joining the military and trusting in others whom you don’t know to protect your life– it is putting your life and well being in the hands of someone else –
- It is the same with Christ - only Christ will never let you down
Ø v16 tells us that Jesus is the goal of all creation. Everything exists to display his glory, and ultimately he will be glorified in his creation. [12]
- as disciple’s of Christ then, sin is anything you do that is not done for God to receive the glory
- Sin happens when we leave God out of the ordinary things of life
· Parenting so that you will have well behaved kids and not kids that glorify God is sin
· Complaining over what is in the fridge is sin because it is not being thankful for what is there
· Worry is sin because it doesn’t bring glory to God by evidencing trust and faith
· Glorifying God must be effective right down to the most mundane things of life
Transition: Not only do we see the Bible declare Christ’s Supremacy over Creation, but also…
2) Christ’s Primacy over the Church v18
Ø As head he also exercises authority over the church; in fact, over all things in the interest of the church (Eph. 1:20–23). He is its Ruling Head. [13]
A- Christ and His teachings must be the authority of our church like the head is in control of so many of the functions of the body.
1- This means that we need to evaluate our ministries based on their reflection of Christ ministry
2- This means that we must determine if in some of our ministries there might be a way in which we can glorify God more through this ministry.
3- This may mean that to say, “we have always done it that way” might not always be a sufficient answer, whether in our own lives of the life of the church
B- Christ is first-born of the dead
1- Of all those who have been raised from the dead, or ever will be, Christ is the highest in rank.[14]
2- As a result of His death and resurrection, Jesus has come to have first place in everything. [15]
Conclusion: So, Did we accomplish our goals?
Goal #1: First of all, we see that Christ already holds supremacy over everything else and place your life under His control.
- Will you commit your life to Christ today? v19-20
- Without this step you will never have real true peace and joy in life
Goal #2: Second, to see that only recognition of and obedience to the supremacy of Christ can bring true eternal joy to our lives
True joy - Quote: St Augustine (saved in 386)
“How sweet it all at once was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, You who are sweeter than all pleasure.”
- Are you still trying to put a permanent joy tag on something or someone that will only and always be a temporary joy item
- Find joy in Christ alone, in obedience to His command
- See being joyful as an act of obedience when that joy is sourced in Christ
- “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”
- If you had nothing in this world except your salvation and relationship with X would it be enough?
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[1]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 43.
[2]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 43.
[3]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 43.
[4]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 43.
[5]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 43.
[6]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 44.
[7]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 44.
cf. confer (Lat.), compare
[8]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 44.
[9]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 44.
[10]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 45.
[11]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 45.
[12]Richard R. Melick, vol. 32, Philippians, Colissians, Philemon, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 218.
[13]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 6, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Colossians and Philemon, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 77.
[14]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 48.
[15]John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1992), 48.