The Supremacy of Christ
Notes
Transcript
I had the privilege of meeting with some young men this week and it reaffirmed my belief in meaningful relationships. As each one shared their desire to pursue Christ and the obstacles in life hindering them from all-out pursuit, I was able to share with them the treasure of Christ and His compassion and forgiveness. I was able to point them to Christ above all things. Above school, above work, above relationships. Christ is to be above all, because He is above all. This means valuing and treasuring Christ for who He is and properly understanding:
The Supremacy of Christ
This is the same message the Apostle Paul has for us today.
We have spent the last two weeks expressing the importance of prayer. From gospel prayers, which reflect the beauty of the good news of Jesus Christ, to prayers of power, which display the power of God. We’ve come to know that prayer is vitally important to the believer. Here in Colossians Paul expresses the importance of prayer and uses it as the catalyst for the rest of the letter to his brothers and sisters in Christ.
He tenderly and affectionately prays, he lays out the importance of the gospel and the response to the truth. Paul also reminds believers of who they are in Christ. He continues his prayer for them to experience the power that can only come from a true knowledge of God. He has helped us to understand that when people know God rightly, they will live rightly for Him in obedience. This is where they will experience over and over the power of salvation.
All of this prayer is built upon one foundational truth, the supremacy of Christ. To combat the heresy and false teaching that was pressing upon the church, the Apostle Paul wants them to know more about God and to gain a better understanding of Christ.
Paul knows that you will never fall for the counterfeit if you really know the truth of Christ.
No false teaching will pull believers away from the treasure of the gospel. No heresy will entice true Christians away from Christ.
Paul weaves together a beautiful prayer for believers then he goes into full blown praise of Christ. He literally prays and then sings praises to God. Part of our passage today is a hymn, which is one of two passages of Scripture known as a Christ hymn, the other is found Philippians 2:5-11.
Today we are going to join Paul and sing praises to Christ. Just like our Worship and prayer night fused together prayer and praise, so too, does this chapter from Colossians. It’s the prayer of Paul that builds up to his praise and adoration for Christ. We will observe the intensity of a prayer that crescendos to praise in one of the strongest Christ-Exalting passages of Scripture. We will be greatly blessed today by understanding.
The Supremacy of Christ
The main point of our passage today is that, there is none like Him. To say it another way. He is the greatest. He is superior, He is excellence. He is prominence. He is renown, He is supreme.
This truth is worthy of singing.
Let’s observe our passage together.
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.
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.
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.
Pray with Me!
Music is powerful. It can drive your emotions and move you to tears. Music can build up in crescendo with many instruments in chorus all getting louder and louder and louder.
Then a properly placed rest draws the heart right back into the excitement... You may be in hopeful anticipation of what the next note or melody might be. Whether the intense beating of thunderous drums, or the delicate and graceful motions of a violinists bow across the strings, music has a way of capturing our attention.
You can hear an old song and instantly be transported back in time, flooded with memories. You can remember when a difficult challenge was overcome by the soundtrack of life.
Music is powerful. When instruments are properly combined with lyrics which honor God, then Christ-centered worship can happen. There is a power in music that is little found elsewhere. Music can move you. Music can motivate you, music can inspire you and when coupled with Scripture music is extraordinary.
God knows this and the Apostle Paul uses the power of song to align with his powerful prayers to help the Colossians understand the greatness of God. He is using any means possible to teach the reality of Christ and it is the responsibility of every preacher to use every means possible to teach the reality of Christ. Paul knows...
For us to fight false doctrine and heresy, there is but one remedy, Christ. For us to stand against lies, we must know the truth of Christ.
Christ is the answer, Christ is the way to go, Christ is the truth to seek, Christ is the life we need, for there is no real life outside of Him.
Scholars agree that “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]
To say this passage is important is an incredible understatement.
Paul knows this, and the reality of Christ in His own life is so overwhelming that he bursts into song about the beauty of Christ in response to the Colossian heresy.
Our first five verses are painted with poetic passion and delivered with undeniable affection for Christ. Here we have a literal song of adoration, full of His glory. Christ is not only the center of this song, He is the center of everything, for He is God. He is supreme.
From our passage we will see the:
Supremacy of Christ in Creation (v 15-17)
Supremacy of Christ in the Church (v18-20)
Supremacy of Christ in Reconciliation (v21-23)
From our powerful prayer, Paul goes right into the character of Christ in a magnificent way. The hymn starts...
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Paul does not begin with some filler lyrics, or a superficial chorus. He goes straight to the heart of the matter. In answering the question from last week, “Don’t you know who you are?” Paul responds with answers to another question. “Don’t you know who He is?” (2x)
Do you know Him? Do you really know Him? Paul says, i want you to be absolutely clear on who Christ is. I want you to have no doubt on the reality of Jesus Christ. I want you to be 100% certain. Just as the gospel prayer primed the hearts, and the prayer of power laid the foundation, now Paul is getting to the most important part, Jesus Christ. Amen!
You will know who He is after this song. You will understand the glory of God from this hymn. There will be no mistaken identity, or ability to accept a false view of Christ. These verses will echo in your heart and mind for the rest of your life [1]
There will be no opportunity to believe a counterfeit or accept some heretical false teaching because the fullness of Jesus Christ is on full display. These are the reason’s for the song. Let’s sing along with Paul and observe the doctrine of Christ.
Let the chorus of saints all sing in unison with a hallelujah chorus about the supremacy of Christ and echo, “Christ is Supreme!”
The first reason to sing is...
He is the image of the invisible God
As the image of the invisible God, Christ is the exact visible representation of God (in Greek, eikon). God as spirit is invisible and always will be (1 Timothy 6:16), however God’s Son, Jesus Christ is His visible expression.
If you want to know what God the Father is like, you can find the answer in God the Son. He not only reflects God, but, as God, he reveals God to us. That’s why the title of Immanuel given to Jesus is so important. We are familiar with that name from our celebration of Christmas and rightly so; He is our Immanuel, He is God with us.
The letter to the Hebrews helps to understand Immanuel and capture the brilliance of glory found in Christ.
In Hebrews 1:3 we see:
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature
Hebrews 1:3
Christ’s glory expresses divine glory (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is not a copy, but the very embodiment of God’s nature. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. We are given “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NRSV). Jesus is “the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Hebrews 1:3 NRSV).
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians D. The Truth about Jesus (vv. 15–23)
“Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God.”
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Jesus Christ in Relation to God
Christ reflects God’s attributes, as the sun’s light reflects the sun.
Jesus is the exact likeness of God. He is the image of the invisible God. What we see in Jesus Christ is a unique being with the stamp of God completely upon Him in deity perfection.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
The second reason to sing is...
2. He is the firstborn of all creation
These words here have been the cause of much pain, hurt and heresy throughout the ages, yet they were never intended to be. Right at the outset of this beautifully powerful and epic song is a designation that has been terribly misunderstood.
When considering the purpose of this letter to be a call to fight against false teaching and heresy it is a great contradiction to think that Paul is advocating for heresy. It makes no logical sense. The term that has caused so much strife is the word firstborn, and the reason is because of our way of thinking, rather than the way of use within the Jewish and Greek cultures.
Scholars help us to understand by saying, “the firstborn was the son who had the right of inheritance. He was not necessarily the first one born. Although Esau was born first chronologically, it was Jacob who was the ‘firstborn’ and received the inheritance. Jesus is the One with the right to the inheritance of all creation” [3].
The term “firstborn” is a designation for the highest in rank and authority meaning Christ is supreme, He is preeminent. There is none greater, there is none higher.
This view of Christ is in complete contrast to the heresy that was creeping into the Colossian church and the false teaching that has stained the universal church for centuries. Taking the term firstborn to literally mean the first born is a prime example of taking Scripture out of context.
The immediate context, those verses surrounding this phrase, are referencing the greatness of Christ in salvation, creation, and reconciliation. The overall context of the biblical narrative also displays the greatness of Christ. When the heretic Arius used this term to suggest that Christ was the first created being he was excommunicated from the church and labeled a dangerous false teacher.
Yet, this same heresy was reestablished in 1870 by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. There is nothing new under the sun and Paul wants us to fight heresy by knowing the truth.
From Genesis to Revelation, the pages of the Bible scream of the greatness of God, they sing about the supremacy of Christ. All of Scripture joins in the hallelujah chorus praising God and declaring the supremacy of Christ.
This is the reason for the song. The rest of the context of this song continues to fight against false teaching.
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.
The third reason to sing is...
3. He created everything.
He created all things, everything in the heavens and on the earth. This is both physical and spiritual, including the angels. What did He create? All things, everything. To say it another way.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians D. The Truth about Jesus (vv. 15–23)
Jesus holds the highest rank in creation because he is the Creator of all things. There is nothing in the created order that Jesus did not create (see also John 1:3). Because he is the Creator, Jesus has absolute supremacy over all creation, including any spirit beings who were being worshiped by the local heretics. Since only God can be the Creator, this means that Jesus, the perfect image of God, is even more than an image. He is divine. He is God.
This truth is worthy of praise. This truth is worthy of song, this truth is worthy of dancing, this truth is worthy of exalting Christ. He is supreme , He created everything and He is the reason we sing.
The song continues...
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The fourth reason we sing is...
4. He is before all things
You’ll notice this series of declarative statements of this Christ Hymn. Over and over it is He is, He is, He is, to fight against the false teaching of what He is not.
He is eternal. He is before all things. You will observe that this is all present tense too. It’s not He was...He is. He is eternal, which aligns with His other glorious attributes.
So many reasons to sing, so many reasons to praise, for He is worthy. He is supreme, He is greatness, He is our God, He is our King, He is....worthy.
The fifth reason we sing is...
5. In Him all things hold together
Jesus holds together the universe He created with His power. The cosmos are in perfect order just as He designed. There is no chaos in creation, but a perfectly executed plan which continues to be sustained by His power and His word.
Are you not baffled that He hung the moon on nothing... that He tells the shore of the ocean to only go so far... that without fail the sun will rise and set. Are you not amazed that you are His beautiful creation, which is fearfully and wonderfully made. You are His workmanship, His masterpiece and He will continue to hold His creation together, even when you feel like you are falling apart. Why? Because He is not. There are so many reasons to sing.
When we understand the supremacy of Christ we will be filled with joy unspeakable.
When God is our deepest pleasure we display Him as our greatest treasure.
John Piper
This Christ hymn is to help us understand Christ as our greatest treasure, to be our pearl of great value. He is supreme, so we must value Him as supreme in our lives. This is why Paul sings this song. There is one true point to get across. He is supreme, so treasure Him. Live your life in a way that shows the whole world He is worthy. What’s the point of application for this message? Know the supremacy of Christ and live like He is worth everything, because He is.
In the workplace your life should be singing “Christ is worthy!”
In your schools your life should be shouting “Christ is worthy!”
In you neighborhoods you life should be the testimony that “Christ is worthy!”
Every family in here should be singing in harmony with their lives, “Christ is Worthy!”
You can sense the power of this great Christ Hymn unfolding and the exhilaration of Paul’s declaration magnified. The song keeps getting stronger and louder, building up.
Keep singing Paul. Sing with all your heart, your mind, your strength, with all your worship Paul. Lead us in worship Paul.
Help us to understand our second point; the Supremacy of Christ in 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.
The sixth reason we sing is...
6. He is the head of the body, the church
The church is not run by men, it is run by God/Christ (2x). Yet, so many times men get in the way of what God is doing. The church is God’s church. It is Christ’s church, we get the joy and privilege of participating in and belonging to it, because we belong to Christ and are in Christ.
However, we must never think that God needs us for a moment. He doesn’t need us to help Him run His church. He doesn’t need us to keep an eye on things. He commands us to worship Him, to pursue Him and to honor Him. When we do those things, the church will be as He intended her to be, a true witness of His glory. Let’s get out of the way and let Christ rule His church as the head. Christ is our ruler, He is our lord, He is our King and He is the reason we sing.
The 7th reason we sing is...
7. He is the beginning
This phrase reverberates the start of our Bibles.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
This phrase also unites the beginning of the gospel of John
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
When we harmonize the Scripture it sings of the greatness of Christ. It sings of the supremacy of Christ and rightly aligns with this powerful phrase from the rest of our verse.
That in everything he might be preeminent,
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.
That in everything he might be preeminent, which is another way of saying supreme. There is none higher, none greater, He is preeminent.
This is the reason we sing.
Think about it. Who is the greatest human leader the world has ever seen? (2x). Whoever it is you have in your mind…do you sing any songs about them? Do you sing any songs about people in general? No! No matter how great a person was or is we don’t sing songs about them. We don’t sing songs about generals, sports figures, or movie starts. Yet, there are thousands of songs about Christ. From Christmas songs to songs of straight worship, Chris is supreme and worthy of all our worship.
Come let us adore Him, come let us treasure Him, let us worship Him. And that’s the meaning behind this song. When you know fullness of Christ you will never accept a false teaching or heretical view. When you know the fullness of Christ you will never fall for a false god. Why?
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
This is it, this is the peak, this is the mountaintop experience. This is the glorious truth of Christ. Christ is supreme.
The revelation made of Christ in the blessed gospel is far more excellent, more glorious, more filled with rays of divine wisdom and goodness than the whole creation.
John Owen
The supremacy of Christ is seen in creation, it is seen in the church and it is seen in reconciliation. Christ is supreme. He is the fullness of God in the flesh. He is the completeness of our perfect God, brought to life. Jesus Christ is Supreme. The songs continues.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Through Christ there is reconciliation. This word is so powerful. Reconciliation is the removal of hostility and the restoring of friendly relations between two parties who have been at war. Before faith in Christ a person is an enemy of God. Before faith in Christ you were at war with God.
Here we see “reconciliation is making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. What God has done is to move toward us to restore harmony, patch things up, cease hostilities, bury the hatchet, and heal the hurt” [4].
All of this is reason to sing. All of this is reason to praise and adore God. All of this shows the supremacy of Christ.
And the song ends...
Just like every great writer, Paul, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, circles back to the context of our message from last week. He reminds the Colossians who they were. Don’t you remember who you were? This is who you were before you believed the gospel.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
Before the gospel transformed you, before the grace of God intervened you were separated from God, you were the enemy of God, you were living in sin.
Paul goes from the heights of glory, from the greatness of Christ, to the lowest, low of sin. This great contrast is remarkable. This is going from brilliant, blinding light... to the deepest darkness.
This is the power of Christ seen in the gospel. When compared to the darkness of a sin-filled life, the new life in Christ is wonderfully bright and radiant.
This contrast can be observed when you go to buy a diamond ring, they don’t tell you to hold it up to the light, or take it to the light of a window. They have you place it on black velvet. They have you place the diamond on something so dark that the contrast with the diamond makes the sparkle pop with a great vibrant shine.
That’s exactly what Paul is doing here. He just went singing through 5 verses of shear bliss about the supremacy of Christ taking us to the highest heights of the glory of God and once gets to the peak of the mountain, Paul tells us to jump off and plummet to the depths of sins.
Remember who you were.
In displaying the supremacy of Christ we can see He is greatness personified, God in the flesh, who reconciles us. This is what makes reconciliation so incredible. We don’t deserve to be on top of that mountain with Christ. We deserve to be in the muck and the mire of sin.
However...
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,
You are no longer enemies, you are no longer destined for death, you are no longer estranged from God. You are made right, you are reconciled by the blood of Christ. And although the song is over, this is still reason to sing, for we see the supremacy of Christ in reconciliation.
Here is what happens. The blood of Christ washes you, purifies you, and sets you apart, where Christ presents you as holy and blameless, not because of your own doing, but because of who He is.
It’s not you, it’s Him, there is nothing great in you or I, but He is greatness, He is majesty, He is preeminent, He is excellence. He is supreme.
Paul lays out all of this so we would know the greatness of God, so that we would be able to tell the difference between truth and false teaching, between true doctrine and heresy.
When you know the reality of Christ you will not fall for the counterfeit.
Paul closes with a reminder to remain and continue in the faith.
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.
Stay grounded in the gospel. Remain steadfast in the truth of Christ. Don’t let some shimmery, shiny, exciting false view of God disrupt your faith. For when you know the brilliant, dazzling radiance of His glory and the truth of the gospel, everything else is just darkness.
Christ is supreme, and we should keep him at the center of our living. We should celebrate Him continuously.
We want to celebrate with you on this morning by sharing the Lord’s Table with you in communion.
This passage we just studied has helped us to look at Christ and be amazed. We should all be shaking our heads in awe at how marvelous and how wonderful our God is. What an incredible time to reflect on the greatness of Christ and His sacrifice. So we want to celebrate the Lord’s Table with you.
Jesus had given specific instructions to participate in the Lord’s Table, that we would do this in remembrance of Him and His great sacrifice.
On the night of Jesus betrayal and arrest, the night before his crucifixion he met with his disciples in what is known as the Upper Room. He taught about the broken bread and the poured out wine, which are symbols. The bread symbolizes His broken body. The wine symbolizes the precious blood that was spilt.
As we reflect today and observe the supremacy of Christ, we must also remember the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want to celebrate with a deep examination of ourselves.
This celebration is only for those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Communion is for those who have come to Christ in repentance, turning away from sin, to turn to Him in faith. This celebration is for those who have responded to the gospel and accepted the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf to pay the penalty of Sin, whereby forgiven believers will live for Him and His glory.
We see from the words of the Apostle Paul as he gives a warning about taking the ordinance in an unworthy manner.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Let us take a moment to reflect on our relationship with God. Let us use this time to confess before the Lord anything that would hinder us from intimate relationship with Him. Let us also use this time to think about the supremacy of Christ. He is to be our greatest treasure.
Take a moment to talk with God.
(Moment to Reflect)
Pray with Me!
The apostle Paul helps us to understand the significance of communion.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Let us take the bread together.
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Let us proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Let us take the cup together.
May we celebrate until He comes. May we continue to sing His praises and songs to Him in adoration. Songs truly help us to understand the Supremacy of Christ.
The famous musical composer George Frideric Handel had just finished writing a work known as the messiah. And at the 1743 London premiere King George II was in attendance. The story of the messiah was masterfully told through song. One song after another proclaiming the excellencies of God, showing the supremacy of Christ.
When the Choir began to sing “The Hallelujah Chorus,” the king was moved by the lyrics.
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth (Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah) Hallelujah
And He shall reign forever and ever
King of Kings forever and ever And Lord of Lords hallelujah hallelujah And he shall reign forever, forever and ever
As the Choir was singing this powerful Chorus the King was so moved by the power of the music and the message of God that He stood up, upon His feet, to glorify God. As he stood up, the entire audience stood up, because it was the custom to stand when the king stands.
The entire audience is giving God a standing ovation as they hear over and over.
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Forever and ever hallelujah, hallelujah.
This was such a powerful moment that even today anytime the hallelujah chorus is played people all over the world stand up as a tradition. If only they would stand to not recognize a powerful song, but surrender to a powerful God, that they would stand to hear and know the message of that song.
Christ is supreme. May we all stand to praise our God and recognize The Supremacy of Christ.
Pray with Me!
[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., Colossians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 44.
[2] Bruce B. Barton and Philip Wesley Comfort, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995), 161.
[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., Colossians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 46.
[4] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 284.