Jesus: Above All

Colossians 1:15-23

Paul’s goal in this passage is to give the Colossian church an accurate picture of who Jesus is and what he accomplished on the cross and to encourage them to remain faithful to Jesus in spite of the pressures they are facing.

Looking through the archives here at the church:

Paul R. Miller, longtime leader here at WCMC. Bishop and Pastor from 1937-1971.

Found his sermon notes from Colossians! He seems to be an outstanding teacher. I love the way he has “digested” the word of God. Here is a message preached in July 1958.

The last 20 month or so have been a very difficult time for everybody. Kind of like driving in the fog for an extended period of time.

Who is Jesus?

We will learn today that Jesus is actually the “icon” or as the Greek language states: “eikon” of God - The actual image, likeness of God.

eikon: (i-kone) image or likeness

What did he accomplish on earth?

In verses 15-20, Paul writes the Colossian church a poem about Jesus. In verses 20-23, Paul reminds them of the impact Jesus’ sacrifice has had on their lives. Paul challenges them to keep faith and to not lose hope in the gospel.

The first stanza of Paul’s poem (v15-17) depicts the Son as the creator and ruler of all things. The second stanza (v18-20) explains that Jesus is bringing about a new creation through his death and resurrection.

We can learn three things from this passage:

1. Jesus is the exalted King of the entire universe.

2. Through his death on the cross, Jesus has broken down every barrier that separated us from God.

3. Jesus is the most valuable and important being in the universe.

We don’t need to look anywhere else for contentment. When we have Jesus, we have all we need.

Question #1: Who is Jesus?

Break it Down: Verse-by-Verse (NIV)

Colossians 1:15 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

In Jesus, we have a perfect picture of the person and character of God. He is the Word of God in human flesh

A. Jesus is the perfect image of God

We will see a truth in our passage here, but we will also look to some other scripture references that reinforce the truth.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

If we as Christians want to know what our God is like, we must get to know Jesus. This is what the author of Hebrews meant when he said, “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus put it plainly: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”

John 14:9 ESV

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

B. Jesus is the firstborn over all creation.

v15b: “the firstborn over all creation.”

The word firstborn (also in v18) does not imply that Jesus is a created being. In the ancient world, the firstborn son inherited his father’s estate. The word is used here to show Jesus’ preeminence and supremacy over all things.

Colossians 1:16 ESV

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.

Don’t overlook that three-letter word, for. A synonym for this word is because. Paul is telling the Colossians that Jesus is supreme over all of creation because it was all created through him and for him, the visible things of earth and the unseen things of the spiritual realm.

C. Jesus is the creator of everything.

John 1:3 ESV

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:3 CSB

3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

Colossians 1:17 ESV

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

D. Jesus was before all things

Jesus existed before anything else (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-2) and is the sustainer of all things (Hebrews 1:3).

This reaffirms our belief that Jesus is a part of the trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

E. Jesus holds all things together

Colossians 1:18 ESV

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.

Colossians 1:18 (CSB)

18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

F. Jesus is the head of the church.

Several times in Paul’s letters, he refers to the church using the metaphor of a body. Jesus is the head, and we are all different parts of the body. Like parts of a body, we have different roles, but are interconnected and dependent on each other, and are all under the authority of Christ, who is our head and our King.

Jesus is the ruler of all things. Everything belongs to him. He is even preeminent among the dead, for he died and rose again, demonstrating his authority over death.

Revelation 22:13 ESV

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Unfortunately, these days, we are getting VERY familiar with the Greek alphabet! Thank God he is the beginning and the end!

Colossians 1:19 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

G. Jesus is the fullness of God the Father.

Remember,  for often means because. Jesus has supremacy over all things because he possesses the fullness of God. All of God’s “God-ness” came and dwelt in the human body of Jesus of Nazareth. Later in the letter, Paul will reiterate “…in Christ the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:19 NIV),

To further summarize all of this, let’s look at a portion of a very powerful historical document, written in 1550 by none other than Menno Simons:

“And this same incomprehensible, inexpressible, spiritual, eternal, divine Being, which is begotten of the Father before every creature, we believe and confess to be Christ Jesus, the first and only begotten Son of God, “the first-born of every creature”, the eternal Wisdom, the power of God, the everlasting Light, the eternal Truth and everlasting Life and Eternal Word”— Menno Simons, Confession of the Triune, Eternal, and True God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, 1550.

1550, that’s 472 years ago folks! What we Anabaptists and Mennonites believe is not some fancy idea that just popped up recently. I find it extremely comforting and grounding that our faith, as expressed through historical writings and declarations (confessions) is affirmed through time. It compels us all the more that it is indeed TRUTH.

Question #2: What did Jesus accomplish?

Colossians 1:20 ESV

20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

A. Jesus reconciled the universe.

Since the fall (Genesis 3), humans and spiritual forces have been in rebellion against God. As a result, all of creation was infected with the consequences of human sin; subjected to futility and in bondage to decay

However, when Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself all of the consequences of our sin, so that all things can be made new and brought back into their rightful place, under the peaceful reign of King Jesus.

Colossians 1:21–22 ESV

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,

Paul follows his powerful poem by using an example of Christ’s reconciliation that the Colossians can relate to: their own redemption story. The Colossian Christians, like the rest of humanity before coming to Christ, were enslaved to sin and were therefore separated from God and subject to his wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). They were God’s enemies. But Jesus’ death on the cross was a sufficient sacrifice for all of their sins, and God now looks at them and sees them as holy and without blame, free from the guilt of their sins.

Remember a key verse from last week:

Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV)

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

A part of Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995):

Article 2: Jesus Christ

“We believe in Jesus Christ, the Word of God become flesh. He is the Savior of the world, who has delivered us from the dominion of sin and reconciled us to God by humbling himself and becoming obedient unto death on a cross. 1 He was declared to be Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead. 2 He is the head of the church, the exalted Lord, the Lamb who was slain, coming again to reign with God in glory. "No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."” -Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995)

Colossians 1:23 ESV

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.

As we’re going to see in the future parts of the letter (2:6-23), the Colossians are under intense pressure to move Jesus away from the center of faith, and follow false teachings and ways of life that contradict, or attempt to add to the gospel.

Notice how simple Paul’s instructions are: continue in your faith, and let your hope be unmoved, remaining steady and true.

Simple final instructions: (from verse 23)

#1 Continue in your faith

#2 Do not let your hope be moved

How can we do these two things?

Read Scripture, pray, worship Jesus. Be with believers in close relationships. Be careful what we are watching, listening to, taking “into” our minds and hearts. It’s not necessarily a “to-do” list. But putting ourselves into a position and a posture (set up the conditions) to allow God to continue to work in our lives.

“A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain...This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” ― Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

We must be diligent to find the posture and position for these things to happen— our faith grows and our hope is secure when we are humble, and hungry for more of the Lord in our lives.

Lets finish our thought here in a brief time of worship. We will sing a pretty familiar song, so feel free to stay seated, and just focus on Jesus. Take the next few moments and make this declaration in your heart. Lets resolve to continue in our faith— a faith that has stood the test of time. And to fight back the world’s influences to move or shake our hope loose.

Jesus is Above All— But yet he considered you and me above all… Our only reasonable response is to love and adore him. To fall down and worship him in our hearts.