Rooted in God the Son

"Rooted in God the Son" Colossians 1:15-23 February 6, 2022 Ryan Fregoso We are back in our study in Colossians. Go ahead and find Colossians 1:15-23. I was thinking this week, that in life, there are certain events, or series of events that leave a lasting impact on us. There are also certain people who have left a lasting impact or mark in our lives. In 2009, my wife Natalie, and I made the move to Tucson, not knowing what the future would hold. Since then, Natalie was baptized, we found our Church home here at Thornydale Family Church, had two beautiful daughters, purchased our first home, and I became an ordained pastor. Talk about a life changing decision for our family. But none of that really compares to when Christ called me in 1998. Now, this is an amazing event that even the angels rejoice in, according to Luke 15:10. Even more than that, nothing compares to the impact that one Person had on all of mankind. That Person of course, is Jesus. Today, we're going to be reading about this Person. In an online overview of this passage that I came across this week, we can summarize our passage this way: "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." Did you hear that? This passage gives us an accurate picture of who Jesus is. Paul does this by writing a poem, some have compared it to the Christ Hymn of Philippians 2. This poem reminds the Colossian church (and us today!) the impact that the sacrifice of Christ had on their lives and on our lives. I came across some really interesting commentaries and notes about this passage this week, one of which identified it as the Colossians Christ Hymn. Here is a bit of a summary of what I read this week: This Christ Hymn is possibly one of the most important passages we find in the book of Colossians. It is filled with the proper identification of Christ in relation to God, in creation, and in His Church. The hymn itself is only six verses (15-20), but in it we see what it means to believe in the One who is 100% God and 100% man. We see that in this belief, we have assurance in our salvation. Finally, we see that this pass summarizes the entire Bible, from creation to reconciliation, the two ends of our history. I'm going to do something a little out of order today, I want to give you the main idea now, so that when we read the passage, we can put into context everything that we will be covering today, which is a lot: To be rooted in God the Son (Jesus), I must put Him as the head of all things. So, with this in mind, join me as we read from Colossians 1, starting in verse 15: 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 BIN 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. I think it is necessary to define some terms and phrases from this passage, then we'll dig a little deeper into the main idea. First, and quickly is the term the very beginning of verse 15, namely ... 1. He a. The "He" here refers back to verse 13, where Paul declares that God delivered us (Christians) from darkness to the Kingdom of His Son (Jesus). The next two are closely related. First, we see ... 2. Firstborn a. We see this in two ways, first He is firstborn ... i. Of all creation (15) 1. What this does not mean is that Jesus was created first, or literally born. 2. If we look at this entire section, we will see in verse 16 that Christ is called Creator, so there is no possible way that He can be creator and created. We'll explore this a bit more later. 3. If we look at the big picture of the entire Bible, we can compare what we read here to Psalm 89:27: AND I WILL MAKE HIM [speaking of David] THE FIRSTBORN, THE HIGHEST OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. This is significant, as we know that Saul was the King prior to David. a. Something else to consider here is that the Psalmist, in this example of firstborn, is not speaking about David's birthright, which was important in this culture, but rather his rank and status as the preeminent king of Israel. There were many that followed him, but none were designated as a man after God's own heart. 4. So, the idea of firstborn, as seen both here and verse 18 speaks of Christ's rank, His status, His position. It means that He is "of first importance", of "first priority." 5. Speaking of verse 18, Paul also states that Christ is the firstborn ... ii. From the dead (18) 1. This idea is best understood with Scripture. First Corinthians 15:20 reads: BUT IN FACT CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. 2. Christ was not the first to be resurrected from the dead. But He is the only One who will not die again. In Revelation 1:18, Jesus proclaims that He lives "forevermore" and in Romans 6:9, Paul declares that death has no dominion over Christ. 3. You see, Christ's resurrection is of the highest rank and position. No other compares. 4. Finally, the designation of firstborn from the dead also points to when Jesus paves the way for the resurrection of the saints when He returns (see 1 Thessalonians 4). 5. So, this word illustrates that Christ is preeminent over all things. 3. Preeminent a. This word really summarizes what we just spoke about. It declares Jesus as first. As primary. As the head. Finally, the word ... 4. If, found at the beginning of verse 23 a. The word here is probably better translated "since" i. This is because this is what is considered a "first class condition" in the Greek. Meaning that that it is a statement of fact, or an assumption of something that is true. b. This verse is not teaching that one can lose their salvation c. Wiersbe, who I quoted last week says, "Paul was saying, 'if you are truly saved, and built on the solid foundation, Jesus Christ, then you will continue in the faith and nothing will move you. You have heard the Gospel and trusted Jesus Christ, and He has saved you'" d. Just like we spoke about last week, Christians produce fruit as a proof of our salvation. e. He is basically telling the church to stay the course because: i. Jesus is preeminent, ii. Look at what He offers to us (free of charge!), so iii. Don't walk away from it, and iv. Be obedient as a response to Him Now, let's draw our attention back to the main idea for today: To be rooted in God the Son (Jesus), I must put Him as the head of all things. WHAT JESUS IS THE HEAD OF? 1. All creation (vv. 15-17) a. This account is so closely aligned with the Creation account from Genesis. We see there, in its simplest form, that God created all things. i. Consider how many times Paul uses the terms "all things" or "everything" in this passage alone: 1. In this Christ Hymn alone, we see this six times a. We see once more in verse 23, speaking of "all creation" 2. Paul was a Hebrew, in Hebrew literature, when something is repeated, such as this, it is powerful and meaningful and something to take note of. ii. So, what was Christ's role? Well, we see that Christ's role in creation was that He created ... 1. All things 2. Things visible and invisible 3. Thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 4. Then again, Paul says, all things iii. Part of that "all things" and the "visible and invisible" includes the angels. iv. In Colossians 2:18, Paul warns about angel worship, similar to what we saw in the book of Hebrews when we started that study last year, in which the writer immediately reminds the Jewish believers that Jesus is superior to the angels. v. Paul is making it very clear here, Jesus, God the Son, is the Creator and was there "in the beginning." Don't take my word for it ... b. You're likely familiar with the words of the Apostle John (1:1-3) to open his gospel account: 1 IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. 2 HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD. 3 ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE. Later, in verse 14, we read these words: 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. In verse 15, John adds that this was the One that John the Baptist spoke of. c. When we read this passage alongside Colossians 1:15-16, we see that not only has Christ been with God from the "beginning", He is also the image of the invisible God. i. Image here literally means a "copy" or the "prototype" which is "the original form from which the image is drawn." ii. Hebrews 1:3 confirms this when the writer said, "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 ..." d. The word "by" in the ESV at the beginning of verse 16 can also mean "in." With that, we see that creation exists "in Christ," "through Christ" and "for Christ." e. You see, creation introduces us to God (see Romans 1:20). Because God is Creator, it means that He is the authority, and all things belong to Him. Understanding creation allows us to be under His Lordship and to be submissive to Him. If we serve a Mighty God, such as the One Who created all things, then we know that He is also the God who redeems. f. That redemption is manifested through the next thing that He is head of, namely: 2. The Church (v. 18) a. Since we already spoke about the idea of preeminence and firstborn, we will focus on the first part of verse 18: AND HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH b. In the Greek, the word "head" not only refers to the source or origin, but also to the leader or ruler. c. This is to say, that the worldwide Church belongs to Christ, and therefore under Christ. d. For Christians, if Jesus is the head of the Church, this means that no other person or denomination has dominion over His people. This is to say that the final authority for His people comes from the inspired Word of God (see 2 Timothy 3:16), and the living and active Word of God (see Hebrews 4:12). e. Again, let's be reminded of the purpose of this letter. The people of Colossae were being taught to add a little Jesus to their spiritualism. f. Paul is essentially telling them, listen to the voice of Jesus, He is the head of the church. No one else. Then finally, Jesus is the head and author of ... 3. Our salvation (vv. 19-22) a. Verse 21 tells us that by nature, we are separated from God. This is because of sin. Recall, we were born into sin, because we are of Adam. Therefore, we must be reconciled to God (see verse 20) - which means to be changed from one state to another - through the work of Jesus on the cross. b. Because of this reconciliation, He (Jesus) presents us to God as holy, blameless, and above reproach. i. Two things. First, this is from God. A gift from God (see Ephesians 2) ii. Second, what does it mean to be "above reproach"? Tim Challies says that the term, above reproach is, "a legal word that indicates a kind of innocence in the eyes of the law. It means that no one can legitimately rebuke you or make any charges against you that will stick. They may accuse, but your conduct will eventually acquit you by proving you blameless." iii. Several years ago, I studied the book of 1 John. And in chapter 2, when speaking of Christ as our advocate, the term propitiation comes up. This is not a word that is commonly used, but one of the fascinating things that came up that sticks with me to this very day is the picture John paints of Jesus as our defense lawyer, standing before God and declaring us righteous, holy, blameless and above reproach. iv. You see, the work of Jesus, allows us to be in the presence of God for eternity. Because He took on the sins of all who believe and makes it available to all mankind. c. To put Jesus as the head, we are acknowledging Him as Lord, and are declared righteous before a Holy God. When I was in management, I had the opportunity to go several trainings, workshops, conferences and seminars on leadership or something specific to my position. There are generally two responses to these, one, I can return and make some meaningful and productive changes in my scope of responsibility. Or I can ignore it, and just return to the status quo. If you learned a lot today, that's great! But there should also be a response to this incredible passage of Scripture. Our main idea today is, to be rooted in God the Son (Jesus), I must put Him as the head of all things. So ... Is Jesus the head of all things your life? Is He the head of your marriage? Is He the head of your home? Is He the head of your money? Your career? Maybe you struggle with putting Him first in your lives. That's understandable. We live in a busy world with many people desiring our attention. That is why it is important and essential that we make Him preeminent in our lives. So, as we close, here are some ways of PUTTING HIM FIRST IN YOUR LIFE: 1. Seek the Kingdom, over your own interests. a. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33, SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU b. I think the great bible scholar Pat Damiani said it nicely just a few weeks ago, "what we worry about the most is where we trust God the least" 2. Live to please Jesus. a. We talked about this last week. b. The Bible teaches that we are to be holy because God is holy. c. We are to produce good works in response to His perfect work. d. Obedience, you see, is a mark of our faith. 3. Listen to the Word, instead of the world. a. This one is easier said than done. b. There is so much misinformation out there, so how do we know what is true? i. We do this by making the Word of God primary in our lives. If you were here last week, hopefully that sounds familiar. ii. If you know your bible, then you will know the truth. iii. In John 8, Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders. Here, He rebukes them for not doing what the Word taught them to do, he gives them these powerful words in verse 47: WHOEVER IS OF GOD HEARS THE WORDS OF GOD. THE REASON WHY YOU DO NOT HEAR THEM IS THAT YOU ARE NOT OF GOD. Jesus is reminding us that we hear God through His Word, not through the world. iv. When we make Jesus the head of our lives, we will hear His voice, we will hear the truth. Friends, I encourage you this morning, make Jesus the head of your life. Let's pray. 2