The Sovereignty Of Our Father In Heaven
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Colossians 1:13–20 (KJV 1900)
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Jesus literally reflected the very image of the Father
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
I wonder about the Father, just look at Jesus
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
by him = His energy
Our God Rules all affairs
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
By
For
All things are under God
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Of = originates
through = causal relationship
To = all will be for His glory
God is in charge ruling and reigning
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
God intentionally created us
The visible and invisible
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Two world that exist
the temporal world that we are in - tangible
The eternal, invisible world
Whether they be thrones
princes
kings
presidents
Yesterday I spoke with our governor
God rules and reigns whether our life circumstances are comfortable or not
1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
God has the heart of every person in leadership
God allows leadership in position.
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
God said you will be:
Alone
Homeless
You’re mind will be like an animal
Crazy
God wants presidents to put their trust in Him and be save
God wants governors and mayors
God wants fathers to be saved and magnify Him in their home
Nebuchadnezzar needed to cry out to God
Whether they be:
Thrones
Dominions
Principalities - cities, counties, states
Powers - delegated authorities
Visible, invisible, temporal, or eternal
Angelic, demonic are all under God’s authority
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Far above
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Nothing catches God off-guard, nothing surprises our Heavenly Father
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
God has no beginning and God has no end.
Alpha, Omega, Beginning, and End
All things consist = they are held together by Sovereign Heavenly Father
Knowing God is in charge - that leads to the ability to give thanks
To praise God
To continue to fulfill his purpose in our life
The false teachers in Colossae, like the false teachers
of our own day, would not deny the importance of
Jesus Christ. They would simply dethrone Him,
giving Him prominence but not preeminence. In
their philosophy, Jesus Christ was but one of many
"emanations" that proceeded from God and through
which men could reach God. It was this claim that
Paul refuted in this section.
Probably no paragraph in the New Testament
contains more concentrated doctrine about Jesus
Christ than this one. We can keep ourselves from
going on a detour if we remember that Paul wrote
to prove the preeminence of Christ, and he did so
by using four unanswerable arguments.
Christ Is the Saviour (Col. 1:13-14)
Man's greatest problem is sin--a problem that can
never be solved by a philosopher or a religious
teacher. Sinners need a Saviour. These two verses
present a vivid picture of the four saving actions of
Christ on our behalf.
He delivered us (1:13a). This word means
rescued from danger." We could not deliver ourselves
from the guilt and penalty of sin, but Jesus could
and did deliver us. We were in danger of spending
eternity apart from God. The sword of God's
judgment was hanging over our heads!
But this deliverance involved something else:
we were delivered from the authority of Satan and
the powers of darkness. The Gnostic false teachers
believed in an organization of evil spirits that con.
trolled the world (see Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15): angels,
archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, domin-
ions, and thrones. John Milton used these titles
when describing Satan's forces in his classic Para-
dise Lost.
He translated us (1:13b). This word was used
to describe the deportation of a population from
one country into another. History records the fact
that Antiochus the Great transported at least 2,000
Jews from Babylonia to Colossae.
Jesus Christ did not release us from bondage,
only to have us wander aimlessly. He moved us
into His own kingdom of light and made us victors
over Satan's kingdom of darkness. Earthly rulers
transported the defeated people, but Jesus Christ
transported the winners.
The phrase His dear Son can be translated "the
Son of His love.
." At the baptism and transfiguration
of Jesus Christ, the Father declared that Jesus was
His "beloved Son"
(Matt. 3:17
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
This fact reminds us of the price the Father paid when He gave His Son for us. It also reminds us that His kingdom is a kingdom of love as well as a kingdom of light.
The experience of Israel in the Old Testament
icon illustration of this spiritual experience
delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and
took them into the Promised Land of their inheritance. God brings us out that He might bring
us in.
He redeemed us (1:14a). This word means
"to release a prisoner of the payment of a ransom.
Paul did not suggest that Jesus paid a ransom to
Satan in order to rescue us from the kingdom of
darkness. Bv His death and resurrection, Jesus met
the holy demands of God's Law. Satan seeks to
accuse us and imprison us because he knows we are
guilty of breaking God's Law. But the ransom has
been paid on Calvary, and through faith in Jesus
Christ, we have been set free.
He has forgiven us (1:14).
Redemption and forgiveness go together (
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
The word translated forgiveness means "to send away"
Or "to cancel a debt." Christ has not only set us free and transferred us to a new kingdom, but He has
canceled every debt so that we cannot be enslaved again. Satan cannot find anything in the files that will indict us!
In recent years, the church has rediscovered the
freedom of forgiveness. God's forgiveness of sinners
is an act of His grace. We did not deserve to be
forgiven, nor can we earn forgiveness. Knowing
that we are forgiven makes it possible for us to
fellowship with God, enjoy His grace, and seek to
do His will. Forgiveness is not an excuse for sin;
rather, it is an encouragement for obedience. And,
because we have been forgiven, we can forgive
others (Col. 3:13
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
The Parable of the Unforgiving
Servant makes it clear that an unforgiving spirit
always leads to bondage (Matt. 18:21-35).
Jesus Christ is preeminent in salvation. No other
person could redeem us, forgive us, transfer us out of Satan's kingdom into God's kingdom, and do it
wholly by grace. The phrase "through His blood"
reminds us of the cost of our salvation. Moses and
the Israelites only had to shed the blood of a lamb
to be delivered from Egypt. But Jesus had to shed
His blood to deliver us from sin.
Christ Is the Creator (Col. 1:15-17
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The false teachers were very confused about creation. They taught that matter was evil, including the human body. They also taught that Jesus Christ did not have a real body since this would have put Him in contact with evil matter. The results of
these false teachings were tragic, including extreme asceticism on the one hand and unbridled sin on the other. After all, if your body is sinful, you either enjoy it or you try to enslave it.
In this section, Paul explained the fourfold rela-
tionship of Jesus Christ to creation.
He existed before creation (1:15). The term
since He Himself is the Creator of all things. First-
born simply means "of first importance, of first
rank." Solomon was certainly not born first of all of
David's sons, yet he was named the firstborn (Ps.
89:27). Firstborn of all creation means "priority to
all creation." Jesus Christ is not a created being;
He is eternal God.
Paul used the word image to make this fact clear.
It means "an exact representation and revelation."
The writer to the Hebrews affirms that Jesus Christ
is "the express image of His person" (Heb. 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Jesus was able to say, "He that hath seen Me, hath
seen the Father" (John 14:9
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
In His essence, God is invisible; but Jesus Christ has revealed Him to
us (John 1:18
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Nature reveals the existence,
power, and wisdom of God; but nature cannot
reveal the very essence of God to us. It is only in
Tesus Christ that the invisible God is revealed
He created all things (1:16). Since Christ created
all things, He Himself is uncreated. The word for
that introduces this verse could be translated "be-
cause." Tesus Christ is the Firstborn of all because
He created all things. It is no wonder that the
winds and waves obeyed Him, and diseases and
death fed from Him, for He is Master over all.
"All things were made by Him" (John 1:3). This
includes all things in heaven and earth, visible and
invisible. All things are under His command.
All things exist for Him (1:16b). Everything
exists in Him, for Him, and through Him. Jesus
Christ is the Sphere in which they exist, the Agent
through which they came into being, and the One
for whom they were made.
Paul's use of three different prepositions is one
that everything needed a primary cause, an instru-
mental cause, and a final cause. The primary cause
is the plan, the instrumental cause the power, and
the final cause the purpose. When it comes to
creation, Jesus Christ is the primary cause (He
planned it), the instrumental cause (He produced
it), and the final cause (He did it for His own
pleasure).
If everything in creation exists for Him, then
nothing can be evil of itself (except for Satan and
fallen angels; even those God uses to accomplish
His will). Gnostic regulations about using God's
creation are all foolish (Col. 2:20-23). It also means
That God's creation, even though under bondage
"In Him
all things hold together" (NIv). A guide took a group
of people through an atomic laboratory and ex-
plained how all matter was composed of rapidly
moving electric particles. The tourists studied
models of molecules and were amazed to learn that
matter is made up primarily of space. During the
question period, one visitor asked, "If this is the
way matter works, what holds it all together?" For
that, the guide had no answer.
But the Christian has an answer: Tesus Christ!
Because "He is before all things," He can hold all
things together. Again, this is another affirmation
that Jesus Christ is God. Only God exists before
athlete " eating and on ' in fiod cos make, gantino
dethrone Him.
It used to bother me to sing the familiar song,
This Is My Father's World." I thought Satan and
sin were in control of this world. I have since
changed my mind, and now I sing the song with
joy and victory. Jesus Christ made all things, He
controls all things, and by Him all things hold
together. Indeed, this is my Father's world!
Christ Is the Head of the Church
(Col. 1:18)
There are many images of the church in the New
Testament, and the body is one of the most im-
Crown Him Lord of All! / 51
"the body of Christ," for that body is composed of
all true believers. When a person trusts Christ, he
is immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into this
body (1 Cor. 12:12-13). The baptism of the Spirit
is not a postconversion experience-_for it occurs
the instant a person believes in jesus Christ.
Each Christian is a member of this spiritual body,
and Jesus Christ is the Head. In Greek usage, the
word head meant "source" and "origin" as well as
"leader, ruler." Jesus Christ is the Source of the
church, His body, and the Leader. Paul called
Him "the Beginning," which tells us that Jesus
Christ has priority in time as far as His church is
concerned. The term beginning can be translated
"originator."
No matter which name you select, it will affrm
the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the church. The
church had its origin in Him, and today it has its
operation in Him. As the Head of the church, Jesus
Christ supplies it with life through His Spirit. He
gives gifts to men, and then places these gifted
people in His church that they might serve Him
where they are needed.
Through His Word, Jesus Christ nourishes and cleanses the church (Eph.
5:25-30).
No believer on earth is the Head of the church.
This position is reserved exclusively for Jesus Christ.
have founded
is the Founder of the church which is His body.
This church is composed of all true believers, and
it was born at Pentecost. It was then that the Holy
Spirit came and baptized the believers into one
spiritual body.
The fact that there is "one body" in this world
(Eph. 4:4) does not eliminate or minimize the need
for local bodies of believers. The fact that I belong
to the universal church does not release me from
my responsibilities to the local church.
I cannot minister to the whole church, but I can strengthen and build the church by ministering to God's people in a local assembly.
Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, and the
Beginning of the church; and He is also the First-
born from the dead. We saw this word firstborn in
Colossians 1:15. Paul did not say that Jesus was
the first person to be raised from the dead, for He
resurrection, there could be no resurrection for
others (1 Cor. 15:20
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
It seems odd that Paul used the word born in
connection with death, for the two concepts seem
opposed to each other. But the tomb was a womb
from which Christ came forth in victory, for the
birth pangs of death could not hold Him (Acts
2:24). The Son was begotten in resurrection (Ps.
2:7; Acts 13:33).
This brings us to the theme of this entire section:
"that in all things He might have the preeminence"
(Col. 1:18). This was God's purpose in making His
Son the Savior, Creator, and Head of the church.
The word translated preeminence is used nowhere
else in the New Testament. It is related to the
word translated firstborn, and it magnifies the
unique position of Jesus Christ.
in all"° (Col. 3:11).
"Christ is all, and
In 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition was
held in Chieago, and more than 21 million people
visited the exhibits. Among the features was a
"World Parliament of Religions,
»)
with representatives of the world's religions, meeting to share
their "best points" and perhaps come up with a new
religion for the world.
Evangelist DL. Moody saw this as a great
opportunity for evangelism. He used churches,
rented theaters, and even rented a circus tent
(when the show was not on) to present the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. His friends wanted Moody to attack
the "Parliament of Religions," but he refused. "I am
Spine to matin cums Ca pit no attractiv in bro paid.
Tesus Christ was the preeminent Saviour, not just
one of many "religious leaders" of historv. The
"Chicago Campaign" of 1893 was probably the
greatest evangelistic endeavor in DL. Moody's
life, and thousands came to Christ.
But the false teachers of Colossae could never
give Jesus Christ the place of preeminence; for,
according to their philosophy, Jesus Christ was only
one of many "emanations" from God. He was not
the only Way to God (John 14:6); rather, He was
but one rung on the ladder! It has well been
said, "If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, He cannot
be Lord at all.»
We have now studied three arguments for the
preeminence of Jesus Christ: He is the Saviour,
He is the Creator, and He is the Head of the
church. These arguments reveal His relationship
with lost sinners, with the universe, and with be-
livers. But what about His relationship with God
the Father?
He Is the Beloved of the Father
(Col. 1:19-20)
Paul had already called Tesus Christ "His dear
Son" (v. 13). Those who have trusted Jesus Christ
54 / Be Complete
as their Saviour are "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph.
1:6). For this reason, God can call us His beloved
(Col. 3:12).
Then Paul took a giant step forward in his
argument, for he declared that "all fullness" dwelt
in Jesus Christ! The word translated "fullness" is
the Greek word pleroma (pronounced "play-RO.
ma"). It was a technical term in the vocabulary of
the Gnostic false teachers. It meant "the sum total
of all the divine power and attributes." We have
already noted that Paul used this important word
eight times in the Colossian letter, so he was meet-
ing the false teachers on their own ground.
verb means "to be at home permanently." The late
Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest, noted Greek expert, pointed
out in his excellent commentary on Colossians that
the verb indicates that this fullness was "not some-
thing added to His Being that was not natural to
Him, but that it was part of His essential Being as
part of His very constitution, and that permanently"
(Ephesians and Colossians in the Greek New
Testament, Eerdmans, p. 187).
The Father would not permanently give His
pleroma to some created being. The fact that it
"pleased the Father" to have His fullness in Christ
is proof that Jesus Christ is God. "And of His
[Christ's] fullness have all we received" (John
1:16). "For in Him [lesus Christ] dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).
Because Jesus Christ is God, He is able to do
what no mere man could ever do: reconcile lost
sinners to a holy God. When the first man and
Woman sinned, they declared war on God; but God
did not declare war on them. Instead, God sought
Crown Him Lord of All! / 55
Adam and Eve; and He provided a covering for
their sins.
The natural mind of the unsaved sinner is at war
with God (Rom. 8:7). The sinner may be sincere,
religious, and even moral; but he is still at war
with God.
How can a holy God ever be reconciled with
sinful man? Can God lower His standards, close
His eyes to sin, and compromise with man? If He
did, the universe would fall to pieces! God must be
consistent with Himself and maintain His own
holy Law.
Perhaps man could somehow please Cod. But by
nature, man is separated from God; and by his
deeds, he is alienated from God (Col. 1;21). The
sinner is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1ff),
and therefore is unable to do anything to save
himself or to please God (Rom. 8:8).
If there is to be reconciliation between man and
God, the initiative and action must come from God.
It is in Christ that God was reconciled to man
(2 Cor. 5:19). But it was not the incarnation of
Christ that accomplished this reconciliation, nor was
it His example as He lived among men. It was
through His death that peace was made between
God and man. He "made peace through the blood
of His cross" (Col. 1:20).
Of course, the false teachers offered a kind of
reconciliation between man and God. However, the
reconciliation they offered was not complete or
final. The angels and the
"emanations" could in
some way bring men closer to God, according to the
Gnostic teachers. But the reconciliation we have
in Jesus Christ is perfect, complete, and final. More
than that, the reconciliation in Christ involves the
whole universe! He reconciles "all things unto
56 / Be Complete
Himself.
.things in earth, or things in heaven"
(v. 20).
However, we must not conclude wrongly that
universal reconciliation is the same as universal
salvation.
"Universalism" is the teaching that all
beings, including those who have rejected Jesus
Christ, will one day be saved. This was not what
Paul believed. "Universal restorationism" was not
saved (2 Thes. 1).
Paul wrote that Christ has solved the sin problem
on the cross once and for all. This means that one
day God can bring together in Christ all that be-
long to Him (Eph. 1:9-10). He will be able to
glorify believers and punish unbelievers, and do it
justly, because of Christ's death on the cross. No
one not even Satan-can accuse God of doing
wrong, because sin has been effectively dealt with
on the cross.
If Jesus Christ is only a man, or only an emana-
tion from God, He cannot reconcile God and man.
The only arbitrator who can bring God and man
together is One who is both God and Man himself.
Contrary to what the Gnostics taught, Jesus Christ
was a true human being with a real body. He was
God in human flesh (John 1:14). When He died
on the cross, He met the just demands of the Law
because He paid the penalty for man's sins (1 Peter
2:24). Reconciliation has been completed on the
Cross (Rom. 5:11).
A man once came to see me because he had
difficulties at home. He was not a very well-
educated man and sometimes got his words con-
fused. He told me that he and his wife were having
"martial problems" when he meant to say "marital
Crown Him Lord of All! / 57
problems." (Later I found out that they really were
at war" with each other, so maybe he was right
after all!) But the word that caught my attention
was in this sentence: "Pastor, me and my wife need
a re-cancellation."
He meant to say reconciliation, but the word
re-cancellation was not a bad choice. There can be
peace and a reunion of those who are at war only
when sin has been cancelled. As sinners before a
righteous God, we need a "re-cancellation."
Our
sins were cancelled on the cross.
As we review this profound section and this
study has only scratched the surface), we notice
several important truths.
First, Jesus Christ has taken care of all things.
All things were created by Him and for Him. He
existed before all things, and today He holds all
things together. He has reconciled all things
through the Cross. No wonder Paul declared that
"in all things He might have the preeminence"
(Col. 1:18).
Second, all that we need is Jesus Christ. We
have all of God's fullness in Him, and we are "filled
full" (complete) in Him (2:10). There is no need
to add anything to the Person or work of Jesus
Christ. To add anything is to take away from His
glory. To give Him prominence instead of pre-
eminence is to dethrone Him.
Third, God is pleased when His Son, Jesus Christ,
is honored and given preeminence. There are
people who tell us they are Christians, but they
ignore or deny Jesus Christ.
"We worship the
Father,"
they tell us,
"and that is all that is
necessary."
But Jesus made it clear that the Son is to be
worshiped as well as the Father. "
John 5:23-24
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.