1. When Paul first met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he did not know at that time who Jesus really was (Who are you, lord? - Acts 9:3-5)
2. But when we come to Paul's epistle to the Colossians, we learn that Paul had come to a much fuller understanding of exactly who Jesus was!
3. In this lesson, we shall look at Colossians 1:13-20, and notice Paul's description of the all sufficient Christ
4. In so doing, I hope we will be impressed with the fact that Christ is certainly our ALL-SUFFICIENT and PRE-EMINENT SAVIOR, who is worthy of our love, adoration, and obedience!
A. JESUS HIMSELF PROCLAIMED TO BE A KING
1. He claimed to have a kingdom, and even came into this world to proclaim the truth that He is a king - John 18:36-37
2. After his resurrection, He claimed the extent of His rule: authority over all heaven and earth! - Matthew 28:18
B. HIS KINGSHIP AND KINGDOM PROCLAIMED IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
1. He is the ruler over the kings of the earth - Revelation 1:5
2. He has made His disciples kings and priest to His God and Father - Revelation 1:6
3. Those in Christ Jesus are in His kingdom - Revelation 1:9
4. Those who persevere to the end will rule with Him even as He now reigns! Revelation 2:26-27
5. He is truly Lord of lords and King of kings! - Revelation 17:14; 19:16
A. BY VIRTUE OF HIS BLOOD WE HAVE REDEMPTION
1. The word redemption means a releasing effected by payment of ransom
2. We have been released from the bondage of sin through the payment of Jesus' blood shed on the cross - Matthew 20:28
B. BY VIRTUE OF HIS BLOOD WE HAVE FORGIVENESS
1. Forgiveness means release from bondage or imprisonment
2. In Christ, we have forgiveness or pardon, of sins or remission of the penalty
3. As pronounced by the Angel to Joseph, you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins - Matthew 1:21
4. A king capable of providing redemption and forgiveness from sins; truly indications of all sufficient savior!
A. THE WORD IMAGE
1. Comes from the Greek eikon {i-kone'}
2. Meaning an image, figure, likeness
B. JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF GOD WHO IS INVISIBLE!
1. No man has ever seen God, but Jesus has declared Him - John 1:18
2. As Jesus Himself said, He who has seen Me has seen the Father - John 14:7-9
3. As expressed by the writer to the Hebrews, Jesus is:
a. The brightness of God's Glory
b. The express image of His Person - Hebrews 1:3
4. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
a. Jesus is the image of God - 2 Corinthians 4:4
b. In the face of Jesus Christ is the knowledge of the glory of God - 2 Corinthians 4:6
5. By looking at Jesus we can see and know the Father, who is invisible!
A. CONCERNING THE TERM FIRSTBORN
1. It can mean the first one born (or created)
a. Some have therefore concluded from this passage that Jesus is a created being, the first of all God's creations
b. For example, those led by the Watchtower Society (who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses)
2. But it is also used in the Scriptures as a metaphor to describe one who occupies the rank and privilege of being firstborn (without literally being firstborn)
a. Used by God in this way to refer to the nation of Israel - Exodus 4:22
b. Used by God in this way to refer to David, who was the youngest of eight brothers - Psalm 89:20,27
3. Therefore, any interpretation of this term must be in harmony with what is taught about Christ elsewhere:
a. And Jesus is clearly proclaimed to be the creator of ALL things - John 1:1-3;
b. It could not be stated that He is the creator of ALL things if He was a created being!
c. Which is why the JW's try to get around these passages by inserting the modifier OTHER four times in their NWT translation of Colossians 1:16-17!
1) To let it read as written by Paul, it destroys their doctrine that Christ is a created being
2) So they must add to the Word of God
B. THE PURPOSE IN USING THE PHRASE FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION
1. To stress that Jesus is pre-eminent over all creation, He has all the rights of one as IF He were a firstborn
2. Just as God:
a. Declared Israel to be His firstborn over the nations of the earth (though certainly not the first nation to exist)
b. Declared David to be His firstborn over the kings of the earth (though certainly not the first king either)
c. So God has declared Jesus to be the firstborn over all creation (though He Himself was not a created being!)
1. Wow! What a savior!
a. King
b. savior
c. image
d. firstborn
2. Tonight we will finish this sermon by looking at the last six attributes of Jesus mentioned by Paul in Colossians 1:13-20
3. Paul has already given us more than enough to convince us that Jesus is the Christ
1. Again, when Paul first met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he did not know at that time who Jesus really was (Who are you, lord? - Acts 9:3-5)
2. But when we come to Paul's epistle to the Colossians, we learn that Paul had come to a much fuller understanding of exactly who Jesus was!
3. In this lesson, we shall look at Colossians 1:13-20, and notice Paul's description of the all sufficient Christ
4. In so doing, I hope we will be impressed with the fact that Christ is certainly our ALL-SUFFICIENT and PRE-EMINENT SAVIOR, who is worthy of our love, adoration, and obedience
5. This morning we looked at the fact that Jesus is:
a. King of the kingdom
b. Savior of our souls
c. Image of God
d. First born over all creation
6. Now we continue to look at him being creator, sustainer, the head of the body and more...
A. THIS AMAZING TRUTH CONCERNING JESUS IS ALSO CONFIRMED BY:
1. John in his gospel - John 1:3
2. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews - Hebrews 1:3
B. FROM THESE VERSES WE LEARN THAT WHEN THE WORLD WAS CREATED
1. Jesus was the CREATIVE AGENT by which everything came into being!
2. Everything was created FOR Him also!
C. AS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS
1. It only follows that He existed before anything that was created
2. Which seems to be the idea of 17a (He is before all things)
A. IN HIM ALL THINGS CONSIST
1. That is, in Him all things are kept in their present state
2. Their existence, order, and arrangement are continued in the present form by HIS power! - Hebrews 1:3
B. WHAT IF JESUS CHOSE TO REMOVE HIS POWER?
1. Every created thing would fall into disorder (chaos)!
2. Or sink back into nothingness!
A. THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST
1. The word church comes from ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah}, meaning a congregation or assembly made up of people who have been called out
2. Those called out by the gospel of Christ into His kingdom form a great assembly or congregation
3. The term church is used in two senses:
a. Universal - the body of saved believers throughout the world
b. Local - a congregation of saved believers in one locality
4. In the context of Colossians 1:18, Paul is speaking of the church universal (though what we are about to say in the next point would be true in a local church as well)
B. AS THE HEAD, JESUS IS OVER THE CHURCH
1. As we have already seen, He has all authority in heaven and earth - Matthew 28:18
2. How much more so, should He hold the rank of preeminence in His Church!
3. He is the One, therefore, who controls the destiny of those in His church! Revelation 2 - 3
A. THE WORD BEGINNING
1. Comes from the Greek, arche {ar-khay'}
2. Various shades of meaning include:
a. Beginning, origin
b. The person or thing that commences the first person or thing in a series, the leader
c. That by which anything begins to be, the origin
d. The first place, principality, rule, magistracy
B. REMEMBER THE USE OF THE WORD FIRSTBORN
1. It does not necessarily mean the FIRST one, but can refer to the PRE-EMINENT one
2. Jesus was not the first person to rise from the dead
3. But He is the first to rise, never to die again, and is declared elsewhere to be the FIRSTFRUITS of the resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:20,23
4. The term firstfruits suggests the cream of the crop, i.e., that which is pre-eminent
C. THUS, IN REGARDS TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
1. Jesus is BOTH the origin, (the beginning) and the firstborn from the dead
2. He is the active cause of the resurrection: in Christ all shall be made alive - 1 Corinthians 5:22
3. By His own resurrection, never to die again, He is the firstborn from the dead, the firstfruits, i.e., the pre- eminent one!
A. JESUS IS CLEARLY THE FULLNESS OF DEITY
1. We have seen that He is the image of the invisible God - Colossians 1:15
2. Paul later declares that in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily - Colossians 2:9
B. JESUS IS ALSO OUR FULLNESS
1. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins - Colossians 1:14
2. In Him we have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge - Colossians 2:3
3. Yes, we are complete in Him - Colossians 2:10
A. THE FATHER'S DESIRE IS TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF
1. Things on earth
a. Which includes sinful man - cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
b. Both Jews and Gentiles - cf. Ephesians 2:14-18
2. Things in heaven
a. Admittedly, a difficult phrase
b. It would be easy to fall into vain speculation as to what this means (e.g., what things in heaven need reconciliation to God?)
c. Whatever Paul may be alluding to, the point is clear: Jesus is to be the reconciler of ALL things to God!
B. GOD IS ABLE TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS BY JESUS TO HIMSELF
1. Having made peace through the blood of His cross
2. Through the death of His Son, it is now possible for sinful man to be reconciled to God! Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21-22
1. Paul had certainly come a long way in his understanding of Jesus since that day he met Him on the road to Damascus!
a. From saying Who are you, lord?
b. To proclaiming Jesus to be:
1) The king over His kingdom
2) The savior from our sins
3) The image of the invisible God
4) The firstborn over all creation
5) The creator of all things
6) The sustainer of all things
7) The head of the body, the church
8) The beginning, the firstborn from the dead
9) The fullness of all things
10) The reconciler of all things to God
2. I trust that our own understanding and appreciation of Jesus has increased as a result of studying this passage!
3. Perhaps we can also appreciate why Jesus received so much praise and adoration in heaven - Revelation 5:11-12
4. What are WE doing to show our appreciation to Jesus, our pre-eminent and all-sufficient Savior?
5. Consider the words of Jesus in Luke 6:46... implying that the best way we can praise Him is by obeying Him
6. Have you obeyed Jesus in responding to His Gospel (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38)?
7. Are you obeying Jesus by living a faithful life as His disciple (Revelation 2:10)?
-- Don Treadway, April 2009 --
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