Colossians Series // Message Three
North Anderson Baptist
On Mission In Anderson & Beyond
Locations & Times
North Anderson Baptist Church
2308 N Main St, Anderson, SC 29621, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
JESUS: THE CENTER OF IT ALL // Colossians 1:15-23
Have you ever fallen victim to a counterfeit product?
There is counterfeit money, checks, goods and services. Financial experts tell us that counterfeits cost the global economy billions of dollars each year!
We certainly live in an age of counterfeits, don't we? Counterfeits are not only prevalent but extremely deceptive. They echo the promises of the real thing but ultimately cannot deliver!
The most dangerous form of this deception is counterfeit faith!
Think about it for a moment. In our day, there are promises of a Jesus that, if you send a few dollars to a particular ministry, will give you health, wealth and wisdom. There's another version of Jesus who's angry, harsh and lives to rain down judgment on anyone who you perceive to be an enemy. There's yet another version who'd never judge anyone or anything.
All counterfeits. Cheap imitations of the real thing who makes promises that cannot be delivered.
As we've learned in this sermon series, a counterfeit faith had weaseled its way into the city of Colossae and even some in the church had fallen victim to the deception.
The term for what had gotten a foothold in Colossae was "Gnostic Judaism". In short, it was a strange combination of a very legalistic form of Judaism and early Gnostic belief.
This led to a very strict and burdensome belief system that saw Christ, not as one who could atone for sins or who had, once and for all, defeated death through His resurrection but as a messenger from Heaven that the Father had created and sent to free the everyone's perfectly righteous soul from their absolutely even body. If one only figured out the riddles and codes that he spoke in, they would find real life.
That is a counterfeit view of the person and work of the Biblical Jesus. It's heresy.
To combat this false faith that had taken root in the city of Colossae and was slowly creeping into the church, in today's text, Paul provides one of the most beautiful and powerful portraits of who Jesus is in all of the Bible.
1. THE PERSON OF JESUS
-Jesus Is Essentially God
Colossians 1:15“He is the image of the invisible God…”
“Image” – Greek word used here expresses two ideas
- Likeness – as an image on a coin or reflection in a mirror
- Manifestation- fully revealed in (Icon on computer screen)
Paul doesn’t say that Jesus is a lot like the Father or similar to the Father: Had he wanted to convey that idea, he’s have used a much different word.
When Paul says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, he is saying that Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God…the perfect manifestation of God
Phillip once asked our Lord, "Jesus, what does God look like? Show Him to us"
Jesus replied, John 14:9 “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”
-Jesus Is Eternally God
· He Is eternally God
Colossians 1:15 “…the firstborn over all creation”
This little phrase has been the “prooftext” for many Gnostics, Arians, and today…Jehovah's Witnesses…used to “prove” that Jesus is just another created being and could not be the eternal God
To come to that conclusion is to miss the point of the text entirely!
“First born” – does not refer to place or time but status
Solomon was not Davids's firstborn yet David called him "firstborn" in Psalm 89
God Himself called Israel “first-born” even though many other nations existed before it
By saying that Jesus was the "firstborn over all creation", Paul is telling us that Jesus was of first importance
He’s no created being…He has just always been.
There has never been a moment when Jesus wasn’t and will never be a time when Jesus isn’t.
John says in John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God”
2. THE POWER OF JESUS
Verse 16“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him”
· In His Power He Created All Things
16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers”
Think for a moment about the wonder of creation
From the smallest details of a human cell that the vastness of the universe, all were created by Him
A good question for us to consider: : If we believe that Jesus made it all, can we not also be certain that He can make a way for us?
· In His Power He Claims All Things
Verse 16 again “…All things were created through Him and for Him”
In these few words we find the purpose of His creation: His own glory
Creation only finds its meaning and purpose when it points to Christ!
John Calvin rightly stated, “Creation is the theatre of His glory”
The Psalmist declares to us – The Heavens declare the gory of the Lord, the earth is a testimony of His handiwork
John the Revelator tells us that the 24 Elders gathered around His throne sing…Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
Every sunrise serves as a witness to His genius, every mountain peak a picture of his wonder, every shooting star a testament to His majesty….all created by Him AND for Him!
That includes you and me: No accident…not without purpose…created by Him and for Him
· In His Power He Controls All Things
Verse 17“…And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist”
“Consist” – held together // Our Lord sustains His creation
From the angle our earth is tilted at to the speed and path by which the solar system orbits, He's holding it all together.
Another Great Question: If He’s powerful enough to keep the stars in their place and our solar system in orbit, is He not able to meet the needs we have?
3. THE POSITION OF JESUS
- He Is Head Of His Church
Verse 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 may have the preeminence”
As the head, He calls the shots. He has authority over us. Our mission, vision, passion, actions, governance: all subject to His authority
He Is LORD over the Church!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Sovereignty
Verse 18“…the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence”
Once again: “firstborn” isn’t referring to order but preeminence
Jesus wasn’t the first to be raised from the dead: During His earthly ministry, he raised at least three individuals from the dead – the daughter of Jairus, the widows son, and Lazarus…so we’re not talking about any particular order
Paul's point: He’s not the first to be raised, but He’s certainly the most important
THE DIFFERENCE: While Lazarus was restored to life, he’d eventually die…same with the others. Yet here we are, a couple thousand years after the resurrection of Jesus and we can sing with joy and confidence: HE LIVES!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Sufficiency
Verse 19 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell’
The false teachers of Colossae taught that more than Jesus was required
The Gnostics believed that divine powers were distributed among many, but Paul says here, CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
“All the fullness of God dwelled in Him” - Not some of Gods attributes, a few of Gods character traits, even most of Gods nature: ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD
Dwelled in Him: not around Him, upon Him but IN HIM
He has no rival, needs no supplement and is not deficient in anything! Christ is sufficient!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Salvation
Verse 20“By Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross”
Reality: Man has a great need. He has sinned and his sin has separated Him from God. Because of this, he is deserving of just wrath of God and there's nothing that he can do, in and of himself, to right the wrongs that he has done. His sin has separated him from God.
Paul goes on in the text to call those who are separated from the Father because of their sin alienated. He says they are marked as such by their wicked works and worthless minds. He tells the Colossian Church that this is who they once were.
Yet just a few verses later, he calls them, "Holy, blameless, above reproach"
WHAT HAPPENED?
They found peace with God through the blood of the cross. Paul calls this reconciliation.
Only Jesus can bring about that reconciliation. Only Jesus can save!
DIG: Reread Colossians 1:15-23
DISCOVER: What does this passage tell us about the person and work of Jesus?
DELIGHT: What truths about Jesus do you see in this passage that bring you joy and why?
DECLARE: Who in your life needs to hear what you've learned in this passage and how will you be intentional about sharing it with them?
Have you ever fallen victim to a counterfeit product?
There is counterfeit money, checks, goods and services. Financial experts tell us that counterfeits cost the global economy billions of dollars each year!
We certainly live in an age of counterfeits, don't we? Counterfeits are not only prevalent but extremely deceptive. They echo the promises of the real thing but ultimately cannot deliver!
The most dangerous form of this deception is counterfeit faith!
Think about it for a moment. In our day, there are promises of a Jesus that, if you send a few dollars to a particular ministry, will give you health, wealth and wisdom. There's another version of Jesus who's angry, harsh and lives to rain down judgment on anyone who you perceive to be an enemy. There's yet another version who'd never judge anyone or anything.
All counterfeits. Cheap imitations of the real thing who makes promises that cannot be delivered.
As we've learned in this sermon series, a counterfeit faith had weaseled its way into the city of Colossae and even some in the church had fallen victim to the deception.
The term for what had gotten a foothold in Colossae was "Gnostic Judaism". In short, it was a strange combination of a very legalistic form of Judaism and early Gnostic belief.
This led to a very strict and burdensome belief system that saw Christ, not as one who could atone for sins or who had, once and for all, defeated death through His resurrection but as a messenger from Heaven that the Father had created and sent to free the everyone's perfectly righteous soul from their absolutely even body. If one only figured out the riddles and codes that he spoke in, they would find real life.
That is a counterfeit view of the person and work of the Biblical Jesus. It's heresy.
To combat this false faith that had taken root in the city of Colossae and was slowly creeping into the church, in today's text, Paul provides one of the most beautiful and powerful portraits of who Jesus is in all of the Bible.
1. THE PERSON OF JESUS
-Jesus Is Essentially God
Colossians 1:15“He is the image of the invisible God…”
“Image” – Greek word used here expresses two ideas
- Likeness – as an image on a coin or reflection in a mirror
- Manifestation- fully revealed in (Icon on computer screen)
Paul doesn’t say that Jesus is a lot like the Father or similar to the Father: Had he wanted to convey that idea, he’s have used a much different word.
When Paul says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, he is saying that Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God…the perfect manifestation of God
Phillip once asked our Lord, "Jesus, what does God look like? Show Him to us"
Jesus replied, John 14:9 “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”
-Jesus Is Eternally God
· He Is eternally God
Colossians 1:15 “…the firstborn over all creation”
This little phrase has been the “prooftext” for many Gnostics, Arians, and today…Jehovah's Witnesses…used to “prove” that Jesus is just another created being and could not be the eternal God
To come to that conclusion is to miss the point of the text entirely!
“First born” – does not refer to place or time but status
Solomon was not Davids's firstborn yet David called him "firstborn" in Psalm 89
God Himself called Israel “first-born” even though many other nations existed before it
By saying that Jesus was the "firstborn over all creation", Paul is telling us that Jesus was of first importance
He’s no created being…He has just always been.
There has never been a moment when Jesus wasn’t and will never be a time when Jesus isn’t.
John says in John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God”
2. THE POWER OF JESUS
Verse 16“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him”
· In His Power He Created All Things
16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers”
Think for a moment about the wonder of creation
From the smallest details of a human cell that the vastness of the universe, all were created by Him
A good question for us to consider: : If we believe that Jesus made it all, can we not also be certain that He can make a way for us?
· In His Power He Claims All Things
Verse 16 again “…All things were created through Him and for Him”
In these few words we find the purpose of His creation: His own glory
Creation only finds its meaning and purpose when it points to Christ!
John Calvin rightly stated, “Creation is the theatre of His glory”
The Psalmist declares to us – The Heavens declare the gory of the Lord, the earth is a testimony of His handiwork
John the Revelator tells us that the 24 Elders gathered around His throne sing…Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
Every sunrise serves as a witness to His genius, every mountain peak a picture of his wonder, every shooting star a testament to His majesty….all created by Him AND for Him!
That includes you and me: No accident…not without purpose…created by Him and for Him
· In His Power He Controls All Things
Verse 17“…And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist”
“Consist” – held together // Our Lord sustains His creation
From the angle our earth is tilted at to the speed and path by which the solar system orbits, He's holding it all together.
Another Great Question: If He’s powerful enough to keep the stars in their place and our solar system in orbit, is He not able to meet the needs we have?
3. THE POSITION OF JESUS
- He Is Head Of His Church
Verse 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 may have the preeminence”
As the head, He calls the shots. He has authority over us. Our mission, vision, passion, actions, governance: all subject to His authority
He Is LORD over the Church!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Sovereignty
Verse 18“…the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence”
Once again: “firstborn” isn’t referring to order but preeminence
Jesus wasn’t the first to be raised from the dead: During His earthly ministry, he raised at least three individuals from the dead – the daughter of Jairus, the widows son, and Lazarus…so we’re not talking about any particular order
Paul's point: He’s not the first to be raised, but He’s certainly the most important
THE DIFFERENCE: While Lazarus was restored to life, he’d eventually die…same with the others. Yet here we are, a couple thousand years after the resurrection of Jesus and we can sing with joy and confidence: HE LIVES!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Sufficiency
Verse 19 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell’
The false teachers of Colossae taught that more than Jesus was required
The Gnostics believed that divine powers were distributed among many, but Paul says here, CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
“All the fullness of God dwelled in Him” - Not some of Gods attributes, a few of Gods character traits, even most of Gods nature: ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD
Dwelled in Him: not around Him, upon Him but IN HIM
He has no rival, needs no supplement and is not deficient in anything! Christ is sufficient!
- He Is Head Of The Church Because Of His Salvation
Verse 20“By Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross”
Reality: Man has a great need. He has sinned and his sin has separated Him from God. Because of this, he is deserving of just wrath of God and there's nothing that he can do, in and of himself, to right the wrongs that he has done. His sin has separated him from God.
Paul goes on in the text to call those who are separated from the Father because of their sin alienated. He says they are marked as such by their wicked works and worthless minds. He tells the Colossian Church that this is who they once were.
Yet just a few verses later, he calls them, "Holy, blameless, above reproach"
WHAT HAPPENED?
They found peace with God through the blood of the cross. Paul calls this reconciliation.
Only Jesus can bring about that reconciliation. Only Jesus can save!
DIG: Reread Colossians 1:15-23
DISCOVER: What does this passage tell us about the person and work of Jesus?
DELIGHT: What truths about Jesus do you see in this passage that bring you joy and why?
DECLARE: Who in your life needs to hear what you've learned in this passage and how will you be intentional about sharing it with them?