Mission Of The Reconciled Series

Colossians 1

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul’s Labor for the Church

24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

I. The Plan of Our Reconciliation

Colossians 1

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. I wonder what it would have been like to have been one of God’s angels watching it all. When God created the galaxies, stars, and the planets, the angels must have said: “Wow! How much more could God create?”

Then God created the earth. He separated the blue sky, separated the ocean from the land. He created topographical wonders. He drove His hand in what would one day be Arizona and dug out the Grand Canyon. In Central Asia, He pushed up the earth and created the breathtaking Himalayan peaks.

In the oceans, He created islands of extraordinary beauty. In the arctic and Antarctic, he created massive glaciers. And the angels must have said: “Wow! How much more could God create?”

Then God created the plants and animals. He created the great redwoods of California that towered to the sky. He created massive dinosaurs. He created fish and great whales to fill the sea. He created wondrous animals, like a caterpillar that would transform into a butterfly.

He created eagles and other birds of beauty to fill the sky. He created horses and buffalo to fill the ranges. And the angels must have said: “Wow! How much more could God create?”

You know, when it comes to animals, I believe that the platypus must have been the last animal God created before He created man. God in Heaven must have looked upon His work bench and He saw these left over parts. He saw part of a beaver, a duck bill, and an egg-laying reproductive system.

Not being One to waste anything, God decided to put it all together to create the platypus. When God created the platypus, the angels must have said: “Wow! How much more could God create?”

Then God rolled up His sleeve and drove His hands into the earth. He began to shape what was in His hands, and then He breathed life into it. And it became a man. He was unlike anything else God created in the Universe. He could think. He had a soul.

But Adam, you see, was a bachelor. And being a bachelor, I’m quite sure he was trashing up the Garden of Eden. You know, he was probably leaving banana peels everywhere. So God decided He needed to create someone to keep man in line. So He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and then crafted from one of his ribs—woman. And the angels must have said: “How much more perfect could creation be?”