Colossians 1:15

Lafayette Advent Christian Church

Pastor Arthur Potter

January 21, 2001

Have you noticed the enemy has as number one on his agenda, to prove that God does not exist. Of course he knows that God does exist, but he does not want us to know. So he goes to and fro across the face of the earth and he does have some people convinced. We Christians would counter that argument with something like,

“If God does not exist, then how do you explain the earth in all of its’ complexities?”

They say,”Big Bang.”

We say, “No way, the earth was created with order not chaos.”

They say, “Man came together out of the primordial soup.”

We say, “Man was fearfully and wonderfully made. God counts the number of hairs that we have on our head.”

Now having a hard time convincing people about God he attacks Jesus. If he can cast doubts about Jesus, if he can cast doubt about the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ then that will be a soul that will not see the kingdom of God. Make no mistake, he is clever, he is conniving, he is patient, and he is subtle. He will wait for the opportunity to get his foot in the door, and he will jump in.

Look at what he did in the garden, so long ago…

GE 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"

He cast the doubt, that was all it took. He doesn’t care who you are or where you’re at. He attacked Jesus on the cross. MT 27:39-40 “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

Today some are as blatant most are subtle. Look at the trash that is playing on your television, or in the movie theater. Sadly people let that perception shape their thoughts about God and Jesus, and because their minds are already made up with that twisted example these people will not come to a church. If that wasn’t bad enough it doesn’t end there. Today we have the internet. There is a site on the internet that is completely unbelievable to those who have the truth of God’s word. It is a project that is designed to help the Second coming of Christ…by cloning Jesus. A quote from their website…

“No longer can we rely on hope and prayer, waiting around futilely for Jesus to return. We have the technology to bring him back right now. There is no reason moral, legal or Biblical, not to take advantage of it.” “In order to save the world from sin, we must clone Jesus to initiate the second coming of Christ.” The Second Coming Project

Their goal is to have a virgin impregnated (a second virgin birth!) by April of 2001 so that the baby will be born by December 25, 2001.

Some are subtle…To suggest that Jesus would need our help to complete God’s plan. In some way God was too weak, too busy, or has forgotten about us. Here is that human thinking again saying that we have to save ourselves. The blood of Jesus Christ was not powerful enough.

So the question is, Where is the church? Where is God’s people?

EPH 6:10-11 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

This is the kind of thinking that the Apostle Paul is against in Colosse. The thinking there was that Jesus was not who He claimed to be. The enemy had made his way in to sow that seed of doubt. Listen to what Paul has to say in response.

COL 1:15-23 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And 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. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and 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. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But 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-- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”