Great Is The Lord Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• I want to flash some names on the screen. I want you to think about why people consider these people to be great.

• SLIDE #2

• Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, George Washington, Billy Graham.

• There are some impressive names on the list, I could have continued to list people for the whole service.

• The point we are making here is that with all the people listed above, we know what makes people consider them to be great, to be a cut above the rest of the crowd.

• These are people that given the opportunity, many of us would like to be able to be a part of their lives, to be able to share in their glory some how, some way.

• Now I want to toss another name up on the screen for you to consider.

• SLIDE #3

• Jesus!

• What is it that makes Him great? Is there something about Him that makes you want to follow Him, something that makes you want to have Him be a part of your life?

• When Paul penned this letter to the Colossian Church, there were people who were saying a lot of false things about Jesus.

• With the movie the Da Vinci Code coming out, it seems like old times.

• Today we are going to look at five things that make Jesus great. These are five things that should make us want to follow Him and have Him be the center of our lives.

• Turn with me to Colossians 1:13-20 this morning.

• SLIDES #4-#7

• Colossians 1:13-20

• Today let us examine what makes Jesus great!

• The first reason we can consider Him great is:

• SLIDE #8

SERMON

I. HE RESCUED US. (13-14)

• One of the things we need to understand is that before we came to Jesus, we were literally drowning in our sins.

• We were being taken under the water by sin.

• The word “rescued” is particularly connected with the Old Testament concept of God’s rescue of His people from various situations of adversity (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon).

• Here, however, the concept has been turned into a spiritual metaphor. Christians have been delivered "from the dominion of darkness", the realm of moral and intellectual "darkness" accruing from man’s self-alienation from God

• The domain or dominion of darkness includes spiritually, physically, and intellectually.

• Jesus was the one who jumped into the water to save us from our sins.

• Verse 13 tells us that He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son.

• God the Father rescued us through Jesus.

• The word “transferred” means to “carry across the line. He carried us across the line that separated us from the Father.

• God not only “qualified” us to be in His Kingdom, but He also carries us over the finish line!

• Verse 14 speaks of us being redeemed by the Son. Redeem means to rescue or deliver from something from which we cannot deliver ourselves.

• SLIDE #9

• 1 Peter 1:17 - 19 (NASB) 17And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

• We cannot save ourselves; Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we might be saved!

• He did what you cannot do for yourself. That great act of sacrifice makes Him great; it makes Him worthy of praise!

• We have been rescued from the stain and guilt of sin! Our sins have been forgiven because of Him. To many this is not a big issue because we play down the concept of sin so much in our society, but believe me, you will not enter into Heaven carrying your own burden of sin.

• Let us look a second reason He is great!

• SLIDE #10

II. HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. (15)

• If you watch any NBA, you will hear a lot of people asking who the next Michael Jordan will be. You also hear a lot of people compare LeBron James to Jordan.

• In sports, people always want to know who the next person is going to be like the previous star of the league or the team.

• People do not have to ask who the next savior will be or who the next God will be because Jesus is the image of the invisible God.