He Is: The Power Of Christ For The Problems Of Life Series

The most powerful and stirring songs of the Christian Faith draw our attention to Jesus Christ! Ancient Hymns like

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

Crown Him with Many Crowns

Gospel songs like

How Great Thou Art

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Praise and Worship Songs like

Behold Our God

Jesus, Only Jesus

Our WORSHIP is directed to Jesus Christ

Today’s Passage is a HYMN of the Christian Church.

Colossians 1:15–20 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

This passage contains Seven Attributes of Jesus Christ.

Seven is the number of God’s perfection, and it is not a coincidence that this Hymn lists seven statements describing the perfection of Jesus Christ

Concerning the grandeur of this passage, Norm Geisler writes: “No comparable listing of so many characteristics of Christ and His deity are found in any other Scripture passage” Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 672.

Here, we will examine each of these seven attributes

1. HE IS GOD MADE KNOWN TO US. (15) The image of the invisible God...

a. Greek word the word from which we derive our English word icon. This word can reference a likeness of something, like the image of a Caesar on on a coin.

b. But the word meant something deeper to the people of Colossae in the first century.

c. Emphasis here is that Jesus is the perfect representation of God the Father.

d. John 1:18 "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known."

e. Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)."

2. HE IS THE RULER OF ALL THINGS. (15) The firstborn over all creation.

a. As FIRSTBORN, Christ preceded the creation of the physical world.

b. As FIRSTBORN, Christ is SOVEREIGN over the creation

c. Matthew 3:17 "and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”"

d. Hebrews 2:6–9 “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, ....... At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

3. HE IS THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD. Col 1:16–17 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

a. Creator: “all things were created in heaven and earth......

i. Christ’s creation of the physical world

ii. Christ’s creation of the spiritual world (angels)

iii. THROUGH HIM - he is the AGENT

iv. FOR HIM - he is the OBJECT

b. Sustainer “In Him all things hold together”

i. Written BEFORE humans understood the physics of the ATOM

ii. Written BEFORE the understanding of ELECTRICAL CHARGE

iii. Scientists speak of Four Forces at work in our world.

(1) Gravity

(2) Electromagnatism.

(3) Weak Force

(4) Strong Force

iv. The Strong Force is a power within the nucleus of each atom holding the positively charged electrons in place.

v. Without the Strong Force, the charge on the electrons would cause them to repel one another, just like two positive sides of a magnet would repel one another.

vi. What science cannot fully explain, the Bible sets forth in language unavailable to a First Century writer. When Paul writes about Jesus that “in Him all things hold together” he provides a statement that is consistent with scientific discoveries that would remain unknown for almost 2 millennia!

c. Critics mock Christians who proclaim that Jesus holds the world together.