Who is Jesus? Who are You?
Love and wisdom, God and you
Colossians 1:13 – 23
The passage answers two questions:
• Most importantly, who is Jesus?
• Then, as a result of His identity, who am I?
The passage begins and ends with an assessment of who the Colossians were compared with who they have become.
But, by far the centerpiece and focal point of the passage is Paul’s huge point of identifying Jesus.
Who was I?
As Paul introduces the passage, he describes the Colossians in terms of what they have been delivered from. Colossea is a has-been city, small and eclipsed in significance by a "newer" city, Laodicea. However, Colossea has had a proud history as a center of religion and philosophy.
Paul does not yet go into the ideas that cause Colossae problems. He just refers to them as having been delivered "from the power of darkness." He emphasizes that it was not just a matter of thoughts, but says, "you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds."
Paul doesn’t go into it here. He does not explain what the evil deeds are. The fact that he can mention them in passing at the beginning of the letter and not expound means that the Colossians knew what deeds he was talking about. He did not need to explain.
That’s the way it is with us. If you are like me, when your mother or dad sat you down and said, "I know what you did." I would not be inclined so much to believe immediately that they were wrong, as I would wonder, "which time? How do they know?"
The sin in our lives makes us prisoners of the darkness of fear and doubt. The things we do that are wrong are not all simply mistakes. They grow out of minds that have been conditioned in an evil world and are assaulted by Satan. They come from hearts that are drawn away by sinful desires. Our sin whatever it is, is no surprise to us and we know how tenacious its hold on our lives was before we knew Jesus, and can still become.
But then Jesus comes into the picture
And who is He?
He is the image of the invisible God. What is that? How can you have an image of something that can’t be seen? It is interesting to me, because of two facts:
We are made in God’s image. In one sense, though certainly not in the same sense, we are the image of the invisible God. This is secondary, because of the method of our creation:
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness ...." (Genesis 1:26 NET)
The "us" in this introduction is the trinity God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this way, we are the image of both the Father and the Son. As much as we can be the image of God the Father and His Son, who was at the time invisible, so the Son is the image of the invisible Father.
Another phrase that comes to mind is something said by Jesus Himself in response to a question:
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content." Jesus replied, "Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ’Show us the Father’?
(John 14:8-9 NET)
It is as if Jesus is saying: If the Father could be seen, He would look like Me.
Paul is forceful in his identification of Jesus with the Creator God, not just as His Son, but as being one and the same with Him. Paul calls him "the firstborn over all creation,"
Then, in order to avoid misunderstanding Paul says exactly what he means:
all things in heaven and on earth were created by him whether
• visible or invisible,
• thrones or dominions,
• principalities or powers --
all things were created through him and for him.
In other parts of the book we are told about the spiritual confusion that the Colossians experienced, no doubt, brought on by the confluence of pagan religions and philosophies in their society. So Paul makes it clear that nothing, whether physical, societal or spiritual exists without the power of Jesus. He is the Creator.
This section of Scripture is vitally important. The whole teaching of the trinity draws incredible strength from this passage. When you are through with this passage, if you are at all familiar with the first part of Genesis, you can only conclude that Paul taught:
Jesus is God
Paul in unity with the other apostles presented Him in this light:
The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.
(John 1:2-3 NET)
Or, as Paul put it here
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
One of the big sticking points for people over Christianity is we say Jesus is the only way to God. We have no choice. Jesus claims to be much more than that. He is God. How can we assume there is another way to God except Jesus, when Jesus, who is God, gave us no other way?
But Paul isn’t done. It is not enough to establish the relationship of Jesus with the Father. He continues by extending us into the relationship. Not only is Jesus:
the firstborn over all creation
He is
the firstborn from among the dead
Jesus, embodying the whole persona of God the Father came to this earth to suffer on the cross and die. He did this for a very specific and very special reason.
It is because of who we are without Him
• Prisoners of the power of darkness
• Strangers and enemies of God
• Full of evil deeds
All these things Paul said the Colossians were before they embraced the hope of the Gospel, all of us are from the time we are born. This is the reason for Jesus’ death.
• If death is the natural consequence of being a sinful enemy of God, estranged through our bondage to sin.
• Then Jesus, the creator of the universe, the very image and essence of the Father, claimed our sin and took that death, in order to be reconciled to us.
• Then He rose from the dead and under His own bodily power, demonstrated His authority.
By right of creation, all humanity belongs to God
But humans rebelled and left Him
So by right of purchase those who will come to Christ belong to Him once again
• Imagine, the God described in the First Testament,
• The Messiah presented to us by Isaiah and the other prophets
• The power of life and death
• Power over all spiritual forces, no matter what they are
Are all wrapped up in Jesus. And He came to establish His own kingdom and to invite you ... all people ... to be a part.
He is the head of all believers who make up the church. It is His. He made it, and He bought it back.
By this power, what can I become?
Look again at the old you that has been:
• Strangers to God
• Enemies of God
• Sinful
• Prisoners of darkness
And look at the God you would be accepting:
• The Creator of everything
• The Sustainer of the universe
• The Savior of the Church
• Firstborn of creation
• Firstborn from the dead
Most of you have already accepted Him. God is making of you and wants to make of all of us a new version: You 2.0.
• Forgiven
• Reconciled
• Holy
• Without blemish
• Blameless
You can leave all the horrible things you’ve done in the past behind. You can clear up the barrier between you and God. You can actually be worthy to stand before Him unashamed. It isn’t in your own power that you can do this, it is in the incomparable power of the one who created the heavens and the earth and who conquered death – all so He could bring you back to His father!
The kingdom of God is like a home
The father and son never could get along. The boy was constantly in trouble and the father was harsh in his attempts to correct him.
F: What have you done this time?
S: What difference does it make? You always take the other side no matter what I say.
F: If you weren’t such a trouble maker, I might be able to trust you.
S: If you would trust me a little you might see that some of the "trouble" as you call it has another side to the story.
F: What other side? You constantly bring shame on yourself and your family wth your irresponsible ways and shady friends.
The shouting match continues, but the words are unimportant, because neither is listening. It is a replay of a hundred quarrels. The son’s accusations, the father’s ultimatums reach feaver pitch and the fight ends the way they all do. The son turns on his heals and walks out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
What the father does not know is that this time is different. His son does not come back in time for dinner. This is not new, it has happened a dozen times. He does not come home to sleep. This is not unique, he’s done that a time or two. But the next day stretches on and the son does not come home. The mother sits down with the father during dinner.
M: What happened?
F: I don’t know. He was being unreasonable as always.
M: What did you say?
F: I told him he was a trouble maker.
M: That wasn’t very helpful.
F: I suppose it wasn’t.
M: Where did he go?
F: He didn’t say.
M: Maybe we should make some calls.
F: He’ll be back.
M: Aren’t you a little concerned?
F: He has friends. He’ll be fine.
The father goes into his study and closes the door, the mother sits by the phone and begins calling her son’s friends to see if she can find him. No one is willing to say that they have seen him. Yes, they’ve heard from him and he is angry. No, they don’t know where he went. The mother bends her head, depressed and frustrated. She makes one more call, and this time it is right. Her son’s friend puts him on the phone.
M: Son, come back home.
S: Why? So dad can berate me some more?
M: He dosn’t mean it.
S: Then why does he say it so often?
M: He really loves you, I love you.
S: I really don’t think I can put up with it any more.
M: Please.
S: No, mom. I love you, but He is too much. Good bye.
She hangs up the phone and is lost in thought. The father comes out of the study.
F: What’s wrong?
M: I think I know where he is.
F: Where.
M: He is at that tall boy’s house. The one that lives four blocks over, beyond the traffic light.
F: Is he coming home?
M: No, he is still angry with you.
F: What do you think we should do?
M: I’m going after him.
F: I’ll come along.
The two leave and quickly walk a few blocks. At the traffic light in the glare of a street lamp near a coffee shop, they see him. He is standing with his back to them. The tall boy he is talking with sees them and points. He turns, looks with surprise and begins walking up the street, away from them.
The mother calls out: Wait!
He keeps walking.
She rushes after him. She does not see the truck bearing down on the intersection. The father shouts, the son turns, brakes whine, but it is too late. The tall boy at the corner pulls out a phone and begins frantically punching in 911. The son turns and rushes back to the street. The father is immediately at her side, gently holding her head in his hands. The driver comes around, "I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry ... I couldn’t stop."
The son rushes into the street where he kneels on the other side of his mother, speaking gently to her. As he looks up he see’s his father’s eyes, distorted by tears. Great sadness is in his face as he sees his son across from him, "I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry ... I couldn’t stop," he says.
The two men, kneeling in the road, realize together that they really do have something in common, a love for this woman who completely disregarded herself, to bring them together.
Many people see God as an unreasonable parent, a maker of rules and unrealistic expectations. Many walk away from him convinced that they will never experience freedom unless they do.
Jesus, the magnificent creator of the universe. God’s son, God’s self, gave Himself to bring you back. Like the mother in the story, His own well being meant less to Him than our relationship with the Father.
And we come back. Amazed at Jesus’ sacrifice, and grateful that He came. Fearful of the consequences of ignoring His path, slowly coming to the realization that without God there is no freedom.
So we return.
Many, probably most of you have already done this. That is wonderful.
Some of you are probably sitting there thinking the whole thing is not this simple. That it is a lot more complicated than I am presenting it. Well, in a way you are right.
Paul did put a proviso in the contract: "... if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard."
For me, this sentence presents a dilemma. Many people I respect and love have taught that a person may never be separated from his or her salvation. Some say that this verse teaches that a person truly saved is confirmed by the fact that they do not stray.
This is not the way it looks to me, no matter how thoroughly I examine it. Paul was a Jew. The teaching was that people who neglected the covenant would be cut off from God. In that vein, translated into the Way of Christ, Paul was teaching that there is a need for perseverance, a need to avoid "shifting from the hope of the gospel."
In some ways, it does not matter. If a person is truly in Christ, he or she will not stray is one way of expressing that if a person does stray, they are not in Christ.
So, if you are living apart from the hope either you never had it or you have abandoned it. Either way, you are living apart from Jesus, and this is not a good place to be.
On the other hand, if we take the meaning in its simplest and plainest sense, here is what Paul is saying:
You have been reconciled to God, and you will be presented before Him as blameless and holy ... if you do not abandon that reconciliation.
This has great resonance with Jesus’ words:
Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62 NET)
There are dark echoes all through the scripture that warn us of the terrible consequences of stepping away from the faith. On the other hand, there are strong encouragements to persevere, if necessary even to the death, and that there are great rewards for those who do.
In the end, I don’t think it makes much difference. If you don’t live in the hope of the gospel, either you never had it or you have shifted away from it. Either way, you are without hope.
If you have not decided to wholly give your life to Him, you are not part of His kingdom. This is an all or nothing proposition. If you haven’t given all, you haven’t given anything.
Jesus is the Creator of hope. His work on the cross can reconcile you to the Father. The sin in your life can be a rebellion that keeps you apart from Him, or you can accept His offer of redemption.
He will give it Freely. He will transform you into His own image. Holding firmly to the hope we have in Christ is part of what it means to be transformed by Him.
Please, give yourself to the Messiah.
The Savior.
Our God.
