Jesus Christ, the Preeminent One who Reconciles
Given at Fellowship Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
October 2009
I. We can be reconciled because of Who He is (15-19)
----- A. Verse 15
---------- 1. Image/Display/Embodiment (15)
---------- 2. Preeminent (15)
----- B. Verse 16
----------1. Creator of All Things (16)
----- C. Verse 17
---------- 1. Preexistent (17)
---------- 2. Sustainer of all things (17)
----- D. Verse 18
---------- 1. Head of the Church (18)
---------- 2. Beginning & End (18)
---------- 3. Firstborn from the Dead (18)
----- E. Verse 19
---------- 1. Fully Divine in nature (19)
II. We can be reconciled because of What He has done (19-20, 22)
----- A. He came in the flesh (19)
----- B. He reconciled all things to Himself (20, 22)
----- C. He made peace through His Blood (20, 22)
III. We can be reconciled regardless of our past (21-23)
----- A. ONCE (21)
---------- 1. We were alienated
---------- 2. We were hostile in our minds
---------- 3. We performed evil deeds
----- B. NOW (22)
---------- 1. He reconciled us through His sacrifice
----- C. BUT (23)
---------- 1. You need to persevere
--------------- a. Continue in the faith
--------------- b. Do not shift or revert into prior philosophies
Text: Colossians 1:15-23 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 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.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 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.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Intro:
If you’ve been with us the last 6 months, we’ve gone through the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, and as Pastor Matt pointed out in the series, it’s easy in a very secular view to focus on the brilliance of the Light as opposed to our spiritual bankruptcy that is made clear by the Light. It’s also very common to focus on the moral message and to ignore who the Light is.
Last week, Bobby Elder brought us an affirming message from John 17 of Christ’s concern and care for His disciples – even His disciples today. This morning, we will be looking some more at the person of Christ and His care for us, and in particular, His supremacy and preeminence over all, and His work of reconciliation done on the Cross.
Before we go deeper into the text, let’s pray.
Prayer
Illustration/Story: I used to collect basketball cards. This was way back in the early 90s, though I still have held on to them. Basketball cards took off well after baseball cards, and each brand over time had its own unique features. Some were UV coated, others had gold foil on them, some had extensive stats, and some just had the best ‘insert cards’ or special cards that you’d find with varying odds per pack. When I started collecting, there were only a few major brands – Fleer, Topps, Upper Deck. However, in the next few years, new brands started to branch off of the old, and some new competitors came into the forefront, as well. After a short while, there were TONS of brands. Many of the brands would take one good feature of another brand and then change everything else to make it unique. It was like a smorgasbord of questionable usefulness, and it was often very confusing to choose given the vast number of trading card brand options.
Anyway, this is similar to the way philosophies were in 60 AD, in the time of the boom of the Colossian church. Many simple philosophical theories would be ‘borrowed from’, and other more complicated and sometimes completely different philosophies would branch off. In Colossae, there was a smorgasbord of empty philosophy, and many held eclectic beliefs about existence and the world around them.
Context:
Many of the Colossians had abandoned various heresies and empty philosophies to follow Christ, so Paul was savvy to the fact that they could have temptation to try to justify and revert to their past ways if pressed hard enough.
It’s pretty clear that to this point, Paul had not visited the assembly at Colosse. Paul mentions Epaphras in Colossians 1:7-8 as the first messenger who preached the Gospel to them. Epaphras was also called ‘one of them’ in Colossians 4, so he was likely a native Colossian who heard and returned evangelistically to tell his people about Jesus.
Paul had a tie to that area through his fellow-laborer Epaphras, and so this letter was written. Paul wrote this letter from prison (just as he did Philippians) around 60 AD to the church at Colossae, and it was also to be read by the assembly of believers in Laodicea, which was within about 10 miles in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). So it would also be fairly accurate to call this letter Colossians and Laodiceans, though primarily, it was sent to the Colossians.
Paul wrote the book of Colossians for a few main reasons:
- To express his desire for them to grow in Christ, both in holiness and love
- To encourage them by reminding them what blessings they have in Christ, as well as reminding them of the utter supremacy of Christ.
- To warn the Colossians about various heresies and incorrect philosophies, and to persuade them to continue in the way of the Cross.
Our text today is Colossians 1:15-23, and it includes a very Christological text, meaning that it talks a great deal about who Christ is, and it also includes a section reflecting on our reconciled status through His sacrifice for us – His Death and Resurrection. The first part of the text, verses 15-20, is known as a ‘Christ Hymn’ – Philippians 2 is an example of another. It reflects on and essentially ‘sings out’ who Christ is and what He has done. A common theme in this passage is Jesus’ supremacy or preeminence – His status is unparalleled.
Given Jesus’ preeminence in both person and deed, Paul also gives us the common thread of reconciliation – we can be brought back to right relationship with God. This is key – it’s how Paul is applying Jesus’ ministry to the Colossian church. As we will discuss this morning, Paul puts forth in this passage that we can be reconciled in relationship with Christ because of who He is and what He has done, and for us, this is true regardless of our past.
We’ve read the full text, but for each major section, we will read the corresponding verses to keep up with the text.
Notes
I. We can be reconciled because of Who He is (15-18)
Paul uses the word ‘all’ a ton in this passage.
Illustration: Stereotypes: Today’s society is afraid of saying ‘all’ in the fear of labeling things stereotypically. Sometimes there is an exception. In this case, we see that Paul has no fear in using the term ‘all’ – everything is under Jesus. It’s not an incorrect blanket statement to note that Jesus is above all, and that He sustains all things. Paul’s use of ‘all’ should point to the truth that Christ is ‘all’ in all significance.
Let’s read verses 15-19:
(See Text)
A. Verse 15
1. Image/Display/Embodiment (15)
Image of the invisible God – God revealed to us visibly
Remember that we are created in the “Image of God,” as is noted in Genesis 1:26? There is a slight distinction between Colossians’ and Genesis’ use of the term ‘image’, and both deal with context:
“Image and Likeness” in Genesis 1:26
The two terms used in Hebrew (transliterated): tselem -- form or likeness, as a shadow of, damut -- likeness or similitude (can be related to functionality)
These could be taken as two parallel terms referring to the same thing, relating to the functionality of man as ‘having dominion.’ The only verb in the verse is 'rule' or 'have dominion' Just as God rules over all, man functions as a ruler over God's creation on earth.
What does being in God's Image signify from Genesis 1:
- We have dominion over creation: Later in verse 28, two of God's commands to mankind are to 'subdue' creation and 'rule' over it.
- A special position -- nothing else in creation was made in God's Image.
- We are of great individual importance to God, so ultimately, our treatment of others should be done with this in mind.
However, us being in God’s Image does not mean that we are the express visible embodiment of God. How does Colossians use this term? We know that Jesus came visibly, and unlike us, He was God in the flesh. I hate to break it to you, but we are not Divine.
Here, image is in the context of what is seen visibly and in full form. Jesus is the full embodiment of God, and people both saw and heard Jesus in a very literal way during His ministry on earth.
2. Preeminent (15)
What is preeminence? From several dictionaries, you will see definitions and synonyms such as:
Superior
Surpassing
Distinguished
Peerless
Above all else
Here in verse 15, Paul mentions that Jesus was the Preeminent one of all Creation. Some translations translate this directly as ‘firstborn’:
Jesus as ‘firstborn’
- Firstborn (only Begotten) from the Father
- Firstborn of Mary
- Firstborn from the dead
- Firstborn of/over Creation
Prototokos – ‘first born’ or ‘preeminent’
- Can refer to ‘Priority in Time’ (temporal)
- Can refer to ‘Supremacy in Rank’ (status)
Paul is stressing Jesus’ place over all creation as well as His headship of the Church, as Paul notes in verse 18.
This verse is NOT saying that Jesus was the first being ever Created. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons suggest that Paul is saying that Jesus was the first being Created (or that He was merely Lucifer's brother), and thereby denying Jesus’ Divinity.
John 17:5 - And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
(Jesus was there before the world existed)
John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14 makes it very clear (as well as the rest of the chapter) that the Word was Jesus – Made flesh & dwelt among us.
(Jesus was there before time as we know it began)
B. Verse 16
1. Creator of All Things (16)
By Him all things were created in heaven and on earth
He is the Creator of all things!
“In heaven and on earth” – Both on earth and in the vast expanse of everything surrounding (i.e. this refers to both birds as well as planets)
// John 1:3 - All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Visible & Invisible – Jesus made everything seen and unseen. Relating to Invisible things, He created the wind, forces such as gravity and other magnetic forces, things we cannot see but sense and feel and experience. This is definitely true. However, the Invisible is most likely referring to the spiritual realm. He’s created angels, both faithful and fallen, and there’s very much a battle for souls going on in the spiritual realm even today.
Thrones & Dominions – High places of power
Rulers & Authorities – Those whom God has ordained and allowed to have reign over others
All things were created through Him and for Him – Paul here stresses His sovereignty and centrality.
‘All things were created’ can also be translated here, ‘All things have been created’. Things were not just at one time created for Him, but all things are for Christ currently, as well.
Challenge: It’s easy to have a self-centered approach to the world. I do believe some of this is natural, as God has given us the awareness of the need to take care of ourselves, both physically and spiritually. However, how many times have we tried to pursue our own glory in life or put ourselves above others in our own minds?
Our utmost goal is to pursue God’s glory and in our own worldview, how much would we be transformed if we always kept in mind the centrality and magnitude of the person of Christ?
C. Verse 17
1. Preexistent (17)
Before all things – Here is the temporal (or time-related) statement – He preexists the universe.
Remember from John, ‘the same was in the beginning with God’? Jesus was not Created – rather, He was the Creator.
He not only was, but He also continues to be, as is noted in the statement:
2. Sustainer of all things (17)
In Him all things hold together
Illustration: Jesus is essentially the lynchpin. I say, ‘essentially’ because the lynchpin is the weak part of the analogy. My dad has helped organize the Antique Farm Machinery building at the State Fair for the last several years, and you may see several items on some of the older tractors called ‘lynchpins’.
Lynchpin – a fastener patented by Nathaniel Lynch in 1727, invented to keep wheels from spinning off chaotically. Likewise, Christ holds all things together in all of Creation, and for a purpose. He is the central part of salvation history, and without Him, we would be without hope.
We see the Sovereignty and Sustaining power of Jesus in this passage:
Sovereign – He is in control. His ultimate purpose will be brought about.
Sustaining power – He holds all things together. Without Him continually sustaining things, everything would fall apart!
D. Verse 18
1. Head of the Church (18)
Head of the body, the Church
// Ephesians 5 – Husbands and wives – husbands are the head and are to love their wives sacrificially. This is patterned after and should point to Jesus as the head of the Church and His sacrificial love for us.
Church – assembly of all believers.
Ekklesia – ek + kaleo = ‘Called out’ ones
Peter notes that we are ‘called out’:
1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Jesus purchased us, called us out, and we are Blood-bought. Paul talks to the leaders at Ephesus in Acts 20:28:
Acts 20:28 – Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
2. The Firstborn from the Dead (18)
The Beginning & the Firstborn from the dead
- He is the Beginning
- He brought about a New Beginning by His end
(Alpha & Omega)
- He is the preeminent one from the dead
Romans 8:11 - If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
- If we are in Christ, we will follow suit in resurrection…
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
So from verses 15-18, we see that the preeminence of Christ as a person.
Verses 19-20 also speak to Jesus’ personhood, but they transition into talking about the work He has done in reconciling sinful man to Himself through His death. Not only is Jesus worthy to reconcile us to good standing because of who He is, but He is also worthy to reconcile us because of what He has done.
II. We can be reconciled because of what He has done (19-20)
(See Text)
E. Verse 19
1. Fully Divine in Nature (19)
Jesus’ Divinity
This is an important statement – the fullness of God dwells in the Son. He is not the Father, and He is not the Holy Spirit, but He is fully God. Jesus was both fully God, and fully man.
A. He came in the flesh (19)
Remember earlier in the passage, Jesus is described as the image of the invisible God. He is fully the embodiment of God. One of the major things He did for us is come down to us in the flesh. So again, one man with two natures. Paul is going against several heresies in Colossians:
One of the heresies going around in the time of the Early Church was that Jesus only came in a symbolic or spiritual body. This was part of the ‘Gnostic’ heresy. We will discuss what is lost if Jesus did not come in the flesh a little bit further on in the message, so keep that in mind.
Some of the other heresies going on in the day that Paul covers in Colossians:
- A denial of Jesus’ Humanity
- A denial of Jesus’ sole Divinity (Gnostic ‘Demiurge’ idea)
- Jesus as Creator – Gnostics believed that all matter was evil, and that
Creation did not happen out of nothing – the evil brought about this world…somehow.
- A requirement of holding to all Old Testament festivals and customs as a means to salvation (see Colossians 2).
- Angel worship (Colossians 2:18)
- The idea that enlightenment or knowledge is above faith (cf. Colossians 2:8 & Gnostic philosophy). It is never for Christians to hide what they know about Jesus. It is our duty and privilege to tell others about Jesus. Remember in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, where Jesus mentions that we are to be as a light on display, shining forth to the world?
- An insistence on giving everything up and living a life of asceticism as a means to salvation (Colossians 2:18).
And so we see that Paul was very on-point and astute in warning his readers about dangerous and destructive worldviews at the time.
What is lost if Jesus did not come fully human?
- Relevance
- He would not have been a fitting sacrifice once-and-for-all (Hebrews discusses this in great detail)
Scripture does discuss Jesus’ humanity in great detail, and this is very important – We see His temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, the strain He had during His prayer from John 17, and that He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin in Hebrews 4. So He did come literally ‘in the flesh.’ For example, Thomas could actually touch Jesus’ wounds after His Resurrection.
What is lost if Jesus were not fully God?
- Sin nature
- If Jesus had sinned or were tainted by sin’s curse, again, He would not have been a fitting sacrifice without blemish.
So part of who Jesus was in identity was also what He did – He was with us in the flesh.
B. He reconciled all things to Himself (20, 22)
To reconcile to Himself all things…Making peace by the Blood of His Cross…
Reconciliation & Pacification
- Reconciliation: All things were Created in, through, and for Jesus, and yet there has been a break due to our involvement in sin. Jesus’ death can bring us back into right relationship with Himself.
B. He made peace through His Blood (20, 22)
- Pacification: The wrath of God sits on us without Jesus’ mediation. Appeasing wrath – we are in a fallen world – because of sin, without reconciliation, we are the enemies of God, as in Romans 5.
Romans 5 also makes clear – what are we ‘saved’ from? God’s just and righteous wrath.
III. We can be reconciled regardless of our past (21-23)
Why was Paul mentioning the supremacy and preeminence of Christ? Part of this has purpose in showing the spiritual riches which the believers at Colossae (and Laodicea) had in Christ, and even more, Paul is discussing the utmost worthiness of Jesus to reconcile us to Himself through His death. The Colossians had followed paths that led to destruction, but many came to know the Lord and were now ‘called out’ to live a life of holiness before God.
In verses 21-23, we see that regardless of their past, Christ had successfully brought them back to a right relationship with Himself, and it is true for those who believe today.
(See Text)
ONCE/NOW/BUT
A. ONCE… (21)
Alienated – Paul acknowledges the barrier between us and God because of His justice and our sinfulness. We are estranged from God without His reconciliation.
Hostile Minds – Bent to do evil or wrong
Evil deeds
// Romans 8 – The one operating in the flesh (unredeemed) cannot please God
This is very counter-cultural, especially for those who believe that humans are inherently good. Paul uses very vivid adjectives in describing our standing before God before redemption. Hostile minds, doing evil deeds, alienated from God…
Romans 5 – described as ‘enemies of God’ before God transforms us
What is unseen – The Holy Spirit does a miraculous work when God changes us.
B. NOW… (22)
You were once alienated, but NOW you are brought near to Christ… - Serious contrast
Some of the purposes of Jesus’ sacrifice for us is mentioned here in verse 22:
- Reconciliation – brought back to correct order.
---- We see Jesus’ cosmic significance and His relationship to Creation.
---- Paul acknowledges the rift or barrier between us and God in verse 21. We ONCE were alienated, but NOW, we can be brought back to redeemed status before God through Jesus Christ.
- To present us holy and blameless and above reproach
(Illustration -- trading cups -- He took on our sin, we take on His righteousness, cf. 2 Cor. 5:21): We are given (imputed) Christ’s righteousness through faith in Him, being made spotless and without fault.
C. BUT… (23)
1. You need to persevere (23)
a. Continue in the Faith
--- Be Stable – Don’t be shaken.
--- Be Steadfast – Keep going/trudging along.
b. Do not shift or revert into prior philosophies
We see Paul giving his readers a conditional statement with both positive and negative parts: If you continue… and you don’t shift….
Paul gives his readers a warning not to turn back to their previous ways.
Don’t turn to false solutions – In today’s society, there are so many alternatives. However, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and nobody comes to the Father except through Him.
Just as Colossae had many philosophies and worldviews, there are arguably tons more today. Just as the Colossians, we should take note of this conditional statement and heed Paul’s warning:
We need to persevere
// Galatians 6:9 – We will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary…
// Hebrews 12 – This is a marathon! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith!
In this letter, Paul is assured of the steadfastness of the Colossians’ faith. He also rejoices concerning the work of reconciliation that the Lord had done in their lives. Here in this passage today, we’ve seen more about the person and work of Jesus Christ in the context of bringing us back into right relationship with Him. If we are in Christ, He has reconciled us through His sacrifice. Let’s look at a few ways that we can apply this in our lives and respond in gratitude toward God’s Word:
Applications
1. Jesus is preeminent, so live accordingly – make sure that your lives have Him as the center in all things.
2. Jesus is worthy to reconcile us to Himself, and this is true regardless of what we’ve followed or trusted in the past, so if you haven't, take the step of faith to be brought to right relationship with Him.
3. We need to be cautious in our walk with the Lord and not fall for any contrary heresy or philosophy, so keep aware and persevere in your relationship with Him.
Conclusion
We see from our text that Jesus is above all else – He is preeminent, and His significance is unbounded. This is the same Jesus who gave the Sermon on the Mount, the same Jesus who cares for us. He gave Himself as a sacrifice to bring us back to right relationship with Him, and as a result of who He is and what He has done, we can be reconciled to Him. May we be found faithful and obedient to our Lord and Savior. Amen.
