The Two Natures of Jesus
(Colossians 1:15-20)
1. Some people are good at manipulating others through guilt and rubbing it in when you do not give them as much attention as they want.
David called his mother in Florida.
He said to his mother, "Ma, how are you doing?"
She said, "Oh, not too good. I've been very weak."
David then asked, "Why are you so weak?"
She said, "Because I haven't eaten in 38 days."
David then asked, "Ma, how come you haven't eaten in 38 days.?"
She said, "Because I didn't want my mouth to be filled with food when you called."
2. Jesus came to deal with our sin & our real guilt, not our imagined guilt. In response to our salvation, we should logically desire to know more about him, like the old Gospel song, “More about Jesus would I know…”
3. Today’s text is thought to be a creed in poem-like structure; note the parallelism, “firstborn of all creation “ (15) and “firstborn from the dead” (18). Rhythm, repetition of phrases “all things” and “through [or by] him.”
4. So was this a pre-existing creed Paul endorses, or did he compose this creed?
I lean toward the idea that this creed existed before Paul wrote Colossians. Much like the “faithful sayings” he refers to in I and II Timothy.
Main Idea: The interactions between the human and divine nature of Jesus has its complexities, but it is best understood if we look at it in the realm of time.
I. Near Past: Jesus HUMANITY While On Earth (15)
A. He is God INCARNATE
1. God’s image in man is marred because of the CURSE
2. Jesus is the SECOND Adam, but also DEITY, “eikon”
3. He is the image of God as Adam was before the Fall, but, as we shall see, he is fully deity, fully God, which Adam was not.
B. His HUMAN nature is more honored than the rest of creation
1. God the Son has always existed, but the human nature of Jesus began in Mary’s womb; it is more accurate to say God the Son has always existed
2. Example: The color green made from blue and yellow, so green is, in a sense, a separate color, but yellow and blue are within it; so it is with Jesus Christ. The blue existed from all eternity, but 2,000 years ago, the yellow was added.
3. Judaism: Messiah was created and waiting in heaven, just a man
4. God the Son, uncreated, but the human nature to which his divine nature would be joined was planned from eternity but did not exist from eternity
5. I Peter 1:19-20, “… but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
C. FIRSTBORN means honored heir, not born first
Exodus 4:22, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.”
Ishmael and Isaac reversal [reversal in fortune is a theme in both testaments]
Hebrews 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son….” [NASB]
Jacob and Esau reversal
Reuben and Joseph reversal
Application: As a man, Jesus can understand us experientially…sympathize…
II. Distant Past: God the Son’s DEITY Before He Came to Earth (16-17)
A. He CREATED all things
1. And God said…. the Word (John 1:1)….Spirit hovered
2. Physical and SPIRITUAL entities
3. The Name Yahweh, “the One Who exists” or “the One Who causes to be”
4. Satan does not create, he ruins
B. Everything was created FOR him
1. The Three Persons of the Trinity seek to glorify one another
2. This is why we worship, praise, obey, and honor him
3. Creation’s purpose is to glorify God, but mankind’s purpose is to glorify him in this unique 2-fold way: Love God w/all our heart & our neighbor as selves.
C. The Son HOLDS the universe together
My friend Dan /mustang … all in vain… creation released in vain
what is matter? Mostly energy
the universe does not implode because it is maintained
concurrence — God upholds even the laws of physics
God the Son created and God the Son preserves; Same with salvation…saves, keeps
III. Present and Future: The EXALTED God-Man (18-20)
A. Reigns as HEAD of the Church (18a)
1. Advantage of a non-denominational church/elders to discern direction
2. Israel of old demanded a king; God had established elders rule in Israel with occasional judges raised up as needed… God wanted to be the King
3. So Jesus Christ longs to be the head of every congregation… do we let him?
4. Jesus reigns in a church to the degree the leaders study/correctly interpret and apply the Bible and purely seek his will…
B. The PROTOTYPE for our resurrection bodies (18b)
Christ rose on the Feast of Firstfruits, the firstfruits of them that sleep (I Cor 15:20)
C. The PREEMINENT One (18c)
• Webster, “having paramount rank, dignity, or importance”
• Anything that reduces his preeminence is evil and idolatry
• We struggle in our lives to put Jesus first: first day of our week we give to him, we seek to put his will above our own…
D. Full DEITY (19)
Deity lives in us (the Spirit), but not the fullness of deity; God may live in us, but we are not God.
E. The One who will REVERSE the Curse (20)
1. We begin this reversal personally at salvation — have you?
2. One day our bodies will be redeemed (Romans 8:23)
3. Will be complete in the New Heavens and the New Earth
4. Then all creation will be at peace; no curse, no death, no tears
We all need to better understand the One at the center of our lives, the one around whom the universe revolves, Jesus Christ our Lord!
