BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS
Colossians 1:15-20 (NLT)
For a video of this sermon and others, go to www.thecreekmonroe.com
(Opening Illustration idea from Bruce Lee, "Out Of Peanut Butter" sermon central)
Intro: Were going to start the sermon this morning a little differently than we usually do. This first part is an interactive part of the sermon.
. How many have seen the game show Family Feud. The producers survey 100 people on a particular question and place the top five answers on a board and cover them up. Then five members from a family go against another family and try to guess the answers.
Whoever does the best gets the points.
. Were going to do a modified version of this today. I need five volunteers to play the game. (pick 5 people). Now in the game the people buzz in, today I am going to call on you. You five stand up and come to the front please.
. We want the top five answers to this Question.
. What excuse do most people use for not showing up for church?
1.Weather, too hot or cold or rainy.
2.Overslept
3. I don’t like those songs they are singing these days.
4. It’s hunting or fishing season somewhere.
5. I really don’t like that preacher.
. I have spent all week praying and studying and meditating about today’s sermon. If you are here for “Back To Church Sunday” I don’t want you to think that I am picking on you or singling you out. That’s God’s job, not mine. I just thank God that all of you are here this morning to worship God and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
. What I do want us all to look at this morning and have some self examination is why do we come to church. Not why we don’t.
. There are all kinds of reasons that we don’t come to church.
. Statistics tell us that around 80% of people claim Christianity while only about 20 % attend a worship service regularly.
. Much of it is due to the way we do church.
. Three pastors got together for coffee one day and found all their churches had bat-infestation problems. "I got so mad," said one, "I took a shotgun and fired at them. I missed and it made holes in the ceiling. The trustees are still upset with me."
Another pastor said, "Well, I tried trapping them alive. Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church."
The third pastor said, "I haven't had any more problems since I took action." "What did you do?" the others asked, amazed. "I simply baptized and received into the church and I haven't seen them since!"
. We love to look at numbers and measure our success by how many people we baptize and how many members we have verses how many are or become committed to the Lord in our churches.
. We fuss and fight and get mad when we don’t get our way because we forget about who is supposed to get their way. In case you don’t know, that would be Jesus Christ, the head of the church.
. This morning, I want to look at some scripture that tells us why we come to church. Why we come on a regular basis and worship God.
Hebrews 10:19-25 tells us:
19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house,
22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
. We could stay right here this morning and look at how being part of the local church helps us stay strong in our faith and how the fellowship that we have in the local church is God ordained. We are told very plainly here that we should not neglect meeting together to worship corporately. This is what God’s word tells.
. Verse 24 tells us to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. That part of church.
. I believe that the reason that we should gather together and worship our God through Jesus Christ is because of who He is.
. You see, when you truly understand who it is you worship, who Jesus Christ really is, you can’t help but follow his commands and gather together and worship him.
. This is why we should all make the gathering of the believers a priority in our life.
. Look with me at Colossians 1:15-20.
15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
17He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
18Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
19For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
20and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
. Paul is writing to the church in colossi encouraging them. He tells them that he is praying that they will be filled with joy and have patience and endurance in their Christian life.
. Then he reminds them of just who it is they worship.
. First thing he says is:
. Jesus Is Lord of Creation
. Look at verse 15-17 again
. 15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
17He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
. The Gospel of John begins with John writing that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and through Him all things were made.
. Look around, see the power and majesty and elegance and beauty of creation.
. The one we worship created this wonderful world and He holds at all together.
. Do you ever feel like things are just going to hell around you. That so much is out of your control.
. Everything is a mess isn’t it. We don’t trust our banks, our politicians, people marching in the streets protesting this and that. They tell us that climate change is going to kill us all.
. We don’t know who to believe do we.
. Folks let me tell you, I’m putting my faith and my trust in the one, the only one who can hold all of this together. The one who created all of this. He is the one that I believe.
. I will come and worship Him because of who He is. Because He lives and He is the Lord of everything.
. He is the Lord of creation.
. If we believe that, then we have no choice but to worship Him.
. Next we see that not only is Jesus Lord of creation, He is also:
. Lord Of The Church
. Look at verse 18 again:
18Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
. I believe that this is the biggest reason people leave or stop coming to church.
. Either they themselves or the church that they are attending forget who the Head of the church is.
. Everybody here has either experienced or heard the horror stories of what happens to people and churches who get the me syndrome.
. The pastor and music director in Old First Church did not get along at all. And the music leader would get his point across by his song selection after each sermon.
One week, the pastor preached on commitment and how we should dedicate ourselves to service. Right after the sermon, the music director led the choir in singing, "I Shall Not Be Moved."
The next Sunday, the pastor preached on giving and how we should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The music director then led the song, "Jesus Paid It All."
The next Sunday, the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should watch our tongues. The following hymn was "I Love To Tell The Story."
The pastor became disgusted over the situation and the next Sunday he told the congregation he was considering resigning. The choir then sang "Oh, Why Not Tonight."
When the preacher resigned the next week he told the church that Jesus had led him there, and Jesus was taking him away. The choir then sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
. Folks Jesus had nothing to do with that.
. Jesus had ceased to be the Head of the church.
. We come to church first and foremost to worship God through our faith and belief in Jesus Christ. The church serves many functions but the primary function must be the gathering of believers to worship our God.
. Even Jesus had trouble with his own Apostles.
. Matthew Mark and Luke record the same story about a conflict between Peter and Jesus.
. Jesus had just told his Apostles that He was going to Jerusalem and that there He would die. Peter took him aside and started rebuking him for saying such things. You see Peter thought that he knew what was best. For Jesus and the group.
. Jesus looks at Peter and says this in Matthew 16: 23.
23Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
. You see, the church is full of humans and humans see things from the wrong point of view. That’s why man can never be the head of the church.
. We should come and worship our God because Jesus is Lord of the church.
. That’s who He is.
. Lastly we see that Jesus is not only Lord of creation and lord of the church, He is also:
. Lord Of You And I
. Look at verses 19&20 again
19For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
20and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
. We should look forward to spending at least 1 hour a week worshiping and thanking and serving the one who died for us in order to be reconciled with God.
. Through Jesus Christ we are reconciled with God.
. We talked about this reconciliation last week.
. How we are separated from God by our sin and that God chose to correct that separation through reconciling that separation through a sacrifice. Jesus Christ was that sacrifice.
. Jesus Christ, through his blood on the cross, through his death for our sin created the forgiveness of our sin so we could be reconciled with God.
. Folks we should come and worship God because of what he did for us on the Christ.
. If you are here and claim Christianity, you should be excited about coming to worship him and thank him for who He is and what He did for you.
. If you can’t get excited about the one who is Lord of creation, one who holds all things together.
. If you can’t realize who the true head of the church is.
. If you can’t get excited worshipping the one who gave his life so that you would have life, I challenge you to re-examine your commitment to God through Jesus Christ.
. Folks we have all kinds of church models out here today.
. I’m not going to get into what is right and what is wrong.
. I can tell you though that we must gather together to worship the one who is Lord of creation, Lord of the church, and Lord of your life.
. We gather together to worship because of who He is.
. Is He Lord of your life this morning?
. Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
Bruce Lee, I’m Out Of Peanut Butter, sermon central
Warner Pidgeon, Jesus Is Lord, sermon central
