Our Incredible Christ—Resurrection; Col 1:18; 11-17-15; 4th of 4.
What a wonderful journey we’ve been on as we spend time with Our Incredible Christ. We’ve looked at his role in creation and seen that we were made “for him.” We’ve seen the incarnation and realized he was the perfect Sacrifice for sin—fully God and fully human. And as human he is especially able to sympathize with us in our struggles. We examined his death, which opens the way to God for us and for the world. So we live “4 Christ.”
Tonight we come to the final episode in our adventure of recognizing “Our Incredible Christ,” his resurrection. We’re focusing on verse 18: “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” “Firstborn from among the dead” is a reference to his resurrection. Let’s dig in, and we’ll see that (KT) the resurrection seals our hope and attests to Christ’s supremacy over all.
Again you’ll have the chance to raise your questions and comments at the end.
Paul says Christ is the “head,” the “beginning” and the “firstborn.” Each of these words derives from the same Hebrew root (ryst), and each one affirms Christ’s sovereignty in the new creation and the old. The first part of the passage talks about Christ’s role in creation. Now this verse speaks of his role in the new creation. He is the head of the new creation. He is the beginning of the new creation. And he is the firstborn from among the dead. Because he rose, we are assured that we will rise too. His resurrection is the source of new life for believers. As he said in John 14: “Because I live, you also will live” (14:19).
N.T. Wright points out a big change precipitated by Christ’s resurrection. The Jews believed that at the end of time there would be a mass resurrection, and the good would rise to life and the evil would rise to judgment. But Paul teaches that God brought that “age to come” forward. He moved the age of resurrection into the present age, in order that the power of the new age might be unleashed in the world while there is still time for the world to be saved. Instead of resurrection coming at the very end, believers are raised to new life now, and that changes the way we live and our impact on the world around us. (cited in Garland, The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians/Philemon, p. 92.)
But for a lot of people, the question is whether resur-rection could even happen. Is it just a myth, a fairy tale? When I was in college I really wondered about whether Christianity was true at all. Did some smart people just make it all up? What evidence was there that this is real? I wanted some solid evidence. I heard about an English lawyer named Frank Morrison who was sick of the claims of Christians. He decided he would apply his investigative skills as a lawyer to the evidence for the resurrection. If he could disprove the resurrection, then all the rest of Christianity would just crumble. So he did the research, but to his surprise, he found the evidence was compelling that the resurrection really did happen. He wrote a book, Who Moved the Stone, to lay out his case. I remember sitting in the Laundromat at school reading that book. And I was convinced. The resurrection of Christ is one of the best attested events in ancient history.
We don’t have time to go into it very deeply, but let me just mention one key area—the empty tomb. Supporters and opponents of the resurrection alike all admit that the tomb was empty. Had it not been empty, the authorities could have gone to it and produced the corpse, and all the preaching would have been squelched.
So how can we best explain the empty tomb? The earliest story was that the disciples came and stole the body while the guards slept. First of all, for guards to sleep on duty was an offense punishable by death, so it’s not likely that they slept. But even if they had, the disciples were psychological wrecks at that point, and they had no concept of Jesus rising to life. And almost every one of the disciples was martyred for preaching that Jesus had risen. Is it possible that they were willing, to a person, to die for what they knew to be a lie? Highly unlikely.
Maybe the Jewish or Roman authorities stole the body. First, why would they do that? And second, when the disciples started preaching resurrection, they could have produced the body and said, “He didn’t rise. Look, here is his corpse.” But they couldn’t do that because they didn’t have the body.
Some have said the women went to the wrong tomb in their grief and confusion. They found it empty and mistak-enly concluded that he had risen. But again, opponents could have gone to the right tomb and shown the body was still there. So that makes no sense.
In the nineteenth century someone came up with an-other idea. Maybe Jesus didn’t really die. He just fell into a coma on the cross, and he revived in tomb, and the disciples thought he had come back to life. This has all kinds of problems. First, the Romans were experts at crucifixion and knew when someone was dead. Second, his followers washed and anointed his body before burial. Certainly they would have noticed that he was still breathing. Then he would have had to extricate himself from the gooey wrappings of the grave clothes, roll back the heavy stone, scare away the guards, and walk for miles on severely wounded feet, and give the impression that he had conquered death. Besides, it would have made Jesus himself a liar, claiming to have died when he hadn’t.
The only other explanation for the empty tomb that I’m aware of is the best one—that God, in fact, raised Jesus from death as the “firstborn from among the dead.” If God created the world and made life in the first place, returning life to a dead body would be no problem. And if Jesus came back to life, that proves all the rest of his claims as well. It validates him as the Son of God. It proves his power over sin and death. And it assures us that he can give us new life as well. As Paul writes in Romans 1:4, Christ “was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection proves he is God’s Son.
The resurrection seals the truth of all of Jesus’ claims. And it seals our hope. Because Christ lives, we too can live. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” We have a new and living hope because of the resurrection. We know Christ has defeated death. The grave couldn’t hold him. And therefore we know the grave will not hold us either, if we are in Christ. It’s an amazing gift, given to us by God—“a new birth into a living hope.” That hope is sealed by the resurrection.
This isn’t just assurance of rising to life after our physical death. Romans 6 says, “We were…buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (6:4). When we are identified with Christ through faith, we are connected with his death. His death that paid for sin becomes our death, and we are no longer subject to the punishment for sin. And as we are identified with his death, we are also identified with his resurrection. His new life is poured into us in the here and now, not just by and by when we die. “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17). The resurrection is moved from the end of time into our time. We are “born again,” in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. We are given the gift of a new start at life.
Friends, don’t just go through the motions. Don’t settle for a life of keeping the rules and trying to be good enough. That’s too hard. We can never be good enough. Apart from Christ we are dead. But when we come to Jesus and yield our lives to him, he works a transformation in us and brings us to new life, the life of faith, the life of walking in a personal relationship with him every day. “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19b).
Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spir-it, who lives in you.” Over and over again the Scriptures af-firm that Christ’s resurrection seals our hope of new life. 1 Cor. 6:14, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.”
I love John Wesley’s comment about the resurrection. He said, “I believe in the resurrection not because I can ex-plain it, but because it happened to me!” And I hope you can say that too. The resurrection has happened to me. I live a new life. Christ lives in me. “The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
David Garland points out that the goal of the resurrection of Christ is not merely to give individual believers the hope that they will defeat death. That’s not enough. God is not satisfied for Christ to be head over only a band of devoted followers. The goal of the resurrection is far grander. It is universal and impacts all of creation. Look again at our Colossians text: “He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that (here’s the purpose) in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col.1:18). Because of the resurrection, Jesus Christ is supreme over everything.
What does that mean? Those of us who follow certain sports teams want to be able to chant about our team, “We’re number one.” We want our team to be supreme. Well, Jesus is number one. To be supreme means to be highest in rank or authority. It is to be sovereign, to be chief. To be supreme means being of the highest quality, or degree, or character, or importance. It is being the top. It is being the greatest, the utmost, the ultimate. Because of his resurrection, we recognize Jesus Christ as supreme.
The text says “in everything” he might have the su-premacy. Everything. There is no area of life where Jesus is not supreme. There is no place in the universe where Jesus is not supreme.
John Piper has written and spoken a lot about the supremacy of Christ. I watched a video of one of his talks, and I was moved. He talked about:
The supremacy of Christ’s deity. He is fully equal with the Father.
The supremacy of his eternality. He never had a be-ginning. He always was. He is sheer absolute reality. Com-pared to him, the universe is fleeting and fragile.
The supremacy of his knowledge. All the information in the Library of Congress is a drop in the bucket in compari-son to Christ. His knowledge makes the entire internet look like a 1940s Farmer’s Almanac.
The supremacy of his wisdom. He has never been perplexed. He has always known what is best and right.
The supremacy of his authority. He is the absolute ruler over heaven and earth and hell. The scope is limitless.
The supremacy of his providence. No bird in the deepest rain forest falls to the ground apart from his will. No hair turns gray without his permission.
The supremacy of his Word. By his word he upholds the universe, from vast galaxies to subatomic particles, from quasars to quarks.
The supremacy of his power. His power over the nat-ural world and his power over the spiritual world.
The supremacy of his purity. He never sinned, he never will. He is absolute perfection.
The supremacy of his trustworthiness. He is absolutely faithful. He will never renege on his promises.
The supremacy of his justice. There is never a blown verdict. He always gets it right. He is supremely fair.
The supremacy of his patience. He endures our dull-ness, and he withholds judgment so that more people may be saved.
The supremacy of his servant obedience. He was willing to go to the cross in absolute obedience to the Father.
The supremacy of his meekness, his tenderness.
The supremacy of his wrath. One day it will explode with such fierceness that people will beg mountains to fall on them as protection.
The supremacy of his grace. He gives life to the spir-itually dead. He awakens faith and forgives sin.
The supremacy of his love. He willingly died for us while we were still sinners.
If we could see all this, we would just be glimpsing the outskirts of Christ’s supremacy. He is infinitely admirable and worthy of praise. He is supreme in every admirable way over everything: He is supreme over the most far-flung galaxies. He is supreme over the earth, from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Marianna Trench in the ocean. He is supreme over every plant and animal, from whales to viruses. He is supreme over the weather, earthquakes, droughts, storms. He is supreme over nations, and governments, and armies. He is supreme over ISIS and al Qaida and Syria and Russia and the United States. He is supreme over politics, and elections, and sports, and universities, and business, and economics. He is supreme over individuals, and relationships, and churches. “He is the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col. 1:18).
As Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not a square inch in planet earth where Jesus Christ doesn’t say, ‘Mine.’”
Philippians 2: “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:9-11).
So what is our response? (KT) Jesus’ resurrection seals our hope and attests to Christ’s supremacy over all. How do we live acknowledging that Jesus is supreme over all? Let me suggest that we focus on letting him be supreme in our daily lives. It transforms the way we deal with life’s problems.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” God is changing us when we live in the reality of the resurrection. The new life God gives grows our hearts and our spirits to become more and more like Christ.
Piper said, little hearts give little lusts big power. If my heart in relation to Jesus is small, if I am still trying to run my life pretty much on my own and Jesus isn’t a big factor in my thinking, then little problems have great power. My heart is small, so a small temptation to pornography or gossip or pride is pretty big in comparison to my heart. And it is a struggle. My little heart isn’t big enough to handle that little problem. But big hearts give little lusts little power. When my heart is full of Jesus, I relish his presence. I’m overjoyed by the new life I have and the promise of my future. So when that little lust for gossip or porn comes up against my satis-faction and delight in Christ, it isn’t even a threat. Why would I yield to something that displeases him and spoil the beautiful connection I have with him? It becomes hardly even a temptation. My satisfaction and joy in Christ become my motivation to live for him instead of for self.
So to live for Christ’s supremacy means I focus on him and I take delight in him with my day to day decisions. WWHG: What would honor God? As I magnify Jesus in my life, I receive the gifts of hope and new life. Isaiah 26:8: “Yes, Lord… your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Can we honestly say that? Are we living “4 Christ”? Do we want, above all else, to see God’s name and God’s renown honored in all the earth?
“He is the head of the body, the church; he is the be-ginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Col. 1:18). (KT) The resurrection seals our hope and attests to Our Incompa-rable Christ’s supremacy over all.
Q-A
Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven in 2000. He is well-known for a passage out of his sermon titled “He’s My King”:
“He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merci-ful. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s savior. He’s the centerpiece of civili-zation. He stands alone in Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedent-ed. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theolo-gy. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?
Well, my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom, He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness, He’s the gate-way of glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the con-querors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s the leader of the legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers, He’s the governor of governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well. I wish I could describe Him to you. But He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s incompre-hensible. He’s invincible, He’s irresistible. I’m trying to tell you, the Heav-ens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my king!
He always has been, and He always will be. I’m talking about He [who] had no predecessor and He [who] has no successor. There was nobody before Him and there will be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign. We try to get prestige and honor and glory to ourselves, but the glory is all His. Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and when you get through with all of the forevers, then 'Amen'."
“Oh I wish I could describe him to you.”
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