Who Is Jesus?
CCCAG, March 5th, 2023
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-27
How many people here have ever flown in a commercial airliner?
Either the small propeller planes or the huge jumbo jets?
Do you pay attention to the Flight Attendant as they give their safety briefing, or do you already have your headphones and listening to music?
Well today, I want you think of this message as that safety briefing- what to do if the plane starts going down.
In fact, let’s a pretend for a moment that we are on a smaller plane flying in Colorado- you and 10 other people. You’re looking out the window, and are amazed looking down at the mountain peaks as you pass through the occasional cloud. You’re focused so much on looking around that you have gotten so used to the sound of the engines, that you don’t even notice the low hum sound they make.
That is, until suddenly you can’t hear it anymore.
All the sudden, the pilot comes over the PA system asking everyone to take their seats and fasten their safety belts. There is a mechanical issue that they are working through, but don’t worry, the crew is well trained and they will get the engines running again in no time, and they have plenty of altitude, and they are gliding well, and it will be a bit before this becomes a real danger.
You’re kind of tense now. You hear a high pitched noise coming out of the engines as they try over and over again to restart them without success. After about 5 minutes of this, the pilot comes back on the PA-
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we regret to inform you that we have actually run out of fuel and our gauges were not showing this.
We cannot turn the engines on, and due to our rate of descent, we have no chance at reaching an airport and since we are in the mountains, there is not a long enough or flat enough area or body of water for us to attempt an emergency landing.
However, I’m happy to inform you that we have parachutes for everyone on board. We are currently circling a fairly level plateau, and although we can’t land on it with the airplane, it would be a great place to land with a parachute. In about 10 minutes will have reduced enough airspeed to have everyone parachute onto the plateau where emergency services are enroute to take care of you.”
You immediately start thinking, “Wow, I wish I had paid more attention to the flight attendant at the beginning of the flight…even though I don’t recall them ever talking about a parachute”
Not to worry, the flight attendant hands you a parachute with an instruction card on how to wear it and use it. She tells you- It’s very simple, step into the loops, put the shoulder straps on, chest strap, and tighten everything until your voice changes. When you jump, it will open automatically when you reach a certain fall rate or altitude. If not, look down and left, and with your right hand pull hard on the red handle and your parachute will open.
She moves on to explain it quickly to the next row of people.
Now, you have this heavy container in your lap. It is the only thing that can save you from the coming crash.
In that moment, would you wish you knew more about parachuting?
Do you wish you would have paid more attention during the safety briefing.
Would you want a few extra minutes just to watch a few videos, or read up on how this thing works, how to use it, how to land, how to steer it.
After all, this device is supposed to save your life, and you know very little about it other than what you have seen on TV or in a movie.
In this life we live, we are all heading toward various mountains so to speak. Some of these mountains might be sickness, some might be relationship problems, job losses, war, famine. Couple that with the fact barring the rapture, none of us will get out life alive.
But I have some good news today. Even if our plane seems to be going down, God gave us a parachute.
His name is Jesus.
Now prior to today, you may have not paid attention to the safety briefings we called sermons. You may have tuned out or chosen not to think about what might happen if your life looks like it’s about to crash.
Listen, we are living in very chaotic times. There are dangers everywhere, and we want to make sure that if God calls us to jump into our next life, that we do so being very intimately acquainted with the thing that will ensure our soft landing into heaven.
This morning, we are going to look to God’s plan to save us from this crash that is coming.
We are going to look at Jesus. We are going to see who HE is. We are going to look at why we need HIM, and then we will finish with what we need to do.
We are going to read though Colossians 1:15-27 but break it up into smaller chunks.
Let’s start first with getting to know our Savior, our parachute if you will, and the person who saves us from the crash that is coming.
Col 1:15-27
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Prayer
I mentioned in the beginning of the message- the time to get to know Jesus is now. Just like you wouldn’t want to be in a plane that is going down and then being asked to use a parachute, so you want to get to know this person who is the one who save you from the disaster coming.
I. Who is this man named Jesus?
Verse 15 says “He is the image of the invisible God”
Countless statues, paintings, drawings, and art have attempted to depict what Father God might look like. Paul here makes it simple-
If you want to see the Father, look to Jesus.
Even His disciples didn’t grasp that very well.
As they were walking to the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper, his disciples were peppering him with questions.
Jesus is trying to get somewhere quiet, and the disciples kept asking him questions.
Mothers, Jesus knows how you feel. L
Let’s see what they are asking HIM during the last hour or so until HE is taken from them.
The Gospel of John, chapter 14
John 14:5-9
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
There is this thought in the secular world that the Father is some grumpy, bearded old white guy sitting on a cloud polishing lightening bolts to throw at people, and Jesus is the nice guy that protects us from his grumpy Father.
That’s not true. The son and father are one in likeness, appearance, deity, knowledge, power, and presence. Both the Father and Son, together with the Holy Spirit love each and every one of you with an intensity that rivals the brightness of the sun.
These verses in Colossians explain that in no uncertain terms that Jesus is just as much God, just as much creator, just as much in charge as the Father. In fact, verse 19 says
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
The man Jesus the Messiah had all of the divine living inside him.
What does that mean in relation to how the Father and Jesus are one?
Bear with me- this is not a perfect analogy, but it does describe this idea in verse 20 very well.
A father bought his son a new ATV with the condition that he was not allowed to ride his ATV unless the father was at home, and he would be receiving a whopping if he broke that rule.
One day, the father was driving back on the property and saw all kinds of ATV tire tracks in the field. He walked into the house and saw his son hiding in the corner. The son knew he was caught and was trying to hide from his father’s anger. The Father took off his belt to punish the boy, but inside of spanking the boy, the father began to hit himself with the belt, taking the punishment the boy deserved- showing the boy the seriousness of his misbehavior.
That’s what Jesus and the Father did for us.
They gave us paradise with only one rule- don’t eat from one single tree. They listened to the devil, and ate from it.
Fast forward about 4000 years. God himself took out the belt, and struck himself with it by allowing HIS son to be beaten and crucified on our behalf, taking the penalty for our rebellion and sin.
That introduces us to our next question
II. What is Jesus to us?
Col 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Jesus took the punishment that you and I deserve, that through believing in HIM we might be saved.
Continuing with our original analogy that started out this message, I have to ask you a question-
You were given a parachute.
If you kept the parachute in your lap, and stayed in your seat on this aircraft that was going down, would you be saved?
Pause
There are a few conditions to fulfill. You have to unbuckle your seat belt
You have to stand up
You have to step into the leg loops, put on the shoulder straps, fasten and tighten the leg straps, shoulder straps, and chest strap.
You then have to walk to the door
You have to leave the aircraft- in other words jump!, trusting that the parachute will work and you will land safely.
That’s called exercising your faith in Jesus.
This is a very hard thing for people to do. That’s why Paul sets this up by explaining that we were alienated from God because of our evil behavior.
Sin does that to a person. It hardens the heart, the understanding, the sensitivity to anything about God.
Have you ever met a person so resistant to the things of God they can’t even be reasonable anymore?
I see it all the time as an ER nurse. People so dedicated to being apart from God that the very mention of God causes them to lash out.
That’s why the cross is such an offense to them. They can’t argue it.
It’s such an example of God’s overwhelming love for them that they can’t deal with it, so they lash out against it. That’s why God says they, and at one time us, were enemies with God. We couldn’t stand to think of him because the cross was so offensive that we couldn’t grasp that kind of love because of the corrosive power of sin in the human heart.
Thank God for the HOLY SPIRIT! The Holy Spirit softened our hearts, removed the scales from our eyes, and changed our way of thinking so that we could look upon Jesus, look upon the cross, understand our need for HIM, and experience the Love of God as we surrender our lives to HIM and HIS kingdom.
But there is a caveat here- You need to put the parachute on.
2nd caveat- you need to keep it on. If you managed to jump out of the plane and take off the parachute on the way down, should you expect to be saved?
Too many people believe that it’s a one and done thing. In other words, I prayed a prayer at 14 years old. I’m in my 30’s or 40’s and haven’t lived for God at all, but since I prayed that prayer I’m fine.
No no no. The bible crushes that argument- You are only saved and reconciled to God if
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
It’s not just Paul saying this, it’s Jesus HIMself. Speaking of the end times, Jesus said this-
Matt 24:10-14
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
In other words, the ones who keep the parachute on until they land safe in the arms of God in heaven.
My friends, it’s not time to coast and hope our spiritual momentum will help us cross the finish line.
If anything, we should spiritually be preparing for war. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but both nations above and below us are jailing Christians for hate speech, and it’s coming here. This is now world wide.
It’s not time to fear, it’s not time to run. It’s not time to hide our heads in the sand.
It’s time to press into the high calling Jesus has given us- to be his ambassadors, His high priests, His representatives. To shine our light into the world, illuminating the way to HIM so that others may be saved.
I want to leave us this morning with the bible’s final admonition about his topic.
III. What now?
Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
NIV
In verse 24, Paul says that he fills up in his flesh what was lacking in afflictions. It’s an unfortunate translation as it makes it sound like Paul, you, me and all other Christians can somehow add our suffering because Jesus’s was lacking.
A better way of saying this is, “Look at the suffering Jesus went through taking upon himself the sin of the entire world. Nothing I can do, nothing I can suffer, nothing I can endure will ever come close to what HE has already done for me.”
Paul is saying- I don’t care what comes my way, I’m a servant to this King. I am a servant to HIS Gospel message. I am a servant to His embassy on earth that we call the church.
And that is my final thought for today-
If not for the church, how can people get saved? How can people be discipled? How can people be called and sent to proclaim the only message by which we must be saved?
If we don’t act like the church….then we are like people throwing the extra parachutes out the door of the plane before jumping out ourselves, leaving everyone else to suffer the crash.
Prayer- call to consecration and service
