SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Jesus, is the image of the invisible God (vs 15a)
(2). Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (vs 15b)
(3). Jesus is the creator God (vs 16-17).
(4). Jesus is the head of the church (vs 18).
(5). Jesus is the fulness of God (vs 19).
(6). Jesus is the saviour (vs 20).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
Real or fake famous landmarks.
• Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Sanctuary of Christ the King, Lisbon, Portugal
• Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
• Trevi Fountain, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
• Arc de Triomphe, Shenzhen, China
• Statue of Liberty, New York, USA
• Statue of Liberty, Tokyo, Japan
• TRANSITION:
• The monuments might look impressive & like the real thing.
• But they are inferior and fakes.
• In religion there are a lot of false Jesus’ around.
• e.g. The Jehovah Witness say he is Michael the arch angel!
• e.g. Mormons believe Jesus was the spirit child,
• Of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.
• e.g. In Islam and the Quran, Jesus (known as 'Isa),
• Is revered as a prophet and messenger of God but no more!
• Those descriptions like the fake monuments,
• Might look impressive & like the real thing.
• But they are inferior and fakes.
• And in these verses the apostle Paul:
• Deals with the most important question,
• That anyone can ask and explores ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’
• So much, rides on knowing the answer to that question.
• Both in this life and the next!
The church at Colossae was being infiltrated with false teachers.
• Their false teaching would later become known as Gnosticism.
• And was penetrating the Church.
• Remember from last week:
• An atheist is one who does not believe in God.
• An agnostic is one who is unsure if God exists.
• A Gnostic claims special insight and knowledge regarding God.
• And one of the Gnostic beliefs was that Jesus was not divine.
• That Jesus is God the Son.
• What we refer to as part of the Godhead (Trinity).
• The Trinity is a Latin word meaning three,
• It is never mentioned in the Bible,
• (Bible languages are Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic).
But this central doctrine has always existed in Christianity,
• We believe in one God existing in three distinct persons:
• God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ),
• And God the Holy Spirit.
• This means that while there is only one divine essence,
• Each person of the Trinity is fully and equally God,
• Coeternal and consubstantial.
• The concept emphasizes both the unity and diversity of God.
• And separates true Christian doctrine from false teaching.
Ill:
• What is the trinity?
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/97aEQBwl-DI?si=pO8JjAt3-7HTYXPW
• TRANSITION: In this letter the apostle Paul,
• Teaches this Church at Colossae (and elsewhere).
• The truth of who Jesus is!
Now, Gnosticism taught something different:
• They that Jesus was himself a created being.
• And this false teaching,
• Was infiltrating the Church at Colossae.
• TRANSITION:
• There are still may false ideas as to ‘Who is Jesus Christ’.
• Note: You need to know this.
• Because the Jehovah Witnesses will attack you on this.
• And if you witness to any Moslem about your faith,
• They will certainly attack you on this point!
• I can almost guarantee it!
Now in these verses we see that Jesus is supreme!
• He is no created creature, he is no emanation,
• He is uncreated, he is supreme, he is #1.
• He is supreme in relation to creation.
• He is supreme in relation to Church.
• Now there is so much in this passage,
• It is hard to know what to leave in and what to leave out.
• So, I am going to share with you,
• Five reasons Jesus is supreme!
#1: He is the image of the invisible God (vs 15a)
“The Son is the image of the invisible God.”
Wow! Let that sink in!
• Jesus is the visual manifestation of the invisible God.
• Jesus is the only one who makes visible HE who is invisible.
• ill: On a human level that is like me saying.
• “Look at this picture of the invisible man.”
• That is humanly impossible.
• But nothing is impossible with God,
• And Jesus can make visible HE who is invisible.
Ill:
• Or, we might say,
• “If Jesus took a selfie photo with his phone, you would see the Father.”
• Didn't He say that in John chapter 14 verses 8-10?
• “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Ill:
• The word image here is the Greek word, “eikon,”
• It means a copy or a likeness.
• A better translation would be,
• He is the exact representation,
• Or the perfect portrait of the Father.
An icon or image can be two things:
• FIRST: It can be a representation.
• Which was used of the image of Caesar on a coin.
• The average person would never see Caesar,
• But by looking at a coin, they could see what he looked like.
• SECOND: It can be a manifestation.
• When the apostle Paul uses this word,
• This is what he means here,
• He is “THE” image and not “AN” image!
• If you see Jesus,
• Then you have seen what the invisible God is like.
ill
• This Greek word translated as image,
• Was the word used for a portrait in Greek,
• Nearest thing we have for photograph.
• Now what is impossible for human beings to do,
• God has done!
• The apostle Paul tells these Colossians (and us).
• “If you want to know what God the Father is like,
• Look at Jesus!”
#2: He is the Firstborn (vs 15b)
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Note:
• Every cult & sect and false religion on Earth,
• Butchers this verse.
• And the Jehovah witnesses are infamous for doing this.
• They like to quote this verse to say that Jesus is not eternal,
• That he was the first created being.
• And then God used him to create everything else.
• Yet, you don’t even have to look too hard to see,
• That is not what the verse is saying!
Question: How many here are firstborn children?
• I'm not the firstborn, I am the eighth born.
• Those of you who are firstborn,
• You had a certain kind of privilege,
• That comes with being firstborn.
• e.g. You never had to have,
• Your older siblings’ hand-me-down clothes to wear!
• e.g. After my parents the first born in our house,
• Always got the best seat,
• I had to sit on the floor and wait my turn.
• TRANSITION:
• This title, ‘Firstborn’ in these verses.
• Means much more than a firstborn child,
• In the Bible: it is used to refer to someone,
• Who is preeminent in rank.
• We see a variety of examples of this.
• e.g. #1:
• “This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son”.
• (Exodus chapter 4 verse 22)
• Israel was not the first nation,
• But is given that prominent title.
• e.g. #2: David is called the “firstborn king of Israel”.
• (Psalm 89 verses 20&27)
• Yet, he was not the first-born son in his family.
• And he was not the first king.
• We know Saul was the first king.
• Here the name first-born clearly means,
• Someone who is preeminent in rank.
Note: the context of where this expression is used.
• Because context determines meaning:
• Jesus as firstborn clearly means,
• That he is preeminent over creation.
• And not that he is a created being.
• This can be seen from the verses that follow (vs 16-17).
“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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together”.
• Jesus is clearly called the Creator of all things.
• Consequently, he could not have been the first thing created!
Note:
• That expression, “all things”.
• Is repeated twice for emphasis,
• Once at the beginning and once at the end of this verse,
• Jesus is clearly called the Creator of all things.
• Therefore, he could not have been the first thing created!
• So, the expression “Firstborn,”
• Does not mean the first created being.
• The apostle Paul is informing us,
• That there is no-one more honoured or important as Jesus.
Ill:
• One thing we British do well is que up.
• Have you ever been in a shop,
• You get to the front of the line, you're about to order or pay,
• And somebody walks through the door and pushes in!
• Question: Are you OK with that?
• (I think I can guess your response!)
• Answer: Is always, No!
• You have a problem with that because you were there first.
• TRANSITION:
• Jesus is always supreme because he was there first.
• The apostle Paul is informing us,
• That there is no-one more honoured or important as Jesus.
• And he gives him the title,
• That depicts his position & importance.
Quote:
• Saint Augustine,
• Was an early Christian theologian and philosopher?
• He is accepted by most scholars.
• To be the most important figure in the ancient Western church,
• Fifteen centuries ago,
• Augustine tried to capture the mystery of the Incarnation,
• In a poem:
“Maker of the sun,
He is made under the sun.
In the father he remains,
From his mother he goes forth.
Creator of heaven and earth,
He was born on earth under heaven.
Unspeakably wise,
He is wisely speechless.
Filling the world,
He lies in a manger.
Ruler of the stars,
He nurses at his mother’s bosom.
He is both great in the nature of God,
And small in the form of a servant.”
• TRANSITION: Great insights from Augustine.
• That the eternal Son of God,
• Would become part of his creation.
(3). Jesus is the Creator God (vs 16-17).
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Ill:
• I like the story of the little girl.
• Who was sitting on grandma’s knee having her hair brushed.
• The girl looked in the mirror,
• At grandma’s wrinkled skin and said:
• “Grandma, did God make you?”
• The old lady replied, “Yes he did!”
• The girl then said “Grandma, did God make me?”
• The old lady replied, “Yes he did!”
• The little girl looked at her smooth skin; then replied.
• “Don’t you think he’s doing a better job these days!
• TRANSITION:
• The apostle Paul reminds this Church,
• That Jesus is the creator of all things!
Notice the three things he says:
FIRST: The Son is the origin of creation:
“For by him all things were created”.
• The Gnostics (false teachers),
• Taught that angels were the agents of creation.
• And that Jesus was actually a superior angel not God.
• (Jehovah witnesses today believe the exact same thing).
• But the apostle Paul knocks that idea on the head by saying,
• “Jesus Christ is no created angel,
• In fact, he created angelic beings in the first place”.
SECOND: The Son is the goal of creation:
“All things were created by him and for him.”
• Creation was created to be his,
• And that creation was made to worship and honour.
• And bring joy to him.
I love the all-encompassing scope of how the son’s creation is described in these verses:
• As I mentioned earlier, we have the words, “all things”.
• Repeated twice for emphasis,
• (once at the beginning and once at the end of this verse).
Note: Then the apostle Paul brings out another incredible truth:
• “The things in the heavens and upon the earth,
• The things visible and invisible.”
• “Heaven” corresponds to the invisible,
• And “on earth” to things visible.
• And just when you think the apostle,
• Has covered all the bases.
• He goes on to say,
• (not just heaven & earth, things visible & invisible) but,
• He then includes.
• ‘Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers’,
• Which are references to the invisible world of angels,
• Both good and evil.
• Notice the apostle Paul,
• Lays stress on the hierarchy of angelic powers to stress
• Even the cosmic powers and principalities,
• Which these false teachers were promoting.
• The apostle Paul says all of them, were created in Christ.
• Good or bad, and they all are subject to him as Creator.
THIRD: The Son is the sustainer of creation:
“In him all things hold together”.
• Not only is Jesus the beginning and end of creation,
• During time as we know it,
• Jesus is the one who holds the world together.
Ill:
• Some people hold a wrong idea.
• They say that after God created the heavens and the earth.
• He kind of sat back and watched his creation evolve.
• They likened that idea to a watchmaker,
• Who having made a beautifully engineered watch,
• Simply wound it up and set it going,
• Then sat back as an observer.
• TRANSITION: That is not the view of the Bible.
• God is not absent from his creation,
• This verse is one of many that remind us.
• Every living thing is absolutely dependent on God,
• For life, health, and vigour.
• The Lord provides sunshine, rain, and oxygen.
• So that all living things can continue to exist and thrive.
(4). Jesus is the Head of the church (vs 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.”
4 SIMPLE TRUTHS ARE AGAIN EXPRESSED IN THIS VERSE:
(a). He is the head of the body.
• ill: Our bodies are guided by our heads,
• Jesus is described here,
• As the one who guides and controls his church.
(B). He is the beginning of the church.
• The Greek word used for beginning,
• Means much more than first in the sense of time.
• ill: A is the beginning of the alphabet,
• 1 is the beginning of a series of numbers.
• ‘Beginning’ means first in the sense of source,
• The origin from which something came.
• The moving power which sets something in operation.
(C). He is the firstborn from among the dead.
• Christ as “the firstborn from the dead”
• There is that word again.
• Now, this is why firstborn doesn't mean the very first,
• Because there were other people that rose from the dead,
• Before Jesus rose from the dead.
• e.g. In the Old Testament,
• Three people got raised from the dead way before Jesus did.
• e.g. Lazarus rose from the dead before Jesus did.
• e.g. The boy of the Widow of Nane got raised from the dead.
• TRANSITION:
• So once again, firstborn does not mean chronological,
• But rather it means supremacy,
• Or the most important one to ever rise from the dead.
• Jesus’ resurrection is the first of its kind,
• And was supreme over all other resurrections.
• Because although we read about,
• Other resurrections from the dead in the Bible.
• All those people died again.
• Jesus alone,
• Has been raised with an indestructible resurrection body!
• He is the first and because of that.
• We have confidence,
• That we too one day will also have new bodies.
• Bodies that will not be subject to disease, aging, or death.
(d). He is supreme in all things.
• By his resurrection he has shown,
• That he has conquered every opposing enemy,
• There is nothing in life or in death that can bind him.
• He is the Lord of all.
• The one who must have supremacy!
(5). Jesus is the Fulness of God (vs 19).
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him”.
• This verse ties up with verse 15:
• “The Son is the image of the invisible God”.
• And the apostle will again mention it in chapter 2 verse 9:
• “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,”
• The obvious understanding is:
• You want to see the invisible God, then look at Jesus!
The word translated as “fulness” in verse 15:
• This word emphasises that Jesus is:
• “The sum total of all the divine power and attributes.”
• Note: The apostle Paul uses this word ‘fulness,’
• Eight times in this short letter.
• This was a buzz word that the Gnostics used all the time,
• They taught that people only get small doses from God,
• You the average Christian only gets a bit.
• But they (the Gnostics) got much more,
• And they could help you get a bit more.
• If you followed their additional rules and regulations.
• But the apostle Paul clearly says,
• You don't need their rules and regulations.
• In Jesus Christ alone - you have everything!
And note also hat the little word translated as ‘dwell,’
• This is the icing on the cake,
• Don’t miss its importance,
• It means far more that simple ‘to reside’.
• The form of the verb means; ‘to be at home permanently’.
• The fulness of God is permanently ‘at home’ in Jesus.
• Jesus’ essence is fully divine.
(6). Jesus is the Saviour (vs 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.”
• Because Jesus is God.
• He can do what no other human being,
• Or created creature could do,
• Jesus is able to reconcile us to God!
The Christian gospel is about reconciliation:
• The reason Christ came into this world,
• Was to bring reconciliation.
• He came to heal, to the breach and bridge the chasm.
• Between a holy God and sinful people.
• Note: The initiative in reconciliation was with God.
• When we had no thoughts concerning him,
• He was concerned with us!
• The New Testament,
• Never talks of God being reconciled to people,
• But always of people being reconciled to God.
The basis of reconciliation was the blood of his Cross (vs 20b).
“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”.
• Note: It was not the incarnation of Christ,
• That accomplished reconciliation.
• Nor was it his example as he lived among men.
• Nor was it his teaching,
• The greatest ever given by an individual.
• Nor was it his miracles, that again were matchless.
• Paul tells us it was through his death on the cross.
• That peace was made between God and man.
• For us to be reconciled to God,
• It cost the sacrificial death of God’s son.
In Conclusion:
Who is Jesus? The answer to the question is:
• (1). Jesus, is the image of the invisible God (vs 15a)
• (2). Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (vs 15b)
• (3). Jesus is the Creator God (vs 16-17).
• (4). Jesus is the head of the church (vs 18).
• (5). Jesus is the fulness of God (vs 19).
• (6). Jesus is the saviour (vs 20).
And the response to that is twofold.
• It means to make Jesus our saviour and Lord.
• Saviour (verse 20.
• As we trust in his death on the cross for our sins.
• We realise we could not save ourselves,
• But God has saved us in Christ.
• Lord - It means to put God first in our lives (vs 18).
• “So that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
• In everything, “First place!”
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=QNqR9UxJgc1oHHYpikRKQLlZGqsaPPNK
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/aVY2FYdhSU0
