The Supremacy of Christ is Declared in
The Gospel Message
Colossians 1:1-14
September 2, 2001
Intro:
A. [Nobel Nominee Says All Religions Are Equal, Citation: S.A. Mawhorr, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois) (1-5-00), p.1]
At a January 4, 2000 interfaith dialogue in the Chicago suburbs, Nobel Peace Prize nominee M. Cherif Bassiouni, a law professor at DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, said all religions lead to God using different paths. "The judgment is not by the choice we make, but by how we pursue the path of the choice we make," he said.
"Different religions and cultures are equal in the eyes of God and should be seen as equal in the eyes of man," he said.
1. Was the professor right?
2. Should all paths to God be seen as equal?
3. Is there really more than one path to God?
B. Today we begin a new series of sermons.
1. Last week we finished the series called, "Ten Marks of a Prevailing Church."
2. Today we start a new series on the Supremacy of Christ.
3. Our last mark of a prevailing church was "Uncommon Prayer" and the text we used was Colossians 1:3-14.
4. Today the first sermon in our new series is called, "The Supremacy of Christ is Declared in the Gospel Message" and our text will be Colossians 1:1-14.
5. I give you my word that I am not preaching the same sermon as last week—I did not take the week off.
6. Last week we looked at the text from the perspective of prayer.
7. This week we will look at it to see why the gospel message makes Christ Superior and why not all paths are equal.
8. Today I want to give you seven reasons why the gospel message makes Jesus Christ Superior over all others; first…
I. The Gospel is centered in a person—Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:4, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--
A. Paul spoke of the Colossians’ faith in Jesus Christ.
B. The Gospel is centered in the person of Jesus Christ.
1. The Gospel is not centered in doctrines of churches.
2. The Gospel is not centered in teachings of men.
3. The Gospel is not centered in opinions of men.
4. The Gospel is not centered in rules and regulations.
5. The Gospel is not centered in do’s and don’ts.
6. The Gospel is not centered in a church.
7. The Gospel is not centered in church attendance.
8. The Gospel is not centered in Bible study.
9. The Gospel is not centered in religious traditions.
C. You see the problem is that so many people make Christ prominent in their lives, but not preeminent.
1. So many people make Christ important in their life, but they don’t make Him supreme.
2. So many people talk about the importance of Christ in their life, but He is not the most important thing in their life.
3. Even many churches make Christ prominent, but not preeminent.
4. Far too many have a religion, but they don’t have Christ!
5. We can do all the Bible study in the world, but if Christ isn’t LORD of our lives, He’s not preeminent.
6. We can go to church all we want to, but if we don’t have a daily relationship with Christ, He’s not supreme in our life.
D. Because what is unique about the Gospel message is that a relationship with Christ is what’s most important.
1. No other relationship teaches that.
2. Buddhists stress the teachings of Buddha, but not a relationship with Buddha.
3. Islam stress the teachings of Muhammad, but not a relationship with Muhammad.
4. No one stresses a relationship with the Master except the Christian Gospel.
5. Why not? BECAUSE THEY’RE DEAD!!!
6. You can’t have a relationship with a dead man!!!
7. The Gospel stresses the importance of getting to know and becoming more like Christ!
8. Christ Himself is what makes Christianity unique!
E. Because the gospel is centered in Christ it makes Christ supreme! Also…
II. The Gospel is rooted in the Word of Truth—the Bible
Colossians 1:5, the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
A. The Gospel is rooted in the Word of Truth.
1. What other book do you know that has stood the test of time like the Bible?
2. What other book do you know that has withstood the scrutiny of Science like the Bible?
3. What other book do you know that has been tried by so many millions of people and proven to be exactly what they needed in every area of their life?
4. What other book do you know on finances that has stood the test of time and still has respected teachings?
5. What other book do you know on family relationships that has helped families remain strong and loving?
6. What other book do you know on morality that has helped people take care of themselves with healthy living?
7. What other book do you know on personal happiness that has enabled people to achieve that goal?
8. What other book on religion do you know that has never been amended?
9. What other religion do you know that didn’t have to change their book when it was proven a failure?
10. What other religious book do you know that has never been proven to have error when it was originally written?
B. The Gospel is rooted in this Word of Truth!
1. For all these reasons and many others, this book can be trusted to be the Word of God.
2. And being the Word of God, uniquely qualifies this as the most authoritative book in the world.
3. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ is rooted deep within its pages!
4. It is first recorded in the third chapter of Genesis in the Garden of Eden!
5. And the Gospel is beautifully woven throughout the text from cover to cover; from Genesis to Revelation.
C. And the Gospel is actually defined in this great book in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1. The word "gospel" actually means good news.
2. The "good news" is that even though we deserve to die and go to hell because of our sin, we don’t have to—THAT’S GOOD NEWS!
3. Paul says that it is good news that by this gospel we are saved.
4. Paul says that it is good news that by this gospel we are saved, if we hold firmly to it.
5. Paul says that it is good news that Christ died for our sins just as the Word of Truth says.
6. Paul says that it is good news that Christ was buried and raised on the third day just as the Word of Truth says.
7. Paul says that it is good news that Christ appeared to the 12 to prove His resurrection.
8. Paul says that it is good news that Christ appeared to more than 500 people at the same time so that no one could say that His apostles made all of this up.
9. Paul says that it is good news that Christ him as well so that he could preach and write about Jesus.
10. Paul says this is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel and it is rooted deep within the pages of the Word of Truth.
D. Because this Gospel is rooted with this Word of Truth it makes Christ supreme; and…
III. The Gospel is given to anyone—its universal
Colossians 1:6, that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
A. Paul said the gospel was bearing fruit all over the world.
B. The Gospel is for everyone!
1. It not for a chosen few!
2. It is not just for one race.
3. It is not just for one sex.
4. It is not just for one age.
5. It is not just for one nationality.
6. It is not just for one denomination.
7. It is not just for the rich.
8. It is not just for good people.
C. The Gospel is the only seed that can be planted anywhere in the world and it will bear fruit.
1. The Gospel can grow in any culture. The Gospel can grow in any time period.
2. The Gospel can grow in any time and any place.
3. The Gospel is the only seed that can be planted universally for all people, for all time and bear fruit.
D. The universality of the Gospel makes Christ superior. And…
IV. The Gospel is received as a gift—its unconditional
Colossians 1:6, that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
A. Paul speaks of the gospel being given by God’s grace.
1. Grace is getting something that we don’t deserve.
2. We receive the gospel as a free gift from God that we don’t really deserve.
B. Grace is a gift of God that we cannot earn.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
1. The Bible says that God just gives us grace.
2. There is no amount of good deeds we can do to earn this gift.
3. There is no huge thing that we can do for God to earn this gift.
4. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
5. Therefore we all deserve to die and go to hell.
6. But God has made a way that even though we have sinned, we can still be with Him in paradise.
7. By simply believing in Jesus Christ and making Him the Lord of our life, we can receive the free gift of eternal life.
8. We cannot earn it, it is a free gift.
9. There are no conditions upon it.
10. We don’t have to be a certain kind of person.
11. We don’t have to know certain people.
12. We don’t have to join an organization.
13. We don’t have to give a certain amount of money.
14. We don’t have to do a certain amount of good deeds.
15. It is free to all.
16. It is unconditional—it is the gift of God.
17. All we have to do is accept the gift.
C. Every other religion is based on works.
1. But salvation is earned by good deeds.
2. So the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel is that eternal life is received as a free gift.
D. The unconditional nature of the Gospel makes Christ supreme. And…
V. The Gospel is understood as a rescue mission—its deliverance
Colossians 1:12-13, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
A. Paul says that it is God that has qualified us to share in the inheritance in the Kingdom of Light.
1. We haven’t qualified ourselves; God qualified us by sending His Son to die on Calvary.
2. We didn’t do anything to qualify ourselves for heaven; God did it all.
B. Paul says that God "has rescued us from the dominion of darkness."
1. The dominion of darkness is the kingdom of Satan.
2. God rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and qualified us to share in the Kingdom of Light.
3. God rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves.
4. We were living this life in the dominion of darkness and God saved us from an eternity in hell in the next life.
C. God sent His Son to earth on the greatest rescue mission that has ever been known to man!
1. Indiana Jones could never pull it off.
2. James Bond could never pull it off.
3. Not even Super Man could pull it off!
4. God sent Jesus Christ to earth to rescue people from the dominion of darkness and bring them into the Kingdom of the Son He loves.
D. No other religion has a founder who is the Son of God and who died for the people.
1. Buddha didn’t rescue anyone from the dominion of darkness.
2. Muhammad couldn’t save people from hell.
3. Mahatma Gandhi can’t deliver anyone into the Kingdom of the Son.
4. No other religion can say that their founder was the Son of God.
5. No other religion can say that their founder can rescue them from the dominion of darkness and bring them into the Kingdom of God.
E. The good news of deliverance in the gospel message makes Christ supreme! And…
VI. The Gospel is bought with a ransom—its redemptive
Colossians 1:14, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
A. Paul says that we have been redeemed.
1. That means that we’ve been bought back.
2. Because we sinned, Satan owned us.
3. But God has bought us back; He has redeemed us.
B. And what a price was paid for our redemption!
1. The price of our redemption was the death of the Son of God!
2. God paid the price of our redemption with the life of His only Son.
3. We were sentenced to an eternity in hell.
4. But God paid our ransom.
5. God bought us back.
6. He paid the ransom notice!
7. It was His Son’s life for our life!
8. What a sacrifice!
9. What a ransom to pay!
10. God loves you so much that he bought your life with the life of His own Son!
C. Can anyone else say that?
1. Can the Buddhists say that Buddha died for them?
2. Can the Krishna’s say that Harry Krishna died for them?
3. Can the Moonies say that Reverend Moon died for them?
4. Can any other religion say that their leader died for them?
5. Did their leader die so that they could go to heaven?
6. No! They tell their people to earn their way to heaven!
D. The ransom that was paid in the gospel message makes Christ supreme! And…
VII. The Gospel is release from guilt—its life-giving
Colossians 1:14, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
A. Paul says that because of redemption, we have the forgiveness of sins.
1. My sins were NAILED to the cross and I bear them no more!
2. Because my sins were crucified with Christ, I don’t bear them anymore!
3. I do not bear the guilt of my sin anymore!
B. Where else can you go to have your sins forgiven?
1. Does a priest have the power to forgive sins?
2. Does Buddha or Muhammad?
3. Where else can you to go gain release from the guilt of your sins?
4. People run around with ulcers because of the guilt that they carry.
5. People have all kinds of health problems because they are literally being eaten alive by their guilt!
6. Where else can you go to be forgiven of your sins?
7. [sing] "My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t—My sin—not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord praise the Lord, O my soul!"
C. Because I have been released from the burden of my sin—I can live!
1. I don’t have to walk around with my head down in shame over my sin!
2. I don’t have to let my guilt take away my health.
3. I don’t have to let my guilt take away my life.
4. I can live again!
5. I have new life!
6. I’m alive like never before!
7. And because of the forgiveness of my sins, I not only live in this life, but I live in the next life as well.
8. No other religion can claim forgiveness.
9. No other religion can release people to live again—they’re always going to be burdened with trying to do enough good deeds to balance out their sins!
10. No other religion releases people from the power of sin and shame and guilt to live again!
D. And because of this life-giving nature of the gospel, Jesus Christ is supreme!
Conclusion:
A. [Gandhi Can’t Compare to Christ, Citation: Michael Green, The Message of Matthew (IVP, 2000), p. 141; submitted by Owen Bourgaize, Guernsey, United Kingdom]
Author Michael Green writes:
Only Jesus fully understands God the Father.
Great people have discovered and taught many true and noble things about God.
Nobody has known him with the intimacy of Jesus, who could call him Abba, "dear daddy."
When that holy man, Mahatma Gandhi was dying, one of his relatives came to him and asked, "Babaki, you have been looking for God all your life. Have you found him yet?"
"No," was the reply. "I’m still looking."
The humility, the earnestness, the sheer goodness of a great teacher like Gandhi shine through a remark like that.
But it stands in the most stark contrast with Jesus’ claim, "No one knows the Father except the Son."
B. No one knows the Father except the Son—That is why the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel makes Jesus Christ superior over every other!
1. The fact that the gospel is centered on the person of Jesus Christ makes Jesus superior.
2. Christ reigns superior as the only way to the Father!
C. So the question for us today is, "Do you know the Son?"
D. Song of Commitment: #317, "The Old Rugged Cross."
