Title: christ is Still King
Text: Colossians 1:15-21
P.S.: We all need to answer the question, ‘Is Christ prominent in my life or is He pre-eminent? He just doesn’t want a place in my life, He demands first place.
Introduction:
Here are some trivia questions to live your life on:
• workers were suspended from a Las Vegas hospital in 1980 for betting on when people would die.
• There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world
• The cavity fighter found in tooth-paste is made from recycled tin.
• No one knows where Mozart is buried.
• gardening is the best exercise for maintaining healthy bones
• Forty trillion dollars exchanges hands every day worldwide
• The average person takes 10,000 steps a day
• Morbidly obese humans are the worlds largest primates. gorillas are after that at 485 pounds
• Forty-one percent of the moon is not visible from the earth at any time
• From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink.
The truly most important question a person needs to answer has to do with thr relationship with Jesus Christ. This is no trivial matter.
We all need to answer the question, ‘Is Christ prominent in our lives or is He pre-eminent? He just doesn’t want a place in our lives, He demands first place.
Christmas is the time of year when this question is truly put to the test in our lives. When you enter Wal-Mart, and past the greeters, you are immediately faced with aisle upon aisle of ‘stuff’ to buy for that one special person..
As you walk down each aisle, you will also find elves, Santas, and even Harry Potter. It seems each year that Santa and Harry potter are becoming increasingly more prominent at Christmas.
However, contrary to what seems to be happening to Christmas, no amount of marketing by Wall Street can ever take away Jesus preeminence over Christmas. Jesus will always remain the central focus, simply because with out His birth, there is absolutely no reason to celebrate.
The fact of Jesus pre-eminence over Christmas is without question. The most importance question each of us needs to ask is, IS Jesus Lord over my life, my family, and my career?
For many people Jesus is prominent. They will decorate their homes with lights, a tree and maybe even a Christmas creche. They will attend church at least once, and sing the familiar carols. Jesus is prominent, but in their hearts is He the central one guiding and directing their lives?
Jesus does not want to merely have a place in your life, He wants the throne of your heart. Turn with me to Colossians 1:15-22, where Paul talks about what it means to have Jesus Lord of your life.
In these five verses, Jesus Lordship is describes in terms of relationship: In His relationship with God (15); In His relationship with creation (16-17) and His relationship with to the church; and finally how His Lordship affects his relationship with you and me.(18-20)
First of all, Jesus is described as, the image of the invisible God. The word image, conveys at least two ideas. First, it conveys the thought that the Lord Jesus has enabled us to see what God is like. The Bible says that God is spirit, and so He is invisible. But in the Person of Jesus Christ, God made Himself visible to humanity. The writer of the Hebrews also conveys this idea when he has in Hebrews 1:3
The Son perfectly mirrors God and is stamped with His image...”(The Message Bible)
I have heard people say that there are more than one way to God. Jesus is OK, but he is only one of many roads to the Father. Well, if the Bible is true, and I believe it is, then there is only one way, one road, one Lord, Jesus!!!
“O, I can see God in nature.” It is true that the existence, power, and wisdom of God is revealed through creation, but nature alone cannot reveal the essence of God.
Jesus himself made this bold statement, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
Jesus came, born in a manger not to be the subject of quaint Christmas carols sung once a year. He came to reveal the essence of God Himself.
IN the Book, A Portrait of Christ’ James Draper concludes that, Jesus is not a photo-copy. HE did not become the image of God. He is the image of God, always has been and always will be.”
The word, image. Also conveys the idea of ‘representative’. God had originally placed Adam on earth to represent his interests, but Adam failed. Therefore, God sent his only begotten son, into the world as His representative to care for His interests and to reveal the His heart of love to man.
But Pastor, are we not all made in the image of God?, So what makes Jesus different from us?
Jesus is also the firstborn over all creation., or literally of every created being. Now this does not mean that Jesus was the first person God ever made. Or that Jesus was the first among many of Gods creation. Nor does it mean that Jesus is merely Gods greatest creation.
The expression ‘firstborn’ has at least three different meanings in scripture. In Luke 2:7, it is used in a literal sense, where Mary gave birth to her first born son. There it means Jesus was the first child to whom she gave birth.
In Exodus 4:22, it is used figuratively. “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” This verse does not talk about an actual birth. It is referring to the distinctive place which the nation of Israel had in Gods plans and purposes.
Finally, in Psalm 89:27, the word ‘firstborn” is used to designate a place of superiority, of supremacy, of uniqueness.
This is the thought that Paul has when he writes, that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation. The Lord Jesus is Gods unique, one and only, Son. Yes, through repentance and grace we can become sons and daughters of God. But Jesus is Gods son is a way that is not true of any other.
He existed before all creation and occupies a position of supremacy over it. He holds the position of preeminence and supremacy over creation. In Fact, scripture even says that Jesus was the agent of creation itself.
• He created all things...He is the architect
• He is before all things...This describes the timelessness of deity. Jesus made this quote, “Before Abraham was I AM...” Jesus is GOD!!!
• He is over all things and He upholds all things. He is the sustainer , source and saviour of creation. Jesus is the one who keeps everything from falling apart.
Illustration: J.Draper: A Portrait of Christ
We are told that water is composed of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is combustible and oxygen supports combustion. Put them together and we have water with which to put out fires.
Suppose for one minute Jesus decided not to hold the world together and all the water in the world reverted back to its natural state of hydrogen and oxygen. In a split second the world would explode and burn up because He is the foundation upon which it is built.
Well Pastor, that is all well an good, but what does all this have to do with me? Well, if it is true that Jesus holds this world together , then it is also true of our lives.
The only one that can hold our families, homes, and lives together is Jesus. We are emotional, physical and spiritual creatures, and Jesus holds every cell, atom and molecule together. Were it not for Jesus we would fragment and destroy ourselves.
When we begin to fall apart, our only hope is Jesus. There are times when our emotions run away with us, when our anger lets loose, when we become fragmented. The only hope for our fragmentation is Jesus Christ, who holds all things together. If we could understand that, it would put most psychiatrist out of business.
We will never be put together by ‘all the kings horses and all the kings men’. We are put together only by the King by whom everything was created and for whom everything holds together. He is the foundation on which life is built.
It is this foundation upon which the church, Jesus body, is built upon. The third relationship Jesus Lordship affects is, He is head of the church. This tells us that the church is headed in the right direction, because Jesus is leading, guiding and shepherding it. The church derives its sustaining power through its Head, Jesus Christ
Just as the head shares itself with the body, so the body shares with the head. Jesus Christ shares his life with the church, and the church in turn enters into His being and His ministry.
Each of us has unique and individual responsibilities within the body of Christ, but we all agree on the Head, Jesus Christ. To Him we together ascribe praise, glory and honour. To Him we extend our hearts. To Him we commit our lives. By Him we stand and in His strength we shall serve until He returns for us.
Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence.(18)
Jesus is Lord in His relationship with the Father; He is Lord in his relationship with creation; He is Lord corporately over the Church: But what about ME!?
IV. Jesus is Lord over me personably:
Jesus became Lord of the church through His incarnation, death, resurrection and exaltation. He is already Lord of the created universe. But when Jesus died on the cross we were saved. The cross is the focal point of our salvation. He is now the Lord of our salvation! HALLELUJAH!!!!!
The last part of verse 18, ‘That in all things He might have the preeminence”, begs a personal question, Does Jesus have preeminence in my life?
Jesus is Lord, practically, but is HE Lord personally. The Bible says that there will be a day when every knee shall bow and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. But For many it will be too late. Their declaration will be an after thought.
For us to enjoy the blessings of our salvation today, then we must make a decision to make Jesus Lord personally. What does making Jesus Lord mean to you and I? What difference does making Jesus Lord make?
1. It determines our commitment: there are many things in life which demand our attention and a affections. Many treat their lives like they are going to the mall. Depending what they need at the moment, that is what they will spend their lives on.
Illustration: I think one of our big problems is that many of us are just “going through the motions” when it comes to living out our commitment. It’s not demonstrated in our lifestyles.. Before the DC Talk song, “What if I stumble”the lyrics say something very profound: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
It is not that way with Jesus. Jesus is not one among many good noble teachers. When We make Jesus Lord, He is the ONE SUPREME< MASTER of our lives. We determine to make Him the only Lord of our lives.
2. It will be displayed in my character: Sometimes I hear people say to me that “I can’t change my ways, it is the way I am.” Well if that was completely true then the cross was a meaningless exercise. The Bible is full of examples of individuals whose lives were eternally changed when Jesus became Lord,
• Peter, the profane fisherman, became a firebrand evangelist whose very shadow brought healing to people (Acts 5:15)
• A restless demoniac became a living testimony to the delivering power of Jesus (Mark 5)
• An outcast, immoral woman at the well became a dynamic witness for truth John 4
• Saul the bloodthirsty persecutor of the church, became a tender hearted brother and friend of Christians (Acts 9:1; 21)
The same story is repeated every day around the world as people surrender their lives to Christ.
3. It will be demonstrated by my conduct.
A relationship with Christ has practical implications in how I live my life.
Colossians 3:1-13 The Message says: He Is Your Life
1So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
3Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too--the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
5And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
9Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. 10Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
12So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.
Conclusion:
I began this message with a question: ‘Is Christ prominent in our lives or is He pre-eminent?
For many, Jesus is like a Christmas decoration. You take Him out when it is convenient, when it looks good to you and others. There are others who take out Jesus when it is comfortable. As long as life is going well, and it feels good, Jesus is Lord.
But like those Christmas decoration, as soon as the season ends the decorations are put back in a box until the right time presents itself. The problem is, that people are trying to change their lives from the outside. But true change and transformation can only be affected by an inside change
August 8, 1990 Daily Bread
In a discipleship training series called “The Agape Road”, author and speaker Bob Mumford talks about what he calls “The White Knuckle Club”. In other words, sometimes God will bring some area of our lives to our attention and we will realize that we need to change. So, we’ll go to God and promise to do better and we’ll try harder. But, what God wants for us to do is to bring that area of our lives to Him and allow Him to change us from the inside out. When I just “try harder”, ultimately I fail and get discouraged. But, when I give it to God. Ultimately, I’m asking God to transform my heart
This means the time to serve God is now. There will never be a convenient time, nor with you always feel like it, but w you will never be disappointed when you commit yourself to Christ and
submit yourself to his pre-eminent Lordship of your life.
If that is your desire then I invite you to pray this prayer today and make Jesus the Lord of your entire life,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite you into my heart and life. I want to trust you as Savior and follow you as Lord,
Resources:
The Believers Commentary, Nelsons Ultimate Bible CD
The KJV Commentary, Nelsons Ultimate Bible
Nelsons Study Bible Notes
Jack Hayford Bible Handbook, Jack Hayford
A Portrait of Christ, Jack Draper, jr.
Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
The Message Bible
NIV Study Bible notes
The Bible exposition Commentary, W.Wiersbe
