Sermon 8/13/06-Col. 1:15-2:3-Christ: The One and Only
Ill. John Phillips former assistant director of Moody Correspondence School: -young son
-reading Bible story of Elijah’s being caught up into heaven in a chariot of fire.
-asked “would you like to go to heaven one day?”
- “No!”
- “Why not, why don’t you want to go to heaven?”
- “Because Jesus is there”
- “why don’t you want to go to heaven if Jesus is there?”
- “Because He wears a dress.”
He had the wrong image of who Jesus was. That was the error of the false teachers attacking the church at Colossae. So that was where Paul starts His letter. Presenting the proper image of who Christ is and what He has done.
Pray.
Col. 1:15-17- “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.
I. Who He is– Paul begins with the truth about who Christ is, He is God in the flesh, He is supreme, and He is the creator and sustainer of the universe
First-
A. The visible image of God-In Christ the invisible God became visible.
Jn. 4:24-God is a spirit,
-He is immaterial and invisible. Everything about God is marvelous and mysterious to us. Our minds cannot begin to grasp the idea of One who has always existed, who is eternal, who never had a beginning. We can’t begin to understand the concept of One who is a pure spirit and who has no need for a body…..eternal & invisible? Our finite minds can not comprehend.
Then Jesus came. He was and had always been God
He did not become the image of God @ the incarnation, but has been God for all eternity and now here He was in human form.
–That is why He could say “He who as seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn. 14:9) If we want to know God, must get to know Christ. Want to know how God would have us to live, study the life of Christ.
B. Supreme overall-firstborn over all creation (vs. 15) first born from among the dead (vs. 18)
That is what is meant by firstborn. It can refer to chronology, but in the bible it primarily refers to position, or rank. In both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the son who had the right of inheritance. But it was not necessarily the first born (throughout Genesis: Ishmael & Issac, Esau & Jacob, Ruben & Joseph)
-Israel called God’s firstborn in Ex. 4:22 & jer. 31:9.
-Ps. 89:27, God says referring to the Messiah “I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.”
-Jesus called the firstborn of the dead-Rev. 1:5-even though he was not the first ever resurrected chronologically, but of all ever raised, He is the preeminent One.
-rom. 8:29-refers to Christ as the firstborn in relation to the church, in each of these cases firstborn clearly means highest in rank, not first created.
So X is supreme overall, the only one deserving of all honor and glory and power.
Ill: In Leonardo Da Vinci’sThe Last Supper, Christ’s hands are empty.
-story. Da Vinci dedicated three years to this painting, determined that it would be his crowning work. Before the unveiling, he decided to show it to a friend for whose opinion he had the utmost respect. The friend’s praise was unbounded. “The cup in Jesus’ hand,” he said, “is especially beautiful.” Disappointed at once Da Vinci began to paint out the cup. Astonished, the distinguished friend asked for an explanation. “Nothing,” Da Vinci explained, “must distract from the figure of Christ.” Da Vinci focused attention solely on Christ by removing the distraction of the cup. Having removed the cup, he had to do something with the hand. The left hand was already outstretched just above the table, lifting, as if to bless and command. Now the right hand, also empty, was also outstretched invitingly.
Nothing in our lives must distract others from Christ-He alone is worthy to be praised and exalted and glorified.
Creator of all things (16-17)
Jesus Christ created the universe. Think about what that means!
Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe. He knows all about everything, w/out him nothing would exist.
MacArthur ill. Pg. 47-48
We are living in a complex universe. Nobody today can know more than a small fraction of the laws of science. But Jesus knows every law that is known to science and every law that is not yet known. He knows these laws not because He has investigated them, but because he has invented them.
Explains why Christ is preeminent over all creation.
What He has done (18-22)
Col. 1:18-22 “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. 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 X’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation”
Head of the church
Usually when Paul uses the metaphor of a body to describe the church he is emphasizing the interdependence of the church members. But here the emphasis is on the body’s dependence on Christ who is the head of the body.
-How dependant is your body on your head? w/out your head you will die, can continue to function w/out a lot of other parts of our body, not the head. It is the source of our life, it also directs our bodies, thoughts, actions all eminate from the head– Christ is our head-he is the source of our life, He is the one who directs all we do as a church.
David Garland: NIV Application Commentary-“The church does not exist to meet the needs of its members or to insure its institutional survival, but to fulfill the redemptive purposes of Christ, its head.”
Family business: Visitors, feel free to listen in, but this is for the church family here at Lifegate. Rough spot/Changes/losing members-Not about me, not about what I want, not about Pastor clark, not about the deacons, not about you, not about the people who have left, it is about Jesus Christ and trying to help our church be what He wants it be. A church that effectively ministers to the culture that He has placed us in.
Changes in the works long before I came on board, because the leaders that God has placed here, saw a need to change, saw a dying church.
-We are steadfastly pursuing the direction that we believe God is calling us to, we are regularly coming before the throne of God, asking for His wisdom, direction. But this is His church and we want to be a light for Him, proclaim Him.
What can you do? Pray, Seek Christ, stay centered on Jesus, the Head, and once they get centered on Him.
B. Reconciled us to God- (20-22)
Reconciliation produces the restoration of a relationship of peace. At the right time through Christ’s sacrifice, God was reconciled in that justice was satisfied at Calvary in the pouring out of His wrath on the Lamb of God. Sinful man is reconciled in that his attitude of enmity toward God is changed to one of friendship.
To reconcile is to take someone who is hostile towards someone else and change that into a friendly relationship. Unsaved ungodly man is an enemy of God & is hostile toward Him and God takes the initiative in this estranged relationship and sent Jesus to be our Mediator Who by faith in His sacrificial death and resurrection life brings us into a friendly relationship with God.
C. Presents us to God as holy.
Present literally means to place beside with the idea of yielding to the disposal of another. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew this verb is often used as a technical term for a priest’s placing an offering on the altar with the idea of surrendering or yielding up. (Meditate on that thought.) The only acceptable worship under the New Covenant is the offering of oneself to God. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Ps51:17, cp 1Pe2:5).
"Holy" means separated from sin and set apart unto God. The idea of taking something filthy and washing it and setting it apart as something brand new and useful for different purpose. Holy has to do with the believer’s present relationship with God, because as a result of our faith, we are placed in union with Jesus Christ ("in Christ") and God now sees every believer as holy as His Son.
“without blemish”, This picture reminds one of the Old Testament sacrificial animal which was required to be free of defects. Under Jewish law before an animal could be offered as a sacrifice it must be inspected and if any blemish was found it must be rejected as unfit for an offering to God. Only the best was fit to offer to God.
Paul’s response (1:23-2:3)
Servant of the gospel
B. Servant of the church
to teach the word
Proclaim Christ
3. build up the body.
