Who Is Jesus?

WHO IS JESUS?

COLOSSIANS 1:15-19

INTRODUCTION… Board Meeting in Heaven (p)

“I call this meeting to order!” says the Archangel Michael. The commander of the armies of the Lord tapped the small gavel on the table. The rest of the angels became quiet and looked to their leader to start the meeting. This was an important meeting. God, the Ultimate Chairman, was revealing His plan to the angels. It was the plan to fix humanity and pay for sin.

“I have in my hands the scroll from God Almighty. The title of the scroll is “Heaven goes to Earth.”

Immediately the angels began to talk amongst themselves. Who is leaving Heaven to go to Earth? Who are we going to send? What would be required of the one who goes? Who did God pick? All of these questions and more flew around the table as the angels talked amongst themselves.

“I call this meeting to order!” says the Archangel Michael. The commander of the armies of the Lord tapped the small gavel on the table. The rest of the angels became quiet and looked to their leader to continue the meeting. “It is not any of us. None of us are going to Earth.” All of the eyes of the angels got large with questions.

“Good,” said Gabriel. “I’ve been there giving messages. Heaven is where we want to be.”

“Who is He, our Great God Almighty, going to send?” one of the angels in the back of the room questioned.

Michael looked at his fellow angels with a long gaze. He looked at the scroll in front of him. He began to read the scroll that had been provided to him. “The Lord God Almighty wishes to inform His angels that the time has come for His will and plan to save humanity to move forward in a significant manner. Heaven will be going to Earth. I am sending…”

Michael paused. He could hardly read the words. The rest of the angels leaned forward in their chairs.

“Who is He, our Great God Almighty, going to send?” all of the angels in the room questioned.

Michael looked from the angels to the scroll and read, “The Lord God Almighty says I am sending…”

We are going to look more at Colossians 1 this week. As John mentioned as we began last week, we are looking specifically at Christmas through the eyes of Heaven and the Apostle Paul in Colossians 1. We saw last week that in Colossians 1, the passage explains so clearly as to why Jesus came… He came to qualify us, to claim us, and to rescue us. Jesus Christ certainly did all of those things. Today we are exploring who this Jesus is who qualified us, claimed us, and rescued us. Colossians 1:15-19 explains to us so clearly who Jesus was and is.

THREAD: We are asking the basic questions this morning: Who is Jesus? What child is this?

READ Colossians 1:15-19

“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…”

I. CHRIST IS THE VISIBLE GOD (verses 15, 19)

When you and I think about God and talk about God and study about Him, a basic True fact about God always comes into our conversations. That Truth is that you and I cannot see God. God says about Himself in Exodus 33:20 “no one may see Me and live.” John 1:18 echoes that when it says, “No one has ever seen God…” The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:16 described God and says, “Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.” God Almighty is God and we cannot physically see Him.

How then can we know Him? How can we know a God we cannot see or touch? How has the invisible all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present infinite God expressed Himself to us finite beings who cannot see Him or even get close to His presence? What grace has God extended to us so we can know Him?

First, we can know God through general revelation which means we can look at what God has created and we can see that He exists. Romans 1:20 says plainly, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” You can look at stars, trees, mountains, animals, and all the created things of this world and see the fingerprint of God the Creator. The creation praises the Creator and identifies Him.