The Most Important Truths

Colossians 1:13-20

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 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. 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, 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.

Why do people in our day not follow Jesus Christ? They don’t believe that the Bible contains accurate information about Jesus, or if it does, they don’t think that it matters because they believe they will have a better life if they do not.

Paul is writing a letter to people that he has never met. But he knows that they have expressed a desire to follow Jesus Christ trusting Him to give them life. There are external forces pressing against these people seeking to move them away from following Christ. There are Greek and Roman cultural forces that are more materialistic and hedonistic and there are Jewish cultural forces that are more legalistic. The current culture presents pressure and reasons for not accepting who Jesus is and therefore the significance of what Jesus did.

So, Paul is writing here in the introduction emphasizing who Jesus is and what He did to give people life. Interestingly enough, from my seminary courses on the gospel, it was emphasized that the two main truths that the four Gospels of Jesus are centered around are: Who Jesus is and What Jesus came to do. We see Paul in the same lane here!

 

  1. The Most Important Truths

 

  1. Who is Jesus Christ? V.15-19

Is God there? What is He like?

        His divinity is the most important issue here. Once that is settled, then we move on to the impact of what he came to do.       But we need to be fully convinced of His divinity or else we will       turn from Him in difficult circumstances!

Prophet, John the Baptist, wise man. And yet think of Jesus saying the        following things:

I am the truth about God.

I am the life of God.

If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.

I am the bread of life.

I am the light of the world.

I and the Father are one.

Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus received worship from people!

I have the authority to forgive your sins.

God loved the world so much that He sent Me here so that   whoever would believe in me would have everlasting life!

No man comes to God in any way other than by me!

 

He is prophet: He give us truth from God

He is priest: He mediates our relationship with God

He is king: He rules over our lives

 

  1. What did Jesus do for people? V.13-14, 20

Reconciliation with God. He brings us back to God, paying the penalty for our sins.

He demonstrates what God is like, so we can live in a manner      that is not offensive to Him!

Reconciliation with life. He shows us the way to live that is      best. To live committed first of all to God and His kingdom        purposes. This allows us to prioritize what is most important in         life so that we spend them on what is not worthless. Our labor in      Christ is not in vain! I Cor 15:58

Restoration of the heart: Through His teaching and through     the indwelling Holy Spirit, over time Jesus changes our         hearts. We learn to desire what is best and good. We learn to   not attach our desires to things which feel good and may be       good, but which do not endure the frailties of this sinful world.

 

  1. The appropriate response to these truths

It is to trust Christ by following His teaching.

Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

“You have heard that it was said to you, But I say to you!”

Matthew 11: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Let’s take a close look at our passage today. What does Paul say about Who Jesus is?

Verses 15-19 clearly state that…

  1. Jesus Christ is the God Man

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all         creation. 16 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. 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,

Jesus Christ has a unique identity as the God-man, fully God and fully man, as such…

  1. Jesus is the revelation of God
  2. Son of God: The Son reveals the Father. V.15
  3. Image of the invisible God. V.15

John 1: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

  1. The supreme person, reason, cause and value in         life: so that in everything he might have the                                 supremacy. End of verse 18
  2. The fullness of God as a man: v.19

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

In this role, Jesus eliminates the ambiguity that arises from God being invisible. What is God like? What does God want from us? What is the significance of God even being there? Why don’t I see God more clearly. Jesus answers our questions about God EXCEPT for the GODHEAD mystery and the HUMANITY/DIVINITY mystery.

Jesus Christ has a unique identity as the God-man, fully God and fully man, as such He has a unique relationship with all of creation. Let’s look at the importance of Jesus to all of creation.

  1. Importance of Jesus to all creation
  2. Creator of all things in heaven and on earth v.16
  3. Authority over all authorities: He has created all         thrones, powers, rulers and authorities. V.16
  4. He establishes the true purpose of all things : all         things are created through Him and for Him. V.16 end
  5. The first cause: He is before all things. In the beginning

v.17

  1. The guarantee against creation catastrophe,         against the supremacy of chaos: In Him all things hold                   together. This means that terrible things can happen: The                    Flood, Pompeii, Tsunami etc. But they are not the end and                   they will always have a purpose. We are not at the mercy of                natural forces. V.17

 

  1. Importance of Jesus as a man
  2. Firstborn over all creation: Double portion         authority, sets the standard. V.15
  3. Guarantee of Resurrection life: Firstborn from the         dead. He has gone before us in death! V.17

                If you put these two characteristics together, Jesus is the                    ideal fleshly man, and the ideal spiritual man.

  1. Head of the Church, which is HIS body! This is who we         are. This is His direction over our activities. V.18 This                          speaks to the lives of the people at Colossae directly. Jesus                  is the head of their church. This means that the pressures                       that are brought against them are first brought against                    Christ. They are not alone. They are engaged in the                           fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

 

III. What Did Jesus Do for People?

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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.

  1. He Rescued people from darkness
  2. This is about what is important in your life. What do you need to invest your time, energy, money and heart into? What if you waste your life on things that are not important? There is a reason that men have mid-life crises. It’s because they have not       invested their lives in what is most important!
  3. How should you manage your relationships? Our culture has values as well.  “The greatest love of all is happening to me,       learning to love myself.”
  4. What makes life good? “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die!” What would cause us to think differently?
  5. We get to serve and function in the kingdom of God. We get to be the body of Jesus Christ.

I Peter 4:7-11

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Get serious and pray!

        Love each other deeply.

        Offer hospitality to each other. (Take care of each other’s   needs.)

        Use the gifts that God has given you to serve others.

        Speak God’s Word to each other.

 

  1. He Redeemed people from sin and death

Sin creates the greatest insecurity of all. I am going to die, then what? How can I possibly give an answer for all of the time I acted selfishly etc? Judgement is real. Accountability is real.     Justice is real.

 

  1. He Reconciled man’s relationship with God

        God is invisible. What if you could see Him in the room? Jesus      is visible. Attach yourself to Him!